New York-Los Angeles rivalry lost on Mets and Dodgers

Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers tosses a ball in the air during practice on Tuesday ahead of the MLB play-offs. Danny Moloshok / AP / October 6, 2015

So, where is the big-city rivalry, that notorious New York v Los Angeles feud that should be spicing up the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and the Mets?

Yesterday’s news, we fear.

Any perceived grudge between America’s two largest cities has faded like a pair of DKNY jeans in the LA sun.

Sports rivalries between the two are non-existent. The Dodgers-New York Yankees World Series of the late 1970s and early 1980s still had an intense, cultural-opposites dynamic to them. But the next major championship encounter did not occur until 2014 when hockey’s Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers squared off, which failed to ignite the old, knee-jerk feelings.

The cities seem to be at peace now, a far cry from the old days when there was a concrete reason to fume. The New York Mets, of course, would not exist without the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It was 58 years ago that then Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley convinced Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants, to vacate New York City and head for California together.

It was an historic moment for baseball and great news for the West Coast, but a gut-wrenching blow to New Yorkers who bitterly resented the O’Malley-led defections.

Even after Major League Baseball awarded New York the expansion Mets, their own National League team, in 1962, partially filling the NL void, New York baseball fans felt betrayed.

Culturally, there was a lot happening, too, in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The television and music industries were migrating to Los Angeles from New York, as were thousands of eastern residents drawn to the sun and a more relaxed lifestyle.

New Yorkers reacted to the flow with disdain, casting Angelenos as shallow, uninformed and lazy. Angelenos returned the favour, mocking New Yorkers as rude, high-strung and self-important.

Such stereotypes seem dated, and irrelevant. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that, since 2008, as many people have moved from LA to NYC as vice versa.

Fortunately, the on-field competition is intriguing. The Dodgers have baseball’s best 1-2 punch in starting pitchers, in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. The Mets have the best 1-2-3, in Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey.

Both clubs at times have struggled to score, so this may shape up as a series of low-scoring games, perhaps decided by one big hit.

The Dodgers are under more pressure. This is the third consecutive year they have reached the post-season, and with their astronomical payroll – US$273 million (Dh1 billion) to start the season – anything less than a World Series championship will be considered a shortfall. The mood is serious.

Manager Don Mattingly is often mentioned as the likely scapegoat should the Dodgers flame out.

The Mets are in the play-offs for the first time since 2006. They played this season within a modest payroll of $101m, as franchise owners continue to recover from non-baseball-related financial woes.

Veteran manager Terry Collins, 66, will experience his first play-offs, personifying his fresh-faced team, which seems appreciative of the opportunity and quite cheerful.

Thus, it will be the seasoned, but twice-rebuked and anxious Dodgers against the inexperienced, excited Mets.

But as for New York sophistication over LA superficiality, or LA cool over New York bluster, the one-time conflict is no more compelling than Texas swagger versus Toronto charm, Houston barbecue versus Kansas City steak, or St. Louis hospitality versus Chicago night life.

It’s just baseball now.

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