There was a certian swagger that came with the 2006 season. After winning 97 games and absolutely tearing up the National League, it was a given we would play in the World Series. Even though those dreams died with a curveball from Adam Wainwright to Carlos Beltran, I still felt that the team we had would be one of those rare teams to be able to compete for years to come. The start to 2007 confirmed my belief that we were destined to get over the hump and win a World Series that I could remember. I remember leaving my house pumped to get to the local Ale house and enjoy this win with my fellow Met fans, considering we were playing the Marlins. I also remember, entering the Ale house and seeing a close up of a dejected Tom Glavine and as I glanced toward the scoreboard…I realized why. In a matter of 5 minutes from my house to the Ale house, the Mets had managed to give up 8 runs in the first inning. I was watching the Phillies and Nationals game on the adjacent TV, hoping that Jimmy Rollins’ prediction wouldnt come true. I remember the sound of the ball coming off Ramon Castros bat, only to see the ball die out right before it could go over the outfield wall at Shea and land into the Marlins outfielder’s glove. I remember the feeling as the Mets went to lose the game and witnessing the Phillies win their game against the Nationals. The month long collapse was complete and the magic of the slogan “Our team. Our time” and “Your season has come…” was nothing more than a whisper.
With the unlikely addition of Johan Santana going into the 2008 season, I remember feeling the swagger that we had two seasons ago. With all the baseball talking heads picking the Mets to win the World Series, I remember thinking there was no way we would be denied…the collapse of 2007 was a fluke and we would prove it. I remember the slow start and “Willie-Gate” that seemed to occur on a daily basis. I remember the public relations gaffe the Mets commited when they fired Willie Randolph but (at the time) the confidence I had with Jerry as the new manager. I remember the injuries starting to pile up but the 9 game wining streak leading into the all star break with Jerry Manuel at the helm. I remember feeling a sort of dark cloud being lifted and for once seeing the championship team that everyone knew we were. I remember the Billy Wagner injury in late summer that lead to the infamous “bullpen by committee” that cost us game after game after game. I remember feeling a sense of hope, given our fate was in the hands of a team not name “Phillies” but also the sinking feeling of seeing that familiar foe on the horizon that destroyed my summer just one year ago. I remember the emotional high of Johan Santana’s epic manhandling of our biggest nemesis and a sense of redemption after a whole year of being reminded of 2007. I remember that in less than 24 hours, those feeling were destroyed as I witnessed the baseball being sent over the outfield wall at shea off of the bat of Dan Uggla and Wes Helms. I remember the traumatic feeling of being in the same spot, in the same ale house only 365 days ago. I remember feeling this team will never be the same again.
The Phillies winning the world series was the nail in the coffin of the two worst years(at that time) as a Met fan. However, I did feel a sense of enthusiasm with the signings of Fransisco Rodriguez(fresh off his season breaking saves record), a new start with Citifield and the torrid start of Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado in the World Baseball Classic. With a full year under Jerry Manuel and the bullpen situation squared away, I felt this team had a serious shot at sticking it to Philly. With the baseball pundits picking the Mets to topple the Phillies for the NL East championship, I remember the cautious optimism of the upcoming season and the relief that this year we will not play the Marlins to finish the season. I remember how quickly April turned to May and this team was playing at a level I had not seen since the beginning of 2007. Then the injuries started to stack up. I remember Carlos Delgado was the first man down, then it was Carlos Beltran and then it seemed we had a new injury every few weeks. I remember how slowly June turned into September. By this point I remember the fan base was ripped to shreds, we had lost the majority of the “band wagon” fans we accrued with the 2006 season and 2007 season while the “die hard” fans were so jaded that the intense rivalry with Philadelphia had lost its spice and fire. I remember for the first time in a long time a sense of joy that the season was finally over and at the same time a huge heavyheartedness, knowing that I had just witness one of the worst seasons in Met history.
Going into the 2010 season, I remember feeling extremely cynical about Omar and Jerrys ability to return the Mets back to their former glory. The off season proceeded pretty much as expected, with little surprises and under the radar moves by Omar. It was clear that the Phillies on paper were in a different league compared to the teams of the NL east. Going into the 2010 season, I felt there was an outside chance the Mets can compete for the wild card but it was going to take a level of fight that I had not seen from them for 4 years. The season finally started and the baseball pundits all chose the Mets to finish just one spot above the absolute bottom of the NL east and to have just an 8 game improvement of the injury plagued 2009 season. I remember the season starting very slow but the Mets kept coming back in the majority of the games to make it somewhat close. When they brought up Davis, I remember feeling it was a bad situation to bring the kid up in but considering we were picked to finish 4th anyway, might as well give him a head start at his future job anyway. After the call up, the Mets played the type of baseball that seemed any other team in baseball were chalk full of and the Mets lacked. The late comebacks, the timely hits and the fundamental baseball the Mets are showing would usually be described as “grit” or as Ron Darling puts it “These Mets have a lot of fight in them, don’t they?”. The season is very young and there is a whole lot of baseball left to play but there is one thing very clear, this Met team is very different than the ones we have seen the last few years. The Mets have shown the ability to score late in games and fight back against any deficit. While I am not saying they will win the World Series or take the NL east title, I am saying this team is showing a kind of guts that made them fun to watch…a feeling that I dont remember having for quite some time in Queens.
32 comments
stickguy
5/11/2010-12:19pm at 12:19 pm (UTC -4)
Hell man, I barely remember what I had for breakfast today.
I do, however, remember being in SHea stadium for the Galvine game 162, and the Ollie game 162.
You were better off in your ale house.
Oh, and never pay attention to the preseason predictions. They are notroious for being wrong, and never predict the surprise teams (although in 2008 I think there was 1 guy that picked the Rays to win).
fongy2
5/11/2010-12:21pm at 12:21 pm (UTC -4)
Nice call on The Rays.
Thats my pick this season.
fongy2
5/11/2010-12:20pm at 12:20 pm (UTC -4)
Well they seem to at least have SOME fight in them. Really though, Grit,heart,fight,swagger,attitude,etc
all all ALOT less important than playing solid,clean and smart baseball
which they’ve mostly done so far.
stickguy
5/11/2010-12:32pm at 12:32 pm (UTC -4)
also, if you don’t fall behind every game, you don’t have to keep mounting miracle Grustle comebacks.
Mr North Jersey
5/11/2010-12:21pm at 12:21 pm (UTC -4)
Dirty do I get College credits if I read all of this?
fongy2
5/11/2010-12:27pm at 12:27 pm (UTC -4)
Funny….My thought was….
“Ishould be getting paid to
read something this long”.
metsgirl31
5/11/2010-12:31pm at 12:31 pm (UTC -4)
I agree, Dirty. Its that “feeling” that, as bad as the offense has been the last couple of games, makes me not give up on this team yet.
stickguy
5/11/2010-12:51pm at 12:51 pm (UTC -4)
there is also a big difference between “these guys are not talented” and ” these guys are not playing up to their abilities yet”
Usually, the 2nd group eventually rises toward their expected performance. The 1st group usually just continues to suck.
trs86
5/11/2010-12:42pm at 12:42 pm (UTC -4)
Great job Dirty. Agree completely. I hope I gave you the inspiration for this in the dugout because this team since the terrible start in my opinion has been a team that is full of all those things missing and is determined.
darknova306
5/11/2010-12:52pm at 12:52 pm (UTC -4)
You know, I was thinking some similar thoughts last night before bed. This team has shown me enough where I no longer expect the game to be over after we fall behind by a couple of runs. That alone is more than the team has done for me in the past couple of years.
trs86
5/11/2010-1:07pm at 1:07 pm (UTC -4)
Yup and we were in it until the last AB last night.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/11/2010-1:20pm at 1:20 pm (UTC -4)
Or until Wright comes to the plate…
fongy2
5/11/2010-1:24pm at 1:24 pm (UTC -4)
Oh Snap!….
O.K. Alex…..
darknova306
5/11/2010-1:23pm at 1:23 pm (UTC -4)
Though it’s still disheartening to see us get a rally going only to have it end with back to back strikeouts to Bay and Wright… over and over again… If we’re going anywhere this season, we’ve GOT to hit with RISP at some point.
fongy2
5/11/2010-1:25pm at 1:25 pm (UTC -4)
I could be wrong BUT I think THAT’S what Bay and Wright are gettin’ paid to do.
Mr North Jersey
5/11/2010-1:11pm at 1:11 pm (UTC -4)
In what is an obvious attack on our DirtySanchez’z post about this team being different. The Bitter Bill responded with this.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/bitterbill/2010/05/lets-face-it-mets-just-arent-t.html
There is one paragraph that kind of stood out where he says,
“As I posted on a comment last night, our three best players right now are a catcher we signed to a minor-league deal, a rookie first baseman and a hobbled second baseman nobody wants on the team. I guess we can add Angel Pagan to that list, too, but we are also counting the days – or weeks or months – until his replacement comes back.”
Is he that far from the truth? Are the Mets 3 best players so far are Davis, Barajas, Castillo and or Pagan?
stickguy
5/11/2010-1:46pm at 1:46 pm (UTC -4)
well, that is probably a good sign. If they can be 2 games over .500 without their 4 best players (on papaer) doing much, think of how good the team will be when they all get hot!
and Iknow DW has good numbers on paper, but the extreme streakieness, and lack of (dare I use the word) “clutchness” so far leaves him a lot of room for improvement.
ceetar
5/11/2010-1:46pm at 1:46 pm (UTC -4)
he’s way off. But I don’t read him anymore, he lost credibility with me a while ago.
This team is different, and yet it’s not different. Sometimes I think there is a lot of luck involved with comebacks and all that. I could show you stats to support this argument from ’07 and ’08 as well.
While the Mets are going to continue to get some big hits and that RISP number will come up, singular AB and performances don’t define players or teams. Look no further than Santana or Maine’s performance on the final Saturday of seasons. Fight and life? in ’07 the Mets were ‘into it’ enough that they got into a brawl.
fongy2
5/11/2010-1:27pm at 1:27 pm (UTC -4)
Since Eric Byrnes is already working
for/with Bklyn,why don’t we just cut GMjuicer and sign Byrnes to a player
deal @ League min.????
trs86
5/11/2010-1:33pm at 1:33 pm (UTC -4)
Best I can tell Fongy that was a hoax.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/11/2010-1:59pm at 1:59 pm (UTC -4)
Off Topic,
Wasn’t able comment on Cat DFA and Carter called up, but I really really hope that Carter is used as a PH role unless proven otherwise. I think he has a lot of potential to be solid contributor to the game in terms of PT, but right now, he should ONLY replace what Cat has been doing which is to come up late in the game to pinch hit.
stickguy
5/11/2010-2:03pm at 2:03 pm (UTC -4)
I’ll take the opposite opinion. I think he should get some regular ABs. Can give Bay a rest here and there, but mostly play RF against some RH pithcers, since Frenchy is particularly worthless against righty starters.
trs86
5/11/2010-2:06pm at 2:06 pm (UTC -4)
Here is something we have to consider Stick. Frenchy is a very good RF and Carter has his least experience in RF and his worst fielding percentage.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/11/2010-2:10pm at 2:10 pm (UTC -4)
That has to be a BIG factor in giving Carter regular AB. With the crazy walls in RF and vast coverage area, Frenchy has done an excellent job playing in RF. Not to mention his abilities to throw runners out with his arm.
stickguy
5/11/2010-2:22pm at 2:22 pm (UTC -4)
then he will make a fine defensive replacement.
besides, they will play more than 1/2 their games the rest of the year on the road. Plenty of opportunity there too.
trs86
5/11/2010-2:27pm at 2:27 pm (UTC -4)
Lets just not go crazy on Carter yet. As excited as I am he maybe just not very good.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/11/2010-2:29pm at 2:29 pm (UTC -4)
agreed.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/11/2010-2:07pm at 2:07 pm (UTC -4)
I think if Jerry does that, it sends the wrong message to either Bay or Frenchy. I think Carter needs to earn the spot to get some ABs before getting regular ABs. Sure it’s exciting to see someone with good potential coming up, but right now, Carter doesn’t have much track record.
trs86
5/11/2010-2:10pm at 2:10 pm (UTC -4)
That being said, neither did Ike. I don’t have a problem with it being the occasional break but yeah nothing stupid like even close to a platoon with an established hitter.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/11/2010-2:14pm at 2:14 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed.
There is a difference between Ike and Carter though. Even though both of them has yet to prove that they are capable of playing at the majors, Ike is considered as a prospect with future with the Mets. Carter on the other hand seems to be looked at as a journeyman looking to find his place. Carter maybe a starting OF/1B in some teams, but not with the Mets. But who knows? If he puts up crazy numbers like he’s doing at AAA level, I’m sure he’ll get his fair share of PT.
trs86
5/11/2010-2:28pm at 2:28 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed. I have no idea if Carter ever was a big prospect but he certainly put up some gaudy #’s.
metsfan4decades
5/11/2010-2:01pm at 2:01 pm (UTC -4)
Nice post, Dirty. Not sure I wanted to be reminded of the last 3 seasons but agree with the sentiments.
I came into this year with absolutely no allusions, refuse to make predictions and am being cautiously optimistic. I see the NL East as a dog fight to the end with no one running away with it.
All I’m asking for is a reason to actually enjoy watching Met baseball all summer -which I’ll be doing no matter what the team looks like – as opposed to watching like all last summer knowing the season was over in June…..