A Battle of Seven New Names for the 2009 World Series

This year's World Series Championship is all about the East. New York and Pennsylvania, neighbors in the tri-state area, might not be acting very neighborly in the coming days as the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies face of in the 2009 Fall Classic. Yet even more exciting than this battle of the best teams in baseball is coming up with new and appropriate monikers for this year's matchup. I've heard everything from the "Battle of the Lefties" to the "You's -vs- You's Guys Series." As is appropriate for a best of seven series, here's a look at seven great names for the 2009 World Series, and what each might add to the matchup of the Phillies and the Yankees.

The Liberty Series

New York has the Statue of Liberty. Philadelphia has the Liberty Bell. It's just too perfect to overlook. I've already heard some folks calling the series the Statue of Liberty Bell Series, which has a nice ring to it ... yes, pun intended. The Liberty Bell was casted and delivered to Philadelphia in 1752. The Statue of Liberty was unveiled in New York in 1886. Could these symbols have any bearing on the Series? If it came down to age, Philadelphia takes it by 134 years. Unfortunately, the Liberty Bell was originally known as either "Independence Bell" or the "Old Yankee Bell" until 1837. If this name were to have any bearing on the series, I'll call it a "Game Seven Maker" ... because overall, it's a tie.

The Sinatra-Sinatra Series

New York was a favorite hangout of classic crooner Frank Sinatra. His song "New York, New York" remains a classic to this day. Sinatra also performed the classic "High Hopes," which would become the personal anthem of longtime Phillies announcer Harry Kalas. After Kalas' death, the song became the victory anthem of the Phillies. While neither New York nor Philadelphia can hold claim on Sinatra-the man himself was actually born in New Jersey-his hometown of Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area, so I'm forced to give this one to the Yankees.

The Broadway -vs- Broad Street Series

Broadway is an avenue in New York City running from Manhattan to the Bronx. Broad Street is a major street in Philadelphia running almost the full length of the city. In terms of length, Broadway would take this round ... but the Broad Street line of Philadelphia's metro system takes you directly to Citizens Bank Ballpark. I'm tossing this round to the Phillies.

The Bronx-to-Broad Street Series

Okay, this sounds pretty similar, except instead of street-versus-street it's a street-versus-borough matchup. For this round, let's look at landmarks. The Bronx has Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo, several parks, the New York Botanical Garden, several off-off-Broadway theatres, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and much more. Broad Street is home to the Avenue of the Arts, the Kimmel Center, Citizens Bank Park, the offices of both the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, Temple University, and City Hall. In terms of big-name locations, Broad Street has a tiny edge, but in terms of variety, the Bronx, I'm afraid, wins.

The Cheesesteak -vs- Cheesecake Series

This is a tough one to call. You're not going to find better cheesecake than in New York. In fact, the United States' long-lasting love affair with cheesecake can be traced back to New York, when William Lawrence of Chester, NY accidentally invented what we now know as PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese. This invention led to the invention of pasteurized Philadelphia Cream Cheese, which is the most popular ingredient in cheesecake. As for the cheesesteak, well, let's face it; even in Arizona they offer you Philadelphia cheesesteaks. The sandwich was invented in Philadelphia, and within the city you'll find arguably the best cheesesteaks you'll ever since your drooling lips into. Both are great foods; both are classics. The question might come down to which one you could eat more of. Most would say cheesecake, which sounds great for New York. Unfortunately for New York, not only does Philadelphia actually claim complete ownership of its staple food, but the city also owns the name of the chief ingredient in most cheesecake recipes. So when it comes to the amour of eateries, it's the City of Brotherly Love that comes out on top.

The Fuggedaboudit Fall Classic

When the Philadelphia Phillies won the NCLS, one of the few words a commentator could utter as he announced the victory was, "Fuggedaboudit." Also spelled "fuggedaboutit," the word can be traced pretty directly back to New York. But if you sit with either side of this World Series, be you surrounded by red jerseys and Phillies' "P"s or black and white pinstripes and the ever-famous Yankees' "NY" logo, you're going to hear this word thrown around a lot. In terms of "claiming ownership," New York might take it, but both teams have an equal claim, making this yet another tie in the series.

The Big Bang Series

You've got power players matched against power players. You've got pitching power matched against pitching power. You've got slugger against slugger. Pound for pound, a matchup between the Phillies and the Yankees is pretty even. Unfortunately, the idea of the "Big Bang" series doesn't just come down to the players and team ability. I'm talking about explosions, and while the idea of these teams coming together is quite explosive, we've also got to consider ... well, explosive language. Now, nobody can deny that both New Yorkers and Philadelphians have a reputation for ... er, naughty mouths. But I've got to admit: I've sat among both Yankees and Phillies fans, and the Yankees fans seemed like tame kittens when it comes to what I've heard at Phillies games. I'm not even going to dig too deep into this one: for either team, bring earmuffs both for the weather and to guard your ears against the nastiness, but bring an extra pair if you're sitting on the Phillies side. The Phillies take this round. (And you can judge for yourselves if that's a good thing or not!)