The Fall Classic (of Transit) 2009 — World Series canceled

I had promised to save this until the conclusion of the World Series, but there will be no World Series (of Transit) this year.

The workers of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the agency standing in for defending champions the Philadelphia Phillies, have gone on strike. Despite promises not to leave riders high and dry while the World Series was in Philadelphia, SEPTA workers picketed abruptly Tuesday. Philadelphia has forfeited its spot in the Fall Classic (of Transit).

I am no Yankees booster, but as a result of the Philadelphia strike, I hope New York closes the World Series tonight.

By default, the New York Yankees are the winners of the World Series (of Transit) for 2009, broadcast live exclusively on MetroRiderLA.

It might be for the best that Philadelphia dropped out of the Fall Classic (of Transit). In both the Division and the Championship series, they were taken to the limit by the Rockies and the Dodgers, respectively. (Yes, L.A. readers, the Dodgers managed to hang in there and take it to a 7-game stretch — though in the games evaluating transit, they were largely outmatched.)

On account of forfeiture, the rundown for the games will not appear.

Instead, you’ll see how the eight playoff teams are ranked in 6 of 7 categories (the team vs. team stipulations will not be included here).

Could transit service be a good indicator of success on the diamond? Well, this was a year where the teams with the strongest transit systems happened to rise to the top. Back-testing it to last year’s series, though, would not have matched transit to actual playoff results. The Tampa Bay Rays would have never made it out of the Division Series, that’s for sure. There might have been a better case for the 2007 and 2006 playoffs, though.

Here is how this year’s teams stacked up. Keep in mind, this is very subjective, and the individual matches may have led to some judgment calls that may have appeared differently at game time.

Game 1: Buses

1. New York Yankees
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Philadelphia Phillies
5. Boston Red Sox
6. Los Angeles Dodgers
7. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
8. St. Louis Cardinals

Game 2: Urban rail

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Minnesota Twins
6. Colorado Rockies

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Los Angeles Dodgers are ineligible in this category.

Game 3: Mainline rail

1. New York Yankees
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
6. St. Louis Cardinals
7. Minnesota Twins
8. Colorado Rockies

Game 4: Transit information

1. Boston Red Sox (MBTA.com)
2. Colorado Rockies (RTD-Denver.com)
3. Minnesota Twins (Metrotransit.org)
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (Metro.net)
5. St. Louis Cardinals (MetroStLouis.org)
6. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (OCTA.net)
7. New York Yankees (MTA.info)
8. Philadelphia Phillies (SEPTA.com)

Game 5: Team records

1. New York Yankees (103-59)
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (97-65)
3. Boston Red Sox (95-67) and Los Angeles Dodgers (95-67), tied
4. Philadelphia Phillies (93-69)
5. Colorado Rockies (92-70)
6. St. Louis Cardinals (91-71)
7. Minnesota Twins (87-76)

Game 7: ESPN stadium comparison

1. Philadelphia Phillies (Citizens Bank Park, No. 4)
2. Colorado Rockies (Invesco Field, No. 5)
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Angel Stadium, No. 7)
4. St. Louis Cardinals (Busch Stadium, No. 9)
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodger Stadium, No. 10)
6. Boston Red Sox (Fenway Park, No. 13)
7. Minnesota Twins (Metrodome, No. 26)

New York Yankees are ineligible in this category (rating was for old Yankee Stadium).

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baseball • fall classic • new york yankees • philadelphia phillies • phillies • transit • world series • yankees