I See Your Two Losses and Raise You a Thrilling Win

Optimism. It’s a big word, and not just because it has 9 letters. It’s also a meaningful word. It’s a particularly meaningful word in the hearts of sports fans.

I’ll get to fans and optimism later. But first things first;

The last 3 games have been exciting. They’ve been quite thrilling, even. At least, the one today was exciting and thrilling. The two before were not so exciting and thrilling for me, and tons of other Yankee fans. It’s been an interesting Red Sox-Yankees series, to say the least.

The Series

The first game of the series was completely awful. The Yankees were dominated by the young lefty Jon Lester. He pitched a complete game, 5-hit shutout. We lost 7-0. It was an all-around sloppy game by the Yankees. Bad defense, bad pitching, bad offense… all the things that a bad team has, the Yankees did it on Thursday.

Friday didn’t yield any better results. Although the Yanks scored 3 runs in the 1st inning, that was all they would score until the 9th inning. The Red Sox tied it on a triple by Kevin Youkilis and took the lead on a 3-run homer by Mike Lowell. Yankees lost, 6-4.

Today’s game was very exciting, especially the end. We scored only two runs off Justin Masterson, but it ended up being enough. Mussina was fantastic for 6 innings, shutting down a tough Boston offense. And even though Mo struggled in the ninth, he managed to squiggle out of a bases loaded, no out jam to win the game for the Yankees.

Fandom

Ah, the life of being a fan. Being a fan is much more than going to games and cheering for your team. Being a fan means living and breathing your team. It means devotion to your team. It means through thick and thin, right and wrong, great and awful, you are still devoted to your team.

Sometimes you doubt your team. Sometimes you feel that your team just isn’t capable of winning. But there’s always that hint of optimism coming into every game that your team will win. You always cheer when something good happens. You scream and pull out your hair when the bad happens. But you’re always there for your team. You wear caps and jerseys and bring along all sorts of memorabillia. You feel for your team. When your team loses, it’s a tough, tough feeling.

And your team is going to lose games. There is no such thing as a perfect team, particularly in baseball. 162-0 just isn’t possible. Your team will have its ups and its downs. It’ll have hot streaks and cold streaks. A good team loses 65 games in a season. That’s 65 times that you have to tell yourself and your fellow fans, “Hey, it’s just a loss,” or, “You can’t win ’em all.”. That’s 65 times where you pull out your hair or slap your forehead or grunt and moan. That’s 65 times where you have to see that other team; that despicable, stupid other team; win a game against your precious, beloved Yankees/Red Sox/Phillies/Braves/Blue Jays/Pirates/Tigers/Orioles etc. or your Giants/Jets/Saints/Titans/Patriots/Bills/Dolphins etc. or your Nets/Knicks/Celtics/Magic/Heat/Bucks/Blazers/Kings/Rockets etc. or your Rangers/Islanders/Devils/Capitals/Lightning/Thrashers/Red Wings/Ducks/Canucks/Canadiens etc. lose, and it’s painful! (Other leagues do not have as many games at all, but… you know what I mean). 

But at the end of the day, Yankee fans, everyday you go to the park or put on the game 162 times hoping for a win. We cheer our beloved 25 men everyday. It’s not just a team, it’s a way of life!

Cheer up, gloomy Bomber fans! It’s understandable to be down in the dumps. It’s a part of the fame. But eventually, you cheer your team on like you always do. Cheer your team on to victory and stay optimistic!

Final Thoughts

The pitching has been great, Yankee fans. It really has been. It’s been a tough, tough year but we’re still 4 games over .500. We’ve got a legitimate shot at the playoffs. Expect to see some more young prospects being recalled from the minors such as Matt Carson, Colin Curtis(good OF prospects), Jeff Marquez(promising starter, on DL), Scott Strickland(MLB veteran dominating AAA), Juan Miranda(powerful Cuban 1B), J.B. Cox(great relief prospect), and Mark Melancon(live-armed reliever dominating the minors). The possibilities are really endless for these young, Yankees of the future.

Stay optimistic, Yankee fans! We have the talent to make the playoffs.

-EJ/Kid From New York