Saturday, June 23, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Why being a Yankees fan is not fun:
I have been a Yankees fan for an incredibly long time. However, I have not watched many games in the past few years. I am not one of those band wagon fans, one who only started watching during the Joe Torre years- my lineage goes way back, from when the Mets owned the city and Dallas Green managed. I remember the immense disappointment in Kevin Maas and Hensley Meullens. I had both of their rookie cards, and how the value plummeted when these guys were exposed as frauds. I remember the good times, the thrill of Paul O'Neill grinding out an at-bat and destroying a water cooler in anger, and making an amazing catch in the '96 world series on a bad hammy- the excitement of David Cone striking some fool out with the Loreado slider. Bernie Williams gliding though the outfield and mashing in the post-season. Jorge Posada's Dumbo-esque ears. I watched those games. I went to many of them. Now, I just don't care too much.
However, even with the influx of band wagon jumpers, attendance at Yankees games is down. They have fallen victim the disease of indifference. Maybe this is because being a Yankees fan just isn't as fun as it used to be.
First of all, we expect the team to win and make the playoffs. This minimizes the regular season greatly. There is limited joy in watching in the Yankees defeat the Jays during the regular season. There are the occasional stinkers, when one starting pitcher looks like he spent the previous night officiating a Chris Brown & Drake melee and just sucks. Mix this in with the lower attention span of the average American, along with the slow pace of baseball, people will find other things to watch and do.
Secondly, the new stadium is depressing. The history of the park isn't there- Yankee Stadium used to be a sacred place, where the Bambino roamed the outfield, Gehrig played every day, the Mick became and icon, Reggie Jackson slugged his way into history and Baseketball. Now, it is just another park. Sure, it has more bathrooms, wider concourses and you don't have to miss three innings to get a hot dog, but it clearly is a money making machine- just like the Yankees are themselves. Along with this money making machine, the average fan has been priced out of the park. The cheapest tickets cost $25 a pop, plus the additional service fees. Add in the cost of the subway, a beer, and a snack, your looking at $60 a person. That is crazy. Why would I spend $120 for me and the better half of The Sports Couple to barely see a ball game? The cost is a month of DirectTv, in which I can watch a ton more baseball, if the mood so strikes me. It is just nutty. Keep in mind, I have a relatively safe and stable job, but with the economy in the crapper, are these cost at all realistic? Me thinks not.
Lastly, the team is not very likable. Let me preface this by saying that Jeter is an all time great and classic Yankee, as is Andy Pettitte, but all of these hired guns don't provide a connection with the common fan. I don't know of one Yankee fan who likes A-Rod [in honesty, I don't know anyone who likes A-Rod]. Yes, we all think the world of C.C., but I don't think there is love for him. Cano is home grown and the best second baseman in the league, but he hasn't had any of those huge moments that make him part of Yankee lore. Even though he wasn't home grown, Curtis Granderson is a guy who is eminently likable, and seems like a great person- but I keep fearing the other shoe will drop and lefties will get to him again. The one guy I loved to watch, Brett Gardener, has been out for the bulk of the year and remains so today. I think the best way to look at this is a guy like Mark Teixeira- he is an absolute pro- hits for power, plays outstanding defense, is accountable and very likable- but Yankees fans focus on his low average more than the positives he brings to the table. It boils down to the fact that without homegrown talent, baseball isn't as much fun.
Really, the biggest problem in being a Yankees fan is that the team has fallen victim to its own success. They can't add much premium minor league talent because they draft so low and due to the necessary free agent signings have lost a high number of 1st round draft picks. The international scouting has been okay, but they traded the guy most of us were excited to see in Jesus Montero for some damaged goods. I was excited about watching a young guy develop with the club, for the first time in a long time. It would have given me something to watch, something to care about again- alas, the Yankees made it difficult for me to care.
These are the reasons why being a Yankees fan just isn't as fun as it used to be. I think in about four years, when A-Rod is 40 and earning $40 million, Jeter has retired, and the roster has a bunch of young and exciting guys and winning isn't a guarantee I will begin to care again. Until that day, wake me up when the playoffs come so I can fall asleep in the 7th inning at midnight because playoff baseball doens't start until 9pm.
However, even with the influx of band wagon jumpers, attendance at Yankees games is down. They have fallen victim the disease of indifference. Maybe this is because being a Yankees fan just isn't as fun as it used to be.
First of all, we expect the team to win and make the playoffs. This minimizes the regular season greatly. There is limited joy in watching in the Yankees defeat the Jays during the regular season. There are the occasional stinkers, when one starting pitcher looks like he spent the previous night officiating a Chris Brown & Drake melee and just sucks. Mix this in with the lower attention span of the average American, along with the slow pace of baseball, people will find other things to watch and do.
Secondly, the new stadium is depressing. The history of the park isn't there- Yankee Stadium used to be a sacred place, where the Bambino roamed the outfield, Gehrig played every day, the Mick became and icon, Reggie Jackson slugged his way into history and Baseketball. Now, it is just another park. Sure, it has more bathrooms, wider concourses and you don't have to miss three innings to get a hot dog, but it clearly is a money making machine- just like the Yankees are themselves. Along with this money making machine, the average fan has been priced out of the park. The cheapest tickets cost $25 a pop, plus the additional service fees. Add in the cost of the subway, a beer, and a snack, your looking at $60 a person. That is crazy. Why would I spend $120 for me and the better half of The Sports Couple to barely see a ball game? The cost is a month of DirectTv, in which I can watch a ton more baseball, if the mood so strikes me. It is just nutty. Keep in mind, I have a relatively safe and stable job, but with the economy in the crapper, are these cost at all realistic? Me thinks not.
Lastly, the team is not very likable. Let me preface this by saying that Jeter is an all time great and classic Yankee, as is Andy Pettitte, but all of these hired guns don't provide a connection with the common fan. I don't know of one Yankee fan who likes A-Rod [in honesty, I don't know anyone who likes A-Rod]. Yes, we all think the world of C.C., but I don't think there is love for him. Cano is home grown and the best second baseman in the league, but he hasn't had any of those huge moments that make him part of Yankee lore. Even though he wasn't home grown, Curtis Granderson is a guy who is eminently likable, and seems like a great person- but I keep fearing the other shoe will drop and lefties will get to him again. The one guy I loved to watch, Brett Gardener, has been out for the bulk of the year and remains so today. I think the best way to look at this is a guy like Mark Teixeira- he is an absolute pro- hits for power, plays outstanding defense, is accountable and very likable- but Yankees fans focus on his low average more than the positives he brings to the table. It boils down to the fact that without homegrown talent, baseball isn't as much fun.
Really, the biggest problem in being a Yankees fan is that the team has fallen victim to its own success. They can't add much premium minor league talent because they draft so low and due to the necessary free agent signings have lost a high number of 1st round draft picks. The international scouting has been okay, but they traded the guy most of us were excited to see in Jesus Montero for some damaged goods. I was excited about watching a young guy develop with the club, for the first time in a long time. It would have given me something to watch, something to care about again- alas, the Yankees made it difficult for me to care.
These are the reasons why being a Yankees fan just isn't as fun as it used to be. I think in about four years, when A-Rod is 40 and earning $40 million, Jeter has retired, and the roster has a bunch of young and exciting guys and winning isn't a guarantee I will begin to care again. Until that day, wake me up when the playoffs come so I can fall asleep in the 7th inning at midnight because playoff baseball doens't start until 9pm.
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