If you talk to people around here, or at least in the New York part of around here, they will insist that the American League Championship Series that begins tonight between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees is a clear case of good vs. evil. That the Yankees somehow represent righteousness juxtaposed to the sinners in Houston who should continue to repent for past sins. That this series that will decide who represents the American League in the World Series is less about athletic prowess and more about divine justice, as if the Lord may actually tip the scale in extra innings.
The reason for that premise comes from Houston’s well documented cheating scandal during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, where players used a whole bunch of different tools – most notably trash cans – to steal signs from opposing teams. For that, Houston was punished, both in the court of public opinions and by the League, through suspensions and losing draft picks. But that wasn’t nearly enough for most fans of any other team, particularly those who were cast aside as Houston won the 2017 World Series. That would include the New York Yankees, who lost the ALCS in seven games to Houston and very much still believe that series was wrongfully taken from them. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who that year lost the World Series to Houston, believe the same thing, so much that the LA City Council passed a resolution asking Major League Baseball to award the 2017 Series to the Dodgers, yet another legislative action with no teeth. They also asked that MLB give LA the 2018 series, which they lost to the Boston Red Sox, who it turns out also cheated.
All of this has been something of a classic heel turn for the Astros, a team that had never before won a World Series and had only played in one prior. They had emerged as a fan favorite, especially compared to far more established and well-funded teams like New York and LA, who both brought long histories of winning and a payroll befitting the coastal elite. But in the bang of a trash can lid, Houston went from fun loving underdog to the evil empire, allowing LA and New York to somehow play the victim. That’s certainly what they’re saying today as we head into this penultimate baseball series. That somehow the Yankees are the Scooby Doobies and Houston is the Really Rottens, were baseball the Laugh Olympics.
To that narrative, I say nonsense. And I’m not just saying that because I grew up in Houston and watched the 1980 Astros lose to the Phillies in the National League Championship Series in my 5th grade classroom and grew to dislike Tug McGraw for no other reason than that. I’m saying this because there is no team that deserves public support less than the New York Yankees, who for generations have taken full advantage of baseball’s systemic inequities to unfairly overwhelm other teams. For decades, the Yankees have spent more on catering than Houston did on their bullpen. They’ve exploited disparate media markets and global partnerships to fund acquisition after acquisition. They’ve essentially bought championships and pretended they earned them fairly, like every team can have Derek Jeter and A-Rod no matter the price. And not for nothing, it was revealed this year that the Yankees too have cheated by stealing signs, in this case during the 2015 and 2016 season. Only they weren’t as sophisticated nor as good at it. So because the Yankees are lousy at cheating and Houston isn’t, somehow they’re the good guys.
See, all this complaining by Yankee fans is exactly what you’d expect from someone who always expects to get everything they want then suddenly doesn’t. And is perhaps finally feeling what it’s like to be on the down side of an unfair advantage.
To be clear, the Yankees payroll this year is over $250 million. That’s third in the League behind the Dodgers and Mets. And still a good 70 million over the evil Astros, who have long paid for their sins. That Yankees team, who spend like a Kardashian locked in Tiffany’s, those are the one we’re supposed to root for, because they they’re the good guys.
It’s a nice myth, if you choose to believe it. It’s also fiction, and why you should always root against New York and, in this case, for Houston. You’ll thank me later, because this time, the Astros will win in six.
Keith Strudler is the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him on twitter at @KeithStrudler
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