Yankees Fans For Hire

The game of baseball is always changing. Big market teams go through flux, small market teams occasionally make runs at the big guys. But baseball is also a game which relies on history and tradition. The pitcher is still 60' 6 inches away, the pitcher still tries to outsmart the batter, etc etc.

When it comes to October, I can think of no stronger tradition than the New York Yankees and winning. Actually, I really don't even have to think for myself. Ask any Yankee fan about their October prowess and you're sure to get a response along the lines of, "Da Yankees awh da best team in basebawl in Octobah, 27 championships!" (give or take)

Which makes the sudden disappearance of the Evil Empire's fan-base even more perplexing. Winners of the American League East and owners of one of the most prolific offenses in baseball, the Yankees should have been primed for postseason success. And while I know during the regular season, some of the white-collars season ticket holders couldn't always make it to their seats on-time. Ok, well, ever. But this is the post-season, this is where the Yankees season begins. Fans expect regular season success, and faithfully pull for the Yankees in October.

So what's the problem? Or better yet, where are you guys?

New York fans love to tell you how much better they are than the rest of the sports fans. Part of this perceived arrogance is what makes New York such a difficult place to play. But heckling bleacher creatures and "Who's your Daddy" chants of the past are now replaced with, well, nothing. Fans simply aren't showing up for games. And I don't mean a lack of noise. There are legions and legions of empty seats at Yankee Stadium, a troubling sign for anyone who supports the pinstripes.

And believe me, I've seen the excuses. Blame the play all you want, but the Yankees struggled to fill seats in a game 5, do or die scenario. Seats sold for as little as $20 on Stub Hub. In other words, for the price of roughly four Subway sandwiches, you could have watched playoff baseball in one of the greatest baseball cities in the country.

So is New York losing its baseball touch? Since 2009, the last year of the Old Yankee Stadium, the Yankees have struggled to fill seats and generate much buzz inside a lifeless replica. While things may look the same, they clearly are not.

My question essentially is where are the Yankees fans? How can fans of a franchise so proud and a fan base so overwhelmingly loud conduct themselves so embarrassingly in a promising postseason? Fans all across the country are selling out ballparks. San Francisco fans, who are operating up to three hours ahead of time due to national scheduling, have created one of baseball's most electric atmospheres. Baltimore, which was once more commonly known to Red Sox fans as Fenway South, provided a picturesque setting for playoff baseball.

But in the Bronx, Yankees fans are content to stay away from Yankee Stadium. And I'm sure the tickets are too expensive and the play on the field is too poor. But something tells me the deafening silence is creating even more pressure for aging stars such as Alex Rodriguez.

It's your move, Yankees fans. Granted, baseball may not even return to the Bronx. But if New York does potentially host one more ALCS game, will the old ghosts of Yankee past present themselves? Or will these ghosts be replaced with silent navy blue plastic and fans who won't even stand up for the final outs of the late innings. We get it Yankee fans, this team doesn't deserve you in the seats. Everyone slumps.

But something tells me that we may not be seeing vintage Yankee crowds for a long time.