What Time of Year is It?

By Nicholas Stix

It's allegedly spring, but it looks like spring has been called, on account of winter's refusal to leave the field.

Called my tax man yesterday, to see how late he'd be open. I mentioned that I'm an old customer and told him my name. "You the Mets fan?," he asked.

Even though we're in Queens, the area is so lousy with Yankee fans that you can ID someone simply as a "Mets fan."

Those Yankee fans are not immigrants to Queens who were born and raised in the Bronx; they're mostly front-runners.

At his store, my tax man says, "How're the Mets doin'? Season over yet?"

Otherwise, he's a nice guy. Unfortunately, it looks like the Mets' season ended this year at "pitchers and catchers."

The night before, in Atlanta, the Braves had broken the Metsies' seven-game losing streak. Feasting on home cooking last night, the Flushing gang got back on track, with a 6-1 loss to Wandy Rodriguez and the Astros. That would be the same Wandy Rodriguez who is the owner of possibly the crappiest looking slider in all of baseballdom. But against the Mets, he might as well be Bob Gibson. I remember one season, 2007, I believe, where Rodriguez was awful against the rest of the world, but 4-0 with a shutout against my bums.