Did Gerrit Cole REALLY keep the same sign he had as a Yankees fan in 2001?

HMMMMMM.

I don’t mean to burst anyone’s bubble here, but I’m not the only one curious about something that happened during Gerrit Cole’s introductory press conference with the New York Yankees.

Let’s go back to 2001 for a second: Cole was 11 years old, and despite growing up in California, he was a Yankees fan. While attending the World Series in Phoenix, he brought a sign that read, “Yankee fan today tomorrow forever” and was snapped by Newark Star-Ledger photographer William Perlman holding it up before Game 6.

It’s a snap that went viral once again after Cole signed with the franchise he rooted for.

And on Wednesday, he brought the sign with him and presented it to owner Hal Steinbrenner:

But here’s the question I have: the sign in the original photo has blue lettering. This one has yellow lettering.

Is that really the original sign? Is this The Dress all over again?

Look, maybe after 18 years, the lettering faded a little. Or … maybe it’s not the same sign.

I’m not the only one asking about this:

Here is the side-by-side for comparison:

 

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