Well, it’s over. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys rocked the house- well, actually they rocked Yankee Stadium, technically, but you know what I mean. The cast of Glee absolutely killed the National Anthem- in the best way possible-I think I’ve watched it on YouTube about 20 times already! Spike Lee, Regis Philbin and Donald Trump have to wait until next season to sit in the stands and watch another game. Kate Hudson will also have to wait till then to cheer on her boyfriend A-Rod, although I am pretty sure that she won’t mind, seeing as she will get him all to herself for the next few months. Where does that leave me? Well, it leaves me with the knowledge that come April, the game I love will be back.

I am the ultimate girlie girl. The girl who loved wearing dresses as a child—if it wasn’t pink, purple or frilly, I wasn’t wearing it. I danced, took gymnastics and did musical theater. I was the girl who, at 25, still had the walls of my bedroom painted pink. And, oh yeah, I am the girl who loves baseball. No, I mean, I really love baseball. Specifically, the New York Yankees.

My family is from New York—I know a lot of people say that, but mine is really from New York, as in, so many generations back that we lost count. We have a lot of New York pride and a lot of pride in our New York sports teams.

One of my fondest memories is from the 1996 World Series. I remember being upset because even though my parents let me stay up past my bedtime that night, they wouldn’t let me stay up to watch the whole game. Well, my dad must have changed his mind because he woke me up a little while later so I could watch them win. He told me that he wanted me to see the Yankees win the first World Series since 1978. I remember how excited my dad was when they won—I will never forget the look on his face when Charlie Hayes caught the final out of the game.

My dad grew up watching a Yankee dynasty-Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson and Clete Boyer (the phenomenal fielding third baseman). He and his older brother would sit around the TV in their apartment in Queens in the middle of summer watching the Yankees play. They would sit in the sweltering heat-with no air conditioning- watching the greats play. They got their love of baseball from their father. He was an avid Yankee fan and would often watch the games with them. Not surprisingly, both brothers passed the love of the game onto their own kids- little did they know that there would be another Yankee dynasty for them to grow up with.

Starting in 1996, with that game that had such an impact on me, the Yankees absolutely dominated- winning four World Series in five years. Those were the days of David Cone, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte- the latter of which make up “the core four” who still play for the Yanks today. After I caught that Yankee bug, there was no going back.

What is so great about this game is that it brings people together. Last night, as we watched the Yankees win their 27th World Series, we were all in different places- my brother is in college in New York, my dad is on a business trip and I am out here in Los Angeles. Even though we were 3,000 miles apart we were constantly texting and calling each other the whole time. It wasn’t just about the game, it was about the fact that the game brought us together. My grandfather passed the love of the Yankees to my dad, he passed it to my brother and I, and you can be 100% sure that when I have kids of my own, I will pass it down to them. Because the truth of the matter is that it isn’t about the game- it’s about loving it.