ESPN play-by-play man Jon Miller did not have to think for a second before deciding which World Series was his most memorable as a broadcaster.
“In 2001 between the Yankees and Diamondbacks, particularly the games played in New York, right after Sept. 11th and the President throwing the ball out right before Game 3, which was a very dramatic moment all by itself,” said Miller, who will be calling his 13th World Series on ESPN Radio starting Wednesday.
“It was just a very emotional, raw time. Everyone was just finding a reason to celebrate and the Yankees were giving them a reason to do it. It was the warmest, most invested atmosphere I had felt at any park, for any sport.”
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After taking the middle three games at Yankee Stadium, the Bombers lost Games 6 and 7 in Arizona. But the fashion in which they tied Games 4 and 5 stuck out for Miller eight years later.
“The two tying home runs that were hit by Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius two nights in a row with the Yankees down two runs in the ninth inning both times was tremendous,” Miller said. “I grew up in the San Francisco-area with the earthquakes and the first night when Martinez hit that homer, I thought we were having an earthquake, the stadium was shaking so much.”
The 2001 Fall Classic, with everything that was surrounding New York at the time, is one of the few World Series that the runner-up may be more remembered than the champion.
Just ask Aaron Boone, who won Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS for the Yankees with an 11th-inning home run against Red Sox. Boone’s arms raised after he hit the ball is one of the lasting memories of a tremendous game and series. But it’s the World Series that sticks with Boone more than his dramatic shot off of Boston’s Tim Wakefield .
“My lasting memory of that season is seeing the Marlins celebrate on the field,” said Boone, who is working as a special analyst for the MLB Network this week. “For a long time, part of the reason I think I distanced myself from it [the ALCS home run] a little bit is because of the disappointment of not finishing it off [in the World Series].”
Yankees fans were hoping their team could return to the World Series for the first time since 2003 with a win over the Angels in the ALCS last night.
“A lot of people were saying Yankees-Dodgers because of Joe Torre and the history of those two franchises, but I don’t think anything would be better than a Yankees-Phillies World Series,” Miller said. “The Phillies won the World Series last year and they have an outstanding team this year and a lineup filled with big stars. A lineup that reminds you of the Yankees. That’s a pretty sexy match-up. The Phillies know how to do it, they have a lot of swagger to them.”
justin.terranova@nypost.com