The Tuesday Discussion: Who Do You Want To Win the World Series?
This week we asked our writers who they are rooting for in the World Series…
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Ed Botti – I am an American League fan. So with the exception of that certain team from New England, I always root for the AL team. Go Rays!!
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Mike Whiteman – I won’t be rooting for the Rays after watching them rub in their playoff series win over the Yankees. The playing of “New York, New York” and “Empire State of Mind” as they celebrated their win was a bit immature, and I suspect likely to be remembered by the Yanks next year. This just contributes to the budding rivalry between the two clubs who clearly don’t like each other. Is it 2021 yet?
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Paul Semendinger – My goodness. I have never rooted for the Dodgers before and I can’t bring myself to root for the Rays. This is a tough one.
My very first best baseball memories were of rooting against the Dodgers in the 1977 and 1978 World Series. Rooting against the Dodgers seems so natural. But, that being said, they have come so close so often in recent years, that I would be (somewhat) happy for them (for just a moment) if they finally won the World Series.
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James Vlietstra – Since the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs, I have been rooting for the Devil Rays.
They had our number all year and ultimately ended our season early.
If Tampa wins, it will validate Cashman’s claim that the Yankees were oh so close to winning their 28th title.
The Yankees have been eliminated by the eventual World Series championship winner 17 times. That’s tied with the Dodgers for the most in MLB history.
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Patrick Gunn – I’m rooting for the Rays in the World Series. Are they a bitter rival of the Yankees? Yes. Is Mookie Betts an amazing player? One hundred percent. Do I want to see Clayton Kershaw win a championship and flip the narrative? Absolutely. With that said, the Rays are the underdogs, the most efficient spenders in baseball. They prove that great scouting, team building, analytics, and coaching can bring a team to the brink of October glory. Also, Randy Arozarena is a lot of fun to watch.
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Lincoln Mitchell – This is not a tough one for me. I have been both a Yankees fan and a Giants fan since the mid-1970s, so I always root against the Dodgers. Accordingly, even though I find the Rays team a bit on the boring side, I will be rooting for them. Don’t tell my friends in San Francisco, but in 2018 I rooted for the Dodgers in the World Series because as much as I can never root for the Dodgers, I feel that way even more strongly about the Red Sox.
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Tom Russo – I’ll be rooting for the Dodgers for two reasons. First, I can never bring myself to root for a rival, especially one as hated as the Rays. Second, my grandfather grew up a Dodger fan in Brooklyn and I still have his old Brooklyn Dodgers cap so it seems fitting to root for the franchise he did when I get the chance.
