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So I'm typing this as I sit in my green mezzanine seats from Shea Stadium, counting the days until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. Believe it or not, that happens in little over a month. After taking off from being a dad on Saturday so I could attend the Queens Baseball Convention, it was back to full-time parenthood on Sunday, with an away basketball game for my younger son followed by a home game (and kitchen duty) for my older son, so I couldn't find the time to share my thoughts on the QBC until now.
I first want to thank two of the primary organizers of the QBC, Shannon and Keith, for allowing me to be a small part of the day's festivities. Back in November, as I was putting some Mets baseball cards into a binder, I realized that I have this great collection of Mets baseball cards and no one ever gets to see it. So I took a chance and sent the guys an email asking if I could bring my cards to the QBC to share with my fellow Mets fans. Not knowing me from a hole in the wall, I wasn't sure what kind of response I'd get back from them, but I got a pretty quick one and they were more than open to the idea. I can only imagine the amount of hard work they and all the organizers put into the day, but it was well worth it. If you are a Mets fan, you should definitely plan to be at QBC2016. I also have to thank one of the volunteers (sorry I forgot his name) who was taking pictures at the Wally Backman autograph session and texting/emailing them to people.
Now, if you are looking for a comprehensive review of what took place at the QBC, guess what? I can't give it to you! My original plan was to display my cards for awhile, then to pack up shop and take in a few of the panels that were scheduled. But that plan never came to fruition as I kept my cards on display the entire time. Was I upset that I missed the Retired Numbers Panel, or the Best Baseball Movie panel, or hearing Mookie or Wally speak? Not really because I got to spend the day meeting tons of fellow Mets fans and talking Mets baseball and baseball cards with them.
I got to meet Michael Baron (@michaelgbaron) who writes for MetsBlog.com and works for mlb.com. I talked baseball cards with Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick), who was an SNY Kids Clubhouse correspondent and was kind enough to give me a Zack Wheeler and a Mike Piazza card he pulled out of a box he bought at the QBC. I learned a ton from @CollectTheMets whose collection of Mets cards DWARFS mine and is far more organized than I could ever hope to be. On line waiting for Wally's autograph, I relived the agony of the last game at Shea with some fellow fans, one of whom has orange seats from Shea and blue seats from Veterans Stadium in his backyard (home and away, which I thought was a great idea). I spent time talking to a guy at the bar (Scotty?) who was wearing a soccer jersey and watching a game on his phone. He was interested to get my take on the Sell the Club billboard that is going up (There are way better ways to spend your money Mets fans, don't waste it on a stupid billboard that won't change anything!!!). I debated Keith Hernandez's Hall of Fame worthiness with another fan (My feeling is that if Ozzie Smith, who was a great defensive player, 13 Gold Gloves, and a mediocre offensive player is in, than Keith, who was a great defensive player, 11 Gold Gloves, and a VERY GOOD (and clutch) offensive player (batting title, 1979 co-MVP) should be in as well), who wasn't quite willing to buy my argument.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. For someone who lives and bleeds Mets baseball, this was the perfect shot of adrenaline I needed to carry me through the next few weeks until pitchers and catchers report. So while I don't think my cards will be back next year, I know I certainly will be!
