No, not Sweet Caroline.
The sound will be booing - or cheering. And just who will receive each could be interesting tonight.
Mets' fans are doubtlessly unhappy with the home team, lifeless performances bringing to the surface memories that pick at the still-fresh scabs of 2007's collapse. So the first sign of trouble seems bound to bring more taunts from the home crowd for the home team - if Johan Santana got it, figure all are fair game. Hint - don't bring out the lineup card tonight, Willie.
But it's even more interesting because the Nationals are in town. And with them, they bring Paul Lo Duca and Lastings Milledge, a pair of players who were crowd favorites during their time in New York and who also brought the trait that this team seems to lack - an on-field, visible fire.
While I think many of Milledge's faults were overblown, I actually liked one that I'll retell for you in the cleanest terms I can. When the Mets beat up on the Marlins in the second to last game of the season last year, some of the Marlins contended that Milledge fired them up for the season finale with his home run trot/handshakes/antics. A few of us approached Milledge after the final game, the disappointing one-sided loss, and asked him if he had fired up the Marlins. His response - which should have spoken for all the Mets' fans - was, "(bleep) the Marlins."
Maybe a little more of that attitude and the Mets wouldn't have collapsed. And they wouldn't be getting booed already this season.
Either way, figure that Milledge and Lo Duca will get cheered tonight. The Mets - that's a toss-up.
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