The Difference Between Mets and Yankees Fans
What is the fundamental difference between rooting for the Yankees and supporting the Mets? Following is one real-life example coming “out of left field” (pardon the pun).
Today, Yankees fans are arguing over who between Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez should lose at-bats to Ichiro Suzuki, since all three play left field.
Meanwhile, Mets fans are waiting for the next report on Mike Baxter‘s rehab assignment in Binghamton.
Discuss …
About the Author
Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers.
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That made me cry
Ichiro, Smichiro.The Wilponzis gave us Snooki for a night plus Star Wars night.Yankee fans must be so jealous..
Not much differnce. Just about $120 mil in annual payroll and 25 championships, if my math is correct.
Raul Ibanez was the first-place Phillies’ starting LF and #5 or #6 hitter last year. This year, on the Yankees, he’s a platoon partner and soon to be relegated to PH duties.
Ibanez or Jones would be starting for the Mets and batting cleanup; both will back up Ichiro.
And if that doesn’t speak to Yankees’ depth, consider that A-Rod just broke his wrist, but they have former All-Star Eric Chavez ready to step in as his replacement.
The rich get richer, the Mets get sicker.
Rooting for the Yankees is a soulless activity.
Rooting for a Wilpon-owned team is difficult to explain, but I’m guilty.
I am sure there are scholarly studies dealing with why people root for certain teams or root against other teams.
As a kid growing up in the Bronx I rooted for the Dodgers while just about everyone else in the neighborhood rooted for the Yankees or the Giants. I fell in love with Jackie, Pee Wee, Duke, Campy, Gil and Oisk.
I’m too old for that now, but I guess my Mets fandom might be in part an anti-Yankee bias. That bias grew stronger during the George Steinbrenner heyday and it still exists.
Yankees fans expect perfection because their team is run like a business – they spend and spend, but they also put out a competitive team and earn a nice profit.
Mets fans expect way too much every spring, because they believe the PR dept and SNY’s hype machine. Then by mid-season, their expectations fall back to earth and the hype machine tells them that they were wrong to expect a playoff team because the Mets don’t have Yankee money and, after all, baseball is a business.
Then, the Wilpons cry poverty in the off-season because Mets fans are so unsupportive. So they raise ticket prices.
But every March, we have a new Josh Thole or Lucas Duda for the hype machine to push on us so we believe for another few months!
Meanwhile, Yankees fans just expect to win. And their front office spends accordingly.