It’s amazing how small an event can give us pleasure.
The section that I sometimes sit in (I’m not giving it away for safety reasons), is a bountiful section for those orange t-shirts that they shoot out of cannons. There have been no less than five that have come near me for the three games I was there. So not only was I not surprised that my friend got one in the fifth, I wasn’t as surprised as I should have been when I got mine in the seventh. I knew I’d get one before the season was over, and the fact that we both got one was mere icing on the cake.
What did surprise me was how happy I was to get it. I mean … it’s a freaking t-shirt. I have about 200 of them. I even have a cannon shirt from 2008 (which will always be my favorite because it acknowledges the final season at Shea) so this isn’t even my first. But having had at least two shirts go off my fingers in ’09 and ’10, this brought out a lot of pent up frustration to the forefront. I reacted like Anthony Young after his first win in 28 decisions. For a t-shirt.
So yes, the Mets were winners on Saturday after another stellar performance by Dillon Gee, a bases loaded triple by Jose Reyes in the seventh (plus another RBI from Justin Turner and a big hit from Jason Pridie to lead it off), and a lead that wasn’t blown in the final two innings. But this blogger, after screaming primal for an orange t-shirt, is a loser. (An orange t-shirt, it must be told, went great with the orange giveaway Mets hat … my buddy and I took our orange hats and shirts and hunted for quail after the game … everyone was vewwy vewwy quiet. Hahahahahahahahahah.)
Also a winner is the Mets alumni club, which has gone from something non-existent to a group that even includes Doug Sisk, who was in the park tonight with Jim McAndrew and Dennis Cook. (Rick Aguilera was there yesterday, and former Mets as Ed Hearn, Edgardo Alfonzo, and George Foster have made appearances.) Ownership of this franchise deserves all the flack it gets for not putting enough Mets stuff on the walls at first. But bringing actual Mets to the park is a huge bone to throw to the fans who try like hell not to lose their connection to the history of this franchise. Where the Mets once made that hard, now they actively bring that connection to us. Credit where credit is due.
I leave you now for a brief hiatus. I will make my return Monday, June 13th. Enjoy the Greece/Ecuador soccer game (Speaking of, Saturday was Greece heritage night. When is Ecuador heritage night?)
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