Yankees Fans

Nothing fair or equitable for Maryland taxpayers I read in The Sun on July 7 about the Orioles winning their dispute with the Maryland Stadium Authority, claiming disparity in their stadium deal vs. the Ravens' deal. Now, let me see if I have this picture right. The taxpayers of Maryland pay to build both of the stadiums at practically no cost to the owners of either team. Next, the officials, elected by the taxpayers, grant sweetheart concessions, bonuses and freebies to the team owners to entice both teams to play in the taxpayer-built stadiums.

NEW YORK - Rooting for the New York Yankees, as the saying goes, is like rooting for U.S. Steel. What's the point? And to you, an outsider from Baltimore, cheering for their cross-town rivals, the Mets, is no better. It's all New York: arrogant, presumptous, self-absorbed. So, as the first all-Gotham World Series in 46 years hurtles toward you like a runaway transit car, your instinct is to flee the scene. Why stick around for all the carnage? Within a couple of weeks, millions are going to need Tommy John surgery: Even the Big Apple can only pat itself on the back for so long.

EVEN YOGI BERRA, known for witticisms so absurd they're brilliant, would be at a loss to explain the bizarre summer Baltimore baseball fans continue to endure.On Sunday, David Cone of the rival New York Yankees pitched a perfect game, retiring all 27 batters he faced. He threw just 88 pitches. Because any mistake can undo a perfect game, the feat has been accomplished in the major leagues only 14 times this century.Mr. Cone's milestone was made more dramatic by the presence of Yankee greats from the past, who participated in ceremonies in honor of Mr. Berra.

Their aura of invincibility has been punctured. The New York Yankees have had to battle to stay near the top of the American League East standings, which has created no small amount of angst in the city that already has a sleep disorder. It's all relative, of course. The Yankees are sputtering along at a .580 winning percentage, which would be the envy of every American League team outside Cleveland and Boston, but the possibility that they might be just another contender has New Yorkers very disturbed.

Hating the Yankees isn't nearly as much fun as it used to be.There's no Reggie, no Billy, no big-city swagger, no stable of blimp-sized egos billowing hot air.Yes, Yankees fans are still loud and annoying, the Big Apple media are still maddeningly myopic and George Steinbrenner is still in charge. That's almost enough to make you pick up a shoe and throw it at the TV.But the team itself is almost impossible to dislike.Only on principle, out of habit, can you hate the '98 Yankees.Their manager, Joe Torre, is the anti-Billy Martin, a gentleman win or lose.

NEW BALTIMORE, N.Y. -- When the 3,400 or so residents here say the name of their Hudson River town, many of them drop the New. "Nnn-Baltimore," it comes out. Or sometimes, just "Baltimore."So, 25 miles south of Albany, with its own rest stop on the New York State Thruway: a Baltimore that roots for the Yankees."Wait till the playoffs; the fates won't let the Orioles stay ahead for long," says the Rev. Leroy Suess, pastor at the New Baltimore Reformed Church. "We have a special feeling for Baltimore here, but not enough to stop cheering our team."

Thanks from a Yankees fanOn behalf of all Yankees fans, I would like to thank your city for providing us with such an easy path to the World Series. Never in my baseball viewing life have I watched such a collection of heartless saps as your Baltimore Orioles -- 18 of 19 runs scored via an out or home run and not one clutch base hit. Your city's baseball club truly is -- as a writer for a local paper once proclaimed -- "the tin men of baseball."Dan HansellPiscataway, N.J.Pre-adolescent columnKen Rosenthal's column Oct. 10 concerning "Bronx Rules" was yet another addition to his seemingly endless string of inane articles.

On the day after the brawlingest night in the history of Camden Yards, Baltimore police doubled their patrols yesterday in the sections loaded with New York Yankees fans. They brought in an extra platoon to discourage post-game clashes in the streets outside the stadium, and they formed a cordon to keep spectators from rushing the field after the final out.But when the Yankees scored early and often, the deflated Orioles fans just didn't seem to be in much of a fighting mood."It's not like [Saturday]

Don't get me wrong. I love New York. I love everything about New York, including the town's unmatched IQ (Incivility Quotient).That's me. When the waiter throws the menu down on the table as if he were Michael Irvin spiking a football, I double the tip.New York is an attitude town. I'm an attitude guy.To sum up: I love New York; I just don't like seeing New York in Baltimore, where I actually live.I especially don't like it when New Yorkers try to take over Camden Yards. Yesterday the paper said to expect an invasion of pinstripes and Yankee caps for the weekend series.

Dean Prager has been sitting directly behind the left-field wall at Orioles games ever since Camden Yards opened four years ago. He has always respected where his space ends and the field of play begins.Never, Prager said, has he even considered reaching over the wall and pulling in a ball to help his beloved Orioles.Last night, though, Prager was out for revenge."I'll take the guy's glove out of his hands," the Annapolis insurance salesman said before the game. "I'd be escorted out of here, and I'd say thank you [to the usher]