You are what your record says you are.

"Bill Parcells used to tell me all the time that you are what your record says you are in sports."

True enough. The Yankees had a lousy 7-11 record after 18 games (and now, they have a lousy 8-11 record after 19 games).

As Lupica cleverly points out, 7-11 is also the name of a popular convenience store. Ha ha ha! That's hilarious!

But the Mets are only 10-9 after 19 games. They don't get any extra credit for rebounding after starting the season 0-5. Why don't they get extra credit? Because you are what your record says you are.

As of this afternoon, after the decrepit Yankees managed to beat the Texas Whippersnappers, the Mets are a whole two games better than the Yankees.

The $100 mill Metropolitans just lost to the Washington Expos while playing at Shea. This Is Not Acceptable!

(On a similar note, the $130 mill world champs just lost two out of three to Tampa Bay which Is Not Acceptable!)

The Mets have a slightly better record than the Yankees, but it's not much better. Unless, of course, you live in Lupica Land:

"The Mets are a much better story and a much better team right now. We already know how they can come back, because they got rocked with that 0-5 start. Since then they have won 10 of 13."

I don't know if the Mets are a much better story than the Yankees. Perhaps they are. Perhaps all 29 other teams are better stories than the Yankees. I don't really care either way.

As Lupica and others try to push this Battle for New York down our throats, they seem to miss the fundamental attribute of being a fan: Fans are not impartial observers.

Lupica envisions millions of Metro NYC area baseball fans sitting down on a Sunday afternoon and flipping the channel looking for the most entertaining baseball game or the best storyline. It just doesn't work that way.

I'm watching the Yankees. Because I'm a Yankee fan. Duh.

"Pedro's pitching this way and Carlos Beltran and Doug Mientkiewicz are playing the way they are, and I guess that begs a question:

How's Omar Minaya looking these days?"

Umm, well, since you are what your record says you are, he looks like the GM of a 10-9 team who have the highest payroll in the NL.

Shrug.