Friday , March 29 2024
Who besides me has thought that this year Flushing will not only be the name of our team's home but also what we can do with the season?

Mets Mess: The Forecast for 2011 Is Cloudy With Plenty of Meatballs

I have been a fan of the New York Mets all my life, sometimes causing myself much pain and anxiety. I can’t help but to tell you the truth: Just like Lady Gaga, I was born this way. I, like lots of Mets fans, emerged from the womb, born of the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. With orange and blue blood coursing through my veins, I have gone through life loving the team but cursing my lot, and this season isn’t going to make life any easier for any of us. Who besides me has thought that this year Flushing will not only be the name of our team’s home but also what we can do with the season?

Most fans of baseball teams are excited now. Opening Day should be “Anything Can Happen Day,” but this year it’s a Friday for the Mets and not a Wednesday. As fans of the old Mickey Mouse Club show know, “Talent Roundup Day” was on Friday, and that is about the best description of the Mets roster this year.

Now we get the latest of the “Good News from Mets Camp” in today’s paper: Jason Bay will likely land on the disabled list to start the season. Sore ribs? Man, this is enough to make a guy want Ed Kranepool to come back, even now, and take a few swings.

We have Carlos Beltran hopping along worse than Cassidy; Angel Pagan has a bad back; Jason is now in Sick Bay; Johan Santana will probably miss most or all of the year, and the starting lineup and pitching rotation have more holes in them than that piece of Swiss cheese on your ham and rye. People used to laugh about the old Mets; well, pull up a chair, folks, and get your handkerchiefs ready, because this season is going to be a cross between a tearjerker and a knee-slapper.

Sport Illustrated just came out with its Major League Baseball preview. In the article the Mets are rightly picked to finish fifth in the National League East. Hey, I’ll go them one better: I’ll bet they will have the worst record in the National League this year. That’s right: they will be worse than the Diamondbacks, the Astros, and probably that little league team up at the park.

Hey, I’m a Mets fan, but I’m also honest. All I can say is the Mets are back home – in the basement –which is right where they started so many years ago. So I’ll watch the games, go to a few, and have no expectations. I’ll yell at the bums, just like my grandfather and uncles did with the Dodgers all those years ago, but I’ll never stop loving them. That’s the lot of the Mets fan and I’m sort of used to it by now. Good night Basement Bertha, wherever you are!

Photo Credits:

Jason Bay – espn.com

Basement Bertha – nydailynews.com

About Victor Lana

Victor Lana's stories, articles, and poems have been published in literary magazines and online. His new novel, 'Unicorn: A Love Story,' is available as an e-book and in print.

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