" Happy New Year !!!"
Well here we are on the verge of a new year and needless to say 2011 can’t get here soon enough !! Yes us Mets fans have spent the the last twelve months watching our team spiral in a into athe pit of ineptitude . We have stood by, watching helplessly as this painful passion play has unfolded. Whether is was the lack of qualitiy free agents or the fact that Omar and Jerry were not let go before last season started the root causes of this teams descending into the abyss is moot. Because in some respects this team was never really given a chance to win.
Yes this team was in contention until the first weeks of July. Hell they even fooled a apathetic fan base into thinking that maybe this team could make the playoffs. But some times we want to believe even when the writing on the scoreboard says otherwise. This past year we have seen it all. from the Jason Bay press conference to Jose Reyes’ thyroid problems. There was “Knee Gate” starting Carlos Beltran and “Kung Pow – Enter The K – Rod“. We saw bullpen meltdowns and the occasional on the mound flare ups between manager and pitcher ( who could forget the incidents between Jerry and Mike Pelfrey and Jerry versus R.A Dickey).
We had concussions and broken fingers, torn labrums along with rape allegations and the occasional outbreak of the base running flu. There was Kelvim Escobar who basically stole 1.5 million while never even throwing a pitch in spring training and Garry Matthews Jr – who we would have paid not to play . We had “ Jerry Watch ” along with ” Where On Earth Is Omar Minaya? ” – which goes to show you that the best shows are not on television.
This team would win only three road series this year – only one was against a team in our league !!
But there were highlights also. We saw three one-hitters last season brought to us in part by Johan , Jonathan Neise and The Dickey. We saw David Wright revert back to his old form – but now if he could only stop swinging at bad pitches. Mike Pelfrey , Angel Pagan and Jonathan Neise took huge steps forward in cementing their status in Queens. Ike Davis showed that he was ready to hand with the big boys while Jennry Mejia showed that he needed more seasoning in the minors.
And amongst all the doom and gloom of last season there was a silver lining. I believe that we all heaved a heavy sigh of relief when both Omar and Jerry were ushered out of Citi Field by team security, and we lavished praise as well as compliments and ovations when the Wilpons did the right thing and hired Sandy Alderson who in turn hired J.P Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta as he main advisors and Terry Collins as our field general . Yes we are filled with healthy mix of anxiety and anticipation when it comes to Alderson’s plan to raise this franchise out of the smoldering embers of past administrations. Yes we might be unhappy that the team is pushed up against the wall budget wise with no type A free agents signings this year, but remember patience is a virtue seersucker is a fabric and LETS GO METS !!! as our rallying cry .
Yes 2010 ranks down there with ’78′,80 and ’03 - and it will be remembered as the year when Flushing imploded, now if only we could find a way to get Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo to join become a distant memory !
And with that said …. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!
Mets alumni celebrating birthdays today are:
Today marks the 49th birthday of one of the most overlooked pitchers in Mets history, Rick Aguilera (1961) .I still wish the Mets never traded him tot he Twins for Frank Viola.
Sadly on this date in 1999, one time Mets pitcher from ’63-’66, Larry Bearnarth passed away.
Los Angeles Dodgers signed pitcher, Claudio Vargas of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 31, 2008. Claudio wssigned as a low risk/high reward pitcher in the fact that he was coming off arm surgery and could be used as both a starter and a reliever . He started the year off well but he was no help when he was used as bullpen help in the waning months of the ’08 season which saw yet another collapse by the Mets.
And while you start putting the champagne on ice and getting your noise makers ready for tonight, just remember that there are just 91 days until the Mets open the 2011 season against the Florida Marlins in Miami and
98 days until the Mets 2011 home opener against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
Mo Vaughn will consume at least four trays of pigs in blankets along with three bottles of Korbel !!!
18 comments
njstuckintx
12/31/2010-1:39pm at 1:39 pm (UTC -4)
Frank V had a couple decent years, but agreed, I didn’t like seeing Ags go in that trade.
kingman 26
12/31/2010-1:44pm at 1:44 pm (UTC -4)
Mo will have only four trays?
Those must be big pigs in those blankets!
Rusty–you are TRDMB’s shining beacon of majestic mirth, our wellspring and tower of knowledge, our keeper and tender of the orange and blue flame of history; you are THE MAN!
I hope you and Mrs. Rusty have a most wonderful, happy and healthy new year my friend!
metsfan4decades
12/31/2010-3:12pm at 3:12 pm (UTC -4)
Rusty, my friend, you will never convince me the 2010 Mets compare with that 1980 team. That early 80s team was one putrid, non talented, collection of keystone cops as I’ve ever seen. That was evidenced by the 5,000 or so fans that bothered to show up nightly. May we never see another team like that again in Flushing.
At least the 2010 Mets had some talent and some shining moments.
‘The Dickey’…..I like it.
stickguy
12/31/2010-5:05pm at 5:05 pm (UTC -4)
not sure how to check, but I will bet my house that the 1980 team wasn’t within 1 game of the playoffs at the ASB (even if you add a fictional WC team!).
truly a strange year, but just finally having the FO clown college replaced, and Jerry out the door, is enough to give me real hope.
Even with the injuries last year, given the surprisingly good SP overall, they should have been able to win more games. Hell,even with Jerry, if Bay hadn’t run into the wall when he was finally showing a little life, Reyes avoided the quad pull, and Beltran didn’t take 6 weeks to come back to life, they probably were in the race until the end.
So, if Bay manages to rebound to normal this year, Beltran is more like his last 40 games from the start, and Reyes does not pull any more muscles, this team should have plenty of offense. If they can survive losing Johan, they will compete.
If nothing else, there should be a ton less dead wood on the roster (even with Alderson pissing off many fans with the lack of exotic moves). so, some better health, better supporting cast, no jerry should be enough to offset a missing Ace. I hope!
Look, I recognize that the last couple of years were a mess. And it led to a major amount of housecleaning for the Met organization, which I happen to think will go a long way to overcome the problems of the past, so I don’t feel the need to expect them to recur (not that they necessarily would anyway, even without new leaders).
I just prefer to make assumptions based on track record, history, reasonable expectations, etc. even factor in key guys on contract years. No Frenchy, Castillo (a boy can dream), GM Jr, Ollie, etc. Instead, a team of guys suited for the role, that are healthy, hungry, and know how to play, with a hard ass running the team setting real expectations.
rustyjr
12/31/2010-5:33pm at 5:33 pm (UTC -4)
Stick & mf4d I meant it in general terms of disappointment – the 2010 team was a good team cut down by injuries & bad managing – sorry if I wasn’t totally clear with my meaning
metsfan4decades
12/31/2010-6:39pm at 6:39 pm (UTC -4)
Ah…I see.
While 2010 was disappointing, to me 2009 was even more so. I had no expectations coming into 2010. I did for 2009 though. And after injury after injury after injury, well….it just became comical. At one point, I figured they’d have to put an add in the paper to recruit players to field a team.
Here’s to 2011 being at least credible and professional. I’ll be expecting at least that much with the new FO and coaches. And just maybe the team will surprise us….
darknova306
12/31/2010-6:51pm at 6:51 pm (UTC -4)
As long as they hustle and show they give a damn I’ll be happy. Watching a team play their hearts out but suck is far more appealing than watching an apathetic group of losers like last year.
stickguy
12/31/2010-7:17pm at 7:17 pm (UTC -4)
For the most part, I think they did play there hearts out. Just hard to notice when the talent isn’t there (for guys that did not belong in the majors to start with) or were playing injured or just having a bad year.
As always, a team is made up of individuals, so name the names. Ollie? sure. But not Pelf, Neise, Dickey or Johan. K rod had a big year (and apathetic is not a word I would use to describe him!) Taka, he had balls.
who didn’t care on Offense? I am sure many will say Reyes, but I think he was taken down by the injuries. Ike? DW? Bay? Beltran? Frenchy was selfish, but not apathetic. Castillo? Sure, I will give you him! And of course, Jerry.
so, IMO, Jerry, Slappy and Ollie were the big 3 problems/cancers/malcontents. And dang, all 3 should be gone for next year!
TRS86
12/31/2010-10:59pm at 10:59 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed, to me 2009 hurt more than 2007 or 2008 because to me 2009 was the death of this team. The realization that it was just not going to happen with this group.
stickguy
12/31/2010-11:17pm at 11:17 pm (UTC -4)
that’s part of the beauty of baseball. you just don’t know. But they have at least 1 more year to try (depending on how you define “this group”)!
And for sure, you won’t have much left by 2012 of even the team from 2009. Johan if he can still even pitch, Pelf, Wright, K rod if the option vests, pagan. That would be about it. so not much.
kingman 26
12/31/2010-5:50pm at 5:50 pm (UTC -4)
1980 All-Star break:
38–40, 4th place, 4.5 GB; 7 GB of the non-existent WC.
stickguy
12/31/2010-7:26pm at 7:26 pm (UTC -4)
hello crap batman, they really sucked after that, since they won just 67 games. Based on that, I would have thought they would have been worse.
interesting though, it caused me to look at the historical standings. Other than only 1 WS title (and appearance), the Mets were really a dominant team for a long time. IOW, what we all hope Sandy can bring us back to.
a 7 year run of 90,98,108,92,100,87,91. 4 90s, 2 100s, and a low of 87. Hard to complain about being competitive or relevant there!
most surprising to me was the “warm up” year of 1985, with 98 wins (I had forgotten they won that many), and in 1987 even decimated by drugs and injuries they will won 92, and another 91 in 1990 when the party was over.
more titles would have been nice, but it was better than the 7 year stretch beginning in 1977 where the never made it out of the 60s! Now that was irrelevance, and makes the late 00s look good by comparison!
kingman 26
12/31/2010-8:34pm at 8:34 pm (UTC -4)
Well, if you really want to look at the excellence of that magical era, if a wild card had existed, the Mets would have been in the playoffs in:
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1990
And as for 1980, BaseballReference.com is the holy grail of this stuff–1980 Mets schedule–just click on Sunday July 6 for the standings that day:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYM/1980-schedule-scores.shtml
Stick–I really hope you and yours have the wonderful, happy and healthy new year you deserve. Thanks for being one of the people who make this place what it is.
stickguy
12/31/2010-7:42pm at 7:42 pm (UTC -4)
another fun fact. in 2010, the average age of a batter was lower than any year since 1997. and the last 3 years pitching average age were almost identical, and again you have to go back to 1997 to be lower.
maybe 2010 was a rebuilding year already and they neglected to tell us!
gategem
12/31/2010-8:48pm at 8:48 pm (UTC -4)
Perhaps the Mets will surprise even the hardest of cynics (like myself) and have an exciting 2011 season. After all at this point that’s all we can hope for. Tonight lets all raise a toast to the future of this organization and this blog and all the people associated with it.
Here is my wish to all my fellow Mets fans at TRDMB and their families for a very Happy and Healthy New Year.
rustyjr
1/1/2011-12:04am at 12:04 am (UTC -4)
Happy new year my friend !!
stickguy
1/1/2011-12:21am at 12:21 am (UTC -4)
OK, it’s 2011. Now what the hell has Alderson done this year?
Oops, sorry. wrong blog…
njstuckintx
1/1/2011-7:54am at 7:54 am (UTC -4)
Happy New Year. My brain hurts.