Hey, Rudy! You're a traitor!
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by Cityhockeyfever
Cup Crazy's NHL blog and ArmchairGM writer
When I heard this story, I was dumbfounded to learn that United States Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani decided to declare something I thought I would never hear out of his mouth. Many from that other town probably are laughing at my reaction as well as others here in and around New York City thinking it's no big deal. Yeah, sure. When your team is in the World Series and had crushed the Colorado Rockies in Game 1, you're in a much more light-hearted mood to think and say "eh, no big deal".
During a campaign stop in Boston this week prior to the start of the 2007 World Series, the Republican candidate had publicly etched on the record in front of reporters and potential voters that he was rooting for the Red Sox to defeat the Rockies.
"I'm an American League fan, and I go with the American League team, maybe with the exception of the Mets. Maybe that would be the one time I wouldn't because I'm loyal to New York," Giuliani said. He even admitted his loyalty to the American League on Monday in an interview on WBZ-TV in Boston.
What a load of crap (except the Mets part, which I accept). Given Rudy's supposedly a lifelong Yankees fan, you can only imagine the outrage coming from the Big Apple. In my own mind, no matter if you're a Yankees fan or a Mets fan, you'd be considered a traitor beyond reason if you root for the Red Sox in ANY scenario. Ever. It's almost like siding with Iran, right now America's biggest enemy country on the planet.
"In Colorado, in the next week or two, you will see, I will have the courage to tell the people of Colorado the same thing, that I am rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series," he said.
Sure, Rudy. Whatever you say, pal.
Bostonians have their issues with New Yorkers that go beyond sports. That's why I have no love for them and that's putting it mildly. I have a second cousin that unfortunately lives there and has been a Red Sox fan for many years. That's why I don't consider her a bandwagon fan like I have seen in countless instances in the last 4 to 5 years. God bless her, she's been a true fan.
But seriously, Mr. Giuliani is obviously pandering to New Englanders for their votes in 2008 as the New York Post pointed out yesterday. I don't care if he's looking for the coveted support from an important New Hampshire voter base. Sorry, you don't alienate your hometown, that's regardless if it's a 5 to 1 ratio of liberals over conservatives in the Big Apple.
New York Daily News reporter David Saltonstall echoed this nicely yesterday: While his words may have drawn appreciative nods from cocky Red Sox fans up north, the hometown crowd in New York was quick to call him out.
At the same time, New York Times reporter Alan Feuer thinks when Rudy decided to appease Boston, it couldn't come at worse time as he wrote in today's edition: It would seem that the timing is particularly galling to the faithful in New York. Bad enough that Joe Torre, the manager, is gone. Bad enough that half the team might follow. But Rudy cheering for (Dustin) Pedroia and (David) Ortiz? It was, in short, too much.
The New York City television newscasts even picked up this story and why should we be surprised? We're talking about the former mayor who did in fact make the city a safer one in his 12 years in office and wore his Yankees hat and jacket proudly. He even also showed some support for the Mets at times, especially during the emotional first Major League Baseball game after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. WCBS-TV's Maurice DuBois used the lead-in during yesterday morning's 5:00 AM newscast "a pact with the enemy ".
This is a politician that recently ripped leading Democratic Presidential candidiate Hillary Clinton's split allegiance between the Chicago Cubs and the Yankees. Go figure. She dodged questions yesterday on her campaign trail to weigh in on Rudy's decision to root for hated Boston in the World Series as mentioned in a WNYW-TV report yesterday. All politicial strategy, surprise surprise. Oh yeah, Hillary as a Chicago native made the claim she was a lifelong Yankees fan when she successfully ran for her U.S. Senate seat representing New York State. Like I'm sure may others also feel, I just simply don't buy it.
It was amusing to see the reaction of New Yorkers that WPIX-TV's Andrew Ramos interviewed on the Manhattan streets. Gee, they actually found four people that are Red Sox fans in this town.
What was the reaction in Boston, you ask? They caught onto the headlines in our local dailies. Jessica Fargen of the Boston Herald even got a comment from one Giuliani's opponents for the Republican nomination, that being former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
"I guess if Colorado wants Mayor Giuliani to root for the Rockies, they’re going to have to move their primary up," Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said in a written statement published in yesterday's Boston Herald.
And another thing I thought I'd point out. Saltonstall exposed the hypocrisy on Giuliani's part. In today's edition of the New York Daily News, he swore back in July that he'd never make a deal with the devil. We all know now that he did. In a New York One (NY1) report that aired yesterday, he told us to give him a break. Sorry, Rudy. Next time you set foot on the field at Yankee Stadium, don't expect you won't hear yourself booed.
Johnny Damon didn't exactly hear cheers at Fenway Park when he made his Yankees debut in 2006. Players getting traded or signing with new teams as free agents is common and we know that. But Damon didn't spend 12 years in New York City's highest office nor represent this town as Giuliani did. But hey, if George Castanza can get traded for Tyson chicken, maybe Rudy just bought himself a ticket out from favorable public opinion as a sports fan. At the same time, what Rudy did might not be quite as brutal as a Yankees fan of 50 years did after seeing Joe Torre walking away last week from a one-year contract offer to return as their manager. WCVB-TV in Boston reported yesterday that a Vermont man who grew up in New Jersey is selling his Yankees loyalty on eBay to the highest bidder to become a fan of a new team. I won't be shocked if it ends up with the enemy.
To sum it up, this may be just baseball, but it is hard to fathom the realization that Rudolph Giuliani who has been a Yankees fan since he was two years old to ever as a former New York City mayor publicly proclaim he's rooting for the Red Sox in any World Series. Will this effect my decision in who I vote for in the Presidential election next year after review candidates from all politicial parties? No, but it'll stick in my mind for a long time. I don't have a short memory.
But for now, I will say... HEY, RUDY! YOU SUCK!
