New York, NY —

Presidential Candidate Rudy Giuliani has been sounding a lot more like some of the conservative voters he's courting in these elections than the New Yorkers he once represented. But, this week, some baseball fans felt, he crossed the line. WNYC's Elaine Rivera took her microphone to Yankee Tavern and Vega Alta bars in the shadow of the House that Ruth built.

REPORTER: Once, Mayor Giuliani embraced immigrants. Now he's promising to get tough. Once, he believe in national gun control laws. Now he says, it's up to states. Some New Yorkers have shrugged that off. But rooting for the Red Sox?

FAN: He's a bum he'll say whatever he needs to say to get the presidency to get the nomination that's my opinion and he's a bum.

FAN: Giuliani's a traitor to hell with him, excuse me.

FAN: Giuliani, listen you're two faced - you're are two faces you don't know if you're east or west.

FAN: Great mayor has great potential with a momentary lapse of judgement about who New Yorkers really are when it comes to the Red Sox.

REPORTER: THAT was gentle compared to what Bartender Gerard McGee had to say.

McGEE: It's like supporting the communists during the Cold War-the reds it's un-American what do you want me to tell you.

REPORTER: What Giuliani wanted to tell his fans this week was that he was the supporting the AMERICAN LEAGUE team. It just so happens THAT team has a lot of fans in first-in-the-nation primary state New Hampshire. Willie Nogue wasn't buying Rudy's explanation.

NOGUE: How can you say you're a true fan and then while you're over in their territory and you say oh, I'm rooting for them because I'm in the American League you're either a New York fan or your not.

Even a lanky brown-haired fan named Matt was dismayed.

MATT: It's disingenuous it's wrong and because of that i'm seriously revising my support for his presidency.

REPORTER: How's that?

MATT: If you can't even stand up for a sports team that you always believed in, how can I believe you when you say stand up for certain principles and certain ideals that the american public is looking for.

REPORTER: A block away, in the neighborhood bar Alta Vega, the TV was tuned in to the Sox-Rockies game the other night. Glum Yankees fans weren't happy about that -- or about Giuliani's news. To Walter Benavides, Giuliani's move was something he thought a predictable politician would do -- not Yankees fan Rudy Giuliani.

BENAVIDES: How many votes is he going to get in Colorado - think about it - between you and me how many votes is he going to get in Colorado am I wrong or what I'm not a smart guy but I basically understand the deal.

REPORTER: Over in the corner, the DJ everyone knows as Ron was fiddling with the Karaoke kit. Did he have a song to play for Rudy?

RON: Well I have something here.

REPORTER: Rudy Giuliani, if you're listening, you may want to tune out now.

SINGING: "Backstabber...."

REPORTER: In case you didn't know, that's Back Stabbers by the O'Jays. For WNYC, I'm Elaine Rivera.