METS BRING JOY TO OCTOBER, IF AN ALL-NEW YORK WORLD SERIES IS PROBLEMATIC

Nothing is more enjoyable than watching another home run, followed by an “OMG” sign in the dugout, as baseball’s wildest team tries to outlast the National League and play — the Yankees? — for a title

     The mayor of New York City was indicted. For that folly, the Mets and Yankees could play each other in a lockdown World Series. This would be a delectable time to drape a gigantic curtain over five boroughs and let those teams determine a champion. So sorry the rest of America wouldn’t have to watch, as a maelstrom of nutballs whips to Willets Point in Queens and 161st Street in the Bronx.

     But might it be fun?

     The concept of joy has been reintroduced to the intense sports world by the Mets, who were 11 games under .500 and have been tantalized by the “OMG” sign in their dugout. It happened again Sunday, when Pete Alonso was cruising around first base after his latest home run and blew a kiss — in Philadelphia — before rushing to his teammates and standing in front of the banner. The Mets have been inspired by the first-pitch zaniness of the McDonald’s mascot, Grimace, while infielder Jose Iglesias showed up and performed his “OMG” song at the ballpark. He is known as Candelita. His tune became a Billboard hit.

     “Come on, New York! Let’s keep the party going!” he sang, with dancing girls and bopping players, in the dark at Citi Field.

     They haven’t stopped. The Mets are tied 1-1 with the Phillies, my pick to win it all, and will assure themselves a spot in the National League championship series with two more victories in three games. Meanwhile, the Yankees are waving Aaron Judge and Juan Soto at inferior teams remaining in the American League playoffs. Will those 14 miles of subway distance between the stadiums burn in hell? Will Donald Trump make pre-election stops, declaring himself a New Yorker while choosing the Yankees?

     “The Sandman,” Trump once said of closer Mariano Rivera. “My wife asked me, ‘Why The Sandman? Just tell me.’ Our first lady. I said, ‘Because he put the batter to sleep, right? The Sandman.’ A lot of people don’t know that, but the Yankee fans know it.”

     Consider that. And this: Nothing is more entertaining than watching a Met wear two large “STRAUSS” logos on both sides of his helmet. Which is crazier as mid-October approaches? You’ve seen the German sponsor’s emblems on the protective headgear of postseason participants, spanning five inches long and one inch high. They are silly in the scope of watching an at-bat, especially when Major League Baseball minimized the size of player names on jerseys. Yet, they are perfect when worn by the Mets.

     Am I getting ahead of myself? The Phillies came back and won 7-6, prompting fans to flash their own signs: “OMG! Mets lose.” It didn’t stop Michael Kay, play-by-play voice of the Yankees, to ask an important civic question. “Is fandom different now? Why are you rooting for the Mets if you’re a Yankee fan? Are you out of your minds?” he told his radio audience. “You can’t root for both!”

     Yet actor Jerry Ferrara, best known for helping Vincent Chase on “Entourage,” called to say he was rooting for the Mets to win despite his Yankees fandom. “I am not a Mets fan, I’m a Yankee fan, but for the first time in my life I could honestly say, I’m rooting for the Mets,” he said. “This is strictly my dislike for Philly fans after that Knicks-Sixers series. I would love nothing more than to see another New York team just drive Philly fans absolutely crazy. So let’s go Mets for one round and one round only.”

     While hero Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper and the Phillies were too exuberant after one NLDS win, it should remind folks why pleasure and happiness by opponents must be matched. Even Mets owner Steve Cohen, who purged an all-time monster payroll to win with a smarter and lower-budget team, can’t leave his X account alone. “Great players, they come through in the clutch, right?” he wrote the other night. “How about that finish! Hollywood couldn’t write a better script. So proud of this team.”

     Hollywood might be next, as in Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers. For now, gather senses and listen to manager Carlos Mendoza. “It’s been a fun ride,” he said, “but we haven’t done anything.”

     Said Castellanos: “Unbelievable. Unbelievable. If he blows a fastball by me, so be it. I'd rather that than swing at something in the dirt. It was incredible, but the series is even. Now we go to New York and there's a lot of baseball left.”

     Two games await in Queens. Maybe you won’t care.

     Maybe watch.

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     Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.