BRONX, N.Y. — There are tons of quotable lines from Seinfeld episodes. For example, I’m sure we could all use some serenity now! On the show, there were plenty of New York Yankees references and cameos as well.
With the passing of Jerry Stiller at age 92, we take a glance back at one of his classic Frank Costanza moments and lines from the show.
By now, you probably know where I’m going with this.
The line essentially sums up the lost decade of the 1980s for the franchise. Always seemingly searching for that final piece to put them over the top, infamous 1988 trade saw the Yankees send the outfield prospect Buhner, who’d played in 32 games in pinstripes to that point for veteran Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Phelps.
Conversely, Buhner played 1,440 more games, all with the M’s. Bone clubbed 307 home runs with Seattle. For three consecutive seasons from 1995 to 1997, Buhner hit 40 or more home runs each year. In 1996, he was an AL All-Star and earned a gold glove.
Not only was Buhner a solid slugger, but he was also a Yankee killer. In 104 regular-season contests, Buhner hit 28 home runs against the Yankees and posted a .957 OPS. In the 1995 ALDS, Buhner batted .458 against New York. While he only hit .182 during the 2000 ALCS, he went out with a bang by hitting .333 during the 2001 ALCS.
Alas, the team kept cycling through players from Jesse Barfield, Mel Hall, and Danny Tartabull, until finally landing O’Neill for Roberto Kelly. The ’80s saw the organization deal away young players such as Fred McGriff, Willie McGee, Jose Rijo, Doug Drabek, Bob Tewksbury, and Al Leiter.
Yup, one could say the ’80s were a decade about nothing.
