I heard people say they were worried about me when I announced I was not following the Mets this year. Well, just to reassure you, it’s been a month or so, and I am OK. I may still crack, but I really haven’t missed not following the Mets for the first time since 1974.
It was the automatic runner being placed on second in extra innings that pushed me over the edge. If that didn’t get me the seven-inning doubleheaders would have. And the idea of flying people all around the country in the midst of a pandemic to play in empty stadiums just doesn’t make sense to me. The virus is so out of hand in America that we aren’t allowed to travel to most countries. The bubble idea adopted in Canada—plus the grown-up way they’ve addressed the pandemic—has impressed me a lot. I’ve watched almost every night of the NHL playoffs so far and it’s been mesmerizing. I was pulling for a Canadian team to finally win the Stanley Cup again, and my nhl.com playoff bracket is pretty much busted. C’est la vie.
But, oh, yeah, I was here to talk baseball. If I ever have to write about the 2020 Mets season some day, I’ll utilize the same methods I’ve successfully used to recreate the pre-’74 seasons I never witnessed. At this point, I want to see if I can take it all the way and skip an entire season—though 60 games seems awfully easy to leave out. Especially with the social media posts I’ve encountered fleetingly regarding impending doom both on the field and in terms of Covid health. This year is not normal, and pretending otherwise is an insult to the 170,000 and counting whose lives this disease has claimed just in the U.S.
I’ve spent so much time over the years obsessing over this team, one benefit is I feel like I’m getting some of my time and energy back. I’m not losing any sleep over blown leads, or injuries, or front office foolishness, or a dozen other things I can’t do a thing about. My main concern isn’t that I’m missing something in this asterisk season, it’s that I am not using my extra time wisely. Maybe we’ll meet again in October. Or in the brave new world of 2021, the year in honor of Tommie Agee (number 20) and Cleon Jones (21), the Mets from Mobile. Goin’ Mobile in 2021!
“I’m an air-conditioned gypsy
That’s my solution,
Watch the police and the taxman miss me, I’m mobile!”