Well...we have all had a day and a half to absorb the fact that the New York Mets...our New York Mets...have thrown their first no-hitter. In their 51st season. After some 8000 plus games. And at the conclusion (hopefully) of the most recent dark period in Mets' history (there have been several such dark periods). Seasons which have severely tested the patience and loyalty of all of us who have grown into adults rooting for the Mets.I will have more to say about Johan Santana's masterpiece in my next post. There is a lot to say...
"The Mets (and Me)"
In the meantime, yesterday RA Dickey followed Santana's no-hitter with a shutout, and the Mets have now won two games against a strong Cardinal's team without so much as allowing them one run.
The Mets - the "No-Name" Wonders of 2012 - are now in a second place tie with the Miami "Jose Reyes" Marlins...and just a game behind first place Washington. One measly game. Just one!
These days I have plenty of grown-up issues and problems to think about. Just the other day I completed work on my new song "Hero" (and the accompanying video) which has provided an important catharsis in my effort to deal with the loss of my mother. But the baseball events of the past two days strike a chord. And so I went to sleep last night more child than adult... and thought....of 1969. Summoning up those adolescent feelings of exuberation, of intense celebration...of disbelief really...and the feeling that if the Mets - heretofore a horrible, basement-dwelling team for which I rooted so hard for so many years and received so little to cheer about - if the Mets could win the World's Championship of baseball, anything and everything was possible. For a brief moment in time I even succumbed to the thought that the overachieving 2012 Mets might actually continue their magical first third of the season and improbably get to play September games that mean something...maybe even...dare I say this aloud? win the division - and go deep into the National League post-season.
It serves me right. A cautionary tale:
I woke up this morning and - filled with thoughts of another magical season - had my pre-workout morning coffee and thumbed through the History of the Mets book that my daughter gave me for my birthday. I happened to stumble across the section dealing with the 1982 Mets. Thirty years ago. Five years after the 1977 "Midnight Massacre" - the unfortunate trade of Tom (My Hero) Seaver (and also Dave Kingman, the team's only legitimate home run threat at the time). Five years of darkness, of teams so bad that Shea Stadium - rocking during the late sixties and early seventies - had become a virtual ghost town. 1982. Joe Torre (yes...that Joe Torre!) was the manager. Players included Lee Mazzilli, Joel Youngblood, Craig Swan. Ron Hodges. The team hadn't had a winning season since 1976. Yet on May 30, 1982 - exactly thirty years ago - the Mets had a record of 26 victories and 21 defeats - and were just 3 1/2 games out of first place!
Note that before the series with the Cardinals...on May 30, 2012...the current Mets had a record of 26-21...and were just 1 1/2 out of first place.
1982? The Mets ended their season 65-97...in last place, 27 games behind the first place team.
And so today I am reminded of my own advice. Root for the team. Enjoy the performances. Baseball is a series of little moments. Live in each moment. Appreciate the anticipation. The pitch. The play. The result. The drama. (Like the last few innings of last Friday's "Franchise Moment".)
Enjoy the ride, everyone. The team is hanging tough. Providing great experiences. It should be a fun summer.
It will be a fun summer.
Let's Go Mets!
About Santana...next post for sure! Till then,
Stevenn
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