YANKEES FANS, DRIVE & JOEL SHERMAN

What is a Yankees fan? How do you qualify to become one? What characteristic must you exude? Simple! You must love, and respect the team. Really, it's not rocket science. Sure, there are days that are tougher than others, and there are several fans of other teams that will look to bicker with us over our fandom. But at the end of the day, we respect one another, regardless of how we choose to show our love for the team. Believe me, I know all kinds of Yankees fans. I know the vulgar kind that would flip your grandmother off if she made a negative statement about the team. I know fans that, even at our lowest, can't or won't make any criticism towards the team. The realist, the idealist, the optimist, and the pessimist. They are all my friends. All Yankees fans. And that one thread connects us. So when I hear someone make an outlandish remark about Yankees fans, it kind of ticks me off.

Joel Sherman, you behaved incredibly foolishly. Recently on MLB Tonight, Sherman decided to voice his opinions on Yankees fans. He called us spoiled, saying we need a few 76-win seasons, and then topped it off by comparing us to "crack addicts." Really, Sherman? Crack addicts?

Let me break this down for you Sherman; The Yankees play in New York City. Arguably one of the best, if not the best, cities in the United States. And to make it in New York City, you have to have the drive and determination for success. Not just in sports either. In life in general. You don't make it in New York by accepting failure as the norm. You push yourself to be a winner. And since when was drive and determination a negative trait in an individual?

Yes, we expect a certain level of success from our teams. Most especially the 27 time World Champions. We know that if they really push themselves, they are capable of it. Because we have faith in our team. Are we spoiled by the 90's dynasty era? Perhaps, but that has nothing to do with the wins. Don't ever mistake our love for gritty, hardworking players that leave their blood sweat and tears on the field, for us crying over lost championships. Players like Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Mariano Rivera? They are the reason we are spoiled. Because we expect every player on the field to have that same drive. Anything less is simply unacceptable. Again, we admire the drive, and determination. The championships? Those are added bonuses. I mean look at our Captain. Derek Jeter he pushes himself to his limits, and then barrels through them, and continues pushing.

My biggest gripe with your overtly idiotic comments was the comparison to "crack addicts." What is a Yankees fan biggest crime that we would be compared to "crack addicts?" Better question, are you aware of how seriously diseased addicts are, and how sad it is for an individual to be addicted to drugs? Comparing us to any form of drug addicts is simply moronic! Crack addicts need help to recover from a disease. Did you make this same comparison of the 2012 Red Sox fans? Or do you make this comparison to Chicago Cubs fans? I mean, surely if you believe Yankees fans are diseased, then Cubs fans must suffer affliction to root for a team that has never win a World Series, correct? Sherman, you have never been so wrong. Like the Red Sox fans in 2012, and Cubs fans in general, the only thing we suffer from is a love of the sport. The camaraderie we feel with other Yankees fans, and a adoration for the history of our team. Like my friend, and fellow BYB writer, Rudy Laurens said "Since when is being a fan of a team you love so much a bad habit?" Either you have no idea what addiction actually is, or you have no idea what it is like to be a baseball fan.

You seem to have missed what the Yankees organization is about. Or were you unaware that we are the same team that had players named Mickey Mantle, Thurman Munson, Yogi Berra, or Lou Gehrig? Have you forgotten that we are the organization that battled through The Bronx Zoo era? The Yankees don't hang divisional champion banners, they hang World Series Championship banners. The Yankees are a class organization. And as such, they instill a feeling of pride, and love in their fans that is unequaled anywhere. So yes, we love our team deep. Yes we have high expectations for our team. We expect a drive to be the best. A determination to get to the very top of the heap. That is all part of the "Pride Power Pinstripes" motto. Things like Mo's 305th save, and farewell tour, Jeter's 3000th hit, the Grand Slam Trifecta game, and Posada clinching the division in 2011… all of these most recent achievements by the Yankees? All of them in non-championship years. All of them adding to the greatness, and richness of this team. All of them prime examples of players who pushed themselves to the limit, and then some. 

Sherman, your statement was not only idiotic, it was completely unprofessional.

As a journalist, it is your job to present the news, as well as your opinions, in a way that is respectable. You are supposed to present us with information in such a manner to make it hard for us to dispute, even when we do not completely agree with you. Instead, you presented us with complete fodder. Sherman, you are about to learn another lesson. New Yorkers run kind of like that scene in "The Godfather." You don't take sides against the family. Yankees fans come in all ages, nationalities, shapes, sizes and genders. At the end of the day, none of that matters. It's the respect you show for the team. The drive that teams exhibits on the field. At the end of the day, it's passion that unites us, Sherman. And you just gave us one more thing to be passionate about.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.