To Cheer or Not to Cheer

One of the most difficult times of being a fan is when your team loses in their conference or league final. After being really into your team for the entire postseason, you are left with a dilemma. Who do you cheer for in the next round? This is different than getting eliminated earlier in the playoffs because you do not have time to cope with your loss before the start of the final (World Series, Super Bowl, etc). Should you root against the team that just elminated yours? Would that just be sour grapes? The other side of that is to root for the team that eliminated yours so you can know they at least lost to the best. This is the quagmire I am facing. My New York Mets were just eliminated in an excruciating seven game series by the St. Louis Cardinals. Do I hope that the National League team wins, or do I want to see them get taken out?

Before answering that I need to address the three former New York pitchers that have roles in this World Series:

1. Kenny Rogers

Where did this come from??? This guy has had a very nice career built on solid regular seasons in low pressure environments. He has thrived in places such as Oakland and Texas and had historic meltdowns pitching for both the Mets and Yankees in big postseason spots. In the 1996 World Series as a member of the Yankees he was the pitcher who started Game Four. The Yanks fell behind 5-0 after three innings. He ended up getting bailed out by Jim Leyritzs' three run homer in the 8th inning off of Mark Wohlers, but Yankee fans remember how he almost single handedly buried the team with that pitiful start. He was shipped off to Oakland a year later after two sub par years in the Bronx, postseason failures and a poor relationship with Joe Torre.

In the middle of the 1999 season he was traded back to New York, this time to the Mets. He helped them win the Wildcard that year by going 5-1 down the stretch. The postseason was a different story though. He lost both Game 2 of the Division Series to the D'Backs and Game Two of the League Championship Series to the Braves. Then, in Game 6 with the Mets down 3-2 in the series, he walked in the game-winning run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning. Following that, his fate was sealed as someone who would always be looked at by New Yorkers as coming up small in a big spot.

How is this 41 year old lefty suddenly doing so well this postseason? I've heard talk of everything from doctoring the ball (ie, dirtgate) to possible use of steroids (which pitchers don't get accused of nearly enough compared to hitters). I don't think anyone has a real answer considering the drastic change from his failures of past playoffs to the dominance of 23 scoreless innings in this postseason. It is one of the biggest shocks in recent playoff memory.

2. Jeff Weaver

Weaver is probably best known for being the poster child for the pitching issues that have plagued the Yankees in recent years (others include Carl Pavano, Javier Vazquez and Jaret Wright). He was acquired in the middle of the 2002 season from the Tigers. He was a big 26 year old right-hander that the Yankees were hoping to build their rotation around for years to come. He became plagued by inconsistency and by the middle of 2003 he had lost his spot in the starting rotation. He had a minimal role in the 2003 playoffs, but still made the World Series roster. With game four of the World Series tied against the Florida Marlins he gave up a walk off home run to the light hitting shortstop, Alex Gonzalez.

Following the season he was traded to the LA Dodgers where he had two decent seasons. He signed with the Angels in the off-season and was released midseason due to poor performance.

Coming into the postseason the Cardinals did not know what they would get from him, but so far he has been as reliable as their other top pitchers. It appears that he has better control of his emotions. In the past he might give up a hard his ball, or a teammate would make an error and he would unravel. This postseason he appears much more mentally tough on the mound.

3. Braden Looper

Looper does not have quite the history in New York of the others. He signed with the Mets as a free agent following the 2003 season. He had a good 2004 season in an otherwise forgettable year for the Mets. The 2005 season for the Mets was somewhat of a resurgence with the acquisitions of both Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez. The Mets did not end up making it to the playoffs due in large part to Loopers' decreased velocity and inability to close games. By the end of the season, Mets fans could not wait to have him leave.

He spent this past season with the Cardinals where he has been a integral part of their bullpen while throwing back around 95 MPH. He seems to be much more comfortable in a role where he is not in a large market and he is not counted on to close games.

Prior to the post-season, all the talk was of an "inevitable" subway series. Not only did neither team make the World Series, but both are now relegated to watch former members of their organization star on the big stage.

Back to my initial question of who to root for. I will definitely root against these three pitchers who could not cut it in New York. That is the tough part of rooting for New York teams. You never know which guys are going to be able to handle the intensity of playing here. As for the teams in this years World Series, part of me wishes I didn't want to watch at all. Unfortunately I enjoy watching the World Series so I must pick a team. While it is tough to do, I am going to have to stick with the Cardinals. It comes down to the National League alliance. Hopefully I will be sitting here next year at this time not worrying about this dilemma, cheering my team through the World Series, while fans of other teams are wondering these same thoughts.

Side Note....Going to see the Killers tonight at MSG. I intend to have some sort of an album and concert review later in the week. We'll have to see how much of the show I am able to remember the next morning...

Final Note concerning Tigers manager Jim Leyland...Below is a short story on him from my good friends at Deadspin.com:

He was being interviewed by then-ESPNer Chris Myers, who was asking him about his well-publicized tendency to smoke cigarettes in the dugout. Leyland paused for a moment, put his head down and delivered the obligatory platitudes about how bad smoking is for you, how children should avoid smoking, how he knows it's unhealthy. Then he looked directly into the camera, his eyes very wide, and said, "Still. Smokers out there, you know what I'm talking about. That moment, after you've had a huge meal, say at Thanksgiving, when you step outside in the cold, light up a cigarette and take a deep inhale ... that's about the best moment in the world, you know? All the smokers out there, you know that feeling. Sometimes, smoking is fantastic." Myers quickly cut to commercial, and Leyland has never been on the show since.