I am not a baseball fan. Yeah, I played Little League. Yeah, my dad is really into it. And yeah, I have been to my fair share of games. But honestly, I think the sport can be pretty boring. Innings often pass by with nothing happening, the stats sheet may as well be written in some sort of made-up language, and the game itself sometimes takes a back seat to hot dogs and beer. And sure, I have read “Moneyball.” I have seen the movie and I love both, but my interest wanes around inning four.
Except for the New York Mets. I love the New York Mets. I love the New York Mets. No, seriously, I do not think you get it: I love, love, love the New York Mets. Something about the franchise right now flips everything I have ever felt about baseball on its head.
Maybe it is the fact that they are winning for the first time in decades. Actually, it is definitely that. But there are other factors at play; like Citi Field and the feeling and energy of being there. The Mets’ newfound hot streak has turned Citi Field’s energy contagiously optimistic since what has been dubbed the “post-Grimace era.”
I
remember during last season, I would sit in the stands quietly watching the Mets lose game after game. Fans swore at every batter who struck out and begged management to change pitchers for the fourth time because this one will be better, trust. The lines were short, and the stands were empty. It felt embarrassing to say “Let’s go Mets.” They always let you down when you did.
Now it is the opposite. Citi Field feels electric. I went to a game a few weeks ago with my dad and grandpa and, oh boy, I have not felt that excited about anything in a while. Everyone was excited, drunk on the high of the season – and on alcohol.
There is a buzz around the stadium that I have never felt before. It is like we all think it is too good to be true; we all think our luck has run dry, but the wins just keep coming. That stadium may never stop playing Jose Iglesias’s “OMG.” The momentum is crazy, and the feeling of being a fan is simply Amazin’.
Now I scream “Let’s go Mets” at practically everything, and can you blame me? Every moment of the games has become so exciting. Fans even go crazy about the stuff we did not care about last season.
When Pete Alonso hits a ball that has the slightest chance of being a home run, we stand up. When Harrison Bader catches a pop fly, we lose it. And when Francisco Lindor does literally anything, well, you get it.
Of course, there are still play-offs, and as Billy Beane, the father of “Moneyball” said, “What happens [during the playoffs] is fucking luck.” The playoffs are a crapshoot; there is no guarantee of anything, and I would not be surprised if we did not make it. But that will not stop me from telling anyone with ears that the 2024 Mets will go all the way, trust.
Do not get me wrong, I would love it if we made it to the World Series – I would love it even more if we won the World Series. If that happens, I may have to become a fanatic. I may have to start wearing blue and orange every day for the rest of my life. I may have to buy a $60 shirt from the Team Store. I may have to talk about the win forever.
Of course, I know we are not guaranteed to win and sure, that sucks, but I had so much fun this season that I am not sure that matters to me. I am just happy to have been at Citi Field during a season where we can wear LGM with pride.