The atmosphere sizzled with a mix of excitement and disgruntle.  For the first time ever, a perfect game was about to be pitched in historic Fenway Park.  There was a buzz in the air as the pitcher of record for the home team was pitching perhaps more spectacularly than he ever had, probably even in his own perfect game two years ago.  However, the flurries of noise on this day were not for this pitcher, considered by many fans of the opposition as a traitor for signing with the enemy.  The man on the mound everyone was talking about on this September night in 2001 might had been Mike Mussina, who eventually lost his perfect game to a bloop single two outs in the ninth to Carl Everett.  Yet perhaps the bigger story that night was that at 38-years-old, David Cone had proven that he was still capable of coming up with a big game when the situation called for it.

When I first became a Yankees fan in 1998, admittedly as a bandwagon fan and under the influence of my best friend, who adored the Yankees, I knew very little about the Yankees at all, outside of the fact that they were having a record breaking season.  It was also the season of a life time for the then 35-year-old Cone, who was well on his way to becoming the pitcher with the longest time span between 20-win seasons.  Honestly, I do not even really remember why or how I came to like Cone as a player as that entire season for me was more a getting-to-know-you than a full emersion into the statistics and what nots.  In fact, the only possible explanation that I can give for calling Cone my favorite player is rather trivial – he technically shares my birthday, except the gap between us is exactly twenty years, and he is not a hazard to the eyes.  It was only looking back at that season later on that I warily came to the conclusion that my obsession with Cone started then.

And honestly, what was not to like about David Cone?  Yes, he had a history of being somewhat of a punk while maturing under the watchful eyes of the New York media and playing for the New York Mets of the 1980s, a team with a similar attitude.  But eventually, he was sent out of town, won a ring with the Toronto Blue Jays, won a Cy Young with his hometown Kansas City Royals, returned for another stint with the Blue Jays before the Yankees decided to give him a try.  By 1995, Cone was no longer the same immature kid who came into New York as a 24-year-old from Kansas City.  He was a veteran of his trade and had the prizes to show for it.  But then of course, return to the city spotlight was not a story of all ups and no downs.

As Cone had stated himself, his career as a major leaguer was filled with big moments.  He could not have been less coy with such a statement, given that these big moments were also key moments.  For Yankee fans, who can forget the devastation of seeing the Yankees lose in the ALDS to Seattle in 1995 – their first postseason stint since 1981?  Who was on the mound for that crucial must-win Game 5?  One David Cone, of course.  And how about the following year, when he battled a life-threatening aneurysm, only to return in September and blow by the Oakland Athletics?  Or that very crucial Game 3 of the World Series down in Atlanta after the Braves took an 0-2 series lead in New York?  Big moments.

Fast-forward the clock a few years and we come to 1999.  At that point, Cone had already achieved what most major league pitchers can only dream of doing – winning World Series titles and winning the Cy Young. The 1999 season had started relatively well for him, but as the pitchers who had pitched perfect games would tell you, no matter how good you are, given the odds of a pitcher pitching a perfect game, few to none would even fathom that one would pitch one, especially against major league hitters.  So came to town the Montreal Expos on July 18, 1999.

True, the Expos of 1999 were not the same Expos who finished 83-79 in 2003 and were actually 33-54 going into that game.  These Expos were probably borderline major league-minor leaguers.  But that was rendered meaningless, given the alacrity of Cone’s pitches that afternoon on Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium.  With 88 solid pitches, Cone sent the 27 batters that came to the plate that afternoon back to the visitors’ dugout, one by one.  At the time of the perfect game, it was summer vacation and I was not in the country, so I did not find out about this until later on, given that this was a period when a good number of people still did not have Internet access.  However, after watching a tape of the game a few years later (yes, years), the joy and disbelief on the man’s face was indescribable.  He had just achieved the near impossible.

A year later, circumstances changed again, although this time, it was as if the mighty had fallen past earth and straight into hell.  Cone had re-signed with the Yankees for a one year $12 million deal after 1999, but as 2000 progressed, many fans became bitter and questioned whether that deal was justified.  Cone was having perhaps the most horrific season of his entire career, where every start caused him and all his fans to wince.  It got so bad that I recall one time during that season, I was sitting in my dad’s office and listening to the game on WABC and was literally praying that the Yankees would help get Cone a win.  When the final out was recorded and Frank Sinatra started singing in the background, I finally could breathe a sigh of relief and mumbled, “Finally.”  That was the way the season went for Cone, as he finished a rather forgettable 4-14 season.  Of course, even in the worst of situations, he still provided a memory for all his fans, that even in the grimmest of situations – a situation that forced him out of the rotation and into the bullpen for the postseason – Cone was still capable of making the big pitch.  And what pitch can be bigger than getting out your opponent’s most lethal batter, who also just happened to be one of the most prolific hitting catchers in major league history?

The 2001 season was perhaps the most torturous one for Cone fans who were also Yankee fans.  Cone had been offered a $500,000 contract to remain with the Yankees for 2001, which would have resulted in a severe pay cut from $12 million the year before.  It became a great source of debate when Cone decided to put his John Hancock on a $1 million contract with the hated Boston Red Sox, and many Yankee fans could never forgive him for that, even now.  So how was I supposed to root for the guy?  Do I root for him to pitch well but always get the no decision?  Do I wish ill will on him?  There was no real answer to those questions and the worst possible scenario came to fruition on that September night of the Cone vs. Mussina duel.  As a Yankee fan, there was little doubt that I wanted Mussina to win and get a perfect game, especially since I had not seen Cone or David Wells’ perfect game when it happened and I had the opportunity to do so with Mussina that night.  At the same time, my allegiance towards Cone was also deep, considering the guy was pitching probably the best he had pitched since his own perfect game two years ago.  Well, needless to say, the game was not a good memory for me, as Cone ended up getting the loss and Mussina ended up with a one-hitter.

Fast-forward time some more, and now the calendar says it is 2003.  Cone had taken the 2002 season off, not because he wanted to, but rather because no team came calling for his services.  However, as Spring Training started brewing, so too did the rumors of the Mets seeking the services of their former ace.  And although I was not rather keen on Cone pitching for the hated Mets, it was better than nothing and I was giddy, thinking that he would be able to notch the seven wins he needed to get to 200.  Of course, it was not meant to be.