I was discussing the baseball division races with my son-in-law Joseph back in July, and I let him know I was pulling for the Mets over the Braves in the National League East Division. He, being from Atlanta, sincerely thought that I should be pulling for the Braves since they were geographically closer and had such winning ways.
After our discussion I gave some thought on the Braves, Mets, and my favorite team – the Cardinals. You see I am of the age that I remember when everyone from the South pulled for the Cardinals, both because they were the closest team and they were winners. You could listen to every Cardinal broadcast on the Iuka radio station. This was about the time the Milwaukee Braves were transplanted to Atlanta, and for several years were sort of a laughingstock until Ted Turner bought them and Bobby Cox turned them around in the 90’s.
But why did I tell Joseph I am pulling for the Mets?
In my college days, the Mississippi State baseball players that had been drafted and were
playing in the minor leagues would come back to MSU and attend school in the
fall semester. Iuka’s own Don Robinson, who was in the Houston farm system at the time, got me on his flag football team that was full of minor league baseball players. Some of the players I remember were Mike Kelley (Cubs), Russell Aldrich (Reds), and Kenny Kurtz (Royals).
Don was the quarterback the first year, and the center was a highly excitable minor leaguer with the Yankees. I think he still holds the MSU record for hitting percentage in a season. The second year Don didn’t return, and that excitable Yankee center became the quarterback. We got to the league finals that year but, even with Ron Polk cheering his old players from the sidelines, we got beat by one of those pesky fraternity teams. I still remember distinctly in the huddle how excited the Yankee minor leaguer would be, hardly able to talk in the heat of the game. It was a fun time with some great baseball players.
Now, forty-two years after that flag-football season, that excitable Yankee minor leaguer started managing in the Yankee farm system, eventually becoming a manager the majors and leading the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Orioles, and now, with the Mets.
They suffered through four losing seasons over the last five years, and now in his first year with the Mets, as I write this (Monday September 26), the Mets are up a game and a half with eight games remaining, three of which will be at Atlanta this coming weekend.
So, I’m sorry Joseph, but I will be pulling for the Mets and my old quarterback Buck Showalter. It still amazes me to see him sitting so calmly in the dugout during games and remembering those exciting huddles from yesteryear.
Go Mets!
Kirby McRae is a civil engineer in Iuka, chief emotional support of the editor, dad of four, grandad, musician, and most famously, basketball standout at Tishomingo and Northeast.