Monday, February 25, 2008

Why I'm A METS Fan

As I've written, I'm a METS fan who has abandoned the Metro NYC area for New England. The reasons were for quality of life, but that doesn't mean I left my love for the New York METS behind. NEVER!

Being a baseball fan in Boston has taken on an obnoxious tone. The Sox are everywhere and dissing the National League is the in thing. Callers (and some radio hosts at WEEI AM) refer to the Senior Circuit as "Triple A" baseball. They think we METS fans are just Yankee fans in hiding. Kind of insulting.

For years, I watched the METS on cable on WWOR, and struggle to follow them by reading box scores in the Boston Globe (owned by John Henry, Principal owner of the  Red Sox). Sometimes, you can't even find a single paragraph game summary

.  Why I Love The Mets.

  • THEY ARE NOT THE YANKEES The Steinbrenners are boorish and terrible for the game. Although the steroid disgrace has touched the METS, the Yankees 4 straight Titles seem a bit tarnished, don't they. Does Roger throwing a bat at Mike Piazza strike you as steroid rage?? HMMMMM?
  • THEY PLAY IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE Continuing the 125+ year tradition of National League baseball in New York, from CHRISTY MATHEWSON, JOHN MCGRAW, CARL HUBBELL, PEE WEE REESE, DUKE SNIDER, JACKIE ROBINSON, WILLIE MAYS, GIL HODGES, SANDY KOUFAX, ROY CAMPANELLA, BOBBY THOMPSON, TOM SEAVER, JERRY KOOSMAN, DOC GOODEN, DARRYL STRAWBERRY, MIKE PIAZZA, PEDRO MARTINEZ , DAVID WRIGHT, CARLOS BELTRAN, JOSE REYES.
  • THEY PLAY IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE I saw Roberto Clemente, Henry Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Frank Robinson, Juan Marichal, Lou Brock (Jerry Grote owned him), Bob Gibson, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Willie Stargell, Mike Schmidt, Tony Gwynn, Fernando Valenzuela. I stopped at 1990 because I've been a full time fan, but on TV and the radio since then.
  • THEY PLAY THE BRAVES AND PHILLIES A dead rivalry, and new one that is blossoming
  • THEY ARE NOT THE RED SOX METS baseball is still baseball, not some packaged product. The fan still matters.....