Disclaimer: The title of this post should give you an idea where I’m going with this. I will try to avoid the saccharine sentimentality inherent in such a topic, but be patient. I thought it mildly interesting. Thanks for indulging. Or, conversely, I understand you not reading this whole thing.
I, like a large number of people my age (25), grew up a Yankees fan. The allure of being able to see the team you like on TV a lot was key, but to say that success wasn’t a prime reason for my fandom would be a lie. Unlike your run of the mill Washington dwelling Cowboys fan, I at least had some minor credibility. My parents had grown up Yankee fans and my entire family lives outside of Manhattan. Does this make me a Legitimate Out Of Town Fan? Maybe not, but for the sake of argument, we’ll say it did.
I grew up learning about the Yankee players of the past, idolizing their great players of that mid and late 1990s, and deifying players that were for all intents and purposes, pretty average. Paul O’Neill comes to mind.
Anyway, fast forward to my bedroom (ohhh yeahh) this October. As I watched A Rod run across the diamond towards Rivera and Teix, I felt…empty. Every championship prior to this, and every crucial Red Sox game felt to me like a major life event, a “I’ll always remember where I was when…” moment. This last one felt like a fulfilled prophecy, but not a cool, futuristic one. A “If it snows, WMATA will suck” forgone conclusion-type prophecy.
This is a long way of setting up a conversation I had last night. I’m in a class with EJ Fagan, of The Yankee U, and we were talking on the way out of class. I mentioned that I write about the Nationals, or at least did so with a lot more frequency in the past. His response was “There just isn’t a lot to write about for the Nationals.”
He meant nothing malicious and surely didn’t even think that I’d be writing anything about that conversation. But, on the way home, I started thinking about the differing perspectives of a dyed in the wool Yankees fan ACTUALLY from NY, and a kid who liked the Yankees for a few reasons (none of them really compelling) who didn’t have a local team to follow.
But now I do. And they have been really bad. They are basically the bizarro Yankees. But after spending 15 years reading and watching everything Yankees related, I think I just don’t care anymore. There are some sentimental ties with players that are still on the team, and with my Dad, who is still a dedicated Yankee fan. But I was thinking today about the Yankees chances, and I realized that it was a foregone conclusion in my mind that they were going to win the AL East. And I realized what almost every other baseball fan has discovered way sooner than me; If you expect victory, then what’s the damn point?
I’ve fallen for the Nationals. I care about their A level prospects that can hit the ball a mile, but have the hitting eye of Ted Williams (Now. not when he was alive and hitting .400. But now, when said eyes are sitting on a can of tuna. Listen, I know that was a confusing metaphor, but I really wanted to bring up the Tuna can thing). I think the rotation debates with the young Nationals are infinitely more exciting than “Which All Star can we pick up to be our 4th starter?”. It’s like all of the arguments I’ve had with other team’s fans over the years that I’ve braved and attempted to disprove, have all seeped into my skull and caused me to think.
Being a Nationals fan is the antithesis of being a Yankees fan. As a Nationals fan, you can’t assume that your team’s owners will spend every dollar possible to make your team win games. You won’t have the tacit respect of some baseball fans who think that maybe it would be cool to win sometimes, and won’t have the adulation of every media outlet. You won’t see your games on national television, but will get to endure countless “Natinals” comments, “You Dead Dawg” jokes, and general condescension from almost every other team’s fanbase.
But in the end, it’s worth it. My fandom is pure, and any eventual victories will actually mean something. Whenever the day comes, and I can bet the Yankees will win 2 or 3 more championships before the Nationals make it to the Series, I do know one thing.
When I see the Nationals win something, I won’t sit there feeling nothing.
What Was Nook Logan Thinking? 