The Big Bad Baseball Gypsy is still searchin'. The more he tries to root for a specific team, the more he realizes he...just can't. He has slightly found a solution, which is to just follow baseball with his gameday audio At Bat. The thing is, especially with where he has found his location on the 7 line, the Mets would be a natural choice. The 2008 Phillies, however, got him then and are still endearing to him now. Hence the impasse. With Citi Field so close, though, he couldn't see himself not making a few games this year. That's if I would let him. Last year, the tale of the Gypsy and his Voodoo was well documented on these digital pages. If you're as superstitious as I am, things got pretty damn spooky. I coined him "voodoo" when we walked into that Mets Nats game last year and Dillon Gee immediately gave up a home run. It's been kind of a half-joke since, a narrative I have certainly pushed, though the natural story unfolding in front of us I believe has less to do with me perpetuating the issue and more to do with....spooky ghost stuff...? I don't know, but when you pick up the Gypsy's check when he is out of town and he responds (via text) with "The hex on the Mets has been lifted!" "(For the weekend.)" And you then travel to Citi Field and witness the Mets first no-hitter, they shut out the Cardinals ALL WEEKEND but then lose 5-4 that Monday, no matter how much you might be at fault for continuing the narrative, you still feel there are other forces at work. I AM trying, however, to get to the point where none of that matters, or at least is just a funny little joke. I laughed at all the times the outside forces seemed to be swaying the Metsian fates, but I was definitely serious about what did start as a funny little quip. If there is baseball only 4 miles away from the Gypsy's location and he wants to see it, I can't stop him because of a stupid superstition. Of course, though, the Mets had runners on 1st and 2nd and no out when we walked into the ballgame, and by the time we had settled into our seats, an out was made and a double play was grounded into. My friends who we met at the game agreed there might be something to this whole voodoo thing.
But is it really the Gypsy's fault that the only person who can stop Jordany Valdespin...is Jordany Valdespin? Anyway, the exorcism didn't quite work last night, and took a big hit when in the 7th, the Voodoo Gypsy jokingly started playing the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's Go Daddy-o, just before everything fell apart. The Voodoo Gypsy, however, was still legitimately rooting for the Mets at points throughout the night. When the offense finally (kinda) got it together, he was standing up with the rest of us chanting "Let's. Go. Mets." They battled, but unfortunately could not get over the hump, but he certainly appreciated seeing some fight. (And Dan Haefeli had the entire section and then some cheering for him when he handed a pop-up foul ball to the kid running towards it.) So, I'll attempt to exorcise it again in the near future. He's too close to not randomly decide one night or afternoon that we'd like to take in a ballgame, and so at some point, just as it did for the Red Sox, the witch doctor hovering over and shaking his staff with some voodoo spell will have no affect on the Metropolitan baseball team. I just hope we don't have to wait another 86 years... Jonathon Niese takes on the Marlins and Ricky Nolasco today at 1:10PM at Citi Field.
My main concern with this Hall of Fame vote was whether or not Mike Piazza was gonna get in. I have my problems with the idea of a "first-ballot" vs. a "not first-ballot" hall of famer, which, along with the steroid speculation I also have a problem with, combined to predictably keep our iconic catcher out for at least one more year. BUT, his vote total, 57.8%, is a very optimistic number regarding his long-term Hall chances. Being a baseball fan, this entire ballot intrigued me and I am not surprised (except for the Biggio exclusion and Curt Shilling's low total) that no one got in. My stance on steroids requires a whole 'nother post, but all I can say regarding the statement made by the BBWAA is that I am looking very forward to seeing how the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum gets shaped over the next decade. Though I will not be joining them this evening, Matt Musico and the Rising Apple Crew (this week consisting of Danny Abriano and Dan Haefeli) have got all the Mike Piazza Hall of Fame talk covered on tonight's Rising Apple Report podcast, which promptly begins at6:30PM. They'll also be discussing the Wilpons' finances, which will, as always, be an ever-enthralling topic. I will be on Taryn "The Coop" Cooper'sA Gal for All Seasons podcast, however, with fellow Rising Apple writer Kevin Baez, tonight at 7:00PM. She covers many sports on this show, with an emphasis tonight on Hockey and the Mets, with the lockout over and the Hall results, respectively. It's a podcastic evening with the two shows back-to-back, so make sure you tune in! This blog lately has been mainly Random Songs and pushing podcasts. That will continue, but I WILL be getting back to the cream of this blog's crop real soon. Coming up in the next week or so will be a few 2012 stories, capped with a video I've put together of a game from last year, so be sure to tune in for that. For now, enjoy the podcasts and a Random Song, brought to you by the Big Bad Baseball Gypsy, who has been listening to ELO for 3 straight weeks.
With all the Verse around me In the show put on by Fools I had the inclination To break all the sound prose rules. I might not follow each and Every scheme the Gypsy says But I think most of you care as much As you care about Ollie Perez. We're not here to go over the rules of the Iambic Pentameter We're here to speak of our own Mets The team we hold so dear. What is it that makes every weakness Be exploited all at once? That's what we've seen in this 2nd half That's led us to all fuss. Four wins at home It doesn't make sense Track records normally show You play winning baseball here at home Aim for .500 on the road. Is it the energy that Davey says Is like a freakin' morgue? Could it be that the lack of fans Has players feeling sore?
How could it be An over-achieving team Could fall so fast? Why can't there be a middle ground Instead of trying to avoid being last?
Some say certain players aren't tough enough And while that might be true It's not as black and white As fans and media have in their view. There are several different factors Some we certainly cannot see We may think they're crystal clear to us But there's no way they can be. I wish I had the answers We all wish that we did Some of us wish the Wilpons Would let more of us make bids. To some it is as simple as them Giving up their pride and joy They see a father and his son Playing with the team like a toy.
But if they can recover I say more power to them I'd love for the Redemption Song To include the Wilpon's Gems. But who knows how the story will go We didn't see this coming We thought after the fantastic start They'd still be in the running. But they did what they tend to have done Way too often over 50 years It certainly makes it easy For the next rhyme to include "tears." But one day it will turn around I know it's hard to believe Even when the mantra of this franchise Has been to keep "believe" up our sleeve. I haven't been to a game in weeks The one with Collin McHugh I'm trying to go next Tuesday Eve As they come home to bid us Adieu.
Regardless how this season has gone I will certainly be upset No matter how fed up you all get Say it with me now...
I want to look at the photos I took from A Night with Ike Davis so I can do a post about the evening, but I have been running errands all day for the show. I am hoping to get a write-up done this weekend, but we'll see. For now, enjoy a day when the Mets certainly can't lose... And enjoy, down below, the Random Song of the Day.
Even though we all know, deep down inside, we don't have a profound effect on the actions taking place on the field of our Metsies, moments occur that make you shake your head at the timing of it all. Having arrived at rehearsal for that Thing Run by Fools around 6:50, it wasn't until 7:15 or so that I checked the time and threw the At Bat on. There it was, a 0-1 Metsian deficit. Jeez. R.A. must be struggling with the knuckleball. I was able to stick around to monitor the the bottom half, because a lot of rehearsal can be "hurry up and wait." They loaded the bases but did not change the 2nd half trend of doing nothing with the many runners put out there. Nothing surprising. But still unbelievable. I rationalized it by saying they were working him early, and he'd be tired quicker. Wasn't gonna make a difference, Sam. I was pretty confident, though, that RA would settle down, but not as confident that the Mets' offense could do anything against Jordan Zimmermann, who has basically dominated the offense all year even when they were not as inept. I daydreamed that I would walk away for a few minutes and arrive back to see a 2-1 Metsian lead, but it just wasn't coming. I'm sure I'm not the only Mets fan who thought (not necessarily believed) that if they just turned the TV off, or the radio, or stopped checking the At-Bat for a little bit, the Mets would get something going. "Maybe I'm the reason." RA was doing fine while I was watching the words across the screen. But superstitions aren't supposed to be rational. As the runthrough got close to starting in this beautiful but a little rundown church on 86th and Amsterdam, I set my phone up in an alcove on the side, plugging it in to keep the battery alive throughout the game. The director talked to us beforehand for a little bit, and once she was done, since I wasn't on stage for some time, I had a chance to watch the At Bat pitch by pitch. When I got back to my phone, I couldn't believe my eyes. That 2-1 lead I was looking for was there. Seemed to be something to that whole "working him early" thing. I was positive that the 5th inning was the turning point this team needed. This is what will get R.A. his 19th win. I put the phone down, and walked away, since, of course, they were playing better when I wasn't monitoring it constantly. But that couldn't keep me away. Who am I kidding? I'm a fanatic. And I had some time before my presence on the stage. I got back to my phone within 2 minutes of walking away, and unfortunately the Mets couldn't build on their lead. My 1st scene came and went, and RA was cruising to the 7th. I saw him get the 1st out, and with his pitch count relatively low, I was certain he'd be able to get yet another complete game. The Big Bad Baseball Gypsy was walking my way, and I got up, quietly telling him, "RA's trying to lock down the Cy Young." "Nice." The second, literally the millisecond I said this, I told myself, You shouldn't have said that. But then I also told myself, Stop it, Sam. It. Doesn't. Matter. I went back over to the phone, and sure enough, there was a single. It's all good. He'll be fine. "Tyler Moore pinch-hitting." Come on. "First pitch, run(s) 75 MPH Knuckleball." You've GOT to be kidding me. I waited, hoping it was at least just a double. But no. The next update informed me of the go-ahead, first pitch, pinch-hit homer, and I could do nothing but shake my head. I'm not sure how behind the At Bat is. Whether the single or the home run occurred RIGHT when I made the statement to the baseball gypsy. Regardless, trying to throw superstition out the window was taking a big hit in my world. While Rauch did a great job getting out of a major jam in the 8th, Frankie Frank could not, and the trend of not holding the deficit to 1 in the 9th at home continued. I had one more entrance literally at the end of the show, and after Scottie Hairston continued his awesomeness, I was hoping the Mets could perform a miracle before I had to race away from the phone. The New York Metropolitans have been down 3-5 with 2 out and nobody on before. We all know how that went. After Ronny Cedeno got a single, Ruben Tejada was battling. Come on. Just get on base so Murph can get into one and they'll win the game, 6-5. "Ball in Dirt" was the last thing I saw, and I had to go set up for my cue. It's ok. It'll take care of itself. Once we practiced our bows, I went off with the cast, ran with my head down underneath the stage, and hoped to see that a miracle had occurred. It had not. It's that Big Bad Baseball Voodoo, is what it is. I should just quit the show. Ya know. For the good of the Mets.
