Words and Illustrations by B.E. Sabin | September 5, 2024
We all know the story, but here it is again because, let’s be honest, there’s comfort in familiarity.
A teenage girl’s mom is dead. Her father remarries a lady who isn’t the nicest. The girl’s new stepmom has two daughters who have learned how to be awful from their mom. The stepmom and stepdaughters don’t like how virtuous and nice the girl is because it points out how little virtues and niceties they have. So what do they do? They force her to work night and day in an attempt to break her spirit. By the end of the work day the teenage girl is so cold and tired that she snoozes near the fireplace. When she wakes up she is covered in ashes. Her nasty stepsisters think this is hilarious and take to mockingly calling her Cinderella.
So while Cinderella is suffering away you may be wondering where her dad is. Well, he’s around but he doesn’t want to hear about it. He’s busy and doesn’t have the time. Cinderella knows he would just say something like, “Why do you always have to cause problems? Learn to get along with your new siblings and mother or hit the road.” So, Cinderella doesn’t say anything. She’s trapped.
Then the prince decides to have a royal ball because parties are fun and people like to dance. Cinderella’s stepsisters get to go, but Cinderella doesn’t because she’s the help. Once they’ve all left for the ball and Cinderella is at home all by her lonesome feeling downright awful a miracle happens. Her fairy godmother shows up and makes her ball-appropriate. She also provides transportation and servants to help her to and from the ball. But there’s a catch. She has to leave by the stroke of midnight because she will turn back into the ash-covered girl she was before.
The ball is a success. Nobody recognizes Cinderella and the prince falls for her and she for him. But, lost in her love trance, she forgets about having to leave at midnight, remembering only at the last second. This causes her to leave the ball in a rush and doesn’t allow her enough time to give the prince her contact info. And in her hasty departure, she loses one of her shoes (you know the famous glass slippers) on the palace steps, which the prince finds.
The prince isn’t going to have it. Cinderella is all he can think of and being the prince he has the resources to conduct a full-blown manhunt for her. He does and after an exhaustive search, he finds her, she tries on the slipper, and they both live happily ever after.
C Is for Cinderella
So what does this have to do with baseball? The answer is it has everything to do with baseball. What fan doesn’t like a team that comes from the dumps (just like Cinderella) and goes to the World Series and wins it all (a.k.a. to the ball and marries the prince)? I can’t think of anyone who roots against a Cinderella story (unless the Cinderella team is playing your team and then I’m sure you’re not too fond of them).
What's that, you’re looking for a real-life example? Look no further than the 1969 New York Mets. Talk about down in the dumps.
In 1969, the Mets were a seven-year-old team that had never finished higher than ninth place. They were, to put it mildly, not good. Then 1969 rolled around. Fans were expecting another season spent in the basement but the Mets ended up winning 100 games.
The Mets did it on the back of strong pitching. Tom Seaver led the team with a 25-7 record and a 2.21 ERA. He also had 283 strikeouts and a 1.077 WHIP. He won the Cy Young Award and finished second in the MVP voting. Seaver had some help from Jerry Koosman who went 17-9 with a 2.28 ERA. Koosman struck out a not-too-shabby 180 batters and even bested Seaver’s WHIP, with a 1.058 WHIP of his own. Seaver and Koosman also had help from a young Nolan Ryan who was a reliever and spot starter during the season.
The Cinderella Mets (a.k.a. The Miracle Mets) are one of many major league teams to pull themselves out of the ashes and have a Cinderella season. And that is why C is for Cinderella.
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