You never know what to expect on live TV. It's the unpredictability that makes it great.

After the Fightin's won their second-straight NL Championship Series, people all over the Philadelphia region celebrated. The local television stations covered the commotion, cutting to footage from Citizens Bank Park, neighborhood bars and city streets.

On 6ABC, the station went to a pack of overjoyed Philadelphians in Mayfair. As soon as the camera light went on, they began to voice their opinions about the World Series in general and the Yankees in specific. Naturally, the chant they chose was TV-appropriate and G-rated.

"&%$#! the Yankees! "&%$#! the Yankees!"

You stay classy, Mayfair.

After a second or two, the audio cut out and Action News anchor Jim Gardner, ever the professional, explained that the crowd was eager to "bring on the Yankees." It was a loose translation.

And so began the battle of Broadway vs. Broad Street.

I'm as excited as anyone else to see these two teams go at it on the field, but if the early salvos from the stands are any indication, the war of wits and will between the respective fan bases should be every bit as entertaining.

At Game 5 of the NLCS, I saw at least one hastily crafted sign that echoed the Mayfair crew's feelings about our geographic neighbors to the north. Since then, I've gotten all sorts of e-mails and texts from fans eager to ramp up the rhetoric. One reader suggested the Bank's speakers pump Neil Young's "Needle and the Damage Done" whenever Alex Rodriguez steps to the plate. Another implored me to write a piece about A-Rod and Derek Jeter and run it with a headline that says "Jeter and the Cheater." Still another Phillies fan took the time to outline all the ways this series parallels Star Wars (my favorite part: CC Sabathia as Jabba the Hut).

The Yankees are used to taking heat, but they'd be wise to wear flame-retardant suits for the World Series. Safety first. After all, the Philly fans openly delighted in chanting "you took steroids" every time Manny Ramirez stepped to the plate, and they had an equally grand time with far-more-clever burns like "hit the showers" when the series was all but over. By the time the World Series begins tomorrow, those same fire-starters will have had a week to prepare a bonfire for the Evil Empire. Should be a glorious roast. Nothing cooks up quicker than smug New Yorkers.

"We love our fans, and we want to hear a lot of noise," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "Our fans are definitely going to keep the energy level going."

That's probably a safe bet, Chuck.

When was the last time Philadelphia didn't play the villain? We never ask for the role, but more often than not it's thrust upon us.

Not this time. The AL Championship Series was barely over when I got messages from Angels, Red Sox and (hold on while I sit down) Mets fans. All expressed the same sentiment: Beat the Yankees. Weird. In an unexpected but long overdue development, out-of-towners are getting behind Philly. Or maybe they're just so anti-Yankees they can't help themselves. Fine by me either way.

Even the media are getting in on it. MLB TV did a segment calling Phillies fans "the best in baseball." (It has to be the first time in history that a national TV outlet mentioned the fans here without referencing Santa.) CNN.com posted a poll asking, "Which team do you want to win the World Series?" It wasn't even close - 64 percent of respondents picked the Phils. And ESPN.com ran a piece titled "15 reasons to root for Philly." I read it several times before I realized it was sincere and not some cruel joke.

The Phillies are in their second straight World Series and some of the country seems willing - even eager - to support them. These are strange times, friends.

Traditionally, the mayors of the World Series cities make a friendly bet on the outcome - this local delicacy in exchange for that local treat. I think Mayor Nutter and Mayor Michael Bloomberg can do better. Forget about the unimaginative New York pizza/Philly cheesesteak wager. Let's go with something that stings: If the Phils lose, we'll take Rudy Giuliani and his entire brood off their hands - including aspiring golfer/incessant chatterbox Andrew Giuliani. If the Yanks lose, New York has to claim all of New Jersey north of Atlantic City. . . . There's a fairly clever video on YouTube. Maybe you've seen it. If not, it takes a scene from Goodfellas and applies it to Jimmy Rollins' clutch, two-run hit in Game 4 of the NLCS. Enjoy: tinyurl.com/rayandjimmy. . . . My buddy Doyle says he has a "dilemma." He claims he grew up as a fan of both the Yanks and the Phils, which I'm fairly certain violates all sorts of international laws and maybe the Geneva Conventions, too. I couldn't be more disappointed in him if he kicked puppies as a hobby. Unless he renounces the Evil Empire before the Series starts, I think I'll have to frame him for a serious crime and then call the authorities. It's for his own good.

Contact columnist John Gonzalez at 215-854-2813 or gonzalez@phillynews.com.