Nearly ten years after one of the emotionally charged Mets games in history due to the intersection of reality and sports, the Mets find themselves in a similar situation again where patriotism overrides rivalry.
Before we start, it is important to make clear that I am not asserting that last night's Mets game was even on the same level of emotion as the September 21, 2001 game against the Braves. That night, the first major sporting event in New York after one of the darkest days in American history still brings up an incredible amount of emotion, especially the fan reaction when Mike Piazza hit the homer to put the Mets ahead of the Braves. It maybe the only homerun hit that wasn't a milestone (as in like #700) or in a playoff game that will be mentioned on a Cooperstown plaque.
During the bottom of the eighth last night, it became apparent, if you were on news sites, it became apparent that President Obama was going to make a major announcement regarding Bin Laden, and it became apparent in the ninth inning in the stadium, of what just transpired. According to the reports (I stopped watching the game at this point, to return in the bottom of the 13th), chants of USA started in stadium where Phillies fans and Mets fans were all the same for the rest of the game. Rivalries aside, both fan groups were American and both groups realize the amount of emotion that comes with this type of news. News shows this morning were showing clips of the fan reaction because it was the only national sporting event that was occurring at the time when the news broke. So once again the Mets are the sport team that is involved in the intersection of reality and sports. This becomes more interesting when you think about what sport, especially baseball, means to national identity, and then when news stories center around national identity.
It is also very easy to see how the meaning of last night's win changed with the news of the night. I forgot which commentator said it last night, but last night's game was just another win or a loss for the Phillies, but so much more for the Mets. It was a representation of a complete slide from the 6 game win streak, or another stop and then a step forward. What would normally be a very jubilant night (beating Lee, surviving 14 innings, not getting a crushing defeat) was also immediately scaled with the national news.
Last night was one of those night that will prompt the question, “Where were you when you found out [major political/cultural event]” and for many of us, we were watching our favorite baseball team.
