You can't buy integrity

So the Yankees finally bought that World Series trophy that has alluded them for the past decade. Today crystallized why I can't stand the Yankees and their fans. First, there was the colleague who had to come in making sure everyone knew the Yankees won No. 27 - as if we all weren't well aware of it.

Then, a Deadspin commenter illustrated how obnoxious the Yankees fans are. They think they are better than everyone else, and they cannot just enjoy their championship. The commenter noted how when the White Sox won their title, their fans had a communal hug to enjoy the moment and remember all the painful years that preceded it.

You can replace the White Sox with the Red Sox, Phillies or even Angels, and the sentiment is still apt.

The Yankee fans, however, cannot enjoy their championship without expressing some false sense of dominance over everyone else. It's like they have some deep-rooted psychological problem they're overcompensating for. Or maybe they're jealous that their title carries none of the feel-good stories surrounding other recent champions.

You can buy a trophy, but you can't buy the pain, suffering and anticipation that makes it worthwhile.

Eric Wilbur has a nice satirical piece on the 2,992-day wait the Yankees fans have endured between their World Championships, which has cost more than $1 billion, perhaps up to $1.8 billion in payroll since 2000.

Actually, on second thought, it's disturbing because the Yankee fans who were quoted in other pieces don't seem to understand how stupid they sound:

These are the stories that infiltrate Yankee Universe today, tales of perseverance and dedication to a team that seemed destined never to win its 27th World Series.

"Being a Yankees fan is a matter of survival," former Cubs fan Chris McNally, told the New York Times. It is a statement that rings oh so true today, when the Yankees can call themselves champs for the first time since Obama took office.

Or, even worse:

"Grown men cried when the Yankees won it all for the first time in nine years," wrote the New York Post's Jay Greenburg. The deep, five-year wounds of 2004 have been healed.

Greenburg writes:

Behind the bleachers, Brennan Roe, 30, of Queens, had eyes almost as red as the Phillies uniforms or the blood spilled by Derek Jeter the night he ran head first into the third-base stands for a Red Sox pop foul, or from veins that were opened up in 2004 and probably weren't closed again until last night.

"I have seen him cry three times in 10 years," said Roe's wife Tara. "The first time was when Scott Brosius hit that home run in Game 4 in 2001, the second was on our wedding day and now tonight."

Yeah, it takes real heart to root for a $200 million team. Bringing us back to reality is Rich Hoffmann's eulogy-like piece on the Phillies season, "Manuel's teams never lack heart."

It's a must-read for downtrodden Phillies fans. It's a nice mixture of acknowledging the current pain, looking forward to the future and remembering the good times of the past few years:

But the truth is, Manuel has ridden herd on a revolution. Five years ago, this was not a likable team. Five years ago, this was not an admired franchise. Their reputation was for timidity. They lacked a personality. During his tenure, all of that has changed. He demanded only two things from them: that they play for nine innings and that they be themselves. The rest, he said, was on him.

"I'm sitting here today talking to you because I've got good players," Manuel said yesterday afternoon. "I always give them the credit. They have the best attitude I've ever been around. I've been in baseball a long time - best attitude, best chemistry I've ever been around. How much I put into it, I don't know, believe me. But I know this, I know that they've got a good way of seeing the game and doing what they want to do and how they play it. And that makes me proud of them."

Cholly says the Phillies will be back, and I believe him. I'd rather watch a team lose with heart than win with arrogance and bloated payrolls.

The Yankees are back on a pedestal, and Theo Epstein and the Red Sox could only watch:

"I've been watching, but pretty casually," Epstein said yesterday from his office at Fenway Park. "Like everyone else in the organization, though, most of our time these days is being spent planning for next season."

That plan was revealed somewhat today in the acquisition of OF Jeremy Hermida. It's not a huge move, but nothing to complain about. At worst, he's a fourth outfielder, but he's still just 25 so he could still fulfill the promise he showed a couple years ago.

More importantly, the move signals that 2009 is over. Our squads are focused on bringing us the SoxandPhils World Series in 2010.