Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

At the risk of discombobulating my readers and alienating Yankee haters, I want to say some good things about the New York Yankees.

First, they are respectful of tradition, right down to the pinstripes the players wear. This appeals to me as a conservative. My adoptive team, the Texas Rangers, changes uniforms every couple of years. Red one year, blue the next. The owner, Tom Hicks, worships the almighty dollar. Changing uniforms means making more money on sales.

Second, the Yankees are clean cut. It sickens me to see baggy pants, drooping shirts, facial hair (would somebody buy Joe Nathan a razor?), do rags, and dreadlocks. I'm disappointed that the Yankees allow C. C. Sabathia to wear his hat askew. It's disrespectful to the game. I trust that this will be corrected by next season. I'm sure George Steinbrenner would never have allowed it.

Third, the Yankees have high standards. They don't always win, but they always expect to win. Players come to Arlington to make money and have fun. The team has won exactly one playoff game in its history (over the Yankees, ironically); yet fans continue to flock to the ballpark. Players go to New York to win World Series. I love the pursuit of excellence. It is inspiring.

It doesn't help that many Yankees are gentlemen. How can you dislike, much less hate, Derek Jeter? The man is a first-class human being (so far as I know). I like Jorge Posada, Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Joba Chamberlain, and manager Joe Girardi. I always liked Joe Torre. Truth be told, I don't hate any of the current Yankees, with the possible exception of Choke-Fraud.

Somebody stop me before I become a Yankee fan!