Subway Series

NEW YORK -- A Subway World Series? If it's going to happen this year, the New York City Transit Authority had better start digging a new subway line to Atlanta.The Yankees are on their way to holding up their end of the deal after coming from behind to beat the Red Sox in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series last night, but the Mets are in big trouble after losing the first two games of the NL Championship Series to the Braves.Things can change in a hurry, of course, as the Red Sox proved with their remarkable Division Series comeback against the Indians.

PHILADELPHIA - The Subway Series is a distant memory. The New York Mets, who came within one playoff tier of the world championship nine months ago, now are looking at the world through a prism of underachievement that could force the organization to make some hard choices in the next few days. What would you do? The Mets parlayed a wild-card playoff bid into their first World Series appearance in 14 years, only to remain subordinate to the rival New York Yankees in baseball's biggest, most competitive market.

It's 10 on a Saturday night in the Bronx, and Adam Cruz just rolled out of bed. All he's trying to do is get a little rest, for goodness' sake. It's been a long day at the terminal for the 35-year-old computer trainee, and these fans, these Yankee and Met fanatics, this thundering madness won't let him sleep. "I try to lie down," he says, "and all I can hear is sirens going, the marching bands beating their drums, all the cheering and hollering. I see the lights from the ballpark out my window.

NEW YORK - As the 2000 World Series began, New Yorkers would have had you believe you were about to see the greatest baseball championship ever played, a view that said more about New York's self-regard than its knowledge of the game. In the first Subway Series since 1956, which ended Thursday, the Yankees routed the Mets in five games, seizing a third straight title as inexorably as a No. 4 train chugging into the station. No, the baseball itself was the dullest part of Subway Series week.

IGNORE Hillary Clinton and Rick Lazio. The contest that matters to New Yorkers is between the National League and the American, the Bronx and Queens, the accustomed winners and the upstart challengers, the Yankees and the Mets. There was a time when New York was the cultural, commercial and communications capital of the country. A Subway World Series was as predictable an October event as Halloween. But that's history. The nation is now decentralized in art, broadcasting, publishing, financial services and sport.

Despite long odds, both of New York City's major-league teams have made it to the World Series this year, and most of the attention has focused on Mike Piazza, Roger Clemens and the other stars of the diamond. But the first Subway Series since 1956 has called another team into action. New York's police department has been conspicuously, almost militarily, present at the games. Despite the raucous mood of teeming mobs, the cops have kept the peace. NYPD's "arrest processing center" at Yankee Stadium is three full-sized buses, two mobile homes and four vans, all parked within a ring of sawhorses across from the ballpark.

NEW YORK - A smile spread across Derek Jeter's face last night as a jagged portion of Kurt Abbott's bat lay at his feet. He could appreciate every part of the Subway Series, comical or otherwise, and allow himself to have fun. There were no token gestures. Jeter's home run in the sixth inning tied Game 5 and tightened the collars of the New York Mets, who needed a win to extend their season. He had delivered another hit in October. No need to stop the presses. His touch in the postseason remains 14-karat, and he has the hardware to prove it. Jeter was named Most Valuable Player in the 2000 World Series shortly after Luis Sojo bounced a two-out single into center field in the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 4-2 victory over the Mets at Shea Stadium.

NEW YORK - The New York Mets came across town with their top two starting pitchers loaded for bear and high hopes of parlaying their wild-card playoff entry into a world title. Now, they face the possibility that the long-awaited Subway Series might be a short ride. Future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens showed them the Bronx last night, delivering another masterful post-season performance as the New York Yankees held on for a 6-5 victory before a sell-out crowd of 56,059 at Yankee Stadium.

NEW YORK - The New York Mets came across town with their top two starting pitchers loaded for bear and high hopes of parlaying their wild-card playoff entry into a world title. Now, they face the possibility that the long-awaited Subway Series might be a short ride. Future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens showed them the Bronx last night, delivering another masterful postseason performance as the New York Yankees scored a 6-5 victory before a sellout crowd of 56,059 at Yankee Stadium. He played the bully again, just as he had in a near no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners during the American League Championship Series, this time sparking controversy by picking up a broken bat and flinging it toward Mets catcher Mike Piazza.

NEW YORK - As the 2000 World Series began, New Yorkers would have had you believe you were about to see the greatest baseball championship ever played, a view that said more about New York's self-regard than its knowledge of the game. In the first Subway Series since 1956, which ended Thursday, the Yankees routed the Mets in five games, seizing a third straight title as inexorably as a No. 4 train chugging into the station. No, the baseball itself was the dullest part of Subway Series week.

NEW YORK - A smile spread across Derek Jeter's face last night as a jagged portion of Kurt Abbott's bat lay at his feet. He could appreciate every part of the Subway Series, comical or otherwise, and allow himself to have fun. There were no token gestures. Jeter's home run in the sixth inning tied Game 5 and tightened the collars of the New York Mets, who needed a win to extend their season. He had delivered another hit in October. No need to stop the presses. His touch in the postseason remains 14-karat, and he has the hardware to prove it. Jeter was named Most Valuable Player in the 2000 World Series shortly after Luis Sojo bounced a two-out single into center field in the ninth inning to give the Yankees a 4-2 victory over the Mets at Shea Stadium.

NEW YORK - If the heavily hyped Subway Series proved anything, it is that the New York Yankees are the third rail of postseason baseball. It's a bad idea to come in contact with them in October. They won their third consecutive world championship last night with a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets in Game 5 at sold-out Shea Stadium, enhancing their status as the most successful team of their generation and one of the greatest teams in the glorious history of the Yankees' franchise. Who's going to argue after they won their fourth championship in five years and continued to be one of the most dominant teams in World Series history?

NEW YORK - The much-anticipated Subway World Series may be nearing its final stop. The New York Yankees allowed the wild-card Mets to salvage a little pride in Game 3, but they continued their drive toward a third consecutive world title with a 3-2 victory last night in Game 4 at Shea Stadium. Shortstop Derek Jeter propelled the offense with two extra-base hits and former Arundel High star Denny Neagle teamed up with four relievers to carry the Yankees to a 3-1 lead in best-of-seven Fall Classic.

Despite long odds, both of New York City's major-league teams have made it to the World Series this year, and most of the attention has focused on Mike Piazza, Roger Clemens and the other stars of the diamond. But the first Subway Series since 1956 has called another team into action. New York's police department has been conspicuously, almost militarily, present at the games. Despite the raucous mood of teeming mobs, the cops have kept the peace. NYPD's "arrest processing center" at Yankee Stadium is three full-sized buses, two mobile homes and four vans, all parked within a ring of sawhorses across from the ballpark.

NEW YORK - It took three years, but somebody finally put a dent in El Duque. The New York Mets became the first team to defeat New York Yankees postseason wonder Orlando Hernandez in October, scoring a tense 4-2 victory in Game 3 of the 97th World Series last night at Shea Stadium. Mets outfielder Benny Agbayani doubled home Todd Zeile with the tie-breaking run in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Mets bullpen held things together long enough to snap two record winning streaks - Hernandez's string of nine postseason wins and the Yankees' amazing string of 14 consecutive victories in the Fall Classic.

NEW YORK - It took three years, but somebody finally put a dent in El Duque. The New York Mets became the first team to defeat New York Yankees postseason wonder Orlando Hernandez in October, scoring a tense 4-2 victory in Game 3 of the 97th World Series last night at Shea Stadium. Mets outfielder Benny Agbayani doubled home Todd Zeile with the tie-breaking run in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Mets bullpen held things together long enough to snap two record winning streaks - Hernandez's string of nine postseason wins and the Yankees' amazing string of 14 consecutive victories in the Fall Classic.