The Dissention of New York Yankees Fans

It seems that Yankees fans can never really agree on what exactly the right direction for the team is. Some people think that it should be run one way, while another group of people think that it should be ran a different way. All of this arguing and disagreement has essentially created a divide between fans of the New York Yankees.

It seems that Yankees fans can’t come to a unified opinion on Michael Pineda. (Image: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports)

After reading a great article posted by our very own Joe F in which he examines what a “typical” Yankees fan is, I felt the need to further examine the fans in general. I have found that there are really three different types of fans. There are those who are very open to the moves that the team makes, and there are those who will criticize nearly every transaction. The third group of fans are the people who are caught somewhere in between.

This first group tends to believe that no matter how bad the Yankees may look on paper, and no matter how bad a move may be, they always have a shot at contending. For example, in a hypothetical scenario, the Yankees could get rid of Brett Gardner in favor of a player such as Vladimir Guerrero. These fans will say that although Gardner was great on the basepaths and was a tremendous defender, he was never really a solid hitter as evidenced by his mid-.260 batting average. They will then go on to note how even though Guerrero may not have played in a few years, he is a free swinger, and could get on base and create runs for the Yankees.

The second group of fans loathe nearly every move that the Yankees make, no matter how great it may look. Once again, using a hypothetical, the Yankees could trade for Giancarlo Stanton but give up a package of prospects led by Gary Sanchez. They will ignore the fact that Stanton is exactly the type of player that any Yankee fan could want to have, and will opt to rip on management for trading the future catcher, even if he is unproven. Using a real life scenario, these fans would be the first ones to tell you that the Jesus Montero/ Michael Pineda trade was the worst trade that the Yankees have made in years. They are quick to judge that trade, even though neither Pineda nor Jose Campos – who the team also got in that trade – have never thrown a single pitch for the Yankees. Even though Montero was less than stellar for the Seattle Mariners last year, they will unfairly denounce the trade at every opportunity they get. These fans are the most likely to say that the Yankees have the best team in baseball year after year.

The final group is caught in between all of this, and can be seen as the most logical group of Yankees fans. These fans see both the good and the bad of whatever Yankee team is put forward. They will put forth a logical opinion of the moves that the team chooses to make.  They will not overestimate or underestimate the team. They will take it as it is, and hope for the best. They understand that there may be better teams in baseball, and they understand that the season ahead may be a tough one. These fans typically love the Yankees because they love the history of the team, and its winning ways. Many-a-time too, these fans will also love the sport of baseball in general.

Groups like this probably exist for every team in baseball, but it seems to be more evident with Yankees fans. It is really mind-boggling as to why we can never come to a unified opinion of a certain move, or the team in general. After all, every Yankee fan just wants to see the same thing – a World Series win.