IN PRAISE AND SYMPATHY

For my whole life, some 70 years give or take,
the Yankees have been my arch enemy,
the Evil Empire, the destroyer of
my childhood hopes and dreams.
I was a kid in Brooklyn, playing stickball,
living and dying on the fortunes of the Dodgers,
mostly dying, except for the magical series of ’55
when they finally beat their cross-town rivals.
Now, much older, I view the Bombers
through much more sympathetic eyes.
They are a New York team after all,
and in these times, we all need something to root for.
I must admit it was almost heartbreaking to see
them lose a playoff series by the slimmest of margins
in one of the most exciting games I have ever seen,
a game decided by an 8th inning home run,
and a shutout 9th inning of despair.
The Yankees of old will never be near my heart,
but these new Yankees have my praise and sympathy.