The Comeback That Twasn't

I desperately wish I had more time to take in every aspect of the Mets I possibly can right now. It is such a welcome distraction, even when they lose. 

Even when they lose, I can take solace in the fact it isn't taxes, or bills overdue, or my dad's pancreatic cancer. My dad and I didn't religiously watch baseball together after I left the Yankees behind, but he was never a die-hard to begin with. As I said in the opening post of this blog, he was a die-hard fan of me and my passion for baseball, which led him to fan the budding flame in my bar mitzvah year of life, age 13. Last year, after his Whipple surgery fell apart when it was discovered cancer cells had metastasized on his abdomen, rendering the surgery moot, one of my favorite memories I have was watching the Mets blow a game. I obviously wasn't happy that they blew the lead and subsequently the season, but just like his cancer, my dad and I were able to shake our heads and laugh it off, wondering just how much Mrs. Lincoln liked the play before her husband, Abraham's, head was blown off.

Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Photo via https://www.federalbaseball.com

So, my intake of the Mets failed comeback attempt in yesterday's series losing loss to the Nationals was taken in as such before and during my driving Lyft: 0-0, 5-1, 12-2 then the final of 12-9 after Michelle Ioannou, my former Rising Apple colleague, informed me of the failed comeback via the following tweets:

yup, mets lost, but damn they went down fighting

— Michelle Ioannou (@mnioannou) April 7, 2019

There are many concerns of what we are seeing here. Zack Wheeler reverting back to post-last-year's-second-half form, the bullpen overall not performing well, (insert usual Mets concerns here), etc, etc....but the offense is not currently one of them. There may be isolated concerns in regards to the latter, like Brandon Nimmo's bat disappearing or Robinson Cano's overall slow start, but so far, Chili Davis's affect is being immediately felt with player's like Jeff McNeil, who we had faith would continue to perform as he did last year, Pete Alonso, who is absolutely crushing it in his first go-round that appears much more sustainable than any Jeff Francoeur-type hot start, and JD Davis, who may just be hitting himself into a sustained bench role when players like Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie come back from the...ugh, I'm going to write it this way, aren't I?...the Injured List (It still feels like the disabled list in my head but I'm trying to train myself not to be a crusty old man about everything these days.)

Life may pile on hard, but at least we can laugh, love and live with the Mets, win or lose.

LIFE. GOES. ON. NOW.

LET'S. GO. METS.

A New Horizon

All of a sudden, I found myself having to make a rather quick decision as to what my fate would be only two weeks later. It didn’t make sense to procrastinate a decision or a move. 

Sam Maxwell on Instagram
"Da City": Canvas by D.E. Cayard, aka The Professor
Pennant and Bobblehead brought to you by the NY Mets

I had originally, about a year ago, honed in on November ‘17 as a deadline to leave New York for a bit, with the plan to go study screenwriting in London starting then. I postponed that till January, but all of a sudden, in a place called Denver, Colorado, doctors discovered pancreatic cancer, stage 2, in my Dad. We found out stage 2 is good, grading on a curve, of course, as usually that type of cancer is not discovered till stage 4. Early October, I visited for a couple days, but there was a feeling that the right thing to do, for my dad, my family, and myself at this particular junction of my life, was to leave New York for the first time since I was 10, 22 years ago, and move to Denver, putting the London adventure off till April.

My Dad's doing great. He has been getting chemo to try to get the small tumor to operation-size, so we can snip it out of there. We're almost to the latter part of that sentence.

A brief overview for you, also, of my dad (don't ask me about the mustache headshot on the link :| 

So you can understand my rather optimistic take on the entire thing:

My dad didn't survive Vietnam, drunk driving, bar fights (he's sober 38 years now), three divorces, getting bumped from a jet that went down in the Everglades in the 90's, and getting fired from Goldman Sachs downtown on Friday, September 7, 2001, to let cancer get the best of him.

I type this as I fly across the country on a trip to the City for a quick fix before the end of the year (I have since flown to and fro our town and Denver.) It almost felt sacrilegious to put this chapter of my life in the past without a taste of New York during the holidays. How could I miss that? About two weeks ago, I was having a pretty homesick day out in Denver, and I was reminded of when I first got to New York from Florida. My dad saw I was missing my friends heavily and flew me down for a quick weekend. I never looked back. That’s what this felt like, and I pulled the trigger on a trip. Sunday night till tues morning.

I was becoming stagnant in New York. I needed to take the city with me to spread my wings. I’ll hone my craft and hone my skills elsewhere, and then take the benefits that come with all that and spend it in New York. I love this fucking town too much to say goodbye for too long.

Unfortunately, that brings me to another goodbye that I must make, and that is to Rising Apple, the Mets blog site I have been a part of since 2012. I have not been able to consistently write or podcast for them for a long time now, so it is about time I make it official.

I had just started blogging only 2 months before Rising Apple came a-knockin’. At the time, they only had about 400 followers on twitter...that number is now over 7,000. The growth started with Matt Musico, then Danny Abriano took the Rising Apple Mets presence to a whole 'nother level. He then had help from Michelle Ioannou, with JT Teran taking over co-editing duties once Metsblog scooped up Danny. Michelle wasn't too far behind Danny's footsteps, leading to Christina Cola currently sharing co-editing duties with JT. 

We started the podcast in 2013 and along with Matt Musico, fellow writers Will Deboer, Dan Haefeli, Kevin Baez, Rich Sparago, Mike Lecolant, and most recently Nick Ceraso, had a blast talking the good, the bad and the ugly of Mets past and present almost every week, with each other and plenty of guests over the years. 

The one thing that I think all of us at Rising Apple keep as the main thread of the site, whether we’re talking about how thrilled we are for a move, or a win, or a milestone, or we’re pissed off that Sandy is double-talking or the Wilpons will not spend like a New York team, we never forgot that our passion for the Mets is driven by just pure, unadulterated fun. We have fun. And that, as far as I’m concerned, always shone through our writings and audible words.

I’ll miss being a part of that team, but it is time to move on. Thank you, each and every one of you that I have worked with on the site over the years. The Apple Rising represents the pinnacle of Mets success, and the optimism Mets fans have in their team even when things are pointing to utter disaster. Keep that spirit going, Rising Apple. It has been a blast.

The next chapter for me starts immediately, and with a sneak peek for all of you as to what I am currently working on. When I still had my DSLR, a Canon t3i, I captured about 10 hours of Mets footage as well as interviews with The Chapman’s, a family of die-hards, and author/blogger Greg Prince, whom I have referred to as “The Mets Fan Incarnate” on these digital pages. It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally been able to start editing the footage together. Below is a sneak peek of “The Newest Breed,” which I will release on February 9, 2018. For now, enjoy! And as always...

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN’.

LET’S. GO. METS.

Just When You Thought it Couldn't Be Fun Anymore...

THIS happens:



And sidenote: When I went looking for the above video to grab the proper embed code, just pressing "video" on the main page of mlb.com, THIS was the 1st video on the main video page:



As cool as that is, I digress.

Bartolo Colon has been an extremely entertaining person to watch fail at hitting this year. With his helmet-losing spins and an approach that only a rather large man who has pitched the majority of his games in the American League could have, I swear that Bartolo has been worth making a Met just so we have those batting memories to make us warm on a cold, 2020 winter afternoon.

We knew he'd eventually get his 1st hit as a Metropolitan. The way it went down, however, couldn't have been more perfect. We're down 1-0 in a game that has rapidly traveled to the 6th, in jeopardy of getting swept, and Bartolo laces the 2nd-pitch fastball down the left field line for an easy double that he could just jog on in for. And we're talking Bartolo Colon jogging. Then, Eric Young, Jr., who we cannot deny adds something extra to this team when he is on the roster, drives him in, before our slumping Captain drives EYJ in to give us our first lead of the series. Could this be the turning point? Probably not. But it definitely lightened the mood and gave some life to a team that has looked severely lifeless the majority of the year.

And one of the reasons it probably isn't the turning point is because of this man. Danny Abriano of Rising Apple, as always, precisely describes why Terry Collins' thought process defies logic. I feel I can sum up some modern day managers' thought processes: It’s the moment where they say to themselves, “Well, I gotta do something.” When nothing was the something to do. Terry's explanation was that 86 pitches in that hot weather was the equivalent to 120. Terry, come on! You're the oldest manager in all of baseball! There's got to be a part of you that thinks all of this is absolutely ridiculous. Why are we babying these people?! Back in the day, I'm pretty sure the one to finish the game is the 40-year-old veteran ace who is absolutely cruising with a 2-run lead. We're babying the babies of baseball....we really gotta baby the 40-year-old big man who defies what our minds say a older man of his size can do in the first place? My God.

Outside of the little zany world we like to call the Mets, I'd be remiss not to touch on Tony Gwynn in this forum. I commented the day of on social media, but failed to do so in my first post after his death. The only time I ever saw Mr. Padre play was in his last season of 2001 facing the Marlins at Joe Robbie Stadium. Somewhere out there prior to the digital age, there are photos I took with, what was the film called? "Advantex?" Anyway, you had the choice of the kind of picture you could take, i.e., you could take a panoramic photo and it would get developed on that kind of sized paper. Whatever, that's not the point. The point is I obviously focused on Tony Gywnn, who is arguably the greatest hitter of the last 20 years of the 20th Century, though his hitting was the last thing that drew you to him. I always wanted to hear what the man had to say because he seemed to be more than just a solid man. When I heard Monday morning that he had passed away, my heart got a little weaker. That was some sad news, and baseball has a void that it will never be able to fill. He went way too early, and completely shocked me regardless of having heard he had be dealing with some health issues. 

I raise a glass to Anthony Keith Gwynn, Sr.
You will be sorely missed.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. For more from myself and others on the Mets, head over to Rising Apple. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

Pocket Schedule

If you're looking for examples that things are changing around the Mets, look no further than the advertising.

They don't seem to be trying too hard the way they seemed to in the past. Gone is, "The Magic is Back!" or "New Team, New Year, New Magic!" or "Catch the Excitement in Queens!" or all the one-liners that people would chuckle at and then make up a one-liner about how much the Mets suck. I haven't seen the Mets advertising so simplistic; with this advertisement to the right, as well as others where its just said "Mets (the logo) - Get your tickets now!"

With this "pocket schedule" (as I am calling it since in this day and age we can take a photo with our phone and refer to that schedule throughout the year) instead of a photo of Ruben Tejada and a one-liner, the Mets are just saying, "Here's the schedule. Head out to the ballpark when you can." Of course, the Mets play will heavily weigh on the attendance of even those who have considered themselves "die-hards" over the years, but it seems the Mets finally understand that flashy and forced advertising isn't what is going to get people out to the ballpark; it's winning. So, might as well not try too hard and just let people know that the Mets will be playing baseball soon. Once we are winning, people will look at the schedule and pick a date.

It's pretty surreal that there's a real baseball game today (and the rain's supposed to clear up, so we should be getting a game in.) The calendar hasn't even turned to April yet. 

Weird. 

But whatever. Never too early to begin. As stated on Rising Apple this morning, I am always pumped for baseball Metropolitan-style, so cue up the marching band and get that Star-Spangled Banner underway.

Part the skies, and clear up the rain. 

Mets baseball is back, time to sing again...

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

One for my Baby

Not to toot my own horn or nothin', but I'm guessing my friend ain't the only one out there who was like, "Why isn't Sam posting?!"

Well, there's no great excuse. I could say it's 'cause I've been busy, and sure, that's true, but that doesn't mean I can't sit down and just type, the way I currently am now? So chalk it up to laziness, chalk it up to not dealing with stress the appropriate way, chalk it up to whatever (is that the correct way you spell chalk in the phrasing "chalk it up?" You know, I do have the internet, but I'm gonna halvsies it on this one...)

Anyway, I haven't been writing about the Mets, I haven't been writing about pretty much ANYTHING, except for the podcasts and occasional Rising Apple post hear and there (which, again, I'm gonna go halvies on this one...go find those....) So, it's about damn time just a random text from a friend I don't see too much anymore jumpstarts me back into clicking these clankin' clickers (yeah, nobody's ever referred to "typing" that way, but nobody knew what popcorn was until coming across kernels sitting in the sun...and nobody ever parenthesesed as much as I am in this post...but that might be a good thing....)

Anyway (I say again...) this clearly wasn't about the Mets, but this post doesn't necessarily need to be. I just wanted to type again, and not with just selling ANITA, BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY, GOODBYE WORLD and THE GERMAN DOCTOR (This I won't go halvsies on...SEE THEM ALL!!!)

I mean, do you really want me to talk about the shortstop situation? or the fact both first baseman have been a bit banged up? or the manufactured Matt Harvey controversy? What else have you been reading while Sam Maxwell hasn't been...uh....clacking?

So, there you go, I'll settle back in, give my thoughts on Mets stuff more often, post Random Songs as I've been known to do and click and clank all the day long. 

Thanks, Friend.

Funny...I'm not even gonna go for the obvious song here....ya know...the title of this post...(if you don't know what song I'm talking about, shame on you, and I'm halvsieing it here and telling you to go listen to...yeah...Frankie's version...)

I've gotten into Electric Light Orchestra for the first time EVER over the last year, which was a travesty to my music-loving ways. I've recently purchased ELO's album, "Time" which you should all get and was a poignant album to explore for the first time ever in the year 2014, almost 33 years after it's release. So, here's a Random Song from the year 2095.

CLICKING. CLACKING.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

Happy Thanksgivukkah Everyone!

I am thankful to have all the readers I have, which stems mainly from being a part of this Metsian world. I love this team, I love this sport, and I love the community it harnesses.

There'll be more over on Rising Apple very soon with all of us on the staff stating what we are thankful for, but to those who not only celebrate Thanksgiving today, but light the 2nd candle of Chanukah tonight, I wish all of my Jewish brethren and sistren a very happy Thanksgivukah.

Though he phrases it differently, my friend, Adam Spiegel (a Mets fan as well), and his collaborative team have written a song talking about the two holidays intersecting. Enjoy.

THANKS. FOR. BASEBALL.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

Regarding Jhonny Peralta, I Yield the Floor To Rising Apple

By now, it is well-known amongst the Mets fan base circle...at least the ones who monitor the Hot Stove at obsessive levels...that the Mets met with shortstop free agent Jhonny Peralta at the GM meetings, which is a rare thing to do at the annual November event. Generally speaking, these meetings are exclusively executives, and it helps lay the groundwork for potential deals that could take place either before or during the Winter Meetings in December. When you're coming off a 50-game suspension, however, it makes sense to be as active as early as you can.

Mike Lecolant of Brooklyn Trolley Blogger and a fellow Rising Apple writer says everything perfectly about why that number would be outlandish for the Mets to pay, and also quotes a well-informed Rising Apple reader. I suggest you click on this link and read Mr. Lecolant's opinion of the entire matter.

Over here, however, we have a Random Nothing of the Day. And this one ain't too long so you can press play, then in less than a minute get on with your day.

Enjoy your Friday everyone.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, follow on Twitter here, and listen to the research process here.

If Not Beltran, Where Do the Mets Get Another Run Producer?

(Some people might say, "ANYWHERE ELSE!!!")

This morning, I wrote on Rising Apple that I felt it made all the sense in the world for the Mets to bring back Carlos Beltran.

I'm not gonna repeat myself too much here, so please click and read on the above link.

The Mets could go the trade route now that they have more commodities in the Minor Leagues to potentially trade for a young, proven, under-team-control run producing outfielder...

But when you look at the free agent market, now that Hunter Pence is off the board (having extended with the Giants) Beltran actually makes a lot of practical sense to bring back to the team as on a short deal whose dollars won't be obscene like Jacoby Ellsbury or Sin-Shoo Coo, the latter who the Mets would sign for leadoff purposes anyway.

One pitch, however, a Mets career does not make. I am not living in the past or being sentimental when I say #BringBackBeltran.

The ones who solely blame him for 2006 are living in the past.

(Though I get that in a sense. Mets fans remember Mookie Wilson fouling pitch after pitch off before the wild one was finally thrown to bring in the tying run in Game 6 of '86. So, in their eyes, Beltran could have at least done that with the curveball...but that was a damn fine curveball.)

Anyway, I know the Mets are considering all options, and I'm fairly certain Beltran will be one of those options in their eyes.

Anyway, send yourselves over to Rising Apple.

Here's a Random Song of the Day.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, and follow on Twitter here.

Less Words After Recap Days

I never really want to write that much more about a game I end up recapping, so this is the best I can do. I've got a few thoughts at the end of this Rising Apple Recap of the 7-6 loss at the hands of Milwaukee, so if you're dying to see what I had to say basically the moment the loss was sealed, head on over to the recap.

For now, I got a random song for all of you.

LET'S. GO. METS.

(That's not even my favorite Matt Harvey Meme from that ESPN the Mag tweet, but it's a good one. I saw one I can't find anymore that read, "For you, baby....I'll rub up a new one.")

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, and follow on Twitter here.

Gee, That's Better.

I've calmed down a bit since yesterday's rant about Friday.

It's nice when the Saturday recap I'm in charge of on Rising Apple is a relatively smooth and easy Mets win (as opposed to a long and excruciating 20-inning Mets loss.)

Can't be overstated how awesome it is that Zack Wheeler is making his Citi debut today at 1:10PM. Looking forward to this first one and looking forward to the many he will make over his career.

Enjoy the day everybody.

LET'S. GO. METS.

(That was a sick bare-handed play made by David in the 7th inning to end the frame. It's such a regular thing he does and does so well that I guess the folks who cut up the individual highlights at MLB.com thought it wasn't clip-worthy.)

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, and follow on Twitter here.

The Byrd.

Marlon Byrd has been fantastic.

I started writing about yesterday's win over here, focusing on the Mets right fielder, but it turned into a Rising Apple post instead.

Head on over there for the The Word.

More to come on Converted Mets Fan later in the day...

For now, a Random Song, 'cause it's been too long.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for the latest on a Brooklyn Baseball TV Series I am developing, Like the Bedford & Sullivan Facebook page, and follow on Twitter here.

30 inning later

Well, that just wouldn't end, and wouldn't end with a Mets win either.

By Sunday, I was unfortunately hardly paying attention. The later innings I tuned into gameday (and I wasn't even working...well, at least not of the short-term money-making variety.)

I'm sorry to see it end with 3 heading to Vegas (Ike Davis, Mike Baxter, Robert Carson.) But, yeah, something certainly needed to be done, even though still think bad in-game decisions are bad in-game decisions, and regardless of talent, Terry keeps making plenty.

Anyway, I don't know why I'm writing more words. I wrote PLENTY on Saturday.

Well, it was nice to watch a game...AND a win at that

With recap duties for Rising Apple yesterday, I was able to see that nice change of what was a deep, dark and dreary pace (which may or may not continue.) An excellent showing by Niese, and an offense that didn't look like the complete opposite of Murderer's Row...

Ike though, with 4 strikeouts and a groundout to 1st, could very well see his early season chances finally evaporate.

He's still one of my favorites on the Mets, so in hopes of sending good vibes out into the ether and getting this whole thing turned around, Julian's Met of the Week is none other than the man we all know could be soooo good.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

...And We're Back.

After a few days of hardly being able to pay full attention to those Mets of ours, I was finally able to take in nothing but the game, and some great chatter about our favorite pastime. The drama of life in Boston this week was a prevalent beast in the background and foreground of many of our individual narratives, climaxing as Harvey showed how Better (and always Baller) he is.

The (majority of the) Rising Apple Crew finally took in a game together, and though the Mets battled, as they've been known to do this year, at the end of the day Terry Collins made a Laffey out of it.

(I'm going to cover my feelings on Terry's status over at Rising Apple this week.)

A very creative individual whose name I unfortunately failed to get masking-taped BUCK over a certain J. Bay, updating his t-shirt with the times. Before Edgin was in 1 pitch too late, The New 44 made his presence felt once more, singling in what was the tying run. As this team grows, it's easy to take losses like this in stride. A very fun day at the ballpark, with an odd and interesting loss to take in.

And it was a lot of fun catching Neil Diamond live at Fenway while on line for food.


My ears will probably be the main sense that takes in the rubber match of this early divisional matchup.

Gee-funk it up tomorrow.

But for now, here's a song for the night.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

I am without speech.

Relatively. Here is my Rising Apple game recap of the Mets' 4-2 win over the Twins.


Over here on Converted, we've got Marlon Byrd's first home run as a Met, which got the scoring (and a 7-hits-in-a-row barrage) going in the 5th.

LET'S. GO. METS

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

Mets Legacy Video of the Day - The Magic is Back

For a recap of the 5-1 loss to the Nationals, head on over to Rising Apple.


Today's Mets Legacy is a collection of home videos from Opening Day 1980.

THE REST OF THURSDAY.
THEN FRIDAY.
SATURDAY.
SUNDAY...

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

Today's Mets Legacy - Good Afternoon & Thank You for Coming

For a recap of a wacky 11-4 loss to the Cardinals, head on over to Rising Apple.


Today's Mets Legacy Photo is of the scoreboard at the end of the 11-10 Opening Day loss to Montréal on April 8, 1969.

DRINK REINGOLD.
LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

Mets Legacy Photo of the Day - The Opening Day Parade

For a recap of today's 3-2 win over the Cardinals (including Matt Harvey's strong start and Travis d'Arnaud productively still in Major League Camp), head over to Rising Apple.

I am currently editing the video for this past Thursday's Book Event at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse with Ira Berkow, Author of Summers at Shea. Having started the book this weekend, he is clearly a fantastic storyteller and I am happy to have these stories complemented with his live tellings of them. I look forward to sharing some of the evening with you soon.


With Opening Day on it's way, Today's Mets Legacy Photo take us to the 1910's at Ebbets Field in April.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

Mets Legacy Photo of the Day - Campy

For a recap of today's 5-2 win over the Braves (including 7 SO in 5 IP by Jeremy Hefner and a HR by The Duda), head over to Rising Apple.


Today's Mets Legacy Photo is of arguably the greatest catcher of all time, whose career was unfortunately cut short.

Don't forget about USA v Puerto Rico tonight. 

Winner goes on. 

Loser is done.

MLB Network at 7:00PM EST.

ROY CAMPANELLA.
LET'S. GO. METS.

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

Will Someone Get Captain America Some Tylenol?!

Last night, after a fantastic Metsian evening in the clubhouse* with Ira Berkow, author of Summers at Shea, I found myself in a melancholy mood as I clicked on mets.com for the David Wright headline. A few hours before, my attention was more concentrated on getting downtown than it was on any pregame World Baseball Classic news, though pumped for the game I certainly was. I didn't find out about the David Wright scratch until we, the clubhouse, turned the game back on around the 5th. 

That was a bummer. 

Though it was awesome seeing R.A. Dickey had bounced back.

So, around the midnight hour, I just stared at whatever info had been gathered so far on the left rib cage soreness (which was first reported as a sore back). It was clearly precautionary, clearly of some concern, but nothing to necessarily freak out about (though I try to say that more often than not these days about most things.) As I read on, I realized I hadn't even addressed in my last post of yesterday the fact the USA and The Dominican were playing last night, which is counter-productive to everything I've been talking about. If you were a superstitious fellow (which I am) you'd think that I was the reason for last night's loss; that I started the evening off sending out bad karma.

OR, maybe it was just Kimbrel's pitch selection after that terrible call (and I mean TERRIBLE, by the way.)

Anyway, I stared at my computer contemplating writing about the night. And I just kept coming to the conclusion that I wasn't in the mood.

So, I read my friend's interview with David Cross.

Then I thought about watching a random episode of Arrested Development, even though I recently went through the whole series again.

Then I watched Louis CK at the Beacon instead.

And dosed off seemingly mid-crack-up.

Oh, also, I used to love Jose's antics, but an ENTIRE TEAM OF IT is getting on my nerves.

I want to beat those guys so badly...

Anyway, tonight we play an elimination game against Puerto Rico at 7 PM EST. Ryan Vogelsong on the mound for the US, and NELSON FIGUEROA on the mound for PR.

Somebody else has to start coming through for this team.

They won't have Captain America to drive in 2 with a game-winning single this time.

Step it up, USA.

LET'S. GO. METS.

*(More on the evening at the Clubhouse this coming next week...)

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.