New York Yankees fans need to cool it and lose their sense of entitlement

The LA Dodgers have been having a tough time of it recently. Coming off the back of a World Series, albeit, from a shortened season, they now sit third in the National League West. If this were last season, they would barely have made the playoffs, but thankfully for Dodgers fans, it’s not and they still have 101 games to turn it around.
New York Yankees relief pitcher Luis Cessa reacts coming off the mound during the 6-5 loss to Boston Red Sox. Picture: Kathy Willens/APNew York Yankees relief pitcher Luis Cessa reacts coming off the mound during the 6-5 loss to Boston Red Sox. Picture: Kathy Willens/AP
New York Yankees relief pitcher Luis Cessa reacts coming off the mound during the 6-5 loss to Boston Red Sox. Picture: Kathy Willens/AP

The Dodgers trail to the young and dynamic San Diego Padres and the old and canny San Francisco Giants. The Giants have out-performed any analyst’s wildest dream so far and have done so by the re-energised "senior" citizens in the team.

Last year’s shortened season has given catcher Buster Posey, third baseman Evan Longoria and shortstop Brandon Crawford, all aged 34 or over, a new lease of life that’s powering the Giants bats.

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In the National League Central, the bargain bucket of Major League Baseball right now, the Mets sit atop the division with 29 wins, a total that wouldn’t place them any higher than third in any other division.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has been a target of the fans' ire. Picture: Kathy Willens/APNew York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has been a target of the fans' ire. Picture: Kathy Willens/AP
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has been a target of the fans' ire. Picture: Kathy Willens/AP

Tampa Bay have utilised a brilliant record on the road in the American League East and charged to the top of the division. The Rays have the most runs in baseball and sit in the top ten of runs allowed, positioning them well as we enter the middle section of the season.

Further north, arguably, the bitterest rivalry in baseball took place as the New York Yankees hosted the Boston Red Sox in a weekend series to forget for the Yanks.

The Red Sox entered the three-game series with a three-and-a-half-game lead and left with six and a half. The Red Sox swept the Yankees in front of their home fans.

To read the Yankees fans’ response on social media, you would believe that the team have been declared bankrupt, that their beloved pinstripes would never again grace the diamond or that the Houston Astros had once again been caught cheating and robbed them of a World Series shot.

Gleyber Torres of the New York Yankees tosses his bat after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox. Picture: Noah K. Murray/APGleyber Torres of the New York Yankees tosses his bat after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox. Picture: Noah K. Murray/AP
Gleyber Torres of the New York Yankees tosses his bat after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox. Picture: Noah K. Murray/AP

The anger has predominantly been aimed at general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone. It’s the same story across sport; the players win games and management lose them.

Cashman has, of course, been hounded before by the Yanks faithful, as whenever the team fail to win the World Series, they are "trash" and Cashman had "no idea what he's doing".

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Well, maybe, the Yankees fans are getting a taste of realism, and perhaps they have overinflated expectations.

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Yes, I get it. The team are the most successful in baseball history. Although that wasn't hard when you had no financial restrictions and offered players the bright lights, fame and fortune of New York City, but that’s for another column.

The Bronx Bombers have created a rabid fanbase who believe it is their given right to win, that the AL East is automatically assigned to the Pinstripes, and if they don’t get that, they get a playoff place as a wild card.

I suppose winning the World Series five times and missing the playoffs just four times in 28 years gives you a false sense of entitlement and probably makes you believe winning is a right, not something you have to work for.

I know that right now, Yankees fans will be arguing that "any season we don’t win the Series isn’t a good year", but even that attitude is disrespectful to the rest of the League.

The Yankees have achieved great things, undoubtedly the most successful team both on the diamond and commercially.

But to hear Yankees fans complain about their "terrible management" and "bad decisions" is downright disrespectful to the rest of the league.

The league is made up of 30 teams, all trying to win. All are working hard 365 days a year to reach the mountain top, to win a pennant.

For Yankees fans to complain when they sit with 30 wins makes a mockery of those Seattle fans who have been waiting 19 years to play in the postseason.

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So New York Yankees fans, cool it. You can't win all the time, and when you don't suck it up, just like the rest of us had to when you were top dog.

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