"Even if you weren’t alive in 1962, you know the story of the original Mets. They lost 120 games, which set a modern day record for futility that stands to this day. They were truly awful. Yet around here, they remain one of the most beloved teams of all time."
I am guessing there was some degree of excitement for fans of the displaced Giants and Dodgers.
"The original Mets were adored because they were a novelty, and because New York had lost its two National League franchises, the Dodgers and Giants, to California. It’s also safe to say they were adored by so many because they weren’t the Yankees."
So the novelty wore off long ago.
"And why do we bring this up today? Because it’s time for Mets fans to once again bask in the glow of their own inferiority. Seriously. This is the way it oughta be."
I'm going to guess that the fans of 1962 Mets weren't having nearly so much fun as this revisionist history suggests.
Casey Stengel and Choo Choo Coleman saying funny things to the press. You guys should be a stand up act.
"So that brings us into the present, and the opportunity for the Mets to basically start all over again. Cry if you want about losing Jose Reyes to the Miami Marlins. Scream at the top of your lungs about the Wilpon family and the team’s financial state. Lose sleep over what looks like a two-, three-, maybe four-year rebuilding project that has just gotten started.
Or bask in it."
Well, if you're a fan of a team, then you're a fan of a team. There are some benefits to uncrowded stadiums with empty upper decks. uncrowded parking lots, uncrowded beer lines, and uncrowded bathrooms. Satisfaction can be defined as the degree to which expectations are met and sometimes it can ultimately make one happier to have low expectations.
But the 1962 Mets were probably not particularly beloved then and definitely not particularly beloved now. It's revisionist history and myth-making.
The fundamentals of sports enjoyment don't change too much: Winning is good, losing is bad.
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