ESPN's First Take talked about the Yankees being a tough team to like this morning because of the scandals, bloated salaries, and egos. Of course, Skip is a Red Sox fan. Personally, I don't think it's because of the off-field antics as much as it is the revolving door of stars.
I started liking the Yankees after they got bounced out of the ALCS by the Red Sox and grew to like them even more after my two years living in Manhattan. Since I'm not a lifelong Yankee fan, I can see the bitter side of the coin. However, I can also say that if the they keep winning with this unit for several more years, their allegiance will grow. And this is why.
Teams sign athletes to huge contracts all of the time. Unfortunately with the Yankees, they've signed several big names over the past couple of years who only played for a year or two and left. The result is that the team doesn't feel much like a team. Instead, it just looks like owners trying to buy championships.
But if this current crop of superstars play out their contracts together, they'll create a new persona for the Yankees. They won't be CC from the Pirates, AJ Burnett from the Jays, etc, etc, etc. They'll be the Yankees - a team of good athletes that make a lot of money but still enjoy the game.
You can already see it happening with every genuine smile Mark Teixeira has when A-Rod hits an RBI. They're starting to have fun as players instead of simply winning like superstars. People want to watch teams win, not athletes whine. So the more they win as a team, the more people will accept them. Ultimately, the Yankees are good guys. They don't get into fights, throw equipment, and yell at the refs all of the time. And soon, baseball fans will start to see this.
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