Mets Dump Bronxettes In Opener, 3-2

In England, we call it a "local derby" (pronounced DARby), and what it means is that two teams (usually football/soccer) from the same city meet and whilst bragging rights are at stake, a derby is each supporters' chance to beat the shit out of the other sides' supporters.



In some cities they move the kickoff time from the traditional 3 pm kickoff to noon, not to augment the sense of an auld cowboy "High Noon" but because, the theory goes, if the match kicks off earlier there is less time for the supporters to get pissed up in the pub before the match, thus less drunken violence.

Of course, drunken violence is really not much different from regular match day violence during a derby between say, Birmingham City and Aston Villa - the hatred is so intense that even with hundreds of bobbies armed with truncheons trying desperately to pen them in, bricks will be hurled, bottles smashed and blood spillt.



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So the idea of the Mets playing the Yankees, the NYC derby so to speak, sort of pales by comparison if you're talking about the fans and coppers in their riot gear, but I don't have to tell you that the massive media hype, the incessant radio and television chatter leading up to a Subway Series far surpasses anything in England, save for perhaps Saturday's Wembley Re-Opening For the FA Cup Final.

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It's about bragging rights.

It used to be about Big Brother v. Kid Brother, Corporate Whores v Blue Collar, Pinstripe Tradition v. Blue and Orange Upstarts.

But over the years there has been a subtle change in Queens, a subtle shift in the balance of power as the Mets have begun to overtake the Yankees not only in the win column but also in the battle for the local media's attention; the Battle for the Back Page.

Now it's about a young, talented, up and coming franchise versus an old and creaky franchise with alot of history but alot of baggage. The Mets are about optimism and the future, the Yankees are about holding on.

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So was it odd that the night the Mets opened this most recent Subway Series against the Yankees at Shea, the latest geriatric hope, Roger Clemens was warming up in Tampa Bay, looming in the distance like Dietrich leading his army of Huns to Bern?

The Yankees are seeking to find their future in their past.

The Mets are here and now. The team to beat, for a change.

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Looks like someone chose the wrong franchise...

And last night's Subway Series victory, a game utterly lacking in controversy but showcasing precisely why the Mets are so much better than the Yankees, simply drove the sad point home for all those Bronxette wankers-turned-wannabes.



You can't sum up a game like this with one name but Endy Chavez did his level best to outshine an entire team of pinstriped pariahs; his amazing spin and throw to second, nailing Pretty Boy Damon trying to stretch a single to a double in the first inning and a game-winning two-run homer in the 5th earned him man of the match marks.



And Oliver Perez, another stolen feather in the cap of Omar Minaya, outpitched the Yankee Boy Blunder, Andy Pettitte and inning by inning, minute by minute, the current superiority of the New Mets franchise was a stake driven into the heart of the Yankee faithful.

The first inning told it all in a way.

After Damon was thrown out at second, in the bottom half of the inning the Mets' own daring leadoff hitter Jose Reyes, that baseball bundle of speed and joy, beat a Damon throw home to give the Mets their early lead.

So the series isn't over, the verdict isn't in, but with the Mets riding high in the NL East and the Yankees floundering 10 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East, you get the feeling that the shoe is finally on the other foot.