Are the New York Yankees Good for Baseball? Why You Should Love Them and Hate Them

The New York Yankees are quite easily the most loved baseball team in MLB. They are probably even hands down the most loved team in all of sports. They have fans not only all over the nation, but across the whole world, too.

The Yankees are also the most hated team in baseball. If you don't love the Yankees, then you hate them. It's really that simple. If you are a fan of the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays, White Sox, Tigers, Phillies, Braves, Angels, A's or Indians, you have one thing in common; you hate the Yankees. It's almost a requirement of being a diehard fan of any of these teams and other teams all throughout the league.

The off-season rumors are starting to pick up steam and one has to look no further than those to see why there is such a love/hate relationship with the Yankees. The current rumors flying around ESPN have the Yankees in the thick of the hunt for Roy Halladay. Last year, they not only added two top of the staff pitchers in C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, but also added middle of the order slugger, Mark Teixeira. Now the Yankees are trying to land a guy that is considered by some to be the best pitcher in baseball.

What happens if the Yankees do trade for workhorse pitcher, Roy Halladay?

The lovers will say that you can't blame a team for trying to get better; that everyone else is jealous that their team's owners don't show the same dedication to building a championship team.

The haters will say that they just buy their championships. They will spend as much as they have to and have no limits. Only a handful of teams can even get semi-close to spending the amount of money the Yankees do. Small and mid-market teams have little to no chance at competing, and must make mistake free acquisitions. One wrong move and their a goner; where as the Yankees can just buy a new player if they sign a bust.

I'm a diehard Cleveland Indians fan. That means that I most definitely hate the Yankees, but I am not a total idiot. Well, not all the time anyways. The Yankees serve a great purpose in baseball. In some senses, it is almost better to be hated than loved. People will go to the ballpark to not only root for the Yankees, but also to root against the Yankees. People can't get enough news about the Yankees. Whether a Yankees lover or hater, news about them sparks your interest. People want to hear all the dirt about the Yankees and find more reasons to hate them.

There is no doubt about it; the Yankees and their "Evil Empire" are good for baseball. You either just plain love them or you love to hate them. Either way love is love, and as this case proves, hate is also love.