Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Let’s Go Mets! Let’s Go Mets! Let’s Go Mets!

There’s a lot going on with last year’s World Series Champion runner-up team and I had the opportunity to see everything first-hand last week. With strong pitching, solid fielding and a batting lineup that left room for improvement on that particular Friday night, the Mets are still looking good – yet have much room for growth.

Anyone who knows me will understand that there is no way I can write about the Mets without mentioning David Wright. Especially during a game at Citi Field, the presence of the captain is missed by both the people sitting on the bleachers and those sitting in the dugout. Even while playing through the pain of his back injury he gave the team a boost in morale during the games that showed a difference in their abilities on the field. He believed in himself and in the team and there is not much more you can ask of a captain than that.

The stadium reacts differently without him – there’s something empty about third base although the position has been filled. What the team really needs is #5 to come back healthy and ready to play.

There’s some big news in Wright’s life as of yesterday. He and his wife Molly welcomed a baby girl into the world at 8 pounds 11 ounces. Olivia Shea is an adorable and perfectly fitting name for the daughter of the man who helped his team get where it is today and do as well as it did last year. I hope that David (and his family!) will make an appearance before the end of the season.

At the Friday night game I still sat on the third base line out of habit. Although the Mets did not play their best and the game went downhill by the fourth inning, the fans still brought themselves to their feet to cheer on the new favorites.

Reyes is back after a short stint in Miami and the fans welcomed him with the old chant “JoseJoseJoseJose.” The Mets star pitcher Syndergaard or “Thor” always receives unwavering support while he towers over the mound. People have begun to say that Nimmo may slowly become the new team favorite. And Bartolo Colon, who made the All Star Team this year, is able to accomplish so much with an air of ease, putting him in that category as well because of his ability to awe the fans.

Although the team was unable to pull through for the win on this rainy night, I found some solace in the good-hearted nature of the Mets fans and the new and much improved selection of food and drinks at the snack stands throughout the stadium. Citi Field now offers an incredible selection of drinks including frozen margaritas and a variety of craft beers. It is home to a bright new Shake Shack and offers your standard baseball game food; hot dogs, hamburgers, fries… and also a wider new selection that includes tacos and sandwiches.

The Citi Field experience is certainly changing, but one thing that is certain is that the fans bring the energy to Mets home games and they make the franchise proud. I can only pray that Wright will make a healthy recovery and be back on the field sooner than later and in the meantime hope that the Mets continue to play their best ball against St. Louis the next few days.

Stay Classy & LGM! xx