New York Yankees universe is seeing visions of a championship contender
By Cory Claus
The New York Yankees think they have assembled a championship caliber club and even neutral observers see big things for the Bombers. But the fans can see things casual observers might have missed.
New York Yankees fans are spoiled.
Once meant as an insult, the accusation is now worn as a badge of honor by some. They take it to mean that fans of the Yankees expect their team to be committed to winning every year and that the team they root for holds itself to the highest standards.
Such fans would argue, what’s wrong with that? Doesn’t every fan of every team want the owners to invest each year in a winning product? Especially in an age when planning to lose is de rigueur?
Perhaps they’re right. Annoying, but right.
Okay, maybe no one has to walk around with that Yankees coat with all 27 titles on it, but being fortunate enough to be a fan of the Bronx Bombers comes with certain perks.
Like your team winning almost as many World Series’ as the next three clubs combined (Cardinals, 11; Athletics, 9; Giants, 8).
And Now We See Hal
It also means having the Steinbrenners as the owners since the early 1970’s. They have consistently invested in the team–even when it meant taking a net loss–in an effort to put not only a winning team on the field but also a championship one.
Certainly, they have failed more times than they have succeeded. But the Yankees have not only won more titles than any other club since Big George bought the team (7) but also they have won more in that time then most teams have in their histories.
The Pirates, for instance, have won five, and they were founded in 1881. That should give Yanks fans out-sized expectations. It should also give them a better perspective on what a championship-caliber club looks like.
And they think they are looking at one right now.
Everyone knows that the young Yankees won 91 games last year, unexpectedly made it to game seven of the ALCS, and then went out and added NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton; those are the headlines.
But there are more reasons than these that have fans and close observers seeing visions of the Bronx Bombers playing deep into October.