This writer has definitely, over the course of his online Met-commening career, often been cast as a “sunshiner optimist.” Over the last year, beginning with a 3rd place prediction last spring, epithets like “nabob” and “flip-flopper” have been thrown this way.
However, at this point in time, the orange and blue faith which has been a strong part of the lifeblood of this writer’s existence is being severely tested.
As posited previously, Emerson’s comment in his famous essay “Self-Reliance” that “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” is indeed a wise one. Where’s the fun in predicting playoff contention every year regardless of how unlikely this may be? What’s wrong with looking at the horrid results of 2009 and 2010 and changing one’s outlook based on clear real-world events? What’s the point in viewing the team the same way every year despite the obvious difference in player attitude, hustle, and sacrifice which occurs from season to season and team to team?
After 2005 and 2006 it appeared that Omar Minaya could indeed work wonders—in addition to spending big, he also filled the team with fine complementary players. After 2007 and 2008 this evaluation came into question. After 2009 and 2010, anyone who still believed Omar was anything other than a mediocre GM was simply wrong. Sure, he has some good qualities—people like him, he is a good evaluator of young amateur talent, and he can bag the big name when he is armed with one of the game’s biggest payrolls. But overall, he left the team in a terrible state.
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As we now see the small-market Brewers improve themselves by acquiring Zack Greinke, on the heels of the Phils’ coup of re-acquiring Lee, the Mets’ insistence on standing pat becomes more glaring and more disappointing. At this point, Alderson and the Wilpons have done everything but rent billboards to advertise their staunch refusal to add payroll.
This space has—and still continues to—largely support this as a relative necessity, as we await the ends of the contracts of Beltran/Ollie/Castillo and possibly KRod as well.
But it is hard to watch and listen to what we are continuing to see and hear.
Omar did leave the team in really poor shape—with a stable of injury-prone, overrated, massively overpaid players, little financial flexibility, and a minor league system that seems to be producing plenty of second- and third-tier players, but certainly nobody of the level of a Wright or a Cano or a Lincecum.
Have we failed to trade for players such as Oswalt or Greinke simply for financial reasons or because no one wants the prospects that we as fans seem to universally overrate? Did we have a shot at Greinke? Was the cost in prospects too high or one we could not meet? Was it the remaining $27 million he is owed over the next two years? Was it the speculation about his potential to succeed in NY? This is not to advocate sacrificing the long-term future for a few more wins in 2010 or 2011, but if a serious starter like Oswalt or Greinke was available, we have to hope that there is a legitimate reason that the Mets did not seem to aggressively pursue them.
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In any event, spring training will be here before we know it, and we can hopefully count on a very different spring than what we have seen the last two years. Players nearly universally sloppy and out of shape, and the season beginning for us long after it began for many other more focused teams.
The Mets had five players top 100 games played last year. After the injury disaster of 2009 we might have expected something different; after visiting Baseball Reference and clicking on teams across the league for a while, it became clear very quickly that only five players topping 100 games played is pretty unusual.
Here’s to hoping that Collins runs a true boot camp; it is high time for the Met players to either get into shape and stay there and be ready to play a full season, or to show who simply does not have the fortitude for the taskmaster-type manager which this group so very clearly needs.
Run them to death, find exercises and drills they hate and repeat them endlessly, give every young player the chance to win a roster spot, and make clear at every chance that this is a new era. It has to be. There are certainly a handful of people on here who would have predicted 95 wins for the Mets in 1964 or 1980 or 1994, but this handful surely is continuing to shrink.
Regardless of how few wins the team manages to chalk up in 2011, the casual fan simply must see more hustle and sacrifice—both on the field and off as well as in their words to the press. No more pregame card-playing in lieu of work; sure every team plays cards, but the guess here is that many teams also manage to fit their necessary work in around the card-playing as well. People like to cite Rickey Henderson in this arena of debate—he won two rings, saw the playoffs with five different teams, and was a clear HOF performer—at the plate and in the field as well as on the bases. Rickey also got his work done.
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No matter how one looks at it—on-field team results, individual stats, attitude, conditioning, value received from money spent—the Mets have become one of the least productive teams in the game.
Much of the blame surely belongs to Omar Minaya, and to the Wilpons for allowing what happened in 2009 to clearly seep right into 2010 without taking any serious corrective action.
To their credit, they did remove Omar and spent what was required to lure Alderson, DePodesta, and Ricciardi, which, on paper, is a seemingly excellent new braintrust.
The feeling here is that while many casual fans have already tuned out, and that many more emotional fans are rightfully angry, that those of us who remain diehards are seriously having our Met faith tested right now.
The feeling here is that we simply must see a dramatic change in attitude from day one in Florida.
We can give Bay a pass for not wanting to fly from WA to FL for minicamp as the Ledger and ESPN have reported, and we can give the apparently large number of players reportedly not returning Collins’ introductory calls a pass too—after all, how many of us, were we on the 2010 Mets, would not want to be as far away from it as possible in December?
But a pass cannot be given for players to come into camp out of shape and remain that way, and a pass cannot be given for the slightest lack of effort or hustle once spring training starts.
The Mets face a key year in re-energizing and even retaining much of their fan base. With the shape the team is in, the likelihood of missing the postseason again will be tolerated and accepted much easier in 2011 if the fans see the renewal of the kind of effort that has clearly been lacking the last two years.
Here’s hoping that this effort begins on the very first day that pitchers and catchers report in just over eight weeks.
41 comments
Prismo
12/19/2010-12:31pm at 12:31 pm (UTC -4)
I appreciate your attempt at keeping a cooler head. Certainly, despite the new regime, it is still a difficult time to be a Mets fan.
But Sandy and Co. just took over, and I think it’s premature to freak out (not that you are, just that some fans are) before a pitch is even thrown, let alone a full season played out.
(as a side note, there are rumors that the Nats were close to acquiring Greinke, but he didn’t want to play there – I doubt he would’ve wanted to play in NY, and he has a no-trade clause against half the teams in the league)
rustyjr
12/19/2010-12:40pm at 12:40 pm (UTC -4)
I agree with Prismo my friend – you can’y jusdge Sandy or his moves until mid season at the very least.
oleosmirf
12/19/2010-1:44pm at 1:44 pm (UTC -4)
test
oleosmirf
12/19/2010-1:47pm at 1:47 pm (UTC -4)
the problem has always been the drafting. cant trade for Greinke or Garza or anyone of importance when your 2006, 2007 and 2009 draft is as bad as the Mets. pretty much every prospect of note was drafted in 2008 or an IFA…
metsfan4decades
12/19/2010-1:58pm at 1:58 pm (UTC -4)
Very well thought out and interesting post.
‘The feeling here is that while many casual fans have already tuned out, and that many more emotional fans are rightfully angry, that those of us who remain diehards are seriously having our Met faith tested right now.’
I don’t know what it says about me as Met fan but I don’t fall into any of these categories above.
I’m certainly no casual fan. Not when I lived through the likes of the mid 70s/early 80s and a good chunk of the 90s.
I’m also not angry going forward either. I’m certainly not happy the way ’07-’10 played out but it’s done. I’m putting my faith in Sandy & Co. until they give me a reason not to.
Here’s hoping that whatever ‘the plan’ is, it’s a damn good one, it’s carried out and we’ll soon be enjoying watching a competitive team year after year.
TRS86
12/19/2010-2:25pm at 2:25 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah can’t say I fit in any of the categories either. Although I am still trying to find anyone on here predicting 95 wins and a playoff berth. Hell I am still trying to find anyone on here predicting a playoff berth period. Even last year there were very few of us to predict a playoff berth. I think there is a huge difference in admitting the possible and predicting the likely.
TRS86
12/19/2010-2:26pm at 2:26 pm (UTC -4)
Oh and by the way Kingman, no one called you bipolar because you switched early last year. It was how quickly and adamantly you changed, and then changed again, and then changed again.
stickguy
12/19/2010-2:54pm at 2:54 pm (UTC -4)
Here’s a quote that says a ton about what the Mets needs to do to stay in the playoff hunt:
“A return to normalcy for the big guns could be all we need to get the offense back in shape. We get those guys who are out core players, if they can have the years they are capable of having or what you call a good year for those guys, our offense can still be very good”
Certainly fits the Mets, and IMO what has to happen for the mets to be playoff competitors in 2011.
Only thing is, this is a recent quote from Charlie Manual about the phillies. And in the same article, they referred to Amaro as having left very little margin for error (by betting the farm, and more, on the rotation carrying them).
that, and pointed out that last year, the rotation still carried them to the NL east title, but in the playoffs, the team could not overcome an anemic offensive effort (their words, not mine).
Interesting too was another article titled “rotation a one-year phenomenon”? And that is based on the Phillies blowing right through there payroll flexibility, and the piper is coming due next year.
and a big part of that piper probably means letting key vets go, and they have nothing to replace them in the system. Rollins, Lidge, and Oswalt are all likely gone for money reasons. So to all the Met fans worried about the rotation of the ages dooming the mets to the cellar until 2015, it may not be an issue that long (especially is Hamels decides to cash in on FA).
Oh, and often overlooked with Lee is the only way the phillies were able to sign him was by pulling an Omar. He gets 11mill in 2011, then 25mill next year. That might hurt just a touch.
anyway, more to come about the Mets, but I just wanted to try and add some perspective about the big, bad phillies, since it relates a lot to what many Met fans seem to be feeling about the Mets and their future for the next 3-5 years.
rustyjr
12/19/2010-3:00pm at 3:00 pm (UTC -4)
And where have you been young man ?
stickguy
12/19/2010-3:11pm at 3:11 pm (UTC -4)
maintaining radio silence.
I was chatting at MMO the night the Lee deal went down, and the already escalating silliness among the fans that post in the blogsphere exploded into all-out idiocy. I couldn’t take it anymore, and it was impossible to have any reasonable or intelligent conversation at that point.\
so it wasn’t worth the effort to even post a comment, since anything that didn’t consist of “the phillies are the best team ever and will win the division for at least the next 5 years” and “the Mets are a horrible, terrible team, sandy is the antichrist, and they will be lucky to win 60 games next year” was not allowed.
It is hard to have an interesting, intelligent conversation when only 1 side has either quality.
and that is the point of spending time on the blogs (in my case). Otherwise, I have no one else normally to discuss the mets with.
rustyjr
12/19/2010-5:12pm at 5:12 pm (UTC -4)
well you had us worried – I was about to call the funeral homes !
stickguy
12/19/2010-5:19pm at 5:19 pm (UTC -4)
don’t bother. I told my wife to have me cremated and spread my ashes over the infield. Preferably waiting until I am dead first.
njstuckintx
12/19/2010-10:36pm at 10:36 pm (UTC -4)
I want to be cremated and have my ashes be used in a Weber with some charcoal. This way, everyone can have one last burger on me. “he was such a good guy & tastes great in burger form. He’ll be missed.”
metsfan4decades
12/19/2010-7:51pm at 7:51 pm (UTC -4)
Bah, humbug…….is my opinion about the big, bad Phillies.
We’ll be seeing soon enough how this ‘all in’ for them plays out.
metsfan4decades
12/19/2010-7:50pm at 7:50 pm (UTC -4)
Glad to be reading comments from you, stickguy.
Was starting to worry…..
stickguy
12/19/2010-3:00pm at 3:00 pm (UTC -4)
hey TRS, I just noticed when I had to log in that I seem to have word press come up. That mean I can start doing posts on my own? Looked pretty straightforward.
TRS86
12/19/2010-9:14pm at 9:14 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah you have been set up to be an author for a while now.
stickguy
12/19/2010-9:49pm at 9:49 pm (UTC -4)
Then I might just have to figure out how to use it. Just don’t expect graphics or anything fancy!
stickguy
12/19/2010-3:46pm at 3:46 pm (UTC -4)
anyway, my take on the Mets, and progress so far?
Like I have said previously, the mets have the talent (on paper, or whatever you want to call it) to be a competitive team in 2011. Some holes yes, and it does require (as charlie manual noted in the quote I posted above) established, proven, highly paid players to actually perform up to their history and salary.
of course, you can pretty much say this about every team. some have a little better cushion, but it still depends on staying on the field and performing. Guys get hurt all the time. Older guys, even more likely.
As to Sandy, I am surprised to see so little action. Like I have said, Omar built a 2-year team before 2010, by maxing out the payroll and having no big contracts expiring now. So, sandy did inherit the bulk of the team.
I was just expecting more work at the margins. maybe a shrewd trade, or a couple of mid-tier FA signings (they have to add a minimum of 1 legit SP, and frankly need 2). Other than that, they needed a BU C (got a good one), some pen arms (1 I like so far, a couple more need to come).
however, I have to remind myself that it still isn’t Christmas. And hope that much of the low bar setting so far by Sandy is sandbagging. Like in trading places, patience then “buy, buy, buy”.
So as many wise folks have said, at least wait until the team takes the field on opening day until judging the off season as a success or failure.
but man, the amount of vitriol about how awful Sandy is (New Oakland Mets?, moneyballers, etc.) this early is just flat out ridiculous. Sorry that the mets have done the math and don’t apparently want to expand the payroll past 140 or so. Live with it, as long as they take proactive steps to plug the holes as best as possible to compete in 2011.
You can argue that the mets should (are?) punt on 2011, and rebuild. Fine, and I suppose justifiable. But if you are going to do it, don’t half ass. Trade beltran, etc. and go for it. Or get the best ST players you can to make a run. IOW, shit or get off the pot.
really, the only thing that will upset me is if they really end up doing nothing and starting guys that don’t deserve it (or god forbid, Ollie!) and don’t even make it attempt to compete.
so, if they could say get 1 more experienced pen arm, sign Francis and 1 more experience SP of some kind, I think they have enough to be an upper 80s win team, that with a few good breaks (and reasonable health) will be competing at least for the WC until the end of the season.
hell, the 2007 and 2008 teams weren’t any better on paper, and while the end result was disappointing, they went into game 162 each year needing a win to be in the playoffs. And on paper, especially with a new leadership team in place, I see no reason the 2011 squad can’t be at least in the same situation.
oleosmirf
12/19/2010-4:07pm at 4:07 pm (UTC -4)
i’m sure if the Mets had a real legit playoff team the payroll would be higher there just isnt much point spending more just to “compete”
I personally dont care when the signings happen as long as they do something by the time ST games start. Whether they sign Chris Young in December or February has no impact in the long run. Its not like the Mets are gonna wake up one day to find out the player they were waiting on signed elsewhere, they will have a chance to sign the player(s) they want.
stickguy
12/19/2010-4:57pm at 4:57 pm (UTC -4)
doesn’t even have to require spending more (or much more) to give them a better chance to compete. And if they can compete better for a (relatively) small outlay, damn right they should do it.
not saying they should bump the budget 20mill+ like the Phillies did (a classic “win now” team that is going for it all), but I will have a problem not spending say 5mill for a couple of solid role players or that extra pitching that might keep them in the race (and that has no negative impact on the future).
oleosmirf
12/19/2010-6:49pm at 6:49 pm (UTC -4)
well there really isnt anyone on the FA list worth spending money on. why sign someone now when you can get them for cheaper later?
stickguy
12/19/2010-7:16pm at 7:16 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, that was the point of saying wait until the team is done. Unlike some posters (on certain sites that have gone totally wacko) that seem to think because Alderson didn’t finish the team by the winter meetings, the season is a FAIL or that nothing will happen the rest of the off season.
and if Met fans should know anything, it is that winning the off season doesn’t mean squatola.
oleosmirf
12/19/2010-7:47pm at 7:47 pm (UTC -4)
what many fans dont understand is that very few teams go into ST with a set rotation and/or set bullpen.
We already have 3 guaranteed SP (a probable 4th coming by ST) and 4 guys with Igarashi a probable 5th guaranteed spots in the bullpen with 1 more guy being brought in as well so thats 4 SP and 5-6 relievers already decided before ST with some prospects, minor leaguers, invitees all competing for the final spots.
stickguy
12/19/2010-11:15pm at 11:15 pm (UTC -4)
yeah, I would still love to see 2 new SPs coming in, especially if they are dealing in guys with potential issues.
considering that even if they sign Francis, the nominal 5th starter at the moment if Gee who certainly would not be damaged by starting the season in AAA, I got no problem with 2 new guys. Every team needs a 7-8 man depth chart, and with francis + gee the would have a 6th guy of who, Mejia? Misch? Stoner?
yeah, they need more SPs. But, they could already have enough pen arms. but a few more wouldn’t hurt!
oleosmirf
12/19/2010-11:40pm at 11:40 pm (UTC -4)
i highly doubt they will acquire 2 SP on major league deals. I am expecting either Young or Francis along with a few guys on minor league deals to compete with Gee.
stickguy
12/19/2010-11:49pm at 11:49 pm (UTC -4)
that is likely I guess. Considering Young is barely above that, if they get say Francis and add a couple guys that are healthy enough to pitch (most likely), at least that is arms to fight for jobs.
just want to stay away from MiL signing guys like Wang that are at least 50% likely to not even pitch.
njstuckintx
12/20/2010-5:32am at 5:32 am (UTC -4)
Problem with Young & Francis is they are busted goods. With their injury history, only acquiring 1 SP is playing with fire.
So you sign Young. Gee wins #5 spot, so you have Pelfrey, Niese, Dickey, Young, Gee. Young goes down in May/June. Santana is not expected back until July/August. Running with Pelfrey, Niese, Dickey, Gee and Misch is going to be ugly. Or I should say it is going to have a much greater chance of getting ugly than signing 2 SPs, for sure.
oleosmirf
12/20/2010-8:54am at 8:54 am (UTC -4)
well the object is to have more than just Misch in AAA and yes that might be a problem but were going to have to live with it
njstuckintx
12/20/2010-9:06am at 9:06 am (UTC -4)
Well, if that is what we need to live with, I dub 2011 as operation Hope and Retool. Or, “well, there’s always 2012″.
stickguy
12/20/2010-9:12am at 9:12 am (UTC -4)
every team to some degree works with operation cross your fingers, as in X your fingers that certain players don’t get hurt. And few teams have the depth on hand to cover for losing a large chunk of their rotation.
At this point, the Mets seem thinner on depth then even they have been in the past, even if they do eventually sign Francis. So hopefully they do get a couple more ML experienced arms at least for AAA depth.
and going back to adding a “real” SP for multiple years (like Garza), it makes even more sense since it give the fans hope, a better shot at winning in 2011, and is a bulding block for the future.
2012 is a nice concept, but they will still be short pitching most likely, and if you can get one of those parts now, go for it.
oleosmirf
12/20/2010-9:18am at 9:18 am (UTC -4)
unfortunately stick b/c of 3 years of wasted drafts, the Mets dont have the prospects to acquire a SP like Greinke or Garza without giving up our best hitting prospect or best pitching prospect.
metsfan4decades
12/19/2010-7:55pm at 7:55 pm (UTC -4)
‘So as many wise folks have said, at least wait until the team takes the field on opening day until judging the off season as a success or failure.’
This is my mindset – and I’m sticking to it.
njstuckintx
12/19/2010-10:41pm at 10:41 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, man. I’m with you. With the market moving so fast, any sandbagging he may be doing is limiting his options for sure. Wish he would be a little more agressive.
And I’m still willing to see how this all plays out. I’m cool on offense. Pitching is going to be an adventure.
stickguy
12/19/2010-3:48pm at 3:48 pm (UTC -4)
The freaking Giants are trying to kill me. They want to keep the eagles in this game. horrible finishing team.
stickguy
12/19/2010-4:24pm at 4:24 pm (UTC -4)
I hate the giants. Anything you can say about the Mets the giants have been doing 10 fold to their fans.
this was one of the biggest collapses ever. And having to suffer the fools in Philly even more is just another kick in the nuts.
oleosmirf
12/19/2010-4:47pm at 4:47 pm (UTC -4)
well except the giants won the superbowl recently and will still be in the playoffs anyway…
stickguy
12/19/2010-4:54pm at 4:54 pm (UTC -4)
well yeah, there is the occasional super bowl.
playoffs won’t matter this year. Not like they will get through to the SB as a WC.
it kills me that the eagles are probably going to represent the NFC in the SB this year. This is a really bad time to be living in philly when you hate philly sports teams.
gategem
12/19/2010-4:55pm at 4:55 pm (UTC -4)
I’ve been following the Giants since 1956 and this loss has to rank up there with “the fumble.” Some teams have trouble coming back from a loss such as this and in the end it could cost Coughlin his job. There was a total breakdown in the fourth quarter.
stickguy
12/19/2010-4:59pm at 4:59 pm (UTC -4)
my thought when Coughlin was yelling at the punter at the end was he was saying “the last thing I am doing before I get fired is cutting your sorry ass”.
I fully well expect they would have lost anyway in OT, but how the hell does Dodge not kick the ball out of bounds? Even if it only went 10 yards, it would have been fine!
rustyjr
12/19/2010-5:10pm at 5:10 pm (UTC -4)
what do I have to guilt you guys to leave a comment now ? lol