Every day I have the urge to start Wise Madness with. “Good morning campers! And then go into Tommy’s Holiday Camp. This is the closest I’ve come to doing it.
Last night I went to the Mets – Braves game at Citi Field. The Mets are in the midst of their worst stretch of the season. The Braves are surging. Perhaps surprisingly the Mets were the betting favorites and they are who I went with in my prediction game with Alan. I’m always waiting for Noah Syndergaard aka Thor to break out. His season is not as bad as it looks on paper as his 4.56 ERA belies his 3.72 FIP. He’s been unlucky. But that represents the worst FIP of his career. He says that the laces on the ball have gotten so low that has trouble getting a feel for it. With all that he as a WAR of 2.1 which is very good, just not great. He ranks 13th in the league. Part of it is not quite luck but bad fielding by the Mets. FIP stands for Fielding Independent Pitching.
I was almost late for the game. I forgot to take into account that the 7 train does not run express on Sundays. If I remember correctly that adds 17 minutes to the trip. I was still safely ensconced in my seat by first pitch. I just couldn’t get my free soda first. If you promise to not drink and have a driver’s license you get one.
In the sixth inning with the Mets up 3 – 2, Thor gave up a run and loaded the bases with two outs. He was taken out of the game and one of the Mets’ terrible relieve pitchers Flexen came in. Alan and I figured the Mets would fall behind. But no! He retired the one batter he faced. It was the next inning that he fell apart, giving up 2 runs without getting an out. The Mets were down 5 – 3 but the way this season has gone the lead felt insurmountable. But the way you feel has nothing to do with the game on the field. In the eight the Mets rallied for five runs! Huzzah! It was the most excited I’ve been at a game this year. The Diaz pitched a perfect ninth to hold on to the lead. The Mets won 8 – 5. Even in a lost season a win can feel great. Even in a lost season the Mets can send three players to the All-Star game, McNeil, Alonso, and DeGrom. Alan thought DeGrom didn’t deserve it. He’s third in the league in Pitching WAR. Of course he deserves it. It’s his third All-Star game.
I had a charmed ride home with the elevator arriving just as I got to it. That meant getting out fast, much faster than walking, so I got a seat on the Baseball Express 7 train. That makes even fewer stops than the regular express. The wait for the D train was short. I was home in an hour and fourteen minutes.
I’m glad that I can still get joy out of a baseball game and hanging out with Alan. That’s my takeaway.
Now to have breakfast. I remembered to set up another batch of cold brew yesterday. It will have brewed for just over 24 hours by the time I drink it. I did it right. I remembered to take boneless ribs out of the freezer for dinner. I have to figure out what I’m doing today. I guess I should go to Bob’s bagels. As I won’t be able to next week. Of course I could just go a week without bagels. I have to get my driver’s license renewed before my birthday. This would be a good week to do it. It’s not that hot today so I could walk to the DMV and get my exercise. I could just renew online but that’s causing me anxiety. I would have to go out to get my eyes examined anyway. If I go to the DMV I can get a new picture, one without glasses. I think I’ll go to the DMV tomorrow. I have a plan. I’m also going to the Met – Yankee game tomorrow. Can I get it all done? Yes.
Wise Madness 