Monday, May 28, 2007

Hating the Yankees is going to be harder now...

I grew up a Baltimore Orioles fan. I still wish the O's well, and root for them almost all of the time. Almost. When they are playing the Washington Nationals, I have a conflict of interest that always finally sides with DC. My love for all sports in DC is too great to go against them when Baltimore comes to town.

Growing up an O's fan (and having a mother from upstate New York who cheered on the Mets as a child), there is one team that I have always hated in baseball. That would be the New York Yankees. Not only are they a rival of the O's in the same AL East division, but there was one moment in the rivalry where things somehow went the Yankees way, and I fumed for months.

Jeffrey Maier is a name I'll never forget. He was the 12-year-old kid who gave the Yankees a home run and the momentum against the O's the last time the O's made the playoffs in 1996. He took what would have been a caught ball for the 3rd out of the 6th inning and pulled it with his glove over the fence into the front row of right field. None of the umps saw it (conspiracy), and a 2-run homer was given to the Yankees. The Yanks went on to win the game and the series, and Jeffrey Maier got to be on David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Good Morning America. Ridiculous.

However, I now won't have as bad a taste in my mouth when someone mentions the Yankees. This is because their owner, George Steinbrenner, has put some of the loads of money he has to good use. Steinbrenner announced today that the Yankees will donate $1 million to the Virginia Tech Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund! They will also play a charity exhibition game at Virginia Tech sometime in 2008!

This reminds us of what is really important in life. As an avid sports fan, I sometimes get too excited and think that a loss is the end of the world. Anyone who has ever been in the stands with me at Lane Stadium after a Hokie loss can attest to that. But possibly the only positive thing that a tragedy like 4/16/07 can bring about is a sense of perspective.

A loss in sports is not the end of the world. It's a loss in sports. That's it. Because of a rivalry, I have cursed the Yankees my whole life. Not to say that I'm a Yankee-supporter now, but I am a Yankee-respecter. Along with all of the other rivals that supported Virginia Tech after the tragedy (West Virginia University, Miami University, the University of Virginia, etc.), the Yankees put aside sports for a second and looked at the big picture.

To the New York Yankees, I say thank you from all of Hokie Nation.

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