Here We Go... LGM

In less than 24 hours from now the NY Mets will take the field against the SF Giants in a single game battle for the chance to take on the Cubs in the NLDS. I. AM. HYPE.

 

I am currently sitting here watching the AL Wild Card game and it has reminded me how different a postseason game is compared to a regular season game. Every single pitch is important. Every single swing is with a purpose. Every single play puts you on the edge of your seat. Last year when the Mets were in the Postseason I remember watching the games generally alone in my dorm room. Only a brave few souls would check up on me every once in a while to make sure I was doing ok. In general, I was doing pretty well last year due to the successful run the Mets had to the World Series (sweeping the Cubs is pretty dang enjoyable)! But I'll admit there were times when I lost my cool... *cough* Chase Utley's slide *cough* Also, Duda's bad throw home made me get up and take a walk around campus because I knew the Mets magical run had ended.Those moments left me feeling like this...

 

So by now you probably think I'm crazy to let a silly sports team determine my emotions. To be honest I'm not that bad, well compared to other die-hard fans. I may get heated in the moment but typically within a few minutes I'm able to get my emotions in check. I mean it's only a game, mere entertainment, that I don't have any control over. So why do I get emotional in the first place? Because I have become attached to this team. The Mets may be just be another baseball team to you, but to me they're almost like family. I can hear you laughing right now... How cliche, right? Ok yes I know it sounds silly, but following the Mets brings me joy. Even when they stink, I find joy in sitting down and watching my favorite players play my favorite sport.

 

Sports in general can be a good escape from reality. When I turn on a Mets game all of my worries, issues, and problems just fade away. They can wait until after the game. Also, sports have a unique way of healing, whether on a personal level or on a national level. For example, Mike Piazza's HR against the Braves in the first professional ball game played in NY after the 9/11 attacks. This homer gave the Mets the lead (eventually the win) and also signified the beginning of the healing process for NYC.

Another reason I love baseball and the Mets? Well this exchange from the movie Fever Pitch sums things up pretty perfectly: 

Troy: Why do we inflict this on ourselves?

Ben: Why? I'll tell you why, 'cause the Red Sox never let you down.

Troy: Huh?

Ben: That's right. I mean - why? Because they haven't won a World Series in a century or so? So what? They're here. Every April, they're here. At 1:05 or at 7:05, there is a game. And if it gets rained out, guess what? They make it up to you. Does anyone else in your life do that? The Red Sox don't get divorced. This is a real family. This is the family that's here for you.

If you don't know what Fever Pitch is about, basically its about a die-hard Red Sox fan who falls in love with a girl who is clueless about baseball. This movie perfectly shows what a true die hard fan is like and how they reason their love for their team. My favorite scene from the movie? Definitely this one...

So after reading this post you probably think I'm crazy, and yeah I kind of am. But that's ok! The Mets make me happy so I'm going to continue to obsess over them! A little craziness never hurt nobody. 

LET'S GO METS! WE CAME TO REIGN! BEAT THE GIANTS! HAPPY THORSDAY!

Trust The Process

As many of you may know, I'm a huge Alabama Crimson Tide fan. Yes, I know its random but I lived in Birmingham, Alabama for 3 years and when you live in Bama, you have to choose Alabama or Auburn. My family and I, thankfully, chose Bama. Roll Tide.

That is not the point of this post though. Surprisingly, this post isn't even technically about sports, but rather lessons I have learned from playing sports and watching teams like Alabama. Nick Saban, Alabama's head coach and arguably the greatest coach in college football history says it best- Trust The Process. What is the process? It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. It is the steps you must be willing to take in order to get the result that you want. One of Nick Saban's greatest quotes reads "Know what you want to accomplish and focus on the process rather than the outcome." At the end of the day, the outcome doesn't matter as long as you gave it your all trying to reach the desired outcome.

Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide are a perfect example of this. Just google videos of Alabama's practices and you'll understand what I'm talking about. That team doesn't waste any time in trying to be champions. They may not win the championship every year but there is no way anyone can say it was due to a lack of effort. Nick Saban embraces the process necessary to becoming a champion and gets his players to buy into the process as well.

So next time you sit down and think about any goals you want to accomplish, also think about what you need to do to reach those goals. Too often we forget this step. We much rather just look at the goal and assume we will eventually reach it. Let's say you want to do well in a certain class, well how can you accomplish this? The first step is to typically try to do well on the tests. And how are you going to do this? Study! Obviously that is a simple goal that has a direct path to accomplishing it. A more complicated example would be setting a goal like trying to lose ten pounds. There isn't a set way to go about losing the weight. Some may try to eat healthier, others may try exercise, and the others will try a combination of the two. After choosing a method in which to shed the weight, one must stop focusing on the goal, but rather embrace the process. Enjoy the sweat that comes from the workout, enjoy the satisfaction of making a healthy choice in foods, and know that the struggle is worth it in the end. You can't just set a goal to lose weight and give just a little effort and get the result you desire. Life, and nothing in life, works that way.

Another great quote from Nick Saban is "Success doesn't come from pie-in-the-sky thinking. It's the result of consciously doing something each day that will add to your overall excellence." I love this quote and tend to think about it when people here at college say "I want to drop out and just go home." Yeah I realize this is just a joke most of the time but to those of you who are serious I must ask will going home make you a better person? College is a time in which we should be pushing ourselves and trying to improve each and every day. I like to relate this quote to building a resume. Whenever you do something that sets you apart from others, you are adding to your overall excellence i.e. you can put it on your resume!

 The last quote I would like to talk about is "There are three things we can't have. We can't have complacency, we can't have selfishness, and we can't lose our accountability." This quote is more applicable in a group setting, but it can be applied on an individual level as well especially when talking about complacency. We as humans are far from perfect, and so we should be trying to improve ourselves each and every day. Too often we become complacent and say things like "well that's just who I am" or "that's just how I'm wired." Those kinds of sayings really get on my nerves  because it is a sign of complacency (although I admit I have said such things). I truly believe that everyone is capable of change, but people fall short because they don't embrace the process. People often give up when the going gets tough. These people need to understand that nothing in life is given and that everyone has to put in the work to get to where they want to be.

Selfishness and accountability are more of an issue with groups and teams, but they can also be talked about on an individual level. For example, surrounding yourself with unselfish people who will hold you accountable is one of the most important keys to success. DON'T surround yourself with negative people because soon you'll find yourself being negative as well. Negativity distracts you from the goal at hand. On the other hand, a positive attitude keeps you focused. Ok sure it's only natural to be negative from time to time, but the key is to have a short memory. Look at the reason why you're negative, learn a lesson from it, then move on. Don't dwell on the thing that is giving you negative thoughts. It is certainly easier said than done, but work on it and it will get easier with time (TRUST THE PROCESS).

So yeah, those are some lessons I've learned from playing and watching sports. That's not to say that I am perfect and follow all these guidelines and suggestions perfectly because I don't. I am working on it though. It is a daily grind that I am in trying to better myself. Too often in today's world we search for the quick solution- I am guilty of that. But starting today I am going to trust and embrace the process in many aspects of my life. Forget the outcome... Focus on the process... Accomplish your goals.

Roll Tide!

Another Amazin' Year

Welp, it's that time of year again! The weather is cooling down, the days are getting shorter, and the MLB Postseason is about to begin. This year is extra special because the Metropolitans of New York are in the Postseason for the second consecutive year, only the second time in Met's history they've made back to back playoff appearances. After winning the NL East last year, the 2016 team snuck into the postseason by clinching the top Wild Card spot on the second to last day of the season. They will play the San Fransisco Giants in a 1 game series to decide who advances to take on the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS.

Now some of you may be saying "oh so they got lucky and barely made it into the playoffs... yawn!" Well to you people I must respond with "you hate us 'cause you ain't us." No, I'm not trying to say that this team is better than what their record shows (87-75), but what I am saying is that I am damn proud to support this team that had to overcome a ton of adversity to get the opportunity they now have. Not many teams in the MLB could overcome the massive amounts of injuries to some of the biggest stars in the league and still be able to make the playoffs. Still not impressed? Well then keep reading, if you know baseball, you'll understand why this season was Amazin'.

The 2016 NY Mets began the season expecting to compete with the Washington Nationals once again for the top spot in the NL East. For the first month, they did exactly that going 15-7 in the month of April. They were getting great pitching performances every day, Neil Walker was crushing the ball, and Michael Conforto was raking as well. Unfortunately, the success tailed off May. They went 14-15 in May. They weren't playing terrible baseball but the biggest issue seemed to be Matt Harvey. Harvey was clearly not himself as he struggled just about every time he took the mound. Then June rolled around and bang! Both David Wright and Matt Harvey were placed on the disabled list with serious injuries. Wright had a herniated disk in his neck while Matt Harvey had thoracic outlet syndrome, both needed season ending surgery.

July started off nice as the team won 6 of 7 to start the month, but the success did not continue. It wouldn't be until August 13 and 14 when the Mets would again win back to back games... This period of futility would be defined by poor offense, tiring pitchers, and of course- injuries. The two biggest injuries were to Yoenis Cespedes and Asdrubal Cabrera. Both attempted to play through their injuries but eventually needed to be placed on the DL. The offense clearly missed these two veterans.

August 19th was probably the low point of the season. The Mets had just lost their second consecutive game to the SF Giants and were 60-62 on the season- their worst win percentage since early April. The team looked ready to call it a season as not even the acquisition of slugger Jay Bruce could turn the offense around. I thought the season was over. Man was I wrong... The Amazin's would go on to win 9 of their next 11 to close out August. This all despite losing both Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, and Neil Walker to season ending injuries!

So the Met's highly touted, young starting rotation was left standing with two original pieces- the young gun Noah Syndergaard and the 43 year old stud Bartolo Colon (go figure). There is no way they could keep up the success.

Again I was wrong... The Mets would just go 13-9 the rest of the way to clinch a playoff spot. How? I'm still not really sure. It was a team effort. Rookie starters Robert Gsellman, Seth Lugo, and Gabriel Ynoa pitched like veterans down the stretch. Asdrubal Cabrera played some of his best baseball of his career despite nursing a knee injury. Yoenis Cespedes was a stud as usual. Mid season acquisition Jose Reyes was impressive out of the lead off spot. Jay Bruce finally heated up and crushed the ball like we all expected him to. And lastly, the bullpen- headlined by Jeurys Familia- was solid.

I must give all the credit to the manager, Terry Collins, on keeping his cool and turning the season around. As with any NY sport team, the fans were not happy in early August but Terry ignored the whines and kept the team focused and on track. Terry had to deal with a lot, including a ton of other injuries that I didn't even have room to mention in this post (Jose Reyes, Wilmer Flores, Justin Ruggiano, Jon Niese, Lucas Duda, Travis d'Arnaud, Juan Lagares).

If you look at this season's DL records, you would probably guess the Mets would be a few games under .500 and getting ready to hit the links for the offseason. Well they're not. Instead they are preparing to make another run in the playoffs. This team has overcome a ton of adversity, that's why I'm damn proud to be a Mets fan.

#LGM #YaGottaBelieve #Amazin