The Impatience Of an Off Day

The New York Mets opened their season yesterday afternoon with a decisive 7-1 victory over the division rival Florida Marlins and their ace pitcher Josh Johnson. From the beginning of the game fans had a feeling that it was their day. When David Wright went deep early, that feeling was confirmed.

From the first pitch to the last pitch, opening day delivered the excitement and intensity that was promised. After five months of torture and waiting, the Mets delivered. Now, we wait some more. Thus the true definition of being a fan. Torture. I asked myself, do I get tortured because I'm a fan or because I'm a Mets fan. I think it's a little of both.

First, I'm a fan of the sport of baseball. I love baseball and have since I was very young. Much like every other fan. I waited and waited for opening day, after my team was so rudely interrupted from their 2009 playoff plans. I felt torture and pain seeing not only my divisional rival fans celebrating and laughing in my face, but the fans of my team's city rival as well.

Now, the imaginary clean slate. Everyone in Mets land and baseballdom for that matter are still riding high on the whirlwind that is spring hope. The hope that their team will not crash and burn, embarrassing themselves and their fans in the process. For heaven's sake, the Pirates fans are optimistic. That is only the tip of the iceberg, though.

The biggest reason I am tortured is because I'm a Mets fan. Every off season, the Mets try to not trip all over themselves, but usually fail miserably at it. This off season was no different. Between, thyroids, secret surgeries, weak arms, and too many minor league catchers, they couldn't keep out of the headlines.

There's a saying, 'there's no such thing as bad press'. In other words all the types of media attention is good, whether it's a negative story or not. This is not true. They have been riddled with not only injury, but bad press. This has made them a laughing stock to other teams and other team's fans. Being a Mets fan is hard enough sometimes, but to be one in Southern New Jersey, where all the fans here are Philadelphia fans, is especially difficult.

I often find myself in a sea of red and white, with uninformed and uneducated fans that seem to yell rather than debate. They always end it with, 'well at least my team won the world series'. I just have to sigh. One game is not going to silence them. Only a few months, with head to head games can start to do that. It's a day off for the Mets, but not for me. And not for the average fan.

It is a day to speculate on the rest of the starters in the rotation. A day to wonder whether the offense is good or not, whether the hit parade yesterday was just a mirage. Too many questions for answering now. Time will tell, and the answers will unfold. For now, we can enjoy the first win. Tomorrow, however, will be another chance to question.