April 2003

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." - Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby

The more things change, the more they remain the same. For the true baseball fanatic, the months between the end of October and the middle of February are an abyss. Football, basketball and hockey may provide a diversion from the absence of the National Pastime, but they can never truly replace it. The cold weather sports do not have the power to conjure images and memories of the carefree days of summer the way that baseball does so effortlessly.

And this has been a winter that definitely requires harbingers of warmer times. With colder temperatures and more snow than the Northeast has experienced in several years, the first sights of spring training were especially welcome. Internet junkies caught an early glimpse of things to come when the Mets held a four-day minicamp in Port St. Lucie in January. It didn't matter that it was an optional workout. It didn't matter that they were wearing T-shirts instead of uniforms. It didn't matter that new manager Art Howe could only stay one day before heading to his son's wedding. It only mattered that we had a chance to see some actual Mets working out in the Florida sunshine! A much appreciated sign that spring would be here soon.

The Mets Winter Caravan came to town in February, providing fans with more chances to see the Mets giving interviews, talking to schoolchildren and bowling for the March of Dimes. The team also took this opportunity to introduce their new, VERY bright batting practice uniforms. The orange jerseys are attention-getting, to say the least. At the Winter Caravan kickoff, wearing one of the new shirts, Al Leiter joked, "I was feeling a little sleepy and I looked down and, WOW, I was awake!" But while most adults need some time, or some sunglasses, to adjust to the new look, at least the uniforms exude a sense of warmth.

That sense of warmth reappeared on February 13, when Mets pitchers and catchers reported to Port. St. Lucie for spring training. The unofficial end of the winter had finally arrived. And not a moment too soon -- the following weekend the East Coast was enveloped by the snowstorm of the new millennium. During a long President's Day weekend marked by digging out and waiting for the snowplows to make the roads passable, the reports from Florida were a much needed reminder that this seemingly interminable winter could not last forever. Faced with huge snowdrifts and subfreezing temperatures, the glare of the new orange jerseys became less frightening and suddenly welcoming.

Along with spring training came the focus upon the upcoming season, especially since Mets individual game ticket sales commenced on February 16. Mets fever ran high that day as the team sold a record 131,000 tickets. Opening Day and June's Mets-Yankees games completely sold out on that day! Fans who had been missing baseball didn't waste any time putting their money where there mouths were when given the chance to see the 2003 edition of the New York Mets in person.

Watching the team work out is satisfying for only so long -- the need for games is the next priority. It doesn't matter that the pitchers only last a couple of innings or that by the end of the games even the announcers often don't recognize the youngsters with high numbers who are on the field. These are games with umpires calling balls and strikes, and the Mets are on the field once again.

One of the most beautiful things about these games is the return of the familiar voices of Bob Murphy on the radio and Ralph Kiner on television. They have been broadcasting Mets baseball since the team's inception in 1962, and hearing them brings back so many fond memories. Personally, Murph and Kiner remind me of my late grandfather, who loved the Mets and listened to every game religiously. I cherish the fact that these voices from my youth are still a part of Mets baseball, because when the time eventually comes for them to retire, a very specific link to my childhood will be forever lost.

As spring training progresses, the game of baseball begins to resemble the real thing. Pitchers are on the mound for longer stretches at a time. Fewer unidentified prospects make their way into games. Battles for key positions, such as who will play third base, begin to be settled. The focus steadily shifts to the time that the games will count in the standings.

Which brings us to Opening Day. Those who were lucky enough to acquire tickets to the game either had season tickets, stood on long lines at Shea Stadium or the Mets Clubhouse Shops, sat patiently in the virtual waiting room at www.mets.com, hit the telephone redial function incessantly on the first day that tickets went on sale, or had good friends who did one of those things (to whom they should be forever grateful). Strategic decisions now need to be made -- is it better to just tell your boss that you're taking a personal day on March 31, or should you <cough> <cough> call in "sick" that morning? Do you tell your kid's school why he'll be absent that day, or do you just get the homework after the fact? And just how much food should you bring to the tailgate party?

But whether you make it to Shea, settle down in front of your television, or sneak peeks at the Gamecast on your office computer, March 31 marks the return of meaningful Mets baseball to your life. No matter what the thermometer may say, this long, hard winter will be over, and the best part of the year will have begun. Play Ball!

Sidebar - 10 Things That Are Great About the Baseball Season

1. When there's nothing else to do in the evening, you can almost always find a game to watch;

2. Seeing how your favorite players did last night by reading the box scores;

3. Watching your children as they learn to love and appreciate the game;

4. Tailgate Parties with friends;

5. Shinjo climbing the wall like Spiderman in pursuit of a ball;

6. Listening to Murph and Kiner and remembering days gone by;

7. Shea's Home Run Apple;

8. Not using the term "No Hitter" when one is in progress;

9. That tired feeling you have the day after staying up to watch a West Coast night game; and

10. One run games with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the 9th!