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Greg Prince and Jason Fry
Faith and Fear in Flushing made its debut on Feb. 16, 2005, the brainchild of two longtime friends and lifelong Met fans.

Greg Prince discovered the Mets when he was 6, during the magical summer of 1969. He is a Long Island-based writer, editor and communications consultant. Contact him here.

Jason Fry is a Brooklyn writer whose first memories include his mom leaping up and down cheering for Rusty Staub. Check out his other writing here.

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We Shall Now Call the Roll

The chair recognizes the delegate from Manaea.

Mister Secretary! The great state of Manaea wishes to cast all seven-plus of its innings, including the first five-and-two-thirds that were absolutely PERFECT, for the team that allows its starting pitcher to consistently go at least seven innings when able, the team we will strive like HECK to bring to October, the Metropolitan Baseball Club of New York!

The chair recognizes the delegate from Lindor.

Mister Secretary and all our good friends in the stadium, aloha from shortstop! Lindor provides the constant of every season, holding down the space between second base and third base EVERY… SINGLE… DAY! And Mister Secretary, Lindor stands not only out in the field but tall and proud at the plate, again clearing a fence and providing the first lead of an afternoon game when runs are precious. Mister Secretary, the commonwealth of Lindor casts every ounce of its ability and all of its votes for the next Wild Card team from the National League, the New York Mets!

The chair recognizes the delegate from Vientos.

Mister Secretary, greetings from Vientos, where third base transforms from a traditional franchise trouble spot to an asset for the future. Mister Secretary, Vientos, with untold power and unlimited potential, casts its votes for making sure the Atlanta Braves have a comfortable seat in the postseason to watch the derring-do of the NEXT team to make a SUBSTANTIAL move in the playoff race, New York’s Amazin’, Amazin’, AMAZIN’ METS!

The chair recognizes the delegate from Butto.

Mister Secretary, Butto is proud to be part of America’s Undiscovered Gem, the bullpen, where when we can’t hold leads, we at least keep games close. Please come visit us to enjoy our natural attributes of excitement, uncertainty and, ultimately, a tight ballgame. Mister Secretary, Butto, where our motto “It’s Not Whether You Start, It’s That You Help Get Us To The Finish” is a way of life, is THRILLED to cast all its votes for a victory for ALL of the New York Mets!

Casting a vote for another exciting Met win.

The chair recognizes the delegate from Iglesias.

Mister Secretary, Iglesias wishes this convention a melodic afternoon and a soundtrack intended to score a winning score! Mister Secretary, Iglesias is always fielding, always hitting, always hustling, and always giving a spiritual lift to those whose cause we share. Mister Secretary, Iglesias casts every “O!”; every “M!’” and every “G!” for the team that, like its 1969 predecessors, taps its toes in the face of Baltimore foes, the New York Mets!

The chair recognizes the delegate from Diaz.

Mister Secretary, Diaz again rides to the fore of battle at the sound of trumpets. Diaz, the “last” state in the union, is ready to present a “final” line of defense against all interlopers, foreign and domestic, as it has since Two-Thousand and Nineteen. Diaz, where we make ourselves available for EVERY ninth inning and sometimes the EIGHTH, casts each of its innings not for personal glory, but for the good of the team. Mister Secretary, Diaz says LET’S GO METS and requests its votes be recorded accordingly.

The chair recognizes the delegate from Winker.

Mister Secretary, no delegation at this convention is more enthusiastic to have a presence here, no delegation is happier to come off the bench when needed, and no delegation has waited longer to have these words said on its behalf: IT’S OUTTA HERE! Mister Secretary, the great state of Winker not only casts a pinch-hit walkoff home run to defeat the Baltimore Orioles, four to three, but casts aside its batting helmet and inhibitions in quest of the most memorable trip around the bases Winker has ever known! Mister Secretary, Winker votes for a Mets win today, Wednesday, and hopes it will be the first of many in the nights ahead.

The chair offers a resolution to make Met victory a recurring event, not necessarily as dramatic and tense on a daily basis, but just as satisfying on the eve of yet another daunting road trip. Will all in favor signal their agreement by saying “aye”?

The ayes have it.

13 comments to We Shall Now Call the Roll

  • Gene F

    We were supposed to go to the game yesterday and today, but we had to swap yesterday for Monday. A bit of luck there. I’ve been going to games since Ed Kranepool turned twenty and I don’t ever remember attending back-to-back walk-off wins by home runs.

  • Seth

    No batting helmets were harmed during the making of this victory.

  • eric1973

    Super Post Greg,
    Love the thematic theme, you being a ‘1776’ fan as I am, in addition to both of us being Sondheim fans, whatever any of that means.

    We still got a chance, as we got a great lineup top to bottom, as anyone can hit one out or get the big hit.

    Gotta stop wasting Butto in blowouts, though, Mendy.

    • open the gates

      A few observations:

      1) Sean Manaea is pitching some of his best baseball of the season, and his performance today deserved every bit of the standing O it received. But for the love of Pete, why did the announcers feel it necessary to observe that Manaea was “perfect through 3,” “perfect through 4,” “perfect through 5”? Hush hush. The baseball deities are listening, and they are not amused.

      2) Is it me, or did the home plate umpire resemble the second coming of Angel Hernandez? His only saving grace was that he was just as putrid at balls and strikes calls for both teams.

      3) I think we can officially call the Baty/Vientos third base contest. I have a feeling Bret will be wearing a different org’s uniform next year.

      4) Welcome to New York, Jesse Winker. All is forgiven.

      • Curt Emanuel

        “I think we can officially call the Baty/Vientos third base contest. I have a feeling Bret will be wearing a different org’s uniform next year.”

        We could have called that a while ago. But being as I think there’s at least a 50% chance Vientos will be our first baseman next year, I wouldn’t be so quick to hand Baty another jersey. Maybe this time he can bring his AAA bat to NY with him.

        Speaking of percentages, there were two 50/50 games in this series and we won both. That’s pretty sweet.

        • open the gates

          I really hope the Mets hold on to Pete Alonso. This may be his “worst” season, but he’s still hitting tons of home runs, and is still, with Lindor, the heart and soul of this team. Some of the reaction to him reminds me of Darryl Strawberry’s last years with the Mets, when fans got on him for not hitting a home run every time up, then when the Mets let him go the team went to hell. One of the things I was hoping for when Cohen bought the team was that the Mets would no longer just let their stars walk away in free agency because they couldn’t afford them. If Cohen and Stearns can’t deal with guys like Scott Boras, they’re not doing their jobs.

      • Eric

        “Win above replacement”: Jesse Winker’s pinch-hit home run with side-by-side pictures of Winker and DJ Stewart.

      • Eric

        As far as Baty and 2025, in a vacuum, I’d like to give him another shot, but besides Vientos, McNeil, and Iglesias who I’m sure the Mets would welcome back next year, Acuna, Mauricio, and Williams aren’t much behind Baty. While for various reasons the other top infield prospects haven’t leapfrogged Baty yet, in another year his place on line is going to get crowded.

  • open the gates

    Oh, and how’s this for irony? The first two saves Edwin Diaz blew for the Mets in 2019 were on home runs by…wait for it…Jesse Winker and Jose Iglesias. Now all three are winning games for us. You can’t make this stuff up.

    • Eric

      Iglesias fields well, runs well, makes consistent contact, hustles, has a good attitude. Good track record, solid veteran. Yeah, age 30 is a few years behind him, but it’s still strange that Iglesias was on the scrap heap to be available for the Mets to pick up for nothing.

  • Eric

    Lose the A’s series 2-1. Win the Orioles series 2-1. That exemplifies why the 2024 Mets have a legitimate shot if they can get into the playoffs…and why the hard part is reaching the tournament. Who doesn’t think Urshela is going to come off the scrap heap and play big for the Braves?

    Nice job by Butto. It’s one thing for the set-up man to come in sharp, like he did in the 1st game, and shut down the opposition. It’s another thing to come in off and bulldog his way through a tough spot. Inherited runner, robbed by the ump of a strike ’em out, throw ’em out DP, walk, bases loaded and no one out, Orioles’ big hitters up, and Butto worked his way out of the jam with 1 run allowed and the game tied. He passed the test. I want Butto to start, more so with Quintana struggling, but it’s hard to take Butto out of the bullpen right now. Diaz is starting to look reliable again, too. That last out was scary though.

    The RISP LOB problem is still there, but the Mets are allowed to win low-scoring games. Hopefully the relievers on call tonight will match Butto and Diaz’s production.

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