The 2009 season for the Mets was a disaster. After careful review, it appears that the specific type of disaster was earthquake. Even after the disastrous season ended we’ve been hit with aftershocks. Aftershocks are known as smaller earthquakes that follow after the original quake, not to be confused with the alcohol beverage that was needed for us fans to get through the season. They can still be dangerous, but generally get smaller and farther apart as time goes on.
Carlos Beltran’s scoped knee surgery was the first aftershock of the 2009 disaster. While final damage totals are not yet in for this one, it’s expected he’ll miss up to a month of real time. The last report I heard suggested that he’d be cleared to resume baseball activities right around the time the Mets head north for Opening Day.
The Jose Reyes Thyroid aftershock hit last week, when blood work revealed that Reyes has an overactive thyroid. The results and treatment for this are still being determined, but many opinions suggest that it shouldn’t be a big deal and he can get back to playing soon. This smaller aftershock was still upsetting, but it seems like it won’t be one that did much damage.
Other smaller aftershocks have occurred throughout Spring Training for the Mets. Francisco Rodriguez came down with pink eye, 
but didn’t become a zombie. Fernando Tatis is batting some knee issues, and Nick Evans strained his forearm. Neither is considered serious and Frankie is back and pitching again.
The big thing to remember here is it’s not 2009 anymore. You can check the calendar if you don’t believe me. Every tweak or setback or injury is not indicative of disaster, and the bad luck that plagued the Mets in 2009 was just that; bad luck. The way Reyes did not adequately recover from his hamstring injuries has nothing to do with what his thyroid may or may not be doing right now, and the bone bruise that Beltran had does not relate to his recovery from having his knee scoped in the off season. Right now we’re still in limbo waiting on how Reyes will be treated by doctors and when he’ll get back down to Florida to continue Spring Training, but once he does everything will be alright. Soon it will be time for baseball to count, and we can start obsessing over wins and losses and pitching performances and home run totals instead of thyroid levels and pink eye symptoms.
Visit Optimistic Mets Fan for more of Ceetar’s posts.
25 comments
trs86
3/10/2010-10:17am at 10:17 am (UTC -4)
Nice job.
ceetar
3/10/2010-10:25am at 10:25 am (UTC -4)
Thanks.
I broke comments. Oddly enough ‘update post’ defaults to closing comments. weird. anyway, booze.
khmustache
3/10/2010-10:19am at 10:19 am (UTC -4)
it is tough to not overreact sometimes. i’ve found myself really wanting to a couple times, especially when SI is calling the fillies infield the best in modern times, while ours is full of question marks. however, it is a long season, and our luck has to turn sometime… i hope.
udontmesswthejohan
3/10/2010-10:28am at 10:28 am (UTC -4)
I know no offense was intended, but with everything going on in the world today, perhaps a better analogy could have been chosen that one that relates to earthquakes. Just playing devil’s advocate here.
prismo
3/10/2010-10:34am at 10:34 am (UTC -4)
Man up.
ceetar
3/10/2010-10:35am at 10:35 am (UTC -4)
I went back and forth on that. In the end I decided that it’s a sports/baseball blog and any comparisons to real disasters or implications I could be making about them are really grasping at straws.
udontmesswthejohan
3/10/2010-10:47am at 10:47 am (UTC -4)
Good enough for me, sir. At least you gave it some thought.
GravediggerHebner
3/10/2010-11:26am at 11:26 am (UTC -4)
I think your Devil’s advocacy is certainly fair but I think that unfortunate world events and the coincidence of their timing aside the earthquake analogy is an excellent one.
CaseStreet
3/10/2010-10:31am at 10:31 am (UTC -4)
That’s some nasty stuff.
So you mean if Wright doesn’t hit a HR in his first AB, it doesn’t mean he won’t hit one the rest of the season?
Are you sure Jose’s Thigh-Roid issue has nothing to do with his leg injuries?
njstuckintx
3/10/2010-10:36am at 10:36 am (UTC -4)
oooooohhhh… 2/3rds of a pun.
ceetar
3/10/2010-10:36am at 10:36 am (UTC -4)
now now, I’m pretty sure Reyes took some HGH and went through some crazy mutation where he grew a second thyroid in his hamstring, which is what caused the problems last year.
metsfan4decades
3/10/2010-10:45am at 10:45 am (UTC -4)
Well said.
I still can’t put 2009 behind me though b/c it’s just not that distant a memory – yet.
Until we get back to the business of playing baseball with the regular cast of characters these ‘aftershocks’ will probably be scrutinized more than they would have normally been – had 2009 not been the season it was….
DNDJohan aka kistics
3/10/2010-10:46am at 10:46 am (UTC -4)
Let’s just hope that the aftershock doesn’t lead to another disaster in 2010 season.
I am still hopeful and optimistic that this team will be competitive. But my trust in the Mets management is going down every day.
GravediggerHebner
3/10/2010-11:27am at 11:27 am (UTC -4)
So when’s the Tsunami?
DNDJohan aka kistics
3/10/2010-11:30am at 11:30 am (UTC -4)
There’s a tsunami coming down the NJ Turnpike.
ceetar
3/10/2010-11:31am at 11:31 am (UTC -4)
That’s what we’re gonna Takahasi when he’s mowing ‘em down.
Taka-nami.
GravediggerHebner
3/10/2010-11:37am at 11:37 am (UTC -4)
Scandal! After Rubin noted the Mets lineup today he tweeted “MLB official taking note of lack of Mets star power. Rule is must bring 4 starters although it’s now amended to include starting pitcher.”
Here’s the lineup as Jon Niese and the Mets are en route to Disney to face the Braves:
Pridie, cf
Tejada, 2b
Murphy, 1b
Hessman, 3b
Carter, dh
Santos, c
Nieuwenhuis, rf
Cabrera, lf
Adams, ss
Also on the trip to pitch: Fernando Nieve, Nelson Figueroa, Bobby Parnell, Eddie Kunz and Eric Niesen.
trs86
3/10/2010-11:44am at 11:44 am (UTC -4)
Yup, they got uh… 1.5.
trs86
3/10/2010-11:44am at 11:44 am (UTC -4)
They get in trouble for this every year and nothing comes of it.
CaseStreet
3/10/2010-11:46am at 11:46 am (UTC -4)
I count Murphy, Santos, Nieve, Figgy and Parnell as 2009 starters. Did I miss anyone? Seems to fit the requirements of 4 starters.
trs86
3/10/2010-11:51am at 11:51 am (UTC -4)
I took the rule as it includes the starting pitcher for that game.
Also does not include pen from what I can tell. Thus the only starters would be Murphy and Niese.
ceetar
3/10/2010-11:52am at 11:52 am (UTC -4)
Do ‘last years’ Starters count? Do bullpen guys count?
Murphy and Niese would be two. Santos was still ‘technically’ the backup last year right? this rule is very gray. Parnell, Figgy and Nieve did all make starts, although not very many and of all the guys there it’s not like 4 will be starting players in 2010.
trs86
3/10/2010-11:53am at 11:53 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, like I said I don’t know if other teams get in trouble for it too but the Mets get caught on it every year but there seems to be no real repercussions so I am sure they will continue.
wannybackstra
3/10/2010-12:16pm at 12:16 pm (UTC -4)
If the Atlanta Thrashers can get a few games out of a 48-year-old Chris Chelios maybe the Mets can get a few homers out of Darryl Strawberry.
ceetar
3/10/2010-12:25pm at 12:25 pm (UTC -4)
The guy from Crank?