Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The Mets Are in the World Series. But What Does It Mean?

Last night as I was putting my 7 year-old to bed, as I went through my nightly ritual of explaining what was planned for them the next day. As a lifelong Mets fan, I excitedly shared that the Mets were playing in the World Series and had a chance to win it for the first time since I was his age, nearly 30 years ago.

My son smiled and then asked a simple question, "Dad, what does that mean?"

A simple question, but in that moment a million memories came flooding back. What does it mean if the Mets win the World Series? It means years of disappointment, broken promises, ownership miscues and a guy named Jason Bay will all be forgiven. It means that the unexpected has become reality in the most unlikeliest of seasons. It means waiting 30 years for another championship will seem totally worth it.

Now I couldn't explain all this to a 7 year-old so I simply replied, "It means that they'll win this huge trophy and there will be a parade in New York City for them."

And as 7 year-old's are known to do, he countered with "but what does that mean?"

He has no idea what this means. He's just at the beginning of an interest in sports. The Mets winning games is all he knows. How can a child possibly grasp the epic nature of this cosmic event that is the Mets in the World Series??? He doesn't know about Madoff, Shinjo, the Kaz Matsui experiment, the Charlie O'Brian era or Guillermo Mota. He didn't live through Dallas Green, Oliver Perez, Anthony Young and Adam Wainwright's hanging curve. He hasn't watched BLOWpen after BLOWpen squander away quality starting pitching or that a team can beat the Mets by only scoring 1 run. He doesn't recall the hope and disappointment of Ike Davis.

So I responded with the most simple reply I could think of: "It means they are the World Champions of baseball."

And with that, my son replied, "That's pretty awesome, dad."

Yes, it would be pretty awesome. Let's go Mets.

Monday, September 21, 2015

One Lifelong Mets Fan Plays the Numbers Game

The following is a guest post from fellow Mets Lifer, Bruce Kallner.

When I was 9 years old, in 1969, the Mets, Knicks and Jets all won World Championships. This rooting for New York sports teams-thing was easy!

I'll spare everyone my whining about the subsequent 46 years which has netted just one championship, the Mets dominating, pulsating 1986 season and post-season. You all know the pain and suffering only too well.

The residual effect however is much greater than the number of titles my teams have collected (yes, I'm talking to Yankee and Giant fans) because the successful teams of my youth are so powerfully and uniquely ensconced in my sports psyche. It all really hit home when I was running laps at my local gym. During this mind-numbing act of repetitive cardio work I had to find ways to remind myself what lap I was on. The first thing that came to mind was an uniform number association game based on my childhood sports heroes. Try this some time, pick a number and let your brain spit out the first player who comes to mind.

Before you read my list play this mind game yourself. Go 1 through 21 and name the first sports figure, past or current, who comes to mind. Don't dwell, think number, blurt name.

Ok then, here's mine;

I started my run slowly (and sort of ended slowly but that's another matter) with #1 belonging to , who else, Mookie.
#2 Why I know that Kevin Elster wore this number and came to mind, unprompted, before that guy who just retired from the Yankees, is beyond me.
#3, Duh, Bud Harrelson (Babe who?)
#4  La Grand Orange, Rusty Staub - class of '73
#5  The Glider, Ed Charles
#6  Al Weiss (If you have to ask, just please move on)
#7 Ed Kranepool (1962-79) our longest tenured Met
#8 Yogi Berra (sorry Kid, Yogi was around so long it's just burned in my brain but at least he was a Mets Manager)
#9 JC Martin (I swear this one even troubles me)
#10 Walt "Clyde" Frazier
#11 Wayne Garrett
#12 Joe Willie Namath
#13 Wilt Chamberlain (only non-NYer to penetrate my sub-conscious, but the guy did score 100 points in one game!
#14 Ron Swoboda (with great apologies to Gil Hodges but the Catch was THE CATCH)
#15 Jerry Grote
#16 Doc Gooden
#17 Keith Hernandez
#18 Daryl Strawberry
#19 Bryan Trottier
#20 Tommie Agee
#21 Cleon Jones (My favorite Met of all time)

The 1969 and 1986 Mets gave us our only two championships. Perhaps this group of DeGrom, Cespedes, Familia, Harvey, d'Arnaud will someday own the subconscious of Met fans born sometime after 1980. But for this 55 year old these are my guys, my teams and my wonderful memories.


Lets Go Mets!!!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

The Most Stunning Stat of the 2015 Mets Season

With Walkoff Wilmer carrying the Mets to another W last night, Gary Apple remarked on the SNY Post Game this most incredible stat for the 2015 Mets:

"Last night was the 17th come from behind victory of the season."

That's basically half of the Mets wins have been come from behind victories. With this lineup.

That's unbelievable given the offensive struggles and deep rooted problems this team has at the plate. But somehow, they are winning ball games. Somehow they are in first place. Somehow that are above .500. Somehow they are treating the NL East like a punching bag.

Can this team be relevant in September? Somehow, I think they will.