Yankees be gone

They really don’t like the Yankees in New England:

The Lowell Spinners (short season; NY-Penn League) announced the continuation of a popular program: eliminating the New York Yankees in youth baseball programs throughout New England.

Originally developed as a response to the heartbreak and taunting children assigned to Yankees youth baseball and softball teams face, the Yankees Elimination Promotion (Y.E.P.) eliminated over 100 Yankees teams since 2006, replacing them with Spinners teams.

This year’s Yankees Elimination Promotion will be limited to 75 teams on a first-come, first-served basis. As part of the promotion the Spinners will replace the league’s Yankees hats with Spinners hats and provide a $200 donation toward the cost of uniforms. Through Y.E.P., the Spinners have donated over $50,000 into the youth baseball and softball community.

“The original intention of the Yankees Elimination Program was to combat the stories of children losing interest in the game and facing taunts simply for playing the game we all love in a Yankees uniform,” said Tim Bawmann, Vice President/GM of the Lowell Spinners. “The outpouring of teams looking to change their image and relentless requests from coaches and parents looking to escape the ‘Yankee Curse’ has us excited to help bring joy to young athletes across New England this spring.”

I can’t believe that this isn’t being done in reverse to the Red Sox someplace else.

(thanks to Pete Toms for the link)