Nothing Wrong With Aiming High

During a break in one of my classes I was catching up on the Post's coverage of the Yankees loss Monday and came across Thomas Boswell's column. It was depressing, yes, to read that the Yankees"are the aging patient" and this last game " felt like a night-long vigil around a sick bed." But there was one thing Boswell wrote that really bothered me. While discussing how even the Yankees inflated payroll couldn't translate into a World Series win, Boswell wrote, "Luckily, in baseball, money apparently can't beat the best. Not anymore. Not, at least, under the Boss's ludicrous edict that anything less than a World Series win is a failure"

Now wait just one minute here.

Okay, maybe calling this season a "failure" is a bit extreme, but don't tell me there's anything wrong with expecting the best and only being satisfied with the best. Tell me, does it make any sense to tell your team, hey guys, why don't you just go out there and try to do well. It doesn't matter that we're investing all this time and money into your performance, just go out there and play. And then if you lose, we'll just pat you on the back and go grab a couple of beers and everything will be fine.

No. That's not how the world works. Nobody says, Hey team, let's aim for third place this year!
The whole 'winning doesn't matter' deal only works when you're teaching Little Leaguers how to play baseball. Not in the majors. In the real world, results matter.

Don't get me wrong. Losing is valuable too. There are certain things you can only learn from losing. And sometimes, yes, even when you put forth your best efforts, you fall short. And no, you should never resort to cheating to win. And yes I've heard enough about the big, bad Yankees who just buy all their talent and don't let anyone else share the glory of winning the World Series. To all that I say, first of all, a lot of their money comes from a fan base still willing to pay hundreds of dollars to see their games and buy their merchandise, despite the World Series drought. It's basic capitalism guys. Do I think any player is truly worth $250 million? Probably not. But hey, if that's how people want to spend their money, good for them. And secondly, yes, the Yankee are the winningest team in sports. But what's wrong with rewarding the best. What would you rather see, a cap on the number of titles someone can win? It takes work to win. With determination, hard work and a bit of luck, any of the other 29 teams can win it too.

In short, there isn't anything wrong with expecting nothing but the best from your team.

People sometimes accuse me of bandwagoning when they learn I like the Yankees though I lack a direct New York connection. Now I know exactly why I was drawn to them. They're a team that refuses to settle and will do whatever it takes to succeed. They expect nothing but the best from themselves, and neither do their fans. If only other people could think the same way. If only other people would stop settling for mediocrity when they're capable of so much more.