What would you do...

[Centerfield]

...if the Wilpons moved the team to Las Vegas? I noticed today that the New Orleans Hornets are now the New Orleans Pelicans, dropping the "Hornets" they inherited from Charlotte. I was wondering if anyone from New Orleans still root for the Jazz, since they moved to Utah. Or if anyone from Charlotte still rooted for the Hornets, despite being in New Orleans. You get the idea.

Anyway, poll above for a slow off-season day.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I voted for Fuck them. Fuck baseball altogether until NY is awarded another NL Franchise. but I think I might also become an Orioles fan.

[MFS62]

I voted "Other".
I'd do what I did when my team moved from Brooklyn and the other NL team moved to San Francisco.
I'd pick another NL team to root for while waiting for another NL team to come to New York.

Later

[Guest themetfairy]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I voted for Fuck them. Fuck baseball altogether until NY is awarded another NL Franchise. but I think I might also become an Orioles fan.

I voted for this, although I'd probably just follow Oakland more closely.

[Frayed Knot]

I'd pick another team to root for.
I have no particular candidate(s) in mind so whoever it was probably wouldn't be immediate; the only thing I'm sure of is that it would NOT be the yanx.
But it would be a hard thing to do and while my interest in the game wouldn't die the day-to-day following of it would shirley wane.
That said there'd almost certainly be an NL team in NYC before long so that would probably be the new choice.


The whole thing with the Pelican/Hornets name change is a trend which started, IIRC, with the Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore based on the reasoning that a fresh start was preferable to just appropriating the old team's entire history. When the Irsay family bought the Baltimore Colts and almost immediately left for Indiana, for instance, they took with them not just the name and logo but acted as if Johnny Unitas and all that Colts history was now theirs.
The clean slate idea is, I believe, the right way to go so I suspect if you were to see the Mets leave for Vegas or for wherever they'd no longer be the Mets and so cutting ties wouldn't be nearly as tough as it was for Dodger fans, Giants fans, Colts fans, Milwaukee Braves fans, etc.

[Edgy MD]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I voted for Fuck them. Fuck baseball altogether until NY is awarded another NL Franchise. but I think I might also become an Orioles fan.

I clicked other, but this describes my view.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'd walk away from baseball entirely.

[Centerfield]

In theory, I'd love to say goodbye to the Mets too. But I think I'd find it very hard if I turned on the TV and saw Wright and Harvey wearing orange and blue.

Tough situation.

I'd probably root for the Red Sox.

[Edgy MD]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'd walk away from baseball entirely.

I'd squat ultimatemets.com and absorb the billions of dollars associated with that domain and related interests.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I guess it would become a legacy site. I'd become one of those people who keep the light on for extinct franchises like the St. Louis Browns and the Philadelphia Athletics.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

I suppose I'd just become a full-time Red Sox fan. I've never been able to root for a team that plays in a city with which I have no connection, and I've no desire to become a Yankees fan.

[Edgy MD]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I guess it would become a legacy site. I'd become one of those people who keep the light on for extinct franchises like the St. Louis Browns and the Philadelphia Athletics.

One more get-rich-quick scheme falls apart. My stupid big mouf!

[Ceetar]

keep rooting.

The extra couple of bucks it costs to watch via extra innings or mlb.tv would be mitigated by the fewer games I went to. The time difference would be annoying, but whatever. That'd really be the biggest difference, not going to Citi Field and games starting on pacific time.

On the plus side, It's another excuse for regular trips to Vegas.

[metirish]

Fuck them. Fuck baseball altogether until NY is awarded another NL Franchise

I voted that....

[Benjamin Grimm]

Of eleven voters so far, I'm the only one who's cutting all ties.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

I would buy the new expansion team coming to New York, build a stadium with some features of Shea Stadium and devote the entryway to Gary Carter. I wouldn't have a statue of Gary Carter, but spell out K-I-D in big letters so people could gather and pose around it.

[Edgy MD]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Of eleven voters so far, I'm the only one who's cutting all ties.

Exceptforyourstupidlegacysitethatyouwon'tevenbothertoupdateIHATEyou.

[Frayed Knot]

Centerfield wrote: In theory, I'd love to say goodbye to the Mets too. But I think I'd find it very hard if I turned on the TV and saw Wright and Harvey wearing orange and blue.

Except that they most likely wouldn't be wearing blue & orange as I think the new-city/new-identity trend will remain the rule of the future.
Also, within a dozen or so years (and likely even sooner than that) just about every single player you associate with the NY Mets would be gone, either from the Vegas Whatevers or from baseball entirely.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

This thread makes me depressed.

[Frayed Knot]

Sure, but when you consider that the last time an MLB team abandoned a U.S. city was during Nixon's first term, I tend to write this exercise off less as depressing and more as a matter of theoretical speculation.

[Edgy MD]

Hey, the Expos abandoned San Juan!

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

But nobody in this thread has suggested they'd lead a violent insurrection and force the Mets to stay in Queens, under new ownership.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think it's an interesting question, because it's made me realize that above anything else I'd be relieved to know the Wilpons were packing up and leaving. I'd retain a soft spot for David Wright probably, but otherwise? They've already destroyed everything, they just need to go all the way.

[metsmarathon]

i'm somewhat split between fuck them and all of baseball until the horrible iniquity is corrected, and follow them and longingly wish for their return.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I know that we've had this discussion previously. Maybe I can find it...

[Benjamin Grimm]

Here it is, from January 2009, almost five years ago:

Who Would You Root For?

[Guest themetfairy]

Here it is, from January 2009, almost five years ago: Who Would You Root For?

I seem to be reasonably consistent.

[metirish]

I'm happy with what I said back then

metirish Jan 16 2009 02:36 PM I could root for the Dodgers but really with the games on so late it would be hard , Having said that though there is no way I could be as passionate about another as I am about the Mets.

although the Dodgers were a different animal back then.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Me too!

I do have to wonder how I might have answered the question 25 years ago. At that point I probably either would have adopted an AL team or become a fan without a team.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Of eleven voters so far, I'm the only one who's cutting all ties.

I'm with you.