The Lesser of Two Evils Pt. 2

Last week before the Yanks and Phils locked up their respective World Series appearances I was convinced that if this ultimate Mets nightmare matchup occurred, I would be rooting for the Yankees. Now, after a week of non-stop Yankee media glorification, I may be ready to jump this ship before it even leaves the dock.

As explained last week, my reasoning behind pulling for the Yankees was three-fold. 1) Being cross-town rivals with Mets really has no impact on my team’s standings unless it is in interleague play. 2) The Yankees operate with class. They do not partake in the same Mets trash-talking and dirty play as the Phillies have over the past few years. 3) Despite the bone-headed nature of Yankee fans, this Yankee team is a fun group to watch. I like that they look like they are having fun. They have a good chemistry that I wish could somehow rub off on the Mets. You would think two teams with similarly bloated payrolls would have similar chemistry, but no such luck.

But despite this reasoning, the fact remains that rooting for the Yankees is a tough proposition because if they do win, I will have to deal with all of the hoopla right in my backyard. This includes relentless media coverage, a ticker tape parade and an onslaught of obnoxious Yankee fans everywhere I go. The past eight years without Yankee post-season glory have been the sole bright notes in an otherwise mediocre decade of Mets Octobers. A 2009 Yankees World Championship will only serve to remind me that the last time our cross-town rivals won it was at our expense.

At least if the Phillies repeat, their success won’t be right under my nose. Sure, there will probably be some anti-Mets player or media comments made, but I know I’ll be able to watch television, listen to sports radio and read the newspapers more than I would be able to if the Yankees take the crown. Plus, the bonus is that the majority of New York media coverage of a Phillies victory would be about the Yankees choking. That is kind of appealing now that I think about it!

So what is a die-hard Mets fan to do in a situation like this? Well, I could just start a media blackout immediately, pop in some 1986 Mets highlights and pretend the apocalypse is not upon us. But instead, I think I’ll adopt a policy of neutrality and watch without any vested interest in who takes the crown. As a Mets fan, this is an unwinnable situation in every respect so I might as well just sit back and watch. All I can really hope for is that it is an entertaining series and that it goes a full seven games before winter baseball withdrawal kicks in. May the best team win.