A Weekend Rivalry

Well it has been a while since I've had something to share about New York fans. But fresh off of a three game series between the Phillies and Mets this weekend, I've been left to ponder what proper ballpark etiquette entails in a weekend rivalry.

Certainly, between rivals such as the Phils and Mets, there will be understandably more opposing fans in town. I've seen the Phillies play in a variety of crowds. I can remember the mid-00s when the Mets fans would outnumber the home crowd at Citizens Bank Park. I've seen the Phils on the road in places like Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium. And I can even remember a handful of semi-pathetic, cowbell ringing Rays fans in town for a soggy World Series Game Three. But what makes New York fans different than the fans of, say the Cardinals (who I understand are almost friendly to a fault)?

Well for one, I noticed how the general demeanor of Mets fans has gone from arrogant, to somewhat confident, to humiliated. Speaking to a number of fans on the subway, they are generally apathetic towards their team and baseball, especially in light of the Phillies' and Yankees' recent success. Some fans are sarcastically bitter towards the way their team is managed. The headlines the Mets have been making lately probably don't help. It's almost to the point that I pity their fans. But to be clear, I don't.

So on Friday night at Citi Field, the Phillies were shutout. And throughout the pitcher's duel, the primarily pro-Mets park was disinterested in the game. It's hard to imagine this, given the Johan Santana Koozies that fans got. But once the final out was recorded, then some half-hearted heckling was directed my way. It was actually a little disappointing, as I would have expected much sharper insults and retorts given the Phillies' single hit in the game was courtesy of Cole Hamels. No luck.

On Saturday, despite the results from the previous night, Mets fans were not trash talking but instead, dreading the game even before we got there. Why? Two words: Roy Halladay. The crowds were generally more Philly-inclined and much more into the game. Every 'Let's Go Mets' chant was easily turned into a 'Let's Go Phils' by my section of fans, despite the celebrity endorsements. But the real excitement came when a couple of hot-headed Mets fans, who were clearly too smart for their own good, started antagonizing our section. What ensued was quite possibly the most pathetic and anti-climatic fall over several rows of seats by the Mets fans.  It was at  best a weak attempt at a fight. Fortunately, they were arrested shortly thereafter.

But, for a baseball rivalry that everyone seems to want, the weekend disappointed. The Mets, just a few games away from irrelevance in the 2010 season, have inspired almost no fan support. During key points in the games, even the fake crowd noise meter on the jumbotron couldn't get revved up all the way. And so, in the end, New York Mets fans really did nothing to distinguish themselves in any way, positive or otherwise, this weekend. It almost takes the fun out of watching Philly beat New York.

Almost.