Yes, like the guy who asked me last week if I knew the price of a hot dog in Citi Field in October, in the hope that he could tell me that no one knows -- never mind that the last New York team to win the pennant was not named the New York Yankees, just saying. Or like the guy who thought it was "cute" that I was still wearing my Mets cap in September, when the Mets still had a shot at the Wild Card. Or like the guy who asked me how many decent Mets the Yankees might pick up after our collapse in 2016, and whether I thought they were worth the precious Yankee dollars or too injury-prone. (This last guy was not even trolling me; he had no idea he was being a condescending wanker until I suggested he commit seppuku with his own John Thompson, or words to that effect.) Or the blowhard who, a couple of years ago, when injuries decimated the Mets' starting pitching, would ask me how the Fragile Five were doing constantly. Or the dimwit who engaged me in a conversation about the relative superiority of his team and mine and, when he realized he was losing the argument, resorted to spitting "Twenty-seven, baby! Twenty-seven!" as if the number of past championships was relevant to the topic he had raised.
This is what it's like being a Mets fan. It's like having a big brother who was the star of everything while he was beating you up every single day. It extends outside the borders of the Bronx, the city, even the state. The sense of entitlement of the average Yankees fan makes the average Royal Family look like St. Francis. At their wizened little hearts they are like Derek Jeter casually taking an extra base after smashing Bryce Florie in the eye with a line drive and almost blinding him and definitely ruining his career. Jeter looked like it was just another day at the office after almost killing a guy. Because nothing else matters but winning, right?
Well, my friendly Yankees fans, I've complained here before that the Mets only get a shot every fifteen or so years at the title, and that's not the Yankees' fault (except maybe when a Yankees pitcher in the World Series should have been thrown out of a game but was not, because Yankees). But I hope that you will get to enjoy decades of futility now, like most other MLB teams, having had a shot this year and blown it. And after, say, thirty years of failure, maybe I will cry a Bronx River for you.
But don't count on it.
[Author's Note: Okay, okay, since I drafted that yesterday I have calmed down some. I am aware that not every Yankees fan acts like the big stupid loudmouth at the end of the bar. But of course, those are the guys who get most of the attention, for obvious reasons. I humbly suggest that the rest of you Yankees fans police your fellow fans better, unless you all want to keep getting branded with the same iron.]
Sometimes players notice the obnoxiousness of their own team's fans. When AJ Burnett was a Yankee, he had to be on top of his game every time he went out or the fans would not hold back their disapproval. When he came to Pittsburgh, he discovered that there are fans who will cheer you on every strike thrown, from the very first pitch, and continue to encourage you even when you are having a bad game. Like night and day.
ReplyDeleteAfter spending a year in Philly (another obnoxious fan city), AJ told his agent that he wanted to opt out of his contract so he could sign for one year in Pittsburgh and retire as a Pirate. And he did.
Pittsburgh Steeler fans can be pretty bad, and it's hard to believe that they exist in the same city as Pirates fans.
The game in our neck of the woods is college football. Our team is Virginia Tech, who won Saturday over UNC in six(!) overtimes. Tech fans are among the nicest you'll find anywhere. Conversely, West Virginia fans are analogous to the bozos you describe. They are convinced of their entitlement and will let you know it whether necessary or not. They are known for setting furniture on fire to celebrate a victory and will do it to act out their rage in defeat. The standing joke is that their theme song is "Burning Down the Couch" (sorry Mr. Byrne).
ReplyDeleteOne must pity the poor Yankeefans (as distinct from mere Yankee fans). They are so dependent on their vicarious championship-by-proxy that unless they go win it all, they dwell in outrage and grumpies. Everything has to go right or excuses must be found.
ReplyDeleteUnlike, for example, the old lovable-loser Cubs (pre-championship) where one could feel uplifted whenever anything went right, which happened in almost every game, at least once ... usually.
You'll find that Yankee fans that are also NY Rangers fans have the proper humility, as they have experienced both ends of the spectrum many times.
ReplyDeleteI'm no Yankee fan (as a Tigers fan, we have our own pathos), but Jeter wasn't the one who hit the ball at Florie. Jeter had a single the previous AB, and maybe did take an extra base.. but the ball was hit by Ryan Thompson.
ReplyDeleteStiiv, that's not my experience up here (north of the city where we get a lot of Bronx survivors). It's been a long time since the Canadiens owned the Stanley Cup, and they don't have to share a metropolitan area with Montreal fans.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are correct, Tanthalas -- Jeter just took the extra base with this dumb look on his face. I've never forgiven him for that.