The scrappy, nagging, pain in the neck, little brother complex Phillies have shown exceptional clutch and gotten great pitching to make their way to a second straight World Series. The bloated payroll, band box playing, A-Rod renaissance Yankees are finally back in the championship round after what seems like a long drought for the perennial contender.
And now as a Mets Lifer you must choose. Who do you root for?
It's like choosing between the Dallas Cowboys or the Philadelphia Eagles, watching The View or Glee, rooting for Lex Luthor or Charles Manson, eating brussel sprouts or lima beans; there is no good choice. Just pure evil.
Since death is not an option, a Mets fan must choose who will have their rooting interest. Never before have I been asked so many times who I'm rooting for in a World Series than this one. Even before the teams became official everybody and their mother wanted to know which team I'd be cheering for.
And so here's my decision. I'm pulling for the Yankees.
It hurts to even type that, but let me explain why. I'm traditionally a National League guy when it comes to the World Series, but the thought of the Phillies winning back to back titles is just too much to bear. If the Phils had lost last year, they'd have my backing 100%, but I can't take another 365 days of Phils as world champs.
Besides, if the Yankees win, so what? With a payroll the size of a NATO country they're expected to win. They have 5 potential hall of famers, the best hitter in the game, the best starting pitcher in the game (after Santana), the best closer in the game, and an All Star at pretty much every position. So what's there to really brag about if you win?
Some Yankee fans like to think that this is a scrappy, pull up by your bootstraps type of team, which just makes me chuckle inside. Their three free agent signings this offseason was larger than the entire payroll of the Florida Marlins. Not winning the World Series with this Yankees pitching staff and lineup would be a colossal failure in the hearts and minds of Yankee fans.
Even though I have to face Yankee fans more often than Phillies' fans, it won't bother me that they'll have "bragging rights" for another year. Pretty much everybody has bragging rights over the Mets.
And so the boys in pinstripes will have my rooting interest (as if they care), but part of me will also smile if they do end up losing.
1 comment:
Good article. Bad decision. You being an avid baseball fan, I would have thought you would pull for the NL and anything other than the Evil Empire. Either way, I respect the choice. However, Albert is a much better hitter than A-Rod, hands down.
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