The Trials and Tribulations of Isaac Benjamin Davis

On May 10, 2011, my then-girlfriend and I found ourselves in Long Island City, Queens, just rolling into a place at the corner of Jackson Avenue and 44th Drive called The Burger Garage. There were Mets fans working at the place, so the game between the New York Mets at the Colorado Rockies was shining down on us from the screens above.

It was the bottom of the 4th, and Mike Pelfrey had just given the Mets a 4-2 lead in the top half with a 2-run right-center line-drive double, scoring 2 other names who are also no longer on the Orange and Blue (Ronny Paulino and Jason Pridie.)

Jul 23, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis (29) walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

After Carlos Gonzalez grounded out to another name no longer on the Mets (a guy named Jose Reyes), Troy Tulowitzki hit a high pop-up right in front of the mound. Third baseman David Wright and 1st baseman Ike Davis both angled towards the ball, inducing me to say out loud, “One of you better call for it.”

Well, if either of them said, “I got it!”, then neither of them heard the other. They collided as David caught the ball, and Ike took a spill backward, getting up and limping back to 1st.

My girlfriend, who had a huge crush on Ike since his arrival to the Big Leagues, started cursing out David. I tried to calm the tension, saying that they both were at fault there, at least someone caught the ball, and that Ike should be alright.

He stayed in at 1st for the rest of the inning, and after Daniel Murphy, Wright and Carlos Beltran went down 1-2-3 in the top half of the 5th, Murph moved over to 1st and Justin Turner replaced him at 2nd.

At the time of the injury, Ike Davis’s stat line in his 2nd season read as follows:

So, what in God’s name has happened since?

In 2011, it was all too familiar for Mets fans. We kept hearing that he should be cleared in a few weeks, but as it has gone too many times, the player in question never returned that season.

And in Ike Davis’s case, it has been a tough road gaining back that same production level, though he looked to have turned the corner in the 2nd half of 2012.

I could speculate to no avail. Maybe he shouldn’t have worn the boot in 2011, infamously speculated that it slowed down the healing process. Maybe all the pressure just kept weighing down on him, and it’s been the snowball effect regarding that. Maybe it was the valley fever ON TOP of having to prove his worth after a year off at the beginning of 2012.

It’s all pure speculation, however, with absolutely no justification to those claims.

When it comes to the 1st baseman issue, I will not hide that I am partial towards Ike Davis. When you have one idea as a fan of how the long-term situation will go, it’s hard to adjust to new ideas. That’s why I’m a fan and not running the team. Since 2010, Ike Davis was heralded as the answer for the next decade or so at 1st base for the New York Mets.

I don’t want that to change.

Maybe it’s because we’re both half-Jews by blood on our respective mother’s side, so I feel a kinship in that regard.

Maybe its because he was so awesome when I met him, and because I’m such a schmoozer people connected to him have helped me make connections in regards to my screenwriting.

Whatever it is, I am very bias when it comes to my preference at 1st base for the New York Mets (even though I own this jersey) and I was very happy to hear that they will most likely tender Ike a contract when the non-tender deadline arrives this offseason.

I want him to have every chance to get it together here in National League New York.

I do not want to see him get it together for any other team, and in general, I obviously do not want to see him fail as a Major League player.

I’m pulling for you, Ike, as I know many Mets fans are.

Spring certainly can’t come quick enough.

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