Die-hard fans: where are you now?

After four games of the best-of-seven World Series, the New York Yankees have a three-game-to-one advantage over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies, looking to repeat after beating the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series last year, must win the last three games left of the series. (One game tonight in Philadelphia and the last two in the Bronx). Now personally, I am a fan of the Minnesota Twins, however my second favorite team is the one that plays the Yankees that day. So yeah, I can safely say that I hate the New York Yankees. “Hate” may not be the right word. I think “despise” could sum up my true feelings for that “rent a team for a year”. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m a true baseball fan. I respect what the New York Yankees organization has accomplished by winning 26 World Series titles. It’s easy for a team, like the Yankees, to be successful when they spend 3 times more than the rest of the major league teams. There is only one thing I hate more than the New York Yankees as a team, and that is the millions of “car” fans they have acquired over the years. In fact, not just Yankees “car” fans, but “car” fans in general. “Car fanatics,” as they are more commonly known, are people who claim to be true fans of a sports team, but only when they are winning.

I now live in the Tampa Bay area today, and last year I witnessed thousands of these ruthless people as the Tampa Bay Rays achieved one of the greatest changes in professional sports history. The Rays literally went from worst to first in a season and went to the World Series. Unfortunately, since the Rays expanded into the Major Leagues, they were a franchise that had a losing record every year until their championship run. They would be lucky if 15,000 fans showed up to watch them play every day. Most Major League Baseball teams have twice the assist for each home game, who they are playing against. All of that seemed to change midway through the 2008 season when they won the American League pennant and went to the World Series. All of these people who had laughed at the Rays and used their home team as the joke in their office jokes suddenly became “die-hard” fans of the Tampa Bay Rays. These folks were quick to say, “I’ve been a Ray fan since they came to Tampa Bay.” These people know who you are and you make me sick. (In fact, I’m feeling a bit nauseous right now.) Unfortunately, this season, the Rays did not make the play-offs, but they finished with a record of over 500. However, attendance at Tropicana this year was much the same as in previous years.

Where are the “die-hard” Rays fans now? Probably buying a New York Yankees cap right now, and claiming to have been a lifelong Yankees fan. (Excuse me a second, I’m starting to feel bad again.)

With the new PED (Performance Enhancing Drugs) policies in Major League Baseball, the League can ban a player from testing positive for the rest of his life. I think these “car” fanatics should apply a similar rule. I think they should be banned from baseball for life. If you were wearing a Tampa Bay Rays jersey last year right now, and now you are wearing a new New York Yankees jersey and a Yankees cap that probably still has the price tag on it … banned for sure! lifetime! Not only do you make me sick, I almost feel sorry for you. You were probably the kid who went home from school and begged your parents or the new pair of jeans “cool kids” were wearing at the time.

All I ask is that you support your team through good and bad years, as true fans do. It is not too much to ask. Just remember, it could always be worse … you could be a Kansas City Royal fan. (Without disrespecting “true” Royals fans).