Today, on September 4th, 2015, I turn 26 years old. In most years on this day I’m usually full throttle in Football mode, crossing my fingers that another Jets season won’t go to waste, or perhaps that Joe Namath will find the fountain of youth and return as the Jets starting QB.
This year is different though, and finally after waiting a grueling seven years, the baseball god’s have granted me the best birthday gift of all; a New York Mets pennant race.
Some may say that this is just a mere tease of a present. After all, September’s were made for Mets collapses, and with 29 games still left to be played, it is true that anything can happen. However, heading into tonight’s game against the Miami Marlins, the Mets hold a six game lead over the Washington Nationals for 1st place in the National League East. It’s a safe lead, but after seeing what happened during the September’s of 2007 and 2008, I won’t go as far as to say it’s a comfortable one.
See you have to understand, as a 26 year old die-hard Mets fan, there just hasn’t been a whole lot to cheer about over the years. Sure there was the late 90’s and the World Series appearance against the Yankees in 2000, but that was the one World Series I’ve gotten to see the Mets in, and it didn’t turn out all that well for us. Then there was that magical run in 2006, when I thought for sure it was our year to be kings of baseball.
I remember watching that game seven of the NLCS against the Cardinals when Endy Chavez made “the catch” to rob Scott Rolen of a HR and turning to my Dad and saying, “Ok, this HAS to be our year.” Instead I watched in shock as Carlos Beltran stood lifeless as he watched a called third strike go by him with the bases loaded, crushing any chance of getting to the promised land.
I’ve often wondered if being a Mets fan was a curse. Growing up just a short drive down the turnpike to Philadelphia, people would always ask, “What made you become a Mets fan.” That, as it turns out, is something I can thank my Dad for. I can’t blame him though, after all he did grow up in a time where all was well in Queens. Tom Seaver was throwing gem after gem, and the Mets were the talk of the town. In the late 60’s and early 70’s, the Mets, Jets, and Knicks were all flying pretty high, and it’s the reason I’m fans of those teams today.
Aside from the fact that I’ve probably lost several years of my life watching this team, I can honestly say that I am thankful to be a Mets fan. It may not be the most rewarding franchise in baseball, and I may have never witnessed a Mets World Series Championship, but I know that time will come, or at least I think it will.
We were all told that 2015 was going to be THE year. I myself looked at 2015 as the year where the Mets would at least start to turn things around. So far the Mets have held true to their word, and then some. Instead of being satisfied with just being in “the mix” of things down stretch, it looks as though the Mets will settle for nothing less than a championship, and they shouldn’t.
The Mets have the talent. They have a pitching staff that is second to none, and they now have a lineup that puts fear in the eyes of opposing pitchers. One scout has even called the Mets a “runaway train.” The Mets, the same Mets who were going about their lives on daily basis in a world known as “Panic City” just a couple months ago, are now considered to be a runaway train.
So while the 2015 Mets may have given me a nice birthday gift for a change, I am still not satisfied. Before I blow the candles out tonight, I will be wishing for something bigger, better, and much more fulfilling. Perhaps something that goes much deeper into October and even into November. After all, even at 26 year of age, I can still dream right?
