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Thursday, October 19, 2000

Sub-lime
one more time

The Yankees-Mets series in
The Big Apple is one of the
toughest tickets yet

---

By Larry McShane
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Like a displaced Diogenes, Claudio Beltran circled Yankee Stadium clutching a candle in his left hand. He, too, sought one honest man -- one willing to sell him a World Series ticket at face value.

"The candle is for good luck," said Beltran, 45, a Bronx native sporting a sign around his neck that read "Go go go to the Subway Series."

"I have no tickets," Beltran said early yesterday after the Yankees won the American League pennant. "It's going to cost a lot of money. But I'm looking."

Beltran, like hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, is a long shot to gain access to the first Subway Series since 1956. The only officially remaining seats were 5,000 per game for the three games at Shea Stadium; those tickets go on sale Saturday.

FALL CLASSIC When: Saturday, Game 1, Mets at Yankees, 2 p.m. HST. Radio: KCCN 1420-AM (joined in progress). TV: Live, KHON-TV (FOX), Channel 2. SUBWAY SPECIAL Tomorrow: The Star-Bulletin's World Series preview.

On Internet sites, box seats officially priced at $160 were already going for more than $1,000 apiece, with prices expected to escalate before Saturday night's first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

Scalpers were as desperate as die-hard fans for tickets.

The streets around the Bronx ballpark were littered in the early morning hours today with post cards promising "Top Dollar Paid" for World Series tickets.

"Strictly confidential," promised the come-on, which carried a toll-free number.

The series was already the main topic yesterday on sports radio WFAN-AM, where the Giants, Jets, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders and Devils became instant afterthoughts.

The calls from listeners seemed about split, with many predicting a seven-game series. Met fans felt their team would win the decisive Game 7; predictably, Yankee fans felt the same way.

Given the long, exciting history of the Subway Series, this historic showdown -- the first postseason games between the Yankees and the Mets -- should be dramatic. Unforgettable scenes from Subway Series past include:

In 1956, Yankees right-hander Don Larsen pitched a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In 1955, Brooklyn left fielder Sandy Amoros robbed Yogi Berra in Game 7 as the Dodgers won their first World Series.

In 1951, Willie Mays saying hello as Joe DiMaggio was saying farewell.

In 1947, the Dodgers' Cookie Lavagetto broke up a no-hit bid by the Yankees' Bill Bevens in a Brooklyn victory.

Yankees fan Richard Pietrafesa, 67, recalls when the Subway Series was nearly an annual New York event. Between 1950 and 1956, the World Series stayed in the city five times.

"The Yankees and the Giants, the Yankees and the Dodgers -- I remember those days," Pietrafesa said. "The city was different then. People were more sports-crazy."

It's hard to imagine that, given the massive outpouring of emotion from baseball-demented fans of both teams.

Fans on either side were quick to declare their team the best in baseball.

"Finally, we're gonna see what it comes down to, who's the better team," said Will Cruz, 24, sporting a Yankees jacket on the Mets express, the No. 7 train. "This is the real deal."

Mets fan Cosmo Baltazar, 20, of Brooklyn, offered the opposing view.

"The Mets are gonna take it," he predicted. "I feel it. Trust me."

For the candle-toting Beltran, the subway series offered a chance for his Yankees to assert their superiority. But it was also a chance to check out the World Series on a budget.

"Subway Series," he said. "From here to Queens, it's just $1.50."

WORLD SERIES KHON-TV (FOX2) All times HST Saturday N.Y. Mets at N.Y. Yankees, 2 p.m. Sunday N.Y. Mets at N.Y. Yankees, 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, 2:18 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25 N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, 2:18 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26 N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, 2:18 p.m., if necessary Saturday, Oct. 28 N.Y. Mets at N.Y. Yankees, 2 p.m., if necessary Sunday, Oct. 29 N.Y. Mets at N.Y. Yankees, 3 p.m., if necessary

SUBWAY SERIES FACTS

Previous games

	Yankees	Mets	Ties
Spring Training	45	32	0
Mayor’s Trophy	10	8	1
Mayor’s Challenge	2	2	0
Big Apple Series	2	1	0
Interleague	11	7	0
Overall	70	50	1

Managed both teams
Yogi Berra (Yankees 1964, 1984-85, Mets 1972-75)
Dallas Green (Yankees 1989, Mets 1993-96)
Casey Stengel (Yankees 1949-60, Mets 1962-65)
Joe Torre (Mets 1977-81, Yankees 1996-present)

68 players who played for both teams
Jack Aker (Yankees 1969-72, Mets 1979-83)
Neil Allen (Mets 1974, Yankees 1985, 1987-88)
Sandy Alomar (Mets 1967, Yankees 1974-76)
Tucker Ashford (Yankees 1981, Mets 1983)
Yogi Berra (Yankees 1946-63, Mets 1965)
Daryl Boston (Mets 1990-92, Yankees 1994)
Tim Burke (Mets 1991-92, Yankees 1992)
Ray Burris (Yankees 1979, Mets 1979-80)
John Candelaria (Mets 1987, Yankees 1988-89)
Duke Carmel (Mets 1963, Yankees 1965)
Rick Cerone (Yankees 1980-84, 1987, 1990, Mets 1991)
David Cone (Mets 1987-92, Yankees 1995-present)
Billy Cowan (Mets 1965, Yankees 1969)
Dock Ellis (Yankees 1976-77, Mets 1979)
Kevin Elster (Mets 1986-92, Yankees 1994)
Alvaro Espinoza (Yankees 1988-91, Mets 1996)
Tony Fernandez (Mets 1993, Yankees 1995-96)
Tim Foli (Mets 1970-71, 1978-79, Yankees 1984)
Bob Friend (Mets 1966, Yankees 1966)
Rob Gardner (Mets 1965-66, Yankees 1970-72)
Paul Gibson (Mets 1992-93, Yankees 1993-94, 1996)
Jesse Gonder (Yankees 1960-61, Mets 1963-65)
Dwight Gooden (Mets 1984-94, Yankees 1996-97, 2000)
Lee Guetterman (Yankees 1988-92, Mets 1992)
Greg Harris (Mets 1981, Yankees 1994)
Rickey Henderson (Yankees 1985-89, Mets 1999-2000)
Keith Hughes (Yankees 1987, Mets 1990)
Stanley Jefferson (Mets 1986, Yankees 1989)
Lance Johnson (Mets 1996-97, Yankees 2000)
Dave Kingman (Mets 1975-77, 1981-83, Yankees 1977)
Tim Leary (Mets 1981, 1983-84, Yankees 1990-92)
Al Leiter (Yankees 1987-89, Mets 1998-present)
Phil Linz (Yankees 1962-65, Mets 1967-68)
Phil Lombardi (Yankees 1986-87, Mets 1989)
Elliott Maddox (Yankees 1974-76, Mets 1978-80)
Josias Manzanillo (Mets 1993-95, Yankees 1995)
Lee Mazzilli (Mets 1976-81, 1986-89, Yankees 1982)
Bob McDonald (Yankees 1995, Mets 1996)
Doc Medich (Yankees 1972-75, Mets 1977)
Dale Murray (Mets 1978-79, Yankees 1983-84)
Bob Ojeda (Mets 1986-90, Yankees 1994)
John Pacella (Mets 1977, 1979-80, Yankees 1982)
Lenny Randle (Mets 1977-78, Yankees 1979)
Willie Randolph (Yankees 1976-88, Mets 1992)
Jeff Reardon (Mets 1979-81, Yankees 1994)
Hal Reniff (Yankees 1961-67, Mets 1967)
Kenny Rogers (Yankees 1996-97, Mets 1999)
Rafael Santana (Mets 1984-87, Yankees 1988-89)
Don Schulze (Mets 1987, Yankees 1989)
Bill Short (Yankees 1960, Mets 1968)
Charlie Smith (Mets 1964-65, Yankees 1967-68)
Roy Staiger (Mets 1975-77, Yankees 1979)
Darryl Strawberry (Mets 1983-90, Yankees 1995, 1996-1999)
Tom Sturdivant (Yankees 1955-59, Mets 1964)
Bill Sudakis (Mets 1972, Yankees 1974)
Ron Swoboda (Mets 1965-70, Yankees 1971-73)
Frank Tanana (Mets 1993, Yankees 1993)
Walt Terrell (Mets 1982-84, Yankees 1989)
Ralph Terry (Yankees 1956-57, 1959-64, Mets 1966-67)
Ryan Thompson (Mets 1992-96, Yankees 2000)
Marv Throneberry (Yankees 1955-59, Mets 1962-63)
Dick Tidrow (Yankees 1974-79, Mets 1984)
Mike Torrez (Yankees 1977, Mets 1983-84)
Jose Vizcaino (Mets 1994-96, Yankees 2000-present)
Claudell Washington (Mets 1980, Yankees 1986-88, 1990)
Allen Watson (Mets 1999, Yankees 1999)
Wally Whitehurst (Mets 1982-92, Yankees 1996)
Gene Woodling (Yankees 1949-54, Mets 1962)

Note: Darryl Strawberry and Jose Vizcaino are the only two men to play for the Mets, Yankees, Giants and Dodgers.