By virtue of an annual outing with a former co-worker and his entourage of co-workers and son, I took in Sunday's afternoon Met game against the surging Red Sox, who prior to the game had won 8 in a row, and after the game?...well, guess.
There were Red Sox fans all around us. How is this possible? Are they all visiting New York baseball and smell blood in the water? Even heading home on the 7 train I was surrounded by people wearing Red Sox merchandise.
The subway was of curse crowded after the game and I was standing between two guys having a conversation, one wearing a Mets jersey and the other a Red Sox shirt.
I inserted myself politely into their conversation when I heard that the Red Sox guy lived in Queensbury, New York. Queensbury is where my friend and I stayed for decades in our motel base at the Grey Court Motor Lodge before heading back down the Northway to Saratoga.
Red Sox told the other guy he lived behind the Wal Mart. Queensbury is hardly big. It sits between Lake George to its north, and Glens Falls to its south on Route 9, Lake George Road, within walking distance of the Great Escape amusement park. I asked the Red Sox guy if the Grey Court had reopened, since we knew it was changing hands from the McDonoughs to the ex son-in-law who bought it.
Red Sox didn't know of the Grey Court, despite Queensbury being about the size of a postage stamp. This of course made me try ands see if the Grey Court had gone back in business. On Monday, I finished talking to Tom McDonough who ran the motel with his wife Marianne for decades. The motel right now is being occupied by Great Escape staff as a bit of a dormitory. Massive construction is going on to connect the motel to the municipal sewer line. A fall reopening is planned.
I digress, but only to show that when in New York there is a connection to something or someone you know about right where you're standing in a subway car. Better than Six Degrees of Separation.
Initially, when my former co-worker Steve booked the tickets, it with an understanding that it was to be a giveaway event handing out retro Met Jerseys. In fact, Steve told me he was planning on wearing only a T-shirt to the game and leaving the game better dressed.
Not to be. The Mets made it a Kids Sunglasses giveaway, meant to give sunglasses only kids who entered. Once I cleared the metal detector and the ticket scanning, I asked where are the sun glasses? I was pointed to two high school girls who were handing them out, but ostensibly only to children at the game.
Not knowing it was supposed to be a giveaway to only kids brought to the game, the young lady asked me if I had kids. "Yes, I've got kids, just not with me." She somewhat reluctantly handed me a pair of the Met blue plastic sunglasses. I intend to give them to my 2½-year-old grandson. "Pays" to be a little pushy.
Eat something before the game? Got plenty of time.
Been looking forward to the pastrami on rye I had last time that was decent. That and a water and I'm at the seat. There are no little platform ledges to stand and eat this thing before heading to the seat.
Open the sandwich. It is not cut in half. The lazy bone bone heads assembling these sandwiches didn't even cut it in half. I don't have a kitchen knife with me. (Would the metal detector go off if I did?) But I prevail, but not happily. I email Guest Services to alert their staff to CUT THE SANDWICH IN HALF. No answer. Writing a USPS letter to Steve Cohen today. I hate to be ignored. I still have 78¢ Forever stamps, which are now 82¢, so I'm getting a bargain on delivery.
Even a casual baseball follower would be aware that the Mets are having a terrible year. After a prolonged losing streak they fired their manager in his third year, Carlos Mendoza. Despite a wild card playoff appearance one year, the Mets have underachieved. I never thought much of Mendoza. He seemed asleep standing on the dugout steps. Goodbye Carlos.
Managing now? Andy Green, plucked from the front office. A former player and manager, Green assumes the role of interim manager. Huge change in now winning more games? Not at all. My 14-year-old granddaughter will tell anyone who asks about the Mets that METS is an acronym of MY ENTIRE TEAM SUCKS/STINKS. Something about teenagers who get things right.
But of course in this era of protecting a pitcher's arm, 82 pitches over 7 shutout innings means Zach needs to come out and let the bullpen nail the win down. I said to my friend's co-worker after the 7th inning that I was now worried about the bullpen. Eddie, being a rabid Met fan knew my fears were justified.
The Mets need 6 outs to give Thornton his first MLB win. In comes Luke Weaver. Three outs.
But of course, a reliever has to be removed for another reliever to get the real nails driven into the Red Sox coffin and secure the win for Thornton and avoid a three game sweep by the resurgent Red Sox.
Well, how did that go? It might have gone well if Fransico Lindor didn't muff a game-ending double play for an error. Now the Red Sox are standing on bases they weren't standing on all game, Today's New York Post gives a mid-season report card on the Mets and its players and mangers.
Fransico, coming back from a prolonged injury, gets a D. from the New York Post report card. Up to the 9th inning, was the hero, driving in the runs with a double and a homer. If Bill Gallo were alive Lindor would be drawn as the game's hero.
After the error, Gallo would have drawn Lindor as the goat, and that didn't mean Greatest Of All Time. It meant the boo-boo guy.
So, who was the second reliever? Devin Williams, who the New York Post gives a D to, telling us "a disappointing overall performance for Edwin Diaz's replacement, who has pitched to a 4.70 ERA and blown three saves. When he's off, he's ugly bad." Meet "ugly bad."
Met fans will remember the Mets flubbed signing Edwin Diaz, and saw him go to the talent rich Los Angeles Dodgers. Nothing like helping out the team in your league. The Dodgers are currently coasting with a winning percentage of .629, with the second place team, Arizona, behind them by 11½ games. The Dodgers look like the Yankees of old. Break up the Dodgers.
Devin gets out of the inning, but he allows a run to walked in, and a single that ties the game. The Red Sox have occupied the bases like the British did New York City during the Revolution. It was hard to watch.
Brooks Raley comes in to stop the invasion. A 10th inning is required, and that means a man gets to start at 2nd base in order to speed the game up and get to a decision. One of the better changes in baseball.
Raley stays in to pitch the 10th. Tactics. The runner on 2nd is bunted over to third and a sac fly gets him home. 3-2.
Bottom of the 10th for the Mets. Three outs and the fair-size crowd heads for the exits. It's a nice Sunday afternoon, and no one seems to be booing. They should be.
The extra inning has caused Steve and his entourage to miss a train at Penn Station that would take them home to New Jersey. The 5:11 is missed;. the 6:11 is taken, making the day even more frustrating.
I leave the game thinking I'd rather lose 9 races at either Belmont or Saratoga than sit through a 10-inning Mets game loss.
The New York Post is really the only New York paper covering baseball and all home sports with any attention. In Tuesday's edition when report cards are revealed, the Mets General Manager, David Stearns get an indelible F. "The architect of this nightmare. His misses on this roster far outweigh his hits."
Fans have already taken to creating signs that say "STEARNS MUST GO." After Mendoza was let go it was widely assumed that Stearns should be looking toward his next employment. Well, not so. Steve Cohen of the Mets has given a vote of confidence to Stearns telling anyone who will write it down that he'll be here to finish his contract, which expires in 2½ years.
This seems like a hollow promise, and likely means the kiss of death for David's employment with the Mets when the season ends.
Meanwhile, Steve, our social director, is already planning on what tickets to buy for next year.
Because if anything is true about sports, there is always next year.
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