Peter McEntegart is a Baby

I love to head over to CNNSI.com to read my man Alex Belth's column when it's fresh off the presses. I find myself reading their baseball section in between Belth pieces as a way to keep tabs on what's happening over there. Today I came upon a sour grapes piece by professional whiner Peter McEntegart about the 10 reasons he hates the Yankees.

Please read this yourself, but I want to respond to his 10 points here.

1. Arrogant Yankee Fans

One of his points in this argument was, "Consider that this fan base has just in the last decade turned on both the greatest hitter (A-Rod) and pitcher (Roger Clemens) of their generation because they didn't instantly deliver a World Series title."

Lest we forget that Peter is a Mets fan, maybe he should explain why Mets fans roundly booed Carlos Beltran at every opportunity for his slow 1st year in Queens, and now look pretty foolish for doing so. Guess arrogance is kind of a selective perception thing, isn't it Petey.

2. Bandwagon Yankees Fans

P-Mac's main thesis is that the Yankees have bandwagon fans and he hates that. I understand. No one likes the guy who throws on a Kobe Bryant jersey because he's the latest hot player, even though the guy is a Rockets fan from Podunk, Texas. It's hardly the Yankees fault that they have bandwagon fans, and if you'd like to try on arrogance check out his wrap up on point #2:

"Listen, chumps: I know more about "your" team's history than you ever will, so pipe down. And yes, there was a time not that long ago (1986, anyone?) when New York was a Mets town, and just because your fresh-from-Omaha mind can't fathom that doesn't make it untrue."

3. Unintentionally patronizing Yankees fans

He hates that Yankee fans also like other teams....presumably the Mets. There are two kinds of Yankees fans in my experience. Those who also like the Mets a little (like me) and those who hate the Mets, second only to the Red Sox. Peter likes the people who would see his team burn in Hell before cheering for them. To Peter that's authentic or something. Nice attitude, man. Way to keep sports in perspective.

4. When national media assume that all of New York roots for the Yankees

This point is one of the most idiotic in the piece. He gets on Joe Buck for mentioning that a Yankees victory might soothe New York in the 2001 World Series after the tragedy of 9/11. Talk about losing perspective on sports. I guess Buck should have said, "A World Series victory by the Yankees will soothe many New Yorkers after the pain of September 11th, but for others the shortcomings of their hometown Mets will surely add to the anguish of people actually dying in a terrible tragedy that should never be quoted in a Top 10 reasons I hate the Yankees piece at CNNSI.com"

5. The cult that has grown around average players that were part of the recent Yankees dynasty

He has a point here, but I hardly think it's exclusive to Yankees fans. The idea that Scott Brosius is the reason we won anything is silly, and I think many of my fellow bloggers find it a part of our mission to analyze the successes and failures of the club using more sound means at our disposal than "grit" and "heart". He mentions that we, as Yankees fans, lionize Luis Sojo, but it would seem to me that his rationale has more to do with his big hit against the Mets in the 2000 Subway Series than anything else. I love Sojo because he's a character, but he sucked, like Miguel Cairo sucks now...big hit or no.

6. When Yankee defenders downplay their team's financial advantages

I don't know that Yankees fans simply walk around downplaying the financial advantages that the club has. It's only when squeaky, bitter columnists write their columns attacking the Yankees spending that we come to the teams defense. We actually lose 50 million a year on the club, because Steinbrenner and company are committed to winning. We waste a lot of money because we haven't done a good job developing players, but it's turning around now with Melky, Cano, Wang, Tabata, Hughes and others. The Yanks have drafted well, and used the financial resources that they have to sign international players that are available to everyone if they want to spend. A Mets fan has little room to whine about this as they have a huge payroll, play in the same market, but haven't won since 1986. Oh, by the way, the Yankees just passed your Mets for the best record in baseball. Thought I'd help you make your arrogant point, so something you say will stand up against scrutiny.

7. The myth of Yankees' scouting and player development

Petey gets to my last point here. The Yankees outbid other clubs for international talent, not subject to the MLB draft. Okay. Pay more then. Don't waste your money on signing mediocre free agents, and do a better job laying down roots in the Latin and Asian countries. The Mets can do it if they want. They do have "Mr. Latin", Omar Minaya, after all. Sounds like sour grapes.

8. Joe Torre as genius

I don't know where he gets this. There was an element of this point when the team was winning every year. Since we got into paying $200 million for the roster and haven't won, people have turned their backs on Joe for his poor bullpen management, small ball ideas, and other things that may or may not be his fault. I see just the opposite sentiment these days. Thanks for paying attention P-Mac.

9. The griping we're about to hear about tearing down Yankee Stadium

Do you really care that much about this? Is this really one of the Top Ten reasons you hate the Yankees, or were you so intent on writing a Yankee-bashing piece that you scrounged up whatever fit in your pea brain to finish?

10. The constant talk about how the Yankees are all about winning

When a team wins 9 consecutive division titles, financial advantage or no, it's going to come up in the media. When the Braves won the NL East for 14 straight years, you heard it about them too. Peter, if you're tired about hearing this maybe your $100 million+ payroll team should have broken the string in the middle somewhere. Congrats on not failing this season....or is that just me patronizing you. Maybe I should be pissed off that the Mets actually got something for their money for once and didn't trade Scott Kazmir in the process. Keep up the fine work at CNNSI buddy.