I’m not going to watch the World Series. Thos ewho know me know this is highly unusual as I’ll watch anything from Little League to the Arizona Fall League.

And contrary to what some may assume, I don’t hate the Yankees. I was raised a Cardinal fan. The Yankees are irrelevant. Their one of those teams from the made-up league that doesn’t let their pitchers bat.

The reason I won’t watch the World Series (at least very closely) is that the Yankees bore me.

There’s nothing glorious in their achievements. A team with three times the payroll of the rest of organised ball SHOULD win every year. And they have with a couple of exceptions that are products of random chance.

That makes the World Series about as menaingful and exciting as a 30-year-old Math teacher winning a chess tournment against seven-year-olds. It’s only exciting if a seven-year-old wins.

This doesn’t mean I think the Yankees players don’t deserve to win. They do. They’re an all-star team. They should be embrassed by every game they lose. And it doesn’t mean I think Steinbrenner is cheating or somehow unfair. He’s not. He’s a very savvy businessman doing a great job running a business.

It just means that having a team like New York always be as much better than everyone else is no testament to baseball talent. There’s nothing special about the Yankees. They aren’t winning by grit or determination. They’re winning by stacking the deck with the best players available at any given moment. They’re an all-star team. It’s not unfair it’s just dull. One can’t take any pride in their achievements. So they win. Big deal. Big surprise. You’re only interested when they lose because it by all rights should be impossible.

It’s the same reason the 1997 Marlins weren’t special. They won because they paid for a team. Unlike George they couldn’t afford to keep doing it.

Imagine if the Jest had Peyton Manning, Marshall Faulk and an All-Pro at every position except kicker. IMagine they go on to the Super Bowl every year but one for seven years and win all but two. Think Football would be exciting?

So I’ll keep a half an eye on the Series to see if the Marlins pull off any more dramatics. The underdog story is the only one of note. But I’ll miss what the World Series should be. Two teams starting from the same level and one of them excelling based on their effort. If New York won every year in that scenario I’d respect them. As it is I don’t hold it against the players but I feel a little sorry for them. They can only take sorrow in infrequent losses. There’s not much pride in beating up on teams of half your value. At least their shouldn’t be if you have any claim of honour or nobility.