Adopt-a-Team

With the Mets failing to make the playoffs (again) and October baseball just a couple days away, it's time to join the fandom of other teams. So what are the options?

A.L. East Winner, Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays:
Pros: Young, exciting team no one ever expected to stay good all season long, Cliff Floyd. Cons: Florida baseball blows, no more "devil."

A.L. Central Winner, TBD:
The Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins are still duking it out over the next couple days.

A.L. West Winner, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:
Pros: Rooting for winners leads to satisfaction. Cons: Rally monkey, wishy-washy about where they're from (L.A., Anaheim, or California??), "Meh, it's the west coast."

A.L. Wild Card Winner, Boston Red Sox:
Pros: Long history of losing. Cons: They've become the New York Yankees of the A.L. East.


N.L. East Winner, Philadelphia Phillies:
Pros: Long history of losing (more than 10,000 losses!). Cons: I hate the Phillies.

N.L. Central Winner, Chicago Cubs
Pros: Exactly 100 years since their last World Series victory, cursed. Cons: Do we really want baseball's last curse to be broken?

N.L. West Winner, Los Angeles Dodgers:
Pros: Joe Torre, Manny being Manny. Cons: Totally undeserving to be in the playoffs, "Meh, it's the west coast."

N.L. Wild Card Winner, Milwaukee Brewers:
Pros: Haven't been in the playoffs since 1982. Cons: Owned by Bud Selig's daughter.


Usually I pick one National League team and one American League team to root for seriously, with a few teams that I grow to like for no reason. And usually whatever teams I root for lose. So if I've picked your team, you have my apologies ahead of time.

In the National League, I've gotta go with the Cubs. The baseball sentimentalist in me would love to see the Cubs win their next World Series on the 100th anniversary of their most recent World Series victory, even though baseball would be a lesser place if they did. Cubs fans would be truly lost if they won it all. They'd lose their moral centers. Chicago would be a dangerous place.

In the American League, I'm all about the (Devil) Rays. The underdogs have kicked ass all year long, former Met Cliff Floyd is a great veteran presence for all those young kids, and they won a division that included the Red Sox and the Yankees. I mean, come on, people, that's a great story.

My dad grew up in Minnesota, so I've always got a soft spot for the Twins. So I'll be keeping an eye on them over the next couple days to see if they make it to the post-season.

I'll follow my gut for the World Series. I've usually developed some form of attachment to one of the teams, but I don't always know what team that is until I'm watching. In general, I'm a National League fan. It's a superior game to the American League version.

Let's go, [insert team name here]!