With his mint copy of the Randoms’ “Let’s Get Rid Of New York” blaring in the background , the New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman predicts that in the wake of lower-than-low ratings for the 2000 Subway Series (third-worst in TV history), Fox will have to contend with “an anti New York stance” should the Yanks and Mets win their respective league championships.
It will only get deeper as the Mets and Yankees are hyped over the next couple of weeks. In 2000, the Mets reached the World Series as a wild card. The equation is different now. The Mets stormed through the NL East. They, along with the Yankees, likely will be favored to make it to the Series.
The two networks airing division series games – Fox and ESPN – will play on this, showcasing both New York teams. In the early rounds, the Mets and Yankees will produce ratings.
With its postgame coverage, along with “Baseball Tonight” and “SportsCenter,” ESPN will be able to overexpose the Mets and Yankees. Depending on how Alex Rodriguez is doing, you will hear the latest A-Rod saga over and over and over again. You might even find out Pedro Martinez is planning a postseason reunion with Nelson de la Rosa, his tiny pal.
If the two teams continue moving toward a final showdown, the Joe Torre/Willie Randolph angle will be pushed to the max. No doubt some of these stories will start with the “Subway” commercials in which the two managers appear together. By the time Oct.21 arrives, fans in places such as Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles will not want to see another Cold Cut Combo.
They will be New Yorked out.
They also will be in no mood to see the gratuitous shots of Rudy Giuliani wearing his Yankees hat. Or Jerry Seinfeld in Mets blue and orange. The last time America got a look at these scenes, it turned off the World Series – in droves.