Mets

I hated Jose Fernandez.

Because I knew what seeing him on the mound meant for my guys. Nasty stuff, could have pitched for my team any time. By all accounts, a great guy, and 24 is way too young to punch out. Only parallel I can think of is JR Richard, but this is worse. Tragic on too many levels.

RIP
 
Forgetting about his talent, which was immense, but somewhat irrelevant.

I think of a kid, yes a kid - just 24 - who tried to escape communist and repressive Cuba 3 times before he was 18, and arrested once. Finally, he escapes and finished high school in Tampa. He gets drafted by the Marlins out of HS, and 2 years later is in the bigs, ROY 2013. Still improving, fulfilling his potential as a superstar, and in baseball's restrictive system, never got paid what he was worth. Everything good in life ahead of him, and still, when all was said and done, lived most of his life under the thumb of the Castro's communism, severely denying human rights. Ode to an athlete dying young, he wont be forgotten easily. He couldn't yet be revered as Clemente, but like Kenny Hubbs a half century ago, was a young man whose star was snuffed out way too soon
 
Forgetting about his talent, which was immense, but somewhat irrelevant.

I think of a kid, yes a kid - just 24 - who tried to escape communist and repressive Cuba 3 times before he was 18, and arrested once. Finally, he escapes and finished high school in Tampa. He gets drafted by the Marlins out of HS, and 2 years later is in the bigs, ROY 2013. Still improving, fulfilling his potential as a superstar, and in baseball's restrictive system, never got paid what he was worth. Everything good in life ahead of him, and still, when all was said and done, lived most of his life under the thumb of the Castro's communism, severely denying human rights. Ode to an athlete dying young, he wont be forgotten easily. He couldn't yet be revered as Clemente, but like Kenny Hubbs a half century ago, was a young man whose star was snuffed out way too soon
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I remember having a baseball card of Ken Hubbs with a black border saying In Memoriam. Remember being very sad as I was quite young at the time.
 
Yesterday's game reminds me a little of the gem Santana threw on the next to last day of the season in 2008. I believe the score was 14-1 or something like that. 17-0 still only counts for 1 win, and these 3 games with the Marlins can prove to be very tough on the Meta. The Marlins now have every reason to want to go out and sweep the Mets despite the enormous grief they are experiencing.

If you are hoping the Mets make the playoffs, stop hoping. This last week is playoff baseball, and if the Mets want to play on, They must win at least 4 out of 6, and not even watch the scoreboard. Keep winning, and they are in.

Some really great signs:

Conforto finally looks like the guy who played like a vet in his rookie season, and is hitting for power to all fields.
Reyes has been a huge lift for this entire team, and not just with his play.
Cabrera is putting in a month where he is playing like an All-Star with a lethal bat.
TJ Rivera has done an amazing job at 2nd.
Duda came back and is hitting the ball solidly.
Granderson is having a tremendous September.
Colon has been solid all year. Who would have dreamed at this point in Sept, he is out #2 starter.
Lots and lots and lots of contributors. This is a different team than the 1st 5 months of these season.
 
Lots of emotion down in Miami that they will be walking into. Won't be easy. The kids have given them a jolt with Conforto/Rivera/Cecchini/Nimmo getting in on the action.
 
Wow never seen anything more effed and heartwarming at the same time as that Dee Gordon homerun. Really special that he did that. Good for him and those fans. Eerily quiet after that though
 
Wow never seen anything more effed and heartwarming at the same time as that Dee Gordon homerun. Really special that he did that. Good for him and those fans. Eerily quiet after that though
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I got choked up when he was running around the bases. He crushed it and that was his 1st home run of the year
 
Wow never seen anything more effed and heartwarming at the same time as that Dee Gordon homerun. Really special that he did that. Good for him and those fans. Eerily quiet after that though
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I got choked up when he was running around the bases. He crushed it and that was his 1st home run of the year
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Wouldn't be surprised if Bartolo served him a meatball. Either way it doesn't matter, you can't make this stuff up. The only time a homer against the Mets felt right to cheer for
 
I have never seen announcers crying at a sporting event. What the Marlins players did as tribute was incredible. It was a public wake, and the Mets were simply amazing to come out and offer hugs and support to the Marlins. The Marlins readily embraced the Mets, and comforted those Mets most outwardly distraught, especially Cespedes. For one night at least, the pennant race took a distant back seat to the outpouring of grief and love from both teams. I was at the Piazza HR game after 9-11, and even the tremendous importance of getting back to our lives paled in comparison to the outpouring last night for Jose Fernandez. I'd be surprised if a charitable foundation isn't established in his memory which is what we do to try to create good out of such a senseless loss, but watching grown men, younger and older sobbing last night and consoling each other regardless of uniform is perhaps the most human moment ever to occur on a baseball field.
 
Wow never seen anything more effed and heartwarming at the same time as that Dee Gordon homerun. Really special that he did that. Good for him and those fans. Eerily quiet after that though
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I got choked up when he was running around the bases. He crushed it and that was his 1st home run of the year
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Hey Mike. Didn't you hear there's no crying in baseball?
 
I have never seen announcers crying at a sporting event. What the Marlins players did as tribute was incredible. It was a public wake, and the Mets were simply amazing to come out and offer hugs and support to the Marlins. The Marlins readily embraced the Mets, and comforted those Mets most outwardly distraught, especially Cespedes. For one night at least, the pennant race took a distant back seat to the outpouring of grief and love from both teams. I was at the Piazza HR game after 9-11, and even the tremendous importance of getting back to our lives paled in comparison to the outpouring last night for Jose Fernandez. I'd be surprised if a charitable foundation isn't established in his memory which is what we do to try to create good out of such a senseless loss, but watching grown men, younger and older sobbing last night and consoling each other regardless of uniform is perhaps the most human moment ever to occur on a baseball field.
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Unbelievably touching. How difficult was it to play that game.
 
Wow never seen anything more effed and heartwarming at the same time as that Dee Gordon homerun. Really special that he did that. Good for him and those fans. Eerily quiet after that though
Click to expand...
I got choked up when he was running around the bases. He crushed it and that was his 1st home run of the year
Click to expand...

Wouldn't be surprised if Bartolo served him a meatball. Either way it doesn't matter, you can't make this stuff up. The only time a homer against the Mets felt right to cheer for
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Colon served several meatballs up last night. He was horrible, some fastballs reached 84mph.
 
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