On Sunday morning I found myself dropping my car off to have a flat tire fixed at the local Sam’s Club. Apparently one of the member benefits is free service when your tire springs a leak. I left the vehicle there and went off to visit a friend and his family who invited me to a home-prepared brunch.
Upon the return to get the vehicle I was somewhat shocked to see a man standing in the waiting area with me adorned in a Cleveland Indians Francisco Lindor jersey. This was not a discount store t-shirt, but the whole regalia with full button front, patches and insignias.
Being the Mets fans that I am I tried to think of something to say that would express a kindred fanship while, at the same time, indicating that perhaps things had changed and he needed to keep up with the times. The best I could come up with on the spur of the moment was to say, “Shouldn’t you get a matching one now with the Mets logo on it?”
Wow, you should have seen the look on the man’s face. It was as if I’d reached out and slapped him in a very painful place. He said, “No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still can’t believe they gave him away.”
I tried to apologize. I just shrugged and said, “Hey, I’m originally from New York.”
He shook his head and said, “I figured as much!”
But then he smiled and said, “Enjoy him. He’s every bit as good as everyone says he is.”
I related this story fresh on the heels of some of the recent posts from disgruntled folks who are already squawking about the huge contract he’s gotten and the sub-Mendoza results. These same people were not quite so swift with their criticism when Lindor started off his first Port St. Lucie spring the same way, forgetting conveniently that he finished well above .300 with power, speed, defense and a smile that threatened to overtake that expression from both Brandon Nimmo and Dom Smith.
It’s only been a week of baseball and people are already writing the epitaph on the 2021 season. I saw someone saying it’s 2020 all over again. I saw others saying there’s no reason to play any of the new additions who haven’t contributed to winning. Still others claim the fault is not the players but the penny pinching owner who wouldn’t play in the arena with the biggest free agents. Finally there are others condemning sophomore manager Luis Rojas for not knowing what he’s doing.
Granted, I’m often the voice of doom and gloom around here. There are numerous things that have not started off as folks expected they would. 2-3 is not what people wanted, but it’s still a skinny 1.5 games out of first place. It’s not September. It’s April.
By the way, Jacob deGrom looks great. Taijuan Walker looks great. Marcus Stroman looks great. Joey Lucchesi had a great first game. Brandon Nimmo is hitting over .400. Luis Guillorme is at .500. Some good things have happened, too.
Take a deep breath and just enjoy the fact that baseball is back.
4 comments:
I just hope he doesn't repeat Beltran's first year but I'm still on board the LGM train
I have taken a break from Twittet because things have gotten to intense and too personal.
I don't tweet - I ain't no bird.
I have 4 gripes so far:
1) deGrom 77 oitches on Day 1. Realize that planning to use 3 relievers can backfire
2) Sitting Dom opening day.
3) Not sitting glacial Conforto vs. a lefty on Saturday when RH Pillar hit .308 last year.
4) Trying to play the Sun rain game, or if trying, not using an opener, and wasting Stroman.
That's actually a lot of errors for 5 games.
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