Mets: What we missed most about the Amazins during the endless offseason

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) J.D. Davis #28 of the New York Mets in action against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on September 27, 2019 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Braves 4-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) J.D. Davis #28 of the New York Mets in action against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on September 27, 2019 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Braves 4-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
1 of 5
Next
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 25: New York Mets broadcasters Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez present Ron Darling with the Arthur and Milton Richman “You Gotta Have Heart” Award during the 97th annual New York Baseball Writers’ Dinner on January 25, 2020 Sheraton New York in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 25: New York Mets broadcasters Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez present Ron Darling with the Arthur and Milton Richman “You Gotta Have Heart” Award during the 97th annual New York Baseball Writers’ Dinner on January 25, 2020 Sheraton New York in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

With nothing more than memories of our favorite moments of New York Mets baseball, here’s a look at five Amazin’ things that fans have missed most this year.

With baseball returning in late July, Opening Day in Flushing, Queens will be upon us at last, providing New York Mets fans something to look forward to after a long three-month absence.

Anchored by a strong pitching staff led by two-time Cy Young award winner, Jacob deGrom, a dynamic lineup of talent and unique personalities, and a retooled bullpen ready to nail down wins – the 2020 season was previously hailed as the year for many who root for the orange and blue.

Building on the continued excitement of fans after last summer’s near-playoff run, this year also teased us with new and ongoing storylines to follow, including the prospect of Luis Rojas’s debut as skipper, deGrom’s campaign for a historic Cy Young three-peat, Pete Alonso’s sophomore year, and more thrilling performances from their young core of players.

But aside from a potential playoff run, or the dream of becoming world champions, being left without Mets baseball highlights many and more aspects of the game that fans in the Big Apple anxiously wait for all winter long.

So while the 2020 baseball season draws closer, here’s a look at five key things Mets fans have missed about baseball that only those of us in the Big Apple could possibly understand: The Booth, The Players, Watching our New Skipper, Citi Field, and the 7 Line Army.

The Booth – Gary, Keith, and Ron (and Steve Gelbs)

Without SNY’s award-winning ensemble of baseball commentators, Mets baseball isn’t the same. And when it comes to play-by-play, no one else compares to the best booth in baseball. Period.

https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1202662251934703616?s=20

The widely respected broadcast trio of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling (or as we refer to them: Gary, Keith, and Ron) have called every classic Mets moment since 2006. Gary’s electric play-by-play commentating has enhanced numerous Mets classics throughout the years, including his most notable catchphrase, “It’s outta here!” when a player hits a home run.

Together with his color-commentators and 1986 World Champions, Keith and Ron, the notable trio has become an integral part of Mets baseball, and a defining aspect to New York baseball.

Their preparation for each game, analysis of current Mets and league-wide news, along with their participation on SNY’s sports and entertainment programs (like the annual Kidcaster Contest and playing Beat the Booth by going head-to-head with Mets trivia against Gary Cohen and Radio play-by-play-announcer, Howie Rose), keep fans tuned in with their ability to connect with their audience.

Even during the dog days of summer last season when the Mets were knocked out of playoff contention and in past seasons during the team’s lackluster years of rebuilding, they kept us tuning in.

Since 2015, Steve Gelbs has joined their ranks with his stellar on-field reporting and entertaining rapport with the current roster. Boy, have we missed them since listening to them during spring training games.

The radio broadcast team of Howie Rose and Wayne Randazzo also makes listening to Mets baseball a one-of-a-kind experience.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 28: Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets celebrates his third inning home run against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on September 28, 2019 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Braves 3-0. The home run was Alonso’s 53rd of the season setting a new rookie record.(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 28: Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets celebrates his third inning home run against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on September 28, 2019 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Braves 3-0. The home run was Alonso’s 53rd of the season setting a new rookie record.(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Our Team: The Amazins

What more could be said about the current Mets roster that hasn’t been said a hundred times over during the exciting summer of 2019?

Fan favorite, Pete Alonso, summed it up best last season with his creative take on the current clubhouse as, “One, big animal kingdom.” Last April, the “Polar Bear,” fashioned names for several of his teammates, including Michael Conforto (“silky elk”), Brandon Nimmo (“golden retriever”), J.D. Davis (honey badger), Wilson Ramos (“Buffalo”), and Jeff McNeil (“Squirrel”).

So was it a coincidence they all thrived in their roles as the season went on, or could this highlight how the interactions between this tight-knit group of athletes motivated them and their performances together on the field?

Based on the excitement they generate together, who wouldn’t miss seeing these young athletes compete on the same field as a team? Not only is their collective talent playoff-caliber level, but they’re fun to watch and apparently exciting to be around too! Invigorated by Mets sensation, Alonso and this band of dynamic youngsters were what Mets fans looked forward to watching all winter, and through this baseball-less spring.

Watching our young guys play on a daily basis, and witnessing walk-off home runs reached new heights of excitement last summer. I mean, who doesn’t miss Alonso ripping off someone’s jersey in celebration of a win?

But that’s not all there is to miss: from Pete Alonso’s power displays at the plate and nickname assignments; to Nimmo’s electrifying walks to first base; to Conforto’s everyday smoothness; to McNeil’s at-bats and dynamic style of play in the field; and JD Davis and Dom Smith’s brotherly relationship on display in Spring Training, there’s so much that we were looking forward to this season.

2020 had so much potential and Mets fans are looking forward to experiencing some great moments come the end of July.

I’m sure an Alonso-bomb would cheer anyone up right now.

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – MARCH 08: Manager Luis Rojas #19 of the New York Mets in action against the Houston Astros during a spring training baseball game at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – MARCH 08: Manager Luis Rojas #19 of the New York Mets in action against the Houston Astros during a spring training baseball game at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Watching a New Skipper

One of the biggest stories, and later scandals, of this past offseason was who would succeed former Mets manager, Mickey Callaway after two stagnant seasons. Although the initial excitement at the prospect of Carlos Beltrán assuming the position turned to frustration, fans were eager to support Luis Rojas – who should hardly (and isn’t) be seen as a second choice.

The 38-year-old son of 3-time All-Star, Felipe Alou, and brother of former All-Star Moises Alou, was highly regarded for his rise throughout the Mets organization – first as the manager of the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies from 2017-2018, and then as the 2019 Quality Control Coach under Callaway – where he developed close relationships with several of the Mets current major league stars.  It’s no surprise then, that Rojas was set to manage his first MLB season.

However, since baseball has been put on hold, Mets fans have literally been missing Rojas’ first season as skipper. We’re also missing how he would have managed the most dynamic Mets roster in years (even more so than the 2015 squad), as this year’s roster is young, dynamic, and not so heavy of veterans.

There were also storylines we looked forward to seeing how our new manager would deal with this season. What was the Stro-show going to be like during Marcus Stroman’s walk-year? Would we have seen Jed Lowrie actually play a series in a Mets uniform for a change? Would Seth Lugo continue his dominant relief in tight situations, or would he excel as a starter (which became a possibility after Syndergaard went down with Tommy John surgery)?

This was also Yoenis Céspedes’ last contractual year in a Mets uniform, and fans had hoped we’d see him on the field once more (mid-season probably since he is still injured). What’s a Mets season though without some intrigue? Watching how Rojas managed the bullpen saga/drama with notable Mets relievers Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia and their possible redemption season would have also been something to see, as his predecessor and his staff never seemed to figure it out.

And of course, everyone was looking forward to Jacob deGrom’s chance at history. But how much of this 60-game season will be taken seriously? Time will tell.

FLUSHING, NEW YORK – MARCH 26: Citi Field is empty on the scheduled date for Opening Day March 26, 2020 in Flushing, New York. Major League Baseball has postponed the start of its season due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recently said the league is “probably not gonna be able to” play a full 162-game regular season. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
FLUSHING, NEW YORK – MARCH 26: Citi Field is empty on the scheduled date for Opening Day March 26, 2020 in Flushing, New York. Major League Baseball has postponed the start of its season due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recently said the league is “probably not gonna be able to” play a full 162-game regular season. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

The Ballpark

I think we’ve established that there’s nothing like baseball in the Big Apple. In fact, it could be argued that the only thing the Wilpon family ever got right as owners is the design of Citi Field. League consensus is that the Mets have a beautiful ballpark – that it is a much better venue than Yankee Stadium is as far as many New York baseball fans are concerned.

Just coming to Citi Field (or anywhere, really) ranks high among what fans miss most about a stalled season aside from actually watching live games. In fact, I would venture to guess that fans are even missing the $13 beers right about now.

Whether it’s a Friday night or a Sunday afternoon, though, fans are missing more than a summer spent at the ballpark. From the excitement that 9-innings of baseball can impart on its dedicated audiences to Citi Field’s usual hosting of firework nights, sponsored bobble-head and T-shirt giveaways, a day or night at the ballpark is unlike the experience of any other sporting event.

Aside from the incredible views, fans miss the feeling of watching the game and cheering our players as they take the field, including the Rising Home Run Apple we miss seeing, especially if it came off the bat Pete Alonso.

But for the fans in attendance, there’s more to these games in between innings that make this an unforgettable experience, which is why we miss gimmicks like Mr. (and Mrs.) Met – although I’m not sure Noah Syndergaard does.

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 11: Mets fans in the outfield wear Polar Bear hats cheering when Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets comes to bat as they wear the hats because Alonso has the nickname of Polar Bear in an MLB baseball game against the Washington Nationals on August 11, 2019 at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City. Nationals won 7-4. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 11: Mets fans in the outfield wear Polar Bear hats cheering when Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets comes to bat as they wear the hats because Alonso has the nickname of Polar Bear in an MLB baseball game against the Washington Nationals on August 11, 2019 at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City. Nationals won 7-4. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

The Fans

Finally, we miss the camaraderie of being together with each other! The New York Mets fan base out in right-center field is a passionate, and traveling set, of Mets fanatics. Their color-coordination and enthusiasm about their team permeates through us all – Even General Manager, Brodie Van Wagenen joined them last summer.

But for all Mets fans, 2020 has deprived us of one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory for a base that has known more rebuilding years than winning seasons. In fact, if last summer taught us anything, it is how impactful a full crowd at the ballpark can be on its players, and the electricity the team derives from them.

Hopefully, in the 60-game sprint of this new, shortened season, fans will finally taste baseball once again while getting to watch the players we’ve missed so much since baseball activities ceased in mid-March.

And with a fresh crop of prospects set to resume their auditions for a spot on the big league roster (like INF Andrés Giménez or LHP David Peterson), Mets fans will have tons to watch, debate, and share about their team this July when Spring Training facilities resume baseball activities throughout the country.

And speaking of power, the fans may just get to see Yoenis Céspedes back in the lineup come Opening Day. Only time will tell, but if there’s one thing Mets fans have to a fault, it’s faith in their team and an undying hunger to watch them compete.

Next. Marcus Stroman's off-field All-Star season

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

What are you most excited about with the return of Mets baseball?

Next