In case you haven’t noticed — if you’ve, say, been out of the country for the past two weeks, or buried in paperwork, or at the opera – the Mets have been playing spectacular baseball. As of this writing, they’re riding a club-record tying 11-game winning streak and have just completed their first ever 10-0 homestand. They’re winning with homers and they’re winning with small-ball. They’re playing mostly smart baseball: I’m looking at you, Daniel Murphy. Above all else, they’re pitching. Coming into the season, everybody knew the Mets had a superior pitching staff. So far this year, they have not disappointed. Think about this: their so-called “weak link” is Dillon Gee, who’s only riding a streak of 55 straight starts in which he’s pitched into the fifth inning or beyond, dating back to April 2013. Oh, and he only allowed the Braves two measly runs in six IP and held them long enough for the Mets to mount a second comeback for their tenth straight win.
If you see Met fans in the street – and you’re seeing more and more of them by the day – the non-bandwagoners look a little giddy and a little shell-shocked. Let’s face it: Met fans haven’t had to get used to this much prosperity this quickly in a very long time. Oh sure, they got off to a similar start in 2006, which doesn’t seem all that long ago, but it is nine years. That, however, was a team with two Hall-of-Famers on their starting staff, a veteran, lights-out closer and a loaded offense. It was wonderful, but it wasn’t wholly unexpected. This year’s break from the gate has occurred like a bolt from the blue and while we’re lovin’ it to pieces and reveling in the success, it still is taking us a bit to get our bearings. Rest assured, it’s proving a pretty easy process.
I’m not sure if it’s a completely “New York” phenomenon, but with the two baseball teams in town, the preference of the City for one over the other is palpable. There’s been some palaver on the Mets’ side of things about “taking over the City,” as if it’s something conscious and controllable. The psyche of this town is a little more complex than that; a simple declaration is not enough to make it so. The fans in New York just…know, y’know? They know when it’s time to switch allegiances. You can hear it, get a sense of it. It’s an almost audible click, when the focus shifts to Queens from the Bronx or vice versa. The click was actually a thunderclap in 1969, when the Yankees hadn’t been any good in six years and the Mets hadn’t been any good at all and suddenly, they were very, very good. The click was a little more subtle and star-driven when it happened in 1975, when Bobby Bonds and Catfish Hunter donned Yankee pinstripes and the Mets were still basking in past glories and operating as if the ‘50s had never ended. The click was clear in 1984, when it was realized by everyone but its ownership that the “Bronx Zoo” era of Yankee dominance was over, had been as soon as Reggie Jackson took his talents to Southern California. It was amplified by one teenage pitching prodigy, one Yale man, one veteran first baseman and one brash, crafty manager. The click was loud and surprising in 1994, when a crop of very young Yankees coalesced at once and started a third dynasty, while the Mets unsuccessfully scrambled to rekindle the last dying embers of 1986. And even when the Mets made some noise in the late-‘90s and in ‘06, there was no click: this was still Yankeeland. At least one Met fan I can name waited for the next click.
It came faintly in November, when Michael Cuddyer was signed. It got louder in March, when Matt Harvey retook the mound after an eternity. It is definitely there in April, with Lucas Duda becoming an extra-base machine. There’s no mistaking it: the Citi Field crowds won’t let us.
The Mets have been clicking quite nicely so far. So has the City.
Follow me on Twitter @CharlieHangley.
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, who are you kidding? While you’re obviously trying to romanticize the history of the two teams, what do you mean that we know when to switch allegances? Who has switched other than my cousin John and I already told him that we don’t want him back.
I believe that Mets fans don’t see themselves as the chosen ones: that’s the Yankees fans. They expect to win every year. Sure, we want to be great but have always embraced our youngsters, role players and stars alike. Yankee fans will only embrace their stars.
I can’t say that it’s time for New York to embrace the Mets. We don’t give a damn if they do or they don’t. There’s plenty of us to support our boys and don’t want any fair weather New Yorkers. Let them stay over there.
It’s not about a plea. It’s not about rolling out the bandwagon. It’s not sbout getting anybody to switch — I know people for whom it’s easir to change religions.
It is sbout the “tide” of the City, the general mood of the populace. The tide is turning toward the Mets. You can see it.
The Mets fan is the bird that had a cover over its cage for seven years. It’s the bird that has colorful orange, blue, and white feathers and a beautiful voice, but the world never got to experience it because it was always covered.
Now, the Mets fan is seeing that cover being raised a little and is becoming exhuberant in that it may be removed altogether. The Mets fan is being heard, rather than being dormant. That’s the only tide that’s turning: The Met fan is cheering for Simba and the Yankee fan knows that their lion is the old uncle.
I agree with Charlie. There’s a lot of casual fans out there, folks who think, “Let’s go check out this Harvey guy,” etc. They are looking for entertainment, and happy to root for a good team. In that respect, it’s where the Metsblogosphere is the most out of touch with reality. My neighbor does not care about the shortstop down in St. Lucie.
There are hardcore fans for both teams. And then there’s a lot of other folks — and that’s where the money is. I was in a big restaurant for Game 6 of the NLCS in 1986. Actually, sitting at the bar, watching the game. It felt like the whole city was involved, and everyone was a Mets fan. That’s what winning does.
I think that Gus and James make interesting points. Not every fan is like those that read and post here daily. We are the fans that live and die with the team. The blanket has been over the cage, and it is indeed wonderful to display the plumage, especially here in the South where everyone is a Braves fan! But James rightly points out that many folks want good entertainment, and now will go to games just to see Harvey or deGrom…and I say good for them. I dont care if they are front-runners or displaced Yankee fans, or fans of NYC teams as a rule. They come to the stadium, which many of us cant do, and raise a ruckus that looks good. Even if they stop showing up when the tide goes out, the base will still be here. In any event, any one that turns up and cheers on for the Orange and Blue is fine with me!
Just to add to this, I can bring it to a different sport, one I care far less about: Hockey. I grew up an Islanders fan; they won the Stanley Cup every year I was in college. They’ve been awful for a long time now. In the meantime, I’ve enjoyed some of these Ranger teams, rooted for them in the playoffs, and so on. Now I’m hoping for an Islanders revival, but, shrug, it’s not a big deal to me. But if the Rangers make a real run for the Cup this year, yeah, I’ll go to the bar and watch a few games. And if I lived in the city, I’d go to a couple too. Bring the kid. I don’t think that makes me a “front runner,” particularly. It’s hard for us to imagine that good, decent people could feel that same way about the Mets, but there’s a lot of people in this world. The first step is creating that buzz.
Nice comments Chris. Baseball is a business and tickets are expensive. I fully understand why some folks do not bother when the teams are bad. I didn’t go to any Knicks games this year.
A full stadium is more fun than an empty stadium, I welcome any and all!
Seeing a lot more Mets hats on the subway lately. Not everyone wears them when they lose like you and I do. great post, Charlie.
The Mets sure are clicking, but New York City? There were a frightening amount of murders last weekend as the City continues to be “De Blasioed.”
Michael – c’mon man. Mets and Yanks are about to meet in a crosstown clash of first place teams. Stick to the topic. LGM!