A Return to the 80's?

Being a Mets fan for my whole life and missing the last World Championship they won by a matter of months, I have been exposed to many years of disappointments and missed chances. After attending the Mets-Nationals game last night, I started to get the feeling that fans got when Dwight Gooden took the mound in the mid-1980's. The game was a near sell-out, and it really had no business being that close to one given the opponent.


But Citi Field was electric last night, and for one reason: Johan Santana was on the mound. Granted, he didn't pitch his best game, but the fans were more than pleased with his performance last night. He got the win, putting him at 7-2, and, more importantly, the Mets went into first place again. Every strikeout, all 11 of them, was cheered as if it was the final out of the game, and the offense finally gave him some run support, scoring 7 runs in the victory.


I only make the comparison to Gooden because I heard fathers telling their sons to remember seeing Santana pitch at home like they did when Dr.K was as good as it got in Major League Baseball. Fans come to see the stars, and Gooden was a star and Santana is a star. Gooden's career may not have turned out like everyone wanted, but he was still a spectacle to watch, and as long as Johan is the best in the business, Citi Field will be full and the fans will remember the dominance of Dwight Gooden and make the comparisons.