jmf1234

What's the best cross-town rivalry in the MLB? ESPN say's it's Chicago's but is that true? I personally think that the Giants-A's is the better of the four because they are more on par with each other than the Yankees and the Mets and they play better ball than the angels-dodgers and the cubs-white sox. What do you guys think?

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MikeyChalupa

I still say the Subway Series, with Chicago second. Nobody in LA cares about the Angels, other than those folks who read in the paper one morning that their team had won the World Series the night before. In the Bay Area there are a few more genuine baseball fans, like 12 or so. (Tell me that if Barry Bonds stopped playing tomorrow, anyone would go see the Giants.) Those cities are basketball and football cities respectively, and always will be. Why do you think TWO football teams left Los Angeles?

New York and Chicago are baseball towns, and when their teams meet, the rivalry between the fans is just as intense as that on the field. Yes, the Mets are having a shitty year, but that doesn't mean they and their fans don't turn it up a notch for the Yanks. In last night's game, Ventura went to catch a popup near the third-base stands, and a Mets fan threw a beer on him as he was making the catch. And Ventura used to PLAY for the Mets. And who can forget the Piazza beaning and the hatred these two teams have had for each other. The Cubs and Sox don't HATE each other like the Mets and Yankees do. Plus, they've shared Chicago for almost 100 years together, in which time they have spent a combined 179 years without a World Series title. Their fans are used to failure, in fact they're proud of their teams being punchlines.

The Mets have only been in New York since 1962, in which time they and the Yanks have won a combined 9 World Series titles and 16 pennants. They met in the World Series only 3 years ago. Neither Chicago team has even won a pennant in that time. They have always lived in the shadow of the Yankees. New York fans will not tolerate losing for long. I mean, Torre has won 4 World Series, but none since 2000, and Steinbrenner is considering firing him? That's pressure. NO OTHER AMERICAN CITY demands the competitiveness from its sports teams like New York. Only in other countries, where soccer players have been beaten or murdered for kicking own goals or losing big games, are fans more rabid about their teams.

Consider this quote from Jason Giambi:

Pretty much sums it up.

-Mikey

Peetster

*sigh*

Sucks to be a fan of a crappy team. I might move to New York for the baseball.

BadForm

Few people care about the A's in the Bay Area and most of the fans who attended the games in Oakland rooted for the Giants. Same thing happens when the A's play the Red Sox or Yankees. Sad that such a young and promising team is stuck in a horrible stadium in a city that does not support their teams (see Raiders not selling out games). If only the Giants would let the A's move to San Jose...

uh, to summarize, A's and Giants are not a great rivalry

gov135

I don't know anything about A's and Giants rivalry, so I'll be happy to believe the posters above. Not a great rivalry.

But - it was the most compelling series this year. Mets, White Sox, and Angels aren't currently in contention.

Best rivalry? Cubs and White Sox. Cause in Chicago, its also where you were born, what side of the tracks you live on, etc. It runs deeper than a regular match-up.