Call him Judas Giuliani.
Yankee fanatic Rudy Giuliani revealed yesterday that he is backing the hated Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
Giuliani – who has a sign on his desk boasting he’s the “Yankee Fan-In-Chief” – dropped the bombshell while campaigning in Boston and New Hampshire.
Politics was clearly behind the move – even if it sparked outrage among fans in the Big Apple.
New Hampshire – part of “Red Sox Nation” – holds the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
“I’m rooting for the Red Sox,” Giuliani, owner of four Yank World Series rings, declared during a campaign event in a Boston restaurant, prompting thunderous applause.
But the former mayor insisted his sudden allegiance to the Sox wasn’t baseball’s equivalent of a fan flip-flop – like Hillary Clinton pulled off when she moved to New York.
“I’m an American League fan, and I go with the American League team – maybe with exception of the Mets,” he said. “Maybe that would be the one time I wouldn’t, because I’m loyal to New York.”
In a bid to deflect the flip-flop charge, the Giuliani campaign released recent statements from the candidate – prior to the Sox making the World Series, when he said, “My focus is to see the American League win the World Series.”
But fans interviewed at Yankee Clubhouse Shop in Manhattan gave Giuliani a Bronx cheer. “Any Yankee worth his salt cannot root for the Red Sox under any circumstance at all. Period. End of story,” said Ken Schlesinger, 44, a lawyer from the Upper East Side.
Armando Quintero called Giuliani a “fake fan” for backing Boston. “He needs a true Yankee fan to talk to him, put him in his place, let him know what a real Yankee fan is all about,” said the 39-year-old dry cleaner from Queens.
Richard Gerber, 69, a retired garment salesman, said Giuliani was trying to peel away votes from GOP rival Mitt Romney, the ex-Massachusetts governor.
“It’s hypocritical. He’s a New Yorker,” said Gerber.
Giuliani’s siding with the Sox surprised even his New York campaign team.
“I question his Yankee credentials. If you’re a big Yankee fan, you have to hate the Red Sox,” said Guy Molinari, New York co-chair of the Giuliani campaign.
Republican opponents accused Giuliani of pandering for votes.
“We thought Mayor Giuliani’s endorsement of Democrat Mario Cuomo [in 1994] was rooting for the other team,” Republican rival Fred Thompson’s campaign said in a statement. “But for Yankee fans, this might be a new low.”
Giuliani constantly needles Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, for converting to the Yankees for political reasons – a point that Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama pounced on.
“Fortunately for Rudy, he is not alone in his shifting allegiances among New York presidential candidates,” said Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki.