United States of Amazin!

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Did you see it? Were you watching? The Mets played meaningful and fun-to-watch baseball for the first time in nearly 6 months! It was truly a sight to see. They were hitting the long ball, making plays that would earn themselves highlight-seconds on Sports Center, and giving Mets fans reasons to believe that 2009 has only two zeros in it. Yes, Ladies and GentleMets, this season will be a sparkling success.

Sorry to get ahead of myself. Allow me to inform you what it is I am actually referring to. You probably did not know this but I am a huge fan of the World Baseball Classic (Do Not See: "Ruin my World, Baseball Classic"). Who doesn't love exciting baseball in March? Who doesn't want meaningful games at the end of the winter? Who is not interested in seeing their players represent their country in front of the entire world? (What? Stop looking at me).

If we didn't see it on television, then we woke up today to be notified that David Wright's two-run single capped a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth as the United States advanced to the WBC semifinals for the first time.

If we were to busy to realize, we saw this morning that Carlos Beltran pulled an "Endy Chavez" by forcing the statisticians to take a home run away from Brian McCann and converting it into an out. (We won't even mention how Ivan Rodriquez was able to take second base on a surprise sacrifice by the Wall-Climbing Hit-Spanking Beltran).

If we were not tuned into the happenings of the WBC, we were still unable to avoid hearing about Carlos Delgado's absolute smash to dead center off of Ted Lilly in the fourth.

And the corny "If's" do not stop there. There was also Nelson Figueroa who threw 2 1/3 no hit innings for Puerto Rico. JJ Putz tossed a perfect 8th inning with 2 strikeouts. And finally, Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez got the last four outs as Venezuela beat Puerto Rico, 2-0, to advance to the Classic semis.



Ah, yes, the Mets are playing serious October baseball. In March, nonetheless. But as Yogi Bera once said "real deal baseball is real deal baseball" (he could've said it, how do you know otherwise?). Whether USA gets past the upcoming semis is yet to be determined but what has been determined is that the Mets are looking fresh, strong and eager to put the Sheam (that says "shame"; work with me) behind them.

I have been told that I have wrote pessimistic blogs in the past and that I am guilty of spilling negativity into the keys that I push while I try to get my thoughts through to you, the reader. Well, you can say that I have changed my attitude on this whole Mets thing. I'm a new blogger, a shea'nged man. You'll see.

We, fans, have experienced the calm before the storm, the storm, and then some more calm. But whatever this season does bring to Queens, be it rainy times or sun-filled days, you can always remember that in Brooklyn, there resides, at least, one optimistic fan who thought all along that this will be the year that Tug McGraw bellows "I told you to believe."

Oh, I believe.
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