September 2007 - The Worst Month of My Life.
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by Dayala718
When September 2007 rolled around, my life was probably at an all-time high. I had just finished an internship, had some money in my pockets, was beginning my senior year of college, was about to turn 21, and was experiencing an overall plethora of emotion.
Now, let's get serious, the excitement for September was due to the following events: The house party we threw on my 21st birthday, Penn State's home opener (expected National Championship season for us Lions' fans), The 49ers anticipated drive towards the playoffs, and the Mets attempt at finally ending that World Series trophy drought.
Well, things hit home pretty quickly. Not only was there a death in the family (one of my "favorite" family members, no less), but I was pretty much on my own in the U.S. for about three weeks. While this, the only situation that REALLY mattered, was all going on, the rest of my life was coming to a halting stop. Truth be told, the party kind of sucked, school was not what I expected it to be, being 21 was NO big deal whatsoever, and all of my teams started to suck.
On or around September 10, 2007, this is where my teams were situated (and it would have been better had the Mets not lost that day):
That 49er loss actually came on the heels of Penn Stat's heartbreaking loss to Michigan. Actually, this falls under the same category as the Mets losing to the Atlanta Braves in a big spot. It really isn't THAT surprising. After 8 years of not beating the Wolverines, they simply embarrassed us all over their football field. Our offense sucked, or defense didn't do enough, and we choked under the national spotlight. Goodbye national championship (they would go on to get upset by Illinois the following week).
Finally, the biggest chokejob of all...of all-time actually. I know you're all tired of hearing it, but I'll throw it out there just one more time. 7 game lead. 17 Left to play. After all the games were played, the Mets had a number under the "GB" column in the standings. "1". Enough said. After losing a game to give up their lead and fall behind the Phillies while I was out trying to have a good time on a Friday night in State College, the Mets came back the following day (the same day the Illini pulled off the PSU upset) and played spectacular baseball. John Maine was perfect through 7.2 (forcing me to buy MLB.tv for two games) and his no-hitter ended when the guy on ESPNEWS informed the world that John Maine had a no-hitter through 7.1 innings. Idiot. But anyway, Maine was brilliant, Reyes started a brawl, and it seemed like the Mets were destined to make the playoffs. By winning their game, they were going to need a little help from the Nationals (who had just swept the Mets, don't you just love the symmetry?). Well, the Nationals won and the season would come down to one final game. Mets vs. Marlins, 1:10PM, Shea Stadium, Tom Glavine vs. Dontrelle Willis. I thought we had a chance, I really did. I thought we would get the better part of the Marlins and would somehow find a way to beat Willis. I was trusting myself and I was trusting the Mets. Phillies vs. Nationals, 1:35PM, Citizens Bank Park (w/ white towels waving), Jamie Moyer vs. Matt Chico. The out-of-town scoreboard reads: FLA 7, NYM 0.
You kiddin' me? All night long I thought of that Al Leiter game in 1999. Yes, the one where he gave up five runs and recorded no outs in, arguably, the biggest game of the season. Well, I guess I wasn't surprised that it was 7-0 after one, but it was still one of the worst innings I've ever witnessed. The vision of Glavine hitting Dontrelle WIllis with the bases loaded will haunt me for the rest of my life. I guess, after al l these years, he's still pitching for the Braves. Anyway, although the Mets found themselves in a 7-0 hole, I believed. They believed. The fans believed. The Mets would get one in on a wild pitch and would load the bases. This was good stuff. Ramon Castro, 2-0 count. "You better not fuckin' swing!" Castro swings, hits it deep, it has legs!, to the warning track!, it's!, it's!, it's!...short. Momentum gone. Hearts shattered. Inning over. Season over.
After this game, it was probably the biggest turnaround I've ever experienced in such a short time-span and probably the end of the worst two weeks of my life. However, a few days after, a sudden calm came over me. It occurred when I read a Facebook group description about a girl who had just died a day earlier. The last line roughly read: "enjoy life, for you never know when it will be taken away from you." Boom. Right smack in the face it had hit me. It's sports. The niners would win again, the Lions would roar again, and the Mets would come back in six months. I got over it pretty quickly. However, I couldn't get over the fact that I even had the wherewithal to feel any emotion over these games when a close family member had passed. That's when I realized that none of this had really mattered. That there are worse things in life, things really worth crying over.
So, in the end, I guess what I'm really trying to say is this: don't take things so seriously. Better yet, take them very seriously. When that running back gets his hand in the end zone, root like it's the last touchdown he'll ever score. When your team dominates a 162 game schedule, breathe the air in like it's the last breath you'll ever take. Honestly, I blamed myself for the Mets chokedjob. I told myself that I got complacent over their success and took them for granted. Thus, when I got to school, I paid a little less attention and watched the games a little less intently, if at all. Slowly, they started losing, flopping, and floundering. On t.v., I would tune in for the heartbreaking hit, on the Internet, I'd spark some bad luck. Then, it happened. It was my fault. I took my team for granted and it was thrown right back in my face. After waiting for five years for my team to be good again, I stopped "tasting my water." That's the key here...don't forget what's important. If you're passionate about something, then live that passion to the fullest. Tell that loved one how you feel about them, study for that exam like never before, and, just like in this case, root for your team like if they're the Cubs on the brink of a championship. In the end, you'll be rewarded and your water will taste better than ever before.
