For quite a while, I had fantasized about writing this blog. It would have been after a Game Six or Game Seven clinching of the World Series by the Mets. But that, as it turned out, was a fantasy. The “would have been” did not materialize.

We were in Lenox, Massachusetts last weekend while the Mets were hosting the Royals at Citifield. There was an older man walking in his Mets hat who saw me in my Mets jacket and smiled. We passed each other several times. Finally, I stopped and spoke to him after the Mets loss on Saturday night which put them behind three games to one.

The man in the cap reflected. “They got into the World Series and gave us a great ride. We’ll see what happens tonight (referring to Game 5). Meanwhile, what do you think about Conforto - referring to the Mets rookies left fielder. He’s going to be the next Mickey Mantle.”

As he walked away. I appreciated that he was a true fan.

So the players returned to New York without fanfare and cleaned out their lockers. I’ll return most of my hats to a less prominent place in the back of the closet. We’ll follow the off-season strategizing and trades and wait until April when the hats again move to the front of the closet.