I am a Mets fan. To some people, they may assume that that means I am also a Yankee hater. This is not the case. I have never fully understood the constant gripe between Mets and Yankees fans. The two teams may “battle” for New York supremacy, but the fact of the matter is, there is no battle. The Yankees have always, and will always, be THE New York team synonymous with baseball. The Yankees are the most historic franchise in American sports. Some believe the Yankee hatred to stem from jealousy. Mets fans come in contact with Yankees fans every day, which means every day is a chance for a Yankees fan to boast about their team. You know what I say to that? Let ‘em. If they’re a true fan, then they have that right. I don’t care about playing second fiddle to the Yankees, because it’s inevitable. It’s just the way things are, and I accept that.

Why should I hate the Yankees? Sure they beat us in the World Series in 2000, but let’s face it: the 2000 Mets are one of the worst World Series teams ever. Timo Perez? Jay Payton? Mike Bordick? Bobby Jones? C’mon now. The Mets never had a chance against the almighty Yanks. Surely I do hate some Yankees FANS, because some fans aren’t even fans. Some are bandwagon drunks who don’t have a clue about baseball.

I don’t hate the Yankees, just like I don’t hate the Jets. I just don’t. There’s no reason to. (I do hate the Islanders, even though they are currently a joke of a franchise, but it’s just so fun to hate on the Islanders, isn’t it?) I keep my hatred focused on the teams I need to hate, the division rivals. Plus, the fact of the matter is, I have many friends that root for the “other” New York teams. And you know what? If their team wins, good for them. I’ll never forget when one of my best friends, who is a HUGE Jets fan, called me a little while after the Giants won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. He called to tell me congratulations, and that he was happy for me. That left a big impression on me.

At the end of the day, we all deserve to see a championship. That Giants’ Super Bowl win was my first real chance to celebrate a team of mine winning it all (I only have very vague memories of the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup in ’94). After experiencing the ecstasy of that moment, I truly hope that my friends who have yet to experience that feeling do some day have the chance to, because it is incredible.

It is true that the Mets/Phillies rivalry only came to the forefront over the past several years, but that’s what happens in sports. When your team is good, and another team in that division is good, a rivalry ensues. Yankees/Red Sox is one of, if not the biggest rivalry in sports. Why? Because they’re in the same division, and they’re both damn good teams. If one of those teams wasn’t good, there wouldn’t be much of a rivalry.

Yes, the Mets games against the Yankees may hold the same weight as the games against the Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, etc. But the Mets play the Phillies 18 times a season. 18 GAMES. You can’t tell me that six games that are basically a battle for the back-page headlines are more important than the 18 against a division opponent that is a clear playoff contender.

If you’re looking for evidence of a rivalry further back than the past few seasons, the true roots of the Mets/Phillies rivalry go back to the winter of 1974, when the Mets traded the man famous for coining the phrase “Ya Gotta Believe!” Tug McGraw, to none other than the Phillies. McGraw had been a staple of the Mets bullpen throughout the first 9 seasons of his career, but concerns over the health of his arm sparked the trade. McGraw, in true traitor fashion, took his catchphrase with him, and oh, he also pitched pretty well. The Phillies won division titles in 1976, ‘77, and ‘78, and of course, won their first World Series in 1980. McGraw had a career best 1.46 ERA that season.

This debate runs deeper than the battle for New York supremacy. Really what this comes down to is the battle between the cities of New York and Philadelphia. Although the Mets/Braves rivalry that took place when I was younger was quite intense, this rivalry seems so much fiercer, especially due to the close regional proximity. What also helps this rivalry is the fact that these two cities have developed quite a rivalry with the help of two of my beloved New York teams.

The Giants and Eagles have been heated rivals for a long time. There’s always bad blood, and it’s amazing. There’s nothing better to me during a Giants season than watching them play those 2 games against the Eagles. These two teams have been division rivals forever it seems, and have had some classic moments, including “the fumble” (take the damn knee!), and the Giants playoff victory in 2001 en route to their Super Bowl appearance.

Rangers/Flyers has had some nice moments as well. These division rivals have met in the post-season 10 times, the first of which was in 1974, when the Flyers beat the Rangers in seven games in the semi-finals, en route to their first Stanley Cup win. One moment that stands out in my mind is when Jeremy Roenick had to be helped off of the ice at MSG after he was bloodied by a puck to the face back in 2004. I remember it quite well actually, because it happened right in front of me. I was sitting front row, and it happened roughly 15 feet in front of me. As awful as it may sound, I loved every second of it (I hated, and still hate, Jeremy Roenick).

Those are unquestioned rivalries. So why question this one? It was only a matter of time before both teams were going to be good at the same time (I am excluding the 2009 Mets from that statement considering how bizarre their season was.) The rivalry between the cities of New York and Philadelphia is a big one. And now, a New York team is facing a team from Philadelphia in a world series. Let me make one thing clear, I will not “root” for the Yankees, and I certainly love to rib my Yankees fan friends during the Subway Series each year just as much as the next guy, but there’s just no possible way I can favor the Phillies. It hurt enough to see them win rings last season, and now that they could be on the brink of, dare I say, a dynasty? No way could I favor them. So here’s to the Yanks winning the Series, and at least as a positive for Mets fans, giving New York some bragging rights in the New York/Philadelphia rivalry.