"It's great to be young and a Yankee."

It was good to win the opening series, better that it was against our rivals. But I suspect that even if we had gotten swept, the Sux fans of more sound mind (which, of course, is on par with a semi-conscious gerbil) would be somewhat reluctant to start in on the jeering.

Everyone has an opposing fan that he/she particularly loves to demoralize when appropriate. Like that one guy who, when his team just blew a 10-run lead in the 8th or something, is the first name that comes to mind, and not in a “shit, poor Joe” kind of way, but in a “F&%@ , yeah! Ha, I wish I could see Joe’s face right now” kind of way.

The point is, is that last year, I saw this tweet from (I’m swallowing puke as I even anticipate writing the following words) “the governor or Red Sux Nation.” Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that the practice of actually subscribing to the idea of the Nation, of actually treating this glorified fan club as a recognized sect of society, is—I’m not kidding—one of the most effective, successful, and reliable ways to ignite my animalistic fury. So anyways, there’s this tweet. And at the time it drove me into such much frustrated ire that I literally was sputtering and turning purple. But nonetheless, I saved it, knowing that indeed I would be able to leverage it over and over again, like some renewable natural resource, when the Yanks got out of their 0-8 hole.

Speaking of the Sux, I read yesterday on ESPN that there’s talk of mixing around the divisions so as to separate the Yanks and Boston. I had to read it like 912 times before I realized it wasn’t some Onion-esque April Fool’s thing. (You never know with ESPN. I hate them for a lot of reasons, many of stem from my sports loyalties, but one of those reasons is—IMO—pretty just: the tone of their stories can be so muddled. I can never tell whether it’s supposed to be funny or droll or irreverent. Except for this guy, who is way too astute and articulate to be knocking elbows with Jayson Stark and Tim Keown et al. Which may be why they made ESPN New York?)

Anyways, so the Sux and Yanks apparently are proof that something needs to be done about this heathen system that “allows the Yankees and Red Sox to be in the postseason every damn year.”

Yes, that’s right. The Yanks’ entry into the playoffs are a function of a corrupt system that ENABLES them to do so every year. HOW DOES THIS EVEN MAKE SENSE? They’re in the toughest division! If anything, winning 103 games is doubly impressive when you consider that the majority of those games are played against consistently robust teams like Boston and newly robust teams like the Rays. You know who’s ALLOWED in the playoffs? Freaking NL teams like the Padres or something who don’t even finish above .500 and someone are playing in the NLDS.

Sooo there’s where we are on Boston stream of consciousness.

Which brings me to a final point, although “point” sounds too harsh and contentious. It brings me to a final …note? FYI? Eh, whatever. I’m off the clock today, no copywriting. No more quibbling with myself over monster rhetoric.

That wasn’t my final point or note or whatever. It is the following: As in North Carolina this weekend, kicking it with my favorite person who isn’t family, the recaps for Friday and for Saturday’s games may be pretty light and pithy. Fortunately, my return trip to NY on Sunday features 2 connections, putting me back in the city at midnight…so I’m sure my crazy sensibilities will be more than roused by the time I’m nestling back into good old Manhattan.