In the midst of a Mets resurgence, an unfortunate black mark has come to settle in Queens. Jenrry Mejia, charismatic closer for the NY Mets, was banned for life from Major League Baseball yesterday after testing positive for a banned substance – the third time in 12 months.

With the new season just around the corner, I felt Mejia may have finally learned his lesson and would come to contribute to the Mets in a more positive fashion other than embarrassment. They needed a solid setup man and if he was without injury, and drugs, he would be perfect. Now we can only hope Sandy Alderson’s off season bullpen acquisitions can do the job.

I for one have never seen a more grotesque display of selfishness in my life. To think what he could have contributed to the Mets, especially during the postseason, simply infuriates me. How can a fellow teammate not see the bigger picture and get himself straight for the next potential World Series run? I just can’t fathom being that obtuse!

Mejia grew up poor in the Dominican Republic, shining shoes for a few dollars a day, and then he found baseball. The Mets signed him when he was only 17, and he was called up to the show a mere three years later. There were talks of him becoming one of the best relievers in the game until injuries started to plague him, and that may have led him astray.

Baseball gave Mejia a way out. It was his golden ticket, his opportunity to set himself and his family up for life without any more worries, and yet he threw it all away. How anyone can risk the dream of a lifetime is beyond me.

Even if Mejia cleaned up his act and toed the rubber again being only half of what he was, he had a signed contract with the Mets for $2.4 million dollars in 2016. Of course much of it was not going to be paid due to his current suspension, but it was a contract none the less. He was getting paid to play a boy’s game, something many of us would kill for, and he spit right in the face of opportunity.

Yet, believe it or not, this may not be the last we see of Jenrry Mejia. He can appeal for reinstatement after one year, even though the minimum ban is two years.

Of course, even if he is lucky enough to find a way back into baseball, the chances he is offered another contract are slim to none. But as long as he is no longer wearing orange and blue, who cares.