Happy without pinstripes

The day after Luis Sojo of the Yankees hit a wimpy ground ball up the middle to beat the Mets in the 2000 Subway Series, I strolled into my small New York City high school wearing my black and orange Mets jersey.

Throughout the ’90s, I rooted passionately for my favorite team, even though the Mets never really did anything to deserve any cheers, except trading for Mike Piazza. On that day, I wore my jersey as a tribute to a team that finally gave me something to root for, even if it didn’t win it all.

I also learned that morning why it must be horrible to root for the Yankees.

I expected Yankees fans to be going nuts with joy. I figured one kid would be standing on a sofa in the student lounge screaming, “The Yankees win! Theeeeeeee Yankees win! The Mets suck! Jason, burn that jersey!” Instead, the Yankees fans walked into school with their Jeter jerseys and their heads held high. Each one of them sported a little grin, as if to say, “Yes, we did it again.” When they saw me, they didn’t taunt me and needle me as I expected, but instead they looked down, shook their heads, and walked past me as if they had caught me trying to steal a quarter out of a blind beggar’s cup. To the Yankees fans, I was just a sad sight, I needed medication or something for tolerating the organization I rooted for.

But the sad reality for Yankees fans is that they can never have the chance to enjoy the level of happiness that other fans can feel. A Yankees fan has long periods of satisfaction, but is never in a state of bliss. Imagine if a team that has been tortured far more than the Mets historically, like the Red Sox or the Cubs, won it all? A Yankees supporter could never experience what those fans feel.

If you talked to a Yankees fan today, he or she would be depressed. Instead of making a great deal at the trading deadline, the Bronx Bombers dealt for Esteban Loaiza to replace Jose Contreras in the starting rotation. Loaiza has gone an abysmal 0-2 with a 7.30 ERA in five starts and has been moved to the bullpen. From the pen, the disappointing Yankee was also part of the worst loss in the history of the franchise, giving up six runs in three innings during a 22-0 home loss against Cleveland. But the woes for the Yankees do not stop there. Kevin Brown, a heavily relied upon starting pitcher for the bombers, is out for at least three weeks after punching a wall with his off-hand in the clubhouse after performing poorly against Baltimore. The punch ended up breaking Brown’s left hand, and has landed him on the disabled list for at least three weeks. As the Red Sox rapidly gain ground, the Yankees are becoming desperate. Just a few days ago the president of the team wrote a letter to MLB claiming that the Devil Rays should be forced to forfeit the game they missed because of Hurricane Frances.

The Yankees request for a forfeit is completely reasonable according to the rules, and the team has taken a bit too much heat from the press for requesting the forfeit. There is, however, no doubt in my mind that the Yankees would not have asked for the forfeit four weeks ago, when they had a firm 10-game lead in the division. As of Tuesday night, the Yankees were only ahead of Boston by two games.

This season, and for the foreseeable future, Yankee fans are in for a world of hurt. When the only expectation for the team you root for is to win the championship, the thrill of winning will never be as strong as it is for other teams, and the experience of losing will sting hard.