I’ve always been a firm believer in introductions, because how can you possibly begin to understand a writer’s perspective without some transparency? The rise of the internet has also given rise to curiosity. And, let’s be real, people (celebrities, mostly) with the most transparency, are the ones that inspire flocks to see their shows, concerts, baseball games. An “about me” matters–unless you’re on Facebook or MySpace, then you just throw things at the wall and see what sticks.
But there’s one thing people desperately need to know: I’m a girl that follows sports, from baseball to hockey, and it has nothing to do with any athletes being attractive. I couldn’t care less who is attractive on my favorite teams; it has zero baring on my feelings regarding anyone’s athletic ability.
I grew up with two brothers who were huge sports fans. Regarding baseball, one was a Mets fan (like everyone else in my family), and my eldest brother was the surprise Yankees fan. Of course, I was born and raised a Mets fan. At age 6, circa 1997 , I was always playing as the Mets on our Sega Genesis baseball game. Bret Saberhagen was my favorite Met, and I hadn’t the slightest clue who he was other than the fact that I always seemed to pitch pretty well with him.
Then everything changed in 1998. My brothers always had Cardinals and Cubs games on. I learned the names Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, and the three of us would watch over and over until another one hit a home run. That was when I realized home runs weren’t just a video game thing–and boy did they hit them far. In my little 6 year old brain, I’d never seen a Mets player hit a home run. 1998 would change that, too.
Mike Piazza was traded, in the most round-a-bout way possible, to the Mets. I remember my eldest brother mocking the Marlins endlessly for trading someone so quickly after acquiring them. My second oldest brother, the Mets fan, was overjoyed. He talked about World Series baseball for the Mets–and I hopped on that train as quickly as I possibly could. And I watched the team I barely knew anything about, and I watched them become relevant.
I wanted to know everything. I started watching ESPN all the time. By the time I was 8, I’d consumed more than enough baseball to be uncomfortably confident that I knew who was good, bad, and just flat out fierce in baseball. Of course, I had a devout hatred for the Atlanta Braves.
In the year 2000, I watched the Subway Series with my two brothers. It was devastating watching the Mets lose. But, I still didn’t really understand the heartbreak.
As I grew older, and more invested in baseball, I kept track of box scores, individual player stats (not just the Mets, but other players that I liked around the league), and I was ripe for genuine despair when the Mets lost in 2006, and then collapsed in back to back years.
The long story short is that I’m not just some girl who watches sports and asks, “Well what’s that mean?” And, to be honest, it shouldn’t be assumed that all females don’t understand sports.
The point of this piece is just to genuinely thank people like Satish from MetsMinors.net and David Conde here at LegendsonDeck.com for giving me the chance to write about baseball. It was like Twitter was the Minor Leagues, and now I’ve worked my way to the big show.
Welcome to Legends on Deck–now it’s time to learn about real prospects.
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