Screw New York…yeah, that’s what I said.
Do people in New York hate Lebron James because he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, taking less money (he said), because he felt it gave him a much better chance to win a championship. Do they also think he’s obnoxious for saying things like "taking my talents to South Beach," and the odd remarks about burnishing his legacy? Do they hate him for not accepting an offer to play for the Knicks?
My guess is that they don’t, because I don’t think anyone thought the Knicks would have much going for them this season. Every "expert" I read thought Amar’e Stoudemire would be nothing but a high-priced guy to boo at MSG, without Steve Nash.
With that in mind, it’s obvious to me that Cliff Lee is now (and will forever be) hated by Yankee fans because he took less money and rejected the New York Frikkin’ Yankees! How can anyone say "No" to the Yankees is something beyond reason to millions of people in Manhattan, the Bronx and most of New Jersey. Not only that, he went to the Phillies, so Mets fans now hate Lee as well. Luckily, there are only about 47 Mets fans left, scattered along the dunes of Jones Beach, looking for the BMT to Shea Stadium. (These folks are no doubt suffering from the "Minaya Effect.)
Being from New York (growing up just 25 miles north of Times Square) gives me some perspective on this type of thing with New Yorkers – it’s called being really obnoxious. I’m obnoxious, and I am not a Yankee fan, so imagine how bad I’d be if I lived and died with the "pin stripes?" This over-bearing character defect is generally true with folks that grew up in NY, and still live there, and almost always true with Yankee fans, because it’s been a part of their DNA for almost 100 years. But because the New York Knicks have been losers or also rans since the early 1970’s, few ever thought that adding Lebron to Amar’e would be enough to make the team a viable contender any time soon. (Carmelo Anthony better become a Knick, and he better be good)
Well, I can still remember being a huge Knick fan. The 2 teams that won NBA championships are still my favorite NBA teams of all time, and arguably the best balanced, best passing, and best nicknamed teams in history: The Captain - Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Dick "Fall Back Baby" Barnett, "Dollar" Bill Bradley. The 1973 team also had Phil Jackson. He was a gawky looking ‘power’ forward in the Joakim Noah style, with one big exception – talent. Phil’s hair was bizarre, maybe he needed a nickname?
The Knick teams with Patrick Ewing were pretty good too – worth rooting for, but they couldn’t get past the Spurs, the Bulls, Reggie Miller, and a number of other teams. We had to get by with Spike Lee.
What I want to know from New Yorkers is why am I not seeing more hate for Lebron? Don’t the Knicks matter, or are all you loud-mouthed jerks just front running Yankee fans?
Well, SCREW THE YANKEES, and SCREW YANKEE FANS!
It is not a divine right that the Yankees win, and so they didn’t win a World Series. Hell, they didn’t even win their own division! Time to buy more players!
But now look what has happened, the Yankees lost another one when Cliff Lee signed with Philadelphia. Go figure? Not only that, the Boss is dead, Jeter is pissed, Joba is a mess, A-Rod is A-Rod, and you have Sergio Mitre and Ivan Nova holding up the back end of your rotation. Sounds like a lot of ‘duck butter’ to me. (If you don’t know what ‘duck butter’ is, I’ll only say that it’s sticky and smells really bad.)
In addition, Yankee fans have to stomach Boston signing Carl Crawford and trading for Adrian Gonzalez, hugely improving their offense. Crawford is my 2011 AL MVP pick right now, and Gonzalez will be in the top 10.
Hey, I am not a Boston fan, only a Yankee hater, and what Yankee hater doesn’t love this? I’m not a Cliff Lee fan either, and have said repeatedly that I won’t believe he’s as good as we’ve been told until he does it for at least 2 or 3 more years, but I love him for snubbing the Yankees.
Remember when Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia were both with the Cleveland Indians? I seem to recall Lebron at a Cleveland – New York playoff game wearing a Yankee hat? Is that why New Yorkers don’t hate Lebron, because he’s a Yankee fan? Therefore they can’t hate him for not taking the Knicks offer?
Did Cleveland offer Cliff Lee a contract? Not really. They had to let him go a few years ago because ownership didn’t feel they could afford him. Lee became a vagabond, pitching for the Phils, Mariners, and Texas before landing back with Philadelphia. CC went to Milwaukee as a "loaner," and established a new market price ($161 MM) for stud pitchers when the Yankees got him in Free Agency. The biggest contract the Yankees had ever given to a pitcher before that was the $105 MM they’d given to Kevin Brown in 1999. (How did that one work out?)
In 1997, Albert Belle left Cleveland for the White Sox. Do you remember what a fantastic hitter Belle was? Steroid riddled or not, Belle had hit 98 homeruns and driven in 274 runs in his last 2 seasons for the Indians. His top salary had been $5.7 MM. He went to Chicago for 2-years, and $20 MM. He’d averaged 49 homers and got 2-years and $20 MM. Seems like the Stone Age…
After Belle left in 1997, Manny Ramirez played his third full season for Cleveland. He hit 30+ homers in each of the next 9 seasons -- 6 of those were spent playing for the Boston Red Sox. During Manny’s time in Boston, the Red Sox won more (2) World Series than the Yankees (1). Manny signed an 8-year, $160 MM contract with Boston that remains one of maybe four $100 MM deals that has worked out very well for a ball club.
Maybe it’s the entire city of Cleveland that is really the "mistake by the lake?"
Bob Feller died the other day, and Cleveland lost perhaps it’s greatest Indian. Certainly he was the most crotchety Indian of all time. I grew up knowing about Bob Feller, how he’d struck out 15 guys in his first MLB start at the age of 17. He was from Van Meter, Iowa, and reportedly threw 100+ MPH at times, during much of his early career. He won 266 games, and lost most of 4 seasons to the US Navy during WWII. He’s in the argument for greatest pitcher of all time, even if he loses.
I’d like to say to Cleveland, "I’m sorry," for all your losses, but take heart, you don’t have anyone left that anyone wants, and Lake Erie hasn’t caught on fire recently.
I’d also like to state now that I hate Lebron too, for spurning the Knicks. I didn’t know that I hated him until last night.
Finally, I feel sorry for all you Yankee fans…losers.
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