George Orwell on the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry

[BeyondGeography]

"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting." 

[theboss]

1. In Detroit, they often get the shooting involved

But you act like hatred, jealousy, and boastfulness are bad things. If hating the Yankees is wrong, then I don't want to be right.

[BeyondGeography]

2. OK. As long as you hate them for their free agents

and not their freedom.

[JohnKleeb]

3. Who's Steinbrenner gonna go after this winter

:shrug: Isn't Pedro a free agent, ahh the irony of pedro becoming a yankee.

[theboss]

4. It's going to happen

Unless he goes out West, the only team that will overpay him is the Yankees. He no longer warrants the contract he wants, but the Yankees have never cared about overpaying. And Steinbrenner just adores signing Red Sox legends - Boggs and Clemens got their rings with the Yanks.

[JohnKleeb]

5. So what are the yank fans who despise him for what he did to Zim gonna say

Should be very interesting.

[theboss]

7. They will behave like they did with Clemens

Yankee fans - God how I hate them - are actually reasonably sophisticated. They know which players to give their hearts (Jeter, Bernie, Wells, El Duque, Coney) and which players to treat like mercenaries hired to do a job (Clemens, Giambi, A-Rod).

[JohnKleeb]

10. Well will they treat him like one of their own

I can see it but good point about mercenarys though they give Moose pretty godo heart and he was swiped from the orioles.

[theboss]

14. Mussina is different

He's not an ass like Clemens and was pretty quickly absorbed into the team. He's not beloved though. I mean, Wells and Cone are probably the two most popular Yankee starters of the 90s and both came from other teams. It's just a question of who "really" deserves to wear the pinstripes.

[JohnKleeb]

21. hmmm yeah I see what you mean

I still miss him, I hope he feels dumbfounded for leaving the orioles if the orioles get in to the playoffs and maybe go all the way.

[BeyondGeography]

11. Good point, boss (except the "hate" part)

Add Mariano to the love list. Major love there.

Extra scorn for Giambi. What a joke.

[JohnKleeb]

12. No offense but you guys should have never gone after Giambi

Nick Johnson seemed like a good team developed prospect.

[theboss]

15. I'm not sure love is the correct word fo Mariano

The fans treat him with awe - in the Old Testament sense. He's always there, always perfect (except this year - ha!), a little distant, and might smote you.

[BeyondGeography]

20. Mariano is The Rock

New Yorkers can love the Not So Cuddly.

Cuddly kinda sucks, actually.

[BeyondGeography]

8. I don't know about Pedro

He's a little expensive for someone who turns into a pumpkin after 100 pitches. And there are the emotional issues; can't see him being happy in Yankee Corporate World. Then again, he's still one of the better pitchers in the game.

Pavano's out there. And Beltran, who Georgie loves. I'd say those are the top two targets.

Whatever happens, please find me a lefty in the bullpen not named Felix Heredia.

[JohnKleeb]

9. Well George has to have everyone

I know from experience.

[BeyondGeography]

18. A little history

Nobody hates George more than Yankee fans of a certain age. He is a child monster with a killer bankroll who wants to tear down Yankee Stadium, the Temple of Baseball, just because it doesn't have enough luxury boxes. Left to his own devices, he's a destructive force beyond anything the average mind can comprehend.

The ONLY reason the franchise was able to turn itself around in the 90's is because George was banned from baseball (see Howie Spira) and professional baseball men (specifically, Gene Michael) took over. The farm system was the heart of the team's success; Williams, Jeter, Rivera, Posada, and Pettitte, all players that George had to be talked out of trading at one time or another (excepting Jeter) were the House that Michael built.

The pressure to win every year, which comes from George, has led the team to gut its farm system and to again become entirely reliant on free agents, not unlike the ugly 80's. The difference now is that George will just spend whatever it takes to cover up his mistakes. Which is why the Best Team that Money Can Buy really isn't that great anymore.

[JohnKleeb]

24. Damn he wanted to trade your guys developed prospects

and tear down yankee stadium, jeez. He's a bastard, and honestly if he wasn't the owner, I wouldn't dislike the Yanks like I do if that means anything.

[BeyondGeography]

25. I understand; George is the Lightning Rod

By the way, I used to watch Yankee/Orioles a lot at the old Stadium in the late 60's and early 70's. Once saw Palmer and McNally go in the same twinbill against a mediocre Yankee team. That was the age of the Awesome O's, and we actually managed to win one that day.

When it was a game, and all that.

[JohnKleeb]

26. Those were the days

Sigh, Weaver rocked, it's funny to think he was only 52 when he retired, shame I would have loved to see Earl out there today lol. It's just Steinbrenner is such a cocky bastard who pounces at any opppertunity to get a star player, someone else's babe, like Mussina, he was ours, though I admit Angelos didn't exactly encourage Mussina to stay though I think Mussina got a be careful what you wish for, hard to blame him though, the yanks team he went to had been world champions four of the past five seasons, but they haven't won one since, is that Moose's fault, no not at all and I bet he's appreciated but it's funny I bet he was thinking to himself, I can get my ring if I go with these guys, I can get 20 wins which he hasn't in fact his season high for the yanks is lower than his for baltimore, so it's funny, I think Steinbrenner is why a lot of people dislike the Yankees, the man is just such a jerk, I read how he's been to players, not saying Angelos is any better, you can still love your team and want to shmack the owner, I think thats one thing yanks fans and o's fans can agree on.

[BeyondGeography]

27. Two creeps, who will be long outlived by the game

I like Mussina. He's kind of a cranky guy who's not afraid to show his rough edges to the press. He's not the greatest pitcher by any means, but he's masterful at times and obviously one of the more intelligent people in the game.

Yankee fans never really embraced Mussina until last year's Game 7, which we were only able to win because he came in on two days rest and got us out of a 1st and 3rd, no out jam and pitched two more innings of flawless relief. An incredibly gutsy performance. It was his Earn Your Pinstripes moment, nauseating as that might sound to you. He was happier after that game than I'd ever seen him.

But that was last year...

[JohnKleeb]

28. He keeps himself healthy generally

I just can't believe Angelos didn't try to keep him, folks loved him, he was as big as Ripken and others. I really wish Angelos had never bought the orioles, he's been nothin but trouble.

[theboss]

16. It will be a Steinbrenner signing if it happens

There are two moves the Yankees make: Cashman/Torre decisions, like Leiber and Mussina, Steinbrenner decisions, where he goes to dinner with someone, signs him on a cocktail napkin, and calls Cashman the next day.

[al bupp]

6. LOL!

[MatrixEscape]

13. It is also a great diversion that works well!

Why not invest yourself in sports and entertainment and ignore the man behind the curtain? Yeah! Go team!

Things that matter most to the People are the things that seem to have very little "entertainment" value. So, why not buy into the stats, reviews, and sell your fucking freedom with every step. It's fun! You are doing just as you are told.

[theboss]

17. You must get invited to a lot of parties

In a word, Pffffffffffffftttttttttttt.

[MatrixEscape]

22. Army of one, ey? ;) n/t

[nickgutierrez]

19. Sorry.

I'm intelligent enough to be entertained and keep an eye on the 'man behind the curtain' at the same time.

[MatrixEscape]

23. Good for you!

Solipsism works for me, too. Projection can be fun!