A lot happened for the Yankees and Orioles in 1996. A run to the American League Championship Series was just one layer. Slice a little into the rich cake that was the '96 Yankees-Orioles rivalry and you see offseason squabbles, spit flying and young Yankees fans with no respect for verticality.
Both teams had deep pockets and were pursuing the same talent in the preseason with David Cone (Yankees) and David Wells (Orioles), whom I call “the David brothers.”
Maybe the next layer is Roberto Alomar spitting at the umpire and insinuating that the umpire's dead kid made him bad at his job. This is a thick layer.
A bitter memory for the Orioles was the Jeffrey Meyer incident, when a young Yankees fan went out of his way to become lifelong friends with Derek Jeter.
And Bernie Williams, formerly known as “Zero” and now on the brink of a breakout season, got a chance in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 1 to add a tinge of sweetness that overshadowed the rest of the cake.
