"If you build it, a few will come..."
One of the most annoying aspects of the "Yankee Mystique" (among a long, detailed list of annoyances) is the misconception that all players inherently want to come to the Bronx, and that they only sign elsewhere if the Yankees don't extend an offer. Not only do you get to play in The Greatest City In The History Of Cities, you get to share a lockerroom with Derek Jesus, er, Jeter. Plus wear pinstripes!
Oh, and you'll get a shit-ton of money too. It's nearly too good to be true. How could you say no?
Just ask Cliff F'n Lee. We watched Yankee Nation nearly implode on itself last offseason when Lee turned them down to head to Philly. I imagine Cliff is still scrubbing the horse head blood out of his bedsheets from that decision.
Which brings us to the new object of Yankee obsession: Prince Fielder.
John Harper, of NYDailyNews.com simply states that the Yankees "should get" Fielder. As if they have the first pick during recess. "Fielder, you're on our team." For Yankee fans, they truly think it's that simple. We want you, therefore you are ours.
The fact that they literally don't have anywhere to play him except DH (and that they'll need the DH spot to accommodate their aging players) doesn't matter. They'll figure that out later.
It has to be a tempting thought for the Yankee brass, even at $25 million a year. Not only is Fielder's lefthanded swing made for the Stadium, but the free agent-to-be would add more of the star power this franchise both craves and needs to continue selling its outrageously-priced seats.
On the other hand, GM Brian Cashman probably would be leery about tying up the DH spot for several years, considering that Alex Rodriguez has six years left on his contract and surely won't be able to play third base regularly for that long.
Still, as we found out last winter, when Cashman was overruled on the signing of Rafael Soriano, selling tickets sometimes supersedes critical thinking.
Granted, putting Fielder in that lineup scares the holy bajeezus out of me. I don't know how many years he's going to play at this elite level before his size and weight betray him, but that ballpark will surely extend his shelf life. So let's be clear here - I'm against this purely for personal reasons.
But this sense of entitlement that the Yankees have is aggravating. Will he be happy being a full time DH? Doubt it. But Prince Fielder's wants, hopes and desires are irrelevant. Because the Yankees have chosen him. He can't say no.
