How I Became a Yankees Fan
As told to Lili Stephenson by Ben Ryan (Melbourne, Australia)
My love of baseball goes all the way back to the 1982 World Series where replays were screened late at night Australian time. I fell in love with the The Wizard of Oz, Ozzie Smith and the St. Louis Cardinals. I followed them for years until two home run brutes named Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco started mashing for the A’s.
But my ultimate passion for a team finally came as I watched the New York Yankees 3peat from 1998-2000. Players like Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Bernie Williams captivated me. It was also then that I realised that the most famous players in history were all Yankee greats: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Bera, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. What a dynasty the Yankees were! Then I learnt about Don Larsen’s WE perfect hame and what Mr. October, Reggie Jackson did to the Dodgers in 1978. Donnie Baseball may have been the best of them all had he been in a better team. There have been many more stars since: The Rocket, Alex Rodriguez and now, Aaron Judge. The most exhilarating ride ever was his home run record breaking march in 2022. ALL RISE!
All that remains is for me now is to make it to the new stadium, check out Monument Park and watch a game in the pinstripes while soaking in the history of the most famous sporting franchise ever. There are probably millions more Yankees caps worn around the world than any other, so they have to be, right?
Opening Day 2014 @ Sydney Cricket Ground, Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers