(t)PSRT - (temporary) Post-Season Rooting Transference

[InstaFace]

I wonder if it is. I don't think they'll top a list of absolute-favorites, but if push came to shove I think most here would back the Mets over the Yanks.

One of those two teams employed Pedro Martinez at one point, and seems like a fun bunch to watch play baseball.

The other has directly removed us from postseason contention 3 times, two of which were in absolutely soul-crushing fashion, and is run and rooted-for by the biggest group of entitled assholes this side of Moscow (SoSHers excepted).

I don't think it'd be a close hypothetical here, like in a 3-way poll I think "I'll turn it off and sit around watching the paint dry" would come in 2nd. Unless you happened to marry a Yankees fan (which, I mean...), or the MonStars are playing a ballgame for the future of planet Earth, there's really not a lot of ways for a Red Sox fan to end up rooting for the Yankees.

edit: anyway, Tito and the long-suffering Cleveland fans, for me. A quick reward after changing their franchise nickname would be a nice karma carrot.

 

[streeter88]

I wonder if it is. I don't think they'll top a list of absoute-favorites, but if push came to shove I think most here would back the Mets over the Yanks.

I would ignore it altogether and hope for an asteroid, hurricane, or similar.

I have had no interest in either Cleveland or Seattle and really only followed Pujols this Aug / Sept, so I chose Cardinals. Really just hoping something interesting happens, and it would be great to see new champs, so maybe Padres over Cards? Edit: but Machado.

 

[simplicio]

I grew up in WA, and being a Mariners fan in the 90s probably fostered the antipathy toward the MFY that later bloomed into Sox fandom. Go Ms!

 

[Flynn4ever]

I'm going with the Mariners. I have a good friend who is an M's fan, in fact, one of the only millennials I know who follows baseball. When they go to their cream throwbacks, they look great, excellent stadium and no more A-Rod or Ichiro who were annoying (but turns out Ichiro actually had a personality off the baseball field.)

 

[bankshot1]

ABTMFY
Tito's crew would be my preference.

 

[Manramsclan]

It is baffling to me that any Red Sox fan anyone could root for Manny Machado.

If you watched him everyday he would change your mind. It took 5 years for me because Dustin is my favorite but he is incredible to watch on offense and defense. If you love baseball it's hard not to root for him.

San Diego was an easy pick for me. I live here now, and my wife is a long-suffering die hard fan. I have been watching them everyday for years (we watch both teams). I would love for her to experience winning.

 

[mikeford]

You people pulling for the Dodgers are sick in the head.

I hope the Mariners do it.

 

[Mr. Stinky Esq.]

If you watched him everyday he would change your mind. It took 5 years for me because Dustin is my favorite but he is incredible to watch on offense and defense. If you love baseball it's hard not to root for him.

He wouldn’t. Next you’ll be telling me I would have rooted for A-Rod (also an incredible player, also dirty if less violent) if I loved baseball and watched him play every day.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I'm going with the Mariners. I have a good friend who is an M's fan, in fact, one of the only millennials I know who follows baseball. When they go to their cream throwbacks, they look great, excellent stadium and no more A-Rod or Ichiro who were annoying (but turns out Ichiro actually had a personality off the baseball field.)

Ichiro was annoying?


Dude …

 

[pk1627]

ABTMFY
Tito's crew would be my preference.

Agreed

 

[jayhoz]

If you watched him everyday he would change your mind. It took 5 years for me because Dustin is my favorite but he is incredible to watch on offense and defense. If you love baseball it's hard not to root for him.

San Diego was an easy pick for me. I live here now, and my wife is a long-suffering die hard fan. I have been watching them everyday for years (we watch both teams). I would love for her to experience winning.

Not a chance. Youtube has a bunch of highlight reels of his dirty plays. He is a garbage human.

 

[JimD]

One of those two teams employed Pedro Martinez at one point, and seems like a fun bunch to watch play baseball.

The other has directly removed us from postseason contention 3 times, two of which were in absolutely soul-crushing fashion, and is run and rooted-for by the biggest group of entitled assholes this side of Moscow (SoSHers excepted).

I'm guessing you weren't around in October 1986. It was bad enough to live through it (it would have - should have - been the only Red Sox championship in my father's lifetime), but it was exponentially worse for those of us with friends and/or associates from NYC and had to put up with their preening. I hope the Mets suck for the remainder of my lifetime and a hundred years after.

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

1. Mariners, jumped on that bandwagon last year and it’s been fun.
2. Toronto, they’re fun, too.
3. Either Philadelphia or Milwaukee
4. Cleveland, I have family in Ohio, but I’m not that close to them.
5. Mets, I think the LOLMets narrative, while merited in many cases, is a little too strong and they take more garbage than they deserve.
6. Los Angeles, I think the attempt to discredit them with the “oNlY oNe RiNg AnD iT wAs ThE cOvId YeAr” argument is ridiculous and I want it to get flushed down the toilet.
7. San Diego, I do want more teams to Go For It, but I find the Padres’ way of doing so in the Preller era to be kind of annoying. Since when was fandom rational?
8. St. Louis, I really hated them in the past, but I can’t hate this year’s version. Maybe it’s the Pujols thing.
9. Atlanta. They just won it, but they’re a great team.
10. Houston, I hate them, but I would be happy for Dusty Baker.
11. Yankees, I can’t summon the energy to hate them as much as I used to, but I don’t like them very much, either.
12. Tampa, I hold with JMOH: I hate everything about them.

 

[OCD SS]

For me it’s about getting rid of who I don’t like:

1. Yankees
2. Astros
3. Dodgers

A distant 4. Braves

Elimination in that order of importance. After this I don’t care and can just enjoy good baseball.

 

[Flynn4ever]

Ichiro was annoying?


Dude …

I live in Japan. If he farted it was national news here. Plus he seemed to save his home runs only for games against the Sox.

 

[tbrown_01923]

It's a pujols thing for me. Want to see him go out mashing.

 

[pedro1918]

If you watched him everyday he would change your mind. It took 5 years for me because Dustin is my favorite but he is incredible to watch on offense and defense. If you love baseball it's hard not to root for him.

I am a Marylander who watched him a ton. He’s an all time jerk. He is so bad he had me pulling for Josh Fucking Donaldson.

 

[Seels]

I actively root against the Padres NYY Astros Rays and Cardinals.

Go Mariners, Guardians, or I guess Brewers.

 

[Nixon Now!!]

Another vote for the Mariners. They looked good when they clinched vs Oakland yesterday, especially catcher Cal Raleigh's walkoff homer. Hope Chaim looks at him in the offseason.

 

[jon abbey]

Another vote for the Mariners. They looked good when they clinched vs Oakland yesterday, especially catcher Cal Raleigh's walkoff homer. Hope Chaim looks at him in the offseason.

Not sure what that last sentence means, he is pre-arb and under SEA control through 2027.

 

[deythur]

1. Braves - they have always been my NL team. I love their young talent and I love that they keep signing their young talent
2. Mariners - only because they never have
3. St Louis - there nothing that I dislike about them


Thats it for me.
Astros - just barely miss the cut. Fun team to watch
Jays - don't like our division winning
Rays - see above and also cant stand the franchise and the worst stadium ive ever been too
Yanks - obvious
Pads - Machado. I do like some of their young guys and hearing Don is always nice but Machado
Phils - City is awful and the fans are even worse
Dodgers - enough already, fake fans
Mets - 1986
Guardians - I love Tito but I hate Cleveland and Ohio and they are worse fans than even Philly

 

[54thMA]

Padres or bust, baby. I wanna stop being the most cursed city in North American sports.

Cleveland and Buffalo say hold my beer.

 

[54thMA]

Braves (Still wish they were the Boston Braves)
Cardinals (Their fans were extremely nice and gracious to me during and after game 4 of the 2004 WS, why this fan base gets shit on is a mystery)

Could give two shits about any of the other teams, don't care.

 

[mauf]

A close friend who was a lifelong Mets and Jets fan died about a year ago. My friend was a devout Jew who didn’t believe in an afterlife, but I like to think he was pleasantly surprised by the hereafter and has gone to work restoring the fortunes of his favorite teams.

So yeah, I voted Mets.

 

[BravesField]

Hmmmm.....Braves Field.......Who to vote for, who to vote for......

 

[Al Zarilla]

Braves (Still wish they were the Boston Braves)
Cardinals (Their fans were extremely nice and gracious to me during and after game 4 of the 2004 WS, why this fan base gets shit on is a mystery)

Could give two shits about any of the other teams, don't care.

If they had held on a few more years, they had the Aaron, Mathews, Spahn, Burdette, etc. teams coming. Would have meant some World Series titles in Boston. The Jury Box!

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

My hierarchy. First, teams i’ll

1. Mariners. The Jon Bois/Alex Rubenstein documentary they did on YouTube sold me on the team. It’d also be nice to see a Seattle superstar really take off on the national stage for the first time since Ichiro (poor Felix Hernandez…)

2. Blue Jays. It’s inevitable. I’ll have the easiest access to their games. Bonus points for my old hometown having their AA team, so odds are my uncle saw a lot of these kids play there.

3. Guardians. Tito, plus I have a close friend that lives about an hour from Cleveland, and she’s a big Guardians/Browns fan. She deserves something, dammit.

Teams I won’t actively root against:

4. Mets. deGrom and Scherzer are pretty good. There’s a little Jets stink to them though.

5. Cardinals. Can we have some of that pixie dust? I really have a slight envy of how they’re almost always a 90-win team in the chase.

6. Brewers. Get one for Harry DoyleBob Uecker!

7. Phillies. Probably the least obnoxious Philadelphia fan base. Plus, Bryce Harper.

8. Padres. They’d be further up if it weren’t for Machado and the feeling that they’re always a bad moment from falling apart. They’d be lower if not for Announcer Boy.

Teams that I’d grit my teeth and respectfully acknowledge as the better team

9. Braves. You just won last year. Change your name already. Cleveland did it.

10. Astros. Is it midnight yet?

11. Dodgers. Yes, yes, Mookie and Dave Roberts (and David Price, because I irrationally love what he did in 2018). Also the modern Yankees.

Teams I’ll always root against

12. Rays. Just move to Montreal already.

Teams that could go 1-161, and I’ll forever be disappointed in the team that gave them the 1

13. Yankees. Never acceptable. Ever.

 

[Daniel_Son]

Cleveland and Buffalo say hold my beer.

Buffalo is a fair argument, but Cavs in 2016 eliminate Cleveland from the discussion IMO. It would be nice to see Tito win another one, though.

But I mean, San Diego... no titles in any major sport ever, losing multiple teams to other cities including Los Angeles. Hard to beat that level of suckage.

 

[Mr. Stinky Esq.]

If my avatar was still alive I’m sure he’d want me to note that at least San Diego still has a major league team.

 

[54thMA]

Buffalo is a fair argument, but Cavs in 2016 eliminate Cleveland from the discussion IMO. It would be nice to see Tito win another one, though.

But I mean, San Diego... no titles in any major sport ever, losing multiple teams to other cities including Los Angeles. Hard to beat that level of suckage.

I had to do some thinking about San Diego and you're right, no major sport championships ever.

That is brutal.

 

[Heating up in the bullpen]

There’s a lot of space between “I didn’t want you retaliated against with a ball thrown 98 mph at your head” and “I forgive you”. We don’t know where Pedroia stands on that spectrum and, regardless, it doesn’t absolve Machado for that or his other misdeeds.

Pedroia keeps a voodoo doll of Machado for special occasions. I think he stuck a pin in the knee on that last pitch of 2018.

 

[streeter88]

I'm guessing you weren't around in October 1986. It was bad enough to live through it (it would have - should have - been the only Red Sox championship in my father's lifetime), but it was exponentially worse for those of us with friends and/or associates from NYC and had to put up with their preening. I hope the Mets suck for the remainder of my lifetime and a hundred years after.

Can’t agree more. Being in a dorm equidistant from Boston and New York, having casual as well as diehard Mets fans puke all over me when they won - it was pretty awful. Turned down two excellent job offers in NYC and escaped abroad as a result.

 

[Monbonthbump]

Don't care, so I voted for Mookie and Roberts. I would have voted for the Chiefs if the option had been there.

 

[Mueller's Twin Grannies]

Milwaukee is hanging on by a thread. Gonna need a sweep by Houston over Philly and have to win out against Arizona to clinch outright. Not looking good at all.

 

[curly2]

I'm guessing you weren't around in October 1986. It was bad enough to live through it (it would have - should have - been the only Red Sox championship in my father's lifetime), but it was exponentially worse for those of us with friends and/or associates from NYC and had to put up with their preening. I hope the Mets suck for the remainder of my lifetime and a hundred years after.

The Mets have always been my National League team. I had a great-aunt and uncle who were like grandparents to me who were huge Mets fans and occasionally even gave me some Mets paraphernalia for Christmas or birthdays. Plus I grew up in a part of Connecticut where we got Mets and Yankees on TV but not the Sox until the middle of 1977 (when 12-year-old me went from a Red Sox fan to a massive Red Sox fan). So before cable came I would watch a lot of Mets games. They were underdogs and the anti-Yankees.

In 1986 (when college me had his heart broken) and for a few years after, I hated the Mets like poison, but as the sting faded and those players retired, I gradually came back to the Mets. Hell, the U.S. and Japan normalized relations in 1952 and signed a mutual-cooperation treaty in 1960.

 

[AlNipper49]

When I moved down South I figured that I’d adopt the Braves as my other team. It feels appropriate given they were a relocated Boston team and, while remote, I could justify it in some way. This year I wasn’t sure as Freeman quickly became my favorite non-Sox player but I still find myself rooting for them

I coach a lot of 10 and 11 year olds so I use Andrus and Swanson as examples a bunch, since most of the kids are familiar with them. Andrus is also the best ML example of having middle infielders ‘left, right, prep’ before the pitch with that little jump that he does.

I’ll probably root for them and the Mariners, but I really don’t care all that much. It’ll just be fun to watch either way.

 

[moondog80]

As long as it's not the Yankees I'm cool.

 

[Mueller's Twin Grannies]

Brewers out, Phillies in. Field is set, the rest will be for seeding.

 

[Deweys New Stance]

Now that we have the final standings and playoff seedings, my October rooting interests:

1. Guardians

Tito!​

Longest championship drought among the pre-expansion era franchises​

Young, fun team​

First season after the overdue name change​

​

2. Mariners - similar deal with the playoff drought; have a soft spot for long suffering fan bases.

3. Mets - Grew up in southern CT, was originally a Mets fan as a young kid in the early '70's. Yeah, '86 sucked (that Mets team reminded me of the late '70's MFYs with all the jerks on their roster like Dykstra, Knight, Carter, Strawberry) and I hated the Metsies for like a decade after that, but it's been 36 years of mostly misery for them since. A generation and a half of their fanbase have basically no memories of that World Series. And this is an enjoyable team to watch; not even Buck Showalter can ruin that for me.

4. Padres - another fanbase that deserves some success. And Orsillo. And they went all in on trying to win like we're always being told every team should be doing. Is there a Sons of Nate Colbert forum somewhere on the internet where a few long time posters are constantly complaining on their main board that they gave up too much for Soto and didn't even win the division?

5. Phillies - Went to school in Philly, Great town, nice ballpark. Schwarber. Fans aren't as bad as their reputation.

6. Blue Jays - Eh. Like Vlad Jr. And JBJ. That Manoah dude seems a bit too cocky though.

7. Astros - Yeah, I know. But Dusty Baker is a mensch and I'd be pretty happy for him if he finally got a ring. Plus it would be the option that would most annoy both MFY fans and Dodger fans.

8. Cardinals - Mostly for Pujols, and Adam Wainwright. And for Molina too I guess. But man that "we're the best fans in baseball" crap peddled by Will Leitch (among others) is annoying AF.

9. Rays - 1000% less annoying now that Maddon is long gone. Can't fault them for continuing to be a very well run franchise. Move to Montreal already.

10. Braves - You just won. Back to the end of the line. Oh wait....

11. Dodgers - Mookie doesn't need another ring; the one he got with us in '18 will always be far more meaningful than that joke 60-game "season" championship in '20. Neither does Dave Roberts. And Vin Scully is gone. Love Sandy Koufax though. I doubt he cares much.

I don't need to list the 12th team in this post-season, do I? We've had 12 consecutive seasons with a YED; keep it going.

 

[dirtynine]

Padres. Want to support their recent sartorial choices, and they’re the perfect foil for the Dodgers.

 

[streeter88]

Cardinals now gone. Assuming this transference is transferable, I am going with the west coast underdogs now - Mariners and Padres, assuming the Padres win tomorrow. If they don't, then it's Guardians all the way down.

 

[Leskanic's Thread]

After watching the first round, I'm altering my vote...I think I want Seattle just a little more than Cleveland. They are the clear 1a and 1b for me, but I'm a little more into their Cinderella story.

Current overall rankings:

1a. Seattle
1b. Cleveland

3. Padres (the lack of a championship goes a long way with me)
4. Phillies (my undergrad years were in Philadelphia, so I feel a connection. Plus I love their park.)

5. Dodgers (this starts a trio of "eh, I'd rather they not" teams. But I can see the lights of Dodger Stadium, plus Mookie and Dave...so, ok, sure.)
6. Braves (they just won, plus the chop, so, again, I'd rather they not. But my dad was a Boston Braves fan growing up, so I'll always have a spot in my heart for them)
7. Mets (said it in another thread, but '86 still stings...especially the inevitable references if they get closer. On the plus side, them winning would make Yankee fans sad)

8. Houston (no thank you)

9. Putin

10. Yankees (please, anything but this)

 

[jon abbey]

OK that made me laugh (Putin).

 

[AlNipper49]

So how do you root for Seattle vs Astros? The Astros are garbage but you also want them to meet the Yankees if they move to the next round.

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

So how do you root for Seattle vs Astros? The Astros are garbage but you also want them to meet the Yankees if they move to the next round.

I actually think the Yankees are quite beatable. Their second half was okay. I’m picking the Indians to take them in 5

 

[luckysox]

Phillies are my NL team, mostly b/c my best friend is such as huge fan that I can't help but support her. She's got the same passion for them as I do the sox.


And also: Mookie.

 

[Skiponzo]

If you watched him everyday he would change your mind. It took 5 years for me because Dustin is my favorite but he is incredible to watch on offense and defense. If you love baseball it's hard not to root for him.

San Diego was an easy pick for me. I live here now, and my wife is a long-suffering die hard fan. I have been watching them everyday for years (we watch both teams). I would love for her to experience winning.

Interesting. That is def not my take and I go to about 20 games a year. They guy was an A$$ in Baltimore then comes here and one of the first games I see with my then 13 year old he blows off a popup off 3rd and when the fans get on him a little he waves his hand at us like "I don't care what you think". The Padres are my second favorite team and I hope they win this year but I've never once rooted for "The Loser" . My son and I just sit there quietly when he comes to bat. Last game I went without him he texted me "How's the game going?" I said "They're down 2-1 but at least Machado has struck out twice." LOL!

 

[Whoop-La White]

I actually think the Yankees are quite beatable. Their second half was okay. I’m picking the Indians to take them in 5

It will somehow infuriate me more if the Yankees find their first-half mojo in the playoffs after going 38-40 after July 8.

 

[jon abbey]

It will somehow infuriate me more if the Yankees find their first-half mojo in the playoffs after going 38-40 after July 8.

There are a lot of ways to split up a season, even that 38-40 divides into 18-31 followed by a 20-9 finish. NY this year intentionally coasted down the stretch, resting their #2 and 3 starters for weeks when they were healthy to keep their innings down and even trading their #5 starter for a guy in a walking boot who they knew would miss most of the rest of the season.

If it helps, they’re still not close to healthy and HOU is going to demolish them if they both advance.

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

There are a lot of ways to split up a season, even that 38-40 divides into 18-31 followed by a 20-9 finish. NY this year intentionally coasted down the stretch, resting their #2 and 3 starters for weeks when they were healthy to keep their innings down and even trading their #5 starter for a guy in a walking boot who they knew would miss most of the rest of the season.

If it helps, they’re still not close to healthy and HOU is going to demolish them if they both advance.

Yes. Yes that does help. Thank you sir