I Have That Feeling Again

I have followed the Mets for a long time. For me (and many others), that means having a jaded perspective, thinking something would inevitably go wrong and the Mets were destined to end up on the short end of the deal. Having a positive outlook on the Mets, at least for me, is a rarity.

In fact, the last time I can remember being this confident that good things were going to happen was the winter of 1984 when the Mets made the trade for Gary Carter. The 1984 season had been a delightful appetizer at a five-star restaurant. It was great, but better things were on the menu. The Mets had young stars in Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Ron Darling, and Mookie Wilson. Keith Hernandez and Ray Knight were the veteran presence, and now with Carter in the fold, it seemed inevitable that the Mets were bound to win a championship. It took a year longer than expected, but they did.

That level of confidence, at least for me, hadn’t come around again until December 21, 2022. Even after the 1986 championship, it felt like there was going to be a debt to pay, a long drought to remind us that we were, in fact, Mets fans. On Tuesday, December 21, the Mets added Carlos Correa to a roster that had been constructed with a sense of determination from the coffers of Mets owner, Steve Cohen. This Mets team, going into the 2023 season, is stacked. It is not full of young stars with a sprinkling of veterans, as was the team assembled for the 1985 season. Rather, this is a team of veterans, many with all-star pedigree, ready to come together and make Queens the borough of baseball champions.

The current aura of confidence comes not only from the expensive crew set to don the orange and blue in 2023, but also from the organizational commitment to winning and winning sustainably. Things just feel different in Metsville. For the first time in a long time (and maybe ever), winning is paramount. It’s not about doing just enough to keep the fans interested and buying tickets. It’s about pulling out all the stops while aiming for the top prize.

Of course, I’m still a Mets fan. As such, I have my concerns about the 2023 team that I try to suppress. I think about the ages of top starters Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. I’m aware that the Mets will rely on aging veterans Adam Ottavino and David Robertson to handle the seventh and eighth innings in preparation for turning the game over to the best closer in baseball, Edwin Díaz. The depth of the pitching staff is a source of concern. What will happen if the top guys go down? Can the team rely on David Peterson and Tylor Megill to fill in if needed?

It may take a couple of new flags flying over Citi Field before my Mets lens on the world becomes completely free from gloom. But for now, that feeling, the one that good days are coming, is back. It’s been a long time, but it’s back.

The last time, the good days came, and they produced a world championship. This time, I want more than one. I want the organization’s commitment to winning to produce a Yankees-like run of four championships in five years. Is that too much to ask?

Maybe it is. I’m a Mets fan after all. Or maybe, being a Mets fan is different now. Maybe this is a time when being a Mets fan is the reason to ask for multiple championships.

It’s a new day. And it feels great.