I want to reboot 2016.
Seriously. Let’s march into
Times Square, raise the glistening ball back to the top of the flagpole and
lower it at midnight once more.
Today we embark on our traditional
journey of pairing the age we turn with a Mets player who wore that number, and
thinking about what lessons that exercise might bring for the year ahead.
Flipping the calendar to
2015 brought good news and adventures. But 2016, while appearing to start off
good, has brought rather difficult challenges. I've been hurt, people I love have been hurt and people I admire have been hurt.
As always, we look to our
favorite baseball team for inspiration. The 2015 Mets were off to a great
start, with an 11-game winning streak that made the early April showers seem
like tears of joy.
Then the bad things started
to happen. Captain David Wright went down with a hamstring injury that somehow
turned into career-threatening spinal stenosis. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud and
then-perfect reliever Jerry Blevins got hurt in the same game, the latter,
through an unforeseen incident with a curb, was out for the rest of the season.
And, the stud closer, it was learned, could attribute some of his studliness to
banned substances, making him banned from the clubhouse.
The Mets were quickly left
with an amazing rotation and a punchless offense.
It’s a little difficult to
pinpoint the moment the Mets bottomed out.
Perhaps it’s the day the
team was no-hit by a 27-year-old Giants rookie, who missed a perfect game only
because he hit three Mets with wayward pitches.
Or, it was July 23, the day the team faced
Clayton Kershaw, the reigning Cy Young Award winner, and sent out a lineup that
included John Mayberry Jr. – batting .170 – in the clean-up spot, followed by
Eric Campbell, who was hitting .179. They were hitting better than the battery,
where catcher Anthony Recker, at .137, had a lower average than pitcher Bartolo
Colon, whose flailing at-bats were expected to generate more laughs than hits.
The lineup managed to get a hit in the seventh, which was a moral victory.
Or, perhaps it was July 29, the
day when sportswriters inaccurately Tweeted mid-game that the Mets had acquired
Brewers’ slugger Carlos Gomez for injured pitcher Zach Wheeler and shortstop
Wilmer Flores.
That famously sent Flores, who didn’t want to be traded but thought he had been based on the apparent appreciative departing ovation he received, trotting out to his position with his glove and tears.
That famously sent Flores, who didn’t want to be traded but thought he had been based on the apparent appreciative departing ovation he received, trotting out to his position with his glove and tears.
I think it actually might be the next day, when the Mets somehow piled up a 7-1 lead over the Padres, only
to have the Friars chip away at it as storm clouds came increasingly closer. With
two outs in the top of the ninth inning, the heavens opened, forcing a rain
delay. After a 35-minute pause, closer Jeurys Familia strode back to the mound
for the final out but instead allowed two hits and a home run, giving the Padres
the lead. That was followed by another rain delay before the Mets were meekly retired in order.
After the near-trade the day
before, the soggy loss was a ridiculous gut punch in a couple of months that
was full of them.
How are we finding this
inspirational?
As my friend Greg Prince
writes in his essential new book “Amazin’ Again,” “the Mets never gave up
despite the difficulties they encountered.”
Before the water-logged Mets
uniforms had a chance to completely dry out, General Manager Sandy Alderson
added a new one to the clubhouse – adorned with a big 52 on the back.
Yoenis Cespedes was a
five-tool player on a disappointing Detroit Tigers team that was more in need
of prospects than any of Cespedes’ abundant talents.
Fitted in glorious blue
pinstripes, he became the hottest player on the planet. In all, Cespedes hit 17
homers and drove in 44 runs in 57 games as a Met.
An all-world masher in the
heart of the order with Wright and d’Arnaud returning from injuries – coupled
with a rotation that includes the Dark Knight, Thor and other assorted
superheroes -- allowed the Mets to pull ahead of the Nationals to claim first
place and never let go. The resurgent Mets, led by No. 52, marched through the
playoffs and into an unexpected but well-earned World Series.
As we reflect on the present personal challenges and the arrival of year No. 52, we can recognize that the Mets,
despite the struggles, kept in a position to become successful by working hard
and never giving up.
It’s OK to be angry, but it
is important to let it fade before it turns into bitterness. Bitterness
consumes. Nothing good comes from it. I recognize that I have many, many
blessings and have leaned on my faith, family and friends.