Diamond Dynasty: Have The Giants Become The Yankees?

If you're a baseball fan, you're familiar with them. After the teams has a successful season, those that could've cared less are suddenly standing in line at a Target or Sports Authority buying as much team "swag" as they can fit on their body. These fans are not only just flat out annoying, but they are a poor representation of a team's true fanbase. Two teams in particular have suffered from this greatly, and they are the basis for my latest Bullpen Blast post.

In 1996, the New York Yankees became everyone's favorite team to hate - or at least more so than they already were. With an impressive lineup consisting of Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez, Jorge Pasada, Paul O'Neil, Chuck Knoblauch, Bernie Williams, and Scott Brosius and a pitching rotation consisting of Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera, the Yankees won four World Series Titles out of five appliances over the course of 1996-2002 with Joe Torre at the Helm. This burst of success further added to the ever-growing hatred from those who already despised them, as well as those who jumped on the bandwagon of hating the Yankees.

With the Yankees new success (as well as the media frenzy which included a humorous SNL skit involving players dressed as wives of Yankees players), it brought about bandwagon Yankee fans. You didn't have to go far to find them. And with the acquiring of these new "fans", the Bombers garnered even more hatred than ever. It became a popular trend to hate the Yankees, especially in the wave of their World Series success. For diehard Yankee fans, they were proud to see their team break out of a slump and finally win the big one. However, they found themselves the subjects of ridicule simply for being associated with the franchise.

Years later, the San Francisco Giants have found themselves in a similar position. With head honcho Bruce Bochy and unique cast of characters including Buster Posey, Brian Wilson, Tim Lincecum, Pablo Sandovol, Ryan Vogelsong, and Sergio Romo, the Giants won the 2010 World Series - 56 years after their last World Series Title. And just like the Yankees, the Giants found themselves with newly acquired "fans" after the win - especially thanks to the media frenzy known as "Fear The Beard". The Giants went on to sweep the Detroit Tigers in dominant fashion in 2012 to win their second World Series in only three years, garnering talk of becoming a dynasty.

Suddenly, it's now popular to hate on the Giants (unless you're a Dodgers fan). Sure, there have been jabs against the Giants (especially due to the Barry Bonds-steroids scandal), but all of a sudden the Giants have found themselves in the position that the Yankees were in. After years of struggling, they finally found success. Of course, as with any success in life, it brought about mixed feelings and reactions.

Some people have legitimate "beef" with the Giants. If you're a Dodgers fan, you're basically born to hate the Giants. If you're an A's fan (who also dealt with some bandwagon fans after their 2012 year), the Giants are seen as the "white collar" to their "green collar" (much live the Mets and the Yankees). I myself have always loved the Giants and A's and never saw it that way, but that's for another post. But nonetheless, both Giants and A's reside in the Bay so there's bound to be a rivalry. I'm not saying all fans are like that, but many are.

And just as there are bandwagon fans, there are bandwagon haters. All of a sudden because it's popular to hate the Giants, they decide to jump in on the fun. They make the obvious jokes (Lincecum's pitching struggles, Posey's rough start this year, Wilson's beard, ect.), they watch Giants games (even if their team isn't playing them) so they can live-tweet anytime a Giant strikes out or makes an error, and basically put themselves in the same category as those who suddenly found their deep passion for the team after they won the World Series in 2010.

Will the Giants continue their path to becoming a dynasty with a World Series win in 2013? Too early to tell. But they have no doubt found themselves in the position the Yankees and their fans have been living in for years. The same thing will happen to any team that gains success. The Oakland A's could win the World Series this year and go onto to win three more consecutive titles and garner bandwagon fans and haters. The Dodgers could as well, or any team in MLB for that matter.

With winning two out of their last three World Series appearances, the San Francisco Giants are on their way to becoming this generations New York Yankees. And as a fan of the Giants since the early 90s, I'm happy for my teams success. They have a roster of admirable, hard-working players and I'll proudly cheer them on win or lose and even among those who can't even name any of the players on the team. I even welcome the haters (they'll have to deal with it when/if there team ever achieves the same kind of success).

In closing, the Giants have become MLB's new favorite team to hate. They're champions, which means they have targets on their chest. And if you're a Giants fan, you've got one on yours, too.

Root, Root For The Home Teams!

My love for baseball began when I was barely taller than a baseball bat. Aside from music, it was a major thing in my household. I grew up watching it on television, playing at the park with friends, and listening to stories from my parents about the games they attended (and I couldn't wait for my first game so I could experience what they described). And as I got older, there were two teams that always stuck out to me. Two teams that I would watch on television. Two teams that I would listen to on the radio. Two teams that I've always cheered for.

The San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A's.

  

Aside from them being the two local teams, they were the two teams represented in my family. The first games my parents ever attended were A's games. I would hear stories about players that were before my time such as Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley and Rickey Henderson. And as I got older, I'd watch A's games in the living room. I was introduced to players such as Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, and Miguel Tejada. I remember despising the St. Louis Cardinals for "stealing" McGwire. But I got over it.

And there was the San Francisco Giants. The first baseball game I ever watched (and could remember) was the Giants against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They lost, but I didn't care. I still wore my Giants hat proudly. I learned about the greats such as Willie Mays and Bobby Thomson, as well as Joe Morgan and Will Clark. As I started following the Giants, I was introduced to Barry Bonds, Rich Aurilia, J.T. Snow, and Darryl Hamilton. I still remember how upset I was watching the Giants fall 3-1 to the New York Mets in the 2000 NLDS.

Years, later they're still my teams. Now the Giants have players like Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, Pablo Sandoval, and Brian WIlson (he's still a Giant to me) and the A's have players Josh Reddick, Yoenis Céspedes, Coco Crisp, and Eric Sogard. And to this day, I still cheer for both teams. Of course when it comes down to it, the San Francisco Giants will always be first in my heart. But I see no problem in rooting for both teams. Heck, it's not like I'm cheering for the Giants and Dodgers. However, despite being a fan of the Giants and the A's, you will never see me wear that ridiculous split-cap. That thing and the wave need to be banned from the sport of baseball. 

Of course, Giants and A's fans like to engage in friendly trash-talk and unfortunately both teams have those "fans" that loyal fans probably wish they could trade to another team or just choose not to acknowledge. And even though I'm a bigger Giants fan than I am an A's fan, I've met really awesome A's fans that are accepting of the fact that I also root for a team they don't particularly like. For instance, my good friend Chris (@MrChris80) is one of the most die-hard A's fans I know, as well as recent friends I've made (via Twitter) Ben (@Shakabrodie) and Vanessa (@VDemske). They accept the fact that I cheer for both teams. Heck, Ben wrote one of the best pieces I've read about the Giants. Just as I accept the fact that they don't root for the Giants, they accept the fact that I do and that I root for the A's as well. And I look forward to attending a game or two with them.

Whenever there's a "Battle of the Bay", I'm always going to pick the Giants over the A's. But when they aren't playing against each other, they've got my support.