No I don't watch the show !!!!
I am sorry about the absence of this column for the past few days. I have been battling some stomach issues over this past weekend, and unfortunately I had spent more time in my bathroom than any other room in my house – but I’ll spare you the gory details for the sake off decency ( it sucks getting old !) .
The last time I wrote a column, the Mets were still on the fringe of “Wild Card contention” Yes that is overstating the Mets chances, but a chance they had still had in the least. That went crashing down in that 10-1 thrashing by the Washington Nationals this past Thursday. If there was ever a game that had shown that the players had flew the white flag of defeat – it was that game. It was refreshing to see that Terry Collins called his team out directly after that game – something we really haven’t seen since the Bobby Valentine era, and for the most part, this team has responded. They just took two out of three games against the Atlanta Braves ( it could have been a clean sweep if the offense could have given Dickey some run support).
As of today the Mets record stands at 73-80 with nine games to go. They will be playing superior teams such as the Cardinals, Phillies and Reds. One would have to be nuts in order to think the Mets will be able to run the table against these three teams in order to finish the season above .500. No that chance came and went when the Mets traded Carlos Beltran away in late July to the Giants for top pitching prospect, Zack Wheeler.
Do not misunderstand me, I am ecstatic with the job that Sandy Alderson has done thus far. From cutting the dead wood that was Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez, to trading Francisco Rodriguez and his “untradeable” contract, and getting the prized Wheeler for Beltran – a player who the Giants will get no draft compensation for is a coup. And this isn’t even counting how much positive reviews the front office has received in regards to their recent draft.
But deep down inside I hvae to wonder how this team could have finishedif things have broke their way. Would they still be in the thick of the playoff hunt ( playing meaningful games in September) if both Beltran and K -ROD was still on the roster. What if Ike Davis wasn’t sidelined for the entire season from that collision with David Wright, What if David Wright and Jose Reyes spent more time in the line up than on the D.L. What if Johan Santana did come back in late July ? What if Chris Young’s shoulder held up for the entire season and both Mike Pelfrey and Bobby Parnell lived up to their potential ? Would Daniel Murphy had been able to thrive at second base ?
Well I guess in some cases we wouldn’t have been able to evaluate up and coming talent such as Gee, Stinson, Turner, Tejada and Duda. For the most part these young players look as if they will be with this team in one capacity or another in the seasons to come. But I maintain that if Alderson had made very few changes before July 31st, this team may have finished above .500.
That being said, Sandy ended doing what was right for this franchise – as well as for the fan base. He is purging the bad contracts along with the bad players, and hopefully within the next few years this team will be back in the post season again.
And with that said…. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!
Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today include:
Spot starter/middle reliever from ”64-’66, Dennis Ribant is 70 (1941). In his three seasons with the Mets, Dennis had a record of 13-17 with a E.R.A of 3.68 with 2 shutouts.
Reserve outfielder/first baseman from ’92-’93, Dave Gallagher is 51 (1960).In his two seasons with the Mets, Dave played in 197 ga,es and hit a combined.258with seven homers and 49 RBIs.
Our current left fielder, Jason Bay is 33 (1978). It is good to see that his bat seems to be finally waking up. The question is are the fans still pining to embrace him like they originally wanted to – or will he end up being maligned like Kevin McReynolds was.
Mo Vaughn likes to chew the fat every chance he gets !!!!
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10 comments
Anonymous
9/20/2011-11:14am at 11:14 am (UTC -4)
coulda shoulda woulda..
But yeah, they seemed to have the talent on the roster (just not on the filed) to be at least up there with the Cards right now.
Darknova306
9/20/2011-12:43pm at 12:43 pm (UTC -4)
“But deep down inside I have to wonder how this team could have finished if things have broke their way”
So does every fan of every team that misses the playoffs. I still think the team would be hovering around .500 if they had stayed reasonably healthy. The pitching… oy.
Adam "Prismo"
9/20/2011-1:00pm at 1:00 pm (UTC -4)
If the best starter on your staff is about as good as the Phillies’ fourth best starter, your team doesn’t deserve to make the playoffs.
MetsFan4Decades
9/20/2011-1:34pm at 1:34 pm (UTC -4)
I don’t think keeping Beltran and KRod all year would have made much of a difference. Well, maybe we would have finished above .500 but WC contention? I think that ship sailed by mid season b/c of all the injuries. I believe Sandy’s decision to trade those 2 and get what he could was the right one at the time. He waited as long as he could, by his own admission. If we had a better record, and looked like we could have competed, I think he would have thought twice. As it was, we weren’t and he did and I’m more than fine with those 2 trades.
On to 2012…..
I’m still watching the games and rooting for them to win – higher draft pick be damned – but as far as finishing .500, doesn’t really matter much at this point.
Darknova306
9/20/2011-1:54pm at 1:54 pm (UTC -4)
Can’t complain about Sandy’s moves at all. They’re why I like him, he’s not stuck in the Omar-esque delusion of “we’re just one guy away”. He’s doing what’s right for the team despite any possibility of fan backlash, and that should be commended.
I’d also still be watching all the games if I hadn’t been moved to 2pm-midnight shift at work. I still have weekend games, though.
MetsFan4Decades
9/20/2011-11:56pm at 11:56 pm (UTC -4)
2pm to midnight? Ugh. I probably wouldn’t be too happy with that shift either, especially at this stage of my career. However, I suppose any shift/job is better than no job.
MetsFan4Decades
9/20/2011-11:56pm at 11:56 pm (UTC -4)
2pm to midnight? Ugh. I probably wouldn’t be too happy with that shift either, especially at this stage of my career. However, I suppose any shift/job is better than no job.
Anonymous
9/20/2011-4:24pm at 4:24 pm (UTC -4)
JBay hasn’t even been Kevin McReynolds at McReynolds worst!
…….And mind you that I’m no Kevin McReynolds fan.
JBay has simply been a disaster!
Even with everything else you mentioned Rustoleum, JBay and Pelf’s
no-show seasons are the difference b/t 73-80 and maybe 83-70……
Anonymous
9/20/2011-8:41pm at 8:41 pm (UTC -4)
The Braves are 20 games over .500. Even if the Mets had not suffered their customary rash of injuries they could not nor would they have contended for the WC. Sandy recognized this and working under the financial restrictions caused by the mess that is the Wilpons he made the proper moves. Insanity is the only result of constantly deluding oneself that this club was only a few injuries away from contending or as they say in Yiddish : “Az der bubbe vot gehat baytzim vot zie geven mein zayde.” (If my grandmother had balls she’d be my grandfather.).
liz fyke
9/20/2011-8:48pm at 8:48 pm (UTC -4)
Sandy Did what he had to. Bear that in mind NEXT season, if things aren’t much better. The pitching won’t be here until 2013 at the soonest, and besides Jose, this off season, DW’s contract comes up NEXT off season. We need a Full-time, MLB caliber CF as well. LOTS of holes to fill,they won’t all be taken care of next year.