Taking Die Hard Fanatacism Too Far
August 15, 2009 · Greg Fertel · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Let me start out by saying that I consider myself a die hard Yankees fan. I go to 20+ games per year and probably only miss 10-15 games on TV a season. That said, I try to stay optimistic.
I am a Yankee fan because I was raised that way, but I also enjoy being a fan. I think it is fun to love a team and root for them. That is what fanhood is all about.
I was lucky enough to get a partial season ticket package this season a row in front of my seats from the previous few seasons. By the way, the price of each of the tickets went down $2. Now, instead of sitting in the last row of the upper deck of the stadium right behind home plate, I sit in the second to last row.
This move has brought me the misfortune of having a particular fan sitting right behind me who has made multiple games for me and others unpleasant. It all started the second game of the Yankees versus Cubs spring training series.
It was a beautiful day, and everyone was ecstatic to be at the new Yankee Stadium. To be honest, my focus wasn’t on the spring training game; my focus was on seeing friends, family, and checking out the new stadium. I don’t think you can fault me for that.
When my brother and I arrive at our seats, we are standing and greeting all our friends and acquaintances around us. This lasted for maybe 30 seconds. Then, all of a sudden, we hear a big roar from the row behind us: “SIT THE HELL DOWN, I’M TRYING TO WATCH THE GAME.”
Now, if this were an important game, his complaints could have some merit. There’s always a better way to address the situation, though. Anyway, the rest of that game I spent walking around and taking in the new stadium.
I’ve seen the same guy (he’s very recognizable) at a few games since, but don’t remember anything notable. That all changed on Tuesday’s game versus Toronto.
This guy was muttering profanities behind me the whole game. Joba gives up a hit with RISP and I hear, “UGH WHAT THE **** ELSE IS NEW,” like that is expected of Joba. I don’t really believe in this thing, but if there is one thing that can be said of Joba this season, it’s that he has been able to limit the damage when he’s been trouble.
There was nothing more I wanted to do than turn around and say, “Do you realize Joba Chamberlain is a 23-year-old starter with a 3.85 ERA in the best division in baseball?” I didn’t, but I think Joba deserves some sort of a break.
That isn’t my argument in this post though. The family next to this man actually got up and walked around because they didn’t want their kid to be exposed to this crazy muttering and cursing.
Later in the game, this man left our section. There was honestly a sigh of relief from everyone and a bunch of strangers and I talked about how happy we were that this man was gone.
Now, I have no problem with being an obsessed fan. However, the Yankees have the best record in baseball and are looking great. This is a time to be excited and happy. This is not the time to be upset about every thing that goes wrong during the course of a game.
I did not see this guy stand up or cheer the entire game. I don’t see the point of that. If you’re a fan of the Yankees or any team when the times are going good, enjoy it and cheer your team on. Please don’t focus on the negatives.
Anyway, this was just a rant on a particular fan that I felt exemplified a problem with many fans. If you’re not going to be excited when your team is rolling and playing great, when will you be excited?
I just hope every Yankee fan will be thankful of what the Yankees are doing right now and not stress over every little negative thing that happens the rest of the season.
The Yankees have all but locked up a postseason spot at this point, so there isn’t much reason to over-analyze every move the rest of the way. It is really just the time to be happy and enjoy this great team that we have the opportunity to root for and watch cruise into October.
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