What it's Really Like to be a Mets Fan

By now the New York Mets are nothing more than an ongoing joke; a joke that seems to never be overused, but also a joke that is sadly and utterly true (most recently by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show).  Being a Mets fan has had its moments, like two world series trophies (one in 1969 and another in 1986), and more recently a National League pennant in 2000 and nearly another in 2006.  But for someone born after the two World Series titles, like I was, the last two are the only ones I have witnessed.  As fun as it was to see the Mets take on the Yankees in 2000, and Endy Chavez's home run-robbing catch to send the game into extra innings in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, there has been unparalleled heartbreak.

"The Catch" as is has come to be known as, was a moment that caused all Met fans to believe.

Although the 2000 and 2006 runs were memorable moments in recent Mets history, even they ended in heartbreak.  In 2000, the Yankees made short work of the Mets in a hyped-up Subway Series and 2006 left us in utter disbelief after Yadier Molina hit the game winning homer in the top of the 10th only to see Adam Wainwright strike out Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning.  

Side note: the loss to the Cardinals in Game 7 in the 2006 NLCS happened on October 19th: my birthday.  How fitting.

Not quite sure how to put this feeling into words...

Since 2006, it seems as though the Mets have been plagued.  2007 came with all sort of expectations, coming off a good season in 2006 with most players returning, the Mets were primed to make a run.  With 17 games to go in the season, the Mets had a comfortable 7 game cushion in the NL East, all they had to do was cruise into the playoffs, but what they did was crumble.  They lost that lead to not only lose the division race, but fall out of the playoffs completely after losing to the Marlins on the final day of the season (the infamous outing by Tom Glavine in which he surrended seven runs while only recording one out), becoming the first team ever to blow a lead that large with so few games remaining.

Despite being one of the Mets' most reliable pitchers during his tenure, his debauchery of the last game of 2007 will always overshadow his Met success.

In 2008, with the bitter taste in everyone associated with the team's mouth, they were destined to come back with a vengeance.  What us fans got was deja vu.  The Mets set another dubious record by being the first team ever to squander 3.5+ game division leads two years in a row, after blowing a 3.5 game lead again on the last day of the season... to the Marlins.  This one seemed to sting even more than the last because it left us shaking our heads saying, "Did this really just happen again?" It was embarrassing.

The past two years have been one blunder after another, with a permanent stain left by former General Manager, Omar Minaya, with one bad contract after another; most notably the 3-year $36 million contract to Oliver Perez, who even the word "bad" couldn't begin to describe him, and the 3-year $37 million contract to Francisco Rodriguez who has been average at best, a record for MLB closers (not to be confused with NBA closers, a la Dillon Sprowls).  Over the past two seasons the Mets' combined record was a miserable 149-175.  

Now the Mets owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, are being sued for up to $1 billion for their alleged involvement with Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme, forcing them to sell up to 49% of the team's ownership stake, which should be happening any time now.

These men have dug themselves, and the Mets franchise, quite a deep hole.

But through all the turmoil and the heartbreak, as if it wasn't enough, perhaps the most disappointing thing about being a Mets fan is the constant glimmer of hope.  It seems that at the start of every season there is a reason to believe for the Mets.  In 2007 it was the redemption of the 2006 NLCS heartbreak, in 2008 it was the fact that the Mets were even in a position to collapse, because there was absolutely no way it could happen again (right?), in 2009 it was the the signing of the closer who had saved more games in a season than anyone in history, and in 2010 it was the new regime after the firing of GM Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manual, with some promising new young players.  It is this hope that only leads us to insanity, because after all, as Michael Douglas taught us in "Wall Street"and Albert Einstein before him: insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That may be the best way to sum up the life of a Mets fan: we have the same hopes every year and expect that the next will end up differently, better.  

But, at the same time, I think I can say that this is also the best part of being a fan, and what makes us great fans... there is always hope.

The Prettiest Ugly Game I've Ever Seen

Last night, I, like many others, tuned into CBS to watch the NCAA Men's Basketball between the University of Connecticut Huskies and the Butler Bulldogs.  But what I, and the rest of the country, saw was one of the worst postseason games, let alone championship games, ever played.  Last night, we saw Butler shoot an abysmal 18.8 percent from the floor.  The score was 22-19 at half, and I was wondering if I had just watched a half of soccer...  They go all the way down the court and ohhhh, a miss.  Then it goes back all the way down the other end and a turnover, back the other way it goes.  It was painful.

There was a lot of this to be seen Monday night.

But after watching the University of Connecticut hoist the NCAA Championship trophy, and after seeing Jim Calhoun, who had just become the 5th coach ever to win his 3rd title, thrust the trophy into his star point guard, Kemba Walker's, hands, I realized something.  I realized that despite one of the ugliest games I has ever seen, and one of the worst shooting performances in history, this team deserved it more than any other team to ever win the tournament.  This group of kids, led by their guy, Kemba Walker, started this season without a single vote to be ranked in the preseason polls.  They peaked at number 4 during the season, and rode an improbable streak of 5 wins in 5 days to win the Big East Tournament, which included a buzzer-beater against Pitt by Walker.

It seemed as if no one had an answer for Walker.  But the more impressive thing about 

him may be that he is about to graduate on May 8th (also his 21st birthday) in a mere 3 years.

In the Final Four, however, Walker took on a lesser role as Freshman Jeremy Lamb had the hot hand and in the title game it was Alex Oriakhi who stole the show as his size, length, and strength couldn't be matched by the more finesse-oriented team in Butler.  For the tournament as a whole, however, it was the Kemba Walker show.  Walker's crossovers and big jumpers at key moments are what won them this tournament.  Right now, Walker is projected to be selected somewhere in the middle of the first round of the upcoming NBA draft.  Now, whether that is because he is an undersized guard or whatever the knock on him may be at the time, one thing cannot be argued, the kid's got game.  What I got out of this tournament, and what I hope many others have too, is that whoever selects the 20 yr old Walker will have a player that not only can shake the defender and hit the step-back jay, but they're getting a kid that can flat-out win.  Kemba Walker, folks, is a winner.