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Excitement Builds Among Mets Fans -- Old And New -- As Championship Chase Continues

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two down, two to go.

Excitement is building among die-hard fans and new ones as the New York Mets try to reach the World Series.

Pam Deluca said her love of the Amazin's has never faltered; she only wishes she could make it to Chicago.

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"I'll be there every night watching it though until midnight, 1 -- whatever it takes," she said.

"In the immortal words of my man Tug McGraw, 'Ya gotta believe,'" said fan Mike Jones.

Anthony Grambo said he's been a lonely blue and orange fan for a long, long time.

"All my life, and I've never seen a championship, so hopefully we can actually see one now," he said.

"Everyone's all of a sudden a Mets fan," said fan Ryan Galuska.

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Up two games against the Cubs, the fair-weather fans are back in full force, CBS2's Meg Baker reported.

"I haven't really watched since the '80s, so it's nice to see them streaking again," said Curtis Zimmerman.

Even some Yankees fans can't help but root for the Mets.

"I'm a Yankee fan," said Chris Robins, who at first didn't want to admit he's been wearing some orange. "I'm not one of these people that are like, 'Oh, I hate the Mets,' You know, hey, they're in New York. I'd rather see the Yankees, but if the Mets are in there, I root for the Mets."

Another Yankees fan said he converted for the time being because he wants to root for the hometown team.

Another man told Baker that his girlfriend has been rubbing the Mets record in his face all season long, and he finally gave in and is chanting right along with her.

Doug Olenick calls those supporters "Yankee pity fans" -- smug with the knowledge they have 27 championships to the Mets' two -- and says it's now the Mets' turn.

"Well, they may feel sympathy for Mets fans, giving some support in that regards," said Olenick, who roots for the Amazin's. "But if you're a Mets fan, you're a Mets fan. If you're a Yankee fan, you're a Yankee fan."

Meanwhile, fans are particularly excited about postseason hero Daniel Murphy, who has hit five home runs in seven playoff games.

"This is his time right now. He's going to get a contract some place, so good for him," a Mets fan said of the soon-to-be-free-agent second baseman.

Now that Murphy is on a superhuman hitting binge, his jersey is suddenly sold out in several Modell's Sporting Goods stores, CBS2's Emily Smith reported.

"We get stock actually every day, but most of the stuff is going out as they're coming in," said Neville Ialaram, a manager at Modell's.

There were also Murphy fans at Murphy's Tavern on Stone Street -- no technical affiliation to the player.

"Surprising. Didn't think he had that much power," one man said.

The Mets and Cubs will meet on Tuesday night for Game 3 at Wrigley Field.

When die-hard Mets season ticket holder Ben Weil saw airfares to the Windy City plummeting, he couldn't resist.

"When I saw $140 roundtrip, that became a no-brainer at that point," he told CBS2's Jessica Schneider.

Weil is banking on the Mets taking the series in four games. He's going to watch Game 3 from his Queens couch and fly out to Chicago on Wednesday hoping to watch his team win their way to the World Series.

He hasn't bought his ticket to the game yet, but is confident prices will continue to drop.

"It's always helps when the home team, the Cubs, is losing 2-0 in the series," he said. "That really reduces the cost of the tickets. Tickets are now selling in the $150-$180 range just to get in the stadium."

For those staying in New York, it seems like there is plenty of excitement, too.

"The city is just more alive right now," said Tim Gehrels, of Hell's Kitchen. "You see people walking down the street wearing Mets gear screaming 'go Mets!' It's just really exciting."

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