I’ve had a busy 24 hours. I was supposed to go to the Mets home opener on Thursday and then directly to my Seder in Connecticut. The Mets postponed the game on Wednesday because of the possibility of bad weather. If you think that 75º and sunny is bad weather, then that forecast was accurate. Instead, they played today when it was 55, overcast, and windy. That really isn’t fair. I was supposed to go to the Cyclones home opener today and had to miss it.
It did make it easier to get to the Seder. I walked to Fordham Road to catch the train to South Norwalk where I was picked up by my Louis. I spend every Pesach with Louis, his wife Sylvia, their two daughters Marjorie and Denny, and whoever they invite. How do I know them? Louis is my sister Alison’s high school boyfriend and Sylvia her college roommate. As I’ve known Louis since I was 5 or so and Sylvia since I was 8. Sylvia insists I’m still 8 which is fair as I think their daughters are still teenagers. Alison was of course there along with much but not all of the usual crowd. Sadly, some regulars could not make it.
I tell everyone this is the best Seder in the world, because it is the best Seder in the world. I do not exaggerate. There was one major issue, Alison forgot the chocolate matzoh! That’s pretty much unforgivable but in the spirit of the holiday I forgave her. I am not the vengeful person that god is portrayed as in the Pesach story. This year we were all struck by how mean the father is to the wicked child in the story of the four children. I can’t find the version we use but this is close.
The Wicked One asks: “What does this ritual mean to you?” (Exodus 12:26) By using the expression “to you” he excludes himself from his people and denies God. Shake his arrogance and say to him: “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt…” (Exodus 13:8) “For me” and not for him — for had he been in Egypt, he would not have been freed.
Most of our Haggadah is progressive focusing on the values of peace, freedom, caring for the less fortunate, and inclusion, but there’s only so far you can stretch the source material.
Today I went to the Met game, the weather was cold and unpleasant, but the atmosphere was warm and comforting. It’s baseball, the greatest game ever invented, and it’s the Mets, the chosen people, chosen by me. The delight started on the train ride where I befriended some New York expatriates, now living in Seattle, that came in for the game. What got us talking is that the husband was wearing a Luis Guillorme jersey. Guillorme is the Mets super sub but not particularly popular. Last season when I suggested that he should start over Eduardo Escobar I was greeted with backlash from the other Met fans. I love finding someone that agrees with me. Do you know who else agrees with me? Every comprehensive baseball stat. The one that is easiest for me to convey to a general audience is Wins above average, Last year Guillorme was half a win above average and Escobar 0.6 wins below average. Oh, and the fan I met had a black beard like Guillorme’s.
The Mets had a rough few days on the road. They did much better with the home cooking. They won 9-3. Tyler Megill, one of my favorites, started and pitched 6 shutout innings and gave up only hits. The Mets took advantage of 11 walks by the Marlin Pitchers. On-base machine Brandon Nimmo walked four times. Alonso, Lindor, and Marte each homered. Escobar was 0 for 4. He’s batting .083 for the season.
There were changes at the ballpark that were all for the good. Even though there was a huge crowd we got in very quickly, there were not long lines. There’s a fantastic, huge 8K new scoreboard. It’s now easy to find all the information you want on the games and the players. It used to be difficult to see who was up next for the opposing team, now it’s always easy. Instead of listing every player’s batting average it gives what we now know is more important, On-base plus slugging. They list the speed of every pitch and the exit velocity of every hit ball in places it’s easy to see and read. For the first time in years there is room on the out-of-town scoreboard for every game. They used to have to rotate them. It’s even easier to see the time and temperature. I of course love the new rules. We got to see a stolen base, and thanks to the pitch clock the game moved. Sure, it was over three hours, that’s what happens when 11 walks are issued. Last year this might have been a four-hour game. This is the game of my youth, so much less dead time.
When I got home, I saw that people were complaining about the patches on the uniforms advertising the New York Presbyterian hospital system. It took a while for me to even notice them and then I forgot about them. There was a problem with the red and white patch clashing with the Mets blue and orange color scheme. They are going to change that.
I usually don’t order food, but it was the home opener, so I celebrated by buying my traditional hot dog and fries. Bogey got it.
There are far more food choices now and if I had gotten to the game earlier, I would have explored them. I’m going again on Monday; I’ll do that then. I had one complaint, a big one, my hot dog was cold! They were training somebody new, and he probably didn’t know which dogs were ready and which weren’t. I didn’t find out until I bit into it at my seat. It was still a Nathan’s frank and those are the best, though of course overpriced. That’s the reason I usually don’t buy food at the games.
The world is funny. I wrote about two things that gave me great joy and are spiritually uplifting. That didn’t stop me from bad anxiety and depression after I was home. I have to use all the coping methods I learned in therapy. I do not let myself get sucked into the vortex. Still, I wish I didn’t have to fight it. I have plenty of plans for the rest of my spring vacation. Keeping busy helps.
Wise Madness 