Insult to Injury
Christ, even Elton John is dragging the New York Mets now
On Sunday night, in the biggest game of their best season this century, the New York Mets reverted to archetype. The bats went colder than The Freeze, another ace dropped a deuce, and the Atlanta Braves completed a seemingly inevitable sweep of their rivals, all but clinching the NL East—a division they trailed by 10-and-a-half games to start the summer. Barring a glitch in the baseball cosmos, the Braves will now get next weekend off, while the Mets will face an uber-talented Padres team with the juggernaut Dodgers waiting on deck. Needless to say, if you’re a member of the Flushing Faithful—regardless of the Mets' first postseason berth since 2016 and the remaining possibility of a 100-win season—you’re running a little low on said faith right now.
That was just a pinch of salt in the wound compared to what came next, however. Soon after the Braves wrapped up their pivotal homestand on Sunday, sir Elton John—in the middle of a touching farewell concert in the music holyland of Nashville—paused proceedings for one last twist of the knife. Take it away, Elton.
One of the strangest anecdotes in rock n’ roll history is that Elton John, who was born in the London suburb of Pinner in 1947, is a massive Atlanta Braves fan. Elton fell in love with the Braves after moving to Atlanta in 1991, surprising countless pro ball players over the years with his passion for (and knowledge of) the MLB. It’s only fitting then that the Braves would wrap up their fifth-straight NL East championship in the middle of Elton’s swan song, taking place just a couple hours up the road. It would be too corny if you scripted it, and therein lies the beauty of sports.
Not that the Mets can appreciate it right now. They’re still trying to get Elton’s knife out of their back.