The Never-Ending Excruciation

First of all, just want to say thank you once more to Bre of That Mets Chick for coming on A Metsian Podcast last night. Great episode. Realizing I haven't been acknowledging the guest on the blog the next day, so just wanted to start the habit of do so today. If you haven't listened yet, please do so here when you get a chance.

It was scripted to be an excruciating loss. There was no alternative ending.

— Mets killin'me (@Metfanrich) May 16, 2019

I had my moments of following the game early, midway and the tailend. I was dropping off a Lyft passenger when the 9th inning "rally" was occurring, so naturally, after I dropped them off, I checked on the score. There on my At Bat screen was the fact the Mets had scored two runs and had the bases loaded.

Ron Sachs/CNP
Photo via https://nypost.com

On further review, however, the "final" had not been updated and the balls, strikes and outs read, "2-3, 3 out." That's called an end of the game, but the application had not finished computing quickly enough for this to be reported without still teasing me with those loaded bases. I exhaled in frustration, shook my head and went to pick up my next passenger.

My next passenger, it turned out, was wearing a Mets hat and was a die-hard fan who had turned the game off when it was 6-4 because he knew they'd lose painfully and he takes everything so seriously he knew he'd be too emotional about it for hours on end after the game. It was a long ride so we commiserated with each other about this frustrating issue and that frustrating issue. The weird thing was we did it shaking our heads with a smile on our faces. As I've said before, misery loves company.

Whether it is frustration over another injury to a star player, or a veteran star player we just got not performing the way his baseball card says. Whether it is inconsistencies in the front office or on the field. The same thing over and over again grows old, but our fandom does not. He was a man probably at least 15-30 years older than me but he still watches in September when the Mets are 20 games out. It doesn't matter that they've been doing this to him for so many years, he is going to show up and watch.

I know I will be, even when it is hard to find time to sit down and pay attention to a full game. Here I am, unable to take the Mets in like seasons before, but there's no way I'll look away. And so it goes.

Here's to the Mets. As excruciating as they can be.

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.