There are times you watch the same teams have success year after year and you can’t help but take it for granted that they’re going to make the playoffs or advance to the LCS or even the World Series.

History has proven that’s tough to do - there hasn’t been a repeat World Series winner in more than two decades…

But in recent years we’ve seen teams like the Astros and the Dodgers repeatedly get to where the Mets have worked so hard to get to now.

Every year I hope the Mets can do what they’re doing this year…and I’m sure there are delusional fans of the other 29 teams in Major League Baseball who think the same thing.

But in reality, it doesn't happen all that often.

I guess when you stop to think about it, I’m one of the lucky Mets fans.

People who have loved the team since its inception have seen two World Series wins, but there were no playoff appearance other than 1969 and 1973 until 1986.

Fans my age have seen 9 of the Mets’ 11 all-time playoff appearances.

But that’s still not a ton in the grand scheme of things.

Of those 9, the Mets have made 6 previous NLCS appearances: 1986, 1988, 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2015.

So I, at age 46, am only seeing something that I eagerly anticipate for the 7th time in my life. (And I understand that is more than some teams. But it is less than others. You get it.)

You’d like to think this is going to become a regular occurrence - that this Mets team is going to be one of those teams that keeps coming back year after year and become a team that opposing fans get sick of seeing have success.

But that’s so hard to do. Look at this year’s Phillies - everyone thought they could be a World Series team. Nothing is a given.

So I’m torn between appreciating what the Mets have done and being greedy for more.

The two previous Mets playoffs games I’ve been to were both NLCS games - in 1988 that was all there was, of course, before the World Series, and then in 2000.

I just looked this up because I hadn’t done this in years - if you had asked me about the game in 1988 I would have said the Mets had lost. I wasn’t even sure which game I had gone to.

I did some detective work and realized I attended Game 3 against the Dodgers, which the Mets won, 8-4.

There are two distinct memories I have of this game - one is that I left my glasses at school that weekend, so I couldn't see perfectly. (But my eyes were nowhere near as bad as they would get so it’s not like I couldn’t see anything.)

My only game memory is Keith Hernandez falling down trying to get to third base. That’s how I confirmed which game I was at. It was the 6th inning, and he was trying to advance to third on a bobble in left field. Here’s the video, which I don’t think I’d seen in almost 40 years.

The other game I actually have (pretty terrible) pictorial evidence. I don’t know why we took such poor pictures, but it was Game 4 of the 2000 NLCS against the Cardinals.

The Mets won that game 10-6. It was a cool game to be at - I think at one point they hit like 4 doubles in a row.

What I do like about what we have here is that picture on the left gives a great indication of where we were sitting - the first row of the mezzanine at Shea, right behind the foul pole. And that last one at least shows the Mets celebrating.

So as it turns out I’ve never seen the Mets lose an NLCS game in person. (Although if you asked me yesterday I would have thought they were 1-1 in NLCS games I attended.)

And this week I’ll be attending my third NLCS game - 1988, 2000, and 2024. That’s not exactly often. (And if the number pattern continues it will be 2060 before I go to my next one.)

I guess I should tell the story of how I got these playoff tickets. I’ll make it quick:

I went all-in on the 2023 Mets. I waited for the ticket guy to call me (I usually got solicited at least one time in spring training each year) and when he did I was like, “You called the right guy!” The whole idea was to get a 2023 World Series game.

I had spent the 2022 football season going back and forth on Sundays to watch the Jets in Queens, so I knew it wouldn’t be a problem to do it for Sunday Mets games (with the occasional other day sprinkled in).

Of course, that season was a disaster, and I didn’t think I’d do it again this year but I did like the team the Mets were putting together and I had a good time every time I went to Citi Field, whoever I was with. (Kathy, the girls, friends, family - it’s been great.) And I had the disposable income, so I figured, why not. (I have since lost the disposable income…so this post-season will be it with Mets tickets for a while unless something else changes.)

I only partly counted on having October baseball in 2024. (There is a scenario where Game 7 of the World Series is the night before the New York City Marathon, which if the Mets are playing…is not ideal.) (Oh, hey, speaking of the New York City Marathon, if you’re interested in donating to my marathon fundraiser and reading more about my marathon charity, you can help me meet my goal at this link. Thanks!)

I am so glad I have the opportunity to spend a little extra money on some extra, important baseball games.

And before the NLCS even starts on Sunday night, I have an exciting weekend ahead. When the dust settles hopefully the Mets have a series lead or at least are able to split the west coast games - whether they’re playing the Dodgers or the Padres.

I’ll be writing about it, and eagerly anticipating Game 4 in person.

Until then I’ll be appreciating everything the Mets have done this year to get to the NLCS.