Writing the Pine

The stage is set to crown a world champion of baseball.  Arguably the two teams who deserved to be there most are facing each other to earn the right to be immortalized in the history books.  After a grueling six month season, it’s all come down to a final few games.  Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees will square off in the World Series.

What’s a Mets fan to do?

If I had to pick a team to root for, conventional wisdom says it’s a no-brainer that I gotta throw my support behind the “Evil Empire.”  It’s not that easy though.  Growing up, it was all about the Yankees.  I was 11 when the Yankees’ dynasty began.  It’s an age where many on-the-fence kids choose what teams they’re going to root for.  Unfortunately for myself and other Mets fans, this meant many of our peers selected the Yankees as their baseball team of choice.  I can’t blame them really.  It’s easy to want to root for a winner, especially when you’re an impressionable young kind.  I get it.  (I know the dominance of the Yanks in the late ’90’s is not the sole reason Yankee fans aged 28 and younger are fans, but I’d say many of these fans would be Mets fans if it was the Mets who owned.)  As a result, I suffered through years of hearing how good the Yankees are and how they always win and that the Mets suck.  (The last part is probably the truest statement of them all.)  And does anyone think really think the Mets stood a chance in 2000?  The Yankees were clearly the superior team.  So you can’t blame me for not wanting to support the Bombers.  I don’t hate the team though.  I don’t hate the fact that they buy championships (who doesn’t nowadays?)  I don’t hate George Steinbrenner.  I don’t hate the no facial hair rule.  I don’t hate Derek Jeter (you’re not a baseball fan if you do).  It’s just years of dealing with the constant shit-talking from fans and especially those fans who only come out for the playoffs.  These guys/girls couldn’t tell CC Sabathia from a quarter pounder with cheese.  (He would be at least an angus third-pounder.)  I hate that.  You know what else I really hate?  I hate that my Facebook feed is loaded with Yankee status updates.  Facebook is un-log-on-able on game days because of all the fans that come out of the woodwork and this causes me great pain because I cannot stalk girls as a result.  I hate that.  And I hate Brian Cashman but that’s for another time.  Call it bitterness, call it jealousy, call it hating, call it whatever you want because it probably is that.  So the Yankees might be representing New York City, the greatest city in the world.  My city.  But you can’t blame me for not wanting to root for them.

As for the Phillies?  Eff the Phillies.

So what’s a Mets fan to do?  Nothing.  This Mets fan will be riding the pine for this World Series.