Vote for Pedro! (Part 2)

This morning, Boston.com ran a story titled "Martinez comes up short for Phillies in Game 2." Ummm, excuse me, but Pedro did not come up short: #45 turned in a quality start, and the bats were silenced by the enigmatic (and expensive) A.J. Burnett.

Of course, the fans were their usual classy selves, but Pedro expected nothing less, having made his share of starts in (the Old) Yankee Stadium:

"It's a new Yankee Stadium, but the fans remain the fans," Martinez said. "I remember one guy sitting right in the front row with his daughter in one arm and a cup of beer in the other hand and saying all kinds of nasty stuff. I just told him, 'Your daughter is right beside you. It's a little girl. It's a shame you're saying all these things.' I'm a father myself. How can you be so dumb to do those kind of things in front of your child? What kind of example are you setting?"

What kind of example, indeed? And speaking of examples, where was Charlie Manuel in 2003, when Grady Little showed him how NOT to manage Pedro in the playoffs? Pedro will tell you that he's fine. This is a lie. His effectiveness drops off around 100 pitches. ARE YOU LISTENING NOW, MANUEL?!?! End rant.

As I headed off to class this morning, I expected Y-FAB to have some cutting remark about Pedro, and I was not disappointed. As soon I walked into the lecture hall, it started:


(Y-FAB): Last night was sort of like when Pedro played for Boston, huh? When he said "I'll just tip my cap and call the Yankees my daddy."


(Me): And what happened after that? Oh, right: he won a World Series.



: What was that, like nine years ago?




: It was five, actually, and how many World Series has Jeter won in that time? How many has A*Rod won, in general?



: *dirty look* And you guys won how many in the last hundred years?


At this point, I sighed internally, ready to dive into battle once again. However, it turned out that I had an unexpected ally:


(Phillies fan boy): Seriously? It's so ridiculous when you guys try to bring up the past like that. It doesn't matter if you won the Series in 1953. Who cares?


: Well, we're about to win another one... And we'll kick Pedro's ass while we're at it.



: You just keep telling yourself that. With that payroll, you should win; and if you don't? It's a failure.


It continued on in this vein for a while: PFB and I tried to reason with Y-FAB, but, like many Yankees fans, he refused to admit his defeat (though it was obvious). When it comes to the audacity of Yankees fans, Pedro said it best:

"I know they really want to root for me. It's just that I don't play for the Yankees, that's all. I've always been a good competitor, and they love that. They love the fact that I compete. I'm a New Yorker, as well. If I was on the Yankees, I'd probably be like a king over here."

Too true. Now, we've all been guilty of rooting for the laundry to an extent, but when a player like Pedro leaves town, the majority of fans want him to continue to do well, so long as it's not within the AL East, and thus to the detriment of the Sox (hello, Johnny Damon). Again, I want to apologize to those Yankees fans who aren't shaped in the mold of Y-FAB: I know some of you are normal, rational human beings, and I feel badly that Y-FAB and his ilk reflect poorly on you. However, the point still stands: Pedro would be a GOD in New York if he'd ever worn pinstripes (and thank goodness it never happened). Even if you don't like him (*cough*KarimGarcia*cough*), he's earned the respect of baseball fans the world over.

Here's hoping he's on the mound when the Phils clinch it... the man deserves some more postseason glory.


[All quotes in this post are from boston.com... I can only dream to have this sort of access someday.]

Quote of the Day

Today's quote isn't from a professional athlete, a news outlet, or a celebrity, but from an anonymous hero among us: the man who made Y-FAB shut his face (temporarily). My American Presidency professor often starts class with baseball talk, and today was no different, as he gave us this gem:

"Do you know what the four most common words are in a FOX playoff broadcast? No?"

"Past a diving Jeter."

And then he started the lecture. Thanks, Professor: learning has never been so much fun. Here's hoping we hear it a lot tonight.

Bandwagon Fans - Other Teams Have Them, Too!

As I was walking into class on Friday, I overheard a conversation between Y-FAB and a female friend of his. In the past, I'd seen her wearing a Yankees hat, but on this particular day it was a LA Dodgers cap. They were discussing the possible teams in the Fall Classic, and she said, "Well it will definitely be the Yankees, and it looks like probably the Phillies."

Thankfully, someone else in the hallway corrected her: "Umm, ACTUALLY, the Phillies are the only team to have clinched their spot." (I'm pretty sure he was a Phillies fan.)

Who are these people? I understand that some people wear the hats for their aesthetic value, and that's totally okay with me, so long as they readily admit it. However, it annoys me when people try to pretend that they actually know about the team whose logo is on their head. These people then try to start arguments with fans who really know their stuff, and more often than not it's THOSE fans who are the loudest.

Pretend to be a fan if you must, but PLEASE don't go walking around giving the rest of us a bad name: not every Red Sox fan is a whining, self-loathing wretch, just as not every Yankees fan is a spoiled brat with no sense of reality. There are rabid Royals fans and casual Dodgers fans, and as long as they're all polite I have no problem with friendly competition.

So it pains me to tell you, Yankees fan, that Y-FAB and his friends are giving you a bad name. After the snafu in the hallway, Y-FAB instigated the following exchange:


(Y-FAB): Are you seriously wearing a Red Sox shirt? Your team's been elimiated for like, two weeks.



(Me): You should know by now, I always represent my team. Also, it's Pedro (*points to #45 on the back*), and he's going to the World Series.



: What, so you're a Phillies fan now?




: I'm always a Pedro fan. And if it means they beat your team or the team that elimated the Sox? Then yes, I'll cheer for Philly.


Seriously? Who stops supporting their team during the offseason? Those people aren't fans at all. So take heart, Red Sox Nation: we aren't the only fan-base full of frauds.

The Adventures of Y-FAB

After the debacle of last night's game, I didn't get to bed until after 3 (for a variety of reasons, all ridiculous). When I finally woke up, it was no longer an appropriate time for breakfast, so I went to get some lunch with my roommate. At the Cave (on-campus sandwich place), I was once again verbally accosted by my BFF, Yankee-Fan Asshole-Boy (hereafter referred to as Y-FAB).


(Y-FAB): So did you watch the game last night?



(Me): Yes, in fact, I watched the entire thing.



: So you saw how it ended...?



: Your team won on an error... Congrats!



: *Dirty look, pause* ...At least my team is still in it.



: True.


And then I walked away.

However, the exchange got me thinking: who are these Angels, and why didn't THEY show up for the LDS? Anaheim made one total error in their entire three-game performance against the Red Sox (catchers interference in Game 1). In the last two games alone, the Angels defense has recorded five miscues against New York, including the game changer from last night.

What the hell, Angels?!?

You're playing against a team who shrugged off one of its pitcher's DUI conviction, while you still mourn a fallen teammate for Christ's sake! If that's not enough to make you angry enough to punch Joba Chamberlain in the face, I don't know what it will take!

Here's some more reasons for the Angels to hate New York:

A*Rod blatantly tackled your catcher in Game 1, and didn't even try to slide.

Jeter patronizes your teammates (and does unnecessary pirouettes).

And they pie each other in the face whenever they have a walkoff win.

KICK THEIR BUTTS, ANGELS!!!

The Audacity of Yankees Fans: Part 2

Some of you might remember from this post that I have a class with a rather abrasive Yankees fan (he's from Jersey, so I expected nothing less). Today, I came into class, minding my own business, and sat down.


(him): So, what's your magic number now? Three? Two?



(me): We clinched last night, actually.



: Wow. It's about time.



: Do you remember the last time the Yankees won the division, and the Sox took the Wild Card?


: Yeah, but what was that... way back in 2003?



: 2004, actually... You know, the greatest choke-job in the history of professional sports.



: *dirty look*



I definitely won that argument (which, I would like to point out, I did not initiate). What I would have liked to say to him, and to all Yankees fans, is just a bit more involved.

If the Yankees win the World Series, who cares? They should win, and anything less is a FAILURE. They dropped nearly half a billion dollars on three players over the offseason, and play in a billion dollar launching pad of a ballpark. Last season, the spoiled baby-Steinbrenners missed out on the postseason for the first time since 1993 (not including 1994, when everyone missed the playoffs). They panicked and authorized Brian Cashman to go out and buy anything he needed to field a winning team.

That's exactly what happened. It started with CC Sabathia, who obviously did not want to come to New York. CC had specified early on that he wanted to play for a National League team on the West Coast. Of course, the Yankees are neither of those things, so they made up for their shortcoming in their usual way: with money. The Yankees opening bid for Sabathia was worlds away from the next highest (rumored) offer. CC wasn't convinced, and he left New York's contract offer on the table for more than a week. Cashman saw that other teams weren't willing to come close to the first offer, so he bid against himself, adding more years and dollars so that Sabathia realistically had no choice. AJ Burnett came next, and he was easier to convince, though Cashman made sure there was no doubt by offering more than most GMs thought he was worth. Everyone knows about Mark "My Wife Has My Balls in a Vice-Grip" Teixeira, but his contract came down to money, too.

Don't get me wrong. I know that the Red Sox are hardly a struggling small market team. The point I am trying to make is that no one can compete with the bottomless budget that Brian Cashman is equipped with. The Yankees 2009 payroll is $214 million. That's $75 million more than the next highest (Chicago Cubs, $139 million). The Red Sox, for contrast, are obligated to pay their players $133 million this year. Our highest paid player, JD Drew, is getting $14 million. Alex Rodriguez alone is owed more than the entire roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I'm not advocating for a salary cap (at least, not now - that's another post), but I do want to make the point that the Yankees should win. If they do: so what? If they don't, it's a flop of massive proportions. This is the reason fans like the one in my class get under the collective skin of baseball fans everywhere: they feel entitled, and they're not shy about expressing it. It's grating, to say the least. But you really can chalk New York's success this year (and over the last few) up to economics: if you buy up the best talent, you should win. Seems like a bittersweet victory to me.

"Yo Angelica, I'm really happy for you, and I'mma let you finish... But Yankees fans are the best spoiled brats of all time! OF ALL TIME!"

The Audacity of Yankees Fans

First, a disclaimer: one of my roommates is a Yankees fan, and barring extenuating circumstances, she's very reasonable (she even defended me at Yankee Stadium while I was decked out in Sox gear).

However, not all fans can be so logical... There's this one young man who I've somehow had a class with every semester I've been at school, and he's a Yankees fan. Spring of last year, he asked me if I owned any shirts that weren't Sox shirts (for the record, I do). However, this morning he took it past joking:


(Him): Did you tie-dye that school shirt?




(Me): Umm... Yes. I worked at a camp this summer, so I in fact got paid to tie-dye this shirt.


: Oh. Well, it's better than a Red Sox shirt.



: *Rude hand gesture*


We then went on to argue about the supremacy of our respective teams. I diplomatically said, "We'll see in the playoffs." And he pulled out "twenty-six." So I of course asked when the last time it was the Yankees had seen the World Series. I ended up conceding that the MFY were the superior team for some time in the last century, but clarified that it was only because the owners were, to put it delicately, racist. He tried to say the Yankees were clearly the superior team, then and now... And before I could leap to my feet and challenge him to a lightsaber duel on the quad to defend the Sox' honor, the Professor came in, and I had to take notes about President William Howard Taft.

However, though I know he doesn't read this blog, I need to settle this, at least in my own mind, so I went to baseball-reference.com for some answers. Right now, the MFY have a 94-53 record, and ours is a respectable 86-59. Advantage: New York. However, the remaining schedule pans out like this: New York has three games left against us, four against the Angels (in Anaheim), three at Tampa Bay, and three against the Royals. We have three in Baltimore, four in Kansas City, three at New York, three against Toronto, and four against Cleveland. Advantage: us. Season series: 8-6 BOSTON. Team ERA: Boston: 422; New York: 4.38 (Plus, no idiotic "Joba Rules" for us). Advantage: Boston. Their offensive statistics are slightly better than ours, but I take comfort in the well-known adage: good pitching beats good hitting.

Also, looking ahead to the playoffs, they have some serious question marks in key places: A*Rod, and his perennial choking; CC Sabathia, and his 7.92 lifetime ERA in the postseason (12.45 against Boston); AJ Burnett's general incompetence; Joba's innings limit; Andy Pettitte's age... and the list goes on.

All in all, I like our chances, both against the "Boo-hoo the umpires are VICTIMIZING me" Angels, and the MFY. But, like I told Mr. Yankee in class today: we'll see in the playoffs.