Pictures, Words, and the Lack of Them
I went to a baseball game today (5/15/08) at Shea stadium. I had a wonderful time with friends and I almost saw the Mets first no-hitter (seriously Pelfrey made me very happy and hopeful). I’m not going to spoil my serenity right now by talking about the game. I had unusually excellent seats and so I saw all the baserunning and a catch on the left field line from very close up. I am not any better for this. Readers of my blog have probably noticed that although I have been writing on my Mets blog, I am not saying very much about the 2008 Mets yet. The truth is that there’s very little I have wanted to say. I have not been happy, but I haven’t wanted to join everyone else jumping on the team. So I have written about stuff like loyalty and life and what we love about being Mets fans. I am beginning to run out of the nice stuff. I am afraid I am going to have to vent soon about what I don’t like about being a New York Mets fan right now. The season is almost one-quarter over. But before I say anything, I want to wait to see what happens with the annual May madness of the first Yankees series. Who knows? A gutty performance in that series might turn things around, as a no-hitter might have today, or a Wright clutch hit, or a Delgado home run.
In the meantime, here are some pictures you can’t get anywhere else:
Gary, Keith, and Ron broadcasting from the “upper tank”
Mets literati: From left to right, Greg Spira, Greg Prince, Me, and Matt Silverman. More words about the Mets have been written by the people in this photograph than have been written by the people in any other photograph I’ve ever seen.
Mets Glitterati.
I was in perfect position, and I was all set up to photograph the Mets dugout if the game had ended with something dramatic. I have nothing to show you. Let the pictures above amuse you.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:33 am
I was at the game too today, Dana, not too far from where you were sitting actually (upper field level, between 3rd and home). This team seams to be in all sorts of disaray right now, between the lack of hitting, baserunning blunders, managerial mishaps, and what have you. And did you hear about Billy Wagner’s post-game interview?
I’m still going with my theory, though, that the first two months will be just like the better part of last season, and then come June, we’re gonna see a much different, and much better team. 2007 followed this pattern in relation to its predecessor season. Just a feeling.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:14 am
I was at the game today. I took my son who is 3.5 years old to his first met game. Suffice to say that the Mets did not let my son down in teaching the hard lesson of what it is like to be a long-suffering met fan. Fortunately, the fact that it was his first game allowed me to watch the game through a different perspective. I found myelf getting caught up in the “gliterati” of Shea.
On a more serious note. I could not help but feel terrible for Big Pelf. He pitched his heart out and this team let him down. Pelfrey did not deserve the poor exhibition of baseball that manifested itself in the following plays; Castillo and Wright not running out the dropped ball in right, Jose’s ego taking over his mind, Beltran’s unecessary break for home on the Delgado final out. Three runs that were completely wasted. I am frustrated, but am trying hard to not get too caught up in it. I have not listened to the fan all season because I refuse to go down the path of the typical bitch sessions designed to prod the angst of any fan with a voice. Today I found myself yelling at a fan for booing Willie for Reyes’ poor decision. It appears that the fans have lost their mind. This is not what the team needs. The only cure for the insanity is winning now! I will be at Yankee Stadium tomorrow night and will be watching closely to see whether Johan can be the guy to stop the bleeding…..we’ll see.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:17 am
I am sorry that you had to suffer through those horrible plays, but it must have been exciting to watch Pelfrey pitch - and in such esteemed company! It’s almost a shame that the four of you weren’t in the upper deck w/ Gary, Keith and Ron - now that would have been something.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:40 am
MetsMom, It may not be humble of me, but I agree with you. At the very least, SNY could take more notice of the excellent crew of Mets authors, filmmakers, and bloggers out there and let us be part of their programming in some way.
May 16th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Why is Greg wearing the Expo cap? No that I don’t love it. It takes me back. Back to when the Expos gave away the Bocca-Brellas in honor of thair catcher, John BOC–ca-BEL-LA!
May 17th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Confidential to Theresa:
I wear the Expos cap once a year to Shea as a tribute of sorts to our fallen opponent, to a team that no longer exists, to its fans who no longer have a game to go to, to a rivalry I always got a kick out of. Since Montreal’s first and last games ever were at Shea, I can’t think of a better spot in all of America to wear it.
Before 2008, I wouldn’t have worn it when the Mets were playing the Nationals since the Nationals, of course, used to be the Expos and it might appear I was giving aid and comfort to the enemy. (I wore a Diamondbacks cap with a Mets t-shirt in 2002 to express my appreciation to Arizona for the outcome of the 2001 World Series and got dirty looks from short-memoried Mets fans.) But since the Mets now have more ex-Expos (Church, Schneider, Tatis, Vargas, Chavez, Alou; plus Pedro) than the Nats do, it seemed like maybe there was some reverse voodoo in it that would help the Mets Thursday. Alas, nothing could help the Mets Thursday.
Plus I woke up with a bit of a headache that morning and it’s one of the few caps I own that’s big enough not to squeeze my freakishly oversized melon.
Thanks for asking!
May 17th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I’ll always have a warm spot in my heart for the Expos for a couple of reasons: 1) We got Rusty Staub and Gary Carter from them; 2) I used to practice my listening French (to little avail) by listening to an Expos station I could get late at night; 3) I saw the Expos clinch their only division title at Shea, with the stands filled with very happy people in Expos regalia; 4) I loved Expo 67. The Expos were the last remnant of that wonderful Fair, as Shea is almost the last remnant of the wonderful 1964-5 Fair. Expos nostalgics might enjoy Matt Silverman’s piece on his blog about the meanings of the death of the franchise at metsilverman.com.