By: Nickybhoy
(I tell you my story and i take it into perspective. I am not taking away from the moment at all, but just being honest on what I feel as a die hard fan. I waited a few days to I can write on the subject without the blue and orange shades on)
I was sitting in work and I got the call that someone close to
Kat was in the hospital and she was waiting to see them. She said that she
might not get home to late and that we would probably not make the game. Of
course, given the circumstances, I had no thought about it being an issue and I
really still don’t but would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt.
In 1991 I was sitting on the 3rd base side of
Shea stadium with my old man and we were watching a game in cold conditions.
David Cone was pitching and in the 7th inning, he had yet to give up
a hit. I looked over at my dad, who is not very good with cold weather and he
was shivering.
“Dad, we can leave if you want”
His response “I am
not fucking leaving while he is throwing a no hitter”.
As we all know, it didn’t
happen and as we sat there freezing, Howard Johnson did not charge a ball up the
third base line and Cone lost the no-no.
21 years and many pubic hairs later, I sat there in my
living room watching as it was happening again. Johan’s high pitch count kept
me from getting too excited and I was convinced it was not going to happen.
Then came that catch by Mike Baxter. What a fakin catch by
the kid from Queens. After the catch Kat and I looked at each other and said “it
would happen tonight, wouldn’t it”.
It kept going and going and up came the 9th inning.
I was nervous. I was standing in front of my TV pacing back and forth and my
stomach felt like it was a playoff game. Then it happened. Johan Santana got
the final out of the first no hitter in New York Mets history. I jumped, I
yelled and as I watched the team celebrate I cried. I never thought I would see
the day.
It hurts that I was not there, but it was still as magical
for me. In fact, if you were there or not, you probably had a tingling in your
body. This was a fantastic moment, not only in Mets history but for this season
as well.
The Mets were projected by some to go 2-160 (well it seems
that way) and Friday night seems to have put the Mets in the category as a team
with something special happening and one that should be taken seriously. Friday night was a moment that many Mets fans
should be excited about.
HOWEVER, it must also be put into perspective. While great, There is still a lot of baseball to be played in 2012 and as a fan of the team, my goal in life is not to see them get their first no hitter.
See, 3 days later and I still hear a lot of people trash talking about this game and i am still seeing the corny little Facebook meme's about the game.
AGAIN, it was great, it was like a climax, however, the moment is over. And if I must be honest, it is a moment I would trade in to see the Mets celebrate on the mound come late October.
