The dog that didn't bark: Where was the Yankees' victory celebration?
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The dog that didn't bark: Where was the Yankees' victory celebration?
NEW YORK — Hundreds of Yankees fans in New York City who hit the streets to revel in their team's 27th World Series championship have been greeted by an NYPD van, several patrol cars with lights flashing and officers standing on street corners.
Fans in Yankees jerseys and hats who watched the 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at sports bar Stout poured onto 33rd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues early Thursday to celebrate and remained well-behaved.
"Hundreds" of Yankees fans? As Chase Utley might say, "Are you (bleep)in' kidding me?" Hundreds? Here in Philadelphia, we throw that many fans into a police paddy wagon in the first 90 seconds after a big victory. See that picture up top? That's Phillies fans a couple of weeks ago celebrating just getting into the World Series in a way that puts New Yorkers to shame -- there's no comparable picture from Manhattan or the Bronx last night to show, no NYC equivalent of Frankford and Cottman, where regular folks pour into the streets by the thousands. And we know from last year how crazy this town would have been if we had actually won this thing.
So what's wrong with New York? OK, there are two important caveats. One, and I know from my years in and around the Big Apple that this is important, is that close to half the people in the city who care about baseball are Mets fans who hate the Yankees more than you do, if that's possible. The second is that NYC is much more of a magnet for a) immigrants who've not yet adopted our strange and wonderful traditions of baseball and b) out-of-town transients seeking to make it in theatre, media, Wall Street, whatever. In other words, the so-called "penetration rate" of Yankees fans in New York is actually much much lower than the percentage of Philadelphians who get jacked about the Phillies, despite the disparity in World Series rings.
But I think there's something else in play. If you paid attention to what's happened in the Bronx the last couple of years, the Yankees have done everything to price out of their market the kind of fan who'd paint his chest and head out to a street corner with 10,000 of his newest bestest friends. In moving into the new Yankee Stadium this year, in the teeth of the worst economy since the Great Depression, the Yankees jacked up their average ticket prices by a mindboggling 76 percent, from $41.40 to 72.97. That's also about 40 percent higher than the No. 2 team, the Boston Red Sox, where a high fan base and Fenway Park's limited seating creates huge demand. The Yankees still drew fairly well this year -- in the nation's largest city, with more millionaires than you'll find anywhere else -- but also had a couple thousand empty seats right behind home plate for most games -- even some at the World Series! -- because of premium prices as high as $2,625 for one seat.
And you wonder why New York's Joe Sixpack wasn't excited last night?
I saw a sad story in the New York Times during the Series, about how moving across the street into their $1.5 billion palace -- which elected officials, who financed the infrastructure with tax dollars, claimed would be a boon to local merchants in the faded Bronx neighborhood -- had in fact devastated many of these local businesses, souvenir shops and working-class-style tap rooms. The article was kind of weak on explanation, but you have to think the kind of stockbroker dudes paying hundreds of bucks to see a baseball game aren't going to shop in, you know, the Bronx -- unless you count the Yankees' own clean and overpriced merchandise shop inside their elite fortress of a ballpark. That's great for the Yankees economically, which is how they buy the best players, but you don't have to grease your streetlamps for partying investment bankers when you win, either.
On the whole, I'd rather be in a winning Philadelphia, of course. But beyond that, I'd also rather be in the kind of city that goes wild for its two World Series wins, instead of the one that yawns at its 27 titles. Wouldn't you?
(Blogger's note: It's a long weekend for me, thanks to a scheduling flip. So I'll see you early next week.)
So I guess, because NY fans don't destroy their city afterwards that means that they don't care about baseball. I think it is just having class acting like real champions. The way back in the day Barry Sanders just used to hand the ball to the ref, instead of acting like a fool.— BLUEDEVIL- The fans money can buy.— chasing history
- Jealousy, thy name is Bunch.— WriteWinger
- I am living in NY now and there was not a peep after the Yankees won. Cars were not honking, people were not out. Nobody cared.— birds
- "because NY fans don't destroy their city afterwards that means that they don't care about baseball." No, not because they didn't destroy the city...Philadelphia was not destroyed last year either...it is because they don't come out to celebrate peacefully that is the indicator that they don't care about their Yankees.— legatus
- they are too accustomed to the yanks winning.— whsmith
- If the Tigers had won, cars would be burning, people would get shot, stores would be looted and Detroit would look even more like Beirut than it already does.— pj katauskas
- Really Bluedevil? Are you just "playing" dumb or are you really? No one is saying anything about turning over covers or breaking windows, etc. It was ridiculous for you to go to that extreme in defense of your city's lack of enthusiasm. This isnt a big secret. Its been talked about for the past few weeks about how theres this weird lack of interest or excitment for the Yankees. I also saw it during the regular season too when i went to Yankee stadium to see the Phillies play the Yanks. The Phillies fans almost outnumbered the Yankee fans and they definitly were louder at the game. Now I dont want to hear all that BS nonsense about winning 27 titles so your used to it blah blah blah. If your gonna use that ridiculous overused excuse then spare me. Its ok if your not as good a sports town as we are. Theres no shame in it and its not a big deal. No one is bragging here. But its become pretty obvious that we are just a better sports town than NY is. We love our teams more, we are more passionate. We live and die with our teams. And if you think your fans are any different than Philly fans or any city's fans regarding class then dont kid yourself because I wont even talk about what I saw some of the Yankee fans doing at Yankee stadium this year. You wanna talk about low class. Wow.— philliekev04
- I love how NY fans always defend their lack of enthusiam with the same tired bologna excuse.. . We have more class than you. or my favorite.... "I guess because we dont destroy our city and set fires and turn cars over that means we dont care" Please SPARE ME. When it comes to fan behavior your city is no different than anyone else. So take that conceited snooty corporate, we're better people than everyone else attitude and shove it because our fan base is totally superior to yours when it comes to love for our teams and passion and enthusiasm. I could hear a pin drop in your stadiums compared to ours. So go lay back down on those plus couches at Yankee stadium and have another martini. Dont forget to raise your pinky in the air when you drink. PS - couches at the stadium? seriously? LMAO!!!!!!!— philliekev04
- i agree with whsmith. phillies one the city's first championship in over two decades. not to mention philly's city is much more central, in that, when they won, all the idiots that wanted to go out in the street and be at best, loud and celebrating, and at worst, destructive, they knew where the party so to speak was going to be at. does ny have a place like broad street where everyone wants to head down to celebrate? probably not, because ny is so much different than philly. lastly, why go into the streets in the first place, just to either be part of the scence, or to cause trouble. why not just celebrate with your friends you are watching the game with in whatever location you are at? since when did mob gathering after a championship become the accepted norm?— Greg S
Comment removed.- What sport did you play swifty? lol, and talking about girls behind home plate, let's not forget about the cross dresser Gulliani.— chasing history
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- Where were the celebrating Yankee fans? From my perspective as a Phillies phan teacher in NY it seemed as if they all found reasons yesterday to stop by my school to gloat. I'm talking students, colleagues, parents, vendors etc. You name 'em, I saw 'em. Oy.— GreyHippie
- "Detroit would look even more like Beirut than it already does." Great reference--if it was 1989. Seen Beirut lately?— xmrhyde
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Guess that abbreviation was offensive - try again. Haven't been to new Yankee Stadium and haven't been to the old stadium so this is a distant perception. I wonder if the new Yankee Stadium will do to Yankee fans what the Corestates/FIRST UNION/Wachovia Center has done to Flyers fans??— bird11- Comment removed.
- "Democratic stronghold Detroit could probably stand to win few more championships." SBVFT - Detroit gets destroyed when the Red Wings win a Stanley Cup and at the risk of making a racially insensitive comment I don't think many of the people I see "just robbin'and stabbin' and lootin' and shootin'" are hockey fans.— bird11
- So, according to longshanks, Yankee fans have passion, but they choose not to express it. BWAHAHAHAHA!! That's a good one!— legatus
- No, I haven't seen Beirut lately. Has it become a garden spot? I hope.— pj katauskas
- Really, Will. How can you use a racist term like "Paddy" wagon?— Ramon
- It just goes to show, a handful of Nuyoikers are worth a city full of philanderers ....— Merican
- Who $%^% cares? The better team won. Let them celebrate anyway they want.— Manny Trillo
- Most of the people wearing NY baseball caps are clueless Eurotrash who bought one in Times Square along with a cheap pair of Levis. They are not a team, they are a brand.— maude
- I lived in Manhattan for about 6 weeks back in the fall of 1996. That year the Atl Braves whupped the Yanks in the first two games of the WS by 12-1 and 4-0 scores - AT YANKEE STADIUM! After those two games the mood in NYC was ugly. Fans were outwardly hatin' on the Yanks, Joe Torre and George Steinbrenner. Many told me they weren't going to watch any more games. The Yanks were dead. Well the Yanks won four straight games and captured the championship. I'm sure every one of those haters attended the parade and professed their eternal love for the Yanks, Joe Torre and George. I'll take Philly any day. Good piece, Will.— A Friend
- "The worst part is seeing these celebrities sitting behind home plate at Yankee Stadium who you know have absolutely no athletic skills whatsoever and most defintely throw like girls (or, say, President ACORN). I'm talking Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels, Bloomberg, etc." So I guess everyone in Citizen's Bank Park are athletes just watching other athletes. Where do you play ball again?— BLUEDEVIL
- swifty could not hold the president's jock. What sport did bush play, tiddly-winks? Oh, yeah, forgot, he played golf after he said he would make the great sacrifice in giving it up for our guys in Iraq. What a trooper.— mike l
- Bush was a male cheerleader at Yale. Bwahaha......!— chasing history
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- That's the problem with philadelphians. We r always worried about what someone else is doing. Maybe if the phillies or any other sports teams can win consistently like the yankees and not every 28 yrs then we would see a difference. Stop crying about NY and worry about Philly. That's y we will never get any respect cuz even in defeat we cry in our soup.SMH— phillypinstripes
- That's the problem with philadelphians. We r always worried about what someone else is doing. Maybe if the phillies or any other sports teams can win consistently like the yankees and not every 28 yrs then we would see a difference. Stop crying about NY and worry about Philly. That's y we will never get any respect cuz even in defeat we cry in our soup.SMH— phillypinstripes
- philliekev04-it couldn't have been said any better!!!— phillyphorever516
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- swifty is confusing pulling pu**y with being one! LOL— chasing history
- what did people do with their opinions before the internet? Did they just disappear?— bingo
I'm sure there were celebrations. but when most of your fan base are bandwagon jumpers you don't have the same passion for your team as a real fan would. also if your team wins be happy and not gloat like you did something to win.- p.s. the words New York sports fan & class never enter my mind....
- F**k NY and all punk NY fans. Philly rules and always will!!— PhillyNH
- The NY fans celebrated on Friday when 2-3 million people showed up for a ticker tape parade. No overturned cars, no one assaulted and no stores looted, like what happened in Philly last year. People can have fun and support their team without acting like morons.— jaxstep
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- I was there. Couldn't get close to Broadway. All the side streets and parallel avenues filled with fans. Newscasters estimated 2-3 million.— jaxstep
- That's funny because my aunt who lives on 93rd & Third Avenue said hundreds of people poured out of the bars and started partying in the streets and that is just one really really small section of NYC. I am not sure if you saw the parade in the Canyon of Heros (which by the way has hosted more historically significant parades than Philly could ever dream of) but there were probably 5 times the number of people at that parade than the Phillies. I am so tired of people from Philly comparing their city to NYC, just stop it makes you look so pitiful. Philly will never equal NYC and if you just understood that and moved on I think you all would feel better about your own city!— lemmingsrus
- Gulliani is a cross dresser?— wayne michael
- 3 million people at the yankee parade according to all the TV/news media in nyc, per NYPD estimate (no idea what that nytimes article was all about, but i wouldnt put too much weight in that, as the ny times company is a significant minority owner of the boston redsox for years and its yankee coverage has been notoriously biased ever since, so 'bwahaha' that one where the sun don't shine, jealous biyatch) oh and btw, zero cars overturned, zero shops vandalized, zero people killed...in other words, this parade wouldn't pass muster in LA, boston, chicago or philly. LOL— NYCPhilly
- Hey Will I thought there was no crying in baseball! Who cares if NYC partied or not!— dkreese
- chasing history - what sport did you play? Probably like your Presrodent ACORN who is so very good at throwing baseballs in Mommy jeans, playing big boy donkey basketball in long pants! Detroit is worse than Beirut, by far. Only thing close is Gary Indiana. Scary.— FAGLEhater
- New York Metropolitan population: 19,000,000. Philadelphia Metropolitan 5,800,000. Yankees Parade- 3 million people Phillies Parade 2 million people Math anyone? Either way, the Phillies have been in the last two World Series and crushed a team last year that ran away with the Yankees' division. I'll hold my head high and look forward to taking on that 400 million dollar "team" again next year.— pagoda
- "the parade in the Canyon of Heros (which by the way has hosted more historically significant parades than Philly could ever dream of)" You don't want to get into a p*ssing contest with a Philadelphian over which city has more significant history. Really...you don't.— legatus
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- I know this is hard for Philaderlphians to ponder but life in other places consists of more than an obesession with professional sports. In the rest of the US sports is merely a diversion not a sacred religious crusade.— CamdenCountyReader
400 million and we took them to six games ???...without two of our starters from last year (Myers and Hammels - a ghost of his former self) and two of our relievers (Romero and Lidge a ghost of his former self) - if we have two of those guys in 2008 form we win in five. Can't wait to see what Ruben does in the off season and to make another run next year - we'll be back.- Comment removed.
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