My old pal Dan almost apologized upon offering me use of his tickets for Thursday night. If I couldn’t make it, he said not to worry. “There are still other games to endure.” This is how Mets fans talk to one another in Augusts like these. There’ve been a few.
There was one 41 Augusts ago, in 1980. The backside of an uplifting year had shown its ass. We didn’t know just how harsh the mooning would be before the schedule mercifully pulled up its drawers. Nineteen Eighty, my demographic contemporaries will recognize instantly, had been the year the Magic was Back. Was. The “is” had fizzled out of the Magic in the middle of August, as the Phillies came into Shea for an extended weekend series, Thursday to Sunday, and swept five absolutely distant games. None was close. The Mets had been hanging onto the cusp of .500 and the fringes of the NL East race. That ended in a burgundy blur. Now it was the week after and the Giants were in town. To my surprise, I was asked to the Wednesday night game. Usually, even with Magic in the air, it was me soliciting company.
I looked forward to that game even as the Met backpedaled from contention. I wanted to go and join my fellow Mets fans, 13,488 of us in all, in thanking the Mets for elevating our summer. From the middle of May until the middle of August we won 47 of 86 games. We won about 40 of those games in our last at-bat — or so it seemed. Even if the descent to Earth had been swift and definitive, the melody lingered on. You have to believe we are magic. Nothing can stand in our way. Of course we’d shower love on these 1980 Mets. Of course we’d give every Magical Met a hearty ovation.
Of course this didn’t happen. It was just a Wednesday night. The Mets lost to the Giants, 2-1. Mark Bomback threw seven strong if largely unsupported innings. Lee Mazzilli was thrown out at home trying to score from second on a Claudell Washington single. Thrown out by a lot, as I recall. Reaction to the Mets was muted. So would be the Mets’ ability to win more games in 1980. The other day I told you about the best Final Forty finishes in Mets history. The worst belonged to 1980: 9-31, which was just around the corner and down a manhole from that Wednesday night.
Still, I’m glad I went to Shea Stadium that Wednesday night all those Augusts ago, just as I’m glad I endured this last Thursday night at Citi Field in this August. Endured but enjoyed. That’s the best a Mets fan can do. How can a Mets fan stand such times and live? With friends like Dan and friends like Rob, the latter joining me for this final endurance contest against the 2021 Giants.
Unless we see them again in the playoffs.
Dan’s seats are situated under the carbonated soft drink advertising section, which suited Rob and I just fine since we’re old beverage magazine hands. Beverages were a fine idea at Citi Field as August schvitzing encouraged liquid intake. The only people in the ballpark probably not sweating were the Giants, at least figuratively. Do these erstwhile first-place Mets cause division leaders who’ve demonstrated endurance at the tops of their divisions to perspire? In the least?
Maybe a little, once Pete Alonso clanged a ball far over the left field foul pole and off the windows of the aspirational dining club in left field, with Javy Baez trotting home in front of him after another take-no-prisoners double from our very own Howard Cosell. Gabe Kapler challenged Chelsea to examine the Polar landing spot to make sure what Pete sent screaming didn’t veer into loud strike territory. As the replay engineers hauled out their microscopes (still warm from chintzily subtracting a Brandon Nimmo double in the fifth), Rob and I had to go with our original view, as the only drawback of the seats under the carbonated soft drink advertising section is an obstructed sightline to the big video board. We were also blocked from seeing the lineups and line score. We were probably better off that way.
Pete wasn’t instructed to uncircle the bases, meaning his two-run, sixth-inning blast officially resonated, briefly hushing the Giant-cheering hordes and temporarily knotting the game at two while supporting Carlos Carrasco like no 1980 Met supported Mark Bomback. Carrasco was a revelation. He was the Carrasco we’d heard so much about but had barely glimpsed since his return from the IL. Carlos went seven. Everything after the game’s first three batters — who included LaMonte Wade (singling) and Kris Bryant (homering) — was brilliant. The former Clevelander kept the Giants so at bay that Luis Rojas had no choice but to leave him in rather than reflexively remove him when the visitors’ order came around for a third time.
It occurs to me I’ve just detailed the only tangible highlights of Thursday night’s Mets’ 3-2 loss, which completed their tour of the upper echelon of the National League West at 2-11. Seven of those season-killing losses were by one run, making them not one iota more endurable than the four that were lost by more runs. As in the previous ten LA/SF defeats, there were scads of lowlights. I could detail those, too, but let’s just say our view of them was obstructed. More enjoyment than endurance that way.
Oh, the Summer of 1980 and Hendu Can Do. What a ride. And what an awesome soundtrack to that highlight film — Magic (Olivia); Magic to Do (Pippin Broadway Cast); You Can Do Magic (America); Magic (Pilot).
I didn’t realize they finished 9-31 that season. This year’s bunch should be so lucky. Manufacturers Hanover points awarded last night:
Pete Alonso: 3
Carlos Carrasco: 3
Brandon Nimmo: 2
Javy Baez: 2
Trevor May: 1
1980’s last 49 games played out at 11-38, the mirror image of 1969’s 38-11, a fact that has never left me.
THE OYS OF SUMMER – a dispiriting chronicle of the 2021 Mets.
Michiko Kakutani called it, “unreadable”.
I’d like to ask this question to Andy Martino and assorted beat writers who are fiercely covetous of their access…”What exactly has Luis Rojas done to merit your praise and deserve the general assessment that he can’t be fired? Are there specific moves he’s made that you can point to? Does he inspire certain players to perform above and beyond expectations? Do they seem focused when they’re at the plate in pressure situations, or do they have among the lowest averages with RISP in the sport? Are they prepared for meaningful games or do they consistently lay eggs against back-end starters?” Their consistent evidence-free evaluation speaks to either to the made-man status that Rojas has due to his baseball lineage or how they see their roles (I won’t say the word, but it rhymes with bore and poor).
And of course the invariable NYC take on such matters “The Tragic is Back”
Movies will be made about this season:
“Field of Screams”
“The Bad News Polar Bears”
“The Unnatural”
“Queens is Burning”
“Angels on the IL”
“Eight Men Out (and that was just the first inning)”
[…]this final endurance contest against the 2021 Giants.
Unless we see them again in the playoffs.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA Thanks Greg, I needed a good laugh.
“Playoffs”. [snort]
In 1980 expectations were low…real, real low. The 2021 Mets are one of the most downright dispiriting teams I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen most of them.
I guess Carrasco needed a spring training-length ramp up. What’s happened to Lugo? He’s turned into Gsellman. The worst of the game was enjoying Loup picking up Lugo against the meat of the Giants order while resigned that his fine work would be wasted.
Bad Mets baseball is always better than no Mets baseball. As a bad season winds down, the games become more precious for knowing there won’t be a postseason of bonus baseball.
The only opponents for whom I’m okay when their fans show up in force at Citi or before at Shea are the Dodgers and Giants because they’re Mets heritage teams.
Tonight begins the last stand for this season’s playoff hopes. My reduced goal at this point is to be within 2 or 3 games of the presumably 1st place Braves entering the last series of the season. If the Braves lose as much as I expect over their tough stretch and the Mets do their part over this relatively easy stretch, gaining 3-4 games is not unreasonable. Maybe even 5 with luck. Then the Mets just need to pick up 2-3 more games over 3 weeks. Again, not unreasonable.
Of course, I’m setting aside the Phillies who are struggling as much as the Mets. And if the Mets paper-tiger offense continues to waste good enough pitching against the bottom teams, then it won’t matter if the Braves oblige the Mets by losing to the top teams.
When I hear the name ‘Allen Ripley,’ I still get chills.