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There are few things that comedian Jim Breuer takes seriously. One, for sure, is his devotion to the New York Mets. The Valley Stream native will make light of his family, friends, pets and colleagues, but the Mets? He sighs, his eyes get wide, and he just starts going…and going…and ranting…and because of all that ranting he has become to this generation of Mets fans what Jerry Seinfeld was to older diehards; the comedic face of the franchise.
“In so many ways I’m like ‘Rain Man’ with the Mets,” Breuer said recently while out promoting his latest special, “Comic Frenzy,” to air on EPIX and EPIX.com starting on Friday May 29. “Bud Harrelson getting pummeled by Pete Rose, Joel Youngblood and John Stearns, Hubie Brooks hitting streak, those were the way I measured my childhood, and boy did it leave scars. It’s a habit that just won’t quit.”
Bob Apodaca getting hit in the head, George “The Stork” Theodore’s first homer, Robbie Alomar’s bobblehead, The Dykstra homer in the ’86 NLCS, they are all part of the former “Saturday Night Live” star’s memory bank. Sometimes they have made it into his hugely popular standup routine, other times, “It’s going to a dark place to talk about being a Mets fan,” he joked.
Through the years Breuer has had season tickets at Shea Stadium, moved gigs to watch the playoffs and like so many of the rank and file, has shook his head at the revolving door of talent over the years. But, he cautioned, “I think good things are coming…if we just stay healthy.” The nets for their part have had a healthy respect for the comedian’s work over the years. He threw out a first pitch at Shea and will again this Friday, “softening the mound for Matt Harvey,” he added, when the team, EPIX and Topps will officially unveil his own trading card to commemorate his fandom and the comedy special.
For his part, Breuer has taken his fandom viral, sporting short videos that have been a huge hit with Mets fans as they went through the elation of the team’s fast start, and the doldrums of their recent drought. He has also signed on with SNY to be a guest correspondent in and around the team from time to time this year.
“We have been there for Dave Kingman and Lee Mazzilli, suffered through Beltran in the playoffs, and now we have the worst thing possible…hope. Nothing worse for a Mets fan to have hope, but it’s nice to be involved if it works out. Hell, ’86 wasn’t THAT long ago,” he half joked. Hope a bad thing?
Mets fans can relate, especially to their latest and maybe most genuine, celebrity voice of the fan.
