Based upon the game threads over the last week or so, it has been quite clear that this year's version of the ALCS has brought about a heated debate concerning who the average M's fan should root for. Of course, the real nature of this debate is not about who we want to see win, but who we want to see lose. Thus, by pulling for, say, the Yankees, what this action really means is that we're going against the Angels. I was a touch surprised to learn of the results of an October 12 poll, which revealed that 7 out of 10 M's fans were pulling for the Angels. The substance of recent game threads also seems to have reflected this ratio.

I thus find myself drawn to lay out my reasoning for rooting for the downfall of the Angels, with a Yankee triumph being the necessary evil that will bring about that end (I do realize this would have been more timely had I posted it before the series was a possible one game away from completion!):

1. The Yankees are always winning. This is one of the reasons why we despise them in the first place. This constant winning, though, has made us numb. Seeing the Yankees win is nothing unusual; we're used to it. Having to endure an Angels victory, however, is not as easily coped with. Like the immmunization process, a Yankees victory I can handle because I've been exposed to it over and over again. I have not, however, built up a sufficient resistance to Angels victories, and thus such a thing would be much more difficult to digest.

2. Based upon the advanced statistical nature of this website, I'm sure most of us here realize that the Angels play in the same division as us, while the Yankees do not. These division boundaries do not, of course, play a part in the postseason, but their lingering affects cannot be ignored. A regular season victory against the Angels is more valuable than a win against the Yankees because of the direct affect it has on the standings (which were, at least for a while, somewhat important). This divisional setup brings about an element of loathing which can be directed at the Angels, but not the Yankees. The Yankees I despise out of luxury, and the Angels out of necessity. 

3. (This point only applies to California residents/anybody who has a friend who's an Angels fan). If 2002 was any indication, if the Angels advance any further, we will never hear the end of it.  The world series triumph of 2002 wasn't simply something we were constantly reminded of during 2003; for years afterwards I was told of it. The Angels were always better than my team, I was told, because they won the world series a few years ago (the original notion was, of course, for the most part always true, but the reasoning never quite drilled the point home for me). It  took years for people to stop talking about 2002, and I most certainly don't want to invest several more of them recovering from a 2009 Halo triumph. (I realize this point could also be made for Yankees fans, but I imagine there being more M's fans in southern California than New York, and therefore less suffering for M's fans if the Yankees do the winning)

4. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

It is for these reasons that I have, for seven games at least, tossed my hat into the Yankees camp. Neither possible outcome is desirable, but one of these poisons I have found to be the lesser.

Additional thoughts or discrediting of my reasoning are welcome!