Amidst a gooey gush from almost every baseball writer that the Red Sox are the Perfect Team and they’ve shown how the National League is sooooooo much inferior (re-writing the columns they saved from last year when somehow the Cardinals managed to beat the Tigers against all odds) I plug my ears. I always have, always will root against the rich, the privileged, the powerful, the popular. Far as I’m concerned, the Red Sox with their 200 mill payroll and simpering mainstream broadcasters are the 2007 Yankees with different unis.
A few years back, I don’t remember exactly where, most likely Baseball Think Factory, I remember reading a comment from a poster relating how his father immigrated to America in the early 50s and after learning about baseball, decided to root for the Yankees, perpetual winners, because he believed in supporting excellence. I don’t know the man, so I don’t know how he defined “excellence,” as winning baseball teams were directly correllated to their wealth, even more so in those days. Is “excellence” the same as wealth plus winning?
People, since time began, have tried to attach themselves to the rich, the powerful, the beautiful, the winners. Sometimes, the fame, riches and fortune rub off on the follower, but when it comes to baseball teams, it is mostly the being able to feel that you are part of the team’s success, that by rooting for them, you too have succeeded when, in truth, you, the fan really haven’t done anything whatsoever to contribute to the actual victory. How many times have you told someone “congratulations on winning the division/pennant/Series” as if that person had him/herself actually won? Over the years, one can see that roughly, a team’s popularity correllates fairly well with its winning, especially winning a pennant, or these days, postseason appearances. The core of die-hards is augmented by bandwagoners if/when the team has success. It is all about the winning.
The Yankees, especially, always seemed to me the team that was like the most popular kid in school – rich, perfect clothes, the best car, the perfect athlete, the perfect body, the kid who always had people eager to give him/her anything he/she could possibly desire. Who on earth could root for THAT? A person who had everything, who never lacked for anything, who didn’t know the meaning of lack? The Yankees were the richest team, with endless money and resources who could buy any good player they wanted (back in the 50s too.) Yankees have been supplanted by the hordes of Red Soxers – population hugely larger than it was back in 2002.
The world divides in two – those who want to identify with this and those who want to identify with the one who proves that having “everything” doesn’t guarantee winning.
I’ve always been part of The Underdog Rooters. You know the Underdog movies – ‘The Bad News Bears”, “Major League”, “The Mighty Ducks” and every copycat movie with the same theme. The Bad News Bears, the team that consisted of baseball no-goods and life rejects who somehow found something in themselves as well as the others and fashioned a team that was somehow greater than the sum of its parts. I guess I could call that Better Living Through Chemistry, or, more accurately, Better Winning Through Chemistry.
Most of us Americans ARE Underdogs our own selves, descended from the peasants and slaves of Europe, Africa and Asia, who came here willingly and unwillingly and had to make something from nothing. It is why those of us who are Underdog Rooters identify with the kids on the Bears. It is why we rooted for the 03 Marlins and 05 Astros, and will root for this year’s Rockies, none of whom were predicted by the “experts” at the beginning of the year to succeed, and who in fact, began the year with failure, only to manage to pull together and learn to win. Yes, it DOES sound corny, doesn’t it.
But it really touches those of us who started with nothing, failed and managed to make lemonade out of lemons. It is why we root for the Wandy Rodriguezes of the baseball world, the little guys, the “gritty” white boys who just aren’t very good but sure seem to tryyyyy just a little bit harder. It separates those of us who earn victory from those who are handed it.
Handed it? Well, yes, the 1997 Marlins who went out and bought up the expensive free agents, the 90s Yankees who went out and bought up a lot of free agents, the Red Sox who bought most of the players – expensive free agents on their 200 million dollar payroll (I’m counting the 50 mill they paid to purchase Matsuzaka. I don’t care what Buddy Boy calls that money) bought their Rings. Yes, of course I know they all had to perform well at the same time, the same year. Yes, of course I know it’s not like buying a sandwich. But yes, I know buying top notch free agents is more likely to purchase a Ring than hoping that your collection of kids and nobodies somehow comes through, as the Rockies hoped.
And before I forget – yes I know it’s coming – I know that all yall who know me too well are going to ask – how can Ms. Underdog Rooter POSSIBLY be such a stalwart fan of Barry Lamar Bonds, the modern epitome of excellence of a baseball player? I have no problem acknowledging and admiring any outstanding ballplayer (yes, even Alex Rodriguez, as much as it gags me) and have been in awe of his abilities since I was a child.
There is a difference to me between admiring a particular player and rooting for his team. Baseball is, after all, both an individual and a team sport. You could correctly point out that Barry Lamar could be considered baseball aristocracy, both by genetics and training, but I would happily point out that genetics and training certainly help, but the exit ramps on the road to the majors are strewn with numerous sons of Hall of Famers such as Mickey Mantle Jr, Pete Rose Jr, Bobby Bonds Jr and Reid Ryan, to name a few.
To misquote Yoda, Dude gotta DO, not try to Do. And how interesting it is that so many stars in high school simply fizzled out after graduation when it was in fact time to Do.
So why did I ever starting rooting for such a non-Underdog as Barry Lamar Himself? Because even when I was 7 years old, I knew how cute he was.
Besides, he was never a Red Sock.
While the rest of the baseball world was whining about the lame timing of Bor-as/A-rod greed machine announcement to opt out of the last three years of their 10-year contract, you could hear whoops of joy from Arlington — at least I could hear them all the way out here in Silicon Valley.
A-rod’s greed cost the Rangers $252M, but then they got smart and dumped him after three years, so he cost them only $140M and the Yanquis took on $112M.
This latest opt-out means that Texas saves over $21M more, and the yanks save over $50M.
Final tally:
Texas — 3 years of service, $120M
NYY — 4 years of service, $62M
So Texas, who thought they were getting the best player on the planet for ten years at $25M/yr, instead got that player at $40M/yr for three years.
The yanks got him for 4 years at about $15M/year. That’s a steal if ever there was one. Steinbrenner is many things, but he wasn’t stupid here. Tom Hicks was, though. At least he has $20M more than he did last week…
It says something about the state of baseball when a player opts out of a guaranteed $81M 3-year contract. I’m not sure I like what it says.
The Red Sox have done a perfect job of bringing along their home-grown talent and getting key free agents and make shrewd trades. No need to have ill will towards them.
And as far as the 90s Yankees, what big free agents did they bring in? The core of that team was home-grown as well. They didn’t start going nuts until early this century and it has gotten them nothing.
And what about your own Astros signing Clemens and Pettitte to high-price contracts and Carlos Lee as well? It’s all sour grapes.
So are you saying that I should switch my rooting interest now? I’ve been a Sox fan since 1970 even though I never lived in the NE region.
It strikes me how everybody just loved making fun of poor Red Sox fans because they were never going to win. Every fall, we would be subjected to the video clips. Dent. Buckner. Pesky. Boone.
Then a funny thing happened in 2004. And 2007. After all the crap that we’ve put up with over the last 35 years, if we go a little over the top in celebrating our team, so what? Deal with it. We’ve earned it.
Sure, there are a lot of “bandwagon jumpers” out there now and that bothers me, too. I’d like to think that all of those “lifelong Sox fans” running around should have to answer some questions in order to join. Something like “Who was the Red Sox second baseman on the 1975 World Series team?” But you know what, that happens when you are a winner. And we’re winners now.
And nobody is laughing at us any more.
Go Sox!
Joe Girardi, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Wade Boggs, Tim Raines, Daryl Strawberry, Cecil Fielder, Kenny Rogers, Dwight Gooden, David Cone, John Wettland, Chuck Knoblach, David Wells, Chili Davis.
J.D. Drew, 5/$70 ($14)
Manny Ramirez, 8/$168 ($21)
Matt Clement, 3/$25.5 ($8.5)
Julio Lugo, 4/$36 ($9)
Daisuke Matsuzaka, 6/$52 (plus $51.1 to open negotiations)
Let’s see. $69.5m on a total of five players. All those players put together weren’t worth $25m. Eventually, you have to get one right. David Ortiz. The Red Sox have made so many boneheaded stupid moves over the past 5 years, but it hasn’t come back to bite them because they just go out and spend enough money to cover up their mistakes.
Astro payroll has never been above $100m. The closest we came was $92m in 2006. Before then, we had never broken $80m. The Red Sox haven’t been under $95m since 2000, and haven’t been under $120m in the past 4 years. Beyond that, the Red Sox have spent tons of money on drafting and signing players – where the Astros have not.
Finally, I don’t remember people making fun of Red Sox fans. It was more they felt bad for Red Sox fans. We felt bad for your plight. Instead of focusing on other things, like say, the White Sox not having won the world series since gambling scandals, or the Giants not having won the world series since moving to San Francisco.
When the Red Sox did win, instead of graciously accepting it, they proceeded to become cocky and arrogant and rub it in other peoples faces that they were good again. In 1980 when the Phillies won the World Series, Philly fans didn’t become arrogant and begin to rub their success in everyones face. It is still fun to watch a Philly game in Philly. I visited Fenway many times before 2004, and Sox fans were always way nicer and humbler than Yankee fans. Now, they’re worse.
Further, the Astros are only the second team in history to start their first 45 years without a World Series win. And we never mention Pete Rose in game 4 of the 1980 NLCS, or the extra-innings games of the 1986 NLCS, or that in the 1981 NLDS we had a 2-0 lead and blew it to the Dodgers. Seriously, nobody was laughing and no we are just disgusted.
steve,
where are you getting your figures for the rangers and arod? they had to pay him 25 mill a year for the first 3 years (some of it is deferred, yes) and around 10 mill a year for the past 4 years to NOT play. that is a lot of money for 3 years. actually arod WAS worth the money to the rangers in terms of what he produced. hicks gave out a lot of bad contracts that year but arod wasn’t one of em. he THEN decided he didn’t want to spend money 3 years later.
- baseball player opts out of a 3 year 81 mill contract for 2 reasons – he doesn’t want to play ever for ANY amount of money, or that there is SO freaking much money out there that he can easily get more. fact is that the players ALL should be geting paid more since revenues have increased so much.
boras is dead right about that, he was just a total jerk about announcing it in the middle of the WS.
jesse,
you’re kidding, right? every single starting pitcher on the 96-00 yankees except pettitte was a FA including jimmy key and roger clemens. almost every position player was a FA except for bernie and jeter…
gary,
HECK no you shouldn’t change your rooting interest in the team you have rooted for since 1970. it IS your team. however, unfortunately, seems thousands of the most obnoxious people in this country decided to root for your team too.
- fact is that dan shaughnessy and the media are the ones who started all the crappy bucky dent/curse crap and i don’t remember ANY of that from the1990 playoffs. the laughing stuff was all of recent media vintage.
what broocks said – ALL of it. well done
Amen…although having guys like Pedroia, Youkilis, and Ellsbury restore some faith in trying to get some talent from your farm system.
But…would the happiness we get from seeing underdogs win be diminished were it not for the “haves” typically winning? The rare case of seeing the Villanovas of the world win is so rewarding *because* the big guys win it so often.
david,
actually it is more “expected” to win.
it’s why i hate all that “prospect” stuff too and why i am so happy when ballplayers defy the experts and scouts – see roy oswalt, wade miller.
all the people who never listened to every expert who said they were destined to be a nothing/nobody…
lisa
http://www.sportspickle.com/features/volume4/2005-0706-boston.html
Broocks, I totally agree with you. Gary’s missing the point. Sox fans were pitied, not mocked. And if they were mocked, it was for the victim’s mentality that you JUST displayed, talking about how everyone made fun of you. People don’t like Sox fans because of this comment – “we earned it.”
You didn’t earn diddly crap, bucko. When did team loyalty become a justification for acting like a douche? It used to be that you just cheered for your team and got excited when they won. The display that Boston put on when they won, with all the “Yankees Suck” and “I Hate A-Rod” signs was disappointing. I WANTED to be excited for the Red Sox in 2004, but I couldn’t after I saw their celebration. They ruined it for me.
The fans earned NOTHING. Oh, you were loyal. Congratulations. But forgive me if I laugh when I see 30 year-olds complaining about 80 years of suffering, like they were there when Ruth was traded. The Sox fans are among the most obnoxious in the sports world, and I find your “we did it” attitude totally absurd.