A Tanked Anniversary

Where were you six years ago today?

I was on an underground train trying to listen to an extra inning ball game getting stared at because I'm banging the door in sheer joy.

Today is the sixth anniversary of Todd Pratt's series ending HR against Matt Mantei and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Pratt, known as "Tank", experienced the signature moment of his career that day. And you may think that the home run endeared himself to Met fans everywhere.

Except that Pratt endeared himself to Met fans just by being "Tank". Before there was Curt Schilling arguing online with Red Sox fans on the "Sons of Sam Horn" website, there was Todd Pratt posting as, who else, "Tank", on the New York Mets website message boards. But Tank wasn't posting to bitch about newspaper reports or privacy. Nope, Tank joined the common folk just to shoot the breeze...because deep down, Tank is one of us...one of the common folk.

In an age where the gulf between athletes and fans grows wider by the day...and as wide as their respective salaries...Todd Pratt was one of the few to take time out to connect with the average, everyday Met fan, like you and me. And Pratt even answered e-mails, as many a fan once found out. What athlete do you know that does this?

Now I'm not going to denigrate the good work that athletes do for charity. People who are in a position to do so should give back, and I'm the last one to question anybody's motives. The amount of charity done by sports franchises and leagues is amazing. But let's face it, there's a certain amount of P.R. that is gained by a player or an organization by organizing such events. That's why more and more athletes conduct their charity work privately so as not to be mistaken as someone looking for P.R.

What is the motive for checking in and conversing with the everyday fan? There's no mainstream P.R. that's attached to that. Yet Tank felt it important to connect by dropping Met fans a line every once in a while and making a real effort to give fans an inside view of the Mets and make them feel a connection...which is the very nature of being a fan in the first place.

You can set yourself a breed apart as an athlete with stats, feats, and rings. But Todd Pratt will always stand out by blending in, by being one of us. And although he may be a Phillie now (and probably posting on the Phillie boards), in my mind, Tank will always be one of us. And that's what I remember about Todd Pratt.