I apologize to any NFL-crazed, sick-of-baseball fans who are reading this, but I need to take the focus of this blog back to “America’s Pastime” (hopefully for the last time). I, like my two brothers, dog, and every other Mets fan I know, have given up on this season, and for good reason. The pitching staff is falling apart, scoring three runs is cause for celebration, and the Mets find ways to lose even when Johan throws 8 innings of shutout ball.
It may sound front-runnerish to give up in early August, but there’s a fine line between being a good fan and being unrealistic. I’ve invested 3 hours a night watching this team for way too long, and there comes a time when even the best fans have to give up. The free time I now have during Mets game is pretty nice, and I can rest much easier knowing that a K-Rod blown save or a David Wright strikeout doesn’t matter at all.
This weekend, we had 14 people staying with us. Several of them are Yankees fans, and a few other root for the Sox. And coincidentally, those two teams faced each other. Since my brothers and I don’t care about the Mets anymore, we had the Red Sox-Yankees game on TV to satisfy those baseball fans who still root for relevant teams. My dad walked in and angrily asked why we were watching the Yankees over the Mets. Why watch something nobody cares about when we could watch a game that at least half the room was interested in?
The 2007 season proved that even when the Mets are up 7 games in the division, they have a good chance to finish the season by watching the playoffs on TV. Now that they’re down 7 games (or maybe even more), you can throw any possible hope out the window.
The void that the Mets have left me will be easily filled by the NFL. The preseason starts tonight, with the high-powered Cowboys squaring off against the Bengals and the T-Ocho Show. For those still wasting their time with baseball, feel free to watch the Red Sox-Yankee game. For those ready to admit that it’s football season, getchya popcorn ready.
- Robby
