The Sports Truth

As a Yankees fan, I know I can only ask for so much pity. Those in Kansas City and Pittsburgh probably don’t feel too much sympathy for a guy who’s struggled through seasons with players such as Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez dominating his favorite team’s lineup card.

But it hasn’t been fun.

I may be writing a different article if Joe Torre had simply used Mariano Rivera in Game Five of the 2003 World Series and New York had gone on to defeat the Marlins. Or if Dave Roberts had torn an ACL during his infamous stolen base attempt in the 2004 ALCS and the Yankees had rightfully triumphed that season.

Point being, I know the collection of All-Stars and MVPs Brian Cashman and George Steinbrenner put together did come very close to winning it all a few times. But it didn’t happen - and it’s not difficult to see why.

A team comprised solely of aging veterans, most overpaid, few used to the spotlight of New York, is wound too tightly. The pressure is enormous. It’s felt during every at bat. No wonder the most impressive players in 2006 joined the team with little fanfare:

• Chien-Ming Wang: Second in Cy Young voting
• Robinson Cano: An All-Star
• Melky Cabrera: Has a cool name

These youngsters faced no expectations - and then stormed through the competition. Fortunately, it looks as though Cashman has finally learned the lesson.
“Wang and Cano and Cabrera all basically came up, and the expectation from the press wasn’t there to impede their efforts,” the general manager said. “And so, all of a sudden, before you know it, you have a guy (Wang) who finished second in the Cy Young award voting. And you have a guy (Cano) who made the All-Star team.”

Which brings me to the main point of this article: Phil Hughes is gonna be awesome!!! The 20-year old is considered to be the top pitching prospect in baseball … and he’s actually on the Yankees. He’s not being traded to the Rangers for Sammy Sosa. It’s a whole new era in the Bronx.

And it’s a lot of fun as a fan. Of course I understand why the Yanks traded for A-Rod three years ago, but Alfonso Soriano was pretty darn good, too. And he was a homegrown talent. So is Derek Jeter, Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams (God rest his baseball-playing soul). The one advantage fans in Milwaukee had over us in New York was the thrill of watching players from your own farm system make it in the big leagues.

But along with Hughes comes a piece of news that will make small market teams hate Yankee supporters even more: we have a chance to enjoy that once again.

Damn Yankees, I know.

Posted in Phil Hughes