The Yankees as "pinata"

"Unfortunately for the legacy of this group, the success of these Yankees (1996 team) coincided with

• a powerful push by central baseball to convince fans that the disparity between the financial "haves" and "have-nots" was destroying the competitive balance of the sport. The Yankees came to embody the big-market superpowers. They were demonized for buying championships.

• They were cast as villains by a Commissioner's Office that saw the advantages of portraying them as a prop in a strategy to win salary concessions from the players in collective bargaining,

• Thus the Yankees of this era do not receive near the amount of credit they deserve for what they accomplished."

Words of Joel Sherman in his 2006 book, "Birth of a Dynasty," about the 1996 Yankees, p. 311.

• Constant Yankee bashing occurs round the clock in broadcast, print and online media. The negativity is overwhelming and is partly the Yankee organization's fault. They've failed to address and solve this problem as baseball media and those who seek income from it have become even more centralized, of one voice, of 1 fraternity. (sm)

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