Every time I look at the Mets' annual schedule, as I just did for 2018, I get a case of AGITA.
Merriam Webster describes agita (an odd-looking word, indeed) as follows:
Judging by its spelling and meaning, you might think that "agita" is simply a shortened version of "agitation," but that's not the case. Both "agitation" and the verb "agitate" derive from Latin agere ("to drive").
"Agita," which first appeared in American English in the early 1980s, comes from a dialectical pronunciation of the Italian word acido, meaning "heartburn" or "acid," from Latin acidus. ("Agita" is also occasionally used in English with the meaning "heartburn.")
For a while the word's usage was limited to New York City and surrounding regions, but the word became more widespread in the mid-90s.
New York City, huh? How about that!!
Which borough, if I might ask?
Anyway, the Mets play the elite Yankees 3 games in June, then 3 more in July, and also play 3 in September against the Red Sox. That is pretty daunting, and agita-provoking, as the Mets again face better than average overall competition in interleague play.
But oh me, oh my, it is good for attendance, don't you agree, which helps the budget we hear so much about, so why complain? I won't utter a peep - I'll just have agita.
The Bats are likely to be the Mets' prime rival for a playoff slot in 2018. Fortunately, the Nats' schedule has almost as many games against those 2 tough AL squads, so the Nats will not get a real edge there, but assuredly, most other NL teams once again won't have so many games scheduled against interleague teams that are as tough...so that could make the Mets securing a wild card spot a tad more difficult.
Pass the soothing, pink Pepto Bismol, will ya? While you're at it, I'll take a few bottles - a Met fan's AGITA ANTIDOTE!
The Mets front office love these kind of games when them are played in Queens.
ReplyDeleteBig bucks at the gates.
MLB scheduling is agitation... I love interleague olay but why can't they just rotate the division every year... One year AL west, next Al East, Next AL central then on... everyone in the divsion should have the same opponents... I don't need 6 games of the Yankees every year... Heck a 4 game 2 home and 2 away is fine because of the rating but I like seeing every team and I want us to go to Seattle, Oakland, Minnesota (and not when its freezing) ...
ReplyDeleteWhat difference does the schedule make if they do nothing to improve the team?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pic, Mack - snow kept me from a computer to add one.
ReplyDeleteGate receipts may jump for those games, but if we go 2-7 against the Red Sox and Yanks, attendance will suffer thereafter if we are far from contention, at least in part as a result of playing those 2 teams a total of 9 times.
The Mets all-time inter-league record against the Yanks ain't pretty, and a few games lost instead of won could keep the Mets out of the playoffs.
Heck, if we only played patsies inter league, and cleaned up, it might be just the thing to get us a record good enough for a wild card.
I like Eddie's idea of rotating opponents, or at least figuring all inter league teams scheduled for any given year being based upon the opponents collectively being around .500 the prior year, so if the Yanks are a .600 team, the Mets also play a .400 team.
11 degrees outside. Ernie Banks just said, "Let's play two." I'm heading to the closet to find my mitt.
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