And this was before the Subway Series.
Movies are almost always better when there’s a Mets element to them, whether it’s outsized, as in the key 1969 scenes from the current release Men In Black 3, or subtle, as in 1987’s Moonstruck, which had nothing explicit to do with the Mets back in the day when it seemed everything had something to do with the Mets, but did offer a lingering shot of a Darryl Strawberry poster in the bar where Loretta Castorini (Cher) agrees to join Ronny Cammareri (Nicolas Cage) for a post-opera drink.
Though nobody mentions the Mets anywhere in Moonstruck, one of the eternal truths as regards the object of our ongoing affection was expressed in this exchange between Loretta and her mother Rose (Olympia Dukakis) when Rose learns Loretta and Ronny are engaged to be married:
“Do you love him, Loretta?”
“Aw ma, I love him awful.”
“Oh God, that’s too bad.”
Rose had earlier explained, when Loretta planned to settle and marry Ronny’s schlemiel of a brother, Johnny (Danny Aiello), “When you love them, they drive you crazy because they know they can.”
If you exulted with the 31-23 Mets last weekend, you know you love them. And if you’ve been tearing out what’s left of your hair for most of the past 1-6 week, culminating in the baldness-inducing sweep-capper in the Bronx Sunday afternoon, you know Rose Castorini must have had a Darryl Strawberry poster tacked up somewhere in that enormous house of theirs, because like she said, they drive us crazy seemingly because they know they can.
Even when we should know better; even when perhaps we shouldn’t hold them to major league standards when they’re fielding primarily Buffalo Bisons and Jason Bay; even when we heard a little voice last December telling us the alleged bullpen upgrade was a fraud because alleged bullpen upgrades announced in December are always a fraud; even when we understand they possess no killer instinct in innings in which many of them become runners but hardly any of them become runs; even when we’re in our sixteenth season of trying to succeed yet ultimately failing against the likes of Derek Jeter, Andruw Jones and Andy Pettitte…no, not the likes of them, but actually them; even when we mock the dimensions of an overblown Little League park yet can’t manage to hit anything out of it ourselves; even when the pitcher with the disturbing heartbeat has more heart than all the teammates allegedly supporting him; even when the Mets are the Mets are the Mets and they pick the freaking Subway Series to emphatically remind us of that fact.
We love them awful, anyway, which is exactly how they played in the Bronx.
Oh God, that’s too bad.
Snap out of It!
Alternatively, from Avenue Q – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIbiKkhwXtk
Subway Series sweep is only for now (I hope).
Yes frustrating weekend in the Bronx for the men from Flushing and for the legion of its fans. Where to start? Errors, suspect hitting, missed opportunities plagued this team this weekend, two out of the three winnable games lost. Today’s game really grinds at me. This was a game that could have saved the Mets face but due to miscues it turned out to be a gut wrenching loss. Not shutting the door on a very good team will came back to bite, today was a prime example. The Yankees are a measuring stick for many fans and the Mets cam up short. On the bright side, the team has played well enough to still remain over .500 so even this recent steak of losses have not derailed the team… yet. Many of us knew that this stretch of games in June would be crucial to understanding how this team measured to the better teams in baseball. While the month is not over, there is a sense that it can not unravel and that the team needs to regroup make adjustments and get wins however possible. The Bombers visit Flushing later this month, payback would bring relief to the minds of Mets fans. In the meantime taking 2 out of 3 in Tampa would be a good response to this disappointing weekend.
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEP!
What a disaster. Not a season-killer by any means, but really, really discouraging. The last thing I expected was to be forced to listen to weeks of that “Mutts” talk but here we are, looking up at Big Bro again as he steps on our collective chests. Hopefully they can re-group and get back on the winning track but damn it, guys, you KNOW how much these stupid games mean! Sigh.
You know what I hate? Stuff like this from the Mets manager:
https://twitter.com/AdamRubinESPN/status/211918991827009536
If you don’t want to click on it, it’s about how some call should go Jeter’s way… “let him get closer to 4,000.” Even Terry Collins engages in some sort of Yankee worship. We are all so deep in this little brother role… I’m so sick of it. The announcers kvelling about the Mickey Mantle exhibit… FUCK Mickey Mantle already! And why does SNY accept those Derek Jeter Ford ads during our games? We don’t want to see Derek Jeter– we don’t want to have one more Yankee intrusion on our lives.
As for the game today, why is it that we’re always sporting some crew like Rottino/Nickeas/Quintanilla/Valdespin in our lineup (not to mention Jason Bay) every year around this time. I think the worst thing about the good start this season is that it’s raised our expectations and to lose three games to the Yankees– with all the angst-y bullshit it entails– really bothers me a lot mroe than I thought it would this time around.
Now the question remains..just how bad can they really get?
Sturock got it right…how could you look at yesterday’s lineup and conclude that it was a winnable game? This is what the middle of the season inevitably brings…guys who weren’t even tearing it up in Triple A , players we’ll forget even existed within 2 years. And that’s the team the manager has to put on the field against…them…who, without fail…ever…make the Mets pay dearly for every mistake.
And I think the high school field in my town would have held both of Martin’s, ahem, home runs in. I mean, just saying.
It’s times like these that I’m glad I don’t live in NY. I can quietly insert my head under a rock until it’s safe to come back out, and no one here would notice. Only difference this year is Nats fans and Nats crowds (I live pretty close to the stadium) constantly reminding me of where we’re NOT…
They’re not “BIG BROTHER,” save for their Orwellian worship of authoritarianism—organization and fan base alike. I witnessed it in person for the first time this weekend since the “1990s modern era” in the Bronx began. I won’t be returning, and gladly, I won’t be missed.
The Mets, bankrupt, ever-injured, and running an AA team on the field, could have taken two of three from the team that obeys no salary cap. That is no small feat. Quite honestly, the mere fact that Collins can compose a lineup card on some days makes him eligible for Manager of the Year.
I do have to say you have a better view of the field from the uppers on the lines at Yankee Stadium than you do at Citi Field. Better legroom, also. The seats aren’t turned toward home, so if you’re heartsick for a twisted-neck cramp like at good ol’ Shea, you can rediscover your pain there. I think the Yankees seating prices are more fair for the nosebleed and outfield seats, too, although concession prices may diminish that discount.
Enjoy what you do have—it’s very special. The was a no-hitter by a courageous pitcher. We have another courageous pitcher who has discovered himself late in life and is just a mystifying wonder. And we have a third baseman who is hitting at a phenomenal pace with absolutely no protection in the lineup.
Sorry—second post:
sturock:
Yes, I agree—I found the GKR “Yankee Worship” to be very off-putting, and I’m not quite convinced that modern ballplayers find the Bronx to be a “baseball mecca” as previous generations may have.
Yeccchhhh!
Let’s move on, shall we?
Regardless of the record the Mets entered the game–or the week–with we were made to pull for a team on Sunday that had four players in the starting lineup with a sub-.200 batting average…in an American League game!
Fortunately the 4 Train has pulled away from Frustration Station. On to Maddon’s Rays.
If you watch the clip of Collins’ interview about Jeter, he’s clearly being sarcastic. He said the scoring doesn’t matter, and Quintanilla could have and should have made the play. He wasn’t Yankee worshipping.
Hate the Yankees.
That is good to know. Thanks, Eric B! (Cue Eric B and Rakim right here…) Agree with open the gates. Let’s move on. We have one more of these obnoxious Subway thingies to go, but at least it’s at our baseball Mecca.
[…] was at my 25th high-school reunion over the weekend, and so the Debacle in the Bronx was reduced to occasional bleary, baleful glowers at my phone, with the exception of a couple of […]
Mets also played a role in the first Men in Black movie. I don’t think Bernard Gilkey ever recovered from that baseball to the noggin as the Flushing Meadow observation tower took off over Shea.
Nice post. Did I detect a clever Odd Couple (the movie) reference in there?
Also – the movie “Frequency” has the 69 Mets World Series as an important plot point.
I maintain a list of Mets popular culture appearances that’s grown so long it could be tattooed on both of Jon Rauch’s arms, and someday it will be cultivated into something readable here.