I wanted to write something creative about going to a Game 7. I wanted to think about some of the more historic Game 7s in history, but then I realized I didn’t need to. Everyone knows what game seven is, everyone knows what Game 7 means, and everyone loves a Game 7.
I later thought it would feel better to just post some off the cuff thoughts about how I felt getting ready to go see what could be the craziest sporting event I’ve ever gone to.
Giddy.
I can’t think of really any other word to apply. After Jose Reyes belted a home run in the first inning yesterday, I knew my ticket was going to valid. I knew I’d be on the 7(!) train heading out to Queens at six o’clock on Thursday. I’ve been sitting at my desk worthless for most of the day. I’m a bundle of nervous energy. All I can think about is what would happen if my friend, driving the tickets from Albany, will be there on time. I hope he doesn’t get caught in traffic, I hope he doesn’t get lost, I hope everything goes according to plan.
For a guy who didn’t follow baseball for a few years, I never thought I could feel this way about a ballgame that I wasn’t actually participating in. Watching Game 5, I felt a sick feeling in the ninth inning. I was jittery. Yesterday, I was relieved. Today, I don’t know what I am, only that my heart is beating, my hands are shaking, and I’m waiting for the clock to tick down to five o’clock so I can out of here. Maybe moving around will expend some of this nervous energy I’ve been building up all day… maybe a shot of whiskey will.
All I know is that I’m going to the biggest event I’ve ever attended in my life. Concerts, regular season games, even Game 1 of Yankees/Red Sox in 2003 pale in comparison to this. Game Seven. All on the line. Live or Die. Go Big or Go Home. I don’t know what the city was like in 1986 before the last game seven like this… it’s not even comparable to the Yankees/Red Sox 2004. The stars were coming out aligned against the Yankees by the time game seven rolled around. For the Mets right now, and their fans, it’s a giddy sort of confident fear. Confident fear, we’re terrified we’re going to lose, but at the same time convinced we’re going to win. I can feel the buzz from Queens from where I am right now… I can’t even imagine what it will be like when I actually get there.
But I can’t wait to find out.
