Rangers 8, Yankees 0.
Seems perfect, doesn't it? After all the not-Yankees won and are up, 2-1, in the American League Championship Series.
But the other day a New York sports beat writer asked if anyone really wants a Giants/Rangers World Series. After all, he said, don't fans crave a villain in the October classic?
That got me wondering which of the four teams in the league championship series qualify as "villains."
We'll leave the Yankees out because that's obvious. A Yankees loss makes me feel bad for the one person I know who has really been a life-long Yanks fan, a tradition handed down from her dad.
As for the Phillies -- though I love the city of Philadelphia -- I remind you of two things and then say no more:
- I'm a Brewers and Mets fan
- The Phillies/Brewers playoff of 2008
On first glance, the Rangers seem OK, right? Politics aside, that is. I have zero connection to Texas, but I could get over that. I can't say Dallas is high on my must-see list, but I'd go if the opportunity arose and I sure wouldn't mind getting to Austin someday (not sure which team they root for there). And here's a team that's never even won the AL, much less a Series, so there's the allure of the underdog status.
Then I'm reminded of the former ownership connection to FC Liverpool and in deference to devoted Reds fans -- though I don't count myself among them, they are a passionate, scrappy and organized lot -- I just can't bring myself to root for the Rangers.
That leaves the Giants. For this team I have mixed feelings. They deserted New York. But they went to awesome San Francisco.
Worse for me is the loss of the Dodgers who were beloved by my hometown Brooklyn before they left and talked the Giants into going along for the ride.
So, my gut feeling is that they're villains for their desertion, even if they're cast as hapless Dodgers followers.
That is, until as Andy Tarnoff reminded me yesterday, you can be mad at the Braves for leaving, but had they stayed there'd be no Brewers.
By the same token, had the Giants not fled and left their orange NY logo and Polo Grounds behind, there would be no Mets.
My final answer?
Go Giants!!!
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
