Mind of a NY Mets fan: It's okay to be happy

Every fan base believes they are the boldest, greatest, and most unique on the planet, but New York Mets fans are truly a breed of their own. Wrapped in the vibrant hues of blue and orange. If there is one universal truth about our fanbase, it's this: We are afraid to be happy. However, it's not entirely our fault. Our beloved Mets' first year was unceremoniously capped by a record-breaking 120-loss season. As a fanbase, we were not exactly set up for success.

But Mets fans, as one of your own, I am here to tell you something—and I hope you'll take this in the spirit it's intended to: It's OK to be happy. I'll say it again. It is OK to be happy.

The Reason for Our Sorrows

But why this collective aversion to joy? Let’s rewind to a crisp September evening that marked my 21st birthday. My friends (a Mets fan and a Yankees fan) decided to take me out to a ballgame. My beloved Mets were playing the Marlins and fighting the Phillies in a dead heat for the NL East crown, so it goes without saying that the Mets really needed this game. There we were in the upper deck of Shea Stadium and we watched as the ever-erratic flamethrower Oliver Perez tied a major league record of hitting three batters in the same inning en route to allowing six earned runs over 3 2/3 innings in a devastating Mets’ 7-4 loss.

After the 6th run crossed the plate, a man sitting in front of us turned and said to my jubilant Yankee fan friend and my despondent Mets fan friend words that would haunt me for the better of the next decade. “Why do we always find a way to be the laughingstock of baseball?” That pretty much summed up what being a Mets fan is like. No matter the generation, disappointment eventually would become our mistress, and we would follow her to that dance floor every time. We are afraid to fly too high for fear of melting our wings of wax. Mets fans, we can break the cycle.

Breaking the Cycle

Not only is it OK to be happy, but it's also OK to be downright excited about this upcoming season. Yes, the last time we let ourselves get excited about a new season, it left a bad taste in our mouths—about as bad as a Yankee Stadium sausage and peppers (which, let's be honest, is gross).

The last time there was collective hope in Metsland was in 2022. In 2021, The Mets, who had been in Manager purgatory for years after Terry Collins and the team parted ways. Buck Showalter was a name on every Mets fan list, and he was the man we got. The Mets were a house on fire in 2022, winning over 100 games for the first time in years. However, the season came to a fitting Mets end when they choked away a near bulletproof lead in the NL East to the Braves and then took a first-round exit at the hands of UPS … I mean, the San Diego Padres. Despite that, we had gone to the dance. We got drunk in the parking lot before entering and were thrown out midway through the first song, but we were there. Even after all that, the future looked as bright as the gleam in Mr. Met's eye. Then, the following year, we finished 4th place, missed the playoffs, and Buck got fired. Talk about an unceremonious fall from grace.

An appeal to optimism

I still call on all Mets fans to look forward to this season like you have never looked forward to a season before. We want to feel the unbridled excitement, but we're hesitant. We are fighting those feelings. We say, "Yeah we got Soto, but one player doesn't make a team." I hear you; we say, "It looks like Pete isn't coming back and if we can't get Vladdy we have no protection for our newly acquired stud." I hear that, too.Mets fans, we can break the cycle! Let’s be bold enough to hope, brave enough to dream, and reckless enough to be happy. After all, isn’t that what being a baseball is all about?