Today, we bring you our TRDMB’s first Guest Submission. This could bring a new aspect to the site for someone who can write a great editorial piece when the moment hits them.  Contact us if you would like to be a Guest Writer for the site. Our first submission is from Jaded1983, enjoy!
Fellow Mets fans, I bring you hope. I bring you optimism. I bring
you perennial post season contenders. How can I be so positive faced with
a 7.5 game deficit, a 4th place standing, and seemingly no relief in
sight? The rash of injuries to face the NY Mets this year has admittedly
seemed to put the kibosh on any post season aspirations the fan base has
hoped to see, however I believe this is a blessing in disguise. One that
will enable us to reap the benefits for years to come.
Let’s start off with last years NL and AL champions, the
Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays. After years of struggling in
mediocrity, both teams managed to contend all year long, roll through the
playoffs, and finally face off on the biggest stage of all. How did they
do this?
The answer, quiet simply, is through young, home grown and affordable
talent. Tampa Bay’s years of struggling netted them a slew of homegrown
talented players. While Philly wisely utilized the same formula of the mid
‘90’s Yankees by grooming Ace pitcher Cole Hamels, as well as 1B Ryan
Howard, 2B Chase Utley, and SS Jimmy Rollins in addition to smart FA
pickups like Brad Lidge and well timed trades in Joe Blanton.
Buster Olney’s new article in ESPN Magazine “30 is the new 40,†highlights
the drastic shift in the MLB market. Aging and high priced veterans are
obviously not producing like they once did in this presumably post steroid
era, and a much greater emphasis has been placed on drafting and
development.
This greater emphasis will have a trickle down effect throughout the
entire organization as “buying†talent is no longer the way to build a
team, (just ask the Yankees). Not having to sign expensive FA will not
only preserve payroll room for mid season acquisitions (sound familiar?)
but will also allow the Mets to consistently draft high ceiling (and high
priced talent) which will save them money on the back end and also have a
pool of resources to draw upon in case of injury (hmmmm….), as well as
giving the Mets valuable trade chips. The caveat here is one key word,
“patience.†In a town that loves winners and lets those less talented know
our feelings can we, as a fan base, deal with the growing pains of youth?
That’s something everyone reading this article has to ask themselves.
Those fans in Philly and Tampa Bay had that patience, why cant we?
Hang in there Mets Fans, there is light at the end of the tunnel!
Admittedly our FO has been slow to react, but it seems like they have
embraced “youth†and with a young, talented core of Wright, Reyes,
Beltran, Francoeur, Santana, Pelf, and K-Rod coupled with minor league
talent like Jon Niese, Brad Holt, Josh Thole, and Wilmer Flores, etc., our
window for winning and future looks bright. A less than stellar finish
this year, while not what we hoped for in Spring Training, will net us a
higher draft pick and help to rebuild what many critics call a depleted
farm system.
2009, a year that started with such high hopes and expectations
can still be a successful season if we are willing to have patience and
commit to our youth. Are you ready to accept the challenge knowing what it
will take to reach the World Series?
LETS GO METS! – Jaded1983
16 comments
Mr North Jersey
7/18/2009-11:50am at 11:50 am (UTC -4)
Bless you
metsfan4decades
7/18/2009-12:16pm at 12:16 pm (UTC -4)
O.K., so how much patience do we have to have?
Do I have to watch through another 5 god awful seasons to get to where the Rays did last year?
This year is so much worse than the last 3. Expectations were high and we’re not even going to compete down to the wire like the past 3 years. Don’t have to worry about the roller coaster ride all season as this one started high and went slow and steadily down hill from there, with each ensuing injury. Beltran was the final straw.
Sigh….
metsfan4decades
7/18/2009-12:19pm at 12:19 pm (UTC -4)
And on it goes. This snippet from the NY Post on Jerry’s post game comments taking a pot shot at the Mets medical staff:
“They’re calling it cramps . . . surgery on Thursday,” Manuel said before erupting in laughter.
Realizing that team-owned SNY was filming the remark, Manuel quickly added: “I couldn’t resist. Sorry, doctors.”
Manuel then pleaded twice — apparently without success — with the network’s in-house reporter, Kevin Burkhardt, not to run the footage.
Manuel was making light of the Mets’ habit, particularly this season, of minimizing injuries that turn out to be much more serious. It is an especially touchy subject with team management, so Manuel is sure to hear about it.
dentulous
7/18/2009-12:30pm at 12:30 pm (UTC -4)
the medical staff is an embarrasement to sports medicine. If management does not want to get embarrassed, they should have gotten rid of these bums, yet for some reason they are off limits. Not one injury was handled appropriately.
metsfan4decades
7/18/2009-12:37pm at 12:37 pm (UTC -4)
And you all know he was referring to Sheff and the latest injury.
You know, one or two evaluations and/or treatments that were off you could live with. The medical world is not an exact science and that’s why the call it ‘practicing medicine’.
But every single blasted one it seems was handle wrong. And that goes back to last year with Church and his concussions and Wagner and his injury. He started off with spasms after the ASB. 15 day DL with ‘soreness’. Makes his way back at rehab, pitching off a mound and ‘pop. The arm goes.
I’m not in the medical field but I have to ask: is it really this hard to get a diagnosis and/or the correct treatment at least 80% of the time?
dentulous
7/18/2009-12:47pm at 12:47 pm (UTC -4)
I dont think there is a major league team that has had as many severe injuries as this team has had in the past 2 years. It always seems like they rush the players back onto the field after diagnosing the injury only to have the problem get worse. We will see if the same happens to poor Sheff.
gategem
7/18/2009-3:41pm at 3:41 pm (UTC -4)
I wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin Burkhardt is also admonished for running the piece. The Mets have an upper management circle the wagons mentality. They remind me so much of the large investment firms that protect corporate management, take the bailout and then hand out bonuses to the very same people that put them in a financial hole.
sabermetrician
7/18/2009-12:55pm at 12:55 pm (UTC -4)
Sorry Jaded, I just don’t see this as a blessing. This team knows no patience. This isn’t going to turn into the rose that it did for teams like Tampa and Philly. How long did it take Tampa? In their 11th year they finally did something. For Philly? It took them fourteen seasons to return to the playoffs. Sure if you want to be that patient everyone will make it to the playoffs. The worst part about this team is that it was built to win now and Omar tried to bandage one problem at a time to no avail. This current group will not win. Time to start rebuilding? I agree with you there, but it could take 5 or 10 years. Remember 1988 to 1999? I do.
metsfan4decades
7/18/2009-12:58pm at 12:58 pm (UTC -4)
Great point of view – BTW, Jaded.
I wonder though, if the current ‘FO’ has the intelligence to do an about face and change their mindset to secure what’s needed for years to come. I’ve seen some signs of it but they’re going to have to fully embrace they idea we’re virtually out of it this year, and plan for YEARS down the road, not just next year….
tkfj
7/18/2009-1:19pm at 1:19 pm (UTC -4)
This entire franchise has managed to culminate a growing saga within just the past 24 hours. Jerry’s comments, players hiding injuries because there is no trust within the organization, players taking shots at other players, speculation.
This has been embarrassing for a while now, but it really is a joke. The FO needs to be cleaned out completely, they have lost what semblance of control they once had and the team is quickly spiraling out of control. Omar, Jerry and the entire coaching staff need to go. Bring in Buck Showalter and a semi-competent GM and look towards 2010. The longer we let the jokers run this organization, the sooner we will be looking towards 2011.
Kingman 26
7/18/2009-2:46pm at 2:46 pm (UTC -4)
Hire Showalter TODAY.
I agree completely with this.
Fire Jerry and every last trainer/doctor, and give Omar more chances though—loads of dough comes off the books, and combine that with the possibility that the Wilpons may increase payroll, and Omar will get us another Beltran/Santana level player.
jaded1983
7/18/2009-1:38pm at 1:38 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment everyone. Again this is just the opinion of one fan, but I dont see our window closing just yet. We do have the pieces to make it work for the next few years, but as everyone has been saying we just need a better FO (medical staff, talent evaluators, GM, manager, etc) to put it all together.
Omar finally got the “youth” aspect down by going after Krod, utilizing parnell, stokes, murphy, evans, fmart, trading for frency.
Now we can only hope he goes out and fills the current holes we have (either by the dead line or in the off season) and looks forward to any other potential needs so we dont have this band aide effect
I dont think we have to wait 5-11 years on this, but clearly 2009 isnt our year, but I do think its a HUGE wake up call to the organization. If this year doesnt get their act together, then sadly nothing will and we will just have to wait/campaign for a new administration. Heres to hope, and LGM!
Kingman 26
7/18/2009-2:50pm at 2:50 pm (UTC -4)
I agree with you Jaded, and fine piece!
I totally disgaree that the team is built to “win now” and that the window is closed or closing.
We do need help however.
Let Jerry manage this Titanic right into more icebergs, and when it sinks soon, look to Showalter or Bobby V for next year. Guys who clearly get the most out of what they are given.
A core of Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Johan, KRod, and maybe Frenchy and Pelf is one built to content for at least the next 2–3 years, and very likely see meaningful October games with the right additions.
I still say get the hell rid of Jerry the day the season ends, fire EVERY guy in the training/medical areas, and give Omar another year to spend all of the Delgado/Wagner/possibly JJ money coming off the books and we–with a new manager and players in shape and injuries treated correctly–will be winners next year. And maybe beyond.
charlie_s
7/18/2009-4:06pm at 4:06 pm (UTC -4)
We’ve been there, done that!
Don’t mean to rain on your positivity, but what would you call the years from 2001 to 2005? And, what would you label 2006, but the year we finally cashed in on that stretch of bad play? We were bad, patient, got home grown talent, made shrewd deals, and put together a team ready to contend. They fell short and the slow deterioration of that team has been witnessed by all.
gategem
7/18/2009-4:16pm at 4:16 pm (UTC -4)
Good article Jaded but it omits a couple of essential points. There are teams that have been rebuilding with youth every year in perpetuity. The Cubs haven’t won a world championship since 1908. Are you willing to wait a lifetime with no payoff? You use the Rays and the Phillies as examples but you omit that it took changes in the front office before the fruits of building from within was realized. And as far as the Yankees are concerned, except for last year, they’re always in the damn post season and they will be back there this year at the expense of the very same Rays. As for patience you confuse patience with losing hope. Perhaps the one or two (I write this half seriously) fans that showed up for Rays’ games had patience or maybe they liked having the ball park to themselves. The only time people showed up was when the Yankees came to town. And as far as the Phillies fans were concerned they couldn’t drive Ed Wade to the airport fast enough.
The Mets approach brought them within one game of the WS in 2006 and within one game of the playoffs in 2007 and 2008. Ask the fans in Pittsburgh if they would be willing to accept that from their ballclub?
steveo
7/19/2009-1:36am at 1:36 am (UTC -4)
Patience you say huh?I think k rod and santana came to. Ny to win and win now .Hey I’m all for doing it right but when 4 players are making 70 mil and they are on a time table I really don’t think patience is an option. Those players beltran , santana krod and perez. Unless you trade a few of them to get something back, you are stuck signing free agents and if your gm is omar this is to much to ask for. Omar didn’t have the mind to bring in solid platoon players, backups and didn’t do anything for the aaa roster maybe next year we will have depth in aaa and that’s a plus and a good start but as for next year free agents are the only option this team has unless you are willing to deal guys like pelfrey. Or maine which I wouldn’t.