Friends, good morning, good afternoon or good evening to you wherever you are and whatever time it currently is. Welcome to the final 2004 season edition of The Gospel According to "L". Now that the entire 2004 season has ended, this piece will be written on a sporadic basis until the start of the 2005 season. I have a few things to say in this final season edition including second messages to Sox and Yankee fans, and I also want to talk about 2005.

Before I do any of this, I was sent an e-mail by Lenna Scott, the coordinator of Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Communications, so I thought I'd give these people a plug. On November 13, a celebrity roast of Don Zimmer will take place up at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT in the Uncas Ballroom. Let me quote a bit from the ad:

Legendary Yankees and baseball superstars Joe Torre, Lou Piniella, Tommy Lasorda, Mel Stottlemyre, Jim Leyland, Jim Frey, Bruce Froemming [active Major League Umpire], John Vukovich and Joe Girardi will join baseball writer, Bill Madden from the New York Daily News and the master of ceremonies and "roastmaster" Bob Costas.

Tickets for the Don Zimmer celebrity roast are $250.00/person or $2,500.00/table, and go on sale Friday, October 8th through Mohegan Sun's in-house Box Office, on-line through ticketmaster.com, by calling any regional Ticketmaster "Charge by Phone" number or at any Ticketmaster outlet. Proceeds will benefit Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy [SMA]. A cocktail reception will be held from 7:00pm to 8:00pm, followed by the dinner, "roast" and silent auction from 8:00pm to 11:00pm.

Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy is the largest international organization dedicated solely to: eradicating spinal muscular atrophy [SMA] by promoting and supporting research, helping families cope with SMA through informational programs and support; and educating the public and professional community about SMA. SMA is the number one genetic killer of children under the age of two.

Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and meeting destinations in the United States. Situated on 240 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Places. What began with the Casino of the Earth in 1996 has evolved into a legendary destination that now includes: the Casino of the Sky and over 300,000 square feet of total gaming space; The Shops at Mohegan Sun, featuring more than 40 retail shops and dining venues ranging from food court-style to gourmet; the 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena for world-class sporting events and concerts, and an intimate Cabaret; and a 34-story luxury hotel, featuring 1,200 guestrooms and suites, premier meeting and convention space and a world-class spa. More information is available by calling 1-888-226-7711 or visiting www.mohegansun.com.

There you have it. Hey if you want me to do plugs for anything relating to the Yankees, just e-mail me. I won't charge you a thing - I promise! All right people let's get on to the other business at hand.

I want to begin with another message to BoSox fans. Not only did you make history be coming back from 3-0 to beat my beloved Yankees in the ALCS, now you have officially "reversed the curse" by sweeping Budweiser's St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. We had our fun chanting 1918 every single time you came to the Stadium, but now, that will never be chanted again. Generations of you have waited to see your beloved Sox win it all someday - great grandparents, grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, etc. You witnessed heart-breaking collapses in 1946, '67, '75, and '86 - and let's not forget 1978 and 2003. But now - all those years put together can now be looked back on and laughed at. The suffering is over, the wait is over - the Red Sox are World Champions of baseball for the first time since 1918! I say this in all humility and all pride - from the bottom of my heart, congratulations! Now you can finally say that you've seen your baseball team up in New England win a World Series title. Now you can go to your graves (hopefully decades from now) in peace knowing that you did get to see the Sox win it all. For those of you who have not been reading this section for a long time - I am truly speaking from the heart. I am a New York Rangers' fan. They did not win a Stanley Cup from 1940 until 1994. I had to put up with the chant of "1940" in NHL arenas (mainly the Nassau Coliseum - home of the Islanders) from the time I started following the game. So I too know what it's like to have that torment. But on June 14, 1994 it all changed when the Rangers beat the Vancouver Canucks in game 7 of the Finals 3-2 at Madison Square Garden (where the Boston Bruins celebrated their last Cup victory in 1972!) You will remember October 27, 2004 for a very long time! You want some irony Sox fans? October 27, 2004 is the 100^th anniversary of the opening of the New York City subway system! On the same day our subway - our main method of getting around this maze called a city - turns 100 years old, you finally get to celebrate a World Series title! For some of us, it is insult to injury - but then again it's not as if you didn't deserve it.

I know 99% of you in Red Sox nation who visit this website hate my guts, but I will give you your props anyway. I'm not doing this because I want to gain your love and respect, I am doing this because I mean it! I am a Yankee fan - and I admit it: I am spoiled! I've been alive for five Yankee World Championships, most of you are alive for your first World Championship ever! And let me tell you something - the first is always the most special! I remember how I felt in 1994 with the Rangers and in 1996 when my Bombers beat Atlanta. It was damn special! The first is always the most special - the second and maybe third are nice, but you get nowhere near the feeling you get when you see the first. I'll be honest - seeing the Sox celebrate reminded me of seeing the Rangers celebrate back in 1994. If I was a Sox fan I'd be thanking God almighty that this day finally came. You waited and you waited, and you were finally rewarded. Once again New England, you psychotic bastards, from the bottom of my heart - congratulation, a tip of my hat, enjoy your party (and don't do anything stupid), and I'll see you again next season. The rest of this Gospel will be geared towards Yankee fans so if you want to stop reading now, that's your privilege. If you want to continue reading, that's up to you as well. I will leave you with this: a change of images.

OLD	NEW

Hey I'm a Yankee fan what did you expect?

All right now I have a message for my people: Yankee fans. I told you last week and I'll tell you again - it's not the end of the world! The Red Sox finally won themselves a World Series, but they still have 20 less than we have! We've been more than spoiled friends! As I mentioned earlier - I've been alive for five Yankee championships (1978 - year I was born, '96, '98, '99 & 2000) and eight trips to the Fall Classic! These people are seeing their team win it for the first time ever in their lifetimes! I know it means we can never rub 1918 in their faces again - but the world will not end because of it. We still have 20 more than they do, and this is their first title in 86 years! Although sometimes you’ve got to wonder - a lunar eclipse and the Red Sox win the World Series - is Judgement Day near? Plus they won on the same day that New York City's subway celebrated it's centennial anniversary - Yankees last won a World Series in 2000: the Subway Series!

Just remember this - once all the hysteria in New England dies down, they'll all have to wake up and realize that a new season is coming soon. No more anticipation, no more hoping for the best and fearing the worst, and no more blaming the Yankees for all their misfortunes! Let me ask you - when they choke from now on, are they going to blame some childish concept such as a curse? That's all gone now! That argument is as dead and buried as the Bambino himself was back in 1948! I do want to say this - this may get me in trouble but I will say it anyway. If terrorists ever wanted to target a spot here in New York City, I wouldn't mind them going after the Riviera Club! What a disgrace! A Red Sox bar on our turf! Just imagine if there was a Yankee bar in the Boston metro area! There would be mass hysteria and outrage - yet here we allow these foreign invaders to have a spot to root for the enemy! How about allowing a bar for Braves fans too? If you're a transplanted New Englander living here, root for your team in private! I'm not telling you to be quiet; I'm just telling you that you're not in your hometown anymore. If I moved to Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, L.A., etc., I would not be cheering for the Yankees in public unless I was at the stadium. It's like Iraqis loyal to Saddam Hussein or Afghans loyal to the Taliban rooting against the United States in public!

Anyway, let me get back to more cheerful stuff. I want to just say that had the Yankees not blown games 4 or 5 and had gone on to the Series - they would have beaten the Cardinals! The Cards either didn't show up or got high before every game! Game 1 they did give the Sox a scare, but after that it was nothing! Of the three series the Sox played, the Yankees gave them their only challenge while the Angels and Cardinals just laid down and died! Plus the Cards had no such thing as starting pitching - so just imagine what Sheffield, A-Rod and Matsui would have done to Woody Williams, Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis! That's what I believe, but I could be wrong.

Just remember that the 2005 season is about six months away - and it will all begin again. Everything will start new - it will be a fresh beginning. The Sox will have to defend that World Series title without guys such as Pedro, Derek Lowe, Bill Mueller, Jason Varitek, etc. Not all of them are leaving, but even losing two or three of those four I mentioned will hurt big time! The Bombers can keep anybody they want! That's the beauty of having a smart businessman for an owner. Speaking of which, that brings me to the final topic.

About 2005 - I firmly believe Carlos Beltran will be a Yankee, and he will be Bobby Murcer's Old Timer's Day hitting instructor in 2005. Now what Beltran would do as a Yankee I have no idea! The big necessity is pitching! It's the pitching stupid! I would take a good look at Pedro, and maybe somebody like Eric Milton. I would even try to make a trade for Randy Johnson all over again! Can you just imagine if the Big Unit had pitched for the bombers in this series? The Sox would have had a lesser chance to come back in this series and Curt Schilling would never have thrown another pitch after October 13! But it didn't work out that way now did it? I wouldn't go after Carl Pavano - the guy's only having success right now and in the National League! Two words: Javier Vazquez! Derek Lowe? Maybe, if he can still throw those sinkers the way he did in his final two starts of the postseason. But there's also one more area that needs improvement: the bullpen!

This pen was so overused and so burned out that you knew disaster was coming! I heard that Flash Gordon was actually throwing up in the bullpen before some games in the ALCS because he couldn't handle the pressure! You have got to be kidding me! Mariano Rivera never did this in 1996, Jeff Nelson never did it in his few seasons with the Yankees and neither did Mike Stanton! And Mariano only made one mistake, but the team paid for it with their playoff lives! If he doesn't walk Kevin Millar in game four, the Yankees sweep and go to the World Series while the Cards and Astros are killing each other. Instead, Mo pitches carefully to Millar and they send in the guy I like to call the "African-Japanese-American," Dave Roberts to pinch run. He steals second and comes in to score on a single, and the rest is history! Now I have no idea what they will do about a relief corps - but I'm sure Brian Cashman isn't just gonna sit around while Steinbrenner is furious and humiliated! The biggest mistake you can ever make is cause King George to become both furious and humiliated!

I'll talk more about that in off-season editions. Right now I want to thank you for joining me every week for the regular season. It's been fun, but I will only publish these babies once in a while from now until late March. If only the NHL could work out an agreement with the players then I'd feel better. Unfortunately, my NY Rangers page will remain in hiatus until the NHL season does start. All right friends, whether you be Yankee or non-Yankee fans, take care of yourselves and I'll see you again in the near future.