We could be fans of the Mets. Or Brewers. Or Padres.
By Christopher Heun
Now that a tenth consecutive losing season has met its merciful end, Orioles fans have plenty of reasons to feel sorry for themselves. But here’s something to cheer us up: at least we’re not Mets fans.
Determining which group of fans is cursed with the worse fate really boils down to a question of whether it’s better to have loved and lost (the Mets, Brewers and Padres) than never to have loved at all (the Devil Rays, Royals, Pirates – and the Orioles.)
Or, in the case of our Lovable Losers, it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all.
This year, the Mets were in first place for 159 days of the 183-day season. Murray Chass writes in The New York Times that no team had ever failed to finish first after leading its division that long.
Meanwhile, the Brewers were on top of the National League Central for 133 days but like the Mets failed to reach the postseason. And Padres fans couldn’t be blamed for taking the NL Wild Card for granted, only to see it slip away on the final weekend of the season.
As I have written previously, I live and work in New York City. Last week I assured Mets fans that their team would manage to hold on to the division; this week I’ve been expressing my condolences along with my disbelief.
Their response usually went something like this: “Thanks, but at least Orioles fans knew their season was over back in June.” Then a Yankee fan would interrupt and say it was over back in March.
Still, it was painful to see the Orioles play, and I saw them A LOT.
ReplyDeleteThe 2007 season was not suicide painful, but depression painful.
A friend of mine is a Mets fan and I've felt really bad for him. I too have wondered who has had it worse. In the end I think we all hurt equally, just differently. It's kind of like asking if it's worse to be stabbed to death or die by immolation.
ReplyDeleteThe Mets fans found themselves with sudden, unexpected third degree burns. We on the other hand, have walked into the same bad neighborhood, night after night, sometimes escaping with just a few scratches, but usually emerging bloodied and repeatedly stabbed, gashing wounds barely stitched up before they're ripped open again.
In the end, we're all pretty scarred, needing serious medical attention and heavy medication, usually in the form of copious quantities of alcohol.
I do pity the poor Mets fans. Bless their hearts. The silver lining is, and maybe I'm still just feeling sorry for myself, at least they got *some joy* from their team this season. :-)
Crys (enchantingsunshine.com)
Oh well. Markakis still represented.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Angelos will fire himself next year.
holy cow
ReplyDeleteyou are a wayward O too
I realize I'm a few months late on this post (I just discovered the site today), but I'd just like to say that I'm both a Mets fan and an Orioles fan and it's easier to be an O's fan. Slow, peaceful death that starts in late June is always easier than murder (the mid 1980s, 1999, 2000, 2006) or suicide (2007).
ReplyDelete