Consider this the exact opposite of whatever the Strokes’ ode wanted to be. In the aftermath of the Mets losing the NLCS to those Erewhon-guzzling schmucks from Los Angeles, John Mayer wrote an open letter dedicated to the team’s remarkable season and their smiley shortstop, Francisco Lindor, whom Mayer said became an unexpected muse to him and his career this year. (Sorry to Grimace, but there’s always next time.) “You never know when you’re going to find a new source of inspiration and Francisco became that inspiration for me this year,” he explained. “You could see the dedication in his eyes, in his plays — you could even see it in his strikeouts; it wasn’t a case of ‘couldn’t,’ only ‘didn’t that time.’”
When Dead & Company embarked on their Las Vegas residency at the Sphere this summer, Mayer found himself comparing each weekend to a baseball series and wanted to embody Lindor’s leadership for his group of rock brothers. “When I injured my finger and looked down to see half the nail sheared off and bleeding, my first thought was how to play with the other three fingers,” he wrote. “That was what Lindor would have done and so that’s what I did.” And to the Mets fans feeling a bit like shit today, Mayer offers something more poignant than a trip to the Subway Series:
I hope that in the next few days, after the disappointment has had its say, that Francisco and the entire team realizes that what they accomplished was enough. Their monumental run was enough to unify a city, bring together families, friends, and remind us all that above all else, nothing is more powerful a force in achieving success than effort. A boring word, “effort.” But it’s the only chance of good becoming great and that greatness taking hold for the long run.
It’s only a matter of time before he debuts an acoustic “OMG” on tour.
