Who's We?

A professional baseball writer I know made a point during a conversation I had with him recently concerning how fans relate with their favorite teams. His point resonated with this writer as it is something which irritated me for quite some time. What am I talking about? I’m referring to fans that use the word "we" when talking about their team’s performance, or trades, etc. That's what annoys me, and that's the point raised by my writer/acquaintance who complained about the same thing.

Here's an example. A few years ago during the off-season, a neighbor of mine (a rabid Mets fan) saw me driving up the block toward his house. This guy whom I'll refer to as "Ed" for this article (his real name is Ron), came sprinting across his lawn, his ample gut bouncing as he huffed along in a desperate attempt to grab my attention, yelling for me to stop.
"Did you hear who we got?" he gasped, as he trotted along side me. Curious as to what it was to rile my neighbor into such a frenzy, I slowed the car to a crawl (I could have stopped, but it was fun to watch him jog and wheeze at the same time). "We got Roberto Alomar."

I guess I was supposed to be intimidated. Anyone who's ever read any of my previous articles on the subject knows that I detest this sort of juvenile, fan boasting. It's the "My team can beat up your team" mentality that thrives in places like Boston (oops, cheap shot). Anyway, I stopped the car staring at Ron, I mean Ed, panting, sweating, and with a look of smug, self-satisfaction on his face. I asked: "Who's we? Do you have a mouse in your front pocket?"

Dazed, Ed didn't have an answer. He honestly believed that being a devoted fan gave him more than just an emotional stock in his favorite sports franchise. That by wearing team Jerseys, caps, tee shirts, and going to games, and calling WFAN every fifteen minutes to rant made him a member of the team organization. What he didn't, or couldn't, fathom was that he was merely a consumer. That's it.

Yes, sports bring people bring people together. Walk into any local tavern and you'll see like minded people cheering in front of a big screen television, rooting their sports franchise to victory. But, and this is a HUGE but, none of them are battling it out on the field with their athlete/heroes, none of them invested money into the ball club, not one of them scouted for the team, made a decision as to who plays what position or who gets traded. They are fans, customers, buying the idea that they belong to something. However, they don't.

Ed still does not get it. It's great to be a fan of a team, a sport, or any other organized activity. But, if you're not a player, manager, coach, or owner, you're still just a fan. Just as there is no "I" in TEAM, there is no "WE" in FRANCHISE."

Look For Kei To Be Key

There's still plenty of time left for predictions for the 2007 regular season. My latest one is a pretty safe bet: Kei Igawa will be a dependable starter for the Yankees, maybe even a post season hero. Wow, am I going out on a limb, or what? The official MLB website for the Yankees chronicles Igawa's "shaky" spring training debut. Not a big deal. No one really knows what kind of pitcher Igawa will be; but, then again, we don't know what kind of season anyone on the roster will have. There are always injuries to be concerned about, personal issues which creep up now and again (see Rodriguez, Alex and Jeter, Derek) to get in the way of baseball. Since Kei Igawa has a big question mark on his jersey, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that his signing could be a bust.

Blame it on nerves, a desire to do too much, inexperience against major leaguers, or anything you want. But, at the end of the day, young Kei Igawa can pitch. That's all the Yankees really expected. With a man like Ron Guidry coaching him, he stands to become a solid number four or five starter in no time. Remember, this kid was no slouch in Japan. We all know that Japanese baseball has produced stars in their own country who come here to play Major League Baseball and flourish. There will be less pressure on Kei Igawa to perform that Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Red Sox. My point? Igawa can slip in under the radar, make a few mistakes, and gain the experience and become a reliable arm in the Yankee's rotation. Poor "Dice-K" is liable to be dissected by the fans and media before he's given the chance to learn and grow.

Forget the rocky start, call it growing pains, and remember that spring training means nothing in the regular season. Kei will be a key member of the pitching staff for the Yankees in 2007. As for post season hero? I just threw that in for good luck.

We're Pulling For You Bobby

Three cheers for Bobby Murcer! A story today on the Yankees official MLB website quotes Bobby Murcer as saying: "I plan on being back with the [YES] Network for sure, doing the Yankees games," Murcer said. "That's what I love to do and nothing's going to stop me from doing that. ... I can't tell you when that's going to be, but the way I feel, it feels like it's going to be pretty soon."

Good for him. Keep fighting, keep battling. His story transcends baseball, team rivalries, and everything else that seems small by comparison. His spirit is inspirational. When the "real" games come on soon, and Bobby's voice chimes in with his honest and detailed analysis, I'll listen more intently. Get well soon, Bobby, we're rootin' for ya.

Wrong Move, Dave

Sports Illustrated online reports in its "Truth & Rumors" section that David Wright has graciously offered to move to the outfield in case Alex Rodriguez opts out of his contract with the Yankees and somehow winds up playing for the Mets. The move by Wright would free up third base for A-Rod, should he decide that the Yankees cross-town rivals are the team for him. This writer would say that Wright's offer to play the outfield is a "rookie maneuver"; but Wright is no longer a rookie. What he is, probably, is a bit naive.

Just about every Yankees fan knows that A-Rod is licking his lips over the prospect of ejecting himself from the Yankees as his tenure in the Bronx has been nothing but a soap opera and a post-season failure. What Wright should realize is that Alex doesn't want to play third (he's a short stop at heart) and he definitely can't make it in New York. If the Mets manage to kidnap Lou Piniella from the cubs and make him their manager, fire Willie Randolph, and promise Alex that he can play shortstop, then, and only then, would Wright's offer look promising. Anything less than that, Wright shouldn't bother. By the way Dave, that was a classy and charitable suggestion.

Pavano Pleased He Doesn't Get Hurt...Again

If you were outside yesterday afternoon after the conclusion of the Yankees 10-5 win over the Phillies in a spring training game and felt a gust of wind coming from the south, it was a collective sigh of relief coming emitted from the mouths all of the fans who witnessed Carl Pavano's pitching. The good news, the Yankees won a meaningless exhibition game. The better news was the Pavano didn't get hurt or experience any discomfort. He wasn't a pitching genius in his two inning outing in which he gave up one run and issued two walks. But, he didn't fall apart either mentally or physically. This Yankee fan remains encouraged that Pavano will have a decent year in pinstripes, one in which he might win about twelve games and he won't have to have his Porsche towed away from the scene of an accident.

Whew, Abreu!

If you heard a loud groan emanating from around the Westchester area of New York today, it was Bernie Williams' expression of disappointment upon learning that Bobby Abreu is expected to start opening day. It was reported this afternoon that Abreu strained his right, oblique muscle during batting practice. We all know that Bernie was invited to camp to vie for a position on the team; but, apparently having to compete for a job he's held for so long, and performed so successfully was beneath him. The plan for Bernie, it seems, is to sit at home (while staying "in shape") and wait for someone to take a nose dive in the outfield and sustain an injury that would keep him out for the rest of the season, thus opening a spot for him.

I'm a Bernie Williams fan like any Yankees fan. However, the way he's been carrying himself during the last few weeks makes me wonder if he took a blow to the head himself. This isn't the laid-back, easy going guy who writes terrific music and doesn't get involved in off-field mayhem. This is Bernie Williams, a class act. His temper tantrums leading up to his final decision to stay at home and feel sorry for himself while rolling around on a pile of $100 bills makes fans such as this writer wonder if he really is waiting for someone to get hurt so he can jump in and save the day for the Yankees.

It seems Abreu is going to be okay. If all else fails, Melky Cabrera can fill the spot for a week or two if he's still sore. With that said, as much as I used to adore Mr. Williams, if he showed up at Yankee Stadium to fill in for someone on the DL, I'm afraid I won't be cheering. Here's to hoping the Yankees remain healthy, and Bernie remains in the recording studio.

Diagnosis: Pavano-itis

About a thousand people witnessed Carl Pavano, the cosmically challenged Yankee pitcher, get hit on the foot with a ball while pitching batting practice the other day. Because of this, no one can be suspicious when he misses the entire 2007 season with a boo-boo. Besides the fact that he stubbornly refuses to pitch batting practice from behind a screen, this could have happened to anyone. With that said, it only could have happened to Pavano. One of my co-workers commented wryly about Pavano's situation, stating: "I'm waiting for that giant 16 ton weight from Monty Python's Flying Circus to land on his head."

Johnny Damon returned to Legends Field stating that he had a "personal matter" to deal with. Speculation for his absence ran rampant with reporters paused for break from the "Cold War" coverage between A-Rod and Jeter. While Damon refused to disclose the details of his "personal matter", it's an easy guess for this time of year. Damon was doing his taxes.

Baseball returns to television this week. There's snow on the ground, more may be coming, and there's still news streaming from the National Felon League about trades, retirements, shootings, investigations, etc; but, baseball is back. Even though these are only spring training exhibition games, the season begins in February when pitchers and catchers show up to camp for die-hard baseball fans.

The cliche is that on opening day, every team is in first place. The front runners can be picked with a high degree of accuracy early on with few surprises. But, as sure as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will be watching the World Series from home, Johnson & Johnson will offer Carl Pavano a lucrative endorsement deal for Band Aids.

Let The A-Rod/Jeter Issue Zimmer Down

MLB.com reports that Don Zimmer has jumped into the Alex Rodriguez/Derek Jeter "friendship" issue stating: "They're making [Jeter] out to be the bad guy," Zimmer said. "What has he done wrong? Like I say, if A-Rod hits a home run tomorrow, Jeter will be on the top step, the first guy shaking his hand. What do you want [Jeter] to do, put his arm around him and kiss him?"

This writer does not know (or care) if Don Zimmer was approached by members of the media for his opinion, or if he felt compelled to defend Derek in this ridiculous soap opera down in Tampa. Zimmer may or may not be able to help him, but the last time Zimmer jumped in to offer his opinion on a matter, Pedro Martinez grabbed him by the head and tossed him to the ground at Fenway Park.

If reporters need to dust off Don Zimmer for his opinion on essentially a disagreement between two men, then things are truly slow in Baseball Land. As an avid baseball fan who will run through a blizzard to get the newspaper at the end of the driveway in shorts and a tee shirt just to scan the Sports section for baseball news, journalists would be doing their readers a greater service if they would offer scouting reports, or do features on new players such as Kei Igawa instead of writing gossip columns. If reporters still felt the need to report that A-Rod and Derek still haven't kissed and made up, they can tell us that tid-bit of information in a short paragraph.

Tomorrow morning when I retrieve the newspaper from the end of my driveway (my newspaper delivery guy has a weak left arm) I'd love to read some actual articles on baseball...NOT more non-news from spring training that Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter won't share their toys in the sandbox anymore. Enough already.

Finished "Mr. Grudge II" Image

Here you go Stephen. Your finished artwork has been published on the prestigious "Mr. Grudge" blog. I know it's supposed to be me; but...I don't know. I mean, where's the inter-locking "NY" in white lettering on the baseball cap?

I like the drawing. One of my co-workers says it doesn't look like me. The glasses belong to Elton John and the mustache makes me look like the "Brawny Paper Towel" man. But, it's a caricature, right? However, I'm flattered enough to post it here. Thank you. In return, maybe one day I'll write a short piece about you. Brace yourself.