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New York Yankees "The Bronx Bombers"
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File:NY Yankees Logo.png File:Yankees cap logo.PNG Logo Cap insignia
Established in 1901 'Based in New York since 1903'
Major league affiliations
American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present)
Current uniform
File:Al 2005 newyork 01.gif
Retired numbers	1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 32, 37, 44, 49
Name
New York Yankees "The Bronx Bombers" (1913–present) New York Highlanders (1903-1912) Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) (Also referred to as "Americans" 1903-1909 and "Yankees" 1910-1912)
Ballpark
Yankee Stadium (1923–present) Shea Stadium (1974-1975) Yankee Stadium (1923-1973) Polo Grounds (IV) (1913-1922) a.k.a. Brush Stadium (1913-1919) Hilltop Park (1903-1912) Oriole Park (Baltimore) (1901-1902)
Major league titles
World Series titles (26)	2000 • 1999 • 1998 • 1996 1978 • 1977 • 1962 • 1961 1958 • 1956 • 1953 • 1952 1951 • 1950 • 1949 • 1947 1943 • 1941 • 1939 • 1938 1937 • 1936 • 1932 • 1928 1927 • 1923
AL Pennants (39)	2003 • 2001 • 2000 • 1999 1998 • 1996 • 1981 • 1978 1977 • 1976 • 1964 • 1963 1962 • 1961 • 1960 • 1958 1957 • 1956 • 1955 • 1953 1952 • 1951 • 1950 • 1949 1947 • 1943 • 1942 • 1941 1939 • 1938 • 1937 • 1936 1932 • 1928 • 1927 • 1926 1923 • 1922 • 1921
East Division titles (15)	2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 2001 • 2000 • 1999 • 1998 1996 • 1981 • 1980 • 1978 1977 • 1976
Wild card berths (2)	1997 • 1995
- In 1981, a players' strike in the middle of the season forced the season to be split into two halves. New York had the best record in the East Division when play was stopped and was declared the first-half division winner. The Yankees had the third best record in the division when considering the entire season, two games behind Milwaukee and Baltimore. - In 1994, a players' strike wiped out the last eight weeks of the season and all post-season. New York was in first place in the East Division by six and a half games when play was stopped. No official titles were awarded in 1994.

The New York Yankees are a Major League Baseball team, based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City. The Yankees are one of two major league baseball franchises in the City of New York. The team name is often shortened to the Yanks, and the nickname the Bronx Bombers is also used. Their official nickname was previously the Highlanders.

The club was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1901, and moved to New York in 1903. From 1923 to the present, the Yankees have played at Yankee Stadium. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Yankees have been Major League Baseball's most storied franchise, winning 26 World Series titles in 39 appearances. Their 26 titles makes them the most successful franchise in North American pro sports history (passing the Montreal Canadiens' 24 titles with their 1999 championship). They are also the only team represented in the Baseball Hall of Fame at every position.

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Headline text

Distinctions

The Yankees have won 26 World Series in 39 appearances (which, since the first World Series in 1903, currently amounts to an average appearance every 2.7 seasons and a championship every 4.0 seasons); the St. Louis Cardinals are second with ten World Series victories. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers are second in World Series appearances with eighteen; eleven of those eighteen appearances have been against the Yankees, where the Dodgers have gone 3-8 against them. Among North American major sports, the Yankees' success is only approached by the 24 Stanley Cup championships of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. The Yankees are also the only team that is represented at every position in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Uniform and dress code

Appearance

The team colors are navy blue and white. Under George Steinbrenner, long hair and facial hair below the lip are prohibited. Visible tattoos are also prohibited, and players with one on their arm are often seen wearing a navy blue arm band.

Design

Home uniform is white with distinctive pinstripes and a navy blue interlocking "NY" at the chest. Away uniform is gray with "New York" written in capitals across the chest. The player number is on the back of the uniform jersey and is not accompanied by the player name. (The interlocking NY was also used by the New York Knicks on their warmup jackets, and later shorts from the 1960s to 1990 and remains on the Knicks' throwback uniforms.)

In 1929, the New York Yankees became the first team to make numbers a permanent part of the uniform. Numbers were handed out based on the order in the lineup. In 1929, Earle Combs wore #1, Mark Koenig #2, Babe Ruth #3, Lou Gehrig #4, Bob Meusel #5, Tony Lazzeri #6, Leo Durocher #7, Johnny Grabowski #8, Benny Bengough #9, and Bill Dickey #10. While other teams began putting names on the backs of jerseys in the 1960s, the Yankees did not follow the trend. Many companies create jerseys with Yankee names sewn on the back for fans to purchase, but no official Yankee uniform has ever had names on the back. They are also one of the few teams in Major League Baseball to shun the trend of creating a "third jersey". The team has never issued #0 or #00.

Although the Yankees have worn the same road uniform since 1918 (with the exception of 1927 to 1930, when the arched "NEW YORK" was replaced by the word "YANKEES", a radical change was proposed in 1974. Marty Appel, in his book Now Pitching for the Yankees describes the proposed uniforms:

(I)n 1974 I walked into (then-General Manager) Gabe Paul's office to find samples of new Yankee road uniforms draped across his sofa. They were the opposite of the home pinstripes — they were navy blue with white pinstripes. The NY logo was in white. Gabe liked them. I nearly fainted. Although the drab gray road uniforms were not exciting, with the plain NEW YORK across the chest, they were just as much the Yankees' look as were the home uniforms. I think my dramatic disdain helped saved (sic) the day and saved the Yankees from wearing those awful pajamas on the field.

The Yankees wear navy blue caps with a white interlocking "NY" logo with both home and road uniforms.

Popularity

Fan support

With the recurring success of the franchise since the 1920s and its rejuvenated dynasty, the Yankees have always been and continue to be one of the most popular sports teams in the country. They have a large fanbase, noticably bigger than that of the cross-town New York Mets. Even in road games, especially in towns like Baltimore, Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay, the Yankees generally draw crowds of their own fans, showing that they not only have support in the New York area, but also around the United States and Canada.

The first one-million fan season was in 1920, when 1,289,422 fans attended Yankee games at the Polo Grounds. The first two-million fan season was in 1946, when 2,265,512 fans attended games at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have beaten the league average for home attendance 83 out of the last 87 years (only during 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994 did they not accomplish this). In the past seven years, in the dawn of their new dynasty, the Yankees have drawn over three million fans each year, with an American League record-setting 4,090,696 in 2005, becoming only the third franchise in sports history to draw over four million in regular season attendance in their own ballpark.

The Yankees were also the league leaders in "road attendance" in each year from 2001 through 2005, and are at the top again in 2006.

Many fans who attend games at Yankee Stadium would also be familiar with the famous fan simply known as "Freddy". For over 50 years this fan has come to Yankees' home games with a baseball cap, a yankees' jersey (which on the back bears his own name) and a cake pan with a shamrock painted on it which is connected to a sign enscribed with words of encouragement for the home team. The sign changes every game (But always features the prefix "Freddy Sez") and Freddy carries a metal spoon with him encouraging fans to bang the pan for good luck as he walks threw the crowd throughout the game. Whether or not Freddy is employed by the Yankees' organization is not definitely known, although it assumed that such must be the case in order for him to afford to attend so many games throughout the season.

The Bleacher Creatures

The "Bleacher Creatures" are a group of season ticket holders who occupy Section 39 in right field, and have gained notoriety over the past decade. Their name was coined by New York Daily News columnist Filip "Flip" Bondy, who spent a season sitting with them and wrote a book, Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium, published in 2005.

The Creatures have popularized the "Roll Call," which they chant in the top of the first inning when the Yankees first play defense. In the Roll Call the Bleacher Creatures loudly chant each field player's name (i.e. "Der-ek Je-ter!") repeatedly until the player acknowledges the chant by waving, tipping his hat, or something similar. They conclude by turning to the right field box seats and chanting "Box seats suck," to which the box seat fans respond, "We got beer," alluding to the fact that all alcohol is banned in the bleachers. During many games, the creatures taunt the opposing team's rightfielder with songs and insults.

Because of random rowdiness, and the fact that many families now sit in the more affordable bleachers, alcoholic beverages were banned from the bleachers in 2000, but the Bleacher Creatures have continued their antics, perhaps fueled by some clandestine drinking They are popular with the crowd and are known for their strict allegiance to the Yankees and their extreme hatred for the Mets and the Red Sox. Many of the members attend almost every home game, sitting in section 39, cheering on the team in their own inimitable way.

Celebrity fans

The Yankees also have one of the biggest celebrity fanbases in all of sports.

• Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is commonly seen at games and flashed on the video screen.
• Actor/Director Billy Crystal is also frequently seen at games; he directed a memorable movie named 61* in 2001 which highlighted Roger Maris' chase of Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in 1961.
• Actor Adam Sandler has flaunted his Yankee loyalty in several of his movies, most notably in Anger Management where several scenes are actually shot at Yankee Stadium.

Other famous celebrity fans include:

• Actor Jack Nicholson
• Business mogul Donald Trump
• Director Spike Lee
• Actor Denzel Washington
• Actress Sarah Jessica Parker

The Yankees' hat is often seen in public worn by rappers to show an identity with New York City. Artists spotted with this look include 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Fred Durst, Jay-Z, P-Diddy, Daddy Yankee, and Jadakiss.

The popularity of the Yankees' hat has grown to include color patterns not actually used by the Yankees. This is probably most notable in rock band Limp Bizkit's video for the song "Nookie", in which lead singer Fred Durst wore a red Yankees hat.

Critics

With the long-term success of the franchise and a large Yankee fanbase, other teams' fans across the nation have come to hate the Yankees. This is most apparent among New England fans of the Boston Red Sox, but the hatred extends to other places. It has become a tradition at many road games for the home crowd to chant "Yankees Suck!", even - or especially - if the Yankees are winning. During 2002, shirts with this phrase were sold in Seattle during a Yankees-Mariners series, which is 2,500 miles away from New York.

Much of the animosity may derive from the Yankees' payroll (which was around $194 million at the start of the 2006 season, the highest of any American sports team), and the free agent superstars the team attracts - or buys - in the offseason.

Other reasons for anti-Yankee feelings go back as long as the 1950s with aging diehard Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants fans - some in New York, some transplanted elsewhere - still feeling the pain of the years that the Yankees repeatedly defeated their teams.

Famed sports columnist Mike Royko summed it up when he said, "Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax."

Fight and theme songs

The official fight song for the Yankees is "Here Come the Yankees", written in 1967 by Bob Bundin and Lou Stallman. While its old form with lyrics is not used as often, it is still heard frequently in instrumental form, most prominently in radio broadcasts.

Another song strongly linked to the team is "New York, New York", which is played in the stadium after home games. The Frank Sinatra cover version is traditionally played after victories, the Liza Minnelli original version after losses.

A wide selection of songs is played at the stadium, many of them live on the Stadium's Hammond organ. God Bless America has been played during the 7th inning stretch since September 11th, and is sung by Dr. Ronan Tynan on the days of major games, complete with long lyrical intro. This practice is criticized by some, as it stretches the break between the innings, throwing off the rhythm of the opposing pitcher.

During the 5th, the grounds-crew, while performing their duties, dances to "Y.M.C.A.". "Cotton-Eyed Joe" once played during the 7th inning stretch, but is now pushed back to the 8th in favor of "God Bless America". On the Diamond-vision screen, a man in farmer's garb is shown dancing in the stadium's control room, the words "Cotton-Eyed Joey" at the bottom. The organist will sometimes play the "Zorba the Greek Theme", accompanied by clapping from the audience, to excite the crowd and encourage a rally.

Some players have their own songs which are played in celebration of their accomplishments, or to introduce them. Examples include Bernie Williams, whose actions are often accompanied by the lines "Burn (Bern) baby burn (Bern)" from "Disco Inferno", and Mariano Rivera, who gets a great ovation from the fans when he comes out from the bullpen to "Enter Sandman".

When the Yankees take the field the song, "You Ready For This" is played with the fans usually clapping along.

The YES Network

In 1997, Cablevision bought MSG Network, home of the Yankees, and became owner of the television rights to all seven MLB, NBA, and NHL teams in New York City. This monopoly allowed MSG to use such tactics as putting games on channels that were not available to many Time Warner Cable or Comcast customers. In 1999, the Yankees and the New Jersey Nets formed a partnership, and discussed their options. Due to the success of the Yankees in the late 90's, giving their brand name a boost, they decided to leave and form a new network.

The Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network launched in 2002, and served as the home of the New York Yankees during the baseball season, and the New Jersy Nets for the rest of the year, giving it live sports coverage for the entire year. It also offered original programming such as Yankeeography, CenterStage, and the re-airing of older games under the name Yankees Classics. They also simulcast the popular New York radio show Mike and the Mad Dog as it airs on WFAN. The partnership between the Yankees and Nets ended in 2003, but the Nets still remain the part of YES they were since its beginning. YES has also begun airing programming for the New York Giants and Manchester United.

Retired numbers

The Yankees have retired 16 numbers, the most in Major League Baseball.

Although it has not been officially retired, the Yankees have not reissued number 21 since Paul O'Neill stopped playing.

The retired numbers are displayed behind the left field fence at Yankee Stadium, in a small alley connecting "Monument Park" to the rest of the stadium.

The numbers are placed on the wall in chronological order, each with a plaque that has a short history of the player, as well as special plaques for team owner Jacob Ruppert; general manager Ed Barrow; manager Joe McCarthy; pitchers Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez and Allie Reynolds; broadcaster Mel Allen; public-address announcer Bob Sheppard; and the victims and rescue workers of the 9/11 attacks. The Knights of Columbus contributed plaques honoring the papal masses delivered in Yankee Stadium by Popes Paul VI and John Paul II. In addition, five marble monuments were dedicated posthumously in Monument Park for former manager Miller Huggins, first baseman Lou Gehrig, and outfielders Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle.

Lou Gehrig's number 4 was the first number retired in MLB history, right after Gehrig left baseball on July 4, 1939 and it was apparent that he would not live much longer. His speech at Yankee Stadium that day is known as one of the most moving moments in baseball history.

The number 8 of the New York Yankees was retired twice: retired in 1972 for both catchers Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra. Berra took the number in 1948 after Dickey ended his playing career and became a coach.

Number 42 was retired throughout Major League Baseball in 1997 in honor of Jackie Robinson, but because of a grandfather clause Mariano Rivera still wears this number, the last remaining player to do so. The other Major League Baseball teams had placed Robinson's 42 among their retired numbers in their home parks even if they still had players wearing the number. The Yankees did not, and it is unknown if the Yankees will place it there once Rivera retires with his name or with both. Oddly, the official website of the Yankees lists Jackie Robinson's 42 among the Yankees retired numbers, along with biographical information just as the others are.

As the Yankees do not issue #0, the only two single-digit numbers that are still in use are #2 and #6. Presently Team Captain Derek Jeter wears #2 and Manager Joe Torre wears #6. No team in baseball has all of the numbers 1-10 retired.

Team captains

* Guidry and Randolph were co-captains.

Howard W. Rosenberg, a baseball historian and author of Cap Anson 1: When Captaining a Team Meant Something, has found that the official count of Yankee captains failed to count Hall of Famer Clark Griffith, the 1903-05 captain, and Kid Elberfeld, the one from 1906-09, with 1913 Manager Frank Chance a strong circumstantial candidate to have been captain that year as well. Therefore, Jeter may in fact be the 13th or 14th Yankees' captain.

Unofficial captains: Upon Gehrig's death, then-manager Joe McCarthy declared that there would never be another Yankee captain. Between Gehrig's retirement and Munson's appointment, the team had players considered on-field leaders if not official captains: Bill Dickey (1939-46), Joe DiMaggio (1946-51), Phil Rizzuto (1952-56), Yogi Berra (1956-63) and Mickey Mantle (1964-68).

The lack of a unifying figure following Mantle's retirement convinced team owner George Steinbrenner that the team needed an official captain, and he chose Munson. With Munson's death, Graig Nettles was unofficial captain from 1979 to 1982 until being officially named in 1983. Guidry and Randolph followed unofficially in 1984, officially in 1986, then Mattingly unofficial in 1990, official starting 1991. Paul O'Neill was unofficial captain from 1996-2001: Steinbrenner never named O'Neill captain but called him "my warrior". Jeter was unofficial in 2002 and officially named in 2003.

Current roster

Minor league affiliations

• AAA: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, International League
• AA: Trenton Thunder, Eastern League
• Advanced A: Tampa Yankees, Florida State League
• A: Charleston RiverDogs, South Atlantic League
• Short A: Staten Island Yankees, New York-Penn League
• Rookie: GCL Yankees, Gulf Coast League

See also

• List of New York Yankees people
• Yankee Stadium
• Curse of the Bambino
• The Pride of the Yankees and Damn Yankees
• Yankees-Red Sox rivalry and Subway Series
• Jeffrey Maier
• New York Yankees award winners and league leaders
• New York Yankees season records
• New York Yankees team records
• New York Yankees broadcasters and media
• New York Yankees managers and ownership
• Active MLB playoff appearance streaks
• October 11, 2006 New York City plane crash

Notes and references

Cited references

1. Season-By-Season World Series Results http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/alltime/worldseries
2. Baseball Beards http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/submit/Kates_Maxwell1.stm
3. Jack Looney, Now Batting, Number...: The Mystique, Superstition, and Lore of Baseball's Uniform Numbers (NY:Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2006)
4. Marty Appel, Now Pitching for the Yankees: Spinning the News for Mickey, Billy, and George, foreword by Yogi Berra (NY:Total Sports, 2001)
5. Yankees-Mets rivalry hits home http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2449846
6. Yankees reach four million in tickets sales for second consecutive season
7. ESPN.com - MLB Attendance
8. Filip Bondy, Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium , foreword by David Cone (NY: Sports Publishing, 2005)
9. Bondy, ibid., p. 20-22.
10. Yankee Stadium Crowd Now 90 Percent Celebrities
11. http://espn.go.com/page2/s/questions/jacknicholson.html 10 burning questions for Jack Nicholson
12. http://donaldtrump.trumpuniversity.com/default.asp?item=172878 Trump University
13. See, for example, http://www.digitalhit.com/cr/sarahjessicaparker/ and many other places.
14. Celebrity Baseball Caps http://www.capitate.co.uk/Celebrity-Caps.htm
15. April 2002 Archives http://maynardo.everydaylies.com/archives/2002_04.php>
16. Salaries Database http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/totalpayroll.aspx?year=2006
17. subway series stats
18. Royko quote
19. Retired Uniform Numbers in the American League
20. Yankees retired numbers
21. The first of a four-volume series, Howard W. Rosenberg, Cap Anson 1: When Captaining a Team Meant Something: Leadership in Baseball's Early Years (Tile Books, 2003)
22. Yankees' 'warrior' has Bronx swan song http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/comment/bodley/2001-11-02-bodley.htm
23. ^ Minor League Baseball Splits: New York Yankees http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/cgi-bin/org.cgi?org=Nyy

General references

• Johnson, Richard A., Stout, Glenn, and Johnson, Dick (2002). Yankees Century: 100 Years of New York Yankees Baseball. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-618-08527-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• New York Yankees: 40-Man Roster
• New York Yankees: Manager and Coaches
• The Curse of A-Rod

External links

• New York Yankees Official Website on MLB.com
• Baseball-Reference.com - year-by-year franchise index
• Baseball Almanac
• The Baseball Page
• Article on the Yankees Salary
• Sports E-Cyclopedia

Template:MLB Team New York Yankees

• Major League Baseball teams
• Sports in New York City
• Sports clubs established in 1901