Theoretically .....

By John "Metstradamus" Coppinger
Posted Friday, May 18, 2007

Is it possible to be wistful about a time that you weren’t around to see? I guess when you consider how many people participate in those Civil War reenactments, I'd surmise the answer is a resounding “Yes”.

But I’m not nostalgic for a time quite that long ago.

I’m talking about a time here in Gotham when there were three teams that graced our baseball landscape. In fact, I get a touch nostalgic about it every time the Yankees come up on the Mets’ schedule, as they do today for the first of the annual six meetings between the rivals of the outer boroughs.

The conversation between Mets fans always surfaces around this time. If you were born thirty years earlier, would you have been a Dodger fan, or a Giant fan (because being a Yankee fan isn’t an option)? I suppose for the people of Brooklyn and Manhattan, the answer would have been easier. But for me? In Queens? The answer is hard. But it’s fun to throw out there. It’s fun to engage in discussions similar to the ones that no doubt took place in barber shops and diners across the city back in the 40’s and 50’s about who was the better center fielder and such.

But that’s not what I’m here to discuss. The thought occurred to me, what if we had three teams in New York…now?

Suspend logic for a second, because you know that Messrs Wilpon and Steinbrenner would use their veto power to keep any expansion or existing franchise far away from New York City. And if not, they would make sure that they would get an extra share of this team’s profits.

As big a baseball town as this is, you would think there would be a little love for a third team. But it’s different now. The Giants and Dodgers were long established as National League teams, and the Highlanders weren’t far behind. A third team coming into New York say, in 2009 would have a little too high a hill to climb to make inroads into turning fans into die-hards where both existing New York teams have established fan bases, and a new team would have some trouble stealing fans away. Heck, with all the transplants down here, a new team would have trouble coming in third in a three team city, because they would also have to compete with the many Red Sox fans who live in New York.

But…if you’re say, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who had trouble selling out a major league regular season game in a stadium used for spring training in Orlando this past week, you could deal with being New York’s third team in a heartbeat. Heck, they already play in a city where there are probably more Yankee fans than Devil Ray fans, with the Yankees having strong ties to the city via their spring training roots. So the Devil Rays could probably deal with having a brand spanking new Gotham ballpark, take their 20,000 - 25,000 per game and be very, very happy.

Or what about the Marlins ...... who recently tried six times to get funding for a new downtown Miami ball park only to be shot down all six times? You don’t think Jeffrey Loria would love to play in a town where he’d be behind two baseball teams, but at least wouldn’t be lapped a football team who has won two less titles in 33 years than the baseball team has won in 14?

And what if say, the Dolans decided to buy either team and actually use that land that they “bought” on the West Side to keep the Jets from moving back to New York City, and build an intimate ballpark overlooking the Hudson River? Even if the new team never gained any die hards, think of the turnstile ticking through tourists alone?

So in those respects, a third team could work in New York City. Besides, it would be nice to finally have a little brother in town to kick around.

But the best argument against a third team is simply this: Sometimes, and probably most times, history is best left in history. Trying to recreate the past usually only creates a cheap imitation of the past. It’s like graduating college and then deciding over that summer to go back to campus and hang out. It’s not the same. And a third team in New York would not bring back the days of the Giants, Dodgers, and Yankees. Those days are gone…dead and buried and never to be relived again.

And that isn’t a bad thing. While some say that the subway series has gotten old and stale (and I was once one of those people), plenty of people still do care (I am currently one of those people). But some would say the subway series is overhyped, and there’s validity to that. A third team in New York would only provide more hype and more scrutiny, which could provide backlash, causing people to stop caring. Remember, too much of a good thing could spoil the fun. And I wouldn’t want the fun of a packed Shea Stadium this weekend to be diminished by too much of a good thing, or by trying to bring back an era that’s better served right where it is, and that’s in the past.

The present, which happens this weekend, is good enough for me.