I have been a Mets fan for about 22 years now. I was hooked the first game I ever paid attention to. It was Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. My parents, and my uncles were in the living room watching the game. My brother and I were in our room, pretending to go to bed, but in actuality, were listening to the game on the radio. I had no idea what was happening, so my brother was giving me the brief overview on baseball while listening to the game. I remember just being confused by the whole thing, but still mesmerized by the fact that when something happened on the radio, I could hear my family in the living room reacting. When Dave Henderson hit the home run off of Rick Aguliera in the top of the 10th, I could hear anger. I heard even more anger when Marty Barrett singled home Wade Boggs later on that inning. I stopped paying attention to my brother. I was focused on the sounds coming from the living room, and to Bob Murphy's voice coming out of the radio.
Then eveything changed.
Cheering started to erupt when Gary Carter singled. Even louder cheering came when Kevin "World" Mitchell singled on the second pitch. Then, my room shook when Ray Knight looped the single to center, bringing home Carter, and cutting the lead to 5-4. By this time, my brother and I are hooting and hollering with everyone else. We had gotten into it. We stopped caring that we were making noise. We were rooting for the Mets. Our team.
Mookie Wilson's at-bat against Bob Stanley was it for me. I was sitting on the top bunk of the bunk bed my brother and I shared, trying to will Mookie to get a hit. Any hit. The wild pitch was thrown and everyone started to go crazy. My brother was screaming, my parents and uncles were screaming, and I was screaming (even though I had no idea what had happened... I just knew Mitchell had come home and tied the game at 5). A few minutes later, Mookie hit the roller that changed my life.
I don't remember most of the remainder of that night. I mainly remember my dad bursting in our room, going crazy, and having one of the biggest smiles on his face that I had ever seen. The Mets had made my dad so happy that night, and then even more so two days later, when they won Game 7 by the score of 8-5. After Game 6, I decided to be a Mets fan.
22 years later, after a handful of last place finishes, no championships, and watching the Yankees win 4 more, I am still a Mets fan. I cannot root for another team. I still live and die on a nightly basis during the summer, because of them. The Mets have ruined many winters for me, but still I come back... every spring... thinking "This is our year". Hopefully, this year, I get to see them win it again, if for no other reason, than to see that huge smile from my father again.
Then eveything changed.
Cheering started to erupt when Gary Carter singled. Even louder cheering came when Kevin "World" Mitchell singled on the second pitch. Then, my room shook when Ray Knight looped the single to center, bringing home Carter, and cutting the lead to 5-4. By this time, my brother and I are hooting and hollering with everyone else. We had gotten into it. We stopped caring that we were making noise. We were rooting for the Mets. Our team.
Mookie Wilson's at-bat against Bob Stanley was it for me. I was sitting on the top bunk of the bunk bed my brother and I shared, trying to will Mookie to get a hit. Any hit. The wild pitch was thrown and everyone started to go crazy. My brother was screaming, my parents and uncles were screaming, and I was screaming (even though I had no idea what had happened... I just knew Mitchell had come home and tied the game at 5). A few minutes later, Mookie hit the roller that changed my life.
I don't remember most of the remainder of that night. I mainly remember my dad bursting in our room, going crazy, and having one of the biggest smiles on his face that I had ever seen. The Mets had made my dad so happy that night, and then even more so two days later, when they won Game 7 by the score of 8-5. After Game 6, I decided to be a Mets fan.
22 years later, after a handful of last place finishes, no championships, and watching the Yankees win 4 more, I am still a Mets fan. I cannot root for another team. I still live and die on a nightly basis during the summer, because of them. The Mets have ruined many winters for me, but still I come back... every spring... thinking "This is our year". Hopefully, this year, I get to see them win it again, if for no other reason, than to see that huge smile from my father again.
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