Backing the Enemy? Yankee Fans Face Dilemma When Sox Play Rays, Rangers

An old adage advises people to “keep their friends close, and their enemies closer.” This thought process has seemingly never translated to the trench warfare of the Yankees-Sox rivalry.

Even at the expense of level-headedness and the bases of logic, fans on either side of the barbed wire fence refuse to wish good things upon their mortal enemy.

By no means is this concept intended to spark applause and fist pumps from Yankee fans each and every time the Red Sox capture a victory—or spend nights wishing on a star for an ALCS rematch.

There is, however, a time and a place for rationality to overcome disdain.

There exists a situation where it is acceptable and prudent to secretly raise a mental “foam finger” (no, not that finger) in support of the Boston Red Sox.

This does not prevent Yankee fans from sleeping like Rip Van Winkle in the event of a Boston loss, but any matchup of the Sox with a Wild Card contender should at least spawn a dilemma in their thought process.

The Yankees currently sit at 64-42, which is good enough to maintain a 1.5 game lead on Boston in the AL East race.

However, their hypothetical “Wild Card lead” is a mere 4.5 games over a surging and resilient Texas Rangers team. The Rays are not far behind, and currently face a 5.5 game deficit.

What does this mean? The Yankees are one bad week away from fighting for their Wild Card lives, let alone battling for reclamation of AL East supremacy.

With injury and “breakdown” concerns surrounding Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, and the bullpen in general, no team could benefit more from a tranquil September than New York.

The perceived “unmovable” innings limit on improving fourth starter Joba Chamberlain has also allowed doubt to creep into any late-season philosophies.

In order to supply adequate rest for their aging, recovering, and protected players, the Yankees will need to establish an insurmountable Wild Card lead.

The only chance New York has at a run to the World Series is ensuring that it is recuperated and refreshed when entering October baseball.

This is where the Red Sox, and to a lesser extent the Angels, come in.

Boston and New York can blow Tampa out of the race, and LAA can provide the same knockout blow to their Texan foes.

If the Yankees can then handle their business in head-to-head matchups with Boston, and prevent them from gaining ground in the standings over the series’ last 10 games, a playoff appearance is virtually guaranteed.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi and company would then have nothing to fight for in September but playoff positioning—without the pressure of having to overuse key starting pitchers, position players, and bullpen staples.

It may seem unorthodox or uncomfortable, but you should not feel like the baseball version of Benedict Arnold for occasionally golf-clapping Red Sox regular season triumphs.

You are not supporting the Taliban, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, or the redcoats—or giving a metaphorical high-five to Kim Jong-il or Adolf Hitler.

You are instead rationalizing what is most important for your team to recapture the ring and trophy that “success” in this city is personified as.

It is ok to root for Brad Penny and Boston tonight in their series finale with Tampa Bay, so long as you can flip the switch to pure and unadulterated hatred come Thursday night.

What’s In a Name? The Top 10 Player Names in Major League Baseball

10. Cody Ransom (New York Yankees)

There has to be a Yankee on this list, and no name symbolizes the franchise’s offseason efforts better than “Ransom”.

Isn’t that exactly what Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner do to those teams brave enough to compete with them in free agency?

By offering higher salaries or longer contract lengths than others can afford, the Yankees seemingly hold free agents as personal property, forcing an opposing team to cough up a king’s ransom in order to pry him from New York’s grasp.

9. Matt Treanor (Detroit Tigers)

Treanor deserves to be on this list as a result of simply handing his surname to the beautiful volleyball superstar Misty May-Treanor, but he also has a solid baseball name.

Matt’s last name is actually pronounced trainer, and seems very fitting in a dark age of baseball dominated by these “fitness experts.”

If anyone would supply performance-enhancing drugs throughout a locker room, wouldn’t it have to be a Treanor? (This is of course a joke, and has absolutely nothing to do with bringing into question his involvement in the steroids crisis)

8. Josh Outman (Oakland Athletics)

What better name could a pitcher possibly have than “Outman?”

Since April 17, he has certainly been living up to his name. He has pitched to a 3-0 record, 2.38 ERA, and 1.04 WHIP in 45.1 innings.

The Athletics may have found something here, and they sincerely hope that he can be a reliable “out man” for many years to come.

7. Thomas Diamond (Texas Rangers)

Though still waiting for his Major League debut, this Ranger is named after the very field he plays on for the majority of the year.

Diamond is struggling mightily in the minor leagues right now, but it seemed like a near obligation to put him on a list of players intended to capture the essence of a baseball diamond.

6. Homer Bailey (Cincinnati Reds)

Bailey is the sole first name honoree on the list—and deservedly so.

His name symbolizes the element the saved baseball following the strike of 1994, and subsequently has tried to tear it down through syringe-aided blasts.

Unfortunately for Homer, he has surrendered far too many, allowing 12 home runs in just 86 IP at this point of his ML career.

This equates to nearly once every seven innings, and has prevented him from reaching the high expectations that scouts have placed on him.

5. Brandon League (Toronto Blue Jays)

Arguably much more recognizable for his wide array of tattoos and entirely unique eyewear, League also possesses a classic baseball surname.

His presence and mannerisms on the mound may remind fans of Major League’s Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn, but League has made a nice career for himself pitching out of the Toronto bullpen.

Always graced with electric stuff, League has yet to fine-tune his mechanics and consistency in order to become one of the more untouchable middle relievers in baseball.

4. Prince Fielder (Milwaukee Brewers)

The son of a former Major League superstar, Fielder could have made the list for either his first or last name—which is why he climbed a little higher up toward No. 1.

Though weighing in at 270 pounds at just 5’11”, Fielder is much more agile than you might expect. He has earned his last name with some sparkling plays, but he seems to make nearly as many errors as “web gems.”

Fielder will always be known for his potent bat, however, and is currently on pace for 43 HR, 153 RBI, 100 R, and a .430 OBP.

Albert Pujols is certainly the king of National League bat-wielding, but Fielder has numbers fit for a prince.

3. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Texas Rangers)

The Texas Rangers get onto the list for a second time, if for no other reason than my complete inability to spell Saltalamacchia without checking reliable websites multiple times.

Aside from his name being so much fun to say, it is enjoyable to imagine a jersey producer attempting to fit all of the letters across the back—let alone spell it correctly.

After all, you can ask the Washington “Natinals” about how easy it is to misspell keys elements of a baseball uniform.

2. Skip Schumaker (St. Louis Cardinals)

Perhaps much higher up the list than many would expect, Skip Schumaker may have my favorite name of all major league players (you will soon learn why he could never be No. 1).

A simply classic baseball name, Skip Schumaker reminds you of a hard-nosed infielder from the early 1900s—as interested in being covered in dirt and blood as he was anything else.

Schumaker is a nice complimentary player, hitting .294 with 16 RBI and a .342 OBP, all while playing exceptional defense in his first season since transitioning to 2B from the outfield. He has committed just one error in 45 games played at the position.

1. Antonio Bastardo (Philadelphia Phillies)

Do I really even need to explain this selection at No. 1 on the list?

“Antonio Bastardo” is a name even the most creative of comedic writers could not recreate if they tried. It sounds like the name of a leading role in an Antonio Banderas spoof movie.

Although his name is rather comical, Bastardo can laugh back at all of the former classmates that mocked him. He is now a Major League pitcher sitting at 2-0 for the defending World Series Champions—that is what I like to call payback.

No one else could possibly end this countdown, but do not overlook his immense talent. At just 23 years old, Bastardo has electric stuff, as evidenced by his 1.18 WHIP in 11 IP.

Bastardo’s Minor League numbers were even more startling, pitching to a 1.90 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 47.1 innings at a combination of Double-A and Triple-A levels.