Every Yankees fan will share CC Sabathia's reaction to World Series Game 1

The last time the New York Yankees were in a World Series -- an honest-to-goodness genuine World Series -- newly imported ace CC Sabathia was toeing the rubber.

It did not go well. Sabathia was very much fine, but Philadelphia Phillies lefty Cliff Lee bedeviled the Yankees, the bullpen collapsed late, and the Yankees entered the Fall Classic with a one-game disadvantage.

The good news? It didn't matter at all; the uber talented Yankees dug deep and won every non-Lee start in the Series. Sabathia came back with a workmanlike Game 4 effort. The Yankees celebrated in the Canyon of Heroes, and that entire gilded team has gone down in history as a set of champions.

That's what could potentially lie ahead for the 2024 Yankees, a team that battled adversity all year, had plenty of moving parts, flops, and regressions, and still managed to reach the World Series, thanks in large part to the stability of their offensive superstars.

Now, with Game 1 so close you can almost taste it, Sabathia is beginning to feel like the holiday season is upon us. Halloween has always been the holiday most closely associated with the World Series -- who doesn't remember the spooky FOX baseball intros from the Yankees' glory days?

But, if you ask Sabathia, this particular World Series tastes a lot more like gingerbread.

Yankees ace CC Sabathia is just like fans waiting for World Series Game 1 to start

The only difference, of course, is that on Christmas morning, you're probably never going to unwrap the Worst Day of Your Life. These World Series coin flips? Man, every game could be absurdly tight. The ALCS results were fantastic. The process? Hardly a present.

The bottom line, though, is it's been a while since the Yankees have been where they've long deserved to be, and their efforts should absolutely be celebrated and anticipated -- especially before the games have begun. If it feels kind of like making the Final Four, then awaiting a possible cherry on top ... that's because it is. The World Series was a staple of Yankees life until 2009. Now, it's a rarity to be cherished.

Hopefully, it doesn't take 15 years to get back to this beautiful place, because the view from the Christmas mountaintop and the buzz in the chilled New York air feels ... just fine. It feels right, actually.