Fear deGoodbye

 

You feel the sadness.

You go through the stages of grief.

There's the denial. Bargaining. Anger. Depression. Acceptance. 

Yet this isn't about losing a loved one.

It's about a baseball player.

Jacob deGrom is a wonderful pitcher for the ... wait for it ... Texas Rangers.

Yes. That's quite different than earlier this evening when he was a New York Mets pitcher. But he just signed a five-year, $185 million deal.

The Mets will figure something out. They have an aggressive owner and people who are far smarter than the fans in charge.

I honestly thought deGrom was coming back to the Mets after hitting free agency but I was wrong.

As the news arrived (it happened about an hour ago) it appears that the Rangers offered a higher average annual value. They offered more years. They offered a better tax situation.

So, at 34, deGrom reached for the dollars. The Mets made what they thought was a smart business decision. A report indicated the Mets didn't get to make a final offer. That factors into all of this but, in the end, deGrom did what he thought was best.

He's no longer a member of the New York Mets.

I've watched the reaction since my phone buzzed. It has been, to be mild, incredible.

Tweet and retweet. One after another in a flurry.

This might be my favorite take, from the account that makes a certain ... er ... friend of mine seem rational by comparison.

Are you telling me deGrom left New York because of the fans? Honestly, I'm trying to find a rational and polite way to say how incredibly far-reaching wrong that is.

I'm not all that bright but I could tell deGrom loved pitching in New York and had a great relationship with fans.

He didn't leave because of the fans. He left because of money. That's it. 

Oh, and I hate booing. I don't get it. Never have.

Still, we're talking about a baseball player. Look, I'm as passionate as anyone and I'm preparing myself for an Aaron Judge announcement any day now but you won't find me tweeting over 25 takes of one form or another in the first half-hour after the news breaks.

This is a profound loss for the Mets and their fans. I get that.

But, at that point, you become a point of conversation. Friends start reaching out to each other: "Might want to check on him." In my mind, it's time to find a hobby. A safe house. Watch a movie. Hug a loved one. Take your dog for a walk.

Something. Anything.

That's just it. For me, I walk away. I lay low for a while.

I also have a radio show as an outlet.

Obsession isn't the answer because, guess what, Jacob deGrom (or Aaron Judge) isn't coming back.

I've steadfastly believed that Judge will return but I'm preparing to be wrong.

You see, we're not in their heads. We don't know what goes into this process. Oh, we think we do but we do not. We don't know the physical and mental impacts. We don't know what family members are saying. We don't know what is enticing.

In theory, leaving New York seems silly because it's the media capital and as we all know, "if I can make it there I'll make it anywhere."

Ask anyone who has won in New York. They'll tell you there's nothing like it. That's not blowing smoke. It's next level. 

deGrom had a love affair with New York.

So, why leave?

As I said, we'll never know, but the simplest reason is the money.

But there is literally nothing fans can do.

Once again we deal with the sad reminder that there's a reality to all of this, whether it's a boy's favorite player being traded to the San Francisco Giants in 1974 or Jacob deGrom leaving for Arlington, TX in 2022.

Sports are fun and games.

Until they're not.

It's a business.

Save this post for Aaron Judge.