MARLBORO, NY – Yesterday was National Pizza Day and while Chicago would disagree, New York is the best place to satisfy your pie craving in this country. What does this NYC food staple have to do with sports, you ask? Well, if the New York sports landscape were associated with all things pizza ,this is how I see the construct of said delicacy relating to our city’s teams.
The Crust: Simple. The New York Yankees are the most successful team in the area most years as they continually hold the city together much like your classic pie crust is a container of sorts for the sauce, cheese and toppings. Crust is made from dough and we know how much the Yankees spend to keep a competitive roster year in and year out. Dough also rises as do the Bronx Bombers. This NY team is in the fold most often than not when we’re talking playoffs or Wild Card chases.
The Oil: We go from the bottom crust to the top of the pie and it has little to do with what your adding to your pie. Grease is always sitting at the top of your slice and the New York Mets are just that. When you think of the Mets locale in the beautiful auto scrapyard that is greasy Flushing, Queens there is no doubt that this eyesore sticks in your mind much in the same manner that the dripping pizza grease stains your clothing–forever!
Late Night Pizza: We’ve all been there. You step inside a pizza joint at 1:00 a.m. drunk from a night of being over served and you just don’t know what the hell you’re getting at this point. Is it a pie that’s been sitting around all day? Or maybe it was made within the hour? At this time, it sure wasn’t fresh out of the oven. This pizza is the New York Football Giants. You just don’t know how this team will pan out every year. Just look at the recent record and you’ll see my point.
Anchovies: People still put anchovies on pizza? New Yorkers still root for the Jets? The answer to both questions is yes… but who’s ready to admit to it? Both stink and are an acquired taste.
Pizza Spatula: You know what I’m talking about…the flat, long-handled stick used to move pizza in and out of the oven. Flat is one nice four-lettered word you can describe the New York Knickerbockers. The spatula is as tall as Patrick Ewing and is probably left over from his days as a Knick. The utensil turns the pizza around the same way Knicks brass turns around a sad roster of players every year.
Sauce: Is it me or is there less sauce on pizza these days? This bothers me more than quite a bit since pizza becomes nothing more than a grilled cheese without a decent amount of sauce. The way I see it, the New York Islanders are the sauce in this town. There’s not enough of them. They moved to Brooklyn from Long Island but are now playing a majority of their home games back at the Mausoleum. To top it all off, they’ll be moving to Belmont Park in the near future. Like your pizza sauce, there isn’t enough of a presence in this city from the Islanders or their fans.
Come back tomorrow for a guy that prefers Philly cheesesteaks over NY pizza, Buddy Diaz.
