Three Reasons Why This Is The First Season In Sixty Years That I Just Don’t Care About Opening Day...

And Three Reasons Why I Will Probably Watch Anyway.

1) The Game Is Exclusive To Netflix 

Opening Day is a national holiday for baseball fans. It shouldn’t be walled off and shoved on a streaming channel in the hopes that fans are desperate enough to sign up for it. 

Contractual obligations prevent the Yankees from showing their own opening day on their own network.  Consequently, most of my friends will be forced to skip it even though they pay for YES. 

Instead, Yankee fans who can access the game will have to put up with an overblown, over-hyped, second tier announcing team from Netflix instead of Michael Kay and...  Uh.. forget I wrote that. 

BTW the third game of the season is on FOX. Oh joy, we get to start our season with confirmed Yankee hater John Smoltz. 

So, to recap, even if you pay for the “privilege” of  watching the Yankees, you still can’t watch either of the first two games on the network you pay for.  

That’s bullshit.

It’s also short sighted. Taking away access to important games doesn’t get us to spend more. It gets us used to the idea that not watching baseball isn’t the end of the world.

As an aside... 

YES is now part of Gotham Sports a streaming channel that offers all the NY area teams (except the Mets) for an inflated price because you get all the NY teams (except the Mets).

One problem. If you like the Knicks you probably don’t give a crap about the Nets. Not to mention that quite often they are on at the same time so getting Nets games is virtually useless.

Same thing with the Rangers, Islanders, Devils.  Whichever team you are a fan of you are paying extra for teams you would never watch.

And don’t get me started on Bronx Buds.

2) The Yankees Claim To Be Running It Back 

Running it back means nothing new to root for. No new free agents of note. They demoted the young guys and aren't bringing anyone up. 

They were boring last year. They will be boring this year. 

Right now the biggest thing to look forward to is Cole and Rodon returning and hoping they are some form of effective. 

Plus, the team is actually worse. 

Replacing Jasson Dominguez because he can't hit lefties with a guy who can’t hit at all is short sighted. 

Maybe it's because he's short. I suspect that’s why they got rid of future big-time thorn in our side, Caleb Durbin.

No matter how many times we collectively say that Hal and Pal suck it doesn’t make it any easier to take.

3)  The Team Makes Me Sad

El Duque mentioned earlier that the Yankees have demoted pretty much everyone who smiles, well except Jazz, and he's a matter of taste.  

Judge, undeservedly so, is becoming a tragic figure based on a narrative that isn’t really true. It just seems true and now, no matter how well he plays during the year, and he should be great again, best player we’ve ever seen, it’s going to be six months until he get’s a chance to undo it.

Every time Goldschmidt or Stanton are in the line up we are just waiting for the inevitable injury.

And then there's the sinking feeling that no matter how well Caballero plays he will be replaced by Volpe as soon as they can bring him back.   

Meh.

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I will probably watch anyway...  

It's Opening Day. 

If there's a will there's a way.

Tradition dies hard. 

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But I won't enjoy it. Unless they win. I like when they win.