They say New Yorkers are happy to share their opinions and engage in debate. Then it must be a lively and joyous time in the Big Apple, especially for baseball fans.
The argument of the day? Who is better, the Yankees or the Mets?
It has not always been a riveting or relevant topic. The last year both reached the post-season was 2006, which was the last time the Mets were a play-off team. The Yankees have skipped the past two.
The fact that the two New York clubs are closing in on post-season berths may come as a surprise to some. In many pre-season forecasts, the Yankees were deemed to be too reliant on ageing talent. The Mets were said to be too dependent on young pitchers.
Five months later, not true and not true.
In fact, the old guys led the Yankees charge. Controversial drugs cheat Alex Rodriguez, 40, returned from his year-long suspension to a national chorus of jeers, and has ignored it all with 30 home runs and 78 runs batted in as the designated hitter.
First baseman Mark Teixiera, 35, matched him with 31 homers and 79 RBI before getting hurt recently.
On the pitching side, the bullpen intimidates. Dellin Betances, setting up, and Andrew Miller, closing, are a scary pair to rally against. Between them they have recorded 191 strikeouts in 123 innings.
Lately, the grey beard Yankees also have been helped across the street by a couple of promoted rookies: first baseman Greg Bird (5 HRs, 17 RBI in 23 games) and starter Luis Severino (3-2, 2.04 ERA in six starts).
With three weeks to go, the Yankees are clawing with the Toronto Blue Jays for first in the American League East. Whoever comes in second will have a good shot at a wild-card spot.
In any case, the grizzled Bronx Bombers have made their case.
“Our guys have been resilient and battled all year,” general manager Brian Cashman told lohud.com.
“The names might change, but the intent and the effort’s been consistent.”
Meanwhile, the Mets have got everything they hoped out of their brilliant, under-27 pitchers. Jacob deGrom (13-7, 2.40 earned run average), Matt Harvey (12-7, 2.88), Noah Syndergaard (8-6, 3.31 ERA) and Steven Matz (2-0, 1.89) are the envy of baseball.
Of course, the Queens Crew have their own ageless marvel. Right-hander Bartolo Colon, 42, has 13 wins and is the reigning National League Player of the Week.
Starved for runs early in the year, the Mets picked up some offence at the trading deadline and have been crushing the ball for six weeks. The best of the newcomers has been Yoenis Cespedes, with 14 home runs, 36 RBI and a 1.032 OPS since August 1.
The Mets stormed past the Washington Nationals to first place in the National League East and have the look of a dangerous post-season team for the first time in nine years.
Said long-suffering veteran third baseman David Wright, “I’m going to enjoy this.”
All of New York is. Tickets for a three-game, Mets-Yankees series next weekend are selling for an average of $322 (Dh1,182) on the secondary market, versus $81 face value.
So who is better, the Mets or Yankees?
Who knows?
But in New York, happily, those are fighting words.
September call-ups distort MLB’s regular season
Terrance Gore is back with the Kansas City Royals, which means only one thing: it’s time for September call-ups.
You might remember Gore from September 2014. He played in 11 games, but batted only once. Mostly, he pinch ran. He stole five critical bases and scored five critical runs as the Royals battled down the stretch for a wild-card spot. Gore got the opportunity in September when rosters expand, a tradition once used just to reward a handful of minor leaguers for good seasons.
Now it is a strategy, something to exploit. The Royals could not afford to carry a base-running specialist on the regular season, 25-man roster. But a 30-35 man roster? Bring him on.
Other teams stock up on extra relief pitchers.
This week the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels used a total of 16 pitchers in a game, as managers Don Mattingly and Mike Scioscia vied for favourable matchups, utilising the new army of arms in the bullpens.
The problem? Having so many extra specialists distorts the sport they play from April to August.
And games can take forever.
The Dodgers-Angels relief-fest was four hours long, inspiring Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson to tweet, “September baseball, where there are too many people available and timely games go to die.”
There is a rising cry for reform. Not in the number of call-ups, but in the number of players available each day.
Hockey does it.
For sure baseball needs it.
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