FULL DISCLOSURE: This edition of the Nasty 9 is biased, yes biased, but informational. If you’re against the Yankees, you’ll love this trip down memory lane. If you’re a Yankees fan, consider it as a special insight, or a unique perspective into the mind of a Yankee hater. Either way, this post was created from jealousy, in addition to the genuine dislike of the evil empire of the MLB.

(9) April 18, 2009: 14-run inning for Indians – In the third ever game at the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees got straight-out EMBARASSED. Cleveland scored 14 runs in the second inning and almost hit around the lineup TWICE! SP Chien Ming Wang obviously didn’t make it out of that inning and was charged with 8 runs. I literally laughed after about the 10th run in the inning, and I know better than to laugh at sports, but I couldn’t help it! No one who follows baseball will forget this moment. And for anyone who was wondering if the fans booed in New York, well duh, of course they did; they booed more than they boo A-Rod in the playoffs, and that’s a lot of booing.

(8 ) June 11, 2003: Astros no-hit Yankees – An interleague matchup in New York resulted in history on this random June night. Astros SP Roy Oswalt left the game in the second inning, but that did not diminish the morale of the Houston bullpen. Six pitchers combined to pitch a no-hitter against the Yankees in their own ballpark. Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner combined to pitch nine innings of no-hit baseball. This showed the vulnerability of the Yankees and even Manager Joe Torre called it a low point for the Yankees since joining the team in 1996.

(7) 2001 offseason: Retirements aplenty – When you think of Yankees legends you think of names like Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, and Costanza (Seinfeld fans? haha). But when you think of recent Yankees teams you think of different names, less legendary. After losing the 2001 World Series, the Yankees image started to change from a bunch of role players to a bunch of megastars, who were more or less washed up, ending up in more losing. Number 7 on this list is the retirement of RF Paul O’Neill and 3B Scott Brosius, and the parting of 1B Tino Martinez to free agency. Each of them played significant roles for the Yankees for many years and if you ask any Yankees fan who they missed most on the roster, I bet they name one of those guys. Too bad Bernie Williams didn’t retire then as well, I really wanted to add him to this list also.

(6) 2007 offseason:  Joe Torre leaves team – When Joe Torre turned down a one-year offer and left the Yankees, all of the charm and luck that they’ve had since 1996 had left, just like that. George Steinbrenner seemed to always do his best to keep Torre happy, by keeping him on a constant hot seat. And you could see the relief on Torre’s face when this day had come.

(5) 2008 Season: Failed to make playoffs – Immediately following the absence of Joe Torre, the Yankees got their man, Joe Girardi; however, they did not have the transition they expected. This managerial change did not push the Yankees to another championship; in fact, it didn’t even get them to the playoffs. For the first time since 1993, the New York Yankees were not in the AL playoffs. A lot more relaxing coincided with this ordeal for Yankees haters everywhere.

(4) 2004 ALCS Game 6: Bottom 8, A-Rod smacks ball away – The playoff frustrations of Alex Rodriguez summed up the following play and may have summed up the 2004 ALCS. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Rodriguez hit a slow-roller to P Bronson Arroyo. In an attempt to dupe the umpires and prevent the obvious out, A-Rod purposefully and obviously smacked the ball away from Arroyo’s glove which led to runners on second and third. However, the umpires huddled and declared A-Rod cheated (sign of things to come?) and he was called out, forcing Derek Jeter to return to first base. I was in the upper deck on the first baseline for this game and knew he smacked it away. I loved the reaction of Yankees fans when they changed the call, even though they all knew he did it on purpose.

(3) 2003 World Series Game 6: Final out – Marlins SP Josh Beckett pitched one of the best games in the 100-year history of the World Series, on three days rest. He pitched a 5-hit complete game shutout, the first CG SH in a WS clinching game since 1991 (Jack Morris), against one of the most potent offenses of all-time, and as a result he was carried off mound in Yankee Stadium. The Marlins won their second World Series title in their short history, and Beckett was deservingly the WS MVP. I remember this moment as something surreal, something that could not have possibly happened, but it did happen and it was truly amazing.

(2) 2001 World Series Game 7: Bottom 9 – This was the inning where everything changed for the Yankees. This was the end of a dynasty, barely. After a homerun by 2B Alfonso Soriano in the top of the ninth to go up 2-1, the Yankees brought in the greatest postseason pitcher of all-time, Mariano Rivera. After a throwing error of all things from Rivera, it seemed inevitable, and it was. Luis Gonzalez hit a bloop single over the head of SS Derek Jeter to score the winning run and win the World Series. The Yankees have made the World Series since then, but have not won a World Series since the year before this, 2000; this was what brought them down a peg in the next years to come.

(1) 2004 ALCS Game 7: Final out – This moment stands above all the rest, simply because of the history and humiliation it created. Not only did the Yankees blow a 3-0 series lead, but they did it against their hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox. There is nothing worse for Yankees fans than losing to the Red Sox; I can only imagine what went through their heads. I was sitting in the right-field bleachers for this game and literally danced around the empty section after the game. It was amazing.

Red Sox celebrate historic comeback