what they believe is its rightful spot atopthe Major League Baseball pecking order.

“Tension has been building on this cam-pus for the past few weeks,” said School ofEnvironmental and Biological Sciencesjunior Tom Reed, a lifelong Phillies fanfrom Cape May County. “It’s going to cli-max in the next 10 days, and it would behard to bear if the Yankees won.”

Students all throughout theUniversity’s campuses can be seen wear-ing clothing representing their respectiveteams, School of Arts and Sciences seniorStacie Kaminski said.

“Students are really representing theirteams, particularly with the way they dress.I’ve seen a ton of Phillies and Yankees geartoday,” said Kaminski, sporting a SabathiaT-shirt. “Both sides are very conceitedabout the subject, so I’m sure whoever doeswin will be very pronounced about it.”

Cook College junior Kevin Karcich, aYankee fan from West Morris who isattending tonight’s game at YankeeStadium, is concerned about the potentialfallout of a Philadelphia repeat.

“Being that I live on campus with a largeamount of Phillies fans, I’m terrified of theYankees losing,” Karcich said. “It would bea long year here having to deal with themconstantly bragging about the win.”

Beneath the bickering and bravadoof thousands of Phillies and Yankeesfans, there is no shortage of subplots inthis series.

There are big-time pitching matchups,including a duel between Cy YoungAward winners in the series’ opener andthe return of Pedro Martinez.

Enjoy the long ball? The Yankees and Phillies belted more

home runs than any other teams in the game. Looking for star athletes? Combined, the Yankees and Phillies’

regular position players — 16 in all — havebeen elected to an astounding 44 All-Stargames while gathering 10 Gold Gloveawards and five Most Valuable Playerawards. The field is full of potential futureHall of Famers, most playing in their primewith a world championship at stake.

“The series has a particularly specialmeaning with such a mixture of fans here

at [the University],” Avon said. “It shouldbe exciting since it’s the defendingchamps against a team that expects towin every year.”

The winner of this WorldSeries immediately becomesMajor League Baseball’spremier team and thefavorite to win again in 2010.

T h eU n i v e r s i t ywill be watch-ing. Theworld will be watching.

Game on.

L ocated in between New York Cityand Philadelphia, the University’sbaseball fans are divided over which

team to root for in this year’s World Series. All of the University’s campuses are likely

to have plenty of people wearing dark blue,but it’s just as likely for many to be adornedin red — and not of the scarlet variety.

The 2009 World Series commencestonight, when the reigning championPhiladelphia Phillies square off against theNew York Yankees in a baseball bout thatlast took place in 1950.

On the Banks, the battle lines aredrawn, and the trash talking will be in fullswing by the time Yankees ace CCSabathia uncorks his first pitch at 8:07p.m., commencing game one of the best-of-seven series in the Bronx.

Located 68 miles northwest of CitizensBank Park in Philadelphia and 46 milessoutheast of Yankee Stadium, the Universityis nearly equidistant between the two cities,rendering it a melting pot of frenzied fansfrom both ends of the spectrum.

Point Pleasant resident Steve Avon hasalready noticed a change in the social cli-mate at the University.

“There is definitely a little animositybetween fans,” said Avon, a RutgersCollege senior. “North Jersey students arerooting for the Yankees, while those fromSouth Jersey are with the Phillies. Even myhouse is split since we have a mix of both.”

Phillies fans, especially those who cannotremember the team’s 1993 World Series run,grew up watching a team known for its futility.

Prior to 2007, Philadelphia endured a13-year playoff drought, but the franchisewith the most losses in sports historyreversed its fortunes in 2008 by defeatingthe Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series.

It was the Phillies’ second champi-onship in 126 years of existence.

Many of theyoung Yankees sup-porters have had thepleasure of watching theirheroes hoist theCommissioner’s Trophy fourtimes in five years, just a decade ago.

Now New York attempts its 27thchampionship to reclaim

IN FOCUSP A G E 7O C T O B E R 2 8 , 2 0 0 9

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M

The New York Yankees celebrate after winning the World Series in 1999 against theAtlanta Braves. They took home the title again in 2000 against the New York Mets.

GETTY IMAGES

Pitcher Brad Lidge of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates the final out oftheir World Series win last year against the Tampa Bay Rays.

GETTY IMAGES

GETTY IMAGES

GETTY IMAGES

BY TYLER DONOHUE — CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Go online to dailytargum.comto cast your voteson who you wantto win the 2009World Series