In Cliff Lee saga, NY fans feel the pain

Look at the Cliff Lee news this way: This is one of those rare times when fans of the Yankees and Mets can unite.

Baseball fans in New York Tuesday morning, regardless of their allegiance, could take some weird pleasure in being able to conveniently share their disdain for Lee with every one of their neighbors. The absurdity of that development counts for something, right?

Lee spurned the Yankees, leaving millions on the table to sign with the Phillies. And by going to Philadelphia, of all places, he is taking a direct assault on the Mets' hopes of transforming themselves into a National League East contender again anytime soon.

Any Mets fan that dared to get excited about the prospect of adding only Chris Young to an already paper-thin rotation will find it mighty hard to conjure up any optimism now. Not when the Phillies are adding Lee to a pitching stable of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.

Baseball fans have lamented how money has seemingly taken over this game, dictating where players go at every turn. Here we finally have a player who has chosen his own comfort and locale over money - lots and lots of money - and yet the cruel justice being served is that New Yorkers must feel as if they've received a cold slap to the face.

This hurts!

Everyone here is still way too close to this to predict any long-term effects, though it's not hard to envision a scenario where this guy is booed every time he's in New York - no matter whether it's in the Bronx or Queens, Yankees fans or Mets fans. Maybe not John Rocker treatment, but maybe close.

What condolence that offers fans of both teams today is very little, of course, but what else is there to do except find some bizarre companionship with your crosstown rivals. I'm already enjoying the awkward yet funny vision of Mets and Yankees fans having something in common to discuss - how unhappy they are with Lee's decision.

Maybe Mets fans can even offer their Yankees brethren some pointers on how they react to unexpected negative news, as they've had so much practice.

You have to go back more than a decade to find the last time the Yankees swung and missed during an all-out pursuit of the big-name free agent. You go all the way back to Roger Clemens in 1996, or the time in 1992 when Greg Maddux picked the Braves over the Yankees and left $6 million on the table.