Now that the Mets elimination from the post season has had a chance to settle in, the Flushing Faithful all across the country are asking themselves, what now? How do we spend the rest of the post season?
Gut reaction tells us that we should crawl into a hole and never watch baseball again or go on any form of social media. But of course, that is not feasible. Most of us are baseball fans in a general sense and we cannot isolate ourselves from the sport we love so much. As a result, we must make a big decision, who do we root for in the post season now?
We have eight teams to choose from.
Nationals:
Any Met fan that says they would root for the Washington Nationals to win a World Series should have their fan card revoked.
Of the eight teams remaining in the playoffs, the Nationals are probably the last team any Met fan would ever want to see win. The Nationals are filled with detestable players for in division rivals. In reality, these guys are probably good people and great players to cheer for, but as rivals, we cannot bring ourselves to find any redeeming qualities in them.
It is sacrilegious to root for a divisional rival to be successful in any way, much less win the World Series. For these reasons, Met fans should not throw their support behind the former Washington Senators.
Cubs:
Next in line of the most undesirable teams to win the World Series for a Met fan is the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs are so good that for every other team in the league, it’s annoying. They won their division in the second 
week of September. After that, they would then go on to win their division by a whopping 17.5 games.
Naturally, they are the darlings of the postseason and the easy favorite to wipe away their ‘Curse of the Billy Goat’. Met fans are accustomed to a team that is always an underdog and if they were to cheer for the Cubs, then winning wouldn’t mean as much because it’s expected. And if they lose, then it is another crushing defeat that Met fans just can’t handle.
It is for these reasons Met fans should not choose the Cubs as their band wagon team.
Giants:
They knocked the Mets out in the Wild Card game.
Nuff Said.
Dodgers:
The Dodgers are an interesting team; they technically haven’t done anything to harm the Mets in recent years. The Mets did beat them in the NLDS last season, so fans shouldn’t really have any hard feelings against them.
If it came down to the rest of the NL teams, it would be the most acceptable to root for the Dodgers to win it all. They too have a streak of almost 30 years without a World Series ring and as Met fans, we can feel their pain and understand the torment.
Indians:
The Cleveland Indians are probably the most likeable team that is remaining in the playoffs. They are a scrappy team from a city that just doesn’t win in anything. Up until June, Cleveland had not won a major sport championship in over 50 years. Lebron James and the Cavaliers brought an end to this historic drought, but the fact remains the same. The city of Cleveland is filled with win hungry fans who will pour their hearts and souls into any playoff run their team embarks upon.
Just one year after finishing the season in third place, with a record of 81-80, the Indians won the AL Central with a record of 94-67, eight games ahead of the second place Detroit Tigers.
At the end of the day, the Indians are the most similar team to the Mets. If you’re a suffering Met fan, I would recommend hopping on the Tribe bandwagon all the way to the party at Napoli’s.
Red Sox:
Big Papi is lighting up the baseball world with his stellar final season. He is playing better at the age of 40 than some men in the prime of their careers. The rest of the Red Sox have been putting up great numbers when it mattered most as well, none more than MVP candidate Mookie Betts. The Red Sox have gone from worst to first for a second time in five years and won the AL East.
Jun 20, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) hits a grand slam against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE
In essence, there is nothing wrong with rooting for a Red Sox World Series victory, especially so David Ortiz can leave the game on top. It is especially acceptable if you are the Met fan that is ardently against anything Yankees and look for everything that can hurt the ego of your friend who is a Yankee fan.
Blue Jays:
The Blue Jays are the epitome of a power lineup that works off the homerun ball. After their incredible win the Wild Card against the Orioles and explosive Game 1 victory over the Rangers, the Jays are on a hot streak. The Jays are another team that would not be bad to jump on the bandwagon of. They are a classic East Coast team looking to reclaim former glory.
Just like the Red Sox, they’re a great team to root for to get under the skin of your friend that is a Yankee fan.
Rangers:
The average Met fan feels an incredible sense of indifference to the Texas Rangers. In recent memory, the Rangers have done nothing to the Mets, good or bad. So if a Met fan decides to root for the Rangers, they would not be committing any crimes against the fan base.
In a way, Met fans can feel a certain comradery to Ranger fans, in that they both understand how to cope with devastating losses. The Mets understand this from years of subpar play and blowing large leads while Rangers fans had to live through losing two straight World Series in which the Commissioners Trophy was within their grasps.
