Phillies vs. Yankees Causing Fans to Become “Frienemies” in World Series

After sitting through 162 games and two rounds of the playoffs, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees will square off Wednesday night to open up the first game of the 2009 World Series.

Philadelphia vs New York.

Broad Street vs Broadway.

Liberty Bell vs Statue of Liberty.

David vs Goliath.

Whatever you want to call this series, the only thing that matters is the matchup between the Phillies and Yankees has everything baseball fans could ask for.

A pitching matchup between two former Cleveland Indians teammates in Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia. Two of the best hitters in the game in Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez. Two of the best team leaders in all of baseball in Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter.

Oh yeah, did I mention this series consists of two cities with one of the most intense fan bases in all of sports?

This year’s World Series between the Phillies and Yankees should turn out to be quite the dogfight with the way both teams have played lately.

The Phillies look to become the first team in the National League to repeat as champions since the Cincinnati Reds did from 1975-76. The New York Yankees are hungry to win their first World Series since 2000.

Yes, you can expect an intense amount of “verbal exchanges” between both sets of Yankees and Phillies fans each game.

Most Yankees fans will hate Phillies fans by the end of the series.

Most Phillies fans will hate Yankees fans by the end of the series.

However, let’s not forget about the beloved sports fans from the Phillies and Yankees side that have to make the adjustment to “frienemies” for the next week or so.

In case you are unaware, “frienemies” is a term used for friends that can also be seen as enemies.

As a die-hard Philadelphia fan, there is nothing I would love to see more than my beloved Phillies repeat as World Series Champions. However, I also have to deal with the good friends and family of mine that are Yankees fans.

One of the best parts about being a sports fan is the rivalries established amongst teams and fans. Considering how close the Phillies and Yankees are too each other, there are a handful of friends and family of mine that will be on the “frienemies” list for at least the next week.

My good friend Becky could be considered the female version of myself when it comes to being a Philadelphia Eagles fan. We have sat through all of the heartache and disappointment through their playoff runs over the years.

Even next Sunday, we will be friends through sports when the Eagles host the  the Giants at the Linc. However, that friendship will be put on hold for a few hours later that night once Game Four of the World Series gets under way.

While Becky may be a beloved Eagles fan, she is also one of the biggest Yankees fans in the world. We knew there was a chance our beloved baseball teams would square off against each other in the World Series.

Now, we get to experience what it’s like to go head-to-head come tomorrow night.

Becky isn’t the only friend of mine to be placed on the “frienemies” list for the World Series. My former supervisor Abby at the University of Dayton Recreational Facility is a Yankees fan. My Uncle Rich is a Yankees fan. Even some friends from high school and college are die-hard Yankees fans.

What’s even more interesting about the matchup between the Phillies and Yankees are the frienemies who are fans of neither team.

My cousin Danielle is one of the biggest New York Mets fans in the world. Every time the Phils and Mets square off, we know the loser of the game can expect a phone call later that night.

As much as she hates my Phillies during the regular season, she has already admitted to rooting for them in the World Series because of her hate towards the Yankees. Apparently, some Mets fans would hate to see another New York team win the World Series.

If this is the case, some Mets fans may actually find themselves rooting for the Phils to pull through against their inner-city rivals.

Then again, I’m sure there are a handful of Mets fans that would rather see the Yankees win instead of their division-rival Phillies, who are trying to defend last year’s title.

I’m sure there are other fans out there, both from the Phillies and Yankees, who are in a similar situation with frienemies this year.

Whether you have frienemies this World Series or not, you can still expect an intense matchup between the Phillies and Yankees that could easily go six or seven games.

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