CLEVELAND, OH – Have you ever been to Cleveland? If not, you should go. It will make you feel better about yourself and where you live. Unless of course, you’re from Detroit or Oklahoma City. The Indians Guardians and Browns are all those folks have to take their minds off perpetually depressed economic conditions, gray skies and lake effect-snow and rain. In NYC terms, the Bronx and Queens look like the Hamptons and the French Riviera, respectively, in comparison to poor Cleveland. But oh boy, do Cleveland’s Major League Baseball fans feel great today! Thus, today’s controversial headline: Yankees Collapse/Fans Worse Than Mets?!
Yankees Collapse Worse Than Mets’ Collapse?
The New York Yankees won their division by the All-Star break. Then Dr. Jekyll became Mr. Hyde. But for Aaron Judge, the Pinstripers would have perpetuated the greatest 2nd half fall in MLB history.
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According to ESPN, the Yanks were 167-0 in the postseason when entering the ninth inning with two or more runs. That stunning record was broken last night in catastrophic fashion by the Guardiac Kids. The winning/final blow was struck by Oscar Gonzalez. Wait… WHO?! Exactly. This Cleveland clan has absolutely NO BUSINESS being in the position they are in, leading the storied Bronx Bombers in a playoff series. Heck, with a payroll of just 82 million dollars (28th of 30 teams behind Baltimore and Oakland), they shouldn’t even have had a winning record. The Yankees, on the other hand, with the 3rd highest payroll behind the Mets and Dodgers at 265 million (and highest in the AL) should absolutely be representing the American League in the World Series. At the very least, they should should survive long enough to go toe-to-toe with the Houston Astros, who have a significantly lower payroll as well, at 182 million. Just look at those numbers, ladies and germs. Facts don’t lie. Nor do the Manager’s words:
“Tonight was a gut-wrenching ending, but we’ve got to get over it. Now we’re obviously up against it, but I still love our chances. We’ve got Gerrit going Sunday. Got to go take care of business and try and get back to New York.” – Future Ex-Skipper Aaron “Spock” Boone
Now let’s look at the Mets…
Yes, they have the highest payroll in the league but it’s only 200 thousand more than the Yankees. Further, 20 million of that goes to Robinson Cano, whom they cut. If they didn’t have his money on the books, they’d be 4th in payroll. On the field, they lost the division to the defending World Champions, the Atlanta Braves, by 1 game. They got beaten by the Padres, who have the fifth highest payroll – just 300K less than the Mets. Moreover, San Diego is arguably the best team on paper in baseball, to boot. The Amazins didn’t collapse. The Mets were beaten by better teams. They weren’t in the David vs Goliath situation of the cross-town Yanks.
You want to talk collapse? Only the Yankees are in that conversation.
Yankees’ Fans Worse Than Mets’ Fans?
They booed Aaron Judge – a guy that is getting NEARLY ZERO to hit. This is after, as mentioned above, their team would have been NOWHERE. Nothing further needs to be said. Yankees fans, who will plead “passion” and “winning tradition,” are now making the Bronx into a not-so-appealing destination for players. Throwing $18 beers on the field was just the cherry on top and makes Queens look like a coddling paradise.
So take a bow, Yankee fans, you are clearly worse than Mets’ fans – despite what Aristotle “Mugsy” Sakellaridis claimed yesterday.
That’s it for today. Come back tomorrow for Fan of the Year, Junoir Blaber.
