close
Giving It Up for Mr. Met
Looking for Mr. Right? How about Mr. Wright?
By ALLEN SALKIN
Published:September 10, 2006_The New York Times
無論是女性或是男性球迷 , 都不可避免地成了他的追隨者 , 就如同他的隊友一樣
23歲的David Wright是鎮守大都會三壘大關的強打者 , 也是讓球迷們認為大都會隊必定會打入季後賽的原因之一
“他和我年齡相仿 , 他手感正熱(極具吸引力)且表現優異” 23歲的股票經紀人Meghan Dockery說道
Dockery是個資深的大都會球迷 , 不過除了她之外 , 還有許多對棒球並不那麼熱衷的紐約客被大量吸引到這個位在皇后區的球場(Shea Stadium) , 這個賽季對位於紐約的兩支球隊來說 , 都是豐收的一年
住在Brooklyn Heights的50歲股票經紀人Andrew Mayer表示 , 在2000年的世界大賽中 , 她對洋基的偏愛多於大都會 , 不過如果今年這兩支球隊進行另一次的地鐵大戰 , 她將會支持球場位於七號地鐵線上的大都會
“當洋基引進不受歡迎的Randy Johnson和Jason Giambi時, 這支球隊就像是把自己的靈魂賣給了撒旦一般 , ” Mayer提到了脾氣暴躁的6呎10吋投手以及身陷用藥醜聞的一壘手 , “相較之下 , 大都會給人的感覺就好多了”
這兩支紐約球隊早自1962年大都會正式成立開始 , 就為了贏得紐約客的心而開始了一連串的競爭 , 不過當時的大都會的糟糕表現 , 充其量只能作為體育新聞中的笑柄罷了 , 身為一支對勝利十分飢渴但卻戰績不佳的球隊 , 大都會只有短暫地贏得紐約客的支持 , 最具代表性的應該是1969年球季 , 而最近一次則要回溯到80年代末期 , 這還是因為當時洋基的表現實在太讓紐約客失望了 , 絕大部分的時間 , 103歲的洋基 – 身穿條紋球衣 , 球員們的髮型比起棒球選手更像是律師事務所員工 , 更曾26度高舉世界大賽冠軍盃 – 一直被認定為真正代表紐約的球隊 , 過去十年中 , 就算大都會有幾季都打出相當不錯的成績 , 但洋基王朝卻早已成型
不過現在大都會有著逆轉情勢的大好機會…
根據Quinnipiac大學在1998年針對地鐵大戰作出的民調顯示 , 60%的紐約客支持洋基 , 而僅有28%的人支持大都會 , 今年七月他們再次進行類似的民調 , 結果顯示洋基的支持率下降到46% , 而大都會則上升到37%
雖然Shea Stadium的觀眾出席數還是不如Yankee Stadium , 但如果根據另一個更具代表性的指標 – 相關商品銷售量來看 , 大都會則是勢不可擋
Modell’s運動用品店的副總裁Rich Yonkers表示 , 在 Tri-state area(包含紐約州,紐澤西州以及康乃迪克州) , Derek Jeter 的T-Shirt銷售量在八年來首次讓出王座 , 取而代之的則是David Wright的相關產品 , 其中包含一件印著Mrs.Wright字樣的T-Shirt , Modell’s更推出一系列瞄準12-18歲消費族群的Wrighteous系列 T-Shirt , 馬上就成了店內的熱賣商品 , 在Shea Stadium的紀念品販售區 , 印著Mrs.Wright字樣的吊飾幾乎銷售一空
Yonkers指出 , 在過去十年間 , 洋基相關商品的銷售量遠遠超越任何有關大都會的產品 , 就比例上而言大概是80%對上20% , 不過今年的兩支球隊授權商品的銷售戰卻是瞬息萬變 , 銷售額比例已經成了幾乎是60%洋基對上40%大都會 , “他們(大都會)年輕 , 充滿新鮮感而且令人興奮” Yonkers說道 , “現在的年輕人對那些早已成名多年的球星並沒有興趣”
洋基的球員名單中充斥著大量早已成名多年的球星 , 雖然表現同樣傑出 , 但是卻早都在球迷的預料之中 , 看起來就是缺乏了一點吸引年輕球迷的魔力
“從1996年開始 , 洋基就主宰了棒球運動 , 這樣的情況實在令人感到無趣” 電台運動脫口秀“Mike and the Mad Dog”的主持人Chris Russo說道 , ”今年我們從大都會的身上看到更多火花 , 比起洋基 , 他們似乎也更人性化些 , 現在看起來 , 紐約客似乎期待著看到一場落水狗的絕地大反攻”
比洋基的球員年輕 , 薪資總額也大概只有洋基一半的大都會 , 對球迷來說 , 是個新鮮且令人興奮的球隊 , “Beltran的傑出表現讓我十分激動” 28歲的CourtTV助理製作人Lindsay Goldwert表示 , “他實在是太棒了” , 雖然中外野手Carlos Beltrán早在2005年來到大都會之前就已經是個廣為人知的明星選手 , 不過看著大都會比賽長大但卻對早已對他們失去興趣的Goldwert一直到Beltrán穿上大都會球衣後才認識這位球星
縱使大都會和其他大聯盟球隊都強調他們引進球員的唯一標準是球員的天份而並非其膚色 , 但大都會球員中的種族多元性也的確為這支球隊在紐約這樣的城市帶來行銷上的優勢
來自多明尼加 , 年輕且廣受歡迎的游擊手José Reyes才剛跟大都會完成續約 , 29歲的Beltrán則是來自波多黎各 , 而在一次早已廣受討論的交易中引進的外野手Shawn Green , 則可能是大聯盟中的最佳猶太裔球員
在上週二連戰中擊出兩支全壘打的Green表示 , 種族多元性的確能幫助球隊吸引更多球迷 , 不過能贏得比賽的勝利始終是真正的關鍵所在 , “當你的球隊持續贏球 , 並且在隊伍中有著來自不同種族背景的球員時 , 這讓更多人有理由支持這麼一支球隊” Green說道
洋基一樣擁有著種族多元性的優勢 , 他們的球員中包含著來自日本的球星松井秀喜 , 還有表現傑出的外籍年輕二壘手Robinson Canó以及外野手 Melky Cabrera , 且洋基更有著明顯高於大都會的國際知名度 , 像是台灣版的GQ雜誌就已經著手安排一次關於王建民的專訪
但是高國際知名度有時也會帶來些負面效果 , 2003年才搬到紐約的34歲荷蘭人Mike Fennema表示 , 他會選擇成為大都會的球迷實在是因為他對在歐洲和亞洲都四處可見洋基球帽的現象感到厭煩 , “我偏愛選擇落水狗” Fennema這麼解釋
大都會在這類球迷的預設立場下得到不少球迷的支持 , 終生洋基球迷並且是一本關於紐約棒球運動的暢銷書作家的Peter Golenbock說道 , “大都會隊時常讓它的球迷對他感到失望 , 不過球迷對於大都會的支持卻從來不曾打折扣” 比起惡名昭彰的挑剔洋基球迷 , 大都會的球迷對他們球員的表現更有包容心 , “同樣是取得十場勝差的領先 , 大都會球迷表現出來的情緒會遠比洋基球迷來的更加興奮”
讓大都會能贏得如此多球迷支持的主要原因 , 還是因為他們87勝52敗(截自上週五為止)的聯盟最佳戰績 , 還有他們在國聯東區以多達16又1/2場勝差的領先差距穩坐王座 , 不過他們致力於球隊公關事業的經營 , 包含借用名人球迷的知名度來吸引球迷 , 也起了不小的作用
大都會的市場發展負責人 (這是今年球季才新增的職務), Sandra van Meek , 手邊有著一份檔案夾 , 裡面保存著Deborah Messing和Rhianna這類名人頭戴大都會球帽的雜誌簡報 , 大都會的名人球迷還包含了The Daily Show 的主持人John Stewart , 身為長期大都會球迷的他甚至還免費為大都會錄製用於電台播放的廣告
受到洋基成立主要用以轉播洋基球賽以及播放洋基球員介紹的YES Network獲得了巨大成功的啟發 , 大都會也在今年成立了SportsNet New York , 去年主要由兩家有線頻道轉播的大都會比賽 , 平均每場比賽吸引了110,000家庭觀看 , 而今年由SNY轉播的比賽 , 則平均吸引了215,000家庭收看（在此同時洋基仍然在收視率上領先大都會 , YES頻道平均每場比賽吸引318,000家庭收看轉播 , 不過比起去年平均324,000家庭觀看的數據略有滑落）, 在洋基這方面 , 球隊的營運總管Lonn A. Trost並不想讓兩支球隊的關係被解讀為只是單純的競爭對手 , “我的重心還是放在球隊上” Trost說道 “Derek Jeter的球衣銷售是否超越Marv Throneberry並非我工作職責所在
但是Trost提到Throneberry這位先是為洋基效力但後來卻成了60年代大都會代表性人物的球員 , 而非Wright或是Beltrán , 似乎已經透露了洋基對於大都會的狀況還是十分在意的
雖然洋基仍然在電視轉播收視率以及球場觀戰人次（洋基的球票售價平均高出大都會10%）上領先大都會 , 不過部份棒球評論家認為 , 若是大都會在地鐵大戰中取得勝利 , 或許會讓兩支球隊的地位互換 , 以大都會最後一次取得世界冠軍的1986年球季為例 , 有Darryl Strawberry 以及Dwight Gooden在陣中的大都會總計吸引了2,762,417球迷進場觀戰 , 而有Don Mattingly和 Dave Winfield在陣中並且最終只獲得美聯東區亞軍的洋基 , 總計吸引了2,268,116球迷購票進場
“對於大都會來說 , 唯一的目標就是成為一支優秀的球隊 , 一支足以打敗洋基的球隊” 正在著手撰寫一本有關紐約棒球歷史書的小說家（同時也是洋基球迷）Kevin Baker說道 , “如果大都會真能贏得地鐵大戰 , 局勢可能就此轉變為對他們有利的狀況 , 目前為止紐約仍然是洋基的地盤 , 但大都會的勢力無疑地已經大幅擴張”
當中立球迷每年隨著球隊表現而改變自己支持球隊的同時 , 那些寧可支持溫室效應也不願支持大都會的死忠洋基球迷 , 和認為洋基的邪惡程度和Enron公司不相上下的忠貞大都會球迷 , 將永遠不會做出任何讓步 , 就算對方球隊提出多麼具說服力的論點 , 都不可能改變他們對自己所支持球隊的偏愛
“我恨大都會” 正站在洋基商品專賣店中一排洋基球員搖頭公仔旁的42歲球迷Gary Bradley說道
為什麼（恨大都會）？
“就因為他們是大都會”
[原文]
A lot of women — and men — are finding him, along with his teammates, irresistible.
David Wright, 23, the power-hitting third baseman of the Mets, is one reason an expanding group of local baseball fans are counting down to the postseason.
“He’s my age, and he’s hot, and he’s good,” said Meghan Dockery, 23, a stockbroker.
Ms. Dockery is a longtime Mets fan (and single), but there are many New Yorkers not baseball-obsessed who are being drawn toward the team from Queens, even though both the Mets and the Yankees (who call the Bronx home) are enjoying successful seasons.
Andrew Mayer, 50, a stockbroker who lives in Brooklyn Heights, said he favored the Yankees over the Mets when the two teams squared off in the 2000 World Series, but if the rivals meet in another Subway Series in October, he’ll be pulling for the team on the No. 7 line.
“The Yankees have kind of sold themselves to Satan and brought in bad-feeling people like Randy Johnson and Giambi,” Mr. Mayer said, referring to the surly 6-foot-10 pitcher and the first baseman Jason Giambi, who was implicated in a steroids scandal. “The Mets have now become a more feel-good team.”
The two franchises have been fighting for the heart of the city since 1962, when the Mets played their first regular-season game and soon became the laughingstock of the sports pages. The Mets, with their hungry teams and improbable victories, have buoyed and won over the city occasionally — most famously in 1969, and more recently in the late 1980’s, a rough time for the Yankees. But for the most part, the 103-year-old Yankees, with their law-firm haircuts, subtle pinstripes and 26 World Series championships, have been New York’s home team. In the last 10 years, even as the Mets were experiencing a few good seasons, the Yankees were becoming dynastic.
Now there are signs that the tide might be turning.
A Quinnipiac University poll in 1998 showed that in a Subway Series, 60 percent of the city would root for the Yankees and 28 percent for the Mets. A similar poll in July showed that the number of Yankees rooters were down to 46 percent while the Mets numbers were up to 37 percent.
Although the Mets trail the Yankees in attendance, perhaps a more telling measure of the Mets’ new-found emotional appeal — merchandise sales — is now in a dead heat.
For the first time in eight years, Derek Jeter T-shirts are not the most popular in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut region, said Rich Yonkers, the vice president for signature license apparel at Modell’s Sporting Goods. Mr. Wright’s are, including one bearing the words “Mrs. Wright.” The chain has introduced a “Wrighteous” shirt, intended for a 12- t0 18-year-old male market and already a strong seller. And a line of “Mrs. Wright” love pendants is almost sold out at the souvenir stands in Shea Stadium.
Mr. Yonkers said that for the last decade, Yankees garb has outsold anything bearing a Mets logo at Modell’s by 80 percent to 20 percent, but this year the balance has fluctuated weekly, from even to 60-40 Mets. “They’re young, they’re fresh, and they’re exciting,” he said of the National League team. “The kids today, they don’t want the same old.”
Mr. Yonkers didn’t need to be explicit, but “same old” could easily describe the Yankees’ roster of established stars, whose predictable feats of power and elegance have made them a little less magical.
“The Yankees have been dominant for so long — since 1996 — it’s a little ho-hum with them,” said Chris Russo, a host of the “Mike and the Mad Dog” radio show on WFAN. “This year, there’s more spark with the Mets. There’s more personality there. It does feel like the city is rooting for the underdog to pull through.”
Predominantly young, and collectively earning about half what the Yankees do (a payroll of about $100 million compared with almost $200 million for the American League team), the Mets are new and exciting to their fans. “I’m pretty psyched that Beltrán is doing so great,” said Lindsay Goldwert, 28, an associate producer at Court TV. “He’s dreamy.” Even though the center fielder Carlos Beltrán was a legitimate star in the baseball world before he came to the Mets in 2005, Ms. Goldwert discovered him only as a Met, a team she grew up with but had lost interest in until this summer.
Although the Mets — and every other team — claim they bring in players based only on talent and not ethnic origin, they do have a diversity that helps make them marketable in New York.
The young, popular shortstop José Reyes, who recently signed a contract extension, is from the Dominican Republic. Mr. Beltrán, 29, is Puerto Rican. And, in an already extensively discussed move in August, the Mets acquired the outfielder Shawn Green, who might be the best Jewish player in the majors.
Standing at his locker last week before a doubleheader in which he hit two home runs, Mr. Green said diversity helps attract fans, but not as much as winning does. “When you’ve got a team winning and a wide variety of ethnic players, it allows more people to embrace the team,” he said.
The Yankees have their share of diversity, including the Japanese star Hideki Matsui and exciting young players like the second baseman Robinson Canó and the outfielder Melky Cabrera. And there is no doubt the Yankees are more popular internationally than the Mets. GQ magazine’s Taiwan version is arranging a profile on the pitcher Chien-Ming Wang.
But world domination isn’t the way to every fan’s heart. Mike Fennema, 34, a native of the Netherlands who moved to New York in 2003, said he became a Mets fan because he was tired of seeing so many Yankees hats in Europe and Asia. “I have a predilection for choosing the underdog,” Mr. Fennema said.
The Mets have long benefited from this mind-set, said Peter Golenbock a lifelong Yankees fan and the author of best-selling books about baseball in New York. The Mets “often disappoint their fans, but the fans don’t love the team any less,” he said, adding that though Mets fans tend to be happier with their players than the notoriously critical Yankees fans, “they are certainly happier when they have a 10-game lead.”
A large part of the Mets’ recent success with fans is their record of 87-52, the best in the major leagues as of Friday, and their position in the standings — they lead the N.L. East by 16½ games. But some of it is also the result of a concerted public relations strategy on the team’s part, which has included, among other things, taking better advantage of their celebrity fans.
Sandra van Meek, the director of market development (a job created this year), has a file of clips from celebrity magazines showing notables like Deborah Messing and Rhianna in Mets caps. John Stewart, the host of the “The Daily Show” and a long-time Mets fan, is among those who recorded Mets radio ads free.
In light of the Yankees’ success with the YES Network, which broadcasts Yankees games and general hagiography, the Mets started their own cable network, SportsNet New York, this year. Last year, when most Mets games were carried on two cable channels, the games attracted an average of about 110,000 households. This year, on SNY, 215,000 households tune in. (While the Yankees continue to wallop the Mets in television ratings, drawing an average of about 318,000 households, for their games on YES, the Bronx Bombers are down slightly compared with last year, when they averaged about 324,000 households.)
For the Yankees’ part, Lonn A. Trost, the team’s chief operating officer, sought to avoid portraying the New York baseball scene as a competition. “I am focused on the Yankees,” he said. “I am not looking to measure if Derek Jeter’s T-shirt outsells Marv Throneberry’s.”
But the fact that Mr. Trost invoked the name of Mr. Throneberry, who first played for the Yankees and later became known as Marvelous Marv — the emblem of the Mets’ bumbling in the 1960’s — rather than Mr. Wright or Mr. Beltrán suggests the Mets are very much on the minds of the Yankees.
While the Yankees still get more viewers on their network and sell more tickets (at a cost of about 10 percent more than tickets at Shea) to their games, baseball watchers think a Subway Series victory by the Mets might turn the tables. In 1986, the Mets’ last World Series championship season, the team of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden drew 2,762,417 fans to Shea compared with the Yankees of Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield, who finished second in the A.L. East and drew 2,268,116.
“The Mets’ whole thing has been being the amazing team, the upset team,” said Kevin Baker, a novelist (and Yankees fan) who is writing a book on the history of New York City baseball. “If the Mets were to win a Subway Series, it might swing things back over to them. This is still pretty much a Yankees town, but the Mets are certainly making enormous headway.”
While casual fans waver with their allegiances each season, the hardliners — those Yankees fans who would sooner root for global warming than for the Mets, and the hard-core Mets fans who consider the Yankees only slightly less evil than Enron — will not budge from their positions, no matter how well-reasoned the argument for supporting the other team might be.
“I hate the Mets,” said Gary Bradley, 42, who was standing near the bobblehead dolls at a Yankees Clubhouse Shop on West 42nd Street last week.
Why?
“Because they’re the Mets.
Looking for Mr. Right? How about Mr. Wright?
By ALLEN SALKIN
Published:September 10, 2006_The New York Times
無論是女性或是男性球迷 , 都不可避免地成了他的追隨者 , 就如同他的隊友一樣
23歲的David Wright是鎮守大都會三壘大關的強打者 , 也是讓球迷們認為大都會隊必定會打入季後賽的原因之一
“他和我年齡相仿 , 他手感正熱(極具吸引力)且表現優異” 23歲的股票經紀人Meghan Dockery說道
Dockery是個資深的大都會球迷 , 不過除了她之外 , 還有許多對棒球並不那麼熱衷的紐約客被大量吸引到這個位在皇后區的球場(Shea Stadium) , 這個賽季對位於紐約的兩支球隊來說 , 都是豐收的一年
住在Brooklyn Heights的50歲股票經紀人Andrew Mayer表示 , 在2000年的世界大賽中 , 她對洋基的偏愛多於大都會 , 不過如果今年這兩支球隊進行另一次的地鐵大戰 , 她將會支持球場位於七號地鐵線上的大都會
“當洋基引進不受歡迎的Randy Johnson和Jason Giambi時, 這支球隊就像是把自己的靈魂賣給了撒旦一般 , ” Mayer提到了脾氣暴躁的6呎10吋投手以及身陷用藥醜聞的一壘手 , “相較之下 , 大都會給人的感覺就好多了”
這兩支紐約球隊早自1962年大都會正式成立開始 , 就為了贏得紐約客的心而開始了一連串的競爭 , 不過當時的大都會的糟糕表現 , 充其量只能作為體育新聞中的笑柄罷了 , 身為一支對勝利十分飢渴但卻戰績不佳的球隊 , 大都會只有短暫地贏得紐約客的支持 , 最具代表性的應該是1969年球季 , 而最近一次則要回溯到80年代末期 , 這還是因為當時洋基的表現實在太讓紐約客失望了 , 絕大部分的時間 , 103歲的洋基 – 身穿條紋球衣 , 球員們的髮型比起棒球選手更像是律師事務所員工 , 更曾26度高舉世界大賽冠軍盃 – 一直被認定為真正代表紐約的球隊 , 過去十年中 , 就算大都會有幾季都打出相當不錯的成績 , 但洋基王朝卻早已成型
不過現在大都會有著逆轉情勢的大好機會…
根據Quinnipiac大學在1998年針對地鐵大戰作出的民調顯示 , 60%的紐約客支持洋基 , 而僅有28%的人支持大都會 , 今年七月他們再次進行類似的民調 , 結果顯示洋基的支持率下降到46% , 而大都會則上升到37%
雖然Shea Stadium的觀眾出席數還是不如Yankee Stadium , 但如果根據另一個更具代表性的指標 – 相關商品銷售量來看 , 大都會則是勢不可擋
Modell’s運動用品店的副總裁Rich Yonkers表示 , 在 Tri-state area(包含紐約州,紐澤西州以及康乃迪克州) , Derek Jeter 的T-Shirt銷售量在八年來首次讓出王座 , 取而代之的則是David Wright的相關產品 , 其中包含一件印著Mrs.Wright字樣的T-Shirt , Modell’s更推出一系列瞄準12-18歲消費族群的Wrighteous系列 T-Shirt , 馬上就成了店內的熱賣商品 , 在Shea Stadium的紀念品販售區 , 印著Mrs.Wright字樣的吊飾幾乎銷售一空
Yonkers指出 , 在過去十年間 , 洋基相關商品的銷售量遠遠超越任何有關大都會的產品 , 就比例上而言大概是80%對上20% , 不過今年的兩支球隊授權商品的銷售戰卻是瞬息萬變 , 銷售額比例已經成了幾乎是60%洋基對上40%大都會 , “他們(大都會)年輕 , 充滿新鮮感而且令人興奮” Yonkers說道 , “現在的年輕人對那些早已成名多年的球星並沒有興趣”
洋基的球員名單中充斥著大量早已成名多年的球星 , 雖然表現同樣傑出 , 但是卻早都在球迷的預料之中 , 看起來就是缺乏了一點吸引年輕球迷的魔力
“從1996年開始 , 洋基就主宰了棒球運動 , 這樣的情況實在令人感到無趣” 電台運動脫口秀“Mike and the Mad Dog”的主持人Chris Russo說道 , ”今年我們從大都會的身上看到更多火花 , 比起洋基 , 他們似乎也更人性化些 , 現在看起來 , 紐約客似乎期待著看到一場落水狗的絕地大反攻”
比洋基的球員年輕 , 薪資總額也大概只有洋基一半的大都會 , 對球迷來說 , 是個新鮮且令人興奮的球隊 , “Beltran的傑出表現讓我十分激動” 28歲的CourtTV助理製作人Lindsay Goldwert表示 , “他實在是太棒了” , 雖然中外野手Carlos Beltrán早在2005年來到大都會之前就已經是個廣為人知的明星選手 , 不過看著大都會比賽長大但卻對早已對他們失去興趣的Goldwert一直到Beltrán穿上大都會球衣後才認識這位球星
縱使大都會和其他大聯盟球隊都強調他們引進球員的唯一標準是球員的天份而並非其膚色 , 但大都會球員中的種族多元性也的確為這支球隊在紐約這樣的城市帶來行銷上的優勢
來自多明尼加 , 年輕且廣受歡迎的游擊手José Reyes才剛跟大都會完成續約 , 29歲的Beltrán則是來自波多黎各 , 而在一次早已廣受討論的交易中引進的外野手Shawn Green , 則可能是大聯盟中的最佳猶太裔球員
在上週二連戰中擊出兩支全壘打的Green表示 , 種族多元性的確能幫助球隊吸引更多球迷 , 不過能贏得比賽的勝利始終是真正的關鍵所在 , “當你的球隊持續贏球 , 並且在隊伍中有著來自不同種族背景的球員時 , 這讓更多人有理由支持這麼一支球隊” Green說道
洋基一樣擁有著種族多元性的優勢 , 他們的球員中包含著來自日本的球星松井秀喜 , 還有表現傑出的外籍年輕二壘手Robinson Canó以及外野手 Melky Cabrera , 且洋基更有著明顯高於大都會的國際知名度 , 像是台灣版的GQ雜誌就已經著手安排一次關於王建民的專訪
但是高國際知名度有時也會帶來些負面效果 , 2003年才搬到紐約的34歲荷蘭人Mike Fennema表示 , 他會選擇成為大都會的球迷實在是因為他對在歐洲和亞洲都四處可見洋基球帽的現象感到厭煩 , “我偏愛選擇落水狗” Fennema這麼解釋
大都會在這類球迷的預設立場下得到不少球迷的支持 , 終生洋基球迷並且是一本關於紐約棒球運動的暢銷書作家的Peter Golenbock說道 , “大都會隊時常讓它的球迷對他感到失望 , 不過球迷對於大都會的支持卻從來不曾打折扣” 比起惡名昭彰的挑剔洋基球迷 , 大都會的球迷對他們球員的表現更有包容心 , “同樣是取得十場勝差的領先 , 大都會球迷表現出來的情緒會遠比洋基球迷來的更加興奮”
讓大都會能贏得如此多球迷支持的主要原因 , 還是因為他們87勝52敗(截自上週五為止)的聯盟最佳戰績 , 還有他們在國聯東區以多達16又1/2場勝差的領先差距穩坐王座 , 不過他們致力於球隊公關事業的經營 , 包含借用名人球迷的知名度來吸引球迷 , 也起了不小的作用
大都會的市場發展負責人 (這是今年球季才新增的職務), Sandra van Meek , 手邊有著一份檔案夾 , 裡面保存著Deborah Messing和Rhianna這類名人頭戴大都會球帽的雜誌簡報 , 大都會的名人球迷還包含了The Daily Show 的主持人John Stewart , 身為長期大都會球迷的他甚至還免費為大都會錄製用於電台播放的廣告
受到洋基成立主要用以轉播洋基球賽以及播放洋基球員介紹的YES Network獲得了巨大成功的啟發 , 大都會也在今年成立了SportsNet New York , 去年主要由兩家有線頻道轉播的大都會比賽 , 平均每場比賽吸引了110,000家庭觀看 , 而今年由SNY轉播的比賽 , 則平均吸引了215,000家庭收看（在此同時洋基仍然在收視率上領先大都會 , YES頻道平均每場比賽吸引318,000家庭收看轉播 , 不過比起去年平均324,000家庭觀看的數據略有滑落）, 在洋基這方面 , 球隊的營運總管Lonn A. Trost並不想讓兩支球隊的關係被解讀為只是單純的競爭對手 , “我的重心還是放在球隊上” Trost說道 “Derek Jeter的球衣銷售是否超越Marv Throneberry並非我工作職責所在
但是Trost提到Throneberry這位先是為洋基效力但後來卻成了60年代大都會代表性人物的球員 , 而非Wright或是Beltrán , 似乎已經透露了洋基對於大都會的狀況還是十分在意的
雖然洋基仍然在電視轉播收視率以及球場觀戰人次（洋基的球票售價平均高出大都會10%）上領先大都會 , 不過部份棒球評論家認為 , 若是大都會在地鐵大戰中取得勝利 , 或許會讓兩支球隊的地位互換 , 以大都會最後一次取得世界冠軍的1986年球季為例 , 有Darryl Strawberry 以及Dwight Gooden在陣中的大都會總計吸引了2,762,417球迷進場觀戰 , 而有Don Mattingly和 Dave Winfield在陣中並且最終只獲得美聯東區亞軍的洋基 , 總計吸引了2,268,116球迷購票進場
“對於大都會來說 , 唯一的目標就是成為一支優秀的球隊 , 一支足以打敗洋基的球隊” 正在著手撰寫一本有關紐約棒球歷史書的小說家（同時也是洋基球迷）Kevin Baker說道 , “如果大都會真能贏得地鐵大戰 , 局勢可能就此轉變為對他們有利的狀況 , 目前為止紐約仍然是洋基的地盤 , 但大都會的勢力無疑地已經大幅擴張”
當中立球迷每年隨著球隊表現而改變自己支持球隊的同時 , 那些寧可支持溫室效應也不願支持大都會的死忠洋基球迷 , 和認為洋基的邪惡程度和Enron公司不相上下的忠貞大都會球迷 , 將永遠不會做出任何讓步 , 就算對方球隊提出多麼具說服力的論點 , 都不可能改變他們對自己所支持球隊的偏愛
“我恨大都會” 正站在洋基商品專賣店中一排洋基球員搖頭公仔旁的42歲球迷Gary Bradley說道
為什麼（恨大都會）？
“就因為他們是大都會”
[原文]
A lot of women — and men — are finding him, along with his teammates, irresistible.
David Wright, 23, the power-hitting third baseman of the Mets, is one reason an expanding group of local baseball fans are counting down to the postseason.
“He’s my age, and he’s hot, and he’s good,” said Meghan Dockery, 23, a stockbroker.
Ms. Dockery is a longtime Mets fan (and single), but there are many New Yorkers not baseball-obsessed who are being drawn toward the team from Queens, even though both the Mets and the Yankees (who call the Bronx home) are enjoying successful seasons.
Andrew Mayer, 50, a stockbroker who lives in Brooklyn Heights, said he favored the Yankees over the Mets when the two teams squared off in the 2000 World Series, but if the rivals meet in another Subway Series in October, he’ll be pulling for the team on the No. 7 line.
“The Yankees have kind of sold themselves to Satan and brought in bad-feeling people like Randy Johnson and Giambi,” Mr. Mayer said, referring to the surly 6-foot-10 pitcher and the first baseman Jason Giambi, who was implicated in a steroids scandal. “The Mets have now become a more feel-good team.”
The two franchises have been fighting for the heart of the city since 1962, when the Mets played their first regular-season game and soon became the laughingstock of the sports pages. The Mets, with their hungry teams and improbable victories, have buoyed and won over the city occasionally — most famously in 1969, and more recently in the late 1980’s, a rough time for the Yankees. But for the most part, the 103-year-old Yankees, with their law-firm haircuts, subtle pinstripes and 26 World Series championships, have been New York’s home team. In the last 10 years, even as the Mets were experiencing a few good seasons, the Yankees were becoming dynastic.
Now there are signs that the tide might be turning.
A Quinnipiac University poll in 1998 showed that in a Subway Series, 60 percent of the city would root for the Yankees and 28 percent for the Mets. A similar poll in July showed that the number of Yankees rooters were down to 46 percent while the Mets numbers were up to 37 percent.
Although the Mets trail the Yankees in attendance, perhaps a more telling measure of the Mets’ new-found emotional appeal — merchandise sales — is now in a dead heat.
For the first time in eight years, Derek Jeter T-shirts are not the most popular in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut region, said Rich Yonkers, the vice president for signature license apparel at Modell’s Sporting Goods. Mr. Wright’s are, including one bearing the words “Mrs. Wright.” The chain has introduced a “Wrighteous” shirt, intended for a 12- t0 18-year-old male market and already a strong seller. And a line of “Mrs. Wright” love pendants is almost sold out at the souvenir stands in Shea Stadium.
Mr. Yonkers said that for the last decade, Yankees garb has outsold anything bearing a Mets logo at Modell’s by 80 percent to 20 percent, but this year the balance has fluctuated weekly, from even to 60-40 Mets. “They’re young, they’re fresh, and they’re exciting,” he said of the National League team. “The kids today, they don’t want the same old.”
Mr. Yonkers didn’t need to be explicit, but “same old” could easily describe the Yankees’ roster of established stars, whose predictable feats of power and elegance have made them a little less magical.
“The Yankees have been dominant for so long — since 1996 — it’s a little ho-hum with them,” said Chris Russo, a host of the “Mike and the Mad Dog” radio show on WFAN. “This year, there’s more spark with the Mets. There’s more personality there. It does feel like the city is rooting for the underdog to pull through.”
Predominantly young, and collectively earning about half what the Yankees do (a payroll of about $100 million compared with almost $200 million for the American League team), the Mets are new and exciting to their fans. “I’m pretty psyched that Beltrán is doing so great,” said Lindsay Goldwert, 28, an associate producer at Court TV. “He’s dreamy.” Even though the center fielder Carlos Beltrán was a legitimate star in the baseball world before he came to the Mets in 2005, Ms. Goldwert discovered him only as a Met, a team she grew up with but had lost interest in until this summer.
Although the Mets — and every other team — claim they bring in players based only on talent and not ethnic origin, they do have a diversity that helps make them marketable in New York.
The young, popular shortstop José Reyes, who recently signed a contract extension, is from the Dominican Republic. Mr. Beltrán, 29, is Puerto Rican. And, in an already extensively discussed move in August, the Mets acquired the outfielder Shawn Green, who might be the best Jewish player in the majors.
Standing at his locker last week before a doubleheader in which he hit two home runs, Mr. Green said diversity helps attract fans, but not as much as winning does. “When you’ve got a team winning and a wide variety of ethnic players, it allows more people to embrace the team,” he said.
The Yankees have their share of diversity, including the Japanese star Hideki Matsui and exciting young players like the second baseman Robinson Canó and the outfielder Melky Cabrera. And there is no doubt the Yankees are more popular internationally than the Mets. GQ magazine’s Taiwan version is arranging a profile on the pitcher Chien-Ming Wang.
But world domination isn’t the way to every fan’s heart. Mike Fennema, 34, a native of the Netherlands who moved to New York in 2003, said he became a Mets fan because he was tired of seeing so many Yankees hats in Europe and Asia. “I have a predilection for choosing the underdog,” Mr. Fennema said.
The Mets have long benefited from this mind-set, said Peter Golenbock a lifelong Yankees fan and the author of best-selling books about baseball in New York. The Mets “often disappoint their fans, but the fans don’t love the team any less,” he said, adding that though Mets fans tend to be happier with their players than the notoriously critical Yankees fans, “they are certainly happier when they have a 10-game lead.”
A large part of the Mets’ recent success with fans is their record of 87-52, the best in the major leagues as of Friday, and their position in the standings — they lead the N.L. East by 16½ games. But some of it is also the result of a concerted public relations strategy on the team’s part, which has included, among other things, taking better advantage of their celebrity fans.
Sandra van Meek, the director of market development (a job created this year), has a file of clips from celebrity magazines showing notables like Deborah Messing and Rhianna in Mets caps. John Stewart, the host of the “The Daily Show” and a long-time Mets fan, is among those who recorded Mets radio ads free.
In light of the Yankees’ success with the YES Network, which broadcasts Yankees games and general hagiography, the Mets started their own cable network, SportsNet New York, this year. Last year, when most Mets games were carried on two cable channels, the games attracted an average of about 110,000 households. This year, on SNY, 215,000 households tune in. (While the Yankees continue to wallop the Mets in television ratings, drawing an average of about 318,000 households, for their games on YES, the Bronx Bombers are down slightly compared with last year, when they averaged about 324,000 households.)
For the Yankees’ part, Lonn A. Trost, the team’s chief operating officer, sought to avoid portraying the New York baseball scene as a competition. “I am focused on the Yankees,” he said. “I am not looking to measure if Derek Jeter’s T-shirt outsells Marv Throneberry’s.”
But the fact that Mr. Trost invoked the name of Mr. Throneberry, who first played for the Yankees and later became known as Marvelous Marv — the emblem of the Mets’ bumbling in the 1960’s — rather than Mr. Wright or Mr. Beltrán suggests the Mets are very much on the minds of the Yankees.
While the Yankees still get more viewers on their network and sell more tickets (at a cost of about 10 percent more than tickets at Shea) to their games, baseball watchers think a Subway Series victory by the Mets might turn the tables. In 1986, the Mets’ last World Series championship season, the team of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden drew 2,762,417 fans to Shea compared with the Yankees of Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield, who finished second in the A.L. East and drew 2,268,116.
“The Mets’ whole thing has been being the amazing team, the upset team,” said Kevin Baker, a novelist (and Yankees fan) who is writing a book on the history of New York City baseball. “If the Mets were to win a Subway Series, it might swing things back over to them. This is still pretty much a Yankees town, but the Mets are certainly making enormous headway.”
While casual fans waver with their allegiances each season, the hardliners — those Yankees fans who would sooner root for global warming than for the Mets, and the hard-core Mets fans who consider the Yankees only slightly less evil than Enron — will not budge from their positions, no matter how well-reasoned the argument for supporting the other team might be.
“I hate the Mets,” said Gary Bradley, 42, who was standing near the bobblehead dolls at a Yankees Clubhouse Shop on West 42nd Street last week.
Why?
“Because they’re the Mets.
全站熱搜
留言列表
