• by Cathy Herman , May 24, 2002

The New York area battle pitting Cablevision against the YES Network and the mighty Yankees has stirred emotions among Yankees fans and Mets fans alike. Our editors each take a swing at this media controversy. As a lifelong Mets fan, I have watched with amusement the baseball battle that’s been brewing here in New York for most of the spring. Not Mets vs. Yankees — Cablevision vs. YES Network.

For those who haven’t been following this headline-grabbing skirmish, Cablevision has blocked carriage of the YES Network, the new Yankees organization cable channel on which most of the team’s games run. Cablevision, perhaps a bastion of Mets fans, has rationalized that it would have to raise rates to do so, and would only carry the service on a premium tier. YES said no.

I’m — mostly — siding with the Yankees fans on this one. There’s a point at which even a Mets fan has to admit that there’s something just plain wrong about denying fans coverage of their local team. (Hell, since I work from home, I even took delivery of my neighbors’ satellite dish, since DirecTV is the only reasonable option these starved baseball fans have.)

But then there’s that other part of me — and yes, it’s a fairly large part — that is also thrilled. I now can watch my Mets with impunity while Yankees fans have to run around writing letters to Cablevision and installing satellite dishes. Looks like we Mets fans have finally won…something.

Besides, maybe all those Yankees fans can find something new to do with their lives. Since the Yankees win all their games, they’re the most boring team in baseball.

Cablevision vs. YES is a far more interesting contest.

By Catharine P. Taylor, Contributing Editor

Hi, My name is Adam and I confess, I’m a Yankees radio junkie.

I never realized how dependent I had become on listening to Yankees games on the radio, because I never really listened before — they were always on TV. Then the unimaginable, the unthinkable happened. The games were suddenly gone. Oh, they are still playing them; they just aren’t being aired on my cable system, due to the ongoing dispute between Cablevision and YES.

While I wait for the ego-fest between billionaires to play itself out, I found myself turning to the radio to get the games. But radio’s ability to paint these great images in my mind became positively addicting. I now had to hear every pitch to satisfy my urges.

Interestingly, in my house, watching baseball games on TV with my son is considered "family entertainment," but listening to them on the radio is deemed self-indulgent.

Now I look for excuses to get in the car so I can listen to the radio. The other day I poured a half-gallon of milk down the drain just to claim, "Look honey, we’re out of milk already. I’ll just run down to the store and pick some up." By listening to the game in the car, my little excursion lasted 45 minutes. I dashed home and nervously came through the door. When my wife asked, "Well, what took you so long?" I muttered, "Traffic." She responded without hesitation, "Yeah, right. So what’s the score?" I sheepishly replied, "Yanks are winning 5-2 in the seventh."

Yes, I’m obsessed, so please put the games back on TV.

By Adam Herman, Managing Editor