The Evil Empire(s)

I realize it is December, and snow is falling outside my window as I write this, but baseball is my thing...

Issue: Could I possibly hate the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox any more than I did?

Short Answer: Apparently, yes.

Reasoning: Every sports league needs villians.  The NBA has the Miami Heat (thanks LeBron!), the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Boston Celtics; college basketball has the Duke Blue Devils; college football has the SEC (I already told you how much I hate that conference); the NFL has, well, that's a tough one.  The villian of the NFL used to be the Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders.  However, a team must actually win in order to be a villian (see the above list), and the Raiders haven't done that in awhile.  The New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts fall into the villian category (and where I'm from, so do the Steelers, Ravens, and Browns (Who Dey! - yes, even when we've lost 10 straight games)).  Baseball is different - everyone hates the Yankees and Red Sox.  I live in Cincinnati and of course I hate the Cubs, Cardinals, Astros, and Pirates (actually I just feel sorry for the Pirates), but the Yankees and Red Sox deserve their own category.  I hate everything about them.  Let us examine some of the reasons:

1. They have more money than God, and they flaunt it - In 2010 the Yankees had a payroll of $206,333,389* (highest) and the Red Sox had a payroll of $162,447,333* (2nd).  In comparison, the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants had a payroll of $98,641,333* (9th), and the National League Central Champion Cincinnati Reds had a payroll of $71,761,542* (20th).  The Red Sox have already signed Carl Crawford (7 years, $142 million) and traded for Adrian Gonzalez (from the San Diego Padres, perhaps one of the best 1st basemen in the game).  The Yankees have re-signed Derek Jeter (3 years, $51 million) and Mariano Rivera (2 years, $30 million).  All of these moves will do nothing but drive the two highest payrolls in Major League Baseball, even higher.  Coming from a small market city, this alone is enough for me to hate both the Yankees and the Red Sox.  And I do.
2. Even the players they have that I should like, I don't - Derek Jeter is one of the best shortstops ever.  He has never been in trouble with anyone.  He is well educated, well spoken, and usually has super-hot girlfriends.  Yet, I despise him.  It may be solely because he is a Yankee, but if he would have gone somewhere else this winter (besides Cincinnati that is), I'm pretty sure I would still hate him.  I guess we'll never know.  Mariano Rivera is the best closer ever.  He seems like a nice guy.  I can't stand him - partly because he is a Yankee - but mostly because I know he would strike me out or break my bat everytime, if I was ever lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to face him.  Mark Teixeira is a former college teammate of mine.  We played together for 3 years (1999-2001).  I have always considered him a friend of mine.  Until he joined the Yankees.  Dustin Pedroia is the exact type of player I would want playing for me.  He always hustles and his uniform is always dirty.  He gives 100% absolutely all the time.  Yet, I can't help but feel like he's a complete ass.  Then there is Kevin Youkilis.  He and I both grew up in Cincinnati and happened to play together when we were 13.  Here are two things I've never heard in the same sentence: "Kevin Youkilis" and "is a swell guy."  I'm not going to bash him here, but I don't like him.  Check out this post from one of my favorite blogs: SportsbyBrooks.
3. The Yankees and Red Sox love being hated - Yankees and Red Sox players are hated because they're good.  At least that's what they will tell themselves, and us.  And it is partly true.  There is no need to waste energy hating a team that stinks.  So, if that is how they want it, I can certainly oblige.  As a small-market team fan, I guess I will just keep hating the Yankees and Red Sox until they stink.  Could be awhile.

So what keeps me going??  This is baseball people!  The Reds can win the NL Central.  The Marlins can win the World Series (twice).  The Rays can play in, and compete in, the same division as the Evil Empires do (in fact, they finished 2nd in 2010 and the Red Sox were playing golf in October).  The Royals can beat the Yankees.  The Pirates can beat the Phillies.  The old baseball adage is: anyone can beat anyone on any given day.  That is what makes the game great.  And when the Royals do beat the Yankees, it makes it worth it for the average fan.  We love to see the Yankees and their $200 million payroll go down.  And go down in flames.  With the Red Sox.

Red, one of the greatest movie characters ever (The Shawshank Redemption), once said, "hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."  Here is to the hope that the Yankees and Red Sox both miss the playoffs in 2011!

* USA Today