ARE THE YANKEES AND METS REALLY RIVALS?

I grew up in a divided house. My dad is from Queens, so he is a Mets fan, and my mom is from the Bronx, so she is a Yankees fan. My earliest memory of baseball is watching my dad sit in front of the television during the 1986 World Series and hearing him scream when they won. Then there was that VHS tape he watched all about the "Amazing 86 Mets" over and over again....

My first memories are about the Mets, and yet I am a Yankees fan (go figure but thank the baseball gods!). In my house it was always rivalry, but out in the real world, can you really call it a "rivalry?" I think it's a fair question. The Red Sox and Yankees are true division rivals.....but can you say the same for the Mets?

I think sports media wants us to say we are. Honestly, I don't see the Mets as a rival. I kind of see them as the goofy kid that's in the same class as you in elementary school that no one wants to talk to. They are in the room, you know they are in your class but you just don't pay attention to them at all. Aside from when the Subway Series is hyped, I don't think about the Mets at all. Sorry not sorry.

So now that Juan Soto plays for that other New York team and A.J. Minter threw shade at Yankees fans on Saturday at the Met's Amazin Day even at Citi Field I am supposed to feel different? Read more HERE. Huh.... interesting.

Okay so, first of all A.J. WHO?! Seriously, it's the first time we've mentioned him in a story and the guy was a nobody with the Atlanta Braves his first 8 seasons. Now all the sudden he is a relief pitcher that might have to pull a Houdini in games because the Mets rotation is super suspect. THAT is how we might learn who he is. He went from the Mets real rival in the Braves to New York and now he's feeling strong and says Yankee fans don't get baseball. That's cute, Minty. We'll see how that works for ya when you get shelled in Yankee stadium and we have you peeing in your baseball pants on the mound.

So, we have a guy on the Mets we haven't heard of and of course Juan Soto. Oh and now Soto plays against Aaron Judge instead of batting behind him? This is going to save the Mets I guess? Soto didn't save the Yankees when we gave up a big chunk of the farm last winter. We went big and went home in the World Series. Our roster wasn't perfect, and neither is the Mets. So why is he and his $765 million dollar contract going to be any different for the Mets? Even if it is different.....adding Soto doesn't make the Mets a rival just because he chose them for more money over us. It takes more than that.

Steve Cohen gives the Mets a new look and some deeper pockets, but the Mets are still just the other New York team. They play on the other side of town but they aren't rivals to the Yankees. They are just my dad's team no matter how much they want to play on the Yankees level. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj