Man attending 50th Mets opener

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., April 1 (UPI) -- A New York state man said he is taking a trek to New York's Citi Field Monday to attend his 50th home opener for the New York Mets.

Robert Ostertag, 81, of Poughkeepsie, said he and his friends are making the trip to the Queens borough Monday to continue the home opener attendance tradition that he began in 1964 with the first game ever played in Shea Stadium, The New York Times reported Monday.

"We did it in '65, '66, and kept on going, and, lo and behold, I made it to 30 and I started to wonder if I could get to the number 50," Ostertag said. "I will probably keep it up as long as I can."

Ostertag said he expects the team, which he said lacks strong pitchers, hitters and outfielders, to lose more than 100 games during the coming season.

"I'm a born pessimist and I've never been disappointed," he said. "I could have been a Yankees fan but it wouldn't have been as much fun."