#TheBronxBracket

So flawed. So infuriating.

I wasn't going to write about this.

Nope. Too many brackets.

And then I saw the first round results and, well, here we are.

The Yankees have a bracket: The Bronx Bracket. Oh, wait, everything is a hashtag (I'm guilty): #TheBronxBracket.

We'll start in the Yankees Origins era. It was fairly straightforward, as Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak (the top seed) in 1941 raced by Spud Chandler's 1.64 ERA in 1943 when he won the Most Valuable Player. Lou Gehrig's speech from 1939 (the 2-seed) topped the Yankees donning the pinstripes for the first time in 1910s.

Babe Ruth's 60 HRs in 1927 (#8) beat Ruth hitting a 575-foot homer. Gehrig's triple crown in 1934 (5) knocked off Ruth hitting the first HR in all-star play (1933). The Yankees getting Ruth from Boston in 1919 (#4) blasted "Happy" Jack Chesbro's (still a record) 41 wins in 1904. Ruth's "called shot" in 1933 (#3) took care of George Mogridge's no-hitter form 1917.

We're fine so far. I'm even OK with the 10-seed (Yankee Stadium opening in 1923) beating the first World Series title in 1923. But Babe Ruth saying farewell to baseball in 1947 (#6) is an important moment and it was beaten by Gehrig's 2,130 game-playing streak. Well, OK. Fair enough.

I'd take DiMaggio's streak over the 60 home runs, Ruth coming over from Boston, the "Called Shot," and Gehrig's speech. DiMaggio's streak would knock off Ruth from Boston and Gehrig's speech tops the Called Shot. I'll take Gehrig's speech out of this bracket. It's the greatest speech in sports.

Now to the Mid-Century Marvels (1949-1975):
The top seed is Don Larsen's perfect game (1956) and beat Yogi Berra winning back-to-back MVP's. Whitey Ford's scoreless streak in the World Series (#9) beat Billy Martin's 12 hits in the '53 Fall Classic. The fifth-seed Bombers' five-peat (yes, FIVE in a row) took care of George Steinbrenner buying the team in 1973. An upset took place with Bobby Richardson's six RBI's in Game 3 of the 1960 World Series besting the four-seed: Elston Howard breaking the Yankees' color barrier in 1955. For the record, I voted for Ellie.

The Mickey Mantle fans took their guy as the 11-seed (Mick's 565-foot home run at Washington) bested Bobby Richardson's catch of Willie McCovey's line drive to seal the '62 Classic (#6). The Mick's 1956 triple crown (#3) topped his "Day" in 1969 and his 500th home run (#10) beat Allie Reynolds' TWO no-hitters in 1951 (I voted for Reynolds). Roger Maris -- 61 in '61 (#2) -- beat Whitey Ford's 14-inning shutout.

Not too bad overall. To me, Larsen beats Whitey's World Series streak, the World Series 5-peat knocks off Richardson's six RBI's, Mantle's triple crown beats his 565-foot HR, and Roger Eugene Maris better beat Mantle's 500th. Just saying. After that, it's Larsen over the 5-peat, and Maris over the Mickey's triple crown.

The finale is tough. Roger in '61 or Don Larsen. I tossed a coin and Maris won.

To The Reign of the Boss (1976-2000)
The 98-00 three-peat (#1) beat Jeffrey Maier while Bobby Ray Murcer (#9) beat Jim Leyritz's clutch World Series home run in 1996. You know I voted for Bobby and those five RBI's (and I have some issues with the seeds of this whole thing). David Cone's perfect game (#5) surpassed Ron Guidry's 18 strikeouts (nope. I voted for Gator). That one isn't fatal. I also agree with David Wells' perfect game in 1997 (#6) beating Doc Gooden's no-hitter (1996) and Jim Abbott's no-hitter (#7) over Dave Righetti's no-hitter. Lastly, Reggie Jackson's three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series are rightfully superior to Donnie Baseball hitting home runs in 8-straight games.

We don't have time to get crazy over those that weren't included, like the 1984 batting crown race or Mattingly's "Hang onto the ROOF!" home run in the '95 playoffs. We'll deal with what we have here.

But...

Now, look. I was at Game 1 of the '98 World Series when Tino Martinez hit a grand slam. It was a seminal moment in my life. No question. But that -- that? -- is better than Chris Chambliss' pennant-winning home run in 1976 (#4), ending a 12-year absence from the World Series that felt like purgatory?

Or -- more-glaringly, folks who don't realize baseball dates prior to 1996 -- Mariano Rivera's playoff scoreless inning streak (the FOURTEEN SEED FOR BABE RUTH'S SAKE) topping Bucky...

Effing...

Dent (#3).

You deserve to have your voting rights revoked.

I don't even know if I want to finish voting with what is left. It's like the carnage of the Yankees-Red Sox fights in the 70s (go look them up). Where's Graig Nettles in the '78 Series in all of this? OK, I'll be a fanboy and vote for Murcer because this bracket is such a blasted embarrassment. Reggie's three homers or the three-peat will probably win, but I'm disgustingly horrified.

Consider this a protest.

Lastly, "Expanding an Empire" (2001-2019)
The top-seed is Aaron Boone's ALCS walk-off and, thankfully, it topped Aaron Judge's 52 home runs in 2017. Stupidly, they put Derek Jeter's "flip play" (#8) up against his dive against the Red Sox and "The Flip Play" won. His 3000th hit (#5) passed the 2009 championship while "Mr. November" (#4) bested the night he passed Lou Gehrig to become the hit leader for the Yankees. Mo's career saves record (#6) beat Tino Martinez's game-tying home run in the 2001 World Series, while Hideki Matsui's 2009 World Series Game 6 performance knocked off Raul Ibanez's performance in Game 3 of the 2012 ALDS.

The "Johnny-come-lately's" struck again, as Didi Gregorious' wild card home run in 2017 (how this is a seven-seed is beyond me) beat Scott Brosius' game-tying 2001 World Series home run (how this is a ten-seed is beyond me). Lastly, Jeter's last hit in New York (#2) beat A-Rod with 10-RBIs in one game.

Um...where' Mo's last game? Or A-Rod's 600th? Or 500th?

Anyway, I'll spare you further analysis (this has gotten long enough). In my opinion, Boone's home run is the winner, hands down. Yes, even over "The Flip Play."

So the final four are Gehrig's speech, Maris' 61 in '61, Bobby Murcer for Thurman Munson (that's my protest pick), and Aaron Boone. It's not easy, but Gehrig beats Maris and Boone beats Murcer.

I'll take Gehrig's speech.

And, thus, I've wasted enough of your time for one night, other than to serve you a delightful reminder why, most of the time, fans should not vote on things like this if they want to be taken seriously.