Yankees' Marcus Stroman gets mixed responses from fans at Knicks game

New York Yankees fans ... are you ready for the Marcus Stroman experience? If the sample size from Wednesday night's Knicks' game at Madison Square Garden was any indication ... it seems as if half us are.

Stroman, after signing a two-year, $37 million contract with New York in what turned out to be an absolute stunner last week, attended Knicks-Rockets to get his first taste of the big city as a newly-minted Yankee. This was no special occasion for the right-hander, though -- he's from Long Island.

Sitting courtside, Stroman was part of the customary "Celebrity Row" bit conducted at MSG during every Knicks game. When he appeared on the jumbotron, he was welcomed with a mix of cheers and boos. Classic New York, right?

Hey, it's to be expected. Stroman has been considered a polarizing figure in the sport because he's not afraid to speak his mind and escalate a situation. But you know what? That's kind of exactly what the Yankees need right now.

Either way, some fans have not come to terms with the right-hander officially donning pinstripes. Nobody said this wasn't going to take time. We're sure those boos will quickly dissipate, though, the moment he performs on the mound.

Yankees' Marcus Stroman gets mixed responses from fans at Knicks game

And really ... what are we mad about here? Stroman talking trash to Brian Cashman, who most Yankees fans have a problem with anyway? Stroman criticizing the entirety of the Yankees' rotation with the exception of Gerrit Cole? Stroman's 2019 prediction that he'd be better than every current pitcher in that Yankees' rotation?

Fans nobly come to the defense of their team whenever an opposing player/figure starts dishing out the vitriol, but this is now water under the bridge. On top of Stroman now being an admirable first line of defense for the Yankees ... his past critiques and callouts technically had validity to them.

Plus, the man looks dapper in Yankees gear. It's nice to have people who want to be a Yankee and take pride in being a Yankee.

All we're hoping is that Stroman ignores the contingent of boos and doesn't respond to them on social media. That's not the start of the tenure anybody's looking for. What's a night out in NYC without someone giving you some flak, anyway?