The Will To Rock Flushing

Welcome to the Mets pitching staff.  Now that Chipper Jones has hit a home run off of you, you can officially be initiated into the club. 

Congratulations.

Wow, I have totally neglected this blog all season.  I’ve been in kind of a Mets depression since opening day night.  Why so sad?  Well, I came to realize that was going to be just one of very few games I’ll be attending this year.  I don’t want to be a whiner complaining about obstructed views and ticket prices and whatever else Mets fans are complaining about this week.  But the fact is, I just can’t afford to spend $30 on a ticket every time I want to go to a game.  Jeff can go on and on all he wants about $11 seats.  A few weeks ago I couldn’t even find a ticket less than $70 in April or May.  Thanks only to StubHub I was able to get tickets to the game on Mother’s Day, a tradition I’ve had with my mom and sister for the last few years.  Normally I don’t mind spending a little more on tickets for this game.  But spending $70 for seats that were once bleacher seats in Shea isn’t going to happen.  Granted, I would have a back to my seat and a nice view of Beltran (ahem)… it’s probably only worth it on opening night. 

So this, on top of everything else going on… (Did this really happen???) I haven’t been a huge fan of the Mets organization lately.  It has me in some kind of rut that I’m ready to get over and just start enjoying some baseball games. 

The Phillies are officially in last place.

UPDATE:  And now the Mets are one full game ahead of them. 

I never had any intention of blog hibernating this winter. I always thought I would blog through the playoffs and the off season.  Frankly, I didn’t have it in me.  Baseball ended in September. I didn’t have any desire to go back.  But now… just the sound of Gary Keith, Ron and Kevin makes everything feel right in the world again.

Ahhhh baseball is new again. 

I’m always amazed when people write about their childhood memories at Shea because of the details remembered.  While most of my memories are just a blur of good times at a baseball game, others can remember what they wore, specific dates, pitching match ups and probably the starting lineup.  I have one very specific memory of being at (or near) Shea.  It was July 11, 1986.  (I know this because I looked it up!) My uncle took my sister and I to the game.  El Sid was pitching and the Mets were destroying the Braves when we left the stadium.  I know this because I looked at the box score and when we went to games with my uncle we left after the 7th inning stretch to beat the traffic getting out of the parking lot.  I was never happy about this but at 11 years old I wasn’t one to protest.  While walking toward my uncle’s car in the parking lot where CitiField now stands we heard a huge roar from the stadium. 

Omigod...what am I missing??? 

Forget baseball, drown your October sorrows in boobies!  Today kicks off the Annual Blogger Boobie-Thon.  I’m proud to say that I have been a participant and/or donor since it’s inception in 2002*.  Now you should, too!  Go donate some of the cash you saved on post-season tickets.  If you’re feeling frisky slap a Mets temporary tattoo on your rack and send in a photo of it. Boys, too! (Boys especially!)

Note that some of the pages on the Boobie-Thon site are not work friendly.  Be careful clicking around if you don’t want you boss to catch you looking at breasts all day.

*assuming you found the link… yes, I was blonde back then. 

I’ve written a post all day in my head.  Tonight, anything I type here doesn’t seem like enough to sum up the final days of Shea and a season.  Instead I’ll share a photo of my mom taken on our very slow walk out of Shea.  I think it sums up my emotions right now.

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

if only we could have put them all out on the field tonight… at least on the mound and at the plate.