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Willow: I feel like a witch in a magic shop! |
Tuesday, October 17, 2000 Subway Series! YeeeeeeeHAAAAAAAAA!! As I type this, the Yankees have just won the American League Division Championship, and we are finally going to have the Subway Series I've dreamed of ever since elementary school. Finally, the New York Yankees will get the chance to trounce the New York Mets in the World Series. No longer will I have to tell my siblings "Just wait 'till we meet in the Series"; instead, I'll be able to tell 'em, "Hey, we creamed you in 2000." Well, okay, it'll take a few more games before that can happen, but, man, have I been waiting for this. (Interleague games in the regular season? Speak not of them, for they are an abomination.)
Admittedly, it would have been better if this had happened last year. 'Cause the Yankees and Mets seem to have switched their scripts. See, the Yankees are Goliath; that's their appeal. The Mets are David; that's their appeal. The Mets have the better Hollywood story; the Yankees have more effective story in the Real World. Or in New York. Both teams exemplified their particular ideal better last year. The Yankees were in a stronger position going into their postseason; the Mets only made it into the postseason by the skin of their teeth. The Mets finally went down last year when their last miracle ran out, as the Yanks steamrollered their way through. But if the Mets had held out just a bit longer, the showdown would have been New York baseball's ultimate test of the Hollywood narrative vs. the Real World narrative, of David vs. Goliath, of luck and pluck vs. hegemonic excellence. This year, it's not quite the same. The Mets are doing too well to fit the underdog role properly; the Yanks are a touch too shaky to fit the swaggering champion role.
This is a pity, because taking the swaggering champion role, reveling in the merciless crushing of one's rivals, and unapologetically glorying in being the best is much of the fun of being a Yankee fan. It gives you a license -- nay, an obligation -- to be a bit of a jerk for a change. I mentioned this on ThreeWay Action earlier today, but it bears repeating: A number of years ago, there was a survey in which Yankee and Met fans were asked which team they would root for if only the other New York team made it to the World Series. The majority of the Met fans said they'd root for the Yankees. The majority of the Yankee fans said they'd root against the Mets. To me, this has always described the main difference between the two. David, after all, is a nice guy. He's doing his best to make his way in the world, but when push comes to shove, he'll go with the local team. Goliath isn't so nice. For Goliath, the rivalries are half the fun. Goliath wants David to get squashed, and forget about petty regional ties. It's nice to be on Goliath's side sometimes.
It may be just as well that I was too young and naive to recognize the Yankee fan's dilemma in 1986. Root for the hometown rival, the Mets? Or the AL rival, the Red Sox? Not knowing the extent of the latter rivalry at the time, I was able to root against the Mets in blissful simplicity. This time around, though, it's gonna be perfect.
let us rejoice and be glad in it!
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