New York City claimed Frank Sinatra decades ago. He wasn't originally from the city, and Las Vegas could claim him just as much, but Sinatra was from nearby Hoboken, New Jersey, and that was close enough for New Yorkers. I mean, after all, one can see Hoboken from Manhattan, so it made some kind of sense.
Part of New York's love of Ol' Blue Eyes included his rendition of "(Theme from) New York New York" being played at all New York Yankees home games whether the team won or lost. This began in 1980, so for more than four decades, if you stuck the game out until the end, you would be sent home listening to Sinatra. It was almost a safety blanket.
But that no longer will be the case. The Yankees announced this week that while fans will still hear "New York New York" after home wins, if the team loses, a different song will be played. A Yankees spokesperson confirmed the change to The Athletic.
New York Yankees make a change away from playing Frank Sinatra at all home games
This does not mean there will be no Sinatra after losses (he might still have some songs as part of the rotation), but that is not a guarantee. Last weekend, after the Yankees lost a spring training game in Tampa, Florida, to the Detroit Lions, fans left the stadium to the tune of Sinatra's "That's Life."
The spokesperson said, "We will be rotating through a number of different songs after a Yankees loss this year, none of them will be ‘New York New York.'"
In other words, while the Sinatra classic has been a staple of all Yankees home games for 44 years, one will only hear the tune now after a good thing happens for Yankees fans. That means the team has won. If the team loses, all bets are off. Plus, if "That's Life" is chosen quite a bit of the time, at least the sentiment makes sense when the team loses.
Some other ideas could be "The Best is Yet to Come" and "Let Me Try Again." Those would be fitting as well. And those are Sinatra tunes. The world is limitless with songs the Yankees can play when they lose. It will be interesting to see what the team chooses.