I keep hearing spring is in the air. The calendar says it is that warm
colorful season. Even the sports section of our daily newspapers suggest that spring has sprung. Just look at the baseball standings. We are around that forty games played mark. This is the barometer which gives us an idea of where our favorite teams are heading this season. Surely that suggests it's spring time. The problem…my bones say, somewhere south of Baltimore Maryland, near I 95, the warm colorful migration north somehow got hijacked.
Yes folks, it's the first leg of inter league baseball season and I am still wearing a leather jacket most mornings and late afternoons. My interlocking NY gear is still hanging in my closet behind some well worn hooded sweat shirts and luggage form a winter trip to LA.
I turn on my radio to my favorite afternoon sports program, WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog. Hosted by Mike Fransessa and Christopher Russo. I hear Mike fending calls from exuberant Met fans who are once again full of pomp and circumstance. They are warning Mike and Yankee fans that their time has passed. “To all you Yankee fans, Look at da standins” Tony from Queens chimes in. “Pedro’s gonna pull a Zimmer on da whole bunch. It's a new era. Were gonna eat Randy’s lunch.” Wave in the Orange and Blue. After a few uh..hus after every statement, Mike finally breaks in with…” Will you guys please stop.” He refers to the last ten years of New York and particularly Yankee baseball and motions to his producer to hang up on the caller. Mike is a ...until you prove it to me it ain't going to happen, kind of guy...Next caller. This time it is an arrogant Yankee fan reminding Met fans, “Look, all you Met fans, when October comes you guys will be once again looking up at the Braves and possibly the Phillies, licking your collective wounds.” Chris “Mad Dog” Russo now cuts in and says,_"Hold on, you Yankee fans are getting carried away. Gee Whiz give me a break. You act as if you guys have a right to passage to the post season. It's been five years and you haven't won a darn thing. Come on.” Chris laughs and motions to his producer to hang up and take the next caller." Al from White Plains, your next on WFAN...AL?"
So it goes. Spring really is here and now it is official. I am beginning to feel warm and comfortable. Just go to any Yankee or Met message board this week and the thermometer reads as if it's mid July. That's more like it. Don't try to be congenial here. The posters will eat you alive like a swarm of summer mosquitos.
Here is a basic breakdown:
Both The Yankees and the Mets have big name players and big salaries. That's the way it should be. After all this is New York. Edge to Yankees in the salary department. The Yankees have OK starting pitching and a spotty bullpen. The Mets have OK starting pitching and a spotty bullpen. We are even here. The Yankees have a good offensive and fairly decent infield. The Mets have an OK offensive and great defensive infield. Slight edge to the Mets here. The Yankees have a weak offensive and poor defensive outfield. The Mets have a good offensive and good defensive out field. Advantage Mets. Yankees have (at this point) a pretty weak bench. Mets have a good bench. Advantage Mets. The Yankees are one of the worst clutch hitting teams (given their talent) in baseball. The Mets are all about clutch. Huge advantage Mets. The Yankees have Joe Torre. The Mets have Willie Randolph. I give the Yankees the edge here.The reason being Joe will Shoulder a lot of the media attention and Willie seems to be a little testy at times when pushed by the media. Not much,if any, of a factor though.
It sure does look like an easy pick. Although I have been told recently that… “Great breakdown…but when it comes to rivalry games, I believe all that goes out the window.” I agree. This is why you play the game, to borrow a phrase from a departed New York football coach
So, let the games begin and maybe mother nature will join in and heat things up. One can only hope.
