FanShout! The Journey Of Being A True New York Mets Fan

Let me be honest with all of you. I am a true Met fan.

I am the only Met fan in my family. I lived in a house of Yankee fans.

My dad – Yankees. My brothers – Yankees.

I wasn’t born to see the 1969 Miracle Mets.

I was only a year old for the “Ya Gotta Believe” team that went 82-79, beat the mighty Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS and took the Oakland A’s to the limit in the World Series.

I witnessed the very lean years of the later 1970’s and early 1980’s when the franchise was on the road to ruin – the trades of Seaver, Koosman, Staub, et al.

I witnessed the rebirth in the mid 1980’s with the trade of Keith Hernandez, the trade for Gary Carter, and the kids coming from the pipeline in Strawberry, Gooden, Darling, Fernandez, Dykstra, Backman, Mookie and more.

I witnessed the 1986 World Series – “the ball gets by Buckner, and the Mets Win”, and the parade that followed, thinking that a dynasty was born.

I witnessed the heartbreak of 1988 – Gooden walking Mike Davis (a sub-200 hitter), and giving up the home run to Mike Sciossia, and watching Orel Hershiser mow down the vaunted Met lineup.

I witnessed “The Worst Team Money Can Buy” error – Bobby Bonilla, Bret Saberhagen, and a whole slew of bad signings.

I witnessed the Valentine years – going toe to toe with the Atlanta Braves, the trade for Mike Piazza, the “Grand Slam” single, always thinking it would be our year, only to be turned back.

I witnessed the 2000 Subway Series – a dark moment for any Mets fans when losing 4 games to 1 to the Yankees, and watching friends and family celebrate while I sat back dejected and down about it.

I witnessed the first game at Shea after 9/11 – Piazza’s home run and the way the stadium shook that my TV screen was bouncing all over the place, think it was an earthquake, but the emotions pouring out of ALL NY….a site to behold.

I witnessed the 2006 NLCS – thinking we would beat the Cardinals in Game 7. Endy Chavez’s miracle catch, thinking it was our time. Then, Aaron Frickin Heilman gives up the home run, and Carlos Beltran looked at strike 3 (Wainright’s greatest picth ever by the way).

I witnessed the collapses of 2007 and 2008 – going into the final weeks with the lead of our division, only to watch the team implode each time.

I witnessed the Madoff implosion – where we didn’t have the money to compete and it looked like the careers of guys like David Wright will go by the wayside of promise unfulfilled.

But this season, I witnessed something different. I witnessed a team that has the heart of a lion, a pitching staff for the ages, trades made that bolstered our lineup, and a team that did not quit.

2015 NL East Champs, 2015 NL Division Series winners, and now the 2015 NL Champs.

I can say that I have been through it all, but the journey is not yet done. I can tell my kids that we will witness Harvey, DeGrom, Thor, Matz, Familia. I can tell the kids that we will witness Daniel Murphy, Yoenes Cespedes, Wilmer Flores, and more. I can tell the kids that we have at least 4 more games to watch on TV.

I can say that the 2015 World Series is coming, and that this journey, this wonderful and sometimes painful journey, is going to continue for a long time.