Mets Players Injured, Fans Hurting

An article by Former Writers    2 Comments

Along with the state-of-the-art scoreboards and sound system, top-notch restaurant amenities and beautifully manicured baseball field, there is one other notable offering at Citi Field. It is available only to the players, however, the fans are the ones affected by it.

It is the curse of Citi Field.

I don’t believe in superstition. There is no God of Baseball to wear a headdress for and dance around a campfire while chanting stupid lyrics. But something is definitely up with this new ballpark. While the “Opening Day Cat” may not have been black, maybe it should have been. After all, it was a black cat that did the trick for us in 1969.

I have been watching baseball, specifically the Mets, for 19 years now, and I can’t ever remember a roster with so many names on the DL side. Coincidence? I think not.

We blame the dimensions of Citi Field for the lack of home run production by our beloved Metsies. However, other teams manage to hit their share of balls over the wall.

There have been so many “What the … ???” plays this year, I don’t even know where to begin. Missing the bag while rounding third base in an attempt to score, a dropped pop-up behind second base (for the last out of what would have been a win agains the Yankees), and an unassisted, game-ending triple play, just to name a few. 

The injuries speak for themselves. Reyes, Delgado, Beltran, Wright, Maine, Santana, Sheffield, Cora, Pagan, Schneider, Pelfrey, Perez, Putz, etc, etc, etc. have all been or still are on the DL . And while Luis Castillo never did make this famous list, the injury that kept him out for several games was certainly caused by one of the freakiest incidents I’ve ever witnessed – slipping down the dugout stairs – at, you guessed it, Citi Field.

While the team may be experiencing the physical pain, it’s the poor fans going through the emotional anguish. How many of us wish we could just put on a uniform and go out there and help? Our loyalty to the team is beyond words.

We are the ones watching. We are the ones waiting. We are the ones hoping.

The 2009 season is not over yet. As long as there are enough games left to play to make up ground on the Phillies, the Mets have a shot. But even if they did make a miraculous comeback, how far could they go with the team that they have? Is it better to just accept defeat and look ahead to a clean, healthy start next year, or to continue to hope and dream, only to be disappointed again, this year?