Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Collective Rituals—Mourning and Debate

Photo: Miami Herald

Around this time of year, if you’re a baseball fan, you sometimes wonder—why. Why am I watching these overpaid grown men try, with unimaginable difficulty, to hit or catch a small ball and then run around some dirt? What meaning does it have in my life, this artificial drama that consumes so much time and can often be completely frustrating? Especially compared to the presidential debate, which took place in a parallel time slot to the Mets at Marlins game last night. The balance of the world’s fate, versus a trip to the playoffs. No contest in terms of import, right? Nuclear football and all that.

And yet. Backing up to Sunday morning, in a terrible tragedy, Marlins’ ace pitcher José Fernandez was killed the previous night in a boating accident in Miami, along with two others (not star pitchers, since I don’t think I’ve heard their names; in fact their deaths seem sadly incidental). Fernandez, just 24, as a teen had tried to escape from Cuba three times before succeeding, in the process receiving a year in jail, and another time, rescuing his mother who had fallen overboard. Once in the states, his quick elevation from class A to the big leagues underscored his pitching skill, but apparently he was the warm heart of the clubhouse as well.

Fernandez was supposed to pitch in last night’s game (Sunday’s was canceled), lending even more poignancy to the setup. The Marlins had multiples of Fernandez’s #16 jersey fabricated for the whole team, and they scrawled JF and RIP on their black caps with silver sharpies. For their part, the Mets (led by Yoenis Céspedes, a fellow Cuban) taped up a specially-made Mets Fernandez jersey in the dugout, fixing the tape and taking care to keep the jersey smooth.

José Fernandez. RIP. Photo: WABC
The pre-game ceremony included a somber tribute to Fernandez, including a haunting solo trumpet version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” a color guard salute, and the anthem, sung by a children’s chorus. I would be surprised if there was a dry eye not only in the stadium, but among the millions watching on tv. Even the empathic, but always professional, SNY announcer Gary Cohen choked up as he was trying to narrate the scene. The Marlins’ players were visibly sobbing, their faces contorted with the pain of true grief. Both teams went on the field and all the Marlins hugged all the Mets. Céspedes is nothing if not stoic, but he was the one who lingered the longest, and seemed to hug the hardest to mourn the loss of his fellow countryman.

The game dutifully began, feeling like a sodden chore, although its outcome was of prime importance to the Mets, who barely lead the wildcard playoff standings. With the usually steadfast Bartolo Colon pitching, Marlins’ lefty hitter Dee Gordon stepped to the plate batting righty, and wearing Fernandez’s helmet, both in tribute. He whiffed, turned around, and jacked a towering homer into an upper deck—his first of the season. He was suspended 50 games earlier in the year for using banned substances, and by his slight frame and nearly childlike stature compared to Bunyanesque teammates like Giancarlo Stanton, you can almost understand why. But the homer was like a scene out of The Natural, when some supernatural power took over and carried the ball to heaven. Literally, that’s how it felt. Cue more heart-rending emotion as Gordon ran around the bases, sobbing, tears streaming down his face. He was embraced and bear-hugged in the dugout after this cathartic act that seemed to release the Marlins from their frozen state of grief.

Turns out Colon didn’t have it in a rare, short outing in which he allowed seven runs. No matter, the Marlins felt almost fated to win, being forced to play this game in the face of a horror. The game ended, and the Marlins surrounded the pitching mound, placing a lone ball and Fernandez’s glove on the hill. They formed a perfect circle, clutching each others’ shoulders, and Stanton—team leader on and off the field—spoke briefly. They bowed their heads, prayed silently, knelt to grab some dirt or even kiss the earth, and one by one placed their caps on the mound and walked off. It could not have been choreographed more perfectly as a collective grieving ritual that felt personal for the Marlins, and yet allowed the world to share the deep grief. (Adding to the strangeness was the José chant, sung to "Olé," and used for current Met (and ex Marlin) José Reyes, who no doubt knew it wasn't for him.)

Then I flipped to the debate (really, if you haven’t decided by now between the two, what would 90 minutes of basically avoiding a huge faux pas mean to your decision?). I saw Trump spew lie after lie, denying his own ludicrous statements and heinous actions, bellowing, gesticulating, sniffling, and interrupting Clinton every few minutes, a bully cornered in detention, snarling and lashing out. Clinton seemed poised, confident, well prepared, even good humored; her best tool was to allow Trump’s torrent of words to hang in the air and speak for themselves.  

It felt like the world was upside-down. What had felt like a life or death outcome to be “decided” by this debate was, in contrast to a ritual of pure grief and mourning, irrelevant. The game had become a metaphor for the evanescent joy of life and its painful loss, the debate merely motions to be gone through.

That said, ask me in two months, after the election and the World Series, how I feel about this. It may change.  

Monday, September 5, 2016

A Season of Second Chances

José Reyes post-homer de-helmeting Asdrubal Cabrera
Remarkably, the Mets are still in the race for a wild card spot in the playoffs, after losing much of their starting roster. This includes their vaunted young pitching staff, of which currently only Noah Syndergaard remains in the rotation (albeit with a minor elbow bone spur, elevated pitch counts, and unable to hold runners on base), with Jacob De Grom on ice for the next week or two (at least) with forearm pain, Matz on the DL with shoulder pain and a bone spur on his elbow, Harvey recuperating from thoracic outlet surgery, and Zack Wheeler, future unknown, dealing with complications in his rehab from Tommy John last year. 

The last man standing? 43 year old Bartolo Colon, who is fifth in wins since 2014—in the entire league. He has pitched in rotation in recent weeks with Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, and Rafael Montero, who have all had good results and in addition to level heads, have showed great promise. They have been a contrast to the no decisions and losses tallied up by De Grom and Syndergaard, who coming into the season, you'd be crazy to bet against. Jeurys Familia remains reliable as the closer, despite an errant pitch now and again, and the bullpen has been productive despite nailbiters by Robles and cartoon-like thinness by Jerry Blevins. (Not a fault, just sayin'.) Catcher Travis d'Arnaud flashes his bat power on occasion, and rotates duties with Rene Rivera, who has become Thor's personal catcher.

And with Wright, Walker, and Lagares out for the season, and Duda out for a long spell but possibly able to return sometime this month, many bench players and minor league call-ups have filled in admirably. Kelly Johnson, sent to the Braves but reacquired, has shown power recently. James Loney has been solid at first base, if spotty with his bat. Wilmer Flores has played all over the diamond, and has been hitting to his potential, despite his weak running (today, he theoretically hit a double and triple but was thrown out both times in close plays; he also had a single). Also—he uses the Friends theme as walk-up music now. I mean, c'mon!


Rock solid Bartolo Colon.
A welcome source of energy in the dugout has been Asdrubal Cabrera (shortstop), who instigated the ritual of batting helmet removal when another player enters the dugout after a home run; he is dynamic and spirited in a positive way. Another has been José Reyes, whose reacquisition was roundly questioned due to domestic abuse charges. If you were a Mets fan a decade ago, you were probably highly conflicted about this, as Reyes conjures fond memories of the team's anticipated rebirth in the 2000s when he joined the team with David Wright. In any case, over the years there has likely not been a player as fun to watch as Reyes, whose uniform is often dirt-covered after the first inning, showing his hustle. So far, so good and the energy he brings is undeniable.

Back in the day, Reyes regularly hit triples from both sides of the plate and had special handshakes for just about every teammate. He had his own song—"Olé" x3, replaced with José—with which he was serenaded at each at-bat. But then he was traded to Miami, Colorado, and Toronto, which could not have suited him less both temperamentally and culturally. Rejoining the Mets this year, he seemed rejuvenated and buzzed with energy. He bleached his hair, a rally move that was repeated by Cabrera, and wears a canary warm-up sleeve, like Céspedes. He looks really happy.

Ironically, Reyes is now most regular at third base, where David Wright has basically lived for a decade plus. It's a new position for Reyes, who has mostly handled it adeptly. And yet it marks the beginning of the post-Wright era, which fans have denied every since his back and neck issues have brought it into focus. At least he now sits in the dugout with his teammates during his rehab spell, rather than in the bullpen to avoid hit ball avoidance maneuvers that might harm his neck after surgery. He can be spotted joking around with De Grom, sharing a laugh with the underperforming Jay Bruce, or shaking hands with his mates onfield after a win, small reminders of his foundational presence in the club.  


TC in his natural habitat
The outfield has been a game of musical chairs. The stoic, mysterious, and powerful Céspedes, since his joining the team a year ago to help push the team to the world series, has now moved back to his regular position in left field, from center, to make it easier on his balky quad. Granderson has shifted to center, which requires more agility and range, a bit of a task since he's in the latter part of his career. Bruce, acquired for his RBI skills (which have yet to emerge in New York) now patrols right field. Alejandro de Aza pitches in at center, and utility man Kelly Johnson is used as needed. Michael Conforto, once the rock solid bat of the future, has yo-yoed between Las Vegas and New York, becoming somewhat lost with his bat, then hot, and hopefully will continue this current streak. Matt Reynolds, Ty Kelly, Kevin Plawecki all wait on the bench for a chance to contribute.

These days, we may not recognize the names that comprise the lineup. And yet over the past couple of weeks, this team—cobbled together by Alderson, motivated by Terry Collins—has had a terrific record. The 2015 world series roster is but a fond memory, with its indomitable pitching lineup and Daniel Murphy. But in a season with diminished expectations, there are many reasons to admire and root for the replacements even as we hope for the stars to return, healthy.