Winter Looms In The Bronx

It used to be fun to root against the Yankees.  As a matter of fact as a long-suffering Mets fan I’m one of those whose baseball fandom could best be described by saying “I root for two teams…the Mets and whoever is playing the Yankees.”

This distaste for the guys in pinstripes has allowed me to have a rooting interest in the postseason IN 17 of the last 18 years.  Only in three of those years were the Mets involved but since 1995 the Yankees have missed the postseason only in 2008.  That means every October I’ve had teams to root for all of those who have played against the Yankees.

For years I was bitter as it seemed like every Fall the baseball season would end with one of those despicable parades down the “Canyon of Heroes” as hundreds of thousands of Yankee worshippers celebrated a World Series championship.  That was the case in 1996, 98, 99 and 2000 with the last of those four championships in five years coming at the expense of my beloved Mets in what was a true “Subway Series.”

Thank goodness for Luis Gonzalez, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling the following year as the Diamondbacks upset the Yankees to end their streak at three straight championships.

The next six years all saw the Yankees in the playoffs and me having teams to root for who unlike the Mets came through for me.The Angels(twice), Marlins, Red Sox, Tigers and Indians all ended the Yankee season with disappointment in the Bronx (and much of Ocean County).

In 2008 there was no postseason in “The House that Ruth Built." I don’t even remember that October.   However the Yanks returned the following season on a mission and they ended it with their 27^th World Championship, 25 more than the Mets.

In 2010 and 2011 the Yankee season ended with losses to the Rangers and Tigers which allowed me to head into the winter with a smile on my face.

Flash forward to today where the Yanks trail the Tigers 3-0 in the ALCS and could be swept out of the playoffs by tonight.  Of course I’ll be rooting for Detroit (love that Motor City) but watching these punch less Yankees and the daily soap opera involving Alex Rodriguez does not give me the joy of being a pinstripe hater like in the old days.  I almost feel sorry for Yankee fans………………NAH!