Yankees must win for Red Sox to get passion again!

[Jim Ed Rice in HOF]

Boring? Last year's playoff atmosphere was the best it's been in many years. Hell, we had a thread about it, there were articles written about it. I've been at Fenway for all the playoff games going back to '04 and the crowds had become complacent. Yes, when there were big moment people would come alive but until those moments there just wasn't that excitement/tension that had been seen in the earlier years. That changed last year - standing from first pitch, being REALLY loud, etc. It was awesome and one of the disappointing things about not making it to the series was seeing what the atmosphere would have been like then.

 

[Leather]

It takes a stunning inability to read a room to suggest that, after a disappointing, last-place, finish, the reason fans aren't that into the team is because the Yankees haven't won a World Series in 13 years.

 

[Max Power]

The rivalry is good when both teams are really good at the same time. That happened in the late 70s, the late 90s to early 2000s, and last year. In the mid-80s to early 90s the Yankees stunk. The Red Sox were okay in the mid 90s. And the Yankees were good, but non-threatening in the 2010s. Even if they get bounced by the Guardians in the division series this year, I'll hate them just as much if they're playing the Red Sox in the playoffs again next year.

 

[Sille Skrub]

Best thread on the main board in years.

 

[donutogre]

No, no, no, we are festively plump!

Anywho, I think 2018 and 2021 did show the rivalry is still legit and undoubtedly we will have tense, exciting showdowns between the teams in the years to come, but I think that extra edge that we last saw in the late 90s/early 00s is, mercifully, gone.

Still, though, fuck the Yankees. Yankee Elimination Day is still a wonderful annual holiday, and may it come in earnest this year. I don’t care how likable Aaron Judge is or how unobjectionable the other players and coaches are. Keep your eyes on the ball, folks.

Yes to all of this. I get the whole Judge is likable shit and yeah he's a great player, but also... fuck him. I cannot root for him. He's the best player on the most hated team in MLB. I would chuckle mightily if he just cratered next season (or hopefully in the rest of the playoffs really).

 

[reggiecleveland]

This is dangerous complacency. This is the folly of youth. The Sox have beaten the Yankees head-to-head three straight times. But if either of the last two ended up with the Yankees winning the WS they would have sucked.

I can't believe anyone who thinks it would be good for the Yankees to win lived through even the late 90s. The arrogance and media ballwashing was off the charts. To this day Jeter a Craig Biggio type of player gets mentioned along with Ted Williams and Willie May. Even this year, Judge got national attention for breaking the league record. Not the record. The league record. Not the record, The league record. Tell me they are interrupting broadcasts if Devers is at 59? Or Vladdy jr? The Yankees winning is the worst of all possible sports outcomes.

 

[Jimbodandy]

This is dangerous complacency. This is the folly of youth. The Sox have beaten the Yankees head-to-head three straight times. But if either of the last two ended up with the Yankees winning the WS they would have sucked.

I can't believe anyone who thinks it would be good for the Yankees to win lived through even the late 90s. The arrogance and media ballwashing was off the charts. To this day Jeter a Craig Biggio type of player gets mentioned along with Ted Williams and Willie May. Even this year, Judge got national attention for breaking the league record. Not the record. The league record. Not the record, The league record. Tell me they are interrupting broadcasts if Devers is at 59? Or Vladdy jr? The Yankees winning is the worst of all possible sports outcomes.

Word. I posted in MBPC recently, appreciating all of the kind words and gestures from the Lakers org/fanbase on the passing of Bill Russell and felt myself getting squishy towards the Lakers a bit. Then someone reminded me that the Lakers are also making it a huge point to honor George Mikan during the year when the league is honoring Bill Russell, and I snapped out of it.

There's a reason why we dislike certain teams on the whole. Don't forget who the Yankees are (or Lakers for that matter). And FFS, don't cheer for them.

 

[Trlicek's Whip]

2013 and 2018 were very satisfying, but not particularly exciting. Neither of those playoff runs ever had the Sox in an elination game. Neither post season had the drama of the 2004 comeback or being down 3-1 against Cleveland in 2007.

Christ, win or lose how can this not be considered a dramatic ball game? It was the lynchpin for the following two victories and featured a levelling-up GOAT pitching performance by Eovaldi.



Is the OP a virus that can be spread through the internet and computer screens to make every post dumber than the last?

 

[Dan Murfman]

Christ, win or lose how can this not be considered a dramatic ball game? It was the lynchpin for the following two victories and featured a levelling-up GOAT pitching performance by Eovaldi.

View attachment 56514

Is the OP a virus that can be spread through the internet and computer screens to make every post dumber than the last?

And then the next night they were down 4-0 going into 7th and came back to win it when it looked pretty bad. Not to mentioned he wrote that post on the anniversary of Big Papi's grand slam when there were about to go down 2-0 and going back to Detroit. And to add to that the next game after the grand slam was an intense 1-0 nail biter against Verlander.

 

[reggiecleveland]

Word. I posted in MBPC recently, appreciating all of the kind words and gestures from the Lakers org/fanbase on the passing of Bill Russell and felt myself getting squishy towards the Lakers a bit. Then someone reminded me that the Lakers are also making it a huge point to honor George Mikan during the year when the league is honoring Bill Russell, and I snapped out of it.

There's a reason why we dislike certain teams on the whole. Don't forget who the Yankees are (or Lakers for that matter). And FFS, don't cheer for them.

Tha Lakers winning is the only thing possibly as bad as a Yankees win. I mean the national media is painting Lebron and the LAkers as plucky underdogs right now. If this team which every star demands they get traded to, and has every conceivable advantage can somehow pull this out? OMG you thought 1980 hockey was a miracle?!

I mean I would take the USA winning Olympic hockey three times in a row over a single Yankee or Laker championship

 

[deanx0]

I think the original thesis is close, but should be "Yankee players must try piloting their own planes again for Red Sox to regain passion."

 

[soxin6]

If the Yankees never won another WS I would still be as passionate about the Red Sox. In fact, watching the Yankees lose is a source of enjoyment for me and many other Red Sox fans. Expecting people to be as passionate about a last place team as they were with a team that dominated the league and won the WS is setting yourself up to be disappointed. If you want to believe that people would be louder about the Red Sox troubles if the Yankees win then you might have a point, but those fans are never going to be that passionate about the Sox. The passionate fans love baseball and love the Sox and that doesn't change much because of the Yankee's success or failure.

 

[E5 Yaz]

I think the original thesis is close, but should be "Yankee players must try piloting their own planes again for Red Sox to regain passion."

One reason I always wanted to have flying cars by now is the likelihood that they would have wiped out more Yankees

 

[NYCSox]

Tha Lakers winning is the only thing possibly as bad as a Yankees win. I mean the national media is painting Lebron and the LAkers as plucky underdogs right now. If this team which every star demands they get traded to, and has every conceivable advantage can somehow pull this out? OMG you thought 1980 hockey was a miracle?!

I mean I would take the USA winning Olympic hockey three times in a row over a single Yankee or Laker championship

It took us this long to get to the point where the Canadiens are basically a non-threat most every year (fluke run 2021 notwithstanding). It's enjoyable. I'd like that to extend to the Lakers and Yankees.

 

[MuzzyField]

After a couple of days of reflective analysis my answer is NO!

 

[jacklamabe65]

I am happy as a clam tonight after the Guardians win today.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

I‘ll need to call my doctor in about two hours, that’s how my passion is going.

 

[Van Everyman]

Every year the Yankees don’t win is awesome because in addition to YED it increases the sense of dread among Yankee fans that the super team restoration they imagine every April not only has to wait another year but may well not happen at all. Each year players Yankee fans have convinced themselves are the core of the next dynasty either get more expensive (ie, Judge) or less likely to live up to their initial promise (ie, Sanchez, Torres, or even Andujar) – they all get older and the window closes that much more. For this annual feeling, my passion burns eternal.

 

[tims4wins]

Every year the Yankees don’t win is awesome because in addition to YED it increases the sense of dread among Yankee fans that the super team restoration they imagine every April not only has to wait another year but may well not happen at all. Each year players Yankee fans have convinced themselves are the core of the next dynasty either get more expensive (ie, Judge) or less likely to live up to their initial promise (ie, Sanchez, Torres, or even Andujar) – they all get older and the window closes that much more. For this annual feeling, my passion burns eternal.

Each year that goes by gets closer to 86 years.

 

[Archer1979]

I am miserable that the Yankees lost in extra innings today.


Mostly because I was travelling and I missed it.

 

[24JoshuaPoint]

I am happy as a clam tonight after the Guardians win today.

And in great fashion too. That dude trucked out of the box to get to third

 

[Whoop-La White]

And in great fashion too. That dude trucked out of the box to get to third

And the hit that brought him in was softer than an autumn maple leaf alighting on a lawn. It was glorious.

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

Every year the Yankees don’t win is awesome because in addition to YED it increases the sense of dread among Yankee fans that the super team restoration they imagine every April not only has to wait another year but may well not happen at all. Each year players Yankee fans have convinced themselves are the core of the next dynasty either get more expensive (ie, Judge) or less likely to live up to their initial promise (ie, Sanchez, Torres, or even Andujar) – they all get older and the window closes that much more. For this annual feeling, my passion burns eternal.

Maybe just because of closer proximity, but MFY fans seem to have the most confidence in their prospects than any team. From the days of Phranchise I have been reading -and fearing- about this All Homegrown Rotation and lineup that was going to eat the AL East for the following decade.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

And then the next night they were down 4-0 going into 7th and came back to win it when it looked pretty bad. Not to mentioned he wrote that post on the anniversary of Big Papi's grand slam when there were about to go down 2-0 and going back to Detroit. And to add to that the next game after the grand slam was an intense 1-0 nail biter against Verlander.

And, not to beat a dead horse, but I can’t let this pass without mentioning the Victorino slam to send them to the WS was one of the most tense and thrilling moments of the last 20 years.

It was basically JD Drew’s ALCS granny except way higher leverage with the added shock value of coming off the bat of a guy whose body was breaking down. Hell, he had given up switch hitting down the stretch because of it.

 

[Van Everyman]

Maybe just because of closer proximity, but MFY fans seem to have the most confidence in their prospects than any team. From the days of Phranchise I have been reading -and fearing- about this All Homegrown Rotation and lineup that was going to eat the AL East for the following decade.

Exactly. Some of the prospect humping is likely due to having multiple media outlets covering them – it becomes an echo chamber of hype and expectation that’s almost impossible to live up to.

For instance, it had been a bit since I’d tracked what was happening with him, but I was surprised when I realized that Andujar had gone from “Surefire 30HR guy” to “Boone was stuck having to play him this weekend” in like two or three years.

In the case of Gary Sanchez, the hype was probably warranted based on how his career started. And it wasn’t just New York media, we had a running joke on SoSH about how Nick Cafardo was so obsessed with/terrified of Sanchez that the thread about his columns was named after him for like a year. But the weight of fulfilling those expectations was probably more than he could bear and he kind of shot his way out of New York by the end with a combo of a wildly inconsistent bat, suspect defense and some attitude problems.

These are just a few recent examples, of which there are many. Others include Jesus Montero (who was touted as the best prospect in baseball by BA at one point) and Clint Frazier (who was derailed by injuries but maybe was never that good?). But I remember it as far back as Jay Buhner, who ended up having a nice career in Seattle I guess but was hardly the Second Coming of The Mick you’d been told.

As a Red Sox fan, I admit to taking some joy in seeing these guys either flame out or fail to reach the lofty expectations set by Yankee fans. And I certainly don’t mean to suggest that our own team doesn’t have a list of also rans and never was’s (Lars Anderson, some guy named Horn) or writers who build them up to mythic proportions (Gammo).

But there’s something uniquely New York about the bombast and utter certainty with which Yankee fans and the media cover their guys – and my sense is that since 2004 it’s a key component of the existential dread Yankee fans feel each year when the Next Dynasty has failed to materialize. Given Red Sox fans’ long and painful history with anguish and disappointment, it’s certainly a nice turn of events – one I continue to welcome with open arms each year.

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

I was born and raised a Red Sox fan in Providence, just like my dad before me. Or so I thought…

As my dad has been getting older (he’s 94 now) it can Get tedious hearing the same stories over and over. He’s still sharp as can be and tells a story well, but the 50th retelling over the last 60 years can get..tedious. But two new ones showed up in the last 10 years or so.

One was that he attended the 1946 All Star Game at Fenway, when Ted Williams homered off Rip Sewell’s eephus pitch. Took the bus up from Providence as a high school student went by himself, which I thought of as something I very much would’ve done myself given the chance.

But the other was more shocking. He let it slip that as a young man, at least all the way through high school, he was a Yankees fan. I was floored (“Dad, it’s like I don’t even know you!”). He explained to me that it’s just what everyone did in the 30s and 40s, especially if you were the son of immigrants, as he was. He kept saying “DiMaggio” like it was some kind of magic word.

He came around later, and by the time I was born in the 60s there was no questioning his Red Sox loyalty. I’ve asked him never to speak of that again. I’m a little ashamed bringing it up here.

 

[Rasputin]

But what about the larger point he is making?

It's fucking terrible. Fuck the Yankees. Fuck external motivation. We're gonna be better next year and the Yankees are gonna be worse so fuck them. Fuck the Dodgers. Fuck everyone.

I'm going back to bed.

 

[Philip Jeff Frye]

I was born and raised a Red Sox fan in Providence, just like my dad before me. Or so I thought…

As my dad has been getting older (he’s 94 now) it can Get tedious hearing the same stories over and over. He’s still sharp as can be and tells a story well, but the 50th retelling over the last 60 years can get..tedious. But two new ones showed up in the last 10 years or so.

One was that he attended the 1946 All Star Game at Fenway, when Ted Williams homered off Rip Sewell’s eephus pitch. Took the bus up from Providence as a high school student went by himself, which I thought of as something I very much would’ve done myself given the chance.

But the other was more shocking. He let it slip that as a young man, at least all the way through high school, he was a Yankees fan. I was floored (“Dad, it’s like I don’t even know you!”). He explained to me that it’s just what everyone did in the 30s and 40s, especially if you were the son of immigrants, as he was. He kept saying “DiMaggio” like it was some kind of magic word.

He came around later, and by the time I was born in the 60s there was no questioning his Red Sox loyalty. I’ve asked him never to speak of that again. I’m a little ashamed bringing it up here.

As you should be. Sounds like finding out your father was in the SS.

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

Exactly. Some of the prospect humping is likely due to having multiple media outlets covering them – it becomes an echo chamber of hype and expectation that’s almost impossible to live up to.

For instance, it had been a bit since I’d tracked what was happening with him, but I was surprised when I realized that Andujar had gone from “Surefire 30HR guy” to “Boone was stuck having to play him this weekend” in like two or three years.

In the case of Gary Sanchez, the hype was probably warranted based on how his career started. And it wasn’t just New York media, we had a running joke on SoSH about how Nick Cafardo was so obsessed with/terrified of Sanchez that the thread about his columns was named after him for like a year. But the weight of fulfilling those expectations was probably more than he could bear and he kind of shot his way out of New York by the end with a combo of a wildly inconsistent bat, suspect defense and some attitude problems.

These are just a few recent examples, of which there are many. Others include Jesus Montero (who was touted as the best prospect in baseball by BA at one point) and Clint Frazier (who was derailed by injuries but maybe was never that good?). But I remember it as far back as Jay Buhner, who ended up having a nice career in Seattle I guess but was hardly the Second Coming of The Mick you’d been told.

As a Red Sox fan, I admit to taking some joy in seeing these guys either flame out or fail to reach the lofty expectations set by Yankee fans. And I certainly don’t mean to suggest that our own team doesn’t have a list of also rans and never was’s (Lars Anderson, some guy named Horn) or writers who build them up to mythic proportions (Gammo).

But there’s something uniquely New York about the bombast and utter certainty with which Yankee fans and the media cover their guys – and my sense is that since 2004 it’s a key component of the existential dread Yankee fans feel each year when the Next Dynasty has failed to materialize. Given Red Sox fans’ long and painful history with anguish and disappointment, it’s certainly a nice turn of events – one I continue to welcome with open arms each year.

Holy shit. Yeah…. Jesus Montero! I was terrified the Yankees basically had the next late era Barry Bonds type in their lineup!
Again- perhaps- if not likely- my proximity to both MFY fans AND Sox fans…. But even the big Sox prospects have always had way too many doubters on these boards. I’ve never seen any sploogefests over Sox pitching prospects like I have with Yankees ones. Always very tempered by “mid rotation” ceiling or “end up in bullpen”….

 

[Van Everyman]

As you should be. Sounds like finding out your father was in the SS.

More like Hitler Youth I think.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

As you should be. Sounds like finding out your father was in the SS.

It’s cool that Mugsy is a first generation Sox fan. We should be more welcoming to him and not color him with the sins of his father.

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

More like Hitler Youth I think.

It’s cool that Mugsy is a first generation Sox fan. We should be more welcoming to him and not color him with the sins of his father.

Appreciate it.

Though I know you’ll be less gracious on learning that of my two sons, one went to the dark side while the other came with me on Team Nomar-Pedro-Papi. It’s absolutely fucking biblical.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Appreciate it.

Though I know you’ll be less gracious on learning that of my two sons, one went to the dark side while the other was loyal to his dad. It’s absolutely fucking biblical.

They obviously must fight to the death.

two sons enter . . .

 

[Van Everyman]

Appreciate it.

Though I know you’ll be less gracious on learning that of my two sons, one went to the dark side while the other came with me on Team Nomar-Pedro-Papi. It’s absolutely fucking biblical.

Mugsy’s Choice

 

[Mueller's Twin Grannies]

So long as the Sox fan is Cain and the other Abel, it'll be fine.

 

[NYCSox]

Exactly. Some of the prospect humping is likely due to having multiple media outlets covering them – it becomes an echo chamber of hype and expectation that’s almost impossible to live up to.

For instance, it had been a bit since I’d tracked what was happening with him, but I was surprised when I realized that Andujar had gone from “Surefire 30HR guy” to “Boone was stuck having to play him this weekend” in like two or three years.

In the case of Gary Sanchez, the hype was probably warranted based on how his career started. And it wasn’t just New York media, we had a running joke on SoSH about how Nick Cafardo was so obsessed with/terrified of Sanchez that the thread about his columns was named after him for like a year. But the weight of fulfilling those expectations was probably more than he could bear and he kind of shot his way out of New York by the end with a combo of a wildly inconsistent bat, suspect defense and some attitude problems.

These are just a few recent examples, of which there are many. Others include Jesus Montero (who was touted as the best prospect in baseball by BA at one point) and Clint Frazier (who was derailed by injuries but maybe was never that good?). But I remember it as far back as Jay Buhner, who ended up having a nice career in Seattle I guess but was hardly the Second Coming of The Mick you’d been told.

As a Red Sox fan, I admit to taking some joy in seeing these guys either flame out or fail to reach the lofty expectations set by Yankee fans. And I certainly don’t mean to suggest that our own team doesn’t have a list of also rans and never was’s (Lars Anderson, some guy named Horn) or writers who build them up to mythic proportions (Gammo).

But there’s something uniquely New York about the bombast and utter certainty with which Yankee fans and the media cover their guys – and my sense is that since 2004 it’s a key component of the existential dread Yankee fans feel each year when the Next Dynasty has failed to materialize. Given Red Sox fans’ long and painful history with anguish and disappointment, it’s certainly a nice turn of events – one I continue to welcome with open arms each year.

Don't forget the Royal Flush - Hughes2.50, Joba the God, etc. At least Ian Kennedy is still around earning a paycheck.

 

[Max Power]

I was born and raised a Red Sox fan in Providence, just like my dad before me. Or so I thought…

As my dad has been getting older (he’s 94 now) it can Get tedious hearing the same stories over and over. He’s still sharp as can be and tells a story well, but the 50th retelling over the last 60 years can get..tedious. But two new ones showed up in the last 10 years or so.

One was that he attended the 1946 All Star Game at Fenway, when Ted Williams homered off Rip Sewell’s eephus pitch. Took the bus up from Providence as a high school student went by himself, which I thought of as something I very much would’ve done myself given the chance.

But the other was more shocking. He let it slip that as a young man, at least all the way through high school, he was a Yankees fan. I was floored (“Dad, it’s like I don’t even know you!”). He explained to me that it’s just what everyone did in the 30s and 40s, especially if you were the son of immigrants, as he was. He kept saying “DiMaggio” like it was some kind of magic word.

He came around later, and by the time I was born in the 60s there was no questioning his Red Sox loyalty. I’ve asked him never to speak of that again. I’m a little ashamed bringing it up here.

My old Italian relatives didn't hide how much they loved DiMaggio. Any time you talked about how good someone was, they'd always come back with something about DiMaggio hitting more homers than strikeouts. They weren't as impressed when Barry Bonds accomplished the same feat.

 

[Ale Xander]

My old Italian relatives didn't hide how much they loved DiMaggio. Any time you talked about how good someone was, they'd always come back with something about DiMaggio hitting more homers than strikeouts. They weren't as impressed when Barry Bonds accomplished the same feat.

What about Dom? They didn’t love him?

 

[Max Power]

What about Dom? They didn’t love him?

They liked him fine, but Joe was the biggest star in the game when baseball was king. It was a different thing.

 

[Trlicek's Whip]

But there’s something uniquely New York about the bombast and utter certainty with which Yankee fans and the media cover their guys – and my sense is that since 2004 it’s a key component of the existential dread Yankee fans feel each year when the Next Dynasty has failed to materialize.

This impacts more fan bases than just the Yankees, but the cognizant dissonance of Area Yankees Fan™ not just wanting a ring, but a dynasty, makes it fun to watch them fall short of their own lofty and unrealistic expectations.

In 2022 the idea of teams being unbeatably elite and winning championships in bunches is less achievable. Being able to compete for a playoff spot and taking your chances once you're in is the new corner of the market to game and exploit.

There's toxic nostalgia baked into the Torre dynasty run of the mid-90's/early oughts, which was already propagandized by the MFY's 20's-50's and "twenty something rings" knee jerk rejoinders from decades of lazy WFAN Guy In The Car analysis, and decades of John Sterling and Michael Kay duking it out for worst home run calls in professional sports.

And that nostalgia built them a new stadium that scrubbed all previous personality out of the old place; I was shocked how joyless it was sitting there for a game this year with still-tortured feng shui of getting in and out of the place, and the mall food court quality of the food options, and the Mastercard logo everywhere you looked, and what sounded like drunk Fred Norris sound cues every second trying to get the party started. (The stadium-wide A-OOOOOO-GA submarine collision alarm with two strikes/two outs is especially horrific).

I think the deadly nostalgia is also amplified from generations of NY'ers ingesting a steady diet of George Steinbrenner's trolling legacy swagger to entitled fans during their last heyday (which honestly has the same heft and weight and sweaty energy of Trump tweets). I can't find the quote but that "I'm sorry the Sox didn't go the extra mile and care enough about their fans to compete" or whatever he posted at the height of the Sox/MFY rivalry is a prime example. He was the heel that pumped up the base when the Yankees were kings of the league.

Now it's 2022 and the Yankees fans that check in and show up to the Bronx for ALDS's are watching with this outsized manifest destiny and historic exceptionalism chip on their shoulders that has lasted for decades, and they think it's fun to boo FA-to-be Aaron Judge for doing what he always does. Or to suddenly be mad that what brung them here (all-or-nothing softball beer league home run offense) isn't working against the best pitching in the league.

In the meantime sports media can dust off and trot out the same sepia-toned footage of Aaron Boone hitting a 2003 walkoff because *they too* are irradiated by this same nostalgia, and they want to will the undetermined sports narrative into Yankees teams of bygone eras.

Every year the Yankees lose they're a year further from reliving the golden years of a Guiliani New York City. Every year they lose their fans are once again the living embodiment of the Springsteen song "Glory Days." So yeah, whether there's a rivalry or not, MFY fans losing is the evergreen gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Papo The Snow Tiger]

My old Italian relatives didn't hide how much they loved DiMaggio. Any time you talked about how good someone was, they'd always come back with something about DiMaggio hitting more homers than strikeouts. They weren't as impressed when Barry Bonds accomplished the same feat.

My parents were of Eastern European descent but were from the eastern Pennsylvania coal mining region and only moved to Connecticut after they were married and were looking for "good jobs". While we rooted for the Sox and Yaz, it was never an ethnic thing.

My wife's parents, however, are both from Connecticut and they're also both first generation, 100% Polish. They both speak fluent Polish, and they absolutely love Yaz. One of the first conversations I ever had with my father-in-law centered around Yaz's triple crown in '67 and how he went 7 for 8 with 6 RBI during the last weekend of the season against the Twins to win the pennant. That love of Yaz trickled down to their kids, and my future sister-in-law even gave me a Yaz baseball card after we announced our engagement to welcome me into the family. Now, while they're all still Sox fans, their favorite player is any Red Sox they suspect of having Polish heritage. Every time I talked with my father-in-law this summer, he'd always ask me how Josh Winckoski was doing, when his next start in the majors would be and what did he have to do to stick with the big club. I think I married well.

 

[snowmanny]

My old Italian relatives didn't hide how much they loved DiMaggio. Any time you talked about how good someone was, they'd always come back with something about DiMaggio hitting more homers than strikeouts. They weren't as impressed when Barry Bonds accomplished the same feat.

DiMaggio first, yes, but the Yankees also had HOFers Berra and Rizzuto, whose parents were all born in Italy.

 

[Wallball Tingle]

I for one am devastated to know that the Yankees are one loss from elimination today, potentially dooming us to another season of passionlessness.

 

[InstaFace]

Every Yankee defeat has and always will be a blessing. Each Yankee victory is an affront to all that is good and just.

I don't apologize for clinging to tribalism in its stupidest form.

If you're gonna do tribalism, baseball really is the place to do it. Here it's fun. In every other context it's destructive.

 

[Mueller's Twin Grannies]

Hey, the OP was right. I'm VERY passionate now the the Yankees won a game. So passionate, in fact, I might go commit a crime.

THANK GOODNESS, AMIRITE!?

 

[8slim]

I do not miss the days where Yankees Suck chants would break out everywhere. Take the championships, leave the inferiority complex.

I think some of you take things way too seriously. I love "Yankees Suck" chants, and I love them most when they occur in random settings.

Why?

Because the Yankees do, in fact, suck.

Their fans suck and their stadium sucks and their stupid f-ing pinstripes suck.

I hope they lose today in heartbreaking fashion. I hope their fans cry themselves to sleep. And I hope they lose 162 games next season.

Because they suck.

 

[E5 Yaz]

My favorite fact about the Yankees: That they began life from the dregs of the defunct, original Baltimore Orioles.
So, not only do they suck because they are the Yankees ... they suck twice as much because they have Orioles genes in their DNA.

 

[Max Power]

I think some of you take things way too seriously. I love "Yankees Suck" chants, and I love them most when they occur in random settings.

Why?

Because the Yankees do, in fact, suck.

Their fans suck and their stadium sucks and their stupid f-ing pinstripes suck.

I hope they lose today in heartbreaking fashion. I hope their fans cry themselves to sleep. And I hope they lose 162 games next season.

Because they suck.

Well said.

This thread has led me to evaluate my feelings toward the Yankees. I get more enjoyment from seeing Yankees fans in the stands sad than I do seeing the players sad for the most part. Give me a dejected loudmouth dressed head to toe in Yankee gear over depressed Giancarlo Stanton. But I'd rather see a crying Gerrit Cole over anything.

 

[Daniel_Son]

These are just a few recent examples, of which there are many. Others include Jesus Montero (who was touted as the best prospect in baseball by BA at one point) and Clint Frazier (who was derailed by injuries but maybe was never that good?). But I remember it as far back as Jay Buhner, who ended up having a nice career in Seattle I guess but was hardly the Second Coming of The Mick you’d been told.

Hey c'mon... he had 30 home runs and over 100 RBIs last year!

I was born and raised a Red Sox fan in Providence, just like my dad before me. Or so I thought…

As my dad has been getting older (he’s 94 now) it can Get tedious hearing the same stories over and over. He’s still sharp as can be and tells a story well, but the 50th retelling over the last 60 years can get..tedious. But two new ones showed up in the last 10 years or so.

One was that he attended the 1946 All Star Game at Fenway, when Ted Williams homered off Rip Sewell’s eephus pitch. Took the bus up from Providence as a high school student went by himself, which I thought of as something I very much would’ve done myself given the chance.

But the other was more shocking. He let it slip that as a young man, at least all the way through high school, he was a Yankees fan. I was floored (“Dad, it’s like I don’t even know you!”). He explained to me that it’s just what everyone did in the 30s and 40s, especially if you were the son of immigrants, as he was. He kept saying “DiMaggio” like it was some kind of magic word.

He came around later, and by the time I was born in the 60s there was no questioning his Red Sox loyalty. I’ve asked him never to speak of that again. I’m a little ashamed bringing it up here.

I wouldn't feel too bad - it's certainly not unheard of. Outside of Ted, those 40's/50's/early 60's Sox teams were difficult to root for. My grandpa (born in Stamford in 1935) grew up rooting for the Dodgers. Once they left, he was an ardent Mets supporter until he started taking my Dad (huge Yaz fan) to games at Fenway during the '75 season. That pennant race and subsequent playoff appearance made Grandpa a full-time member of Red Sox Nation.

 

[brandonchristensen]

Hey c'mon... he had 30 home runs and over 100 RBIs last year!



I wouldn't feel too bad - it's certainly not unheard of. Outside of Ted, those 40's/50's/early 60's Sox teams were difficult to root for. My grandpa (born in Stamford in 1935) grew up rooting for the Dodgers. Once they left, he was an ardent Mets supporter until he started taking my Dad (huge Yaz fan) to games at Fenway during the '75 season. That pennant race and subsequent playoff appearance made Grandpa a full-time member of Red Sox Nation.

Yeah - my dad is from Texas originally and was a big Mantle fan growing up. He continued to be a Yankee fan until he went on a Mormon Mission in Boston in the 70s and fell in love with the Sox (and later Patriots).