Bob O’Leary

The Yankees’ season is officially over. Cleveland dispatched the Bronx Bombers 6-4 Monday night, ending all the drama that comes with being a team in New York.

I have very mixed feelings about the Yankees. I actually admire the professionalism of Joe Torre and the players, and how they conduct themselves in the fishbowl of the New York media. Considering how many immature jerks there are in baseball, the Yankee clubhouse seems to have a lot less than most teams.

But whenever I hear an obnoxious Yankee fan spew about how great his team is – how it’s the Yankees’ destiny to win the World Series each year – I start rooting for whatever team is playing them. Now that the Yankees are done, who do I root against now?

This past series, however, I found myself pulling for the Yankees. I wanted A-Rod to smack a grand slam over the wall to shut up his critics and Johnny Damon to deliver some defensive gems. I’ve met Johnny, and he really is a nice guy. But what I really wanted was another New York-Boston series.

With the Yankees gone, it looks like Boston will be the heavy favorite to win the Series. The other three teams are simply too young. Nothing against the Red Sox, but I have a feeling that if they win, Red Sox Nation will become a creature far more obnoxious than any New Yorkers. We will all have to remind them of the ’87 series to keep them in line.