OPENING DAY HEROICS

Yesterday, the Mets won the first game of the season. They did this without scoring an earned run, with their oldest ever opening day starting pitcher and a closer who, despite veteran status, had never before earned a save. Am I surprised? Not at all. We almost always win the first game.

It wasn't always that way.

When the team came into existence in 1962 I was wise enough to largely ignore them. I was having enough adolescent troubles without adding 120 losses, including 1 on opening day, to the mix. In 1963, much to my horror and at least somewhat to my surprise, I became a Mets fan. From that I learned 2 things: You can't control who (or what) you love and I can be optimistic about anything. Somehow I entered that soon to be horrendous season with a sense of hope. The season's first pitch was a called strike and I remember thinking "we're off to a good start!" The second pitch was hit softly on the ground to our third baseman who fielded it (okay, still good) and threw it into the stands. I don't remember what I thought then or what I thought when we lost that game. Or what I thought when we lost the next season's opener. Or the next season's. Or the next. Or the next. Or the next. Or the next.

That's right, the Mets lost their first 8 opening day games! Which is quite a coincidence, because they also began my initial season as a Mets fanatic by losing their first 8 contests. Did I lose heart? Not at all. In fact, I remember the incredible excitement of the next 4 games which we swept from the Braves. Our shortstop, Al Moran ("Our man, Al Moran!") hit like crazy which is something because he never did again. Nor, for almost the rest of the 1960s, did we get to celebrate many 4 (or 3 or 2) game sweeps. Didn't matter. I was hooked for life.

So am I surprised we won this year's opener? Not at all. Since failing in every one of my teenage years to win the first game of the season, the Mets now have the best first day record in baseball. Given that, in 53 years we've only won the last game of the season twice, you may think that triumphing in the opener is not very important. But you'd be wrong.

As all optimists know, we still have a chance to go undefeated!