*foot notes

It’s October and baseball is still in New York.

The New York Mets and New York Yankees will meet Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Yankee Stadium in the first game of the 2000 World Series. Since 1921, there have been 13 “subway” series in New York. The last one was in 1956, when many Americans watched the game on 12-inch screens in glorious black and white.

* A few weeks after the Yanks’ series win in 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower was overwhelmingly reelected, defeating Democrat Adlai Stevenson. In 1956, the Soviets crushed a rebellion in Hungary; the first transatlantic telephone cable was activated, facilitating instantaneous communication between America and Europe; and on Oct. 28, a 21-year-old singer named Elvis Presley shook his hips on the Ed Sullivan Show.

* From 1947-56, New York teams met seven times in the World Series. In 1956, Yankee Mickey Mantle led the American League in home runs, batting average and runs batted in. Dodger Don Newcombe won the Cy Young Award, while teammate Duke Snider won the NL home run crown. Earlier in the year, New York’s football team, the Giants, had won the National Football League championship.

* Chicago and St. Louis are the only other cities to have had their two teams oppose each other in the World Series. The White Sox beat the Cubs in 1904, and the Cardinals beat the Browns in 1944. The Bay Area’s two teams--the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics--also played in a World Series in 1989. Oakland won.

* The Yankees have won 25 major league baseball world championships since 1923--25 championships in 76 seasons, roughly one of every three. And the team has played in 36 fall classics since 1922--roughly 47%.

* Paladino’s, 6101 Reseda Blvd., Reseda, is offering free barbecued chicken, carne asada, hamburgers and hot dogs for patrons during all the World Series games. The Bud Girls will be on hand for some of the games. Domestic beers will be $2, plus there will be drink and Jell-O shot specials. (818) 342-1563.