“Life moves pretty fast.

If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

~ Ferris Bueller

Every year, it’s the same thing in my household.  Every year, starting in April, my husband starts scoreboard watching and starts mentally calculating how many games out of first the Mets are, the Wild Card race, how many teams are in it, blah blah blah.

He’s not joking or even merely being ironic.  No, he’s serious, and I’ve let it go as it’s his thing.  After all, if ESPN has Wild Card standings from, like, Day one, why shouldn’t he have a little fun with his math.

Yesterday, I was talking to good friend BlondiesJake, and we both agreed that as Mets fans, we’re having fun.  Yeah, I said, we’re having fun.

A few days ago, I was on OnTheBlack with Kerel and we both talked about how, from a blogging perspective, there’s been a dynamic shift from being negative and poopy, to being lighthearted, jovial and looking at the bright side of things.

Considering what this fan base has been through in the last six years…I’ll take a six game losing streak midseason if I have to.

I know baseball is a very reactionary sport.  I know that the Twitterverse can be very reactionary too.  But the jumpers – you know, the ones who teeter close to the edge on the Queensboro Bridge – are making it clear that it’s almost time.

I’m not ready yet.  It’s baseball, have fun with it.

Most of us would have signed on for .500 baseball at the break, no questions asked.  Just the way they did it, in Metsian fashion, a loss leading into the break, a sweep by the Braves, with a patented Chipper Jones home run off a rookie pitcher, and losing two heartbreakers to the Washington Nationals, one of the best stories in baseball this year.

It’s more than just the bullpen – this is a team effort, and there’s a lot going on, like lack of situation hitting (yes, I DO KNOW that this cannot be practiced), and the starting pitching maybe crashing down to earth (including an injury to Dillon Gee….who expected him to have a break out season???).

Going back to my husband, who mentally calculates how many teams are in the wild card race, how many to win, even magic numbers.  He’s not joking or being ironic: he’s being serious.   One time, I just said, “Hey, here’s an idea.  Why don’t you just watch the games, and enjoy baseball for once.”  He explained that he did enjoy baseball, he did enjoy these calculations.  But to listen to him do it, and potentially stress out at a game IN APRIL that the Mets might lose a game, suffice to say that I didn’t believe him or agree with him.

And if you listen to some folks on Twitter, the time has come to jump.  Well, I say hogwash!  This has been a fun team to watch, one of the most fun to watch in a long time.  This is something WE deserve as fans, for the all the crap we’ve had to deal with over the years.  A young, homegrown team that is making the most of a bad situation, whether that situation is financially-related, injury, a warts-and-all bullpen, or starting pitching coming down to earth, you’re going to miss David Wright’s amazing season, you’re going to miss that RA Dickey is still an intriguing character to watch, you’re going to cloud the no-hitter on June 1st…

I’m not in a position to tell fans how to think, do or feel.  But I will say that one of the best minds of our time did once say that life moves fast, and if you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you might miss it.

The same could be applied to baseball.  We’re gonna win some games.  We’re gonna lose some games.  Enjoy this season without thinking about Wild Card implications, or division implications, playoff implications.  We know that coming into this season, expectations were low.  That has gotten away from us.

Enjoy it now.  You could miss it!