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Remembering The 1996 Yankees: Duncan Didn’t Just Coin A Catchy Phrase

One day during the 1996 season rookie shortstop Derek Jeter passed by Mariano Duncan’s locker in the Yankees clubhouse and asked the second baseman the following question.

“We play today?”

Duncan’s reply was very simple and right to the point.

“We win today … Dassit”

Mariano Duncan -- 1996 Yankees
Mariano Duncan sits in the dugout during the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on May 24, 1997. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images Sport)

So was born the slogan that would define the 1996 New York Yankees. The phrase became so popular that Duncan had t-shirts made bearing the words, “We play today, we win today, dassit!