Hi, my name is…

Written 5/22/2008 after a tough loss

Hi, my name is Tom and I am a Mets fan. They say the first step is to admit you have a problem. Well, I love the Mets. It started years ago…about 22 years ago, casually. I told myself it was no big deal and I could stop whenever I wanted to. I remember the first time I cheered for them, but it was no big deal. Then, they went and won the World Series and I was hooked. When Gooden got caught that last time, David Cone was traded and Vince Coleman threw that firecracker, I vowed to never invest my heart again. When Pendelton hit the home run in 1987, Mike S. in 1988 and Kenny Rogers threw ball four in 1999, I told myself, “Never Again”. By the time the ump said “Play Ball”, I was right back…Heart riding every pitch again.

On nights like this, I want to vowed off them again. I want to just say “No”. Then, I think of the Grand Slam Single and Gary Carter hugging Keith Hernandez towards the end of their Mets careers and Mike Piazza’s post 9/11 home run and the way Shea Stadium shakes when it is packed full of Mets fans and the Mets are rallying. I know that, despite the disappointment I feel tonight, hope will spring eternal again when my Mets take the field tomorrow. That’s what’s great about baseball. Tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to redeem yourself. Even if they never win again, I know, I will still follow them, waiting for that next win and waiting for that hight that goes with it.

My name is Tom and I love the Mets.