h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There are many baseball fans (like myself) who detest the New York Yankees, and will root for any other team against whom they play. This phenomenon becomes even more pronounced if the Yankees make it to the World Series, as they do more often than not. I guess we feel that they've won it enough times, and why not let someone else have a turn. It was refreshing and wonderful to watch my home team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, beat those "Damn Yankees" in the 2001 World Series.

Makes it kinda appropriate that United and the Yankees sealed that big-money corporate merchandising (or something like that) deal a little while ago.

On the subject of United and merchandising and nationwide support - and no, believe it or not I'm not going to go into the "fifth away kit" issue - it's a bit disconcerting that wherever you find a sports shop in the country, you can buy United merchandise. Even smack in the middle of Islington. The other "big teams" are guilty of this as well, but not nearly to the same degree.

And again, it's similar with the Yankees. Here in the UK, if you see any MLB merchandise, there's a 99% chance it'll be Yankees. Uneducated people here wouldn't think any other baseball team existed. My sister included, although credit where it's due, she got over her blinkered viewpoint and now supports Los Angeles. Heh. Anyway, the footie.......

Outside of United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and (at a strech) Newcastle, your best chance (sometimes only chance) of buying a replica shirt is actually going somewhere near the team's area. It's frightening: You can never set foot outside Hampshire all your life, but still deck yourself out like Beckham and his chums. And it's quite staggering how many kids do just that.

Me? I'm a Portsmouth fan. And you can buy yourself a Pompey shirt from, um.......

( from Fratton Park, a couple of shops in Commercial Road and, if you're lucky, in one or two towns just outside the city )