Wednesday, April 25, 2007

SPEED KILLS [04-24-07]

What do I love about April baseball? I love that the stadium is empty, I love that it feels like my private club, I love that the lines are short and the section isn’t crowded and TBF and I can stretch across three seats and put our feet up on the back of the row in front of us. I love that most of the people who are at Shea are there because they give a damn (who else would voluntarily give up a Tuesday night to watch the Mets play the Rockies?!), I love a game that isn’t against an arch rival (like the Rockies) so that I can have more of a conversation with the people around us, whether it’s William and Andrew (the redheaded twins - finally! names! - behind us), or random people who are just near us for one game.

I love the common ritual, the repeat elements, singing “Meet The Mets” with gusto (I even know the second verse now), reciting the ground rules (now a “Special Message” from Carvel, the worst sponsor to be this time of year), and what I love is the sheer relaxation that falls on me the minute I reach Section 12 and sit down in my seat.