Honest Confessions From a Real, Frustrated New York Mets Fan…

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Guest post from the ‘Strap’s newest author, CT, a mostly confused teenager who runs the blog themostlyconfusedteenager.wordpress.com. She gracefully details the struggles and beauties of being a Mets fan.

English: Mike Piazza

English: Mike Piazza (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you’re reading this article, you’re either a Mets fan who is out of excuses for them or someone who knows a Mets fan and is trying to save them from a fan life of desolation and pain. Somehow, we become fans. Throughout our entire lives we can, do, and will discover things that have reeled us in. Can the Mets really do that? I mean, sure, they’re a likable team, with people like David Wright and his heart of gold, but it’s hard to become a young fan of a team that is desperately floundering.

For me, the explanation is quite simple: legacy. My dad is a Mets fan and, for a reason that I cannot explain without wanting to turn back time and make him a Nationals fan instead; he brought me up in the cult of Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza. Now, on my own, I can’t abandon my team. They are my pillar in baseball. And yes, while it’s hard not to focus on the Mets’ impressive and ever-growing disabled list and the fact that we simply have no money, I do still love them. Here are four reasons why…

1. Mets Fans are a Tight-knit Community

You know how when depression sets in, the worst thing you can do is be alone? How if you are, you tend to think that you’re the only person in the universe feeling this down and that that bottle of pills sitting next to you could solve anything and everything? OK, so not that extreme. But when you watch the Mets have an explosive first half of the season before literally drowning in the second, you might feel like you really want to hunker down on the couch with a big bowl of candy and watch a game of golf. Yeah, it gets that bad.

But remember, as much as you may think it, you are not alone!

There are thousands of fans out there in the same situation as you, trying to forget the woes of yet another season flushed down the toilet! One example of such a place is MetsFanForum.com, a place where fans can go to evacuate there feelings of despair, or if they’re high, just got engaged or just ate a cookie, of extreme happiness.

To give you an idea, on the survey entitled “The Wilpons are Terrific Owners of a Baseball Team,” 0% voted “True, they are great owners; we Mets fans are lucky.” while 81% voted “WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING?”  You see, being a Mets fan can actually get you to be social! Although I’ve gotta admit that at this moment I’m sitting on my couch with a piece of chocolate just waiting to be eaten as soon as the Marlins score a run (the Marlins, I mean come on guys!)

2. The Mets DO Have Their Moments

Retired numbers by the Mets at Citi Field

Retired numbers by the Mets at Citi Field (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a point that must be stressed. For all of their horribly embarrassing moments, we do come out with a couple of good ones that become treasured memories. I mean sure, we are currently collapsing at a jaw-droppingly fast rate, but if we go back all the way back to April, watching the opener on April 1st felt very good. The Mets creamed the Padres in an 11-2 victory, which potently highlighted our abilities and the Padres’ disabilities. Yes, they ARE the Padres, but still. Bet that won’t happen next year when we start our season against the Nats *shudder*

We at Jockstrap weren’t alive when these wonderful events happened, but the 1969 Miracle Mets and the 1986 Mets have given fans quite a few thrills over the years. Yes, it happened a while ago to say the least but watching the replays of those final World Series games provides great excitement and happiness. And of course we can’t forget the emotional moments such as Mike Piazza’s home run on the first Mets game after 9/11, which can still move me to tears.

3. Citi Field, Stadium Food and Mr. Met

English: Citi Field with Shea Stadium's Home R...

English: Citi Field with Shea Stadium’s Home Run Apple (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

OK, you’ve gotta admit, the one thing we all love about going to a baseball game is the food. Even a non-baseball fan (if such a thing even exists) cannot pay a visit to the beautiful Citi Field, smell the smells, hear the noise and feel disgusted. I guess you could say that this is true in every ball park but there’s something special about Citi Field. From Shea’s old Home Run Apple that greets fans as they approach the ballpark to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, passing through the immense and beautiful brick archways, Citi Field is a home that Mets fans can, and should, be proud of for decades and maybe even generations to come.

Of course the players make the magic happen on the field but they’re not the only ones who give us fans little thrills of happiness. Think about Mr. Met. You’re laughing at me now, aren’t you? Yeah OK, I might have deserved that. Mr. Met may be one of the goofiest, most ridiculous mascots in all of Major League Baseball, but it’s what makes him so endearing! That huge smile that he always sports [bad pun intended], the giant anime eyes and that Mets cap that is way to small for his head; well they make him the goofball [another bad pun intended] that we love.

4. The Mets Future

The Mets have a great advantage… they are considered the ultimate underdogs. No one ever expects us to be able to do anything! It’s easy to use this to our advantage; I can only hope that one of these seasons the Mets will surprise everybody, become playoff contenders, win the NL EAST, the NLCS and then the World Series.

Woah, that escalated quickly. I got a bit carried away on that last one and believe me, I would be perfectly happy if the Mets finished with more wins than losses. But hey, a fan can always dream right? Look, the building bricks are in place. We’ve got some top prospects that are still down in the minors just waiting to get called up. Think about Brandon Nimmo, Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard (check out his glowing scouting report, via Metsblog.com). See, the Mets have a good farm system, but it takes a little time to get everything in place. So hold on tight, Mets fans, one day our time will come, I promise.

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