Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about them Yankees and them Giants. It’s a story that goes way back, older than them fancy skyscrapers they got in the city now.
Yankees and Giants, a Long Time Ago
See, them Yankees, they weren’t always called the Yankees. Nope, they used to be called the Highlanders. Sounds like somethin’ out of one of them old-timey movies, don’t it? They started way back in 1903, not in New York, but in Baltimore. They were called the Baltimore Orioles back then. And then there was this big feud, like when your neighbor’s rooster keeps gettin’ into your garden. This feud was between the National League and the American League. Serious business, that was.
Then these two fellas, Frank and Bill, they bought up them Orioles. Moved ’em to New York and called ’em the Highlanders. Later on, in 1913, they changed their name to the Yankees. That’s the name that stuck, like a burr on a wool sock.
Giants Were Good Too
Now, them Giants, they were somethin’ else. They had their good years, specially ’round 1917 and then from 1921 to 1924. They were at the top of their game, like a prize-winnin’ hog at the county fair. They even won the World Series in 1921, beatin’ them very same New York Yankees. Musta been somethin’ to see!
They went head to head, them Yankees and Giants. One time, it was in 1921, the Giants beat them Yankees eight times in a row! Eight games! Can you believe it? That must have been a sight. Like watchin’ a hawk catch eight field mice in a row.
Yankees Got Lots of Wins
But, oh boy, them Yankees, they sure knew how to win too. They won the World Series more times than I can count on my fingers and toes. Let’s see… 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932… and that’s just the beginnin’. They got a whole heap of wins. 27 times they won the World Series! More than any other team. More than twice as many as that St. Louis Cardinals team, and they’re pretty good themselves.
- 1923
- 1927
- 1928
- 1932
- 1936
- 1937
- 1938
- 1939
- 1941
- 1943
- and a whole bunch more!
They kept winning and winning, them Yankees. They got good players, that’s for sure. Strong arms, fast legs, like a bunch of wild mustangs.
New York, New York
It’s all happenin’ in New York City, you see. Big place, that city. Lots of folks, lots of noise, like a whole flock of geese landin’ in a pond. Them baseball games, they were the talk of the town. Everyone was talkin’ about them Yankees and them Giants.
There were some other teams around, too. One was called the Oakland A’s. They weren’t very good, especially when Rickey Henderson joined. He’s a good player, though. Stole a lot of bases, that Rickey. But, they lost 109 games, a record for them!
There was this one game, Game Three, where the Yankees were playin’ at home. Bill Stafford, he pitched the whole game for the Yankees. That’s a long time to be throwin’ a ball. Strong arm, that fella must have had.
Lots of History There
So, that’s the story, or part of it, anyway. Them Yankees and them Giants, they got a lot of history between ’em. Lots of wins, lots of losses, lots of excitement. Like a good ol’ fashioned barn raisin’, but with baseball bats instead of hammers. They started small, them Yankees did, but they sure grew into somethin’ big, like a tiny seed growin’ into a giant oak tree. And the Giants, they had their time in the sun, too. It’s a story that’s been told and retold, like an old quilt passed down through generations. And it’s a story that ain’t over yet, not by a long shot.
New York Yankees, Giants, baseball. It’s all mixed up together, like a big pot of stew. And it’s a story that’s as American as apple pie. Maybe more American than apple pie. Well, at least as interestin’, that’s for sure.
