THIS is why people hate the Yankees

I've had some interesting exchanges with people regarding the whole "people other than Rangers fans are going to take pleasure with the Yankees losing" concept.

One person, whose name I will NOT say but you know who you are, kept trying to defend the Yankees saying "Hey, they had a terrific year and you have to give them that."

As if people were saying "Man, Joe Girardi led a rag tag bunch of misfits to the AL Wild Card... NOBODY thought the Yankees were doing ANYTHING this year. They were a bunch of no name players relying on grit and heart to beat the Goliaths of the league!"

No! EVERYONE picked them to at least make it to the World Series (including yours truly)... Girardi changing the number on his back could be considered arrogant and cocky... BECAUSE IT IS!

And it is awesome when it is YOUR team that is arrogant and cocky. I used to love it when Kevin McHale would say that he wasn't packing for Game 4 in the best of 5 first round back in the Celtics Hey Days. "There isn't going to be a game 4" he'd say. It was dickish... but cool for MY team.

So here we have a scrappy Rangers team that forced their way past the Yankees setting up a potentially wonderful World Series... and Yankee land is already treating the players landscape as their own personal shopping spree.

"Ooooh. That guy was good. We should get him!"

Yes, I know that it is part of the process.
And yes I know my Red Sox are also gluttonous and sign away a lot of players.

But it is the presumption of "Well he's NATURALLY going to want to come here!" and planning for 2011 as if he is already there that make people root against the Yankees.

And Yankeeland... that's fine to act that way. You've got a team that always breaks out the checkbook. And you get your Sabathias that way (and your Randy Johnsons, Kevin Browns, AJ Burnetts, Jaret Wrights and Kei Igawas that way as well.)

But if you are at the prom and someone else gets to be Homecoming King, don't be surprised if other people are pissed off when you are leering over the Homecoming Queen saying "Hey! Enjoy the dance... you'll be coming home with me later."