He said "true New Yorkers" are Met fans.
Listen: I understand how words get misinterpreted, especially when a guy is drunk on Wilpon vodka. The Grandy Man never showed spite in the past. After striking out, he simply trudged to the dugout - no Paul O'Neill visits to the bat rack. In the overall scheme of walk-away lines, this is more a tweak of the nose than punch in the gut. Still, I wonder where Curtis was going?
Yankee fans are not true New Yorkers? What a thing to say. All those cops and firefighters who rallied after 9-11 and practically made the Yankee flag synonymous with Old Glory? All those people who cried in Mariano's last outing, or stood as Andy walked off the mound, or the bleacher bums in their roll calls, the guys on the streets with faded NY caps ... Pennsylvanians?
Right now, New York sports is a horror show. No pro team is remotely giving the city a source of pride. The Yankees melted down. The Knicks - dear God, the Knicks, will somebody please move them to Topeka? The Rangers, the Nets, the Giants, the Jets - tell me a NYC team destined to win a championship in the next two years. But first and foremost in that Jeopardy category of TRADITIONS OF LOSING DISGRACEFULLY is Grandy's new employer, the Flushing Mets. "True" New Yorkers, apparently, in the mind of Mr. Grandy Man, cherish losing.
I'm tempted to say Curtis was never a true Yankee, never worth what we gave up to get him, never willing to use his vast talents, because he became homer-happy in a stadium that fitted his swing. I guess we should give him a pass and forget it. Remember the person, not the 195 strikeouts, a club record. But it's interesting how players walking out the door are suddenly speaking their minds.
We still haven't heard Robbie unload on how disrespected he felt - being forced to bat second. Wait... didn't Curtis bat second? Hm-mm. Maybe we're onto something. True Yankee stars never bat second. And "true" New Yorkers? Hmm. Isn't Chris Christie a Met fan?
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