Another Day in Paradise

After moving this blog and bringing it back to life yesterday I'm faced with the task of what to do now.  This blog is still going to be a New York Mets fan blog going forward. For now, however, with the baseball season a casualty of the virus that put me out of work I don't want to be just another voice rehashing the few pieces of Mets news that are floating around out there, Others, frankly, do it much better anyway.
I will admit that the news of Noah Syndergaard needing Tommy John surgery was a downer, but it follows in the footsteps of other downers, including the possibility that we don't see any baseball at all this season.  Even if things go really well combating this virus, will there really be a time this year when many thousands of people are allowed to crowd together in the ballpark to cheer their teams on?

As for Syndergaard himself, he's always been quite the enigma - possessing tremendous potential but, for the most part, continuously falling short of realizing it.  Sometimes he's Thor, sometimes he's quite mortal, and it's hard to predict what will show up on the mound every fifth.  Considering he's unlikely to return until some point into next season and will be a free agent after the season is over it doesn't seem likely that he will reach his potential in a Mets uniform, particularly if current ownership remains.

As for what happens to the rotation this season, I only hope there is a season.  They're not even holding the Olympics this year.  I'll be happy to worry about that if and when it happens.  I'm more concerned for my family, my self and that all of you out there stay safe and healthy than I am about who our fifth starter might be.

It's become such a bummer in baseball with so many guys going out for Tommy John surgery.  You'd like to think that with all of the resources and technology we have today we could figure out a way to make this surgery much less prevalent, but you have all these guys throwing 90+ mph since high school and throwing so many pitches before they're ever drafted by an organization.  It doesn't seem like it's going to get better any time soon.

To end on a happier note, for anyone who still remembers the old blog, when I started the blog the only digital picture I had of myself was an old one with my dog Rikki late in her life.  I never enjoyed pictures of myself so I don't keep many.  Besides, Rikki meant a lot to me and she was no longer around when I started this blog and I liked being reminded of her whenever I posted.  Some people made fun of my taste in clothing (probably warranted) and the fact that I was hugging the dog in the pic (it was taken on a day of hiking and even at that late stage of her life it was the only way to keep her in one place long enough to take a picture).

I was well into my 30s when the picture was taken, in my mid-40s when I started the blog, and I'm 61 now.  Needless to say, I don't look like that anymore.  I'm carrying a few more pounds, a lot less hair, and the mustache is grey now. (Yes I know mustaches are not in style, but if I really cared about style I wouldn't be wearing that shirt in the above pic.) Anyway, I'll have to get someone to take a more recent picture at some point, because I like having a picture of myself and my real name on the blog (who would make up Steffanos?). It's not that I'm trying to punish folks by making them look at my homely mug, I think the anonymity of the internet creates some of its problems, and I stand by whatever I write as a real person - not an avatar and screen name.

Rikki was the last dog I owned for many years.  Dogs are a big responsibility and I didn't have enough time to honor that responsibility.  That changed a few years ago when we rescued a female Treeing Walker Coonhound mix we named Nutmeg who looks a lot like Rikki did. Nutmeg is almost 9 now but still likes long walks in the woods daily.  Last year we rescued a 1-year-old Whippet/Chihuahua mix we named Devo.  See the pics below.  So, although my taste in clothes is still fairly questionable it's cool to be a dog owner again after so many years.

See you tomorrow.

I'm not sure if anyone who read the old blog will find their way here after all these many years, but if you do please drop me an email or comment if you'd prefer. I'd honestly love to hear from you. Also, I will be posting here regularly if you're inclined to come back.

Follow me on Twitter @MikeSteffanos