In the hour after first pitch on Opening Day, I talked with 25 fans that I had never met before Thursday. I kept count. Among them, every single person expressed excitement and hope for the Mets in 2018. Similarly, they were all happy knowing Mickey Callaway was in the dugout.
The last time I recall encountering this level optimism was 2016, six months after the Mets made a surprising and entertaining run through the National League playoffs and World Series. This year, though, six months after watching the team lose 92 games, fire their manager and return with mostly the same roster, I was surprised -- but happy -- to hear optimism from 25 out of 25 fans.