1. I was on the West Coast trip in 1998 when the Yankees started 0-3. I remember the tension around the team. The club had lost in the first round of the playoffs the previous season and George Steinbrenner was still a vibrant, irrational force around the team. It was no joke. There really was a Joe Torre Watch. Yes, the team had won it all in 1996, but the Yanks were not viewed as the dynastic Yankees yet. And those were still the days when Steinbrenner could act impetuously and change course quickly. Of course, those Yankees went on to make a joke of the season. They were 17-6 by the end of April on the way to 23-6 and 114 wins and a championship.

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