Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The Yankees Bubble

Living near New York City has shown me exactly what I already knew to be true about Yankees fans. They live within a baseball bubble that extends no further than the Bronx. While some might have an inkling about what the Mets are up to, ignorance is almost a prerequisite to being a Yankees fan.

I remember back in the 2006 season when the Phillies and Yankees hooked up in a mega-deal that sent All Star Bobby Abreu to New York. My then boss was a huge Yankees fan. He came to me the next day and asked me who Bobby Abreu was and if he was any good. Thinking this was a joke, I just laughed, knowing that the former Phils' slugger was one of the premier right fielders in the game. But he persisted that he had never heard the name Abreu before. This was just one example of the enormous bubble that Yankees fans live in.

But there's a general sense of superiority among the fans of the Yankees. I can't say I completely blame them, as their franchise is certainly historically good. It's just baffling how little they know about the sport itself. In order for the Yankees to survive, so too must baseball. Their fans, and many times their ownership, acts as if this was not relevant. With the exception of fantasy baseball players, I'd venture to guess that every Yankees fan cannot name a player outside of New York or Boston.

The bubble extends well beyond just the fans, though. In broadcasts this week, we've already heard the Yankees commentators speak unknowingly about prominent Phillies players like Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth. My opinion of New York sports commentators is already well known if you read this site. But the New York press is, in general, guilty of spreading the baseball ignorance among fans like a wild fire.

While I am certainly not a baseball expert myself, I take pride in learning as much as I can about the sport that I love. If you don't some basic, big names, do yourself a favor and learn more about Ty Cobb and his impressions of Babe Ruth. Or take the time to watch Bill Mazeroski's famous game seven home run. But I used to consider that knowledge about a player like Ted Williams was fairly commonplace. My same former boss and another colleague clearly did not, as we discussed the theory of shifting the defense against pull-hitting lefty hitters:

"I saw that they are starting to play the 'Giambi Shift' against Ryan Howard," they said.
"Yeah, teams have been shifting against him, but what is a 'Giambi-Shift'?" I asked, giving them the benefit of the doubt that it was something unique to their steroid-riddled first baseman.
"It's when they move the infield defense to the right side," they said.
"Oh, you mean the 'Williams Shift' then?" I said.
"'Williams Shift'? What the hell is that? I've never heard it called that before."
"That's what it was called when teams first started playing inverted defenses against Ted Williams."
"No, it was never called that. I've always heard called the 'Giambi Shift.' That's what it's called."


I didn't bother arguing any further, because I knew it was futile. It was then that I came to the sad realization that Yankees fans don't suffer from a lack of baseball intelligence. They all lack basic, fundamental human intelligence. But don't get angry or hate Yankees fans for this ignorance. It's a sickness, not a crime.