Yankees fans, it can get boring when all the team does is win. I know because I’m bored to tears. All they talk about are rehabbing players. There’s a temporary fix though…
Yankees fans, I know this borders on heresy, but there’s another show in town, and it’s anything but boring. At 71, I’ve been a Yankees fan for more than a half-century. I’ve seen enough from the Yankees this season to know they are the best team in baseball – better than the Dodgers, Astros, and Braves. And when their time comes shortly to prove they are, I’ll be on the edge of my seat just like you.
But when tonight rolls around, I’ll be tuning into SNY and not Yes to catch the beginning of the compelling series between the Mets and Dodgers at Citi Field.
Oh, I know there’s still an element of suspense in the Yankees season. To be sure, snaring the best overall record in baseball to have home-field advantage throughout the postseason in a rockin’ Yankee Stadium is something to fight for and win.
But day to day for the next two weeks there’s nothing like watching the team from Queens as they try to pull off the steal of the year by capturing the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
I suppose you’ve heard about this kid Pete Alonso. He’s the one knocking on Aaron Judge‘s door with 47 home runs with five more to tie Judge’s rookie record for home runs (52). In the vernacular of the 1950s, he’s a “square,” and I guarantee you’ll love watching him play.
The SNY team is good too, and Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez give David Cone and Paul O’Neill a run for their money.
I’ll be switching back and forth, no doubt. But if you are going to make the (temporary) switch, this is the weekend to do it.
The Mets have crawled to within two games of the final Wild Card spot in the NL. The Dodgers are in town, and if nothing less, there’s a chance to scout our potential World Series opponent. But here’s the kicker. How about these dream pitching matchups?
Friday: Noah Syndergaard & Wilson Ramos vs. Clayton Kershaw
Saturday: Jacob deGrom vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu
Sunday: Zack Wheeler vs. Walker Buehler
I threw Wilson Ramos in there if you haven’t heard about the internal dispute between Syndergaard and Brodie Van Wagenen/Mickey Callaway to have Ramos as his personal catcher. Syndergaard loses, but there’s always fun stuff like this going on with the Mets…
The Mets are entertaining in other ways as well. They are a throwback to the 1986 team, and they have a list of characters. Brandon Nimmo, for instance, set the major league record for the fastest trip around the bases after hitting a home run at sixteen seconds.
And then, there’s Robinson Cano, who still can’t seem to decide when to run out a ball he hits – or not. On that score, you haven’t missed much.
But the Mets are mostly a team led by this dorky kid Alonso, who has taken the team under his wings as the self-appointed cheerleader and media magnet.
Like I said if you enjoy baseball in September when a team is fighting for their season’s life, make the switch. It’s not heresy…it’s baseball at its best.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
