Which Evil Empire Team do we hate the most?

Why do I hate the Yankees so much? I can think of a few reasons.

1)The obvious unfair advantage they have because of their payroll.

1a) $201 million in 2009 (52 million more than the next highest team)

1b) $209 million in 2008 (70 million more than the next highest team)

1c) $195 million in 2007 (52 million more than the next highest team)

1d) $194 million in 2006 (74 million more than the next highest team)

1e) $208 million in 2005 (85 million more than the next highest team)

1f) $188 million in 2004 (58 million more than the next highest team)

1g) $170 million in 2003 (57 million more than the next highest team)

1h) Alex Rodriguez’s $275 million contract (2008- 2017) (Highest paid 3B in MLB)

1i) Derek Jeter’s $189 million contract (2001-2010) (Highest paid SS in MLB)

1j) Mark Teixeira’s $180 million contract (2009-2016) (Highest paid 1B in MLB)

1k) CC Sabathia ’s $161 million contract (2009-2015) (Highest paid starter in MLB)

1L) Jason Giambi’s’s $120 million contract (2002-2008)

1m) Inheriting Kevin Brown’s $105 million contract just because they could (1999-2005)

1n) Paying Roger Clemens $28 million to come back for one more year in 2007

1o) Taking over Javier Vazquez’s $11.5 million contract this season because the Braves couldn’t afford it

1p) Mariano Rivera’s contract ($15 million a year for a closer is the highest in MLB)

1q) $13 million a year for Jorge Posada (Highest paid catcher in MLB)

1r) Carl Pavano’s $40 million contract (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

1s) The Randy Jonson contract (15-16 million a year)

1t) The Jose Contreras contract ($32 million)

1u) The first Javier Vazquez contract

1v) The Kyle Farnsworth contract

1w) The Damaso Marte contract

1x) The Jared Wright contract

1y) Kei Igawa’s $26 million posting fee (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

1z) Kei Igawa’s $20 million contract (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

(I would go on but there’s just not enough letters in the alphabet.)

2) Coming up with the term "Yankee Universe"…..barf

3) Joba Chamberlain’s antics on the mound every time he strikes someone out.

4) George Steinbrenner and everything he stands for (including that felony he was convicted of in 1974 that we’re not allowed to talk about)

5) Hank Steinbrenner saying that Joba Chamberlain is better than Josh Beckett. (August 2008) You keep thinking that Hank.

6)Having more players caught using steroids than any other team.

7)Having the nerve to call their PA announcer "the voice of God".

8)The Jeffery Maier incident.

9)Joe DiMaggio winning the 1947 MVP over Ted Williams. DiMaggio batted .315 with a .391 OBP and a .913 OPS in 1947 to go along with 20 HR and 97 RBI. Ted Williams on the other hand hit .343 with a .499 OBP and a 1.133 OPS to go along with 32 HR and 114 RBI. (Seriously, I would love for just one person to tell me how DiMaggio won the 47 MVP over Williams)

10) Yankee fans thinking that they are going to get Joe Mauer when Posada reties just because they have the most money. (The guy lives in a log cabin. He doesn’t want to come to New York.)

Reasons 11-20 are the ARod top ten list I made in October***

10) February 2009 (ARod the liar)

ARod’s steroid use comes into public light. This would not have made the list if it wasn’t for the Katie Couric interview he did where he repeatedly denied ever using steroids.

9) May 30, 2007 (Busch League ARod)

Arod yells “Mine” while rounding third on a popup and gets the Toronto infield to drop the ball. If you don’t think this out of line, tell me why not one Yankee teammate came to his defense when asked about the play.

8) March 2006 & 2009 (What’s the bigger joke ARod or the WBC?)

Monday: I’m going to play for the U.S. in the WBC.
Tuesday: Oh wait no, I’m going to go with my heritage and play for the D.R.
Wednesday: Oops sorry I’m going to play for the U.S.
Thursday: Now that I think of it I really should play for the D.R.
Friday: No it’s about national pride. U.S. it is
Saturday: Actually I’m going to draw some more attention to myself by announcing I’m playing for the D.R.

7) Fall 2007 (Greedy ARod)

Apparently signing the biggest contract in MLB history just wasn’t good enough for ARod. He decided he just had to opt out of his $252 million contract so he could resign with the same team for new MLB record $270 million contract. (This move by both ARod and the Yankees goes a long way in explaining those $2,500 seats.)

6) September 25, 2006 (Alexander the Great)

ARod talks about how great he is in a 2006 interview and reveals why people don’t like him. “I’m good-looking, I’m biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team and because of that people write bad things about me.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/magazine/09/19/arod0925/2.html

5) February 2009: The Peter Gammons interview (ARod the liar again)

There’s so much from this transcript but I’ll choose three of my favorite exchanges that were just asinine

A) Peter G: What kind of substances were you taking?
Arod: “To be quite honest I don’t know exactly what substance I was guilty of using”
Oh yeah, this is believable. An athlete as concerned about his body as Arod is going to inject something into himself when he has no idea what it is.

B) Peter G: When did you get the wake-up call?
Arod: “It wasn’t until 2003. I was laying in my bed in Surprise, Arizona and thought I don’t need any of it, and what I have is enough.”
So you took steroids for two years, had an epiphany in spring training, but didn’t stop taking steroids until the end of that season. Yep makes a lot of sense to me.

C) Peter G: The Katie Couric interview. You were asked if you ever used steroids, human growth hormones or other performance-enhancing substances. You said no, flat-out no. In your mind, that wasn’t a lie?
Arod: At the time, Peter, I wasn’t even being truthful with myself. How am I going to be truthful with Katie or CBS?
So if you lie to yourself then you are telling the truth to the world? Is this one of those hate = love things?

4) April 27, 2005 (Really Greedy ARod)

 After going 4-5 with 3 HR’s and breaking the all time RBI record in a single game at Yankee stadium with 10, ARod decides he is now the best Yankee of all time. He decides to celebrate by selling signed baseballs commemorating the event. You can buy one here for the low price of $489.06.
http://www.mlbfansite.com/authentic-memorabilia/alex-rodriguez-signed-official-yankee-stadium-final-season-baseball-inscribed-3-hr-10-rbi-4-26-05.html

3) July 15, 2008 (A-WOL)

Despite the All Star game being in his home park and going a remarkable 15 innings, ARod decides to sneak out early in the trunk of a car so he can spend a hot night with Madonna. Did I mention they were both married with kids when this happened? (I guess now we can call ARod a Pre and Post Madonna)

2) October 19 2004 (More Busch League ARod)

It’s the bottom of the 8th inning of game 6 of the 2004 ALCS and the Yankees are in the midst of the most astonishing collapse in the history of organized sports. Does ARod go down gracefully? Not a chance! After hitting a ground ball to pitcher Bronson Arroyo ARod slaps the ball out of his glove and ends up at second. When the umpires correctly ruled (I can’t believe I just typed that) the ARod was out, he stands at second with his hands in the air as if to say “What did I do?” What a Phony!!!!!
After this happens Yankee fans begin to pelt the field with debris. Oddly this disgrace is largely forgotten.
The ARod part of the incident prompts this photo.
http://mobclan.com/pointto/ArodPurse.jpg

1) October 28, 2007 (ARod the Narcissist)

ARod and Scott Boras’s decision to opt out in the middle of the the World Series was the most classless tactic I’ve ever seen someone use to draw attention to themselves. This screams “I am more important than the two league champions and the traditional series they have played against each other for over 100 years”. Stay classy ARod.

Back to the other Yankees I hate.

21) Roger Clemens and his entire stint with the Yankees (especially the "roid rage" incident in the 2000 World Series)

22) Hank Steinbrenner giving his team a golden parachute in August 2008 by telling them that "it’s OK if you guys don’t make the playoffs because you’ve had so many injuries" Shouldn’t that 200 + million you spent have bought you a little depth?

23) Yankee fans claiming to have the most loyal fan base in the world while forgetting that their attendance averaged less than 24,000 a game in 1995 when they made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.

24) Yankee announcers feeling that it’s necessary to mention every great Yankee at least once during every broadcast.

25) Yankee fans booing Roger Maris because he had the nerve to hit 61 HR for their team helping them win the 1961 World Series.

26) Other fans in New York rooting for the Yankees after their team is eliminated. In 1999 Chipper Jones said “We want to shut these Mets fans up for good so that they can go home and put their Yankees stuff on.”

27) Robinson Cano: I don’t like him because I think he’s a lazy player but RMN said that he’s his least favorite Yankee so I’m sure he can elaborate.

28) Yankee fans claiming that only certain players are "true Yankees"; whatever the hell that means.

29) Steve Howe: This loser tested positive for cocaine use three times and was suspended seven. Knowing this the Yankees gave him a chance to clean up his act in 1991 but Howe did coke again and went to rehab. The Yankees gave him another chance and this time Howe bought a gram of coke in Montana. The Yankees GAVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE and he was found with a loaded gun in his suitcase in JFK airport.

30 Running a commercial for their new stadium that says "After 86 years at the same address greatness has a new home"

31) No names on road uniforms. I have no problem with no names on the home uniforms (which a lot of teams have) and selling the idea that the team is more important than the player. However I have a big problem with no names on the road uniform (which only the Yankees do). This screams "we’re the Yankees and we’re so great that every fan of every team should know the names of all of our players."

32) Getting rid of Joe Torre after the 2007 season because apparently leading his team to the postseason every single year for 12 straight years just wasn’t good enough for the Yankees.

33) Yankee fans booing their own players ever time they made an out in the first couple innings of Game 1 last year’s ALDS (because apparently that never happens)

34) Charging $2500 to attend a regular season baseball game. The price of these seats brings us back to the payroll issue. We have come full circle.