But let's not kid ourselves. The season is over. The only argument that can be made is RA Dickey deserves a Cy Young award so for his starts there should be nothing holding us back from fighting to the bitter end. But the other days are just merely a means to another disappointing end.
While I've enjoyed the recent 4 game win streak and taking a series from the Phillies, the thought still lingers in my mind that we lost 4 straight to the pitiful Rockies and even splitting that series would have made things a whole lot more interesting let alone if we swept them.
There's also the thought that as soon as the Mets come back to Citi Field another massive losing streak awaits them because they've show no sign of life when playing in Queens. So we can go through the motions now, I will still watch games and cheer for this team, but for the most part it's time to move on.
Move on to what is the bigger question? I'm not talking football or basketball or hockey. I'm talking about what are we going to move onto specific to the Mets. At this point I feel like the Mets should just have a computer run this team. The guy in your fantasy league who does "auto-draft" always seems to end up with a half decent team where the guy who over thinks every pick often finds himself out of the playoffs.
That's how I feel about the Mets front office at this point. Let's just set it to auto-draft and see where we end up because the human beings making decisions haven't really helped a whole lot.
Sure there's the bright star of Matt Harvey, the hope of Zach Wheeler and the addition by subtraction in 2014 with the departure of Jason Bay, but it's the moves in between that will make or break this team.
Just look at the bullpen as a reference point. It is the most overhauled portion of the 2012 Mets and got the most attention from Sandy Alderson this past offseason. But even a blind man can see that is the worst part of the Mets. So what's going to happen when they tinker with the lineup? Or starting pitching? Faith is one thing, but blind faith in something that has done nothing to prove it deserves said faith is just idiotic.
Yet that's where Mets fans find themselves. Again. I understand it's a rebuilding process. But what I understand even more is that we've been given no reason to trust those steering this ship.
It all comes down to trust. A team can be bad, but if you trust those who are running things to turn things around, it can still make for an energized fan base. Right now the Mets have no trust left with their fans, that battered group of loyal individuals who pretty soon will not blindly shell out money to watch a sinking ship.
Trust is gone from Flushing. A crowd of Doubting Thomas' gather at Citi Field. It's time to see some action. Or maybe it's time for a rebellion.
6 comments:
Brilliant, and true.
Thanks Patrick.
If you're our of patience already (and you shouldn't be) then nobody can help you. But anyone who thought Sandy and Co. were going to walk into an overpaid, underperforming team, with little to no depth in the farm system, under the shadow of Bernie Madoff, and turn things around by 2012... that person is now going through a SEVERE wake-up call.
Much as Mets fans hate to hear this, but the current regime can't be judged until 2014. They simply can't. It takes time to build a winner out of a loser. Two years doesn't do it.
BTW, I don't believe the bullpen is the biggest problem on this team, not by a long shot. Yes, they stunk in the first half, and stunk bad, but this front office showed us that they were willing to cut dead weight mid-stride, which is a good sign. And this offseason, trading Angel Pagan for Ramon Rodriguez was a no-brainer, no matter how it has turned out.
No, the team's biggest problem now is that it simply does not have a major-leage worthy outfield, either offensively or defensively. If that isn't addressed this offseason, then you can bring back this column and I'll whole-heartedly agree.
But it's too early still. The jury is still out.
If you look at certain franchises, the ones that are successful on a consistent basis, there is one thing they have in common-a very good to outstanding farm system. The Mets have lacked that for years. Now Sandy Alderson comes in and is addressing that specifically. It's not sexy and at the moment and perhaps the next couple of season it does not address the needs of the major league club. The question is do we want an organization that is built to excellence from top to bottom or do we want another quick fix. Omar Minaya gave us the quick fix and we loved it until it all collapsed because he created no foundation and gave out way too many untradable contracts (Wilpons spent a ton under Minaya). I can understand your argument but if you look at the low levels of the system, there are some gems that have been drafted by Alderson and his team, especially pitchers. Some of these players will make it, some will fail, and some will be used in trades for important pieces, maybe as soon as this winter. It takes time but down the road, this is the solution that will make the Mets a contender season after season.
As a lifelong Mets fan, truer words have not been spoken. I'm 44years old and have been going to Shea/Citi for 38 of those years. I usually go on average 7-10 times a year. In the last three years, I've gone maybe 5 times total. Why?? Citi Field is a lifeless, unfriendly ball park with little or no character. Shea, yea it was a dump, but it was fun, and the place ROCKED!
I know a lot has to do with the way the teams have been playing, but I went to Shea when the Mets were bad (Heck, they only went to the post-season 7 times in 51 years) and had a great time, at a reasonable price.
If the Mets are content with a mediocre team, I'm OK with that. Let's make the prices cheaper and get the real fans closer to the action. The fans that presently have all the good seats are listless,dull, and leave in the 6th inning. The "real" fans made this franchise. The "corporate/wall street types, almost killed it.
This is a good post but overstated. Alderson has given several reasons to "trust" him, including the skillful acquisition of Wheeler, the dispatch of bad contracts, and the avoidance of panic trades and signings. His bullpen moves have been misinterpreted, I think: it seems obvious that last winter he did not have enough money to make the good moves we would want him to make. He had to take big risks, including the one-for-two Pagan deal. I don't believe that he really thought Angel Pagan would bring him not one but two good major league players.
That trade underscores for me what is the real and continuing problem for the team: the Wilpons' financial constraints. If Alderson has to work with another $100 million budget this winter, he will again have to make risky moves that he no doubt knows are inadequate.
Finally, I don't think pushing for third place is such a worthless goal: beating out the Phillies as well as the Marlins would be quite satisfying. And I am continuing to enjoy watching Davis, Tejada, Harvey, Niese, and Edgin develop as players. I've followed the Mets since their first season; if I had only paid attention to them when they were contending for first or second, I would have save a lot of time and missed a lot of fun.
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