As Baseball Season Begins, Remember God is a Mets (and Probably a Cubs) Fan

(Photo property of NY Mets)

It’s a joke I heard years ago (though from who I can’t remember), and I return to it every baseball season.

How do you know God prefers the Mets to the Yankees?

Because when the Yankees are in the ninth inning of a tight game, fans in the stadium are standing and cheering on their team! When the Mets are in the ninth inning of a tight game, fans have their hands folded in quiet, fervent prayer.

As a lifelong Mets fan, I could see his point. The Mets always seem to be the perpetual underdog, but we fans always believe that THIS is going to be the year everything changes. We’ve been waiting for a World Series repeat since 1986 and think this is as good a year as any for that dream to be fulfilled. After all, it’s a new season filled with new beginnings.

But compared to Mets fans’ wait for a Series win, Cubs fans have it much worse. They haven’t won a World Series since 1908. I tend to root for underdogs, which is part of the reason I’m a Mets fan in a town that’s largely been dominated by the Yankees for quite some time. As such, I can’t help but root for the Cubs as well. It would be great for them to win this year in honor of the late Ernie Banks whose sunny optimism and love for the game epitomized the best, most idealistic, and most spiritual parts of the game.

Yes, I know both teams can’t make it to the Series since they’re both in the National League, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

So as another baseball season begins, regardless of what team you support, enjoy the hope for great things that defines this time of year.