Yes, they do exist. It's not a mythical creature like the unicorn.
There are people around who are Yankees and Phillies fans, like myself, although they are very rare. In fact right now I only know of one other than me, and I don't even know him.
It's a relatively new phase for me. Honestly I would have never thought I would be in this situation a couple of years ago when New York and the Yankees was all I knew. Maybe it's because I live in Philadelphia now and I see a lot more of the Phillies now that I became a Phillies fan too.
Pretty much everyone I know here in State College has been asking me what would happen if they met in the World Series and I kept saying I'd decide if it got to that point. I'd made up my mind I'd root for whoever got the farthest, but I dismissed the notion of the two meeting in the Series.
Then it happened. And for the first time, I was a little conflicted. My loyalties since I was a child made me lean toward the Yankees, but a part of me deep inside was wondering if the Phillies could do it, partially because this team has such a gutsy nature about it. Like the Boston teams earlier this decade...only likeable.
I've taken a lot of heat for being a Yanks and Phils fan. The only other person I've heard of in my situation is that poor sap Doyle, the other Yankees and Phillies fan, who's been ridiculed and ex-communicated in print by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist John Gonzalez.
But the biggest difference between me and him? According to Gonzalez, he told a friend "it didn't matter" who wins because he gets a victory parade either way. That's my threshold for dual fandom.
So tonight I'll watch, rooting for the Bronx Bombers to win their 27th Championship. And next April, I'll be back, rooting for both my teams to succeed.
Hate me if you want. But at least I've chosen a side.
- Tom Copain
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