Thursday, September 29, 2005

Know Thine Enemy

Last weekend, I spent four days in the Tri-State area listening to WFAN New York, which bills itself as the flagship station for the Mets. While it may indeed be that - it does broadcast Met games - when I listened to it all it appeared to be is a mouthpiece for Yankee fans and supporters. It was frustrating. Had I gotten a speeding ticket on the Interstate, I may have appealed it, blaming the commentators on The Fan for causing my case of road rage. As an aside, has anyone tried this before?

Without spending too much time venting, here's a few of the highlights from the few days:

• The hosts ragging on Ortiz' credibility as a MVP candidate, basically saying that he's only in the running because Boston fans keep overhyping him
• The 50% of callers and on-air personalities who feel that Bernie Williams should be a lock for the Hall and Monument Park. And they have the nerve to call Sox fans homers!
• The fans who feel that clinching the Pennant at Fenway this weekend would avenge last season's humiliating loss. It was especially satisfying to here the host correctly point out that nothing could make up for last year's lost. Brought a smile to my face. It was like seeing the heel in a wrestling match say "I Quit".
• The arrogant fans who feel that they're a cinch to win the World Series. One even said he's hoping they play St. Louis, so they can avenge their loss from the 1964 World Series, which would have been a reference way too obscure even for me were it not for this David Halberstam book that I read in my teens.

What was most interesting for me was hearing coverage of baseball from the Yankees (and their fans) perspective. Normally I get my news from either national media, local media, or media centered around my favorite teams, and I suspect most fans are the same, unless they happen to be, for example, a Cubs fan living in St. Louis. It was a revealing experience to hear coverage from another fanbase's perspective. I didn't agree with a lot of the sentiments out there, but it's interesting to hear them, like I was privy to this information that other Sox fans weren't hearing. I felt like a spy behind enemy lines for those four days.

I'm back now in friendly territory, writing this from Portland, Maine, comfortably within the borders of Red Sox Nation. I'll be in Boston later today for the biggest baseball weekend of the year. Should be wild. Tickets are impossible to find, but I may try and audioblog from The Baseball Tavern or The Cask 'n Flagon. Go Sox!

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