Everyone knows I follow the Cubs and Phillies - so those are my two favorites. But in the spirit of the question, if I exclude those two, I'd have to go with the Astros. I grew up liking the team-- but finally let myself admit when I was older that I wasn't really a "fan", so much as just fond of them. I was calling myself a fan in name only, out of some sense of hometown obligation- like supporting a local business. I said I was a fan because I "had to"- that's what you do in Houston! But I didn't adore them the way I grew up adoring the Cubs and Sox, and later grew to adore the Phillies. I am stil pleased when the Astros do well, though-- and I have so many great childhood memories at Astros baseball games. Plus, NOLAN RYAN.

As far as dislike? Probably the Mets - for one reason: 1986. Double whammy, since they beat the Astros and then went on to beat the Sox. Runner up is Cleveland, after the shitty way I was treated there at the Jake, err, the Prog this year.

My two teams are from the same city. As a Sox fan I can feel the pain of Cubs long suffering and loyal fans. Maybe this year will be their year (unless they meet the Sox in the Series, then they'll have to wait another year).

My least favorite team has the wrong color Sox, despite the fact that they have a few players I admire. I guess my main reason is Ozzie Guillen. I just think he needs to be held more accountable for his comments and actions. If he hadn't brought a World Series trophy to the South Side, I think the White Sox brass would have dropped him like a hot potato.

for love, i grew up a hardcore twins fan and saw them win two world championships in my childhood. pretty awesome. if i hadn't moved to new england, i would still be a hardcore twins fan. going back to minneapolis for the red sox series this may is going to be both amazing and WEIRD. eee.

for hate, oh man, the braves. i blame 1991 but really, it's the tomahawk chop i cannot abide. most recently, i have developed an irrational un-fondness for seattle, being that the sox could not BUY a win at safeco for most of 2007. (mostly i try not to hate, though. BASEBALL IS ABOUT LOVE.)

;D

Yeah- I tried not to use the word "hate" for that same reason.

The second part of the question is more like, Which team do you have a rational or irrational dislike of and why? Because I think it's fascinating to see the random reasons why people have a distaste for one team or another.

I like the Blue Jays for no particular reason--but I think they could possibly be at the top of my list. Dunno. It's just some kind of psychological imperative. I went to college across the big lake from Toronto, so let's just call it that.

I also have a deep and abiding affection for the Pirates, just because they are so,so bad, the ultimate underdog at this point, and no one else cheers for them, so they're my runner-up. Other contenders: Cubs, Tigers, and the Twins only because I loved following the Rochester Red Wings during college.

For some reason the Rays and Marlins get under my skin. I have an irrational dislike of sports teams from Florida. (Except Uggla--thanks to TG) I hate Cleveland and Atlanta because dammit it IS offensive and no, I will not get over it.

Cleveland in general seems like a bunch of punks (lookin at you Lofton), so I'll go with Cleveland. "Tribe Time"--whatever.

(I do like how there is this lovely camaraderie between Cubs and Red Sox fans-- a kind of cosmic thing. A lot of Sox fans I know cheer for the Cubs too. I think it's because we like pain.)

Normally, I despise all Florida teams - especially when it comes to college football. I cannot stand UF, FSU or Miami. HURL.

But I find myself with some fondness for both the Marlins and the Rays. They both suck, have no fan support, even their own owners don't seem to care about them. And yet those guys go out and hustle and play hard and it's kind of endearing. I adore most of the entire Marlins squad - except Scott Olson, who is a punk of the highest order.

Teams I have fondness for: LA Angels and Dodgers. Dodgers cause my grandfather and dad are Dodgers fans from the Brooklyn days, and my dad taught me to love baseball. Dodgers again cause the management is building Red Sox West out there. LA Angels cause I like to watch them play the game. Other team that strums my heart strings: Cubs. Theirs is the first professional game I ever attended at Wrigley, before lights.

Teams I dislike watching: Obviously, the Yankees. Otherwise, I hope for baseball played well so there's really no one on the diss list, at least for the moment.

I like the Nats, for the simple reason that they used to be the Expos, and were therefore the only major league team with radio broadcasts in French, which I always found to be a slightly surreal experience.

Irrational dislike: the White Sox. Reasons? Take your pick: Ozzie Guillen, AJ Pierzynski, Hawk Harrelson...

There are 3 MLB players I cannot stand in any way- and AJ Pierzynski is one of them.

Love the Tuesday Curveball...

My baseball love (other than the Sox, of course ;-) is the SF Giants. My (late) father would take my brother and I to the Giants games at the Stick and we always had so much fun. Even though the Giants are in a new (yet absolutely gorgeous) park, I think of my Dad when I see the Giants play. He also took us to see the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch stadium--great memories.

I also always cheer for the Cubs. I would love to see them play in Chicago.

Of course, growing up a Giants fan, one learns to despise the Dodgers (sorry, starr4 ;-). I remember going to one Giants/Dodgers game when my Dad would cheer for the Dodgers just to be a pita. ha!

Other somewhat irrational dislike--the Braves. That tomahawk chant gets under my skin and gets me reaching for the remote.

Love, love, love:

1. My Seattle Mariners. I lived in Seattle for five years as a small person and spent an awful lot of time at the ol' Kingdome, crushing on Junior Griffey and cheering for Omar Vizquel and Harold Reynolds. I still love them and wish them well, although their inability to ever not suck in September/the postseason will probably never change.

2. The Mets. And I've been slammed for this by Boston fans, but my dad's from Queens and grew up rooting for the Mets first and Red Sox second (and hating the Yankees like crazy, so I come by that honestly). The Mets are totally my NL team and it's only a conflict, well, once every 40 years, so it works out for me. Er, except when they suck really, really bad. Poor David Wright. Poor Pedro.

3. The Kansas City Royals. I don't know, I feel for them. They're all midwestern and lonely. They need some love.

Hate:

1. The Padres. With their ugly park and their stupid camo uniforms.
2. The Giants. Because of the Bonds enabling and because I like the Dodgers, and calling them the "J-I-N-T-S" is fun, thanks Danny Kaye.
3. Cleveland. Icky racist mascot.

I lived in Miami for eleven years and had the pleasure of attending Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, one of the most exciting series ever played, and have liked the Marlins 2nd to my Red Sox ever since. I agree with many others on here that I really dislike Cleveland's absurdly racist logo.

Love:

The Mets. My grandfather loved 'em first. Weirdly enough, they're also the team my mother (the Yankees fan) and I both like, so when we can't talk about our primary teams for fear of causing permanent damage we can talk David Wright and Jose Reyes and all is (temporarily) well in our little corner of the universe.

(Runners-up include: the Cubs, Dodgers, A's, Nats.)

Dislike:

Cleveland. For personal reasons AND the racist mascot, they are the team I dislike most in all of baseball. Yes, ALL.

(Runners-up include: the Braves, Padres, Giants.)

I'm noticing a trend on pro-Cubs, anti-Indians.

You know, another thing about Cubs: baby animals are cute. This is always a bonus.

Racist icons? Less cute.

Caroline: re: Bonds...I agree. The Bonds enabling was too much. I got sick of his pressers and couldn't bear to listen to his whining. That's a big part of the reason I so easily fell in love with the Sox after falling for my beloved ;-).

I also have to cheer for the A's because if they make the playoffs, there's a chance we can see the Sox in Northern CA again ;-).

I'm a MA-er since forever so no exposure to other teams. However, I watched a lot of Mets games on fox and I grew fond of them after one extraordinary game.
There's always the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I dont love them, but I'm fond...

I dont really hate any other teams than the Yankees. I HATE though, absolutely hate, the towel-waving and therefore, I have a certain dislike towards those teams with those fans.

(Cleveland and Colorado knew about this hate of mine and decided that they would both play against the Red Sox in the post season this year and wave their towels on my tv. thanks, guys)

I enjoy watching the Mets. I have been a fan since I was a child. I am always a Red Sox fan, but I do like my Mets also. As for hating any teams, the Yankees are the only ones. However, growing up with the Sox, I don't root for Florida teams.

I would love for Tampa to do well one season (I.E. 2nd in AL East behind the Sox:-D). I lived there for eight years and it sucked seeing a team that probably had the talent potential to at least finish 3rd, but just could never get their shit together long enough to produce.

And I have to say, a small part of me would like to see the Cubs win the WS this year, since the symmetry of their titles being 100 years apart would be great...but not at the expense of the Sox winning. So I've got mixed feelings about that haha.

As for teams I dislike...I've never liked the A's that much. I'm not sure why, they swept the Sox in the ALCS in 90 or 91 I think, but I was like six then, and I don't recall if I was really upset about it or not, but I remember it happening...and I just know that I've never really liked the A's. And then Cleveland was a thorn in our side in during the playoffs throughout the 90's, so that, coupled with the crap that happened this past season, makes me REALLY dislike Cleveland.

Love: NYMets...why? Cuz' Pop loved them first and that's good enough for me... :)

I love the Rockies--they're easily my favorite NL team, and watching them play in the WS this year was a lot of fun (especially since the Sox won, heh). They're so silly and young and laid-back... but I don't much like Todd Helton. :P

And--don't shoot me, let me explain--I also love watching the Yankees on TV. Not to cheer for them, of course, but to cheer for the team playing against them. I also get a big fat kick out of booing/screaming at The Demon whenever he's shown on the TV.

I just hate Cleveland. It seems like most people here do, actually. I just... the classless mascot plus the classless fans plus the classless players all annoy me to no end. They're almost as classless as the Yankees, actually. (Plus, they have Sizemore. I quite detest the guy.) I also have an irrational dislike for the DBacks. For some inexplicable reason, they just get on my nerves. I don't hate them, exactly, but the just bug me.

SANTANA IS PROBABLY GOING TO THE METS.

All that's pending is a physical and the Twins and Mets need to agree on 6 or 7 years.

Just thought you might want to know. :)

Hey this is my first time posting on this blog(which is great BTW)

I am big Cubs fan cause they're the Cubs.

The teams that I hate other than the Yankees? Cleveland and Atlanta. People have already listed the reason why I hate them.

Love: I am a huge D-backs fan (some would say obsessed ; ) and this past year I've really started following the Brewers again cuz they were actually good haha. Also like the Sox (otherwise I obviously wouldn't be on this great blog!)

Hate: besides the Yankees, I never really felt hate for any team until I attended a Brewers/Cubs game. We'll just say it didn't go too well-not just the game-and now I despise the Cubs. Plus Soriano and Ramirez completely get on my neves

Love:
I was born in Boston, I was 6 weeks old when I went to my first Red Sox game, and every summer was spent catching a few games in Fenway. I miss those days.

..I also heart the Cubbies.... who doesn't :)

LOATHE:

The Devil Rays... or Rays... or whatever they are called now. And it's really not the team, it's more the fans, I think.

The Yankees... for obvious reasons, being a Sox fan.. and it was a secret that my now husband kept from me while we were dating... *sigh* to forgive and forget....

It's in my blood to like the Mets.
-I have to root for at least one hometown team, right?

As for which team I really cannot stand, I'd have to say the Indians. I find them (and their fans) to be almost, if not, as annoying as the Yankees.

and that's saying something.

My other teams besides the Red Sox

*Giants -- I hated Barry but I was a huge Pedro Feliz and Ray Durham fan. Also Dave Roberts is on the team now and I love the history and the ballpark is pretty sweet too. Also a good friend of mine is a Giants fan.

*Braves -- This is more out of the fact that I am a huge Jeff Francoeur fan and I was pretty cool w/ Edgar Renteria. Though they're kinda low on the list.

*Tigers -- Love Curtis Granderson, love Carlos Guillen, love Edgar Renteria, love Jim Leyland the grumpy old man, love Zumaya when he's healthy or not injuring himself playing Guitar Hero, love ye olden English D, well there's a lot of things I like about them. Also I'm so happy they got Cabrera and Willis. It's gonna be fun to play them this season!

I don't really follow any teams besides the Sox, but I've always sympathised with the Cubs. I always hoped that if the Sox couldn't get it done that the Cubs would do it.

I also like the D-backs because seeing a three year-old franchise win their first World Series by beating the Yankees was one of the coolest things ever. Also, the Marlins because they gave us Josh and Mike.

As for who I hate: the Indians.

I like the Astros cause' my friends a big Astros fan even though we're in MA. I also like the Cubs cause' my mom's from chicago and a lot of my cousins are from that area.
I really don't like the The Tampa Bay Devil Rays because he was dissing Wally, That's NOT RIGHT!!!
He was like running over him with an electric car and stompin' on him. It was TERRIBLE.
I also don't like the Cleveland Indians because of that dude Kenny Lofton who's probably going to move another 50 times before he retires. They almost beat us during the ALCS, but didn't thanks to Mr. Josh Beckett!

Phillies.

Second love after the Red Sox: Angels - two of my best friends live just outside Anaheim so I root for them by proxy

As for second most hated team after the EE: Tampa - all I can say is you would understand if you lived down here & got subjected to the local media. Not to mention their tv announcers, who run a close second to Joe Buck in the "make my ears bleed" category.