I’ve never seen such a huge bandwagon. And frankly, I’m happy to be on it.

I understand how Yankees fans feel, to an extent. I’m a Patriots fan, and the 2007 season was the greatest opportunity for smack talk of all time. Watching them steamroll every single opponent they came up against…watching Brady and Moss endlessly score TDs at will… it was exhilarating. Because you could talk whatever outrageous smack you wanted to anyone about any other team. And you knew your boys were going to win. You just knew it.

And everyone hated the Pats because of it. And their fans.

I understand how excited Yankees fans are. I’m a Red Sox fan too, and I recognize the disease because my team’s fans (and I) share the symptoms:  the intolerable cockiness; the endless, seemingly drunken, chants of “Derek Jeter” for MVP, despite at least a half dozen players who are more deserving; the bandwagon fans who jump on a winning team who couldn’t be bothered to watch that team slog through a miserable season; but the worst of it… the entitlement. Watching Yankees fans sidle up to the World Series like they have a 2 for 1 coupon at an All You Can Eat Buffet is scrotum wrenching.

And yet, that one dreaded word keeps all of us in check: Scoreboard.

There’s no denying it, no amount of refusal or 12 step programs, no amount of cursing with a Boston accent, no voodoo curses or santeria rituals are going to change anything.

*Gulp*… the Yankees are the best team in baseball.

And I dread this World Series. I’ve been able to say the Yankees haven’t won a thing in recent history. Their last trip to the World Series was 2003 when they gave it up to the Marlins. And they haven’t been the same since. The ‘04 ALCS gives Red Sox fans goosebumps just to think about it. And the Yanks have played like a bunch over paid egos ever since. A-Rod’s antics have made more of an impact on the media than the way they played on the field.

But not this year. The bloated payroll is more than paying off, and it’s especially poignant after their miserable start to the season. But the second half of this season, the Yankees play baseball like it’s fun. Like they enjoy being out there as a team.

And starting tomorrow night, they have another chance to add to all those rings that we endlessly hear about. No matter what team stat you want to talk about with a Yankee fan, you will inevitably hear “26 Rings”.

I hope the Phillies pitching is as crafty as I keep reading about. I hope the returning World Series champs are this year’s New York Giants. I hope Pedro Martinez can catch a foul ball against the side of his head.

Does anyone… anyone want the Yankees to win?