Let's Go Sox

Let's get it together, Bosox. The Mets are playing amazin' Mets baseball, and it's not good for us. Sure, we share a hatred of the Yankees, but it's not enough to make us friends; 1986 was a humiliating year. I know you were only wee toddler at the time, Jacoby, but you'll have to trust me on this, it sucked. Especially if you had a smack-tawwlking, married-in uncle who grew up awwn Lawwwwng Ayegland. Ugh. That was awwwwful. 

Empire State was Blue and Orange for the Yanks/Mets Subway Series

West 23rd Street, NYC,

May 17, 2008

And the Mets spanked the Yanks. Hard. Or as they say here in NYC, hawd.

The Mets Lost But I Won

The New York Mets lost to the Washington Nationals last night at Shea, 5-3. Here is some hard-hitting sports reporting by yours truly to help you feel like you were there for the boys of summer action:

Unbelievably not crappy $23 dollar seats at Shea with the emerging Citi Field in the horizon.

We didn't give the cotton candy man much business.

Beer man? Lots of business. Nice Shea Stadium RIP aluminum bottle for Bud Light.

This chick to my left (yes, she was a chick) smelled like an ashtray. Not a new ashtray filled to the brim with 65 cigarette butts, but more like an older ashtray, one the size and smell of a car or hotel room --with no windows -- that was smoked in for 65 years. Or a sofa. A smoky old plaid sofa in a someone's--perhaps a distant relative's-- living room with wood paneling I must have had the misfortune of visiting somewhere, sometime in my youth. Everytime Smoky Old Plaid Sofa moved in her seat, a whiff of stale smoke came off of her in a thick cloud, something like Pigpen.

Here's Smoky Old Plaid Sofa's Girlfriend with the denim hoodie. They were sitting on the end, super into the game and so ornery when anyone wanted to get out of the row that we resorted to climbing either down or up over the seats. I had a skirt, boots, and a buzz on, and yet, climbing over the seats was just easier all around.

Here's the reaction of the dude behind me as Aaron Heilman gave up the Vargas lead in the 7th. Multiply this reaction times all of Shea and that's what it sounded like. This dude told me that he loves to yell at the top of his lungs when he's at the games because when he's watching at home his wife doesn't care for it too much. Needless to say, not long after this, the Mets lost. But I won. How is that? Well, I had a dollar bet with this very dude that Carlos Beltran had his enormous chocolate chip-sized mole removed sometime in 2007. His buddy was able to prove me right by a call home to his own wife and a little thing called Tivo where she was able to rewind to Beltran's last at bat. Mole? Missing. Anne? Victorious.

Here's a shot of my friend Julia cheering my victory.

On our way to the subway and another shot of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda in the future home of the '09 Mets. Sure, the Mets lost, but as a Red Sox fan, I couldn't care less--just a fan of baseball. And if I don't get back to Shea before it's razed for a parking lot, at least I'll have fond memories---of my enjoyable evening and $1 win from a razed chocolate chip-sized mole.

I Met the Mets!

Ok, I didn't really meet the Mets per se, but I did see a game for the first time at Shea Stadium last night! Exciting! And when I mentioned that I was going to the game, even Met fans would say defensively, "Shea is shit." But you know what? I loved it. You know why? I don't expect much. I'm a Red Sox fan, I like stuff I've never done before, and I don't consider anything built in the 1960s "old." And to me, Shea was grand. Oh, and it didn't hurt that they were the best seats I've ever had in my entire life at any major league ballpark. That was a huge factor in the awesome experience for sure. They are what you might call, "Rich White Man Seats" and let me tell you something, rich white men have it made. And not for nothin', I feel a wee bit disenfranchised being a poor white woman. My party is not well represented unless we know people. And last night, luckily I did.

Mets Stadium is different from Fenway or Yankee Stadium in more ways other than the obvious. I got a casual vibe from the joint. More kids. Less drunken violence (at least where we were sitting, we were the only drunken violents) It was nice. I'd describe the stadium as Mid-1960's Provincial Goodness with a dash of City Grime and Gritty Edge for Effect. I found the large cranes and other signs of the new stadium being built to be depressing and and exciting at the same time. Unlike the way I feel about the new Yankee Stadium, which is completely asshole-ish in every way, shape, and form and every bit like Steinbrenner. Gross.

The Mets have funny traditions. They have a "Love Cam" where they catch couples on the JumboTron and then they have to kiss. Also, Met fans eat a lot of ice cream and really enjoy doing so. And they shout "Mustachio" when Jose Valentin is up at bat. Anyhoodle, our host, who so generously invited us to the game, had to go back to New Jersey (it happens) so we missed the last few innings and the Mets ended up losing. But, whatevs. They were great seats. Oh, and we rode the elevator up to the Diamond Club with Ralph Kiner. So, put that in your hat and smoke it.

Shea Stadium, Mets v. Cardinals, June 26, 2007

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