Are you dreading the upcoming season? Losing sleep at night worrying about Ollie's mental state? Jose's thyroid? Waking up in a cold sweat shouting "TWO hands, Luis!!!" Anticipating the day that Jerry's post game philosophical musings leads to a beat writer's head exploding?
I understand. Mets fandom is fraught (love that word!!) with anxiety. We are the perennial little brothers in this town, the red-headed stepchildren of New York baseball. The ones without 27 rings (is it 27? Or 26? Doesn't matter, you get the point). The agony of the yearly emotional soup of hope/happiness/disgust/anger.
Every spring, it seems, there are questions. Will the pitching staff hold up? Who will come down with some bizarre injury/illness that will keep him out for 2 weeks to 3 months? Will there be more stealth firings? Will the obstructed views at Citi finally be un-obstructed? What about that DAMN center-field wall?
Don't know about you, but I am loving it. Rooting for the underdog in this town is tailor-made for me. It's frustrating, exciting, always interesting. How boring to be a Yankee fan, where most years a playoff run is a given. The most interesting news to come out of Yankee camp this spring is whether Joba should start or relieve. YAWN. Can we beat that horse to death, finally??
So my philosophy this year is to enjoy the run. I will cherish our first visit to Citi (whenever it may occur); that moment when you reach your level and see the field for the first time. I will love the ride home from work with Howie and Wayne to keep me company, no matter the score. I will keep SNY on all day Saturday afternoons, just to catch every minute of the pre-game shows. I will read about every controversy, argue with Mr L about every pitching change, and cry over every injury. And most importantly, I will not have any expectations for a playoff run. I am simply going to love watching Mets baseball this year. And if by some miracle the now-underdog Mets make it to the post season, watch out! My head may explode too.
Happy St Patty's Day, loves!!
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