You might say Yankee fans at McDermott's Pub in Westchester Square in the Bronx are passionate about their pinstripers. Case in point: regular customer Kerry Whitfield.

"The Yankees all the way, every day, 365 days. They are the Yankees. They are supposed to win, period," Whitfield said.

What You Need To Know

  • The Yankees have won 27 World Series titles.

  • They have not won a World Series since 2009.

  • The Bronx Bombers won 92 games last season.

That's truly what fans of the team believe. The Yankees have won 27 World Championships, but the last one was in 2009. After a 92-win season last year, they were eliminated by their arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in the Wild Card game. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Heading into the 2022 campaign today, expectations are high as always.

"Well we are New Yorkers, and we are also Bronxites, so we have the right to be picky,” said Mike McDermott, a retired police officer who has owned McDermott's Pub for 12 years. ”We demand a good, quality team, and we don't expect anything less than that.”

Folks at McDermott's did express some skepticism about the current squad. You can't blame them, because that's basically what New Yorkers do, complain about their sports teams.

"They can make the playoffs, but we've got to take it from there. Once they make the playoffs, we've got to see what happens," said Phil Garcia, who was sporting a Yankees cap while having a bite to eat.

Janet Bosch, who bartends at the other McDermott's location in Throggs Neck, said she misses the days when the Bombers lineup included players like Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Paul O'Neill and Mariano Rivera.

"They won a lot of games last year, but they still don't have it, that magic. I need that magic back," said Bosch.

McDermott showed me some of the Yankees memorabilia at the bar, including pictures of the old Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and a signed Rich "Goose" Gossage jersey with those famous pinstripes.

McDermott said his bar is a neighborhood place where folks can root for any of the local teams. He prefers the Yankees, and is optimistic about the coming season.

"I think the Yankees take it. I think we have a good stretch. Of course, we always struggle before the all-star break, but I think we pull everything out. I think this is our year," he said.

Whitfield, who was gently poking fun at a fellow customer who is a Mets fan, had the final word.

"I always think they are going to win, because they always put themselves in a position to win," said Whitfield, who added, "They are the Yankees, the greatest sports team in American and world history, the New York Yankees, from the Bronx."