Friday was my final day working on the same account as its program manager for 13 years. Monday I take over a new client that is in trouble and I need to somehow wave my magic wand or recite a proper incantation to render them instantly viable and productive. Well, I always said I'd rather be stressed than bored.
During the final visit to the office I had the opportunity to make my way around the building and I swear without my prompting the topic of conversation quickly turned to baseball and what's ahead for 2021. Most folks felt that the 2020 exercise of pro ball was at best a distraction and couldn't really be booked as indicative of much of anything. I'd have to say I tended to agree with that assessment.
The follow up topic was what would baseball be like next year. From where we were standing on the 16th floor of the building we had a nice view of the El Paso Chihuahuas home stadium which has been dead silent for all of this year. The San Diego Padres AAA franchise was dormant in this bizarre rendition of a pro season and no one knows what will happen when February and traditional Spring Training sessions are slated to begin.
Although no one here is really a Padres fan, they have embraced their hometown affiliated franchise and looked forward to gatherings with family and friends at Southwest University Park where the Chihuahuas play. Having that experience removed from the community was not so much a gut punch as it was that empty feeling in your stomach like when the roller coaster takes an unexpectedly steep decline.
That conversation then usually turned to football where the feelings were rather parallel to the opinions about baseball. Between players sitting out the season, injuries and now the Titans on the sidelines, it's hard to get your energy and enthusiasm rocking and rolling to empty stadiums with a few cardboard cutouts representing the fans who cannot be there. Now, being a NJ Jets fans, I can't say that this season is really any different than any other as they are playing pretty much like everyone expected and the traditional Sunday (or this week Thursday) humiliation feels very familiar.
I didn't get the opportunity to delve into the Steve Cohen acquisition topic as the New York Mets are as unfamiliar to the locals as honest politicians. They didn't know from Wilpon woes, Cohen chicanery, the now-you-see-him/now-you-don't Carlos Beltran, or the disappearances of Yoenis Cespedes, Marcus Stroman and the assortment of wannabe pitchers that the Mets sent out to the hill both to start and relieve games. I didn't want to bring it up either.
Well, with high profile people coming down with COVID-19, there are obviously greater issues at hand than who wins the playoffs, World Series or Superbowl. It's a strange 2020 and doesn't appear to be getting anywhere closer to normal in the foreseeable future. Let's go Mets, whomever they are, whomever they hire and whomever they show to the door.
Yes, outside the Mets universe, the Mets’ struggles to most are no more important than how the New Delhi soccer team is doing. That said, relevance equals real, functional pitching. We got the hitting. The pitching, aside from a handful of arms, was a sadly bad.
ReplyDeleteWhat's Roger Craig doing these days?
ReplyDeleteReese, that thought has crossed my mind. I reference Roger Craig in an upcoming article.
ReplyDelete