Critics continue to debate whether a Subway Series will
have appeal outside the N.Y. market. NEWSDAY's Steve
Zipay: "New Yorkers are deliriously embracing the Series.
But something special may have to happen in the first two
games to grab the rest of the country. On the other hand,
who cares?" (NEWSDAY, 10/18). WQXI-AM Atlanta sports radio
host Steak Shapiro: "It's not like the whole world revolves
around the Big Apple as much as everybody there wants to
sign off on that" ("CBS Evening News," 10/18). FSN's Jim
Rome: "Contrary to what many think, this is going to play
outside of New York" ("Last Word," FSN, 10/18). On last
night's "SportsCenter," a panel of sports journalists,
including WFAN-AM's Steve Somers, St. Louis radio sports
anchor Mike Bush and the S.F. Examiner's Ray Ratto,
discussed a Subway Series. Bush: "If there is some interest
[in St. Louis], it's the same kind of interest there would
be if you're driving down the highway and you see an
accident on the side of the road. You kind of slow down to
check it out and then you move on." Ratto: "It won't be
first on anybody's mind [in CA]." Bush: "If it's a good
World Series, people will pay attention to it. If it isn't,
people won't" (ESPN, 10/18). TheMan.com's Randall Lane said
Fox execs "are legitimately concerned. ... Outside New York
it's not going to play." But Lane said Fox has "a dramatic
plot, and most of all, they have a competitive series and
that's what a lot of people are overlooking" ("Biz Buzz,"
CNNfn, 10/18). The Chicago Tribune's Bob Greene: "The worst
emotion you can show towards something is not hatred, it's
indifference." Comedian Jon Stewart, on New Yorkers: "I
don't blame [the rest of the country] for disliking us. I
live here, I don't like us" ("Nightline," ABC, 10/18). On
the WinStar Radio Network this morning, Keith Olbermann
said, "I know that we long ago stopped worrying about the
quality of the sporting event and judged its success only by
the number of eyeballs, but why do we have to do it this
way?" (WinStar Radio Network, 10/19).
HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES? In Chicago, Richard Roeper
writes, "If you still think a Subway Series would be the end
of the world as we know it, look at it this way: No matter
what happens, a team from New York has to lose" (CHICAGO
SUN-TIMES, 10/18)....Under the header, "Sour grapes," a
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS editorial reads, "From 90 miles
away, an admittedly jaundiced view of the Subway World
Series: We hope they both lose" (10/19). Last night's ESPN
Poll asked, "How do you feel about a Subway Series?" Of
143,502 total votes, 43.5% said it is good for baseball;
28.5% will not watch; 15.4% said it depends on quality of
games; and 12.4% said it's bad for baseball (ESPN, 10/18).
