Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Who Should Mets Fans Root For?

The question of who Mets fans should root for was recently posed to us and I thought it merited attention. What I've primarily heard so far is that Mets fans will be rooting for the Phils, since they hate the Yankees so much. But I think we have to weigh the options a bit more carefully.

Mets fans are really between a rock and hard place, forced to choose between two teams who are far superior to theirs, and have made a habit of embarrassing them. On the one hand, you have the Phillies. They currently dominate the NL East, forcing Mets fans to have little else to look forward to other than in what creative new way the Mets will piss away their season in the face of a Phillies onslaught.

On the other hand, you have the Yankees, who have the audacity to play in the same city as the Mets, and the sheer balls to have been the most storied sports franchise in America long before someone came up with the idea of giving New York the Mets as consolation for the Dodgers and Giants leaving the city. It was kind of like when you wanted a computer for Christmas, but got a calculator instead. They're similar, but not quite. You still have to pretend you like, even love, the calculator, because the economy sucks and someone at least thought to get you something, but you're still a little empty inside. Such was the adoption of the Mets by NL fans in New York, and they have since tried to fill that emptiness with contempt for the Yankees.

Those aren't two great options to have to choose between if you're a Mets fan looking for someone to root for in this World Series. Both teams involved pretty much assure your team won't ever matter to anyone, no matter how blue and orange your logo is. I know that's hard to hear, but it has to be said.

But let's leave the logos out of this. This is about who to root for. Your division rival, whose star pitcher (until they traded for Cliff Lee) called you 'chokers'; or your crosstown rival, whom you hate but deep down secretly admire, because, after all, how could you not? They're the f----g Yankees!

The Phillies ultimately have a more direct role in the successes of the Mets. You play them 18 times a year, and you compete against them for a playoff spot. Perhaps this regular competition has left you with some amount of respect for the Phillies. And hey, at the end of the day, you live in New York, even if it's Queens, and they live in Philly. You may feel that letting them be successful is the least fate can do for them.

The Yankees play no real role in determining your success. But you don't compete with the Yankees on the baseball field, you compete with them for national, hell even local, love and attention. You're Leonardo's little brother. He just painted the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, and you're one hell of a tracer. Man you hate that guy. But you're still family. You live in the same house, and at the end of the day, what's good for the Yankees is good for New York. But you don't care about that do you? You're too bitter.

So what should a Met fan do this World Series? Move to Jersey, and root for the Phillies.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Guess nbody roots for their own league to win anymore...

cheshirecat9 said...

Ha! I love this post and I think you nailed the conundrum of the Mets fan perfectly. I have some friends who are Mets fans, and they definitely have a hard road in life.

That being said if they weren't such bitter bastards they should root for the Yanks for the reason you said, it's good for New York.

Random question for anyone who reads this blog and lives in the city, in 1999 and 2000 when the Yanks were in the World Series the lions in front of the Public Library on 5th Ave and 42nd Street wore Yankee caps. Has anyone been by there recently to see if they did that again?

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

I wish I was still in NYC, I'd go down right now and find out, but alas, I am far far away.

You're right Anonymous, rooting for your league is a good reason, and would lead to the same conclusion, but sometimes people make exceptions when it's a rival involved and they called you chokers and they stole your girlfriend at the dance and ate your birthday cake, so I didn't include it as a plus in the 'root for the phillies' column.

Anonymous said...

You can't root for your division rival, ever. If it were a Red Sox/Mets WS, which team would you root for?

Fernando Alejandro said...

That's different though since Yankee fans don't look at the Mets the same way Mets fans look at the Yankees, not to mention the long standing rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees, as opposed to the short lived rivalry between the Phillies and Mets. A better example would be a Mets vs. Blue Jays matchup, in which case I really wouldn't care who wins.

I'd probably end up rooting for specific players in that scenario. There are several Mets players that I follow.

cr1 said...

This may sound like a strangely convoluted reason to root for your league -- it has nothing to do with league loyalty -- but I would prefer for the rival who beat my team not to look like a wimp who can't even beat an NL team. So I have to say that I would hold my nose and root for the Red Sox to prove that any team that could beat the Yankees for the division championship must be better than any other team in baseball.

GM-Carson said...

What should a Mets fan do? 1st- stop being a Mets fan. 2nd- burn all Mets memorbilia. 3rd- become a Phils Phan because you know it's right.

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

I sort of agree. I rooted for St. Louis the last two times the Sox were in the WS. Hell, I even rooted for St. Louis when the White Sox were in the WS, and they were playing Houston. It's the principle. But I will allow that the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry is kind of unique, and I don't know how similar the Phillies/Mets rivalry is (largely b/c I don't care enough to find out). I rooted for Tampa last year b/c I generally root for the AL, and even though they're a division rival, they're not a rival the way the Red Sox are a rival. If Toronto or Baltimore made it, I would still root for my league; the only exception being perhaps if they bounced us out of the playoffs, but last year we weren't in contention so there were no hard feelings.

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

My last response was to Anonymous. I understand your logic cr1, but I still couldn't root for the Sox, though I would understand your decision to.

GM-Carson, somehow I don't think most Met fans would agree with you, and while I'm on the fence about step 3, I have to admit that I highly agree about steps 1 and 2.

Jon Roberts said...

I could never root for the Sawx. I don't care it satan were the captain of the other team. I would be happy if he were the MVP as long as the Sawx lost.

In the case of the Blue Jays I would probably root for them depending on the match up.

Mets fans ought to be rooting for the second greatest living American (after Yogi), Captain Clutch! He can just continue to show them their SS is not clutch. Or Arod, imagine a third baseman who hits with power.

Ruthie J said...

@ Chesirecat9

omg, that is so freaky cool.. the lion with the caps thing.. but in this economy, I wouldn't trust merchandise, such as a yankee cap, out in public.... even if it is in new york....
but it would be a cool lil tradition to have.....

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

That was mean Jon Roberts, but hilarious. I'm sure Wright will hit one out of Citi Field one day when he grows up.

Jon Roberts said...

I actually like Wright, but it seems like that park is in his head. When I see players like him fall back and all the great closers who are just a flash in the pan I just appreciate what our team puts out there. It also makes me want to choke announcers when they say this guy is the "new Arod" or "next Rivera". Let's see it for a few years. I have no problem with Reyes either, he's really good, I just appreciate Jeter's abilities and consistency all the more. I also liked watching Putz when he was healthy in Seattle, it was fun to hear Thunderstruck blasting and see the lightning bolts all over Safeco. I think I'm out of Mets I like.

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

Yeah, the Mets have some likeable players. Hard to dislike Santana, or Beltran, or Delgado. But you're right, the Yanks have been very good for a long time and that's hard to do.

I'm especially with you on the 'next Mariano' stuff. I hate that. Mariano's done it for 15 years, some kid does it for two, never in the postseason, and he's the next Mo. Please.

hunter said...

i think they should root for the yankees... its their home city. fernando brought up the scenario of a mets//blue jays WS... and if that ever happened, i think i would root for the mets. i love the city of NY... esp the yankees. but when the mets get good enough to make it back to the fall classic, and if the yankees arent in it, you can bet ill be rooting for them.
but as for right now...
GO YANKEES!!!

Anonymous said...

Mets Fans Unite - Join METS FAN FOR PHILLIES - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=159527324233&v=app_2392950137#/group.php?gid=159527324233

Raven King said...

Mets fans should root for trading away Omar Minaya, City Field, half of Queens District and their whole farm system for Roy Halladay and Dr. Gregory House.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Roberto E. Alejandro said...

Boomer and Carton are lobbying hard for Mets fans to root for the Yanks. Carton's new catch phrase is "Mets fans for Yankees!"

Unknown said...

So is it bad that I read logos as the Logos, as in the Word...