As I watched the World Series last night, I suddenly found myself pulling for the Yankees. When I was a boy, I had this admiration for the Yankees, because of the legacy of all those incredible baseball players...I'd watch old Micky Mantle clips, and digested as much as I could about DiMaggio, Yogi, Maris, Whitey Ford, and then you page back to the Ruth/Gehrig era. It's hard not to appreciate these guys and what they mean to the game I loved as a boy. 

Then came Steinbrenner. Now we have a team who has set the standard in how MLB teams run...by attempting to outspend everyone. Look, I am a Pirates fan, and when you see a guy like Texeria or CC sign for those ridiculous amounts of money, it makes you sick. Any homegrown talent will most likely be temporarily stationed in PNC Park, before taking a huge payday from another major market club. But back to my point here...I hate Philly. 

When the series began, all I wanted was a good series, simply because I wanted to be entertained. I could care less who won, in fact, I did not want either to win. But then last night  I paid more attention to the wildly clever fan chants of "CC sucks" or "Yankees Suck" or whoever "sucks." I thought back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, when all the Philly Flyer faithful could come up with again was, "Crosby Sucks." Ironic that all these athletes and teams that "suck" end up beating them. It's good to be sucky. How about cheering for your team, instead of constantly degrading the opponent? Probably the worst moment of all last night was seeing a kid, no older than 12, face painted, and while not being a great lip reader, it was pretty clear that he was cursing and screaming, just like dad. Let's hear it for parenting!

It gets old, the blatant disrespect shown to any athlete, and often times, it is even directed at their own, i.e. Donovan McNabb, Andy Reid, Mike Richards, etc. The fist fights in the stands, the need for a jail within your facility, the pelting of opposing players with batteries, popcorn, beer, snowballs, etc. 

I get that these incidents are not just a Philly thing, we've all chanted a goalies name mockingly. I am sure I have even joined in on a so and so sucks. It is the degree and the length that these fans go to that pushes me over the edge. There is a line between being a passionate fan and a jerk. At some point, you have to show class, and respect. I get into this all the time when the topic of certain QB's are brought up here on the Q. I may not like Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning, but I sure as heck enjoy watching these guys play, and revel in the opportunity to see them go down to the Steelers come playoff time. 

Maybe when one of your great sports figures is a fictional character, you have some excuse for skewed reality, whereas we have statues of Clemente, Stargell, and Art Rooney. Even our Pirates, so maligned, 17 straight losing seasons, have a more successful past than the Phillies, winners of 5 out of 7 World Series (coincidentally the highest winning percentage in MLB provided at least 3 appearances). 

So, Filthadelphia, I sincerely hope the Yankees beat you now. In the end you will most likely not be able to admit that the better team won, that A-Rod, Tex and the rest of the "Bombers" did what they had to to win. Instead you will throw Ryan Howard or Brad Lidge under the bus. Maybe Charlie Manuel for not starting Lee on short rest. 

Sports, in the end, are a game. Competition where teams and individuals put their skills to the test against one another. We, the fans throw our support behind them. Sports teach many life lessons,  such as hard work being rewarded, teamwork, etc. Win or lose, our lives move on. At some point, people need to understand this fact, and more importantly, provide a good example for the kids. It is a great feeling when our team does win it all, and I have been blessed to witness this many times in my own life. One of my earliest memories I can recall is seeing Lynn Swann make his incredible acrobatic catch in Super Bowl X. I saw the Pirates come back from 3-1 down to the Orioles, followed a few months later by another Super Bowl victory. 

I was lucky enough to be at game 1, 1992 Stanley Cup Finals, where the Pens came back from 4-1 in the 3rd Period against the Blackhawks to win (and why is that game not included in the 10 Greatest Pens' Games DVD box set????). I also have the image of Sid Bream rounding third in game 7 to prevent the Pirates going to the World Series seared into my brain, as well as Neil O'Donnell suddenly becoming Captain Turnover in SB XXX. That is the beauty of sports, and we all remember ABC's Wide World of Sports and that poor ski jumper illustrating the agony of defeat. 

It is how you carry yourself after a win, after a loss, that reveals character.  When someone down here in South Florida asks me why would I not want the Phillies to win, since they are a Pennsylvania team, I merely tell them that I despise Filthyland. As a city, Philadelphia is a great place. As a sports town, it's a classless wasteland, completely void of respect. Just go to an Eagle game at the Linc in an opposing teams jersey. You might as well be wearing a white hood and robe, the amount of verbal abuse received is completely uncalled for. A few years ago I went to a Flyers Pens game, with a college buddy and his 9-year-old son.  That the kid learned all of George Carlin's 7 words, and many more is a tribute to the town. 

Anyway, I am sure I will have hit a nerve with this one, and be flamed excessively. I will be told I am making generalizations and that I am focusing on a few rotten apples. My wife's family is from there, and her dad and I get along great, so I understand that not everyone is like this. Still, it is the mob mentality there, and that one takes over, showing zero class and a whole lot of suck.