The Subway Series 05/20/2006

author's note: At some point I may quit writing about baseball and get back to writing more music. Not today though. I raced upstairs to change clothes with all the anticipation of a 2nd grader getting ready for the first day of school. I quickly changed into my favorite t-shirt, an old pair of denim jeans and sneakers. As I was leaving my room, I stood in front of the mirror and slipped on my well-worn fitted, Yankees cap and headed out to the street to flag down a cab. In keeping with the subtle beauty of the details in this day, my cab driver had spent more than 50 years in the five borroughs and he loved baseball. He was particularly excited about the Mets and as we recounted the game from the night before, we both laughed and talked as though we were major league GM's. I'm not sure how long the trip was supposed to take from lower Manhattan out to Queens, but it seemed like my friend was driving faster just because he knew the importance of what I was doing and his small role in that. He let me off about a mile from Shea Stadium, which seemed to tower over Queens like a hallowed church. It was church. The church of baseball. I started skipping I was so excited and then caught myself and proceeded to walk, but walk fast. I called my dad and my best friend Chris, both members of the church of baseball, and excitedly told them where I was and what I was doing. I was going to see my beloved Yankees play the Mets in the 10th anniversary of their annual Subway Series, since interleague play was introduced to baseball in the 1990s. Surely God was smiling when he knew I would be in New York at the exact time the Mets were hosting the Yankees. And though I had never been before, I felt as if I knew Shea Stadium like my own home. I remember being in the 7th and 8th grade watching the Mets, lead by Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Kevin Mitchell and Keith Hernandez. I remember the Mets World Series win over the Red Sox thanks to Bill Buckner's ground ball error, and I remember pretending to be Darryl Strawberry myself in the backyard in Waco, Texas hitting wiffleball home runs. And here I was.....At the church where these guys played watching my favorite team the Yankees do battle with their crosstown rival. And talk about karma.........Though the game was sold out, I found a guy selling his extra seat for face value because his fiancee was planning their wedding. Pedro Martinez vs. Mike Mussina. A true pitchers duel, at least until Mussina gave up a home run to Carlos Delgado. Oh well, at least I got to see the apple go up in the outfield. In the 7th, with my Yankees down 4-0 and needing some luck, I decided to put my good karma to the test. So, in the name of helping the Yankees, I proceeded to sneak into the ground level seats and find a spot about 20 rows up from the Yankee dugout. I got heckled a little from some Mets fans, but all I had to say was that I was from Texas, and immediately I became a minor celebrity. If only I had been wearing my cowboys boots I might have even gotten a free beer. Still, my new bluecollar buddies and I traded jabs and just as my new friend Bruce was chiding me with a "your team played a great game" comment, the Mets brought in closer Billy Wagner to finish off the Yankees in the top of the 9th inning. As the superstar Wagner jogged towards the mound, Metallica boomed over the stadium speakers. Along with a sea of orange and blue Mets fans, the sight alone of Wagner gave me resignation that the Yankees were through. But wait! Not so fast! Wagner couldn't buy a strike. Walk, walk, walk, walk in a run. Giambi singles and the next thing you know, we've got a 4-4 ballgame headed into the 10th innning. Maybe it was the good Karma I brought so close to the field that counteracted Alex Rodriguez's poison, or maybe it was their good play started by the Miguel Cairo steal of third base. Nevertheless, Andy Phillips pinch hit single in the 11th inning brought home Cairo and gave the Yankees the go ahead run. Then, in what I can only describe as a closer's clinic, Mariano Rivera came in and did what he's done so great for so many years.....close out the Mets and get the save. Yankees win 5-4 in 11 innings. And just like that, one of the best individual experiences of my life ended. Was I satisfied? Absolutely. Would I have been satisfied even if the Yankees had lost? Absolutely. Church always makes you feel better. Especially baseball church. And with that, I hopped the 7 train back into Manhattan.........