Challenger, the eagle that is described each game as "the Yankees' living symbol of freedom,'' became confused on his traditional flight during the national anthem and overshot his keeper. He flew beyond the pitchers mound, circled home plate and hovered above the players who were lined up along each basepath. Challenger was heading back toward the mound when two F-14s flew over the park (and that's a nice use of tax money, isn't it?), frightening the bird so much that it swooped so low over Derek Jeter that the shortstop dropped to the ground to evade its talons.
"He almost got me,'' Jeter said. "He was a little off tonight.''
A little off? Had Challengers flown a couple inches lower, FOX would have had a new reality show.
JOE BUCK: Oh my! Challenger dug his claws into Jeter's head! He's lifting him up and carrying him out of the stadium!
TIM McCARVER: Not many people realize it but an America bald eagle's tremendous wingspan, unique muscular structure and aerodynamics allows it to lift 20 times its body weight. Pound for pound, it is the world's strongest bird next to the African swallow. That's why I've often thought that teams should never use a bird larger than a barn owl in that situation. Incidentally, the F-14 Tomcat weighs 36 tons, has a top speed of Mach 1.88 and a range of 1,200 miles.
BRET BOONE: I'm not sure how they're going to score that, but it's definitely a tough break for the Yankees.
