With the Jets beating the Titans (and I’m sure Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher just loved wearing “Houston” on his shirt, and didn’t those old-time N.Y. Titans uniforms look cool?), the Giants beating the Bucs, the Tiger and Phil show at the Tour Championship/FedEx Cup finale, and the Yankees winning their 100th game and clinching the AL Eastern Division championship and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, did anyone see Pat Misch shutout the Marlins yesterday and maybe knocking them out of the playoffs (revenge isn’t as sweet as I thought it would be)? Or was it one of those trees falling in a forest kind of things.
I watched…most of it. At one point, the camera found a die-hard masochist Met fan in the stands holding up a sign, a take-off of Mastercard’s commercial about traveling a long way and spending a lot of money on airfare and a hotel and tickets and how being a Mets fan was priceless (for some of us it’s actually rather expensive, but I digress). Gary Cohen then started ruminating about this lost season, noting that “miracles are worth waiting for, and that’s what makes a Mets fan.”
I’m having a hard time with that. I understand what he’s saying – that the rare championship is all the sweeter for the waiting – but watching the Yankees celebrating a championship…again…I think I’d risk being bored by winning all the time. Discuss.
But enough of this philosophical folderol. Here are the middle three of my Nine Things That Make Me Go Hmmmm.
6. Leave the Boys Alone (Excelsior Gold Sections 318-319-320 Only): The picture above is my view of the SNY booth from my seats. I think Gary Cohen and Ron Darling both have begun to recognize me (Keith’s always in his own world). When one of them recognizes my existence with a look, I smile and nod in greeting and I usually get a friendly nod back. Excelsior newbies, however, insist on yelling and waving at the boys in the booth – WHILE THEY’RE ON THE AIR! Last Monday night, a modern version of Margaret Dumont’s entitled matron came by and tried to toss a book she was waving into the booth for them to sign. Fortunately, the ushers are Johnny-on-the-spot at putting a stop to this and similar Gary, Keith and Ron Tom-foolery. If you’re going to sit in one of these three sections, feel free to gawk, stare, point, snap a picture – then leave them alone and let them do their usually excellent jobs, regardless of what world Keith is currently inhabiting.
5. Gameus Interuptus: The Mets have been posting a message on the scoreboard asking fans to respect their neighbors and wait until after an at bat to return to their seat. After all, and I know it’s hard to remember this, when you stand up those behind you can’t see. Your father wasn’t a glass maker and all that. But let me go three steps further. First, unless you forgot your Depends and didn’t take your Flomax, don’t get up and leave your seat during an at bat. Second don’t get up from your seat during a rally and, three, don’t get up and/or don’t come back during an inning. Many stadiums actually bar you from returning to your seat while there’s action on the field. There are plenty of ushers at CitiField who can block section entrances and restrain those less interested in the game or indifferent to the annoyance they would cause to those of us actually watching the game until the inning is over. But they don’t and won’t. So, please – at CitiField you can watch the game from behind almost any section of the stands or on a monitor. If you must leave and/or come back in the middle of an at bat or inning, please respect those of us still sitting and scoring, and wait until the third out.
4. The Race is Fixed: During the mid-innings, an animated race pitting two Arpielle trucks, one schlepping a light tower vs. the other a fork lift, is played on the centerfield video screen (and aren’t those twin Arpielle banners flanking the screen the ugliest ads you’ve ever seen?). The cartoon vehicles leave from an animated midtown Manhattan, jockey for position over a ghostly 59th Street Bridge (and feeling groovy) then speed on a fantastically empty Grand Central to CitiField. What’s my beef? People cheering. At a cartoon race. Whose outcome is pre-determined. I understand yelling at the which-hat-is-the-ball-under animation, and the which-hat-is-the-gift certificate-under contest, and the whiffle ball home run derby – but an cartoon race between ugly trucks? I know the Mets aren’t so entertaining these days, but are we that starved for competition? If you are, try playing Mound Ball*.
* Mound Ball: Collect a dollar from everyone in your group or row and one person holds the loot. At the end of a half inning, the ball gets rolled back toward the mound. If it clears the grass lip and ends up on the actual mound – and stays there – whoever is holding the loot keeps it and you start all over. If it doesn’t, everyone throws in another buck and the loot pile gets passed to the next person. Now THAT’S something to cheer for!
The final three Things/Hmmm in a day or so.
9 comments
metsfan4decades
9/28/2009-7:39am at 7:39 am (UTC -4)
Nice seats, mrbaby. And love the picture.
I haven’t been to Citifield yet for a few reasons, not the least is which I don’t live very close, but have watched every game of the season except 2 – including yesterday. Nice game, Pat Misch. I’ve spent many a season watching watching awful teams and this one is no different. It’s just that the expectations were so high coming in – and dashed pretty much by the end of June.
I’m lucky enough to live in the SNY market so most games I’ve got the SNY booth. Pretty much don’t have to see the booth to know Keith is in his own world. Gotta love Keith. And here’s to the best booth in MLB.
Kingman 26
9/28/2009-9:52am at 9:52 am (UTC -4)
“And here’s to the best booth in MLB.”
Could not agree more!
I have said it before, but when I lived in Seattle, listening sometimes was a cross between comedy and horror—the main guy Dave Niehaus was good, but the other guys, when Niehaus was off on a break, would say things like “Man on third, two outs, a single should bring in a run here.”
Seriously. It made me pine for Bob Murphy, or even Fran Healy!
stickguy
9/28/2009-9:06am at 9:06 am (UTC -4)
I will actually be making 1 more game this year (and since I live out of market, I don’t see that many on TV, but sometiems watch on the computer, although MLB.TV bogs it way down and freezes up a lot.)
But, I will be keeping my streak of last home games alive. ANd at least this year it should be a lot less stressful to watch!
I am really curious to see how big the crowd will be. I am sure it is at least close to a sellout, but I have a feeling it won’t seem that way!
gipperpdx
9/28/2009-1:33pm at 1:33 pm (UTC -4)
Amen on ushers blocking people returning to their seats during play…they do that at the other new stadia I have been to (AT&T, PETCO, SAFECO, Chase Field, etc etc)
mkessler
9/28/2009-2:38pm at 2:38 pm (UTC -4)
As a full season ticket holder in Section 319 I must take exception to Citi Rules #6. Since CitiField has only been open less than one season (78 games to be exact) aren’t we all newbies? I am a diehard Met fan as is my dear friend Bernice who you so affectionately refer to as Margaret Dumont (who I had to look up). I attend about 40 games a season and my dear friend Bernice comes to about 15 or 20 games with me, my sister and my niece. I’m sorry to all others who accompany me to games but the games attended as this quartet are my favorite times at the ballpark. You see my friend Bernice is 76 years old (she looks about 55). She was a Brooklyn Dodger fan and became a Met fan in 1962. She has the enthusiasm of a 12 year old at every game she attends as do I, which is why she is so much fun to be with. On this particular night she had Ron Darling’s book with her. She bought it as a gift for me and has been trying to get it signed. This was to be her last game of the season and she wanted so badly to get him to sign the book for me. It looks like you sit a few rows behind us so next time you see us there please come by and say hello to Bernice and me, you will love her.
Mr North Jersey
9/28/2009-3:06pm at 3:06 pm (UTC -4)
I think we made a connection it’s a small world indeed.
Welcome Mike we hope to see more of you here at T.R.D.M.B as we enter this off season into what hopes to be a very interesting one for sure for us NY Mets Fans. Heck who knows maybe by Opening Day 2010 You, Bernice and MrBaby along with others over at Section 319 can help be our Official NY Mets cheering section sponsored by T.R.D.M.B.
mrbaby
9/28/2009-8:54pm at 8:54 pm (UTC -4)
A pleasure to meet you! I’m sorry that’s her last game of the season, but I’ll be there on Sunday, the last day of the season – Row 6, Seat 6. If you’re going to be there, respond here, and I’ll bring her a present. I wrote a book called “Bums No More! The Championship Season of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.” I may not be Ron Darling, but I’d be happy to sign a copy for you to give her.
mkessler
9/29/2009-6:18pm at 6:18 pm (UTC -4)
We will be there on Sunday as well, but without Bernice, and we would love to meet you – Row 2 seats 8-11. We will definitely pass along your book to her and you will have to meet her at some point next season.
mrbaby
9/29/2009-7:37pm at 7:37 pm (UTC -4)
Kewl. What’s your first name and how will I know you?
See me at http://www.stewartwolpin.com