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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Yankees Take Scorn for (Gasp!) Spending Money

Yankees Are Doing There Job, Filling Stadiums, In It To WIn

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(Newser) – Given the reaction to the Yankees' deep-pocketed acquisition of three big-name players, it's easy to assume the team is nothing less than evil personified, writes Sean Collins in Spiked. But set aside for the moment that the moves are actually a wise investment for a team that's building a new stadium and needs to field a good team. The real reason for the over-the-top scorn is that the Yanks have the nerve not to act glum amid our recession.

"Many seem to believe that we all have a moral duty to cut back and not enjoy life too much," writes Collins. "And if we are fortunate enough still to have money, we shouldn’t flash it." But the Yankees don’t "owe it to New York to spend responsibly,” he writes. In 2009, we'll need little luxuries like ballgames. "We should lighten up and stop trying to endow professional sports with more than what they are—a form of entertainment."

Mark Teixeira laughs as he attributes his choice to become a Yankee to his wife Leigh during a press conference.
Mark Teixeira laughs as he attributes his choice to become a Yankee to his wife Leigh during a press conference.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
In this Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008, file photo, New York Yankees pitchers A.J. Burnett, left, and C.C. Sabathia share a laugh after they were introduced to the media at Yankee Stadium in New York.
In this Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008, file photo, New York Yankees pitchers A.J. Burnett, left, and C.C. Sabathia share a laugh after they were introduced to the media at Yankee Stadium in New York.   (AP Photo)
New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett, left, is shown with New York Yankees president Randy Levine, center, and co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner at Yankee Stadium in New York, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008.
New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett, left, is shown with New York Yankees president Randy Levine, center, and co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner at Yankee Stadium in New York, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
New York Yankees new first baseman Mark Teixeira, left, puts his arm around sports agent Scott Boras.
New York Yankees new first baseman Mark Teixeira, left, puts his arm around sports agent Scott Boras.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
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No one could have imagined the kind of shameless shopping spree the Yankees have been on...at a time when more than 10 million Americans are out of work and another four million might join them in 2009. - Wallace Matthews, Newsday

The Yankees also thought about these moves carefully: for example, last year they could have traded young talent for another high-priced top pitcher, Johan Santana, but they held off and waited for Sabathia this year instead. - Sean Collins, Spiked

The Yankees have come to serve as a general symbol of bad behaviour. The moralism around the recession is affecting other sports, too.
- Sean Collins, Spiked

Last year the Tampa Bay Rays won the division with a bunch of young, no-name, exciting players and it’s theirs until the Yankees take it from them. And, personally, I wish the Yankees spent more money, not less – specifically on developing younger talent. - Sean Collins, Spiked

In fact, the reactions express a more and more common sentiment that, in the midst of today’s recession, we must be, or appear to be, miserable - anything else is bad form.
- Sean Collins, Spiked

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