Randy Winn The Final Straw For Aggrieved Yankee Fan

The signing of Randy Winn instead of Johnny Damon has convinced one season ticket holder not to renew. I agree. A lineup of only eight 8-figure salaried all-stars just doesn't show enough of a commitment to winning.

There's an email exchange making the rounds, purporting to be between a Yankees sales rep and a partial season ticket holder who's none too happy about the moves the team has made this winter. His email, quoted at length:

I am sorry for the delay in responding to the many emails about making the payment on my Yankees account. The last time I spoke to you I believe I was inquiring about the proccess of upgrading to a full season ticket plan. Unfortunately, right after that I learned of the granderson trade and that made me begin to have some doubts.

As long as I have been a Yankee fan, I have always had the belief that the Yankees would do their best to put the best possible team on the field to attempt to win a championship. After an amazing season in which the Yankees brought the trophy back home, sadly it seems they hav lost their focus on winning another championship this year.

The list of transgressions includes bringing in players who have already proven they are capable of succeeding in ny ( nick Johnson and Javier vasquez), destroying the farm system that was finally being built back up to aquire older players who have had mediocre careers (granderson) and today the signing of winn in order to save some money instead of bringing back one of the most productive players as well as a great teammate, Johnny Damon was the final straw.

I held out hope for so long, praying cashman would make a move to show me he cares about putting together a team that can win this year, but today proved that the Boss's son are more concerned with a profit margin than winning championships, something their father would never be accused of.

I am a middle school teacher in the Bronx with a budget as well, but since I've moved out here I've always found a way to get ticket packages because of the entertaining product the Yankees put on the field, but also because I knew that the Yankees would do what was in their power to put a championship caliber team on the field. Even in 2008, when I knew the team was rebuilding, I bought a plan because I knew they were making a sacrifice to improve their chances the following year.

This offseason has not instilled this same confidence, so I regretfully must inform you that I am cancelling my ticket plan. I am no longer a ticket package holder for the Yankees, but I remain what I will always be, I lifelong Yankee fan.

Are the emails for real? Probably not. It's a little too perfect, and the sales rep's response, in which he uses stats to back up the moves, sound a little too much like a fan attempting to justify the trades and signings to himself. But hoax or not, it's a fairly accurate picture of the panic the Randy Winn era is already inspiring in Yankee fans.

In related news, the Pirates announced a projected opening day payroll of $35.6 million, or just $1.6 million more than Alex Rodriguez's and Randy Winn's salaries.

Yankees Fans Are Canceling Their Ticket Plans Because They Hate Randy Winn [New Stadium Insider]