Friday, April 22, 2022

The Way ( Mao, Tao ?)


 I've been saying this for a while, but mostly on the "down low" ( the comments section; remarks to friends, etc ).

But I think it is now time for a public airing.

I have found a way to survive ( even thrive ) as a Yankee fan.  And it does not involve communism. It does not involve insurrection and felony. 

It became too much of a downer for me to root for them in the traditional way. They can't hit, field, throw or run.  They don't make good baseball plays or decisions.  Their hot prospects always become mulled wine instead of Bordeaux.  ( You really think Jessica Dominguez is going to become Mickey Mantle?).  

We make arguments that just getting into the play-in game " opens the door.  Once you are in the play-offs anything can happen."  Only we learn that it can't.  

So we turn our hopes to the springtime and look for blossoms. In the end, however,  more weeds arrive as the bus turns into the stadium parking lot. We are older and slower than ever. 

The solution:

I have become an "anti-Yankee " fan.  I still root for them, but I root for them to lose and for total collapse.   Suddenly, the strikeouts bring moments of glee, not anguish. My theory is based upon the following reality:

Hal is not going to sell the team.  Hal is not going to fire Cashman or Boone. 

Unless;  there is a Yankee train wreck so bad that even he cannot ignore it.  

The Yankees must become such an embarrassment that it is as if Hal were walking around with a large " evacuation" in his $4000 suit pants.  And he can't hide it from his family, his friends or himself. It stinks and the stain keeps showing up. 

At that point, when his family and friends at the country club all run from him, Hal will be forced to change his suit.... and maybe his diet.  He will need someone to take the fall. And all that remains is Boone and Cashman. 

So I am all in on the Yankees.  I don't have to hate them.  I can love Gallo and Donaldson.  I can cherish Stanton's strikeouts and Higgy's inability to hit.  I may buy a Cole jersey to proudly wear.  Injuries become my friend. 

It is the only way for long term fans to endure because, despite the recent failures, Hal grows richer by the hour. .

Who's in? 

There will be peace and joy in this valley.



10 comments:

AboveAverage said...

Alphonso -

You are our LIGHT, our SAGE, our TARRAGON of VIRTUE.

I speak for all of me when I say, I'M IN!

DickAllen said...


I will bring every last bit of scourge and bile to the task

I will applaud strikeouts, I will pray that Joey Gallo heads down the sonny gray pathway, I will wish that Aaron Judge had taken the 30 mill somewhere else.

I vow to be Miserable and despondent every time the Yankees actually manage to win a ball game, and pray for a losing record this season. I’m in.

I promise to wallow in self-pity for the next six months

HoraceClarke66 said...

I suspect that HAL is actually beyond shame, Alphonso. BUT, I don't think he's beyond making a change if he sees his profit margins rapidly shrinking.

In that sense, I want to see the Mets positively thrive. I want to see the Rangers bring home the cup, I want to see the Jints turn it around and take a Super Bowl.

Let a thousand flowers bloom!!! Let everyone win! Eventually, HAL will feel it where it hurts—right in the wallet.

The Archangel said...

HC66,

Imagine,

Rangers hoist the Cup,
Jints drink from the SB Goblet
Buck Showalter covered in a dripping substance.

You may say that I'm a dreamer
but I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.

ranger_lp said...

Hicks wins Rest Roulette…

JM said...

Saw a short article that said the Yanks actually considered Showalter when Boone's contract expired. But briefly.

Hal and Brain would not want a manager who can think for himself, and worse, knows more about baseball than both of them put together.

I don't even need cable to watch games now. YES is on my IPTV service.

Hasn't been getting much action from the firestick remote, though.

The Hammer of God said...

Al, there is nothing else to do except be an Anti-Yankee fan now. Have to hope they'll hit rock bottom to clean out the garbage in the clubhouse and in the front office.

Hoss, the Mets with Showalter are looking great. This could be their year. They actually signed a real pitcher, Max Scherzer. (I hope I spelled his name right.) Even if that guy loses some gas off his fastball, he'll still be very effective. He knows how to pitch, unlike a certain overpaid schmuck in our pitching staff.

DickAllen said...

We coulda has Scherzer
We coulda had Verlandee
We coulda been a contender

HoraceClarke66 said...

Ah, yes, Scherzer! Who the Yankees, I believe, passed on three times, without a second thought.

Yeah, who needed THAT guy?

edb said...

Duque:
Unfortunately, a total collapse will not bring change in my opinion. Hal does not give a rat's ass and he will continue to tell us the Yankees are championship caliber. At the end of this season, Genius Cashman will be resigned. We will then have "Clueless and Cheapskate" Hal, "Genius Cashman" Fat Slob Randy and Kumbaya Boone. They will serve up a piping hot pot of BS for us. Cashman will continue to stock the minors with former major leaguers. He will bring in more Homerun or nothing players. Boone will continue his "everything is wonderful" after bad Yankees loses. Hal will be absent and then tell us how disappointed he is after the 2022 season and Randy will continue to look ugly.