It’s June 30. My team is in the playoff hunt. I have mixed feelings about that. I should be happy. A month ago, the Mets were the laughingstock of baseball. They had lost a bunch of games in a row due to shoddy defense, lackluster hitting, and an imploding bullpen. One of their relievers had just gotten ejected from a game, tossed his glove into the stands, and told reporters that he was “the worst teammate in the fucking MLB.” [When asked to clarify if Lopez, for whom English is not his first language, said he was “the worst teammate” or “on the worst team,” he replied, “Both, probably.”] It was starting to feel like another lost season.
This piece spoke to me! I've created a lot of meaning throughout the years being a Pittsburgh Pirates fan...and I wouldn't trade those moments for anything. Still, it would be nice to experience another championship in my lifetime, considering I was about a month old the last time they raised the championship jolly roger!
Your team (and my former, decades ago) is on the rise, while mine is still stumbling around, still well below .500 (4 games under), teasing us with some thrilling moments (Wisely’s walkoff Friday night against our despised rival from LA - I was there, leaping for joy! and then Tony was singing and we were all smiling so much it hurt our jaws). Should the Giants sell or buy? Clean house or buy in hopes that when Godot (sorry… Cobb, Ray, and Wade) arrives, the club will be reborn, like in 2012? (but how many remember that season’s ups and downs?)
Anyway, I am hoping the Mets continue to rise, and thrill, and bring you joy (even with these crazy playoffs).
Yes, we only remember the end result, but it's the rollercoaster of the season that is the real reward. Says a guy whose team hasn't won a championship since the Reagan administration.
Was at Oracle again today, for the 10-4 rout — always fun when it is a sellout here with thousands of Dodgers fans making the trip up (or sneaking out from their hideouts in the Bay Area)… and we crush them
I am, historically, old-fashioned but I am trying to be more progressive and less rigid these days. Therefore, I welcome all of these changes, including the wild card stuff. At the very least, it makes the end of the season a helluva lot more exciting!
Besides, were it not for the wild card, the M's would be looking at 23 years without a playoff appearance. That's a long time.
Also do you really believe that all teams are "likely full of homophobes?" That thought makes me sad...
Yeah, I think so. I remember when Mark Canha (on the Mets at the time) came out in support of Pride Month, he gave an interview indicating he was a rarity on the team, and his teammates thought he was some sort of woke hippie. Baseball is a conservative sport, unfortunately.
I agree that the expanded playoffs makes the end of the season more exciting, but weirdly enough, "exciting" is not what I look to baseball for. I may be different.
Great insights. And that video feels like the 1986 Mets!
This piece spoke to me! I've created a lot of meaning throughout the years being a Pittsburgh Pirates fan...and I wouldn't trade those moments for anything. Still, it would be nice to experience another championship in my lifetime, considering I was about a month old the last time they raised the championship jolly roger!
I hear you, brother. Both can be true!
Also, thank you so much for the paid subscription. It means a lot to me.
Your team (and my former, decades ago) is on the rise, while mine is still stumbling around, still well below .500 (4 games under), teasing us with some thrilling moments (Wisely’s walkoff Friday night against our despised rival from LA - I was there, leaping for joy! and then Tony was singing and we were all smiling so much it hurt our jaws). Should the Giants sell or buy? Clean house or buy in hopes that when Godot (sorry… Cobb, Ray, and Wade) arrives, the club will be reborn, like in 2012? (but how many remember that season’s ups and downs?)
Anyway, I am hoping the Mets continue to rise, and thrill, and bring you joy (even with these crazy playoffs).
Yes, we only remember the end result, but it's the rollercoaster of the season that is the real reward. Says a guy whose team hasn't won a championship since the Reagan administration.
Was at Oracle again today, for the 10-4 rout — always fun when it is a sellout here with thousands of Dodgers fans making the trip up (or sneaking out from their hideouts in the Bay Area)… and we crush them
Tony is singing and all is right with the world
I am, historically, old-fashioned but I am trying to be more progressive and less rigid these days. Therefore, I welcome all of these changes, including the wild card stuff. At the very least, it makes the end of the season a helluva lot more exciting!
Besides, were it not for the wild card, the M's would be looking at 23 years without a playoff appearance. That's a long time.
Also do you really believe that all teams are "likely full of homophobes?" That thought makes me sad...
Yeah, I think so. I remember when Mark Canha (on the Mets at the time) came out in support of Pride Month, he gave an interview indicating he was a rarity on the team, and his teammates thought he was some sort of woke hippie. Baseball is a conservative sport, unfortunately.
I agree that the expanded playoffs makes the end of the season more exciting, but weirdly enough, "exciting" is not what I look to baseball for. I may be different.
Never count a team out until the regular season ends.