by Bill Keeler

I can't help my feelings of envy as the Boston Red Sox won the American League Championship with a 5-2 win over Detroit on Saturday night.

I should probably be a bit ashamed; but I find myself feeling no guilt whatsoever.

You see, I'm a New York Mets fan.

I realize the excitement of Shane Victorino's grand slam home run in the seventh inning was a great moment for Major League Baseball and the fact that it happened in front a packed Fenway crowd was really awesome.

I also realize that they'll be facing the St. Louis Cardinals in the 109th World Series starting Wednesday night and that game has some historical significance. The Red Sox beat the cardinals in four straight games in 2004 to snap the Curse of the Bambino which dated back to 1918. They beat the Yankees in the ALCS after being down 3-0.  

It just doesn't matter to me because I'm a New York Mets fan and my greatest Boston Red Sox memory came during the 1986 World Series when the Mets won it all in seven games. Oddly enough, my favorite memory wasn't the seventh game of the series on a Monday night at Shea, even though I was one of the lucky fans in attendance.

My favorite memory came earlier on Saturday night during game 6 when that fateful ground ball off the bat of Mookie Wilson went through the legs of Billy Buckner.  Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully called it 'a little roller over first base' and that's exactly what it was.

Like it or not, it serves as my favorite Red Sox moment.

I should explain, I'm not fond of the St. Louis Cardinals, either.  The Mets-Cardinals rivalry dates back to the 'Amazin's' first-ever game in 1962.  The Cards finished behind the Mets in 1969 and 1973, when the Mets went on to their World Series appearances.  The rivalry heated up in the 1980's when the Mets traded for first baseman Keith Hernandez.  The Cardinals won the series in 1985 and the Mets won it the following year against the Red Sox.

Despite the Cards moving to the Central Division, the rivalry remained heated in the 2000's.

The Mets beat the Cardinals in the NLCS in 2000 and then lost to the Yankees in the Subway Series.  The Cardinals would return the favor in 2006 when they beat the Mets in seven games and then went on to win the Series.  Furthermore, let's not forget that the Mets are referred to as 'Pond Scum' by St. Louis fans following a comment made by David Letterman on his late night program.

I'll watch the Series starting this week simply as a baseball fan like I have so many seasons. I'll be watching with envy and I won't care which team wins.  Like so many Mets fans, I'll be optimistically hoping that next year will be 'THE' year even though most signs point in the other direction.

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