Saturday, February 04, 2006

The New York Mets of Flushing

Why in the world did I decide to start a Mets baseball blog in the middle of the winter? There's not a shred of anything to write about.

At least I'm not an Angels fan. These poor souls out in Orange County, CA have to suffer through daily reports about a lawsuit over the name of the team. I don't know about you, but they'll always be the "California Angels" to me. But back in 1996, in some cockamamie deal with Mickey Mouse, they changed their name to Anaheim Angels. How cool was that for residents of Anaheim? The only thing anyone knows about your city is that there's an amusement park there, and suddenly you have your own Major League Baseball Team. The folks in Jackson, New Jersey never got that lucky.

So everything's all fine and dandy, and the team even manages to win their first World Championship in 2002. Then, last year, in what must have been a real kick in the knees to their fans in Anaheim, the new owner orders the word 'Anaheim' off any and all promotional materials. He wants to glom on to the Los Angeles name, and start calling the team Los Angeles Angels. But the team is still contractually obligated to have Anaheim in the name of the team, so since last season they've been The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Way to give back to your fans, buddy.

So, what's worse? The football Giants and Jets leave New York, for New Jersey of all places, but keep New York as their team's city of record. This is kind of a kick in the face to Jerseyites - your state is good enough to play our games in, but we're too embarrassed to publicly acknowledge it.

Like I said, I'm still pulling for a Marlins relocation - They can be the Florida Marlins of Charlotte, and I'll be able to see the Mets at least 8 or 9 times a year.

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