When my son asked whether I was planning to root for the
Yankees this year, I told him I haven't made up my mind. I find
that my old-time Yankee fervor is being mitigated by my annoyance
at owner George Steinbrenner.
For me, the business of baseball overruled the thrill of our
great American pastime in 2002. The deals, the humongous salaries
for mediocre talent, and the rising ticket prices have zapped
whatever zip I used to feel for the Bronx Bombers.
My children grew up watching their mother act like a lunatic
during the playoffs, calling on her higher power to intervene on
behalf of the Yankees. That the lunacy won results in 1996, 1998,
1999, and 2000 struck them as magical. In 2001, after the attacks
of September 11, I announced that it was important for the
Yankees to be in the World Series, but that I didn't want them to
win. Apparently, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera also felt the same
reluctance to having a ticker-tape celebration in the area now
known as ground zero. He blew the seventh game of the World
Series.
I've always been a Yankee fan. I've stuck with them through all
their lean years and rejoiced when they started winning again,
but now something's missing. It seems that every year the team is
acquiring big buck stars that falter once they get to New York.
While Joe Torre as manager may get the blame, the fault may lie
in the fact that these megastars have trouble playing for a team
they feel no allegiance to.
The last game I attended in the Bronx was the much-heralded debut
of Hideki Irabu, for whom Mr. Steinbrenner paid more than $12
million. He won the game, but completely under whelmed me with
his lackluster performance. He lasted only two years as a Yank.
The Yankees have excellent scouts and a wonderful farm system, so
why are they throwing away money when they should be developing
the abundant talent there. Yankee captain Derek Jeter is a prime
example of a player groomed within the system to become a
superstar. How many Chien-Ming Wangs could Steinbrenner get for
what the Yankees paid for a Randy Johnson?
Speaking of Mr. Wang: He's doing a bang-up job as a starter, and
he helped win the 2002 NY-Penn League championship for our very
own minor league team - the Staten Island Yankees. Other Staten
Island alumni now playing in the Bronx are Robinson Cano and
Melky Cabrera.
The Baby Bombers, as they are known, play at the beautiful
Richmond County Bank Stadium overlooking New York Harbor, yet
they have trouble filling seats. Rumor has it that the Yankees
may be buying the team from the current owners, Stanley and Josh
Getzler. There go the $11 box seats.
When I first met Stanley Getzler years ago, he told me that
owning the minor league team was a dream come true. The former
New York Stock Exchange member's love of the game was evident
throughout the time I spent at his office interviewing him, and
it's unfortunate that the Staten Island community has not
supported its team as well as Brooklyn has supported the
Cyclones, the Mets club that plays in Keyspan Park.
Hopefully, that will change, at least on August 4, when a very
special game will be played as a fund-raiser for Immaculate
Conception School. A fireman killed in the World Trade Center on
September 11, Robert Curatolo, will be honored. His sister, Kathy
Curatolo is the principal of ICS, an excellent inner-city
elementary school in Stapleton. Come enjoy baseball at its
purest.
The sport of baseball needs owners like Mr. Getzler, who
sacrifice their personal wealth for love of the game rather than
to exploit it for further gain. The folly of impassive team
owners buying high-priced athletes to attract bigger crowds fails
when the cost is then passed on to the fan. New Yorkers are the
savviest sports spectators, and we appreciate good players more
than their price tag. Unfortunately, the best fans are being
priced out of the game. For that matter, we're getting priced out
of just about everything in this town.
If you're not a baseball or sports fan, why should you care?
Well, the creeping commercialism and lust for bigger but not
better in everything that happens here is taking its toll on the
very fabric of this city. It's destroying neighborhoods. The old
adage, "New York is a great place to visit but I wouldn't
want to live here," should be modified to say, "...but
I'll never be able to afford living here."
For more on this, tune in for my next column.