Here is an excerpt from my eBook Send The Beer Guy. It’s just $3.99 (Kindle edition) via Amazon.com. If you don’t have a Kindle or have never bought an eBook it’s very easy. Just download the Kindle App for your iPhone or iTunes or just google Kindle for Windows or Kindle for Mac. If you are reading this then you already have the technology to get an eBook.
This week’s excerpt is from a chapter called 8020.
8020
June 1, 2012
It has been a lousy day with some small minded people at my real job annoying me. By 5pm I am thinking that I just want to watch the Mets.
That’s what I do most nights, I watch the Mets, hang out on twitter and work on the next day’s blog.
But tonight Mrs. Mets Police has invited some friends over and we have to entertain on the deck.
At 7 I bring the laptop outside and put the game on the slingbox. I’m sort of watching and sort of doing the twitter hang, but for the most part being halfway social with the company.
Around the fifth inning people start to chat about how Santana hasn’t given u any hits. I tell everyone on twitter to calm down. Johan is already over 70 pitches, there’s no way he will stay in the game.
Johan stays in.
The twitter debate continues. Most of the folks want Johan to stay in there come hell or high water. I stick to my guns.
Johan stays in.
Mike Baxter gives his collar bone to keep the no-hitter alive. Hmm, maybe this is going to happen this time.
I read on twitter that Jim Duquette is in the radio booth. No, they can’t do this to Howie!
Howie needs to call this game. Please tell me Howie is there.
He is. It is Josh Lewin who missed the game.
Johan stays in.
I begin to think a lot about Howie. I like the TV coverage but I need to hear Howie. I go get a radio and start multi-listening to both descriptions of the game.
Johan stays in and we’re heading to the bottom of the 8th.
It’s about 9:30 or so and Junior is in bed. I go get him. He will take any excuse to stay up, and probably doesn’t really care about the no-hitter but I suppose his 30 year old self will thank an old man in his 60’s some day. Come watch the game with me Good dad.
To the 9th.
Junior starts asking a million questions as he tends to do. I tell him no talking this inning. I’m going to listen to Howie.
It has been 8020 games but the Mets finally have their no-hitter, and if it wasn’t going to be Tom or the Young Dwight Gooden it might as well be this guy.
On Twitter, Chris Majkowski of @metswfan who has tweeted “not tonight boss” every night for several seasons writes “Tonight. Boss.” It is the most important tweet in Mets tweeting history.
I immediately had my own tweet in which I continued to mock the mainstream media’s tendency to act like they have exclusives, “Mets Police confirms Johan Santana has thrown a no-hitter for the Mets.”
I’m actually ahead of the mainstream guys which is the point of the mock and it makes me giggle. Several seconds later every outlet in the world has BREAKING news. The old guard has yet to adopt to the new ways. Exclusives are dead, context is king.
The Mets fan base is as happy as they have been in a long long time. I stick around SNY’s post-game and wish they weren’t so quick to have two talking heads in a studio talking. An hour later or so after several quick blogposts including the Howie audio (which will go on to be one of the most read MetsPolice.com posts ever) I head to bed.
This is why we watch the games.
I was fortunate enough to have attended this game. Still remember in great detail the whole night, starting with meeting my brother at a pub in the Wall Street area, getting a few pints in before we leave, taking the 2 train to Grand Central to catch the 7 train to Citi and witnessing the night unfold.
Great stuff Shannon. Love the tweet.
Unfortunately I am often right.
It was a magical night. I had so many people call, text, email me that Johan had a no hitter going and make sure I turn on the tv that I was afraid to watch thinking I would jinx it. My daughter and her Yankee loving boyfriend watched it and gave me a play by play while I sat in the kitchen–this is my Irish superstitions but I watched the replays about 100 times! My son was ecstatic and called me about 10 times during the ninth inning alone!