The Team I Love to Hate

Most sports fans have teams they love to hate.  For me, it's the dreaded New York Yankees.  Growing up, I loved the old Yankee teams of the late '70s (Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson and, of course, Lou Piniella.  At the time I didn't know what a great manager Lou would become).

Then came the 1995 playoff series between the Mariners and Yankees.  Who can forget Edgar's double to score Griffey to win the series in 11 innings?  From then on, the Yankees became the "Hated Yankees."  They are that team with a target on their backs; that eveyone wants to beat.

What added to the dislike was that their previous owner, the late George Steinbrenner, was willing to overpay players to build the best team.  The Yankees have the highest salary in the Major Leagues, paying $28 million more in salaries then the next closest team this year.  This strategy worked from 1996-2001 as the Yankees won four of its five World Series appearances.

In 2004 the Yankees signed one of the most disliked players in Mariners' history: Alex Rodriguez.  Even though it has been 10 years since A-Rod (Pay-Rod) left Seattle, I still have never heard a player booed more by Mariners fans.

So here we are today with the Yankees and the Mariners at Safeco Field this weekend. With the Yankees in town, there will be an extra buzz with fans.  Any victory will be sweeter coming aginst the team I love to hate! 

Go Mariners!