Tonight's game was a pleasant change, and perhaps is the start of a poignant baseball story. Brooklyn-born Nelson Figueroa won his first start with the Mets -- his "hometown" team, which drafted him in 1995. Beyond the joy of the Mets' three game winning streak, I'm pleased by their ability to beat some good teams.
The Phillies messed up opening day (which I was lucky enough to attend!), but the Mets took the next two -- due in large part to poor play by the Phillies on Wednesday and a call that could have gone either way on Thursday. Tonight they took their first meeting with the Milwaukee Brewers, who should compete for the NL Central Division crown. So things seem to be looking good for now.
But what really pleased me tonight was reading the story that appeared in the New York Times after the game. During the game, Figueroa's dad, a Brooklyn electrician, was interviewed. He told the guy from the Mets network, SNY, "This is fantastic. I died and went to Heaven." And later his mother said, "You don't know how proud he made us tonight. That's his dream. His dream was to play on this team." It's simply nice to hear things like that. These are real people. It's hard to root against a guy like that. Keep it up, Nelson!
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