I was riding the subway today and saw a guy with a Braves hat sitting next to a guy with a Yankees hat. I found this interesting considering the Mets are opening up a series with the Yankees tomorrow, then go to Atlanta to face the Braves. Both are teams which I despise, but which do I hate more?

Rationally, I should hate the Braves more because they are the Mets perennial rival. Their 14 straight division titles irks me and their renewed confidence makes them a very tough foe this year. Plus the Yankees are after all from New York so shouldn't I like them more? I dislike the Yankees because I have to hear Yankee fans (mostly my friends) make fun of the Mets and hang their 26 championships over my head so perhaps it's really the fans I hate. Not the rational ones, just the arrogant, irrational ones. In the Mets' defense (and yes I'm being defensive), the Yankees were around for about 60 years longer than the Mets so who knows how many they would have won in that time.

I know that I dislike both teams but as I scanned back and forth from logo to logo I couldn't figure out which I liked less. Perhaps this is extreme but I've decided to put my psychology background to use and implement the scientific method to help determine which team bothers me the most.  This is hardly valid, but I tried to be as genuine as possible, and yes I am very bored today.

Observation:

When New York Yankees or Atlanta Braves stimuli are visible alone or together, I have an averse reaction and become slightly angry and nauseous.

Hypothesis:

I will react with a stronger negative reaction to Braves stimuli than I will to Yankees stimuli. I will have no reaction to Royals stimuli.

Experiment:
Sample Size: 1
I
I presented myself with the following logos for 10 seconds each and rated on a scale of 1 (no negative feeling) to 10 (extreme hatred) how I felt when viewing them.  I presented the Yankees logo by itself, the Braves logo by itself and then simultaneously. The Kansas City Royals are my control.
                            
II
I visited the websites of the Yankees, Braves and Royals and rated how I felt while browsing on a scale of 1 to 10.

Results:

I
Yankees Logo: 8
An onslaught of Jeter walk off memories and negative energy flooded my entire being.
Braves Logo: 7
More anger than with the Yankees but was a little more indifferent.  I thought the "A" was boring.
Royals Logo: 1
Absolutely no effect
Yankees/Braves Logo Together: 9
I couldn't rate it a 10 because that would mean I would have jumped out the window of my office, but I couldn't even leave the logos on my screen for the full 10 seconds.  Similar feeling to when I smell Absolut Citron.

II
Yankees Website: 9
I felt as if I was checking out porn sites at work, neither of which I should ever be doing...I was scared of getting caught.
Braves Website: 7
Although seeing Chipper and Smoltz made me sick, I wanted to find out what was going on with them since I try to keep my enemies close.
Royals Website: 2
Who are these guys? Like the karaoke bar I was at last night, I really have no reason to be there.

Discussion:
I was fully expecting to find that I hate the Braves more than the Yankees but the gut reaction results don't lie. I really should dislike the Braves more than the Yankees but I guess my feelings toward our cross-town rivals are more negative than I thought. Either way it looks like the upcoming week is going to be a stressful one.

In retrospect it kind of makes sense. I feel a guilty pleasure when the Yanks lose to the Red Sox, especially during their 2004 collapse. Although I still hate the Braves and want to see them fail, I think seeing the Yankees win sometimes bothers me more.

Damion Easley jacked his 6th homer in 63 at bats yesterday, adding to his torrid pace. He has done a very nice job filling in for the injured Jose Valentin, but is it enough to stay in the lineup when Valentin is healthy again? It is somewhat narrow minded to compare the two based solely on this year's performance, but Easley (63) and Valentin (68) have roughly the same amout of at bats so for argument's sake, let's see how they stack up.

Valentin was batting .279 with 2 HRs, 13 RBI and 12 strikeouts. Easley is batting .286, with 6 HRs, 13 RBI and 11 strikeouts. Easley is also beating out Valentin in slugging percentage, .603 - .471. It's also important to note that several of Easley's hits/HRs have come when he was pinch hitting which is even more of a challenge. Advantage: Easley

In the field however, Valentin has played 30 more innings and has had 20 more chances than Easley but has commited only one error to Easley's 2.  Easley could have been charged with a few more as well such as the botched play with him and Green the other day. Advantage: Valentin

I know some feel that Easley may take over full-time for Valentin similarly to how Valentin took over for an inured Kaz Matsui and never looked back. However, I don't see this happening unless a 37 yr old Valentin can't return to form which is entirely possible. Plus, Kaz's fate as a Met was doomed from early on. Also, if Easley's performance tapers off the young Ruben Gotay is anxiously waiting in the wings. Regardless, Easley is doing a fantastic job, as is the entire Mets bench this year.