25 Years Later: The Nineteen Innings of Fireworks Night (A Song Parody)

Twenty-five years ago today (and tomorrow), the Mets and the Braves hooked up in a 19-inning marathon at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium that ended at 3:55 AM.

The game featured multiple rain delays, was started by Dwight Gooden (in one of his rare poor pitching performances from his incredible Cy Young Award-winning campaign) and was closed out by fellow starter and current SNY analyst Ron Darling.

It featured a cycle by Keith Hernandez on a day when he also made six outs (The 'Stache went 4-for-10), eleven plate appearances for Lenny Dykstra (groundout, flyout, single, groundout, single, single, strikeout, walk, groundout, sacrifice fly, flyout) and winning pitcher Tom Gorman giving up two extra-inning, two-out, game-tying home runs. One was a 13th inning two-run shot by Terry Harper and the other was an 18th inning solo home run by reliever and one-time slugger Rick Camp (who slugged the ball one time in his career, much to the delight of Chief Noc-A-Homa) to send the game into the 19th and final inning.

Whereas many other noted journalists and respected bloggers have their own memories of this game, Studious Metsimus would like to celebrate it as only we can, with a musical tribute to the game. Of course, it's an "a cappella" song, meaning there's no music, but you know what we mean.

In honor of Independence Day, we can't think of a better song to use in a song parody than "The Twelve Days of Christmas". For all those who watched and/or listened to the game, (I did both. I was only twelve at the time and my parents would have killed me if they knew I was listening to the last ten innings of the game on a Walkman I conveniently hid under my pillow. Even after the game ended at 3:55 AM, I couldn't go to sleep for another nine hours. My mother never questioned me when I decided to take a "nap" a little before 1 PM. You'll hear more about this "nap" within the song.) I hope this song brings back memories of one of most Amazin' games in franchise history. If you never heard of this game, then just think of the song as Christmas in July for Mets fans. If you don't remember the game and you don't celebrate Christmas, ummm, well...

Anyway, here is "The Nineteen Innings of Fireworks Night" for your reading and singing pleasure:


On my first thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
a memorable victory.

On my second thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my third thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
three poor Doc frames,
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my fourth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my fifth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my sixth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my seventh thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my eighth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my ninth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
nine hours not sleeping.
Eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my tenth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
ten extra innings.
Nine hours not sleeping.
Eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my eleventh thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
eleven times up for Lenny.
Ten extra innings.
Nine hours not sleeping.
Eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory.

On my twelfth thought of Fireworks Night, my Metsies gave to me,
twelve pitching changes
Eleven times up for Lenny.
Ten extra innings.
Nine hours not sleeping.
Eight hours of watching.
Seven Metsies pitching.
Six Gorman innings.
FIVE MILLION MOOD SWINGS!
Four hits by Keith.
Three poor Doc frames.
Two rain delays.
And a memorable victory!

Sure, this song was named "The Nineteen Innings of Fireworks Night" and I only went up to "twelve" instead of "nineteen" (as in the original "Twelve Days of Christmas" song), but honestly, if I had gone to nineteen instead of twelve, this song would be longer than the game the played 25 years ago today, on the night of July 4 (and the morning of July 5), 1985.



The 1985 Mets might not have won a championship, but they provided many memories that have lasted for a quarter century and will last for many more years.

As the 2010 Mets and Braves prepare for a second half that should provide more memories in this renewed rivalry, just remember one thing. Whenever you complain about a game seemingly lasting forever, it could always be worse. Just ask the players and the bloggers who still listen to Mets games on a Walkman (guilty...) who experienced the 1985 Fireworks Night game from Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta.

From the Studious Metsimus staff to our readers, we'd like to wish you all a Merry Independence Day and a Happy Second Half!

Shea Stadium/Fireworks photo taken by David Whitham (DGW Photography). Explosive photo, Dave!

Beltran vs. Kobayashi: Wiener War II

Last year, competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi was taken down by Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest, as reported by Studious Metsimus here. Beltran used the rare "hidden bun trick" to disqualify Kobayashi and claim the Mustard Belt for himself.

Carlos took advantage of his disabled list stint in 2009 to train for the competition and was able to stun Kobayashi, who was unfamiliar with Beltran's technique.

This year, Takeru Kobayashi might not be competing because of a contract dispute with the event's organizers. However, the Studious Metsimus staff has discovered the real reason why the man Beltran mistakenly referred to as Kamasutra will be a no-show.

Apparently, Kobayashi was trying to gain the upper hand on 'Tran the Man by coming up with a technique similar to the "hidden bun trick" that was used against him in 2009.

Frustrated by his inability to find a way to stop Beltran from repeating as the Wiener Winner, Kobayashi turned to the mortal enemy of anyone associated with the Mets. He enlisted the services of the Phillie Phanatic.

Takeru Kobayashi had seen footage of the Phillie Phanatic shooting hot dogs into the stands using the launcher seen above. He figured that if he could get the Phanatic to shoot the frankfurters at a high velocity into Beltran's mouth, it would injure his throat, hampering Carlos' chances to swallow the dozens of dogs needed to win the competition.

Of course, Kobayashi failed to realize one thing. Carlos Beltran has plenty of experience with objects being hurled at him at super speed.

When Beltran was in Kansas City, he used a machine that fired numbered tennis balls at 150 MPH. He claimed that by reading the numbers that were printed on the balls, it would enhance his vision and he'd be able to focus on pitches better. (He must not have used it the morning of October 19, 2006. Either that or Jose Reyes kept saying "I've got next" whenever Beltran wanted to use it.)

Carlos took the machine with him when he was traded to Houston in 2004 and had a clause put in his contract when he signed with the Mets in 2005 which obligated the team to lease the so-called "tennis ball machine" and hire a trainer to coordinate and supervise the drills.

Needless to say, a hot dog launcher would only help Beltran's chances of defeating Kobayashi on the Fourth of July. Deflated, Kobayashi decided to sit out this year's Wiener War and then conveniently blamed it on the so-called contract dispute.

Carlos Beltran will get to "relish" his victory over Takeru Kobayashi for another year. The "sauer" loser will have to come up with a different strategy to defeat Beltran in 2011. For now, the Mustard Belt will remain with the Mets' centerfielder while Kobayashi will have to wait until the next eating contest. Is Nathan's having a Beer-Battered Onion Ring Eating Contest soon?

Philly's Road Trip Begins In...Philly? No Phair!

Leave it to Bud Selig to drop the ball on another ruling, this time potentially causing hardship for the Mets and an unfair advantage for the Phillies.

After defeating the Cleveland Indians yesterday in Philadelphia, the Phillies started packing for their ten-game road trip that begins tonight against the Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Phillies' road trip will begin tonight...IN PHILLY!

This weekend's series between the Phillies and Blue Jays was supposed to be played in Toronto. However, security concerns arose because of the G20 summit being held adjacent to the Rogers Centre in Toronto, necessitating the shift in the schedule.

In recent years, hurricanes have forced teams like the Astros and Marlins to move their home games to other venues. Two years ago, an Astros-Cubs series was moved to Miller Park in Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike. Similarly, a Marlins-Expos series was moved to Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field in 2004 due to Hurricane Ivan.

So my question is this. Why wasn't this series moved to a neutral site, instead of moving Toronto's home games to the home ballpark of the team they're playing? Are the Blue Jays flying in their five fans to attend the games in Philly? No, they're not. The games will all be overwhelmingly attended by Phillies' Phans.

Despite the fact that the Blue Jays will be the home team and will play with American League rules (meaning the DH will be used), how is this fair to them? More importantly to Studious Metsimus fans, how is this fair to the Mets (and the other teams in the NL East)?

The Phillies will now be playing a total of 84 games this season in their home ballpark, while taking their show on the road for only 78 games.

Now imagine the uproar if the Phillies make the playoffs by one game. Even a caveman like the one pictured to the right can see that the Phillies will have an unfair advantage with those extra games in front of their home fans.

The Mets are one of the best home teams in baseball, currently holding a 26-11 record at Citi Field. However, they will only have 81 games at home to help improve their standings in the NL East.

Since the Mets aren't getting a break with the schedule maker, let's hope those five Blue Jays fans make enough noise at Citizens Bank Park to motivate their team to victory over the "road team".

June Swoon? Not So Soon!

Entering tonight's game against the Tigers, the Mets have been red hot, going 14-4 in the month of June. As the temperature rises, so has the expectation of the fans.

What was once a pessimistic fan base has now become increasingly optimistic about the prospect of the Mets playing meaningful games in September and beyond.

At the 70-game mark, the Mets find themselves in second place, a game and a half behind the first-place Braves (who also have the best record in the National League). The Mets also lead the Giants by half a game in the Wild Card race.

The Mets have had better won-loss records after 70 games (they were 49-21 at the 70-game mark in 1986), but June has been another story. As a matter of fact, the Mets have had more than their share of June swoons, even in their best seasons. Take a look at their year-by-year records in June:

1962: 8-23
1963: 11-17
1964: 8-22
1965: 9-21
1966: 14-19
1967: 11-18
1968: 16-14
1969: 19-9
1970: 15-10
1971: 18-11
1972: 12-15
1973: 11-17
1974: 10-16
1975: 16-15
1976: 15-13
1977: 15-13
1978: 10-18
1979: 15-11
1980: 15-14
1981: 2-7 (strike season)
1982: 9-18
1983: 13-18
1984: 16-12
1985: 11-18
1986: 19-9
1987: 16-12
1988: 15-13
1989: 15-11
1990: 21-7
1991: 13-15
1992: 11-17
1993: 6-21
1994: 9-18
1995: 10-17
1996: 15-13
1997: 15-12
1998: 12-15
1999: 17-10
2000: 16-8
2001: 13-15
2002: 11-15
2003: 10-16
2004: 13-13
2005: 13-13
2006: 15-12
2007: 12-15
2008: 13-15
2009: 9-18
2010: 14-4 (so far)


Over their first 48 seasons, the Mets have won more than 16 games in June only five times. In three of those five seasons, the Mets advanced to the postseason (1969, 1986, 1999), winning the World Series in two of those campaigns (1969, 1986).

Entering tonight's game, the Mets have eight games left in June. If they win only three of those games, they will become only the sixth Mets team to register more than 16 wins in the month of June. Going .500 (4-4) over their remaining eight games will give them their fourth month of June with at least 18 wins. Six wins would give them only their second 20-win June. Of course, if the Mets win all of their remaining games this month, they will have the best June in franchise history.

It's interesting to note that in both of their championship seasons, the Mets went 19-9 in June. If the 2010 Mets win five of their remaining eight games this month, they will finish with a 19-9 record in June.

History has shown that the Mets have not performed well in the month of June. However, the 2010 Mets have been rewriting the team's history books this month. If the Mets can finish June as strongly as they started it, this season might add a few more chapters to the Mets history book.

Baseball And Father's Day Memories

As we reach another Father's Day, let's take a break from discussing the Mets' recent hot streak and why Francisco Rodriguez gives me heartburn to reflect on a special man in our lives.

He is the man who more than likely showed us how to throw our first curveball, took us to our first ballgame and showed us the proper way to order a ballpark hot dog (which I seem to have forgotten once prices passed the $4.00 mark). I'm talking about fathers.

As we have had many Father's Day memories, both pleasant and not so pleasant, the Mets and Major League Baseball have also had a number of noteworthy moments on Father's Day. Here's a small sample:

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

On Father's Day 2004 (June 20), Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 500th home run of his career at St. Louis' Busch Stadium. At the time, he was the youngest player to reach that milestone. Making it more fitting, Ken Griffey Sr. was in attendance to help celebrate his son's momentous occasion.

On Father's Day 1997 (June 15), Major League Baseball instituted its first Home Run Challenge to benefit prostate cancer research. Now in its 13th season, the Home Run Challenge has raised over $30 million in the hopes that a cure can be found for this devastating disease that affects millions of men worldwide.

Note to all men reading this. Please go to your doctors and get checked. Early detection can save your life, enabling you to share many Father's Day moments with your loved ones.

In one of the ill-fated trades in Mets history, beloved members of the 1986 World Championship team Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell were traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Juan Samuel on Father's Day 1989 (June 18). Samuel would have a tumultuous time playing centerfield for the Mets during his short stay at Shea and was later traded for another dud, Mike Marshall. Dykstra would become an All-Star in Philadelphia and helped lead the Phillies to the 1993 World Series. McDowell pitched seven more seasons after the trade and would become famous to Seinfeld fans for his role as the man who spit the magic loogie on Kramer and Newman when they confronted Keith Hernandez after a Mets loss.

Just as Tom Seaver's trade is known as the Midnight Massacre, this day should be known as The Day The Hotfoot Died. On a lighter note, sales of Jheri Curl products increased in the New York metropolitan area...by one.

Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a perfect game at Shea Stadium on Father's Day in 1964 (June 21) when he defeated the Mets by the final score of 6-0. Bunning struck out ten batters en route to becoming the first National League pitcher to pitch a perfect game in the 20th century and the first pitcher in the modern era to throw a no-hitter in both leagues. He pitched his first no-hitter in 1958 as a member of the Detroit Tigers.

Please forgive the abundance of Phillies pictures in this post. It is unintentional and is not meant to dampen your Father's Day festivities in any way. If so, the photo beneath the next paragraph should bring a smile to your face, especially if you are a long-time Mets fan.

Ralph Kiner has always been the king of malapropisms. From classic lines such as "if Casey Stengel were alive today, he'd be spinning in his grave" and "all of his saves have come in relief appearances", Ralph has mangled words and phrases with grace and dignity. One of his most famous quotes came on Father's Day as well, when during a Mets broadcast, he said "on Father's Day, we again wish you all a happy birthday!"

One final note before you go have a catch with your son or daughter. Mets fans are well aware of the fact that no pitcher in franchise history has pitched a no-hitter. They have had numerous no-hitters pitched against them, including the aforementioned Bunning in 1964. The Mets are not alone in this regard, as they are one of three teams who have never had the thrill of having one of its own pitch a no-hitter (Colorado was erased from the list this season when Ubaldo Jimenez pitched the first no-hitter in franchise history on April 17).

One of the other two teams to have never thrown a no-hitter is a recent expansion team (Tampa Bay Rays). However, the other team besides the Mets without a no-hitter has also been around since the 1960s. The San Diego Padres have gone 41 years since their inaugural season in 1969 and have never had a no-hitter pitched for them. Hmm, Padres. That's Spanish for Fathers. On that note, I can't think of a more fitting way to end this than by wishing all you fathers out there a Happy Birthday! (I mean, Father's Day!)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Special postscript: As Studious Metsimus readers, you probably are all aware of Joey Beartran, the author of Joey's Soapbox. Today is a special day for your fav'rit teddy bear blogger, as it was on June 20, 2004 that Joey was "born" at Shea Stadium.

Yes, SMFs. Today is Joey's sixth birthday. That day was also Father's Day (technically making me a "father" as well), so in the words of Ralph Kiner, I'd like to wish Joey a Happy Birthday on Father's Day!

Get Ready For The Mets Broadcast About Nothing

Did you hear the one about the comedian and the former first baseman who called a baseball game for the New York Mets? No? Well, come Wednesday night, you will.

According to today's New York Post, legendary comedian and lifelong Mets fan Jerry Seinfeld will join Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen in the broadcast booth for at least three innings (and maybe more).

SNY's vice president of production, Curt Gowdy said the following regarding Seinfeld's appearance on the telecast:

"Jerry is scheduled for the top of the third inning, for at least three innings, and more if he wants to do more . . . There's no set script."

In addition, SNY also plans to air clips from the classic Seinfeld episode, "The Boyfriend", in which Keith Hernandez played himself in a prominent role. Keith and Jerry will also be discussing their experiences working together on the episode.

As a Seinfeld fan, I was ecstatic to hear about the "reunion" of Jerry Seinfeld and Keith Hernandez and wondered what it would be like to have other Seinfeld cast members appearing on Mets telecasts. Then I thought of all the potential disasters that could cause (especially with the hipster doofus himself, Kramer) and instead came up with a Top Ten list of why Jerry Seinfeld should be the only cast member to appear in the broadcast booth. Enjoy!


TOP TEN REASONS WHY NO OTHER SEINFELD CAST MEMBER SHOULD EVER DO PLAY-BY-PLAY FOR THE METS

10. When the camera pans into the booth, there is a chance it could catch Elaine dancing.

9. Newman would run off with Keith Hernandez's Tootsie Pops.

8. Upon entering the booth, Kramer would trip and take down the entire set.

7. George would mistakenly refer to the Mets as the Moops.

6. Fear that a bad call by an umpire would elicit a "No Soup For You" comment from the booth.

5. Kramer and Newman would spend the telecast plotting their revenge against Roger McDowell for his magic loogie. (Well, Newman would...)

4. Frank Costanza would repeatedly interrupt Gary Cohen to extol the virtues of Festivus.

3. Elaine would spend too much air time trying to determine if David Wright is spongeworthy.

2. No backup plan for when Newman spends three innings standing in line at Shake Shack instead of doing play-by-play.

...and the number one reason why no other Seinfeld cast member should ever do play-by-play for the Mets is:

1. Too much discussion on whether Keith Hernandez was ever master of his domain.


Be sure to tune in on Wednesday night to see the Mets play the Detroit Tigers at Citi Field. Of course, you were probably going to tune in anyway to see our beloved Mets as they continue to make a push towards the top of the National League East standings. But now you have another reason to watch.

Jerry Seinfeld and Keith Hernandez made a great team back in the '90s on a classic episode of Seinfeld. Now they'll be together again when they share the spotlight with Gary Cohen during Wednesday night's telecast. It should be a true SNY Mets classic...not that there's anything wrong with that.

The Studious Metsimus/My Summer Family World Tour Invades Baltimore

As some of you may know, the owners/creators/grounds crew of Studious Metsimus and the more superior Mets blog, My Summer Family, spent the weekend in Merry-Land, cheering the Mets on to victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

In the land of crab cakes, crab pretzels and all things crabby, the Mets eschewed the broom for a mallet as they won all three games from the O-no-rioles.

The sweep represented the first consecutive road victories for the Mets since they won the last two games of their series against the Houston Astros last July 25 and 26. It was also their first road sweep since taking three games from the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park (LESS FILLING! TASTES GREAT!) in early September 2008.

Let's give you a photo recap of some of the more memorable moments of the Studious Metsimus/My Summer Family World Tour as it made its way into Charm City.

We reached Oriole Park at Camden Yards in the early afternoon and felt like we were at home. Some of this had to do with the fact that the exterior of the ballpark (colors, bricks) reminded us of Citi Field, but most of it was because of the abundance of Mets fans who made their way into Baltimore for the series. At one point, we even overheard some traffic cops at an intersection saying "for every Orioles fan I see, there seem to be ten Mets fans." They weren't kidding. Mets fans were EVERYWHERE!

Numerous Mets players were on the field, either stretching or taking batting practice. Our cameras were out in full force capturing the pre-game action, as you will see below (clockwise from top left: Pedro Feliciano stretching in the outfield; the players running off the field; hitting coach Howard Johnson walking into the dugout; Johan Santana saluting the fans).




After taking two close games on Friday and Saturday, winning by the final scores of 5-1 and 3-1, respectively, the Mets' bats came alive in the series finale on Sunday, pounding out 18 hits in their 11-4 thrashing of the Orioles.

The offensive explosion by the Mets was good enough to elicit these smiles from the headliners of the Studious Metsimus/My Summer Family World Tour (from left to right, Joey's Colleague, Joey and The Coop).

Of course, no post on the ongoing tour would be complete without a special edition of Joey's Soapbox. Here to share his Camden Yards experience with you is my colleague, Joey Beartran.

JOEY'S SOAPBOX JOEY'S SOAPBOX JOEY'S SOAPBOX JOEY'S SOAPBOX

Joey's Soapbox

Thank you for the kind introduction, o esteemed Studious Metsimus colleague. Of course, by now most of our readers looking for my segment have probably left to pursue other reading interests. Or maybe they're watching the Mets game. For those SMFs who are still here, welcome to the latest installment of Joey's Soapbox.

As you can see from the photo above, I was invited to join the World Tour as it invaded Baltimore. Our tour bus dropped us off in the sweltering downtown Baltimore area, making me regret the fact that I was still wearing my long-sleeved Mets hoodie.

No matter. Joey Beartran was in town and I wasn't leaving without a victory or three. Next stop, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which was just an Ike Davis blast away from Baltimore's Inner Harbor. (But first, we had to make a pit stop for food. Even bear bloggers have to eat sometime.)

I was amazed to see how friendly all the people were in the town known as Charm City. Even restaurants welcomed us on their blackboards (see photo, right). They must have known that we were going to review them in a blog so they went all out to impress us.

However, for all the effort they put into welcoming our entourage with their Mid-Atlantic hospitality, they forgot the most important thing. Two words. GENEROUS PORTIONS. I mean, look at the photo below.

That picture was taken before I had taken a bite. What were they trying to do? Give me one french fry for every win the Orioles had this year? (That would be 17 fries. Speaking of 17, RETIRE IT!) Needless to say, I will slightly disappointed with this aspect of the Tour De Baltimore.

After the snack that was supposed to be my dinner, we made it to the ballpark, where I made sure that my presence was felt.



Since my dinner/snack hadn't filled me up, at first glance I thought the sign above said "Home of The Oreos". Again, I was disappointed.

Not all was lost. While walking around the concourse level near Eutaw St. (that's the street where the warehouse behind the right field area is located), I ran into the Mets' SNY/WPIX roving reporter, Kevin Burkhardt (see photo, below left). I also found out what he does when he's not on camera (see photo, below right).



Kevin was very gracious by posing with me twice. Mad props go out to KB for helping to make my Baltimore experience more pleasurable. (Note to our readers: I apologize to those who can't see what the front of the cow costume says because I was blocking it in the shot. It actually says "EAT MOR CHIKIN", which is the intentionally misspelled slogan for Chick-fil-A. I wouldn't have blocked it had it said "EAT MORE CHICKEN NACHOS".)

Next, it was time to get to the field level. I must say, the ushers/security at Camden Yards were much more accommodating than the ones at Citi Field. They let me climb the foul pole and sit on top of the Mets dugout while the team was taking batting practice. Not once did they ask me to move (see photos below). Can you imagine that happening at Citi Field?



Oriole Park at Camden Yards may not have the great food selection that Citi Field has. The same can be said for the restaurants surrounding the ballpark. However, one thing is for sure. If you want to travel anywhere in the country to feast on bad pitching, then Baltimore is the place to be.

The Mets outscored the Orioles in the three-game series by thirteen runs (19-6) and never trailed in any of the three games. The team did so well on the field that they didn't even notice when I tried to get on it.

Hats off to the Orioles and their fans (all three of them) for providing me with a great weekend getaway. The Mets also helped in my weekend experience by proving that they can indeed win on the road, making future stops on the Studious Metsimus/My Summer Family World Tour far more than just a dining experience for me. Now, in addition to sampling the local fare at every stop the Tour makes, we might be sampling a victory or three.

On behalf of my Studious Metsimus colleague and the lovely My Summer Family hostess, I'd like to thank you for being a part of our World Tour. Which city will we invade next? For that, you'll have to keep reading Studious Metsimus. Until then, this is Joey Beartran, reminding you to EAT MOR CHIKIN NACHOS. (Just don't eat mine!)