Fans of the New York Mets had bemoaned the negative impact of the Bernie Madoff financial scandal on the Major League Baseball team's payroll until Thursday night's series-clinching victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. With believers now dreaming of the team's first World Series appearance since 2000, the Mets have enjoyed a similar boost off the field with higher attendance and TV ratings. Fresh off advancing to the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs - another rising team with a compelling hard-luck history - the Mets have combined low-cost, young talent with the amenities of a relatively new home park, Citi Field, which opened in 2009.