TO BE FOREVER YOUNG

As Addison Russell broke World Series Game 6 wide open with one swing of the bat, I said out loud, before Joe Buck did, I might add, "That kid is only 22-years-old and he just hit a grand slam home run in the World Series."  He is the second youngest player to hit a grand slam in the World Series.  The first?  Another young kid named Mickey Mantle back in 1953.

This Series is the most exciting one I have seen since 2009 and it brought back memories of another November 1st, which we as Yankee fans will never forget.

"Four minutes after midnight, when last night turned into this morning and the calendar changed to November and baseball was played beyond October for the first time, Derek Jeter homered into the right-field seats in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the Yankees to a 4-3 victory over Arizona in Game 4 of the World Series," reported the Daily News on November 1, 2001.  That was the day we deemed Derek Jeter, as Mr. November.  

Fast-forward to November 1, 2016, when the New York Yankees organization were given a new name, The Best Farm System in baseball.  "Best Farm System was one of 13 categories up for grabs in Minor League Baseball's fan-voted 2016 MiLBY Awards, and the Yankees amassed 39 percent of the votes in the category, more than double the 18 percent the second-place Seattle Mariners received," the YES Network reported.  The Scranton-Wilkes/Barre RailRiders is up for best team in the minor league system.  We will learn the recipient of this award this Friday.  

Forever Young is the walk-up song for the Cubs veteran catcher David Ross, who has been nothing but a fan favorite in Chicago and a valued addition to the young Cubs roster, who look up to the 39-year-old leader.  Perhaps it expresses the youthfulness of this Cubs team who have made some noise all season, leading them to the infamous Game 7 of the 2016 World Series tonight. 

According to MLB.com, "A walk-up song says a lot about the player as he strides to the plate. It reflects his personality, establishes his presence at the plate and, maybe, even inspires some baseball heroics. In other words, walk-up songs are not chosen lightly."  Forever Young provides insight into baseball's future in New York, as veteran players like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez make room for younger guys like Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez.  

To be forever young is every player's dream and we have seen it play live in front of us this post season with the young teams of Cleveland and Chicago heading into the final game of the World Series.  To be forever young... soon, New York fans, soon.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof