After lurking on here for several weeks, I finally decided to join. I hadn't originally intended on making one post, but I couldn't help myself after realizing I was finally around other passionate Yankee fans. You see, I live in Maryland where there's nothing but talk of the Redskins (football). Not even the measly Orioles are on any-ones radar in my neck of the woods. I've literally grown up watching Derek, Po, Andy, and Mariano and everytime I watch them play on TV (I don't have the luxury of being able to see them play live sadly) I realize just how much I love this team. While I've been a conscious fan since their 90s "dynasty" period, I've stuck with them even when they were...sucking. Mention the year 2004 to me and I will cover my ears. Seriously. So you can imagine how excited I am this season. It's like, everything and everyone is firing on all cylinders and I just get to lay back (albeit tensely) and watch this season, and now, post-season, progress.

I am cautiously optimistic about the ALCS against the Angels. I just have a tendency to overly stress out on these things because I don't want that feeling of depression (think, 2006 and 2007) to come over me again. We are the best team in the Majors. To lose now would just...suck, for lack of a better word. Anyways...

The reason I felt compelled to actually make a thread is because I honestly cannot talk to anyone else outside my family about baseball, let alone the Yankees. It's the only sport I can actually get into (which is so hilarious given how I felt about it at the beginning of this century). Things like getting mad at Cano for not hustling...like ever, or yelling at Po for some of his mental lapses have been something only my brother understands, until I read some of the posts on here. I was skeptical about Joe Giraldi simply because I had honestly grew up with Joe Torre as the manager. Sure, Torre he is not, but I sorta like him in a quirky, stressful "why are you putting in Coke, Bruney or Marte at the wrong time" sort of way. Maybe I shouldn't have put Coke in the same sentence as Bruney and Marte....

Point is, it's hard (not really) rooting for a team that everyone loves to hate, even when those people don't know a thing about baseball! I mean, the Yankees to me are the team, as a young person, I'd look up to more than most of the other organizations. They expect greatness on and off the field and do whatever they need to do to ensure that that happens. What's not to admire? If you got the money to get the best...you get the best! I could go on about some of these bandwagon haters, but we've all been there before.

There isn't a point to this thread, but I just wanted to say that I'm glad I stumbled across Pinstripe Alley because it's awesome knowing that other people out there "get it". Here's to 27. ;)