Pride? Yankees?

 

Pride of the Yankees. Uh-huh.

 

But why should they be proud? 

 

After all, these are the Yankees who play under a manager who does not dare make a move with the approval of his general manager, who does not dare make a move without the approval of his owner, who inherited this team and could not care less if it wins or loses, as long as the money keeps rolling in.

 

These are the Yankees who play in a stadium built with the people’s money, but constructed entirely to exclude working people in favor of the rich and disinterested, and to rip off all who set foot there, or even watch on TV.

 

These are the Yankees who play in uniforms that are patched up as much as possible with sponsors’ ads, on their way to being the equivalent of NASCAR drivers, including helmets that bear the name of a German "workwear" company. 

 

These are the Yankees who, like all other teams, will soon be wearing ugly, affected “City Connects” uniforms that have nothing at all to do with cities or connecting to anyone, only with palming off more gear on idiots.

 

These are the Yankees who play in a sport that welcomes as many teams as possible into the playoffs, so it will become the crapshoot that Brian Cashman dearly wishes that it was. A sport that claims it wants parity even as it relegates one city of fans after another to years of planned losing and abject misery.

 

These are the Yankees who keep starting players even when after they fail over and over again—who, in fact, keep playing them all the more simply because of the money they make.

 

These are the Yankees who employ legions of coaches and instructors and trainers, who can never make anybody better, or well.

 

These are the Yankees who do the little things bad, and the big things worse. Whose lesser players are generally complete flops and whose “superstars”—including the Billionaire Bust Bros—never produce in the clutch.

 

Pride?

 

How, exactly—and from whom—would this Yankees team have ever learned pride?

 

From a sport oriented solely to making as much money as possible, much of it from gambling?

 

From a franchise that dedicates itself first and foremost to ripping off the people of the city where it plays? Or from the city leaders who allow them to do so? Or from us citizens, fans and non-fans alike, who sit back and allow our elected representatives to sell us out, and never hold them responsible?

 

How would these Yankees ever have learned pride from any of us?

 

Damned if I know.