Gerrit Cole surprises Yankees with famous World Series sign
Talk about planning ahead.
Gerrit Cole dazzled his press-conference audience Wednesday at Yankee Stadium when he revealed the very sign that has kept Yankees fans hopeful for years.
A childhood Yankees enthusiast because of his father Mark’s allegiance, the Southern California native Cole went Hollywood when he reached underneath the lectern and pulled out a faded sign, the letters turning from bright blue to yellow, that read, “YANKEE FAN TODAY TOMORROW FOREVER.”
The right-hander laughed when a reporter informed him that his action had created a Twitter debate over whether it was actually the same sign he carried — as captured by a photo — as an 11-year-old fan during the 2001 World Series at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix.
“It’s 18 years old,” he said. “I had it on my wall for a few years and I think that’s why it faded. I tucked it in my closet. My folks brought it down after we came to terms [with the Yankees]. They dropped the sign off. I decided I should bring it to New York.”
From Cole’s recollection, he took the sign from another family that made it in an “arts and crafts area” of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Phoenix where the Coles stayed to attend Games 6 and 7; the Yankees stayed there, too, Cole recalled, and Yankees owner George Steinbrenner actually was on their floor. To the best of his memory, the other family brought it to Game 6 and then left town, bequeathing it to Cole.
“I kept the sign,” he said. “I love the sign.” And now it’s an indelible part of his Yankees experience.
