I remember a time when banners weren't even allowed at Yankee Stadium. This is back when the REAL Yankee Stadium existed, not the reconstituted one we play in now. Sometimes kids would march through the stands with something written on a bedsheet, but nothing was hung anywhere. It was considered bush league and didn't fit the corporate image the Yankees rightly cultivated. That stopped when the Yanks sunk to the depths in the latter '60s. As far as last night goes, I turned it off after the eighth inning and went to bed. I couldn't take it anymore.
You're right. And how about the defensive backbone? Straight down the middle: I. Rodriguez A. Rodriguez - Castillo (maybe best double play combination in the league) J. Pierre. Add a potential gold glover in Lee at first base, and you are going to be in most games; in need of TIMELY hitting, not offensive explosions, to win on a consistent basis. How about that amazing at-bat by Castillo last night?