Common Sense: Amazing!

I have a confession of sorts. Last Tuesday evening I had a choice between attending the Dyker Heights Civic Association debate for the 46th Assembly District, watching the Democratic presidential debate or watching the Mets vs. Dodgers playoff game. I have been in politics since 1977, but I have been a Mets fan since my father took me to my first game as a little kid in 1968. I watched the Mets game that night.

I think I was destined from birth to be a Mets fan. It’s not simply the fact that both my parents grew up in the shadow of Ebbets Field, attended countless games and considered the Mets the natural successors to their beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. It also has to do with my own personal inclination to put any losses behind me and move onto the next battle. In life, I am the Conservative Party chairperson in Brooklyn so “wait until next year” is ingrained in my psyche.

But, like the Conservative Party, sometimes we win, and when we do it really feels amazing. Our wins come after hard work and are earned as well as deserved. That is certainly how I would size up the 2015 Mets season. Earned and deserved victories.

As a side note, the Mets players conduct some of the better post game interviews. I have seen quite a few of these interviews over the years. Many professional athletes are simply horrible when put in front of the mike. You wonder if they ever actually attended class in college.
The Mets players and in particular the pitchers are articulate and comfortable discussing the team and the game. They always seem to be appreciative of their success and generous in their thank yous to the fans. And some like Daniel Murphy usually take the opportunity also to thank God!

As of this writing, the Mets vs. Cubs series has not yet begun, Although I recognize that it will be half over upon this column’s publication. I have a prediction. The Mets in five. It’s a game and anything can happen. And I am certain the Cubs’ fans probably more than most think this is their year. But they are wrong. The Mets have a better team when it comes to pitching and most days when it comes to hitting. Let’s Go Mets!

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I did read about the Democratic presidential debate the next day. Heaven help the Democratic Party. It seems like they are just about a whole generation behind the times. Sanders actually sounds like he is from another long-ago time and Mrs. Clinton, to me, seems to be in a bit of a void. She cannot successfully portray herself as the legitimate successor to President Obama who remains popular with many Democrats. She is best not attempting to run on her husband’s legacy since that is now 16 years in the past and, like Sanders, reflective of another time. And she has plenty of her own problems stemming from the e mail scandal which dogs all but her most choreographed events.

I have no idea if Vice President Biden intends to get into the race. And frankly he could not be described as a breath of fresh air. Nevertheless, his entry might be necessary for the Democratic Party if it hopes to hold on to the White House. Of course, it is well within the ability of the Republican Party to “blow” the election. It is not clear who its nominee will be. And the front-runner Donald Trump may be popular with prime Republicans, but remains immensely unpopular with the electorate as a whole.

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