Last year, the Mets "choked." But what does that mean? What is a choke? We say these words, and we think we know what they mean, but what are they, exactly? The confusion here -- it's existential. I don't want to live in a world that can't properly identify when one sports team has sufficiently screwed the pooch (there's another one of these sports phrases) to qualify as a "choke."
Fortunately, we have Cole Hamels to put these words into perspective:
"The word choke means you weren't able to fully come through when you were supposed to. I think the Mets had the top teams, they pretty much had the championships in the bag and they weren't able to come through. A lot of guys will perceive them as choking in the end and not, fulfilling their end of the bargain because they should have taken it. You know what, it really does show the strength and hard work and I guess the deep down guts that we have to take it away from them."
For the record, this is the second time Hamels has used the c-word in reference to the Mets. The first time he did it, it caused Carlos Beltran to say he wanted to "kill" Hamels. On the mound. That wasn't actually a death threat, unless you consider an angry Beltran roping line-drives back at your head to be a threat to one's life. For the record, I do.
Anyway, Cole, give it a rest. We get it. You think the Mets choked. So does Jon Stewart. So does anyone with a passing interest in baseball. At this point, it's just getting repetitive and maybe even a little bit petty.
Hamels Rubs More Salt Into Mets' Wounds originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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