Last night, the Detroit Tigers eliminated the New York Yankees from the 2011 MLB Playoffs when Jose Valverde struck out Alex Rodriguez in the bottom of the 9th inning.
If the highest paid Yankee making the final out of the season sounds familiar, it is. Rodriguez also struck out last year to end Game 6 at The Ballpark in Arlington. At least this time he went down swinging.
The Yankees’ elimination means that their World Series drought now stands at two long, painful years. Yes, that means that young Yankees fans across the nation will be forced to suffer the indignity of celebrating their second birthdays never having experienced pinstripe glory.
Poor babies.
And if articles like this are any indication, the young ‘uns in the Yankee fan base aren’t the only ones we should be calling poor babies. (I don’t like ARod any more than the next guy, but that seemed a bit harsh.)
But I’ll cut the Yankees fans some slack. Everything in life is based on perspective. When you have a $203 million payroll, you expect championships. (Even when your #2 starter makes only 0.19% of that $203 million.) You certainly don’t expect to get just as far as a team from your own division that only paid $41 million for its players.
So I get it.
Yankees fans are upset, like all fan bases are the day after their team’s seasons end, so we should all cut them a little slack no matter now ridiculous and out of touch their complaining may sound to the rest of us.
I mean really. Put yourself in a Yankees fan’s shoes. Try cheering for a $203 million team that won more games than any other in the AL but can only muster a fifth game in the ALDS. I’m sure it sucks. Bad. So let them whine, bitch, and moan. You probably would be too.
Side note: for the most honest Yankees playoff coverage you’ll see all day, click here.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have my omnipleasant existence as a White Sox fan to get back to.
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Image source for baby Yankees fan pic: Here
About Jerod Morris
