I've never been one of those who were desperately longing for a no-hitter. Sure, I wanted it to happen, but I also thought that the lack of one was one of those quirks that made the Mets interesting. And if I had heard about the no-hitter after it had ended my reaction probably would have been, "Huh! How about that?" But I turned the game on in the seventh inning, just as Baxter was being led off the field. (I was so glad that it was a Gary/Keith/Ron game, and not one of those games where Extra Innings only gives me the opposing team's broadcast.) Like all of you, I was considering the pitch count, and I was also wondering if the first Mets no-hitter would be one of those (I assume) less-satisfying combined efforts. I didn't want that. When Terry went to the mound, I was thinking, "Don't you dare!" But I figure he had no intention at all of taking Santana out of the game. It was theatrics, and nicely done. When Terry turned around and ran back to the dugout, I started to think this was really going to happen. When Johan batted in the bottom of the 8th, my daughter said, "What if he gets hit by a pitch and hurts his arm?" And I confessed that I had been worrying about the same thing. That flare up the middle that Murphy and Quintanilla converged on: My heart was in my mouth. I had to rewind and watch it in slow-motion to see who caught it, and even then it wasn't clear, but it was most likely Murphy. A couple of line drives into the outfield. An instant of tension, then a sigh of relief. I've seen this play out so many times. Memories of Leron Lee, of all people. One out in the ninth. Two. I'm getting very optimistic, but bracing myself for heartbreak. I'm pacing back and forth in front of the TV like I haven't since, I figure, late 2008. That final swing-and-a-miss (a perfect ending!) and there are tears in my eyes. Like I said, I never really cared. Until it happened, and it was fantastic! Johan pounding his heart and pointing to the crowd. In the interview with a totally gobsmacked Kevin Burkhardt, Santana acknowledges how much the fans have wanted this (a nice touch!) and then Justin Turner comes along with a cream pie. (Go away, you fool. This isn't about you.) It's wonderful to have such a great Mets moment in June, on a day that you weren't anticipating anything. Goosebump moments are usually for October. I'm glad we all were able to experience this. I hope the collective euphoria lasts for a while. I'm not eager to see us all go back to bickering about who despises the Wilpons more.