To be a fan of the orange and blue, you understand losing because we were born from it. The parents of the Mets were the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers, and they were also second and third fiddle to the Yankees in this town. This is the way it’s supposed to be, just as the Cubs are second to the White Sox or the LA Clippers are to the Lakers. Mets fans have never argued that point; in fact, we celebrate it. We like being the underdogs; it becomes us.
So spring training is here and the biggest name in Mets camp besides David Wright is Zack Wheeler. Everyone is talking about the young pitcher, but right now it seems he won’t be with the big club when they pack to go north. Otherwise, it is a pretty uneventful spring in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The players and their manager Terry Collins brim with positivity, but their lot is not to be in contention again this year. No one is saying it but everyone knows it.
None of this will stop the real Mets fans with orange and blue in their veins. We will go out to Citi Field, take our kids, and root for the home team. If they don’t win it’s not a shame, it’s business as usual. If they win, we got a little something extra for our ticket price. That's the way it is for Mets fans.
We are all young again from the moment we hear “pitchers and catchers” until that first pitch on Opening Day. If you can get to a Cactus or Grapefruit League game go because the games don’t count and that is part of the fun in the sun, and tickets are really reasonable (general admission at Port St. Lucie is just eight bucks). Before we know it the boys of summer will be taking to fields all over the country, so let’s enjoy spring training for all it’s worth.
Photo Credit: funandsun.com
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