WORLD SERIES : TORONTO BLUE JAYS vs. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES : Root, Root for Home Country? : Baseball: With an international World Series, it doesn’t take much for fans to take offense.

Even though almost all of the Toronto Blue Jays are Americans, some are trying to make the World Series into a battle between the United States and Canada.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, in its lead baseball story Tuesday, said, “The Phillies are back at home, finally free from all those annoying foreigners who for some reason saw them as them fat, gross, goofy barbarians.” The Inquirer said the reference was meant to be tongue-in-cheek.

Stu Bykofsky, a columnist for the the Philadelphia Daily News, on Tuesday called the Blue Jays “highly paid mercenaries.”

“Wherever we go, people are yelling, ‘U-S-A! U-S-A!” said Toronto center fielder Devon White, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica. “But we’re all Americans. It’s like, ‘What are you people thinking about?’ ”

Some were expecting boos when Dan Hill sang the Canadian national anthem in Veterans Stadium for Game 3. Philadelphia sports fans do have that reputation.

“Bob Uecker once told me that a fan fell out of the upper deck and they booed him for a bad landing,” Toronto’s Paul Molitor said.

But there only were a few boos, and they were widely scattered. One fan yelled: “This is not hockey, this is baseball.”

For the past two years, baseball really has had a World Series. In an attempt to create an international atmosphere, and perhaps insert a bit of jingoism, there might be a few chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” during the three games at Philadelphia, despite the fact that only one of the Blue Jays, outfielder Rob Butler, was born in Canada.

During the 1980 Winter Olympics, American fans embraced the United States hockey team, rallying around the flag. Because of nationalism, the America’s Cup became a big event when Dennis Conner recaptured the trophy from Australia in 1987.

Nationalism is rare in U.S. sports. The nation is large, so fans identify with a city rather than their country. In Europe and South America, where soccer is king, national pride has led to dozens of riots. Whenever England or the Netherlands go on the road for big games, bands of hooligans and riot police follow like a hovering cloud.

Fans are more sedate in the United States. Nationalism isn’t an issue in baseball, except for occasional incidents involving the Blue Jays. Players on both sides were taken aback when “O Canada” and the Maple Leaf were booed at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 2.

“Being an American citizen myself, I was kind of embarrassed,” said Blue Jay Manager Cito Gaston, who lives in Dunedin, Fla. “If that happened to our flag, I would be upset. Let’s hope we can respect each other’s countries and anthems.”

Butler, only the sixth Canadian-born player ever on the Blue Jays, was more than embarrassed. He was angry.

“I was really offended by that,” he said. “It makes me sick to think that people would boo something I have respect and pride for.”

As Butler pointed out, the polite natives of Toronto never have booed “The Star Spangled Banner” in the SkyDome. It would be an affront to their manners.

Yet, he also understands the reason behind ugly nights like the one at Yankee Stadium.

“Fans are fans,” he said. “They just want to come out there and have fun. They pay their dollars and do what they want.”

During last year’s Series, the color guard at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium accidentally walked out with the Maple Leaf upside down before the start of Game 3. It created an international incident.

When it’s the Dodgers vs. the Giants or the Red Sox vs. the Yankees, nearly anything goes. But when it’s the honor--or honour--of the Mother Country at stake, good-natured ribbing quickly can become insensitivity in this era of political correctness.

For the last few seasons, the Braves have called themselves “America’s Team,” the moniker used by the Dallas Cowboys during their greatest years. Now, the way some see it, the Phillies are America’s hope to recapture the championship that went to Canada for the first time last year.

“I think the American people have been captivated by this team,” Jim Fregosi said. “We have a lot of interesting players and a lot of outspoken ones. They’re great for the game. Players have become a little too corporate.”

Fregosi was referring to his team’s slovenly image, not any great national superiority. As the World Series headed into three games in Philadelphia, it remained to be seen if fans had the same perspective.