12/22/24
February 09, 2006
There is more than one way to eliminate the Yankees.: It becomes an issue where kids are devastated when they find out they are on the Yankees. Many kids actually pray they will not be on the Yankees when the rosters and teams are announced. Heh...
Hell, you almost can't blame the poor kids. How would you like to be labeled "The enemy". Next thing you know, the parents will be forking out $100 an hour for psychiatric help for their kids.
posted by dbt302 at 02:11 PM on February 09, 2006
If the worst thing these kids have to worry about is the name on the front of their jersey, they've got it made. Praying for daddy to come home, sad. Praying not to be a yankee, kinda damn funny.
posted by justgary at 02:17 PM on February 09, 2006
I wonder why in New Jersey, they like to be called the Devils.
posted by Bill Lumbergh at 02:21 PM on February 09, 2006
My copy of The American College Dictionary defines spinner 1. one who or that which spins., 2. a revolving bait used in trolling or casting for fish. I think I'd rather be a Yankee.
posted by Termite at 02:27 PM on February 09, 2006
Growing up playing baseball in the south we didn't use MLB names. We had sponsors, kinda like in the bad news bears. So when I'd go to new hampshire for the summer to visity family I always thought it was cool that their teams had names like the braves, indians, red sox (I was always curious if the other teams were all jealous of those on the red sox). Anyway, I agree with termite. Indians, braves, and spinners sounds silly. I'll take the yankees and go to confession.
posted by justgary at 02:32 PM on February 09, 2006
They shouldn't call a regular league team the Yankees anyways, because the Yankees should already be reserved as the name for each league's All-Star team.
posted by BigTallChris at 02:40 PM on February 09, 2006
The Yankees and the Red Sox are both ridiculous. They spend more money on salaries then most of the MLB combined. Why don't they just pay each other to go home and shut up. It is ridiculous to bring youth baseball into their petty squabbling. Let the kids have fun. The whole point of youth sports is to have fun and learn SPORTSMANSHIP. NOw we are saying that money is what is important. Great idea.
posted by mcstan13 at 02:41 PM on February 09, 2006
Their rivalry is good for baseball, but this is fuckin ridiculous.
posted by mjkredliner at 02:59 PM on February 09, 2006
Games people play; night or day, they're just not matching what they should do. It keeps me feelin' blue.
posted by chicobangs at 03:05 PM on February 09, 2006
Their rivalry is good for baseball, but this is fuckin ridiculous. If by "fuckin' ridiculous" you mean funny and completely harmless, I agree with you. The teams who agree to change their names get free jerseys and a chance to play a game at the Spinners stadium -- which to a kid is huge. Hell, it would be huge to me, and I'm 38.
posted by rcade at 03:21 PM on February 09, 2006
termite, I have a MUCH better definition of 'spinner' for ya. A chance to play at Spinner Stadium sounds great, except most of the teams so far sound like LL teams (different size field)...which are basically the only teams which use MLB names anyway, at least in my experience.
posted by sfts2 at 04:03 PM on February 09, 2006
I have a MUCH better definition of 'spinner' for ya.
Dammit, sfts2, you beat me to it; running joke with my buddies when we head out to the bars. posted by redsnare at 04:12 PM on February 09, 2006
The whole "spinner" thing has to do with making fabric, an industry that used to thrive in Lowell... All true New Englanders hate the Yankees, why should the kids be any different? I don't get why anyone would get angry about this story, it's pretty funny to me. A great idea by the Lowell PR department.
posted by Venicemenace at 05:12 PM on February 09, 2006
Man, does New England have Yankee paralysis or what? Their every thought with regards to baseball revolves more around the Yankees than it does with the Sox. It's pretty bad when these teams have to be bribed and payed off to switch to a different name than "Yankees." It's a wonder baseball fans in that part of the country can even sleep at night, what with all the Yankee nightmares they must have.
posted by dyams at 06:26 PM on February 09, 2006
It is great for the kids that they get free jerseys and everything, the question should be, "Why can't the Sox give that stuff away anyways. Why do they have to be acting like little children squabbling over who is bettera before they do something good for the community?" It appears to me that the Yankees and the Sox are jealous because they have to buy fans. The Yankees buy championships and the Sox buy little kids with jerseys. Maybe they should look at the real organizations like the Cubs and the Cards whose fans love them no matter what.
posted by mcstan13 at 07:04 PM on February 09, 2006
Maybe they should look at the real organizations like the Cubs and the Cards whose fans love them no matter what. Just because two teams keep a following by finding new ways to lose each year isn't that fantastic a feat. The Cubs, a REAL organization? Please. They make ridiculous moves every off-season, and the sad part is they can afford to get the CORRECT pieces in place and actually give those loyal fans a great shot at a World Series championship (but don't). The Cards? The are the softest bunch of pretenders baseball has seen recently.
posted by dyams at 08:52 PM on February 09, 2006
Some of the people reacting to this story seem to have lost the spirit of this "proposal": the Spinners are NOT trying to irradicate the Yankees from New England. This story has very little to do with the Yankees (or the Red Sox for that matter -- the Sox have little to do with the operation of the Spinners from a promotional standpoint). This is the next in a long line of incredibly creative promotions from a minor league franchise that is trying to pull people into its stadium. Let's say they are able to get three teams to convert: that's, at worst, 36 kids... AND their parents and close relatives and friends... coming to their park to watch the kids (and then, likely, to watch the actual Spinners play... and maybe get hooked on the team and come back a few more times). PLUS, it's 36 kids walking around like human billboards advertising the Spinners at ice cream shops and wherever else kids go in full uniform. Brilliant.
posted by BullpenPro at 10:07 PM on February 09, 2006
Plus, the Spinners get a free plug on Sports Filter... 10,000 strong and growing...
posted by BullpenPro at 10:12 PM on February 09, 2006
It appears to me that the Yankees and the Sox are jealous because they have to buy fans. The Yankees buy championships and the Sox buy little kids with jerseys. Maybe they should look at the real organizations like the Cubs and the Cards whose fans love them no matter what. Yep, I smell some jealousy alright.
posted by justgary at 12:32 AM on February 10, 2006
the red sox win 1 world series in a century. they are still the cubs of the american league. as for kids let them name there own teams they are the ones that have to live with it. called developing minds of their own not of over bearing parents. let them be called the sweet potatoes if they want.
posted by kdrckrules at 06:45 AM on February 10, 2006
All true New Englanders hate the Yankees, why should the kids be any different? I was born and raised in NH as were my parents we all love the Yankees. Thanks for letting me know that I'm not a true New Englander because I don't like your baseball team. I didn't know that was a requirement. I have seen loads of Yankee fans maybe it's because of arrogant red sox fans such as you that people become Yankee fans around here.
posted by jtrluva at 07:41 AM on February 10, 2006
There was a town much closer to Boston than Lowell (whose name unfortunately escapes me at this moment) that also wanted to ban Yankee Little League Teams a while back - but NOT because kids didn't want to be on it ... but because they DID and people were getting upset at all the Yankee hats and other apparel being worn in school and even - GASP - out on the street! "dyams" above had it nailed with this observation: Man, does New England have Yankee paralysis or what? Their every thought with regards to baseball revolves more around the Yankees than it does with the Sox.
posted by MAYANKEE at 07:52 AM on February 10, 2006
the red sox win 1 world series in a century. Well, 5, but who's counting?
posted by yerfatma at 08:28 AM on February 10, 2006
Well, 5, but who's counting? I hate it when facts get in the way of a point.
posted by justgary at 11:03 AM on February 10, 2006
Thanks for letting me know that I'm not a true New Englander because I don't like your baseball team. I didn't know that was a requirement. Yeah, did you miss the memo on that one? I thought your state motto was "Live Free or Die", not "I Live To Unzip Paul O'Neill's Fly". I guess you're a big Laker fan too, right? I kid. Of course I made a bit of an overstatement. You're as New England as anyone else. But that doesn't change the fact that your family is a band of traitors when it comes to hardball... Their every thought with regards to baseball revolves more around the Yankees than it does with the Sox. A truly ignorant comment. Yes, Sox fans obsess over the Yankees, but it's only a smaller part of the much, much larger Sox obsession. For the last couple of months, when baseball is supposedly in the offseason, Red Sox fans have been agonizing over questions like "Who is going to play short this year -- Alex Gonzales, Julio Lugo or Dustin Pedroia?!" "Should we trade Andy Marte or hang onto him?" "Who do you like better, Papelbon, Lester or Manny Delcarmen?" Seriously, we talk about this stuff almost every day. Trust me, you probably wouldn't understand. (See, I'm qualifying my statements now.)
posted by Venicemenace at 11:05 AM on February 10, 2006
Venice-Thank you but it's not Paul O'neils fly it's Derek Jeter's lol. I love living here I love most Redsox fans too. We have a ton of fun giving each other crap. As for the Lakers I don't watch baketball. I watch football though and no I don't like the patriots. I think maybe I was just raised to be a shit starter.
posted by jtrluva at 11:45 AM on February 10, 2006
Yeah, that seems apparent. Gotta love NH people though - you guys are stubborn and don't take sh*t from anybody!
posted by Venicemenace at 11:49 AM on February 10, 2006
Their every thought with regards to baseball revolves more around the Yankees than it does with the Sox. A truly ignorant comment. First off, it was meant to be sarcastic. I think I actually DO understand true Red Sox fans think more about their own team. I'd still tend to be a bit embarrassed if a team in my favorite team's organization went to the stupid lengths of trying to rid little kids' leagues of their main rival's name. If the people running the leagues don't see a big problem with it, or can't seem to find a solution should they know it's a problem, then they aren't too bright.
posted by dyams at 12:55 PM on February 10, 2006
Good, then we agree. (As a sarcastic individual myself, I've learned that it doesn't always come across in the written word.) When Yankee fans are taking your words at face value, you've gotta expect a retort... I think you are misunderstanding the motives of the Lowell Spinners, who are just trying to drum up publicity, effectively I might add. I sincerely doubt they're on a hell-bent quest to rid New England of the Yankees. As our friend jtrluva demonstrates, there are Yankee-lovers everywhere. As long as they buy up all the marquee talent and win more often than they lose, that'll never change. Frankly, I couldn't care less what the little leagues do, but if I had been assigned to the Yankees as a kid, I'd have gladly traded for a Lowell uni.
posted by Venicemenace at 01:08 PM on February 10, 2006
From Webster: Main Entry: 1Yanˇkee Pronunciation: 'ya[ng]-kE Function: noun Etymology: origin unknown 1 a : a native or inhabitant of New England... And here I thought Red Sox fans were tortured by a championship drought...
posted by BullpenPro at 01:36 PM on February 10, 2006
Venice I hope you weren't meaning to say that I'm a bandwagon fan. The Yanks will always be my favorite team even if they were in last place. If I was a bandwagon fan I'd be a sox fan right after the dramatic way they won it all in 2004.
posted by jtrluva at 02:30 PM on February 10, 2006
the red sox win 1 world series in a century. Well, 5, but who's counting? Well, it is one in a century, the current century, but, as the man said why let facts get in the way of a good point......*smiling large*
posted by elovrich at 11:44 PM on February 10, 2006
Oh, if we're talking About the current century, I believe the Sox lead the Yankees 1 to 0 (the century starting in 2001, not 2000).
posted by yerfatma at 06:57 AM on February 11, 2006
(grinning) Always manipulating those numbers to suite your argument, eh, yerfatma?
posted by BullpenPro at 11:59 AM on February 11, 2006
What's next will the Yankee's try to get even by taking the best players from the teams and make them cut their hair? Ha Ha I love it