NEW YORK, NY – Yours truly is someone who actually enjoys the dog days of summer. This is despite the fact that their arrival marks the annual disintegration of my beloved Mets. The Amazins’ current heat-soaked spiral, striking enough on its own, is all the more glaring with the simultaneous Bronx Bombers’ surge. Thus, today’s headline: Subway Series or a Mets Swoon: When Yankees Get Righted
I started writing the stuff below ahead of this year’s Subway Series, but it was pulled back from the MTM Publishing Department. Hey, this was a new era. A new, ready-to-spend owner was in place. The world’s best shortstop was acquired. Us Mets fans were downright giddy. Then, despite an all-too-familiar spate of calamitous injuries, abysmal performances, COVID-19 interruptions and rain-out after rain-out, the Metsies were winning more often than not! Then came the MLB Trade Deadline. At the risk of more self back-patting than usual, click this to some pretty spot-on predictions.
And then go back in time to this year’s Subway Series kickoff. Here’s what I wrote:
As life-long NY Mets fan, I’ve endured anguish, fleeting euphoria, calamitous injuries, innumerable indignities and… soul-sucking losses to the Yankees. Revisionist as it may be my view of this Subway Series thingy has proven to be the time When Yankees Get Righted.
Let’s look at some moments that stick out.
Mel Rojas
I was sitting with Rex O’Rourke (MTM pundit emeritus) at Shea down along the right field foul line. The Mets were winning when Mr. Rojas trotted in from the pen with 2 on and his team up 4-3. Waiting at the plate was… Paul O’Neill. This wasn’t Cincinnati’s O’Neill – the skinny platoon player. No, it was the [allegedly] roided-up, world-beater Paulie Oh, with the requisite neck acne and Herschel Walker shoulders. You remember him – the guy that destroyed water-coolers in roid rage after getting a single. I turned to Rex (aka Brian Humphreys) and said, “3-run homer.” Guess what? I was right. Yanks won.
Billy Wagner
The Mets were up 4-0 in the 9th. Wags came in the game to make sure the Metsies got this one. Bill-Dubs coughed up the lead and the Mets lost.
Luis Castillo
We don’t need to bring up the dropped pop-up. Not gonna do it. No way. Too soon.
Bottom Line
When the Yanks need a cure to what ails them, just line up the Mets for a series.
What I should have added was a Mets Swoon, for every goddamn time they tank, the Yankees surge.
That’s all for now, please feel free to comment below and come back tomorrow for another gem from our always surging staff.
