Rollins- lots of hot air

[calvindog]

Jason, I'm not a Yankee fan so I can appreciate your points. Being a Yankee fan is probably more stressful than being a Cubs fan because the Yankees actually are expected to win as opposed to being mired in a culture of failure. I guess it depends on how you look at life: expecting success at every turn can be stressful but one tends to achieve success more often; hoping for the best but being at peace with failure usually produces the opposite results. Of course a zillion dollar payroll does help the former philosophy off the ground.

But to think that the Yankees are the only team which hires mercenaries is just not true as you fully know. Hell, the Brewers traded for Sabbathia last year just to get them into the playoffs. The Phillies did it this year with Pedro and Cliff Lee. At least the Yankees kept their team intact at the trading deadline and didn't have major contributors join the team with two months left in the season.

[JasonL]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Jason, I'm not a Yankee fan so I can appreciate your points. Being a Yankee fan is probably more stressful than being a Cubs fan because the Yankees actually are expected to win as opposed to being mired in a culture of failure. I guess it depends on how you look at life: expecting success at every turn can be stressful but one tends to achieve success more often; hoping for the best but being at peace with failure usually produces the opposite results. Of course a zillion dollar payroll does help the former philosophy off the ground.

But to think that the Yankees are the only team which hires mercenaries is just not true as you fully know. Hell, the Brewers traded for Sabbathia last year just to get them into the playoffs. The Phillies did it this year with Pedro and Cliff Lee. At least the Yankees kept their team intact at the trading deadline and didn't have major contributors join the team with two months left in the season.

to see that they tried to keep the team intact and win with what they had...and it worked. And yes, everyone hires the big guns, or tries to if they can. Your thoughts on stress and success are spot on, of course. Perhaps that is why the Cubs have such a huge fan base...being a Cubs fan is about more than just winning a game or a season. It's not the win that defines you, it's the experience.

I will say this, though, and it runs a little counter to my original post...but then again maybe it doesn't. I enjoyed this year's team more than I have in the past, as they actually seemed to form a team, and I enjoyed the pies in the face and any sign that they had individual personalities. That stuff resonates more with me, as a fan.

[calvindog]

Jason, I agree regarding this year's Yankee team: they were likeable. Even ARod with all the crap he went through actually seemed human; I was thrilled that he did well. As a Dodgers fan growing up I loathed the Yankees in the late 70s because they were easy to hate (any team with Reggie is especially easy to hate). This year's team seemed to have a lot of fun and was filled with regular guys who played hard. Look at Mark Teixeira: has there ever been a zillionaire baseball player who is so likeable? (Apologies to Oriole and Sox fans, of course)

[Peter_Spaeth]

Why would you be thrilled that an admitted steroid-user, a guy who cheated serially on his wife, a guy whose self-centeredness knows no bounds, did well?

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Why would you be thrilled that an admitted steroid-user, a guy who cheated serially on his wife, a guy whose self-centeredness knows no bounds, did well?

That sounds like a description of half the guys on the Red Sox last championship team! Seriously, I felt bad for the guy; he was just pathetic and was clearly suffering. How often can one witness a career renaissance in just a three week period?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by calvindog

That sounds like a description of half the guys on the Red Sox last championship team! Seriously, I felt bad for the guy; he was just pathetic and was clearly suffering. How often can one witness a career renaissance in just a three week period?

The dude is his own worst enemy and has exhibited bad character on far too many occasions for me to feel badly for him, even leaving aside that it's generally hard to feel sorry for someone that rich and talented.