It's unbelievable to think that the 2nd most memorable game for me from 2012 is almost 3 years old. When R.A. Dickey solidified his place in Mets history, winning his 20th game by a 6-5 margin, the bullpen narrowly blowing the comeback victory for the New York Mets (and a great catch by the opposition to boot.) Those Mets lost 88 games that year, but THAT win MEANT something. It was a glorious day at the ballpark.
Now, The Mets face R.A. for the first time in their current incarnation, and in his. In an ironic twist, the Mets current elder statesman, Bartolo Colon, will face the knuckleballing righty, who is in his potentially last year with the Blue Jays, who hold a team option with a $1 million buyout. Is it conceivable that we could see R.A. Dickey in a Mets uniform next year? Bartolo's contract will be up, and some of these young pitchers will still have an innings limit. Plus, the knuckleball, back in the NL East, would offer everybody a completely different look every 5th day, along with a veteran anchor for the young staff. It's interesting to conceive, and possibly monitor once the offseason rolls around... But first thing's first...Beat R.A. Tonight. Don't let him be pumped to face you and then he has his best outing in 3 years.
Of course, right after I say I'm gonna pay less attention to the Mets in the middle of December, everything blows up.
Over a year ago, right before Jose Reyes left, I purchased a Blue Dickey Throwback.
Oh, the irony.
As we got further and further into all of this and it became more of a possibility that The Knuckler could be traded, I successfully removed all emotion from the ordeal and realized it was in the best interest of the Mets to explore all options. I knew my favorite player wouldn't be traded if it wasn't a trade that HAD to be considered and executed. Well, I must say, this could potentially be a real big win-win deal. You're offered two of the best prospects in baseball, one who is the best prospect at a position that you DESPERATELY need to fill, you make that trade no matter how "Really Awesome" the guy you're trading might be. This is the position we are in as a franchise. Enough whining, please. These are the cards we have been dealt, and because of it we had to get creative.
And I believe Sandy and Co. have done great jobs in their time here getting creative.
I had already planned on tuning in to the Blue Jays more this year because of Reyes.
But now....
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.
Matt Cerrone said something on Metsblog I feel and I'm sure a lot of other fans feel as well:
"I know this is a business. But, even still, Dickey may end up being
the first player I actually root for, and go out of my way to watch, as
a fan of his, after leaving the organization. I usually cut ties pretty
easily, but he’s different. I don’t know why. He always struck me as a
normal guy who happens to be really good at one facet of baseball, as
opposed to a born-and-bread, entitled athlete trying to act like a
normal guy. I admire and respect that in him, and it made him endearing
in a way I don’t ever recall seeing before in sports. It’s actually why
I’m kind of glad he’s with Jose Reyes now competing against the Yankees.
I can root for them both, at the same time, with the same goal. Dickey
is awesome, easy to root for and I hope he continues to have success in
life on and off the field (unless of course he’s competing against the
Mets)." Even before he said that, I have been seriously considering getting a Powder Blue Jays Dickey Throwback to complement the other. I wonder how many Mets Fans just made the Blue Jays their serious American League Team? BUT, when it comes back to it, of course we're stayin' true to the Orange and Blue. And that was none more evident than on Saturday at Foleys. As the trade was coming together, a bunch of us Mets fans got together to celebrate the release of the First Base of the Happiest Recap, written by blogger and author extraordinaire Greg Prince. It would make sense to spend part of the Dickey trade weekend with the Mets Fan Incarnate. But there were certainly others in the room giving him a run for his money. In fact, and I can't tell ya who got it started, but as somebody quieted us all down and thanked us for coming, somebody else broke into a "Meet the Mets" rendition, and quickly the entire room was singing the Fight Song. It felt like this was our Alma Mater. Like a Members Only Club, getting together in a memoribilia-laden, no-cell-service basement room in a bar in Mid-Manhattan, singing our song. Smiles on our faces.
There was a Santa-con girl standing on line for the bathroom right outside the room with the most dumb-founded look on her face as to why, on a Saturday in the middle of December, "Meet the Mets" was being sung. We love this team. Even if, to get back to the promised land, the Knuckleball Wobble must unfortunately be sacrificed.
