CUBS FANS ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK- THIS MEANS YOU, PAT JOHNSON
I don't remember the exact day, but some time in the Spring or Summer of '64 when I was but a wee wee lad, I became a New York Met's baseball fan. But this I do remember: after getting my fill of Cubs "stuff" from other members of the family, I took the previous day's newspaper, specifically the sports section, and went to my room. It was that moment when I declared my independence from all things Chicago and decided to take my own individual path to the World Series. I frankly got sick of hearing about the Cubs from everyone, and decided to chart my own course.
Looking at the standings I went about to pick MY team. I wasn't interested in a first place or second place team. I was always partial to the underdog, so I scanned all the way down to the last place team. It happened to be the New York Mets. They were a new team (since '62) and decided right then and there that I would hitch my wagon to them, through thick and thin.
And Thick and Thin it was, and still is. They went on to lose 109 games that season I signed on and firmly in last place. The Cubs were in about 7th place out of 10 teams. We were bad for a few years after that. I recall that Dana Fry, a classmate and now Aledo area banker said he would give me a million dollars if the Met's ever made it to the World Series. I'm going to collect that debt one of these days, Dana, with interest. Anyway in just a few years the Met's would have their Miracle Season of '69 and the rest is history. The victims that year were the Cubs who had a large lead going into the final month.
Jeff Sutor posted this picture on his blog of the Polo Grounds where the Mets first began playing their games...well, playing is generous. At least they showed up. Jeff says his grandparents went to New York for the World's fair and snapped this picture. (I stole this picture from his blog just to show you boys and girls how easy it is to pilfer from the internet. Jeff won't mind...dilligaf.) Shea Stadium was built to replace the Met's home field in April 1964, so I'm not sure when this picture was taken. If the Mets opened in Shea on April 17th, and the demolition of the Polo Grounds was in April, then this picture would have been right in that April month, or perhaps not 64 after all. Maybe it was developed in 64 but taken earlier.The fair ran for two six-month seasons, April 22-October 18, 1964 and April 21-October 17, 1965. Therefore, the demolition must have been going on at the time this was taken and the Mets had already moved into Shea.
Since that time, the Mets and I have been on a roller coaster ride. We have made it to the World Series four times, '69, '73, '86, and 2000. A couple more times we made it to the playoffs, and several more times we were in the hunt. But also the Mets have been in last place perhaps more times than any other team given its short history. Presently we are looking at a last place finish in 2012 and are virtually broke under the Wilpon mismanagement. We have reduced our team salary from $140 to $90 this season. There is a clawback lawsuit against the Wilpons for taking profits from their financial wizard Bernie Madoff of the famous Madoff Ponzi scheme fame that bilked billions of people of their life assets.
The Mets are coming to the Tropicana this summer if they can afford transportation. Three games on June 12-14th. The Rays will smash them, but I'll be at one of those games. I'll wear my black Mets Jersey, and if it's chilly even my coat.
The only saving grace to being a Met's fan is: 1. I've experienced the thrill of participating in a World Series three times, 2. the possibility, albeit slim at the moment, of experiencing it again 3. fantasy baseball lessens the lost seasons and pain of losing and 4. I'm not a Cub's fan. Yes, Mr. Sutor, it never gets old.
PS - The Met's blue and orange comes from the blue of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the orange from the New York Giants, both teams that moved to the West Coast.
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