Today Cole Hamels said, when asked by WFAN if he thought the Mets are "Choke artists":
"Last year and this year we did believe that. I think three years ago we didn’t, because they smoked everybody and I thought that was the year they would go to the World Series - and unfortunately that didn’t happen. But, you know, that’s kind of what we believe and what we’re gonna always believe until they prove us wrong. Yeah, over the last two years they’ve been choke artists."
Darryl Strawberry responded by saying,
"That’s sad… If we had a team say that about us – oh, no – they were gonna be in trouble… I mean, it would definitely be hard if, in the days us playing, if somebody said that, I mean, we’d have stuck one right in his neck. We’d be fighting. There’s no way any one would be allowed to disrespect us like that, and that is what has happened to the Phillies."
It's reasonable to think we'll see a massive brawl between the Phillies and the Mets next season. Whether or not you think this is a good thing might say something about you as a baseball fan.
First, there's the whole "baseball is an American tradition" viewpoint, where the game of baseball symbolizes some deep, important, patriotic stuff (or so I've heard), and that the game needs to remain clean and good spirited otherwise civilization as we know it will collapse. The people in this camp -- and I think most fans can sympathize with it (the strongest sympathies likely elicited during dramatic sports montages that summarize decades of baseball, esp. those that start with black-and-white footage) -- were particularly horrified by the steroid scandal. And every time a massive brawl ensues, a little bit of the soul of baseball dies.
Then there's the camp that simply loves competition. It doesn't matter the means through which people compete; what's compelling is watching one very talented person, or group of people, dominate another talented person/group of people. Physical violence often makes the whole thing that much more fun to watch (and I think most of America can agree with this, i.e. the ratings dominance of football v. every other sport in America). This is the camp I'm in, mostly. So if two teams (let's say the Mets and Phillies) were to throw off their gloves, and bust each other up (If we are to make bets on the brawl, we might have to consider the enormous advantage the extra ear on Victorino's helmet provides the Phillies), everyone in this pro-competition camp would win. I can already foresee myself giving someone a high-five about this, should it happen. It would be a glorious release of tension. If a fight doesn't happen at this point, then these exchanges between the Mets and Phillies are just going to give everyone serious blue-balls.
I also can't help but be nostalgic about the Vet (and, by correlation, Shea). I miss when the game seemed rougher. (Maybe the roid-rage was entertaining?) I think a strong metaphor can be drawn between the NYC of old (gritty, dirty, dangerous) and the NYC of new (clean, corporate, sterile) and the old and new stadiums. Maybe the fans can start throwing batteries at players again. Foster and nurse the anger. Make it into something proud and beautiful. I'm also kind of hoping a brawl might make some of the jackasses up in the new-and-improved corporate Boxes a little uncomfortable during their business outings.
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