Subway Series a disappointment

I guess it was inevitable. As eight teams entered the playoffs, everybody knew the two that would eventually be in the World Series.\nSure, the San Francisco Giants had the best record in baseball. Sure, the Braves' pitching staff makes them the annual National League favorite. The White Sox were supposed to sneak in, and the Yankees lost seven in a row the week before the playoffs. But did anybody really think that it would end up differently?\nIt seemed ESPN had already eliminated the other six teams before the first postseason pitch. The playoffs saw several day games, but every single primetime game on FOX and NBC just happened to feature one of the New York teams. Bob Costas couldn't wait to begin ruining the infamous Frank Sinatra line "Start spreading the news." Now the media and the New Yorkers have what they wanted. \nPlease forgive me for not mourning the fact that there has been no "Subway Series" in 40 years. I feel so bad for a city that "struggles" to get multiple World Series teams, while cities like Boston, Pittsburgh and Seattle that have a hard enough time getting one. Chicago has two teams, and neither one has been in the series since the White Sox lost to the Dodgers in 1959. But I am not surprised by the tears of a spoiled city.\nBut my cries are nothing new. The Big Apple has monopolized its share of World Series. Two New York teams have battled for baseball's title 13 times, including five times in the 1950s. But New Yorkers just can't get enough.\nAside from the secondary issues, the series does look exciting. Everybody is looking for the Yankees to be dethroned, and the Mets are a team that can do it. They have excellent left-handed pitching in starters Al Leiter and Mike Hampton and relievers Dennis Cook and John Franco. They have a good lineup from 1-9, and the heart needed to pull off an upset. They also might have some fans scattered throughout the Bronx, where the first two games of the series will be played. \nThe Yankees stumbled into the postseason, and have had trouble scoring runs. But they do have tremendous relief pitching and if the Mets cannot score off of the Yankees' starters, we could be looking at a three-peat.\nBut I have to say that I am rooting for the Mets, as they are the latest in a series of teams to challenge the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees just don't seem to deserve it this year. They got here by getting away with bad moves and poor decisions. Trading away two pitchers for Glenallen Hill, a player who could not even start for the Cubs? Trading four prospects for Jose Canseco, who did not even play in the ALCS? While the rest of Major League Baseball has to worry about trying to afford one superstar, the Yankees' only worries are which ones will start and which ones will pinch-hit. They backed into another division title over powerhouses such as the Devil Rays and Blue Jays. It just isn't fair.\nSo I call on you, the New York Mets, to give me some excitement I can remember baseball by over the winter months. You've made it this far, now go out and overcome the toughest of all odds. Show the Yankees that being a champion is more than having enough money to sign any superstar. Show them that a true champion shows heart and determination, and that those elements can overcome talent and experience. \nWe, the fans, simply want to be entertained. Watching the Yankees snore through another four-game sweep would only drive fans away. Make it exciting, and maybe we'll forget about New York's unjust domination of the sport (temporarily, of course), and join in the celebration.