All-New York World Series Divides Families
N E W Y O R K, Oct. 26 -- The Subway Series is testing the tolerance level of several New York families, couples and coworkers who find themselves divided in their allegiance to their favorite baseball teams but united under one roof.
“I envisioned all of us watching it [the World Series] together,” says New York Yankees fan Christopher Moore of a World Series gathering with his family — including his brother-in-law, a New York Mets fan. “But I now realize those were hallucinations … I go to my room usually during the game to watch it by myself.”
As soon as the World Series between the Yankees and the Mets was set last week, many saw the potential for major schisms.
“It’s gonna split a few families up, I think,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said.
“It’s going to be a city divided against itself,” New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani predicted. “Like a civil war. Father against son. Brother against brother. Brother against sister.”
Even the fans agreed. “I think our heads might explode,” said Ellen Raimondo, a Bronx Bombers devotee who is engaged to Bob Shupp, a lifelong Mets fan. “I don’t know what we’ll do, but there could be some fights.”
Since then, some families have adopted a bunker mentality: It’s us against them, let’s stick together. Still others have made an extra effort to please loved ones for the sake of maintaining the peace, including cheering against their lifelong favorite team.
Whatever the strategy, relations here are a bit unpredictable.
Survival of the Fittest
Relationship survival strategies by families from Queens, New York, to New Jersey have included watching the games in separate rooms in the same house, and at bars with other like-minded fans to avoid direct taunting from loved ones.
Moore’s brother-in-law, Mike Fallon, says it’s “probably a good thing” he hasn’t watched games with Moore and his Yankee-cheering in-laws. Fallon tends to yell at the television and says he would never be able to watch a potential series-clinching game in the same room with a Yankees fan.
