The 2015 World Series is between two teams who are in many ways completely opposite of each other. The Mets got here on the power of starting pitching and a few players (most notably Daniel Murphy) going out of their mind at the plate. The Royals got here through a world-class relief staff and a line-up that seems to be full of players who specialize on getting a hit the moment they most need it.
Many people will look into the series in-depth, going through ever player, every facet, and every possibility to try and determine who will go home with the Commissioner’s Trophy. I am not one of those people. I’m going to look at the World Series in basically every way possible that is not actually useful.
Buckle up.
The Uniform/Logo Factor: Some people decide on what team they think will win or lose based upon how cool their uniforms are. And this year, it’s a good match-up, as neither team can truly be said to have outright ugly uniforms. However, I have to give an edge to the Mets, as I’ve always liked how they’ve combined the various other aspects of New York’s baseball heritage (Giants orange, Dodger blue, Yankees pinstripes) while still being something new (like the the 1950s skyline logo). The Royals getup isn’t bad, per se, but it’s somewhat generic, at least when they aren’t wearing the powder-blues. Advantage: Mets.
The Mascot Factor: We’ve got Mr. Met vs. Sluggerrr. Personally, this isn’t much of a contest at all. Mr. Met is one of the quintessential baseball mascots, and is hilarious to add to lists for no real reason. By contrast, Sluggerrr was once sued for a hot dog-related injury and is clearly trying to steal Mr. Met’s lady. Not cool, Sluggerrr, not cool. Advantage: Mets.
The Stadium Factor: I have been to neither stadium, so cannot judge them. However, I can tell you that I’ve always liked Kauffman Stadium, how it was a island of baseball-specific design in a island of multi-purpose blah. From what I understand CitiField, while good, isn’t that much different from most of the other neo-retro stadiums. So…. Advantage: Royals.
Home Run Gimmick: The Fountains vs. the Home Run Apple? How can I choose between such iconic features! I guess I’ll go with the Home Run Apple, since it presumably doesn’t waste water for the sole purpose of celebrating dingers (not like that’s a bad thing!), and because you can’t put a band-aid on a fountain. Advantage: Mets.
The Karma Factor: The Mets completely and decisively destroyed the Cubs in such a way that nobody can deny they were the better team, and beat the Dodgers, a team that nobody is going to feel sympathy for. The Royals, meanwhile, have seemingly squandered all goodwill by destroying the dreams of the long-suffering fans of Houston and Toronto, and got some fairly iffy calls in Game 6 of the ALCS to boot. So, if Karma is indeed a bitch, it’s going to be biting the Royals. Advantage: Mets.
The Celebrity Fan Factor: The Royals have an impressive group for a small-market team, including Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet, Ant-Man Paul Rudd, SNL Alum Jason Sudeikis, Daily Show alum Rob Riggle, Oscar Nominee Don Cheadle, David Koechner, and Agent Carter star Hayley Atwell. However, the Mets have, well, seemingly every New York-based or New York-born comedian who isn’t Billy Crystal (an infamous Yankee fan), Stephen Colbert (who declared his love of the Cubs at the beginning of the postseason), or Jimmy Fallon (a seeming fan-for-hire who played a Red Sox fan in the movies but has been spotted many times at Yankee games): Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Chris Rock, Kevin James, Bill Maher (who owns a small minority stake in the team!), Jim Breuer, Ray Romano, Comedian/Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria and probably some that I’m missing are all Mets fans. In addition, the Mets also have Billy Joel (who played the last concert at Shea, no less!), Glenn Close, Marc Anthony, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, Matthew Broderick (really, Ferris?), and Spider-Man in their corner. Sorry, KC, but it’s advantage: Mets.
The Team Theme Song Factor: Once again, this will go to the Mets, by virtue that they actually have a baseball-specific song (“Meet The Mets”), while Kansas City just uses “Kansas City, Hey-Hey-Hey” by the Beatles. I mean, no problem with that song, but it isn’t about the team. Advantage: Mets.
The Ex-Cub Factor: It is said that the team with fewer former Cubs has an advantage in the World Series. Far as I can tell, no players on the active roster for the Royals are former Cubs, but there also aren’t any ex-Cubs on the active roster for the Mets either. So this one is a push.
Coin Flip: Heads the Royals win, tails the Mets win. (Throws coin into air) It’s heads. Advantage: Royals.
So, there you have it, according to factors that have nothing to do with what was going on on the field, the Mets will win the World Series, as they defeated the Royals in this tally 6-2-1.
Come back next week for… LINKS!
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