Hour 1: Craig Carton Defends Yankees Celebration After Clinching Postseason

Craig Carton (0:05)

It's The Carton Show with Big Mac on a gorgeous Tuesday afternoon in New York City. Phone number to join as always, 1-888-808-1019.

Got a great show for you today as we're still basking in the glow of the Jets and Giants 1-0 start to the NFL season. And yesterday marked an annual event, the Mets got eliminated from the post season and the New York Yankees made it to the post season. We got lots cooking today, including the return of Pete Alonso. Good afternoon Big Mac, how are you today?

Chris McMonigle (0:43)

I could not be doing any better, Craig.

SPEAKER_3 (0:45)

Great!

Chris McMonigle (0:45)

It's just a great day.

Craig Carton (0:46)

Yeah, Giants fan, Yankee fan, what's wrong?

Chris McMonigle (0:49)

Giants are back, clearly. Yankees clinched the playoffs, I was up late night celebrating.

SPEAKER_3 (0:53)

I want to get to that real quick with you, go ahead.

Chris McMonigle (0:55)

Last night I was celebrating with Champagne, watching the Yankees douse themselves in beer and Champagne. Woke up this morning, stepped outside, immediately felt hoodie weather, hit me right in the face. Bang! That was fantastic.

Craig Carton (1:07)

57 degrees. Boom!

Chris McMonigle (1:08)

And then I put on a pair of shorts because hoodies and shorts are the greatest combination besides chocolate and peanut butter. And in my pocket, a $10 bill.

I mean, I found $10. It's hoodie weather outside. The Giants are back and the Yankees are going back to the playoffs. It could not be better for the Big Mac.

Craig Carton (1:27)

We have already said we're a family here, so that's $2.50 each. So I assume you'll be spreading that amongst the guys. So real quick from last night, obviously, I guess the team that the Yankees historically have owned, there was the only concern yesterday, was it going to be a rainout or not? We thought maybe, but neither here nor there. Offense was clicking last night.

Good win, and obviously clinch the postseason.

There are people out there right now, and this really bothers me to my core, that are criticizing the New York Yankees for their celebration after the game as they clinched another postseason birth. As if to say, making the playoffs is beneath them. Yeah. Here's the reality.

Making the playoffs is an accomplishment.

It's step one of a multi-step goal system you have, which is obviously to win a World Series.

But if making the playoffs becomes an afterthought, or something that you don't treat the way the Yankees treated it last night, I don't want to live in that world. Preach. The New York Yankees had every right and reason to put on the goggles, and to celebrate the accomplishment of doing what the Mets didn't do. Of doing what a lot of teams obviously are not going to do. And damn it, we take it for granted.

Making the playoffs is a big deal every single year. And we should treat it like a big deal. Now look, the Yankees are different than most teams. We all understand that. If they get eliminated in the first round, they will look at the entirety of the season as another lost season. But in the moment, why shouldn't they celebrate? And by the way, for all the talk of injury in this town, when it comes to the Mets, when it comes to all the teams that we root for obviously, you know, two years ago, all the Knicks are all banged up, you know, all banged up, y'all not playing it full on, y'all full staff, that kind of thing, right? The Yankees have also suffered major injuries throughout the season. No Stanton this year. You misjudged for two and a half months. Fried was on the IL.

Chris McMonigle (3:44)

For three months. Garrett Cullen started the season. Rodin multiple times on the IL.

Craig Carton (3:48)

So the Yankees, if you ask me, the Yankees have overcome what most franchises cannot overcome. That's in part Aaron Boone, and that's in part the testament to the players that Cashman picked.

I'm celebrating the Yankees getting in.

Chris McMonigle (4:06)

It's insane. I can't understand anyone. Every team does it, by the way. The Dodgers celebrated last night. Back to back defending champions. They didn't wait until they win the World Series.

SPEAKER_3 (4:15)

Because it's a big deal.

Chris McMonigle (4:16)

No, of course it's a big deal. It's a six month long season. It's 162 games. And yes, it's become easier to make the playoffs. They've added playoff teams. But as a fan, like how jaded have we become? I know it's about winning a championship. But you're in this for six months. And you know they're going to be playing October baseball. We watched the Crosstown rivals celebrating a player that was deserted and left to go to Baltimore. And as they were getting knocked out of the playoffs again for the second straight year with a higher payroll, the New York Yankees yet again are going to the playoffs. And we will wake up on a cool, crisp October morning, knowing it's game time. Coming up either against the Red Sox or somebody else. And that is worthy of celebrating and taking a moment and just acknowledging another season where they've given themselves a chance to compete for a championship. No one's saying it's winning a World Series. And by the way, for the sake, because I see this a lot too, this is the problem with them. They're satisfied with making the playoffs. They're celebrating one the Dodgers already have. And I'm sorry, was it about winning divisions or getting to the postseason or winning the ALDS? Because I didn't hear a complaint when the Joe Torre-led teams would celebrate winning a division, celebrate winning an ALDS, or any of the other previous teams when they would win a playoff series. This, it's about World Series of Busters. The only time the Yankees should celebrate is winning a championship.