What's a Yankees Fan to Do? The Sequel

A little over a year ago, I wrote a post suggesting some ideas for how Yankees fans could fill the void created by a lack of October baseball. A few of my suggestions turned out to be good ones, although I got called out by a fellow Yankees loyalist for hinting that a Red Sox-Dodgers World Series would be a matchup worth pulling for.

This year, fans of the Bronx Bombers didn't have such problems. The Yanks won the World Series and all was right in their world, except for the fact that pretty much everyone has been insinuating—check that, complaining—that they purchased themselves a championship. Of course, no one was suggesting that they bought a third-place team last year, but that's not really my point.

Most of the Yankees fans I know are native New Yorkers, so they're fans of the team because they learned to be at an early age. But, as we've grown older, we've certainly had plenty of opportunities to switch loyalties. After all, most people would consider it more exciting to root for an underdog, a team whose success would create even more of a sense of euphoria.

So, if we're going to continue rooting for "The Evil Empire," we need to embrace all of the reasons why it's great to be a fan of the most hated team in baseball, maybe in the entire sporting world:

1. The first reason, of course, is that we are the Evil Empire. Seriously, folks, do you really enjoy pulling for the good guys? How much fun is that? If you were going to become a fan of professional wrestling, who would you cheer for? The bad guys, of course. Why? Because all the other idiots are rooting for the good guys, as they try to hang on to that out-dated belief that good always triumphs. It doesn't.
   
   
2. Spinning off #1, isn't it great to listen to everyone else whine that the Yankees are back on top? Could there possibly be any better evidence that, once again, all is right in the baseball world?
   
   
3. Let's not forget to mention that "The Curse of A-Rod" didn't last quite as long as "The Curse of the Bambino."
   
   
4. Last, but certainly not least, is the fact that our team spoiled the Red Sox claim to be the team of the decade. Despite eight AL East titles and four American League championships, it would be hard to argue against the Red Sox two World Series victories. But, two World Series, four AL pennants and eight AL East titles versus two World Series, two pennants and one division title? Maybe next decade, Sox fans.

Now, fellow Yankees fans, feel free to add your own reasons to this list. But, most importantly, I want you to go out and continue to enjoy an offseason—and subsequent 2010 campaign—during which your team is the defending champion. Just don't let me catch you wearing one of those silly "Got Rings?" t-shirts.