World Series Journal: With Mets on brink of elimination, fans keep the faith

NEW YORK — No matter what happens in Game 5 of the World Series between the Mets and Royals, it’ll be the last baseball game played at Citi Field this season. Either the Mets lose and they’re done or they win and the series swings back to Kansas City. 

So the Mets fans entering the stadium Sunday kept all their hopes, all their belief and all their excitement alive. As they flooded off the 7 train and toward the stadium, the fans grabbed hand-out signs that read “#Believe.” When gates opened and they were allowed into the stadium, they cheered and started chanting “Let’s Go Mets.”

[Related: World Series Game 5: Five things you need to know before first pitch]

It’s what you do, if you’re a fan and what you do, if you’re lucky enough to have World Series tickets. Even a World Series in which your favorite team is down 3-1 and dealt a gut punch in Game 4 from which they’re unlikely to recover.

Behind the broadcast booth for Mets station SNY, one fan yelled out “Royals suck!” They obviously don’t. But you can’t let reality get in the way of fandom. 

Citi Field’s “Sign Guy” aka Sal Candiano, stood in front of stadium with a sign that read, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” (He’s not to be confused with Shea Stadium’s “Sign Guy, who died in 2008). I asked him why he felt good about this particular game for the Mets.

“They want it more,” he said. “It’s do or die. Put up or shut up. And they’re gonna do it.”

Belief can only go so far, though. Like, until the stadium gate, where dozens of those free “#Believe” signs had been hastily tossed into a garbage bin.

CELEB WATCH
On the guest list for Game 5: Tim Robbins, Hank Azariz, Matt Dillon, Jim Breuer, Adam Horovitz (aka Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys), Dennis Miller plus Keith and Patti Richards. As per usual, this doesn’t include people like Jerry Seinfeld, who has a suite and invites his famous friends (like Chris Rock).

PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Here are a few of the most interesting sights I saw around Citi FIeld in the hours before Game 5:

1. A look at the stadium before gates opened.

2. Pre-game warm-ups from above.

3. This is actually from Game 4, but I forgot to use it, so here it is.

4. This has nothing to do with baseball, but I saw it in Brooklyn today and thought it was funny.

ON THE PIZZA TRAIL
This is my first time in New York City, so much like I did in Kansas City with the barbecue entries, I’ll be dropping some pizza love in this. It seems like there’s a never-ending list of pizzas places in this city, and even though I’m only here for a short time, I’m trying my best to find great NYC pizza.

My sister Kristen met me at Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn, a New York City pizza institution. When we arrived it was a short wait, in a line that starts outside the restaurant, to get a table. By the time we left, it was wrapped around the building. The Grimaldi’s rep includes spots on Food Network and Travel Channel, plus various publications that list it as one of the finest pizza places in NYC and the U.S. It’s thin and delicious, with a tasty crust and a more artisan touch than your average pizza-by-the-slice spots. (It’s only whole pies and only cash is accepted). It’s hard to live up to the hype sometimes and Grimaldi’s wasn’t the pizza Mecca I was hoping for. But it was definitely good and, since it was my last taste of NYC pizza, it was a nice way to go out.

PREVIOUSLY: World Series Journal Game 1 | World Series Journal Game 2 | World Series Journal Game 3 | World Series Journal Game 4

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz