Forgive me My Gentle Readers for I have sinned. It’s been two days since my last entry. Saturday’s adventure was going to the Mets-Phillies game at Citi-Field. I go to many games, but this was unusual for three reasons; it was fireworks night, because it was fireworks night it was crowded so I had to sit in our actual seats not behind the plate, and most importantly Alan wasn’t there. Alan is the season ticket holder that I go to almost all my sporting events with. Spending time with him is an important reason I go. Saturday night he had a conflict, the Rangers had a playoff game. He gave me one of his tickets. There was one other unusual thing, I arrived late. I ran into trouble posting Wise Madness and spent so much time fixing it I left later than I planned.
Alan’s absence made the game less enjoyable. Our obstructed view seats made the game less enjoyable. The saving grace for the game was the big crowd made the game much more enjoyable. There was excitement in the air. The Mets being great this year is a big part of that. With all the problems I enjoyed the game more than any in perhaps years. I love this team. Even though the final score wasn’t close it was an exciting game. The Mets went ahead 1-0 in the second, fell behind 2-1 in the top of the fourth, and grabbed the lead in the bottom of the inning and Jeff McNeil’s three-run-home. McNeil has a great nickname, The Squirrel. They really need to get a play nicknamed Moose, so they have Moose and Squirrel. McNeil is a fan favorite. He spent his early 20s injured and so was not a prospect. Then he came out of nowhere to be a .300 hitter. In his second season he gained power and hit 23 HR. Last season he fell apart and batted only .251. Let’s blame COVID-19. This year he’s back minus the power but as there’s a power outage in the entire league he’s about as far above average as a total hitter this year as in his second. He plays all over the diamond, hustles, and this year improved his defense. I suspect he’ll be an All-Star. He should be. Fangraphs rates him the league’s 9th best player. Right behind him is the Mets perennial all-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor. He blew the game open with a three run triple in the 5th. The crowd went wild both plays. The shared excitement at a baseball game is the same thing we feel at a concert, and I’m sure other people get at religious services. It’s the joy of being part of something bigger. Few things can match that.
After eight innings Alan’s friend that was sitting with me left and I moved down to better seats. When I arrived who did I find one row ahead? Warren. We’ve been to the same game so many times, but this is the first time we’ve run into each other. Even without Alan I got my male-bonding in. After the fireworks provided by McNeil and Lindor came the literal fireworks display. The Shea Stadium fireworks were the best I’ve seen in the 1980s. They led to me being a pyrotechnics aficionado. Then the Mets ended their relationship with the Grucci Family and the quality of the displays declined. They got even worse when the team moved to Citi Field. I was hoping that with the new ownership would come better fireworks, they did. It didn’t live up to the glory days of the 80s, but they were the best since then. The old ownership never launched the fireworks from the field, at least not when I was at the games. They were poorly choreographed and had uninspired music. All that was corrected. The display was much larger and more impressive. As an aficionado I have two criticisms. The first is that there were no starbursts, where the fireworks explode into giant glittering balls. These are the first thing you think of when you think fireworks. Instead, all the rockets were of the Roman Candle variety, Glowing balls with trails. The second is that they didn’t come to a grand finale. The Gruccis were famous for theirs. I’d rate the fireworks a solid B+. Here’s what they looked like.
Yesterday was a beautiful day but I was lethargic. I finally forced myself to take a walk. That’s always a good decision. I had no destination, the walk was purely for exercise; I did a lap around the reservoir, 3.37 miles in all. I did it at what now passes for a good pace, 3.2 MPH. I used to walk over 4 MPH. Maybe I can get back into that kind of shape. It would be nice.
Last night’s Met game was on ESPN, so I got to watch. The bad part of that is the ESPN announcers. They want to “entertain” the viewers. While the go ahead run for the Phillies was at the plate there were interviewing the Mets’ DH Pete Alonso, mixing stupid questions with some thoughts about the game but totally ignoring what was happening on the field. I was ready to shoot them. It was a great game, better than Saturday. The Mets were ahead 3-1 for most of the game, fell behind 4-3 late, tied it in the 9th and won it in the 10th. There were some sterling fielding plays. It’s hard to tell on TV but I think the crowd was into the game. I hope that happens the rest of the season. I want to shout, “Let’s Go Mets!”
I had Gord’s Gold programmed by Thursday night. I got some new music and made a slight adjustment Saturday. Yesterday I blew it up. There are five songs released in the last few weeks. I’m excited by the themes sets, Pride Month, Indigenous Americans, and gun violence. Today I have to record it. I also have to make a shopping trip to Aldi. That will take care of the days exercise. Now it’s time to make breakfast. I have no idea what’s on the menu. Now I do. French toast.
Wise Madness 