What Would The Subway Series Be Without The Subway?

"I didn't get a toy train like the other kids. I got a toy subway instead. You couldn't see anything, but every now and then you'd hear this rumbling noise go by." - Steven Wright

There are purists out there who want to save the precious term Subway Series for moments when it "really" matters, like a World Series, but let's face it, the fans ride the subway to the goddamned games whether it's October for all the marbles or late May with little more than local pride on the line, so Archie Bunker's Army is calling it the Subway Series.

Rather than inundating you with every little nuance; the steroid-goiter waiting to sprout on Giambi's scrotum, the Yankees leading the Major Leagues in players who have had beer dumped on them (Sheffield in Boston and Giambi in Oakland), the pupil versus teacher managerial rubbish they will force feed you ad nauseum over the next several days, the $300 million or so worth of salaried players that will take the field at Shea this weekend, the matchup of each team's worst starting pitcher in Game One (Kevin Brown against Victor Zambrano), the corporate versus blue collar, history versus infamy, etc., let's have a look at another aspect:

The Subway itself.

First of all, how about an intriguing collection of people on the Subway photos?

Here are the subway ads, deconstructed.

And, of course, The NYC Subway History.

And if that isn't enough, how about NYC Subway Historical Maps?

60 minutes on the New York City Subway System is another collection of photos although fortunately, they do not take 60 minutes to scroll through unless you have a REALLY slow connection.

To savour the quintessence of trivial bullshit, why not take the Subway Quiz? Hours of fun for the whole family, after the encyclopedias have all been read, the bibles have been put away and the house is finally empty of scotch.

Or not. Let's stick with what we know and love so fiercely: Subway Graffiti

A collection of NYC Subway Signs.

Of course, if you're a buffoon like John Rocker who can't stomach the view from the Seven Train to Shea, you can always just drive there. Of course, they don't call this the sitting in gridlock series, they call it the subway series but for those bound and determined souls:

Here are the directions from Yankee Stadium to Shea. A good laugh, it is. 10 miles in 19 minutes indeed! Only if you're going sometime around 6 in the morning on a Sunday. Try it during rush hour tonight.

And as the token bone to the dogs who insist we must dissect the minute details of pre-series angst, let's linger on the finer moments of last season's success in an otherwise dismal season for the Mets.

And of course, for the purists, there's this collection of the 2000 World Series.

Lastly, there's the ever-happy chant to learn and relearn:

Yankees Suck!

Yanks Suck!

And of course, The Yankees Suck: A Flash Series.