It is shaping up as a long, cold, lonely summer for that curious breed of antisocial human being known as a Yankee Hater.
You know the type. They root for the Bronx Bombers to lose. They can’t appreciate the grandeur of Derek Jeter or the splendor of Robinson Cano, or as Yankee radio voice John Sterling declares after one of Cano’s frequent home runs, “Robbie Cano — Dontcha know!”
See, there is a perfect example of misanthropic behavior. Sterling is a loyal, devoted Yankee announcer, who takes tremendous pleasure in announcing at the end of a victorious game: “THE Yankees WIIIIINNNNN.” How can anyone not love that kind of passion!
I feel kind of sorry for the legion of anti-Yankee fans. That’s because this year’s team is playing the best ball in Major League Baseball. The team seems poised to roll through the American League East and then charge on to the World Series. That looms as little more than a coronation for the Yankees.
Why fight it, America? The Yankees have had an injury-ravaged season, having lost the services of Mr. Indispensable, the closer Mariano Rivers, as well as new starting pitcher Michael Pineda and relief hurler Joba Chamberlain.
In addition, power hitter Alex Rodriguez has demonstrated a startling inability to drive in runners in scoring position. Ace pitcher C.C. Sabathia has gone on the disabled list, following a so-so (by his lofty standards) start. Andy Pettitte is out for six weeks, too. Derek Jeter’s batting average has tumbled since its peak earlier in the 2012 season.
And yet the team keeps on keepin’ on. Oh, you can root against the Yankees, but what’s the point?
It’s fate.
Jon Friedman writes the Media Web column for MarketWatch.com. Click here to read his latest column. He is also the author of "Forget About Today: Bob Dylan's Genius for (Re)invention, Shunning the Naysayers and Creating a Personal Revolution," which Penguin will publish August 7. Read more reports from Jon Friedman — Click Here Now.
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