World Series Preview: Why You Should Pull for the New York Mets

There are plenty of reasons to watch the World Series next week, even with the St. Louis Cardinals out of it. There’s even a team worth rooting for. I’m actually going to make a case to side with the New York Mets in the Fall Classic, not long after acknowledging the team is almost on the level of the Chicago Cubs as an arch enemy. For the next week, though, I think we should think of the Mets as frenemies. Here’s why:

Exhibit A: David Wright

No one deserves a World Series ring more than this guy. Face it, Cardinals fans. You’d love David Wright if he was on your team. Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

If you had to make a list of Major Leaguers most likely to be loved by Cardinal Nation if he’d ever don the uniform, the Mets’ 32-year-old third baseman would be right up there. Look at all the crap he’s handled with grace and dignity. Two debilitating back injuries — a stress fracture in 2011 and a spinal stenosis condition this year. An owner who totally threw him under the bus when Wright was still dealing with that stress fracture. And an owner who was careless with his investments at the expense of his baseball team. The Mets were in such disarray as recently as July that the hashtag #LOLMets was the hottest thing going on Twitter. This is Wright’s first World Series in his 12 seasons in New York. He deserves this.

Exibit B: Terry Collins

After 11 seasons of managing in the big leagues, Terry Collins finally gets a well-deserved shot at the title. Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re like Fox Sports national baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal and hate seeing baseball lifers marginalized in the Major Leagues these days, you’ve got to love Mets manager Terry Collins. A lifer if there ever was one, Collins played shortstop at Eastern Michigan and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1971 as a 19th-round pick. He went on to play ten seasons in the minor leagues, never getting the call to the show. He made his managerial debut in A-ball in 1981 and earned a job in the big time that way. Collins has managed at the big league level for 11 seasons now. Like Wright, he is experiencing his first World Series. Also like Wright? Collins deserves a ring, especially for keeping his players focused on baseball this year.

Exhibit D: Underdogs

Many assumed the Chicago Cubs has the mojo to win the National League title. But the Mets defied the odds, like they’d done all season. Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

In our gambling-obsessed sports culture, it’s pretty easy to figure out who’s the favorite and who’s the underdog. As for this World Series, it’s virtually a pick ’em, although the Mets get the underdog nod on a few betting sites. This Series has all the makings of a seven-game barn burner, with extra-inning games, walk-off homers and amazing comebacks. Why should we pull for the Mets anyway? Because they were left for dead in July, when many writers and pundits assumed the World Series favorite Washington Nationals would pick up the pace and roll to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the defending American League champion Royals ran away with the Central. The Mets’ Phoenix-like rise in the second half makes them a cooler story.

Exhibit E: Senior Circuit Loyalty

Despise owner Fred Wilpon (right) and his cronies for putting small-market constraints on a New York team. But love the Mets’ players and skipper who won anyway. Credit: Elsa/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

I’m not going to pretend I’m happy that the Cardinals aren’t in the World Series. But the blow is softened somewhat by knowing the National League team is one the Cards had a winning record against in 2015 (4-3) and that steamrolled the hated Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. As Cardinal fan and country music star Liz Moriondo pointed out yesterday, the Royals deserve some love as a fellow Missouri-based team. But come on, Cardinal Nation. Only the fan base of an American League team would try to stuff the All-Star Game ballot box. Despicable.