But you know what? I'm really having fun watching this team.
It could be the euphoria of a sweep of the Miami Marlins or the struggles Reyes was having at the plate during his return to Citi Field, but regardless the 2012 Mets are fun to watch.
Only this Mets team could make you feel like there are meaningful games in April. After the doubleheader disaster against the Giants on Monday, the Mets were perfectly stage for early season implosion. Lose 2 of 3 to the Marlins and they would be buried under .500 for the foreseeable future. On Twitter, Mets fans across the web were talking about how this would be the last time the Mets saw .500.
But then they exceeded our expectations. Late inning comebacks. Rookies playing clutch baseball. Minor leaguers replacing injured starters without losing a beat. Solid pitching and gritty play were all ingredients added to the mix during the Marlins series.
Justin Turner's at bat in the bottom of the 9th yesterday may have been the most fun I've had watching a player not get a hit. Seriously. He goes down 0-2 and then somehow fights his way back to a full count after fouling off what felt like a game's worth of pitches against a guy who regularly destroys the Mets. It was the most exciting walk in half a decade for Mets fans.
Captain Kirk's heroics to end the game were great, but it's the play of Murphy, the surprise success of Thole and the overachieving of the bullpen that's made this young 2012 season so entertaining.
The Mets are fun to watch. The pitching can still be suspect, but the product on the field is 10x better than I expected on Opening Day. And this is with Ike Davis being dazed and confused for the better part of a month.
The Mets are dysfunctional.. I can admit that. From Omar to the Wilpons to the seemingly perennial injuries there's always something going wrong with this organization. But for the first time in a long time, it doesn't seem to be affecting the spirit and production on the field.
Let's go Mets.
Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/Mets
2 comments:
I agree overall, but...
Empty stadiums? They are right in the middle of the league in attendance.
I mean it's not 1986 with a packed house every night, sure, that will take time as people regain confidence with the team. But "empty" is a stretch.
When the PAID attendence is 1/2 of the stadium capacity and a lot less bottoms in the seats, I would say that the stadium is about 1/3 full. League attendence doesn't pay the bills. Rear ends in the seats do.
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