Let's Go METS!

I've seen two baseball games in a week now.
Last Saturday, I trekked down to Coney Island and watched the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Auburn Doubledays. The game was very close, but the Cyclones won 3-2. The game was cool for a few different reasons.

First, it was Mookie Wilson Bobblehead night. The first 2,500 fans received a Mookie Bobblehead. For those of you that don't know who Mookie is, he is the guy who basically won the 1986 World Series for the Mets. Remember the "infamous" Bill Buckner spoof at first base in Game 6? No? Then you need to watch more baseball. For those of you who are familiar with that play, Mookie is the guy who hit the ball "through" Buckner's legs, giving the Mets the victory. He also is now the coach of the Cyclones.

Secondly, the game was played between two Single A ballclubs in the New York-Pennsylvania League. Single A ball is the lowest form of professional baseball. These players are kids who are right out of high school or college, having just been drafted earlier in the summer. The season doesn't start until the end of June because the Major League Draft in on June 15. Anyway, two former LSU Tigers were members of these teams' rosters. Ivan Naccarata (3B) played for the Cyclones, who are the Single A team (or affiliate) of the New York Mets. Ryan Patterson (OF), who just finished his LSU career this season, played rightfield for the Doubledays, who belong to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The third reason that the trip to Coney Island was cool, is that it was cool. I mean, the weather..... When I got to the park at about 4:00pm it had to be 90 degrees with a high humidity (due to the proximity to water). But as the game entered into the second inning, a fog from the ocean swept into the ballpark and covered up the sun and made it very misty. The temperatures cooled off to about 65 degrees. It was a much more pleasurable experience.

Speaking of the Mets, today I went to my first Mets game! They won 12-0 over the San Diego Padres. I got off the train and was amazed at the size of Shea Stadium. The place is huge, but looks so small on TV. Then i started thinking about how cool it must have been back in 1964 when the Beatles played a concert there. There were so many screaming fans in the stands back then that the stadium was shaking......I can't imagine the noise level required to shake a STADIUM that big! Anyway, the game started at 12:10pm and we were back on the train by 3pm. What a way to spend the day.......$12 bleacher seats, $6 beers, $4 footlong hotdogs and America's past-time. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!