YA GOTTA BELIEVE AGAIN!
Mets simulate celebrating final out of World Series (just in case)
The New York Mets are champions of the world! Or at least for a few moments, that’s what they were told to simulate.
The Mets ran a standard 27-out game drill during camp on Wednesday. The purpose of the drill was to simulate getting all 27 outs without an error, but with one added pressure, to pretend they were doing it in Game 7 of the World Series.
“Fun times and it was an exciting camp day,” Luis Rojas said, adding the idea for the drill was brought around by first-base coach Tony Tarasco. “It’s probably the best I’ve seen that drill done in my young coaching career.”
Michael Conforto caught the final out of the drill and the players all ran to the center of the infield and celebrated, launching their gloves in the air, whooping, cheering and jumping around as if they had indeed won the World Series.
“You’ve just got to kind of practice how you play and envision,” Dominic Smith said. “I believe in putting great things and positive things in the universe. I feel like it’s more likely to happen... It kind of gave me chills, especially looking back at the video. It’s pretty cool.”
Winning the World
Series is any team’s ultimate goal, but the Mets have some ways to go before they even reach the Fall Classic.
The last time the Mets were in the playoffs was back in 2016, when they earned a wild-card spot, then lost to the Giants. The last time they were in the World Series was the season prior to that, when they lost to the Royals in five games.
The Mets have finished their last four seasons near the bottom of the National League East — the Braves have remained virtually unchallenged at the
top the last three seasons. But the Mets, now under new ownership, have added a few pieces to their squad, including All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor, to help chase the franchise’s third World Series ring.
“We’re here because we want to win the championship,” Rojas said. “We want to win it, we want to celebrate, we want to bring it to the fanbase, the organization... it would be a dream come true seeing it and watching everybody celebrate like that.”
LINDOR HALL
Lindor has near all the pomp and circumstance of being a superstar athlete, but for him, being successful and wealthy isn’t enough. Sharing it, is. So during a virtual ceremony at the Montverde Academy campus in Florida — the first school Lindor attended after moving from Puerto Rico — it was announced he donated $1 million toward the construction of a building for the middle school, which appeared completed during the ceremony. The building is named Lindor Hall.
“I hope our future, which is the kids, can enjoy and cherish this experience that I didn’t have at Montverde Academy,” Lindor said reflecting on his time at the school, noting the building he remembered was smaller. “I had a great time and became who I am today (because of of Montverde Academy). Thank you to all the faculty members that helped me with my English. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be able to say what I’m saying right now.”
The new building has 14 classrooms, three innovative science laboratories, a technology laboratory, a conference room, a study hall, a teacher’s lounge, and administrative space, with an attached open-floor plan gymnasium.