Won’t the Yankees Think of the Kids?
After watching the Yankees earn a wild-card birth, their 13th straight playoff appearance, Steve Lombardi of WasWatching wrote the following:
The first thought that I had, about the Yankees locking up #13 now, was: “Man, all Yankees fans who are 21-years old or younger, have been spoiled. They really know nothing but making the post-season.” But, then I thought: “Too bad that those who are 14-years old or younger probably don’t know what it’s like to see them win a ring.”
Hopefully, the Yankees will win one for the youngsters this season.
I was 9 in 1978 when I watched Bucky Dent send the Sox home during their one game playoff. I was 17 and a junior in high school when I watched the ball roll through Buckner’s legs and concluded on the spot that no way would we win game 7. I was 34 when Grady Little handed the American League championship to the Yankees on a silver platter. And I was 35 when the Red Sox pulled off the greatest comeback in baseball history and went on to win their first championship in 86 years.
An entire generation of Red Sox fans, including my father, never got to experience the joy I felt in 2004. Cub fans, without a championship since 1908, are still waiting. For Indian fans it’s been almost 60 years. Cub fans look at Indian fans with envy.
So maybe you can see where I’m coming from when I say to Mr. Lombardi “ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? 14?”. Are there actually 14 year old Yankee fans who stay awake at night worried they’ll never be lucky enough to experience a World Series victory? Do they look at the last Yankee title way back in 2000 and think “if only we had been born a half decade earlier. Those were the golden days”?
After reading his statement the first time I read it again just to make sure I wasn’t missing an attempt at humor, some sarcasm that I hadn’t detected. But no. The only thing I had missed was the words “or younger”. So he’s also looking out for those 9, 10, and 11 year olds who are similarly cursed. What happens to that 14 year old when he turns 15 if the Yankees still haven’t delivered number 27? It’s been 7 years since their last championship. What if it reaches 10? A decade of disappointment? Please, think of the kids! I don’t know how much more disappointment those tykes can take.
