Baseball season is in full swing, and that means another war of words between the Yankees and Red Sox fans here at Quinnipiac. The Red Sox fans will be touting their 2004 World Champions gear, while the Yankees fans will bring up their 26 World Titles every moment they can. While all this is going on, another group of fans is waiting for their turn, the Mets fans.

Yes, there is National League baseball in the Northeast in case you forgot. Although the New York Mets have not had the success of their American League counterparts as of late, including losing their first five games of the 2005 season, with the off-season additions of Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez, this season looks to be a bit brighter for the team and their fans.

As far as baseball in the Northeast goes, the Mets are like the middle child, stuck between their older brother, the Yanks and the younger, the Sox. They do not have as much swagger and riches of their older brother and not enough of the charm and charisma of their younger brother.

While the Yankees and Red Sox garner all the attention, the Mets are waiting for their opportunity to steal the show.

So, how many Mets fans are around campus? Steve Jesselli, a junior Mass Communications major and diehard Mets fan, believes there is a steady contingent.

“I recently heard a poll saying that about 9% of the fans on campus are Mets fans. Also, on The Facebook, there’s a club called Mets Fans Anonymous,” Jesselli said. “A lot of us just get caught up in the rivalry between the Yanks and Sox.”

But how do you spot a Mets fan at QU, especially amongst all the Yanks and Sox fans? They are not as rowdy and boisterous as Sox and Yanks fans and are probably descendants of old New York Giants or Brooklyn Dodgers fans and hate the Yankees as much as Red Sox fans, maybe more.

Myles Maranca, a junior Economics major, has his own views on the Yankees and Red Sox.

“As a Mets fan, I hate the Yankees. They represent the ultimate greed in sports. Yeah, the Sox and Mets aren’t much better, but they spend more like a reaction to the Yanks, just to keep up,” Maranca said. “It seems that no matter what the Mets and Sox do, the Yankees will always overshadow them.”

Many Mets fans took sides with the Red Sox fans during the past two ALCS’s, due to their intense loathing of the Yankees. Many Yankee fans thought this was front running, but some also think that any baseball event that occurs outside the Bronx is not important. Some Mets fans will openly root for the Sox, usually because their success angers the Yankees. As they say, the enemies of your enemies are your friends.

Sure, the Mets have had their follies over the past few years. mistakes have been made personnel wise. This year’s bullpen makes every game up for grabs, but the future looks bright in Flushing.

Beltran is one of the game’s best. David Wright is a young up-and-comer at third base and Martinez is in Cy Young form. They have the offense and starting pitching to make a push for the N East crown.

With the new look, the Mets figure to make some noise in 2005 and beyond and so do their loyal fans.