Philadelphia Inquirer/Gonzalez: A Mets fan escapes the nightmare

Steve Bonsignore couldn’t take it anymore. The never-ending stress. The soul-crushing mistakes. The inevitable disappointment. The public humiliation. It wore on him and dragged him down. So he gave it all up for a while.

It’s hard to blame him. You’d need a break, too, if you had it that rough.

Bonsignore, bless his aching heart, is a lifelong Mets fan.

That hasn’t been easy for Bonsignore. Not lately. You think the Phils have given you a headache? The Mets - who come to town to start a series with the Fightin’s tonight - turned June into one long tragic comedy. They finished the month 9-18, their worst stretch since they went 7-19 back in September 2003.

In mid-June, Bonsignore reached what he called his “breaking point” when the Mets lost to the Yankees after a lazy fly ball hit Luis Castillo’s glove and popped out. The highlight was replayed on ESPN for days. Mets fans called it “embarrassing.” Everyone else called it “hilarious.”

“I sat on the couch staring for two minutes,” Bonsignore said. “Then I turned the TV off and said, ‘That’s it. I’m done. That’s enough. I need a break.’ ”