A Sporting View: A loss of biblical proportions

Until a few years ago, the worst sound you could hear at Yankee Stadium was Liza Minnelli’s voice.

Sure, she was a hit at the cabarets in the West Village, but in the Bronx, the sound of Judy Garland’s daughter singing “New York, New York” meant the Yankees had lost. For as true believers of Yankee greatness knew, to play Frank Sinatra’s version of the song after a loss would be a sacrilege. (He’s just for the winners, baby!)

And this past October, in the grand cathedral of baseball, it appeared that the Yankees had lost more than just a series — it appeared they had also lost their souls.

Banished from the Big Ball Orchard in the Bronx after a mere four games (in which even the hallowed “Voice of God,” Yankee public-address announcer Bob Sheppard, abandoned them due to illness), the Yankees’ pitching staff found themselves receiving numerous sermons on the mound from pitching coach Ron Guidry. Alas, Guidry, who many probably wished would just take the ball, was unable to stem the heathen tide.

In Game Two of the series, rookie phenom Joba Chamberlain threw two balls in the dirt after being attacked by a swarm of midges, allowing a run to score. The Yankees went on to lose in extra innings, making them the first team of the modern era to lose due to pestilence.

Later that week, with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse bearing down on manager Joe Torre’s career, the Yankees went down swinging 6-3 in front of the flock. Two days earlier, Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner warned it would be the end of days for the man marked with the number 6, and there was little doubt that despite his epic 12-season run at the helm of the Yankees’ ark, Torre would be sacrificed.

So now, the Highlanders begin the process of renewal. Outside the current hallowed grounds, a new stadium rises from the ashes of what used to be a public park. In 2009, the new era of Yankee baseball and its congregation will begin in a new super stadium.

The Yankees head into next year with promise, if they can just resist the urge to chase the idols of the free-agent market. The Yankees — who last tasted World Series success when they relied on their home-grown talent — have what looks to be a promising rotation in Pettite, Wang, Kennedy, Hughes and Chamberlain. Should they re-sign A-Rod, Posada and Rivera, the battery of a great team will remain.

But will their new manager be the messiah they need? The Yankee faithful hope and pray he will.