Why we as Mets fans are crazy

This is taken verbatim from Bill Price's blog in the Daily News this afternoon. It perfectly sums up the mentality of a Mets fan and why we are crazy, especially as this team is a few games out of a playoff spot, but feel so far away.

I went to the Yankee game Thursday afternoon and while I was there got into a conversation with a non-Mets fan (something I usually don't like to do), and he asked me why are Mets fans so dramatic, so reactionary, losing their minds with every bad loss and even looking at a positive sign with a crooked grin?

I thought about it for a second and told him that we are like that because we are so used to things falling apart, so beaten down by the losing and that any good news is taken with a grain of salt and any bad news is looked at as the beginning of the end.

All day long, as the Yankees were pounding the quitting Orioles, I didn't think twice about my answer, figuring I had nailed it on the head, but when I got back to BBHQ and started reading all the quotes from Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins, I realized my original answer is incorrect. What I should have said is, "Because the franchise we root for is a complete, dysfunctional mess."

Think about what has gone on in the last 24 hours: The Mets lose a brutal game, the manager takes the blame for the game (as well as he should have), and then today Terry Collins reveals Michael Cuddyer can barely walk, but won't go on the DL, and then Alderson says he can take on a big contract, but no one believes him (gee, I wonder why).  Oh, I forgot to mention that the Mets also announced a lineup for Thursday's game that most Triple-A pitchers could dominate, let alone the guy they are facing in Clayton Kershaw. The only good news is that Zack Greinke's wife is in labor and he headed back to LA (take your time Mrs. Greinke).

And then we find out the Aramis Ramirez went to the Pirates for a bag of balls. The Pirates just had to pick up $3M. Imagine having Ramirez hitting cleanup tonight instead of John Mayberry Jr.

Anyway, back to my original point, you get the feeling the Mets players, execs, managers and GMs enjoy screwing with us, playing with our emotions, making us crazier than we already are. How else can you explain this Cuddyer situation or Alderson being a smug, joker as another season goes down the tubes? Maybe they hold these press conferences, then go on twitter and have a couple of good laughs.At least that would make some sense and make us feel better.

But in reality, as each day goes on you get the impression they have no idea what they doing, no idea how to fix this mess and no idea how insane they are driving their paying customers. Unless something changes by Friday, the only non-pitching big names playing for the Mets this weekend will be Nancy and Ann Wilson. At least the Mets, for once, will have some Heart.

As for the fans, we have heart, but our patience and minds are wearing thin.

The worst loss of the season

Going into this series against first place Washington, I really wanted the Mets to win 2 of 3. The Nationals are missing four everyday players and the Mets were able to avoid the dominant Max Scherzer. After splitting the first two games, it came down to the rubber match this afternoon. After this game, they'd either be a game out of first place or three games out of first.

The Mets were leading 3-0 early and 3-1 after five innings. Noah Syndergaard didn't have his best stuff, but he worked his way through five innings. Hansel Robles escaped two outs and nobody on in the sixth. Jenrry Mejia came in and shut Washington down in the seventh. And then came the eighth. The freaking eighth. Bobby Parnell had been a good pitcher this season since coming back from Tommy John surgery. One run allowed in 13 innings. And he starts off striking out the Mets killer, Wilson Ramos. Then Ian Desmond walked. When Matt den Dekker singled, I knew it was trouble. This stiff is their 8th place hitter, a former Met, and the Mets couldn't get him out once today. Then pinch-hitter Tyler Moore lines out. two down. Up comes Michael Taylor, a bench player who has done almost nothing in his career. Single. Two runs score. Tie game. With two down, this is where the genius manager Terry Collins needs to bring in his lights out closer into the game. This is the biggest game of the year and Jeurys Familia needs to be pitching to Danny Espinosa. But Collins doesn't have him up yet. And Espinosa gets a double to left field. Right there, the game was over.

Meanwhile, the Mets offense went into the tank. No baserunners after the fifth inning. And the last three hitters all struck out. This is unquestionably the worst loss of the 2015 season. In fact, it may be the worst loss the Mets have had since 2009. They are hanging on barely to the division race and wild card race only because of their starting pitching and closer. They play brutal defense, they have no team speed, and they have the absolute worst offense in baseball. Second fewest runs scored, fewest hits, and lowest batting average.

And now they get to face the West division-leading L.A. Dodgers with Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, probably the two best pitchers in the game. The Mets have been notorious for getting off to decent starts in recent years before collapsing in the second half. That's exactly where this is going. Because a loss like that will kill seasons. And with this front office's unwillingness to call up Michael Conforto or to trade for a legitimate hitter, this season will just slowly, quietly, painfully fade into the abyss. But why should any of us as Mets fans be surprised?

New York City, part 4

Well, this day started slower. I woke up around 7:30 and Jimmy and I grabbed breakfast at Pruzzo's again. I went with egg whites, bacon, and cheese on a roll and it was awesome as well. We also stopped at an Italian bakery, where I picked up some bread and cannolis. I packed up and also got a breast of chicken that I wrapped in aluminum foil, which I put it in my backpack. Little did I know what that would result in later in the day.

Jim's friend Meredith picked us up less than an hour before the game started. Of course, being an early bird, I was stressing inside already. I put my luggage in the truck of her very compact car and climbed into the backseat, where twenty packs of Parliament cigarettes were laying on the floor. I wanted to gag, but at least the car didn't smell too much like smoke. We fought some traffic, but we got into the stadium around 12:45. We got our drawstring bags and they went to left field, while I walked around towards right field. I happily wolfed down a Italian special hero from Mama's of Corona. I even took a few bites during the National Anthem. I don't know if that's taboo, but what can you do now?

I sat in the first row of the right field Pepsi porch, which was an awesome view. In one of the most improbable things I may have ever seen in baseball, Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit three home runs and the Mets won 5-3. With the Mets three game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, they are one game behind the hated Cubs for that second wild card spot. Hopefully this great performance by a player who usually stinks will not dissuade Sandy Alderson from going out and trying to bring a professional bat in.

So Meredith and Jim took me straight to the airport. Now I usually get through security quickly at La Guardia, since there aren't long lines with only ten gates in the terminal. But after I passed through the full body scanner, I saw my backpack had been pulled out. So I knew I was getting held up. But with two hours to go until my flight, I wasn't worried. The TSA agent emptied my backpack, checking my books and phone primarily. After they found nothing, they told me they'd have to do a full body search. I was taken into a secured back room and all of me was searched for nearly ten minutes. Again, nothing. One more check of my phone. Nothing. On my way I went. And a few minutes later, a thought occurred to me. I had thrown that chicken wrapped in foil in my bag. I'm now thinking that foil resulted me getting searched!

When I got to the gate, I was 4th of 5 people on the standby list. With the flights I could take, I felt good. Twenty minutes later, I liked at the board and I was suddenly 12th. Suddenly my stomach got tight and I felt myself getting very nervous. Indeed, I got bumped off the first flight. The next flight was larger, which was encouraging. I got on and as I sit on this plane, flying over somewhere in Canada, I don't see an empty seat around. I'm just thankful and relieved I got on. I believed I would, but you just never know sometimes.

New York City, part 3

I left the apartment sound 8:30 and planned to get a bottle of water at the local Pelham mini mart. I did there behind one guy for for minutes and then two people cut in front of me, so I walked out. Fun start. I took 6 to the F and had to walk three blocks to Lexington and 63rd from 59th St. I went down five flights of stairs only to get to the platform and find out that the F trains were not running downtown that weekend. So back up the stairs I went, all five flights.

So I was 15 blocks away and my father had already been waiting 15 minutes the NHL store, so I did something I'd never done before. I caught a cab on my own. I bought a gray 3/4 sleeve Rangers shirt. I was looking for a hoodie, but i was pleased with my purchase. I needed a drink, so I got a green peach tea lemonade at Starbucks, about a full dollar more expensive than the Starbucks where I work. We walked by Carnegie Hall, after he turned the wrong direction, but hey, we killed a few extra minutes before lunch.

I had a groupon for Uncle Jack's steakhouse and since neither of us go out for steak much, I thought it would be a nice treat. We started with two appetizers: Wagyu meatballs and  baked clams. Both were great and the clams and that oreganata bread crumb topping that we like. The house salads with citrus vinaigrette were gobbled quite quickly. Then cane the main event. We both got a 14 ounce strip streak and it wad excellent. Great crust, full of juice, and cooked a perfect medium rare. Usually it comes with garlic mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, but the chef gave us German potatoes and sauteed spinach due to my dad's dairy allergy. The sides were outstanding as well. For dessert, we split a ginger and key lime crumble with graham cracker crumbs in a mason jar. It tasted like an upside down key lime pie. Nice tart lime flavor but it was really filling. The service was prompt and friendly and we had just a great experience.

Then it was onto Queens and Citi Field for the Mets game. We had seats in the Caesar's club section, right in front of the press box. It was a warm day so I'm glad we were in the shade all day. Arizona took an early two run lead and we were all nervous. The game turned in the fifth inning when Lucas Duda crushed an opposite field home run. Later that inning, Matt Harvey hit his first career home run, giving the Mets the lead. Mets won 4-2. I walked away with a lot of mercy, including two Juan Lagares bobbleheads, a new cap, a key ring, and car decal. I didn't even eat though, just drank a souvenir lemonade. So I said goodbye to my father and I wound up sitting in Grand Central for an hour waiting for another friend to finalize her plans.

I met Laura for the first time and she took me to Throggs Neck to an Italian place that she enjoys. I liked it, but they were pumping the house music so loud that it quickly got annoying. And I ordered an iced tea and I know it wasn't brewed. It was disgusting. A decent restaurant should always brew their own tea, no excuses! I had a dish with chicken, sausage, potatoes, pepperocini, and a lot of olive oil and white wine. Really good stuff. Nothing like good 10 pm Italian food. She was great company and I'm glad we finally got to meet after about a year of virtual communication.

New York City, part 2

So it took 40 minutes of waiting for the right bus to show up. Meanwhile my two Metro cards had expired, so I had to buy a new one. I had to stand on the bus, even at 1 am, there was no room to sit. I connected to the 6 train in Harlem around 1 in the morning. What could go wrong there, right? Me in Harlem. But I got to the apartment around 2 am and was on the couch asleep within a half hour.

I got up after about four hours of sleep. I thought I'd be a little groggy, but I was ok. All I had was a two person couch and a small square pillow. I left around 8:30 and walked over to Pruzzo's deli, which was right next to the subway. Pelham Bay is one of those classic residential New York neighborhoods, where you walk everywhere and know most people. Forget a Wal Mart, this place has general stores that have so much packed into such a small place, it feels like a sardine can. Anyway at the deli, I had sausage, egg, and cheese on a seeded roll. I was allowed to choose a bread from the bin and hand it to the man, who then made my sandwich. And it took a couple of minutes to make; these were not microwaved eggs, folks. Great stuff.

I took the express train to 59th St in Manhattan. Within two minutes of walking, I ran into the crew of the tv show "Hotel Impossible." Anthony, the host, was bald and in a suit, same as always. It happened around 50th and Lexington. I walked over to the Jets shop to do since shopping, but I guess it was closed. There was a lot of construction going on and there wasn't a Mets logo anywhere in sight. So I moved and walked down to Battery Park and went inside the Mets clubhouse store...where I didn't buy anything either. Then I walked through Times Square and south to Madison Square Garden. It's been a while since I've been there for a game and hopefully it'll happen this winter.

After taking a lap around the Garden, I took the B train to Grand St and walked a couple of blocks east to Little Italy. I had a walking tour booked through groupon and I was really looking forward to it. As I walked, I noticed that Chinatown has really taken over the neighborhood. I'd see an Italian cafe and the a nail salon and then a Vietnamese restaurant right next door. We started in the back of a church, where we learned about the history of the neighborhood, including the housing, tenement apartments, and the trends of immigration over the last 100 years. All the places we visited had been around at least 100 years, so these businesses were the real deal.

We started at the oldest cheese shop in America, Alleva, where we sampled their fresh mozzarella with some freshly sliced prosciutto di Parma. The saltiness of the ham and the smooth creaminess of the cheese worked together so well. Then it was onto the Parisi bakery, where 15 firefighters were waiting outside on line. When a fire department likes a place, you know it's good!

We got pieces of prosciutto bread, which was semolina bread bashed with prosciutto, cheese and herbs. I had three pieces. Our next stop was a place if wanted to visit for years: Lombardi pizza. This place is recognized as the first pizzeria in NYC. We had margherita style pizza, sadly it was only one slice each. It was amazing. Crispy crust, bright tomato sauce, fresh cheese, and the fresh flavor of the basil. I'd easily return for more. Finally, we went to Ferrara's, which is well known for their desserts. We got small cannolis and I might have got some gelato if I wasn't so darn thirsty. So I said goodbye to the group, including a family of four ladies. One was around my age, so of course, I spent some taking with her.

I walked a half hour south past City Hall, where the USA women's World Cup soccer parade had just happened. I walked past literally hundreds of cops and confetti had covered the sidewalk like snow. I continued past the Financial District and the Staten Island Ferry and into Battery Park, the southern tip of Manhattan. They had a beer garden, where I enjoyed a nice local brew and I then walked over to the beaches on the shore. It was such a pleasure to sit and tan in the sun while barefoot and my shirt off.

I watched the ferry boats go in and out and I had a great view of the Statue of Liberty too. Around 4, it was coming on chow time. I decided to head into Coney Island. I took the R train into Brooklyn, where I connected to the N. I decided, instead of Nathan's hot dogs, to try Totonno's pizza, which I saw featured on the Food Network as the best in America. This place literally does nothing but pizza and they're only open four days a week. So I ordered a 14 inch with half cheese, half sausage and mushroom. It had a great charred crust and fresh mozzarella cheese. The sauce was very zesty, it was good, but not the best. The disappointment was the bottom of each slice, where it was soggy in the middle. Maybe it was from the oil, but to me, a good crust needs to be crispy all the way through.

I left and headed into the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. It's become a hipster area and it used to be quite rough. I wanted to check out the Brooklyn brewery. Little did I know there was a twenty dollar cover charge. I merry up with my friend Peter, and we decided not to stay. Instead, we drank three pitchers at a different bar. He's a decent guy, but it's obvious we have very different worldviews. Our views on women, God, and people are just radically different. I guess our similarities are the Rangers, the Jets, and being single. It was ok, but I'm in no rush to see him again. Eventually, I headed back to Mahan Ave, arriving around 1 am.

New York City, part 1

I don't know how to explain this. In fact I'm sure I'm in the minority on this opinion. But I find flying in an airplane to be far more peaceful than the process of getting on the plane. Maybe it's the carryover effect from the unprecedented level of drama I experienced in May during my Austin excursion. But now I just have uneasy nervous feelings when I'm just sitting in an airport.

I left work a half hour early to drive up to Schiller Park. I've been parking at Blue Sky for a couple years now and I've always been pleased with their service. I arrived at their faculty around 7 and I had an 8:30 flight. My hope was to arrive in the terminal by 7:30 so I can check in my bag. So I wasn't thrilled when I was told we were going to the off-site international terminal first. We got there around 7:20 and I could feel the knots forming in my stomach with every red light that delayed us. The driver then told me to take the train to Terminal 3. I freaked, picking up my bag and sprinting  inside the terminal and down the stairs to the platform. By the grace of God, a train was waiting.

Security was a breeze, though I wasn't thrilled to see the last LGA fight was delayed by an hour and the JFK flight by 90 minutes. Going into this, I was second on the standby list, with the or four open seats. But with the delays, I couldn't help but dread the thought that someone might take a seat on my flight instead. If I didn't get this flight, I was not going to get out all night. Somehow the plane went out with 15 open seats, so it worked out. I'm scheduled to land around midnight. For the first time, I'm having hard liquor on a plane. I've had a few glass of red wine before, when in first class. But hey, I deserve to celebrate graduating and getting my 4.0 in grad school. I have my master's of science in HR management now. And if I can't attend a ceremony for another eleven months, than damn it, I'm going to treat myself now.

I have at least another hour in the air and I have to take a bus and subway to get to my destination in Pelham Bay in the Bronx. Probably won't be getting to sleep until 2 in the morning. But at least I get to start Friday morning in New York, rather than waking up at 3 am in Chicago. It's going to be a fun three days.

John Fogerty

Set list from the 1969 tour. Preformed at the Pavilion on Northerly Island in Chicago, right near Soldier Field. What a great event and a fun show. I definitely would want to attend a concert at this venue every summer.

Born on the Bayou
Traveling Band
Up Around the Bend
Who'll Stop the Rain
Looking Out My Back Door
Joy of My Life
The Midnight Special
Keep on Chooglin'
Hey Tonight
New Orleans
Lodi
Green River
Good Golly Miss Molly
Mystic Highway
Ramble Tamble
Long as I Can See the Light
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Have You Ever Seen the Rain
Down on the Corner
Centerfield
The Old Man Down the Road
Fortunate Son

Encore
Bad Moon Rising
Proud Mary

Kenny Rogers

Set list from the free concert I attended in Elk Grove Village on the 4th of July.

Love or Something Like It
It's a Beautiful Life
If You Want To Find Love
Through the Years
You Decorated My Life
She Believes In Me
Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town
To Me
Coward of the County
Daytime Friends
Buy Me a Rose
Just Dropped In
America
Oh Baby Don't Leave Me in the Nighttime
We've Got Tonight
Have a Little Faith in Me
The Gambler
Lucille
Lady
Islands in the Stream