Phew.

IMAGE: SMSHEPARD FROM FLICKR
So that was that. Two friends and I hopped in to my Jeep and drove out to Denver for games 3 and 4 of the 2007 world series. We returned to New York, however, in a rented Ford with Missouri plates, thanks to an errant spare tire, rim and all, that placed itself conveniently smack dab in the middle of the left lane on I-70 somewhere near Mizzou. Needless to say, I was thrilled with the outcome of the series, despite my admiration for the Troy Tulowitzki chant. At the risk of being unoriginal, I will say that Jonathan Papelbon should have been the MVP of that series, having sucked the thin mountain air out of any Rockies hope that was left after the Game 1 schellacking. Down as I was to see an Amazin-free postseason, I enjoyed the hell out of the Red Sox ride.

But what's done is done, and it's now the offseason, as Scott Boras so politely reminded us somewhere around the 7th inning of Game 4. With regards to A-Rod: COUNT ME IN! I can't begin to fathom why any fan of any team wouldn't want the best player in the game. I couldn't care less about his alleged baggage, with the strippers and what not; I couldn't care less about the slapped glove or the "HA" in Toronto. He hits 45+ home runs regularly. For the love of God how can anyone complain? And the postseason failure? I really don't buy that someone who is capable of putting up the sorts of numbers he has put up year after year, most notably this past year, under a lot of pressure in the biggest market, somehow always has and always will lose it in October. He's still hit .279 in 10 career postseason games with 7 hr. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes the whole can/can't get it done when it counts thing is a crock. Remember Barry Bonds not hitting in the playoffs, and the October he put together in '02? How about John Elway, after all? Or Captain Clutch Jeter and his .179 lds batting average, hitting into double plays like there was no tomorrow? At the end of the day, the playoffs can be so brief, in any major sport, that it can be very hard to judge how clutch a player is or not. (Again, there are some notable exceptions. I think Josh Beckett has shown us as much.)

So let me back off from all the controversy with Mr. Rodriguez for a minute and make a case. For one, see above. He's just an incredible baseball player. Period. Then factor in the PR generated by A-Rod coming to Shea. Admit it or not, it is every Met fan's dream to outright steal the back pages from the Yankees, and a move like this, the imminent arrival of Citi Field and some October ball in Queens, coupled with the current Yankee face-lift that could verge on rebuilding, would go a long way towards doing just that. Next, if an A-Rod jump across town did work out it would make for a hell of a story, considering the treatment he's received from those millions of people from New Jersey and Westchester who call themselves Yankee fans. I truly believe that Met fans would embrace him until he really blew it, and if he made good with New York on his childhood team his rep would be saved. Finally:
Reyes
Wright
A-Rod
Beltran
Even Philly couldn't hang with that.

But would he do it? Would the Mets do it?
As for the former, he'll go wherever on earth the money is, and would probably have some extra incentive to succeed in NYC, on the team he apparently rooted for when he was young.
Would the Mets do it? Why not? I honestly see them as a front-runner in all of this, if not only because they probably have more money to burn than anyone involved, especially because of the potential extra revenue A-Rod could generate. The New York market is essentially unlimited, while other markets can top out. Wright seems amenable to playing wherever management wants him to, even though I'd rather see him stay at 3B and see Alex slotted in elsewhere, such as first. Delgado and a lot of cash for some pitching help, anyone? The Red Sox have a very cohesive team right now, and I don't see a John Henry whose hedge fund is losing money by the day messing with that by taking on another 30 mil a year in one ballplayer fresh off winning a series with the guys he's got. The Cubs don't even truly know who their owner is, and that kind of investment could get dicey. Arte Moreno and Bill Stoneman in Anaheim haven't pulled the trigger on a huge bat to join Vlad yet, so who's to say they'd do it now? I see the Dodgers as the major contender here, and they flat out don't have the kind of money the Mets do, nor the balls that Omar has. Go get him, dammit. Now.

How the Yankees Affect Us

IMAGE: WALLYG FROM FLICKR

I've remained somewhat silent over the last few days, not really knowing whether to comment any more on the Yankees, and feeling that any side post commenting on Omar's last appearance on the Fan would seem a little irrelevant. There is no doubt that right now the story is the Yankees, and even as Met fans, we are dominated by the whole thing. It truly is difficult to determine to what extent one should curb one's self as a Met fan in terms of the Yankees. In my case the emotional investment goes pretty deep, seeing as I have also always rooted for the Red Sox.

As a Met fan, however, half the time that I feel like killing the Yankees or even acknowledging their existence, I feel like I may be doing something wrong. On the other hand, when I encounter a Met fan that doesn't really have anything against the Yankees, and maybe even pulls for them once the Mets are out of it, I always want to slap some sense in to him.

I suppose it comes down to finding that happy medium between ignoring what certainly is and should be a rivalry, and seeming like a clueless, jealous brat.

Did I have a great big grin on when the Bombers got knocked out? Yep. Did I cheer and yell and scream? Yep. But I didn't call every Yankee fan I knew to gloat, nor did I have the urge to spray it all over the blog. I have some compassion for Joe Torre, who truly is a decent human being, and happens to be from the greatest borough on earth. I can step back and appreciate the magnitude of the run they have made, without getting too whiny over it.

But I cheered. For what it's worth, this is a team with a uniquely obnoxious fanbase that is directly at odds with us in terms of our market, and in this day and age, having to compete within a market against a team is almost as significant having to play that team. If we are the holdouts or descendants of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants, we gotta hate that other team. Period. Just hate in an evolved manner, unless you are in the privacy of your own home. Basically, don't do the Yankees Suck chant when it's not a Subway Series; that kinda sums it up.

Beyond the odd relationship, the implications that this series could have on the Mets are definitely strong.
For one thing, the Yanks going and winning a championship after that Met collapse could seriously hinder the pace of the Orange and Blue wave that's been coasting through NYC. We finally start to get relevant, start to really compete, and then we get knocked out and they win the series? No good.
Second, the probable departure of Torre leaves the door open for a lot of free agents to not be as inclined to stay in pinstripes. What do the Mets need this offseason? SP, RP, OF, C. Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Bobby Abreu and Jorge Posada are all potential FA's that to me would seem more likely to test the market with Joe gone. Do I think it's likely that Andy Pettitte or Mariano would end up here? No. Not at all, really, but the other two make for some pretty interesting speculation. Then there's always A-Rod. Yikes. There's hardly any way he doesn't opt out of that contract, and you could visualize ownership trying to repent for that little mistake Steve Phillips made way back when. I'm just not sure if it makes any sense. For all the flak he catches, I won't say I wouldn't welcome him to Shea, but where? Wright at second? A-Rod at second? Wright to first and Carlos Delgado relaxing in the dugout to the tune of 16mil on his backloaded contract? Who knows...
EDIT: This just popped up on ESPN.com: Rivera
The third implication the Yankees' loss has on this team and its fans: Yeah, it feels good to have some company on the downbound train.