For many of you, when you see a palm tree, you think about a vacation, or just heading to the beach to lie out in the sun all day. Not me. This palm tree brings about the hope that warm weather is coming soon, and the excitement of the start of Major League Baseball Spring Training. For Yankees fans, it does not really provoke the thought of hope. It brings about continued expectations. Expectations that just winning last year simply is not good enough. Expectations brought about by the number 28 on Joe Girardi's back, and expectations of the pinstripes. As a fan, a member of the media, or a player, you go into Spring Training with this thought: The 2010 New York Yankees are expected to win the World Series.
That's what takes the fun out of it. You win, and you were supposed to. You lose, and it is pretty much the end of the world. The Spring Training home of the Yankees was once called Legends Field. As if that did not cast a shadow over the organization, it was renamed "George M. Steinbrenner III Field" two years ago. Even though he's not his normal self anymore, The Boss and his values still surround this organization. Take a look at some of the interviews from the first optional day of workouts. Are Girardi, Sabathia, and Phil Hughes talking about how much fun they had this winter, and how nice it was to spend time with their families? Nope. All they say is what they want people to hear: "We were hungry last year. We're still hungry to win. Last year's not going to matter at the end of next year."
On the Other Side: I was requested by a faithful reader to discuss the other baseball franchise in New York (yes, there is another team), the New York Mets. The Mets and their fans have been subjected to some serious pain over the last few seasons. It really goes back to '06, watching Carlos Beltran go down looking with the bases juiced to end the NLCS against St. Louis. Then they go through two consecutive September collapses to the Phillies in 2007 and 2008. Maybe that's what made last year a little bit more enjoyable. No collapse, and at least they got a new stadium.
I do want to point out that even though I do not root for them, the New York Mets have a solid baseball club. David Wright and Jose Reyes are still premiere players. Carlos Beltran, when healthy, is a top-tier center fielder, and Jason Bay was certainly a coveted free agent. But it's really tough for these guys to put up power numbers in Citi Field, and the Mets could have used another starter in the off-season. Johan Santana has been injured lately, and he cannot carry the team on his back. Oliver Perez is a total crap shoot on the mound, Mike Pelfrey is the king of the balk, and John Maine is simply inconsistent. Lots of things have to go right for a long time in order for the Mets to surpass the Phillies and get back on top of the NL East. Don't look now, but even the Washington Nationals have added some big-name pitching.
All in all, if you're a Yankee fan or a Met fan, you still feel that excitement of Spring Training. Really, you could be a Pittsburgh Pirates fan or a Kansas City Royals fan, and the hope is still there. From now until the second game of the regular season, every team has the same record, and just as good a shot as anyone to win the World Series. You can look great on paper, but you have to play the game (thank you, Herman Edwards). If you root for a team that hasn't been all that successful lately, enjoy it! What's the worst that could happen? If you're a fan of a big-market club, or the defending World Champions for that matter, get ready for a long, stressful ride.
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