But I most certainly did go to Queens. For you see, the Mets organization has a Wednesday night promotion deal thingy where a Pepsi can provides for free entry to the picnic area. Three of us went, exemplifying perfectly our relationship to the Mets and our relationship to the economy and how both of those relationships have changed since we graduated from college. For three seasons, we held season tickets, which landed us at about a thousand games between 1998 and 2001. Which, conveniently, was also when the team remembered briefly how to win baseball games. Winning is a thrill for the fans.
What we failed to take into account this year is that even the perception of winning is almost as good as winning. Sure, they’re three games out of first place in July, but that doesn’t stop the fact that they’re holding steady at .500 and always a loss away from fourth place. It also didn’t stop the fact that the picnic area was completely sold out by the time we got there. It also didn’t stop the fact that we refused to pay $12 to get into the stadium proper.
Off we went, back into the city — an hour and a half from Times Square to Grand Central via Flushing — and down to Jeremy’s to watch the game. It’s moved down the street from its previous location and the atmosphere isn’t even close to what it used to be, but they still serve a hell of a 32 ounce beer for $5.75 in a Styrofoam cup so, y’know, no complaining.
And, for those of you desperately wondering, here is my official prediction for how the National League East will shake out on the final day of the season
Atlanta – X
Florida – 3 games back
Philadelphia – 4 games back
New York – 8 games back
Montreal/San Juan – 137 games back