You can root for the Mets without being convinced of their doom
I went to the All-Star Game, on a whim, in 2006. It really changed how I felt about the game in general. I had a blast, and I can’t wait to get back to another one, or for it to hopefully be at Citi Field in 2013. It was like being at a party devoted to baseball.
Here’s the article I wrote about it, in 2007. Mid-Summer Excitement
Taking in USA vs. Puerto Rico
In a game that basically didn’t matter, USA vs. Venezuela to determine Pool C seeding, I was rooting for Venezuela for selfish reasons. Their win meant that USA would be taking on Puerto Rico in game two of the second round of the World Baseball Classic, a game I would be at.
My interest starting rising as the game got closer. I really enjoyed Spring Training, but this seemed like a new experience that would be fun. Even so, I was unprepared for energy I encountered. After parking, in the deep parking lot of Dolphin Stadium, we walked towards the stadium. It was about 90 minutes prior to first pitch and the parking lot was loud and buzzing with excitement. People were banging drums, cheering, playing games and waving flags. There was definitely more Puerto Rican fans than USA fans, but there were plenty of both making noise.
Inside it was crowded and loud despite only 30k people in attendance. A couple of players got more cheers and noise than others, but Mets fans will be hard pressed to make as much noise for Delgado and Beltran as there was that night in Miami. They announced all the rosters and then played the anthems of both USA and Puerto Rico. Then in a nice gesture, the two teams crossed the field, shook hands and hugged, and exchanged caps. After that, it was on.
Jake Peavy didn’t really have much, and this led to a quick Puerto Rico lead. The fans were really into the game, applauding and cheering and yelling just as you would any other big game. Just like the cap exchange, the entire game had a competitive feel to it, but with respect. I saw no fights, nor even any angry arguments. Part of this was probably because of the lopsided nature of the game, but sometimes that just creates hard feelings and more fighting. Even after the game was over, the celebration was one of happiness and pride rather than one of ego and degenerates. Even though they never stopped serving beer because the game ended before the 7th inning did.
This is probably the only time I’ll be at a game in which there is a 11-1 7th inning walk-off victory. As embarrassing as it was for USA, it was still cool to see. Puerto Rico lost to Venezuela last night behind K-Rod and King Felix, so tonight we’ll see the rematch of that game. Puerto Rico and the USA face off one more time, this time in an elimination game. It’s exciting in it’s own right, and I hope the fans come out to see it, because it’s going to be thrilling to be there. Either way someone’s going home, and some of the Mets regulars will make it back to Port St. Lucie either way.
I’m not a huge fan of World Cup type competitions. I enjoy some of the Olympic events, because I don’t see those events competitively very often. I’m not overly enthused about the World Baseball Classic as it goes, because ‘USA’ doesn’t actually represent the best of what this country has to offer in terms of baseball players, and as fun as the games may be, it’s still going to be second-rate to the World Series. Second-rate means that since I have a better option, I’m not going to be that excited about it. I feel the same way about minor league baseball and college sports.
However, I’m also not against the World Baseball Classic. The number one reason cited for disliking it usually falls along the lines of injury. This is valid in a sense, but the thing is these guys aren’t robots that live in bubbles. They’d be in Florida or Arizona working out and playing games anyway. I can understand the worry, but you can have that same worry if they were with the club playing games, running in the outfield, or simply taking a taxi cab to the stadium. As far as baseball players go, you generally worry about them getting injured least while they’re actually performing, and that’s what these players are doing in the Classic. Pitchers are also held to a pitch count which is very similar to what they’d pitch in a Spring Training game.
We’re always criticizing players that don’t seem to play hard, or don’t seem to care. We claim they’re multimillionaire athletes playing for the money, not for the love of the game. However, things like the World Baseball Classic suggest that this isn’t the case. These players honestly want to play these games. They are excited to be out there competing for their country, and we should be thankful to have these competitive players on our teams. This has to be better than lulling players to sleep in a sense of complacency with a full month of meaningless spring games.
So far, I’ve enjoyed catching what Classic games I can. It’s certainly more exciting than Spring Training games, and while it’s not quite watching the Mets during the season, it’s exciting in it’s own right. I’m making my first trip down to Florida for Spring Training this week, and it coincides with round 2 of the Classic in Miami. I bought tickets, for what seems like way too much money for Dolphin Stadium, to game two between the Pool C runner up versus the Pool D winner. I’m excited to be there, and I think it will be an interesting experience. It also adds a little bit of intrigue to the round one games. At this very moment, I’m watching Venezuela play Italy in an elimination game. The winner plays the USA team, and the loser of that game is the team that I will see on Saturday. At the very least, I know I get to see the Mets from Puerto Rico on the other side, and as much as I probably should be rooting for the US to win the pool, I’d rather them be second, so I get to see the Mets on the team when I’m there.
So much to talk about after this game. It was probably the best feeling after a game in a while. That said, there is still a long way to go to restore faith and confidence.
Beltran. Metsblog.com quoted a statistic that Beltran was betting .301 in May. That’s pretty good, so stop killing him. He also got a big big hit tonight, again.
Tatis. Remember when we were screaming about how we thought Tatis was going to make this team over Pagan? Not that I don’t like Pagan, but maybe Omar actually does know what he’s doing.
Is it just me, or is SNY making a point of showing Willie Randolph after good moments more? Also, Willie made some excellent managerial decisions tonight. If he doesn’t put on the hit and run in the 12th, the Mets very well might lose this game.
A lot of us have been down on Endy, which I think reflects our overall feelings on the team. But maybe we should lay off a bit and let Endy be Endy. Maybe Willie was right when he said he just needs to get Chavez going.
Sanchez gained some velocity today which Amezaga was able to turn around on him and hit over the fence, but it’s still nice to see Sanchez building his strength up. It was also terrific to see him run hard on his sacrifice bunt.
Speaking of energy, if it ever was really gone, it’s also definitely still there. Beltran was pissed when he popped up the first pitch late in the game. Sanchez had some drive and energy. Tatis couldn’t have looked more excited as he ran around first. Reyes looked a little more relaxed today. There were signs of life all over the place.
Hanley Ramirez’s lame little pseudo-Reyes home run dance with Amezaga was pathetic. I’m really growing to hate that guy.
And of course, finally a nice come from behind win. Twice.
I’m not going to try to over-analyze this game and claim the Mets have turned a corner. They certainly have turned a corner, but they are still at the beginning of the maze.