Stop it

Welcome to Target

The Yankees came into tonight's Game 5 of the American League Championship Series trailing three games to one.

It's not impossible to come back from it, but the odds are long.

It hasn't been a good week for the Yankees.

Though they won Game 1 easily, they lost the next three, with each one a little more embarrassing than the one before, culminating in a true clusterf**k last night.

Errors. Suspect pitching. Passed balls. Wild pitches. Baserunners left on base. Zero clutch hits.

It was bad.

But there was more. The Yankees accused the Astros of sign-stealing, saying that Houston was using a system that involved...whistling.

Come on, now.

But, for my money, the worst has been the charges of boorish fan behavior,

Zack Greinke, pitcher for the Astros and the Game 4 starter, has a known social anxiety disorder and Yankees fans decided to mock him for that.

They also mocked his mother.

Oof.

Look, I'm not hyper-sensitive, but I know society is. So, why draw attention to this?

This isn't end of the world-type stuff, but it's that bad look that people talk about.

And Yankees fans (and the Yankees themselves) should just wear red shirts and khaki pants.

As in, targets.

It's not unfair to say every fan base has buffoons. But when you're a target, you just give every media member and social media warrior the right to have at it.

When we (including myself as part of Yankees Universe) act like this, we just make it too easy. Opposing fans expect it. Media eat it up.

Then the snowball grows.

It's just too easy for Mets fans. Red Sox fans. Phillies fans. Twins fans. Angels fans. Honestly, it's literally everyone.

And it's just not necessary.

I'm not feeling sorry for Yankees fans. I'm never happy to get this kind of attention.

"It happens everywhere" isn't a sufficient excuse.

Don't let it happen here.

So why not just have fun, tell him he's awful (or whatever floats your boat) and use some common sense?

Trust me. Everyone will find another reason to hate us.

As I finish typing, the most glorious noise has exploded on my TV. The Yankees won to extend the series to Game 6 in Houston tomorrow night.

Fans are singing along with Frank Sinatra, reminding me of many a glorious night in the old building.

Onto tomorrow.