In the classic Hollywood storytelling arc, the formula is “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl.” This basic structure has worked since anybody figured out that you could tell a story with some celluloid and a screen. It’s worked for Gable and Lombard, Hepburn and Tracy, Funicello and Avalon, Hanks and Ryan. It’s always an audience-pleaser.
Last night (7/29), the Mets decided not to mess with a classic. They had a meet-cute with multiple runs early. They had a tiff and a misunderstanding in the middle and all looked lost. In the last reel, they ran really hard to reconcile, gain redemption, put the villain – Giancarlo Stanton – in his place and make it all come out right in the end. The leading men in this photoplay were exactly whom you would expect: David Wright, Marlon Byrd and Bobby Parnell. One of the shakier protagonists was starter Jeremy Hefner, he of four hits and five walks in just over five innings. Hefner’s WHIP for this game would never be used by Indiana Jones, that’s for sure. And the Neville Longbottom of this tale – the unlikely hero, without whom the entire premise falls apart – was Ike Davis, whose clutch double caused Byrd to scamper home with the candy and roses intended for Met fans. The fact that the Mets have rarely had a happy ending vs. the Marlins – almost never at that ugly theatre in Miami, with its garish marquee – made those gifts even more welcome.
The question, of course, is exactly how long this cast of characters will remain a complete ensemble. Wright is under an old fashioned, studio-type contract, but Byrd seems to be drawing interest from various companies, Parnell might be taking his act to Boston or Detroit and some of the minor players might be doing their hoofing elsewhere. The deadline for the final 2013 edition of this production company is approaching quickly and nobody is sure what Sandy Alderson – the Mets’ own Louis B. Mayer – has in mind for a splash. It’s possible that the answer could be “nothing.” Alderson is reported to be demanding top gross returns for his players, and now it remains to be seen which teams will be willing to pony up for the price of a ticket. This might be a foolhardy approach, but you have to give Alderson credit: he’s never worried about how his moves will play in Variety. It will be interesting to see the returns – if any – from the first weekend in August and if it produces boffo box office into the fall. If it does, it may relegate Dish Night to a promotion from the past.
And if they lose tonight? Well, that’s showbiz…
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