Mets Lacking Mental Toughness

After a 9 run implosion by Johan Santana in a game which every Mets players seemed to be geared up for, the Mets rolled over and died.

They gave up. Their will was broken and it showed. Players swing at the first pitch they see. No one wanted to show some patience and try and inch their way back into the game. They made Moyer, whom they pounded early on, look like he was a virtuoso out there.

While I commented about the grit this Mets team has just a few days ago, I failed to consider the mental grit that is necessary over the course of a long season. Johan Santana is known for being a gamer, but looked like a mental midget out there last night. Now Santana will have these blow up games.He had one last year against the Yankees. He had one the year before against the Mariners when he gave up a grand slam to Felix Hernandez.

The thing about Santana is in both of the last two years, he bounced back from these outings and became virtually unstoppable the rest of the season. Will he do the same thing this year? I hope so. But even more important is for the rest of his team to bounce back...immediately.

To keep the media from piling on that April was a fluke or that reality has finally hit the Mets, they need to go out and win against the Reds. That takes mental fortitude. Something we haven't seen from this ball club in over 3 years.

Tonight's Game on the Offense, Not Santana

Lots of folks are going to talk about Johan Santana needing to pitch a big game tonight; this is why the Mets got him to get big "W's"...yaddah, yaddah, yaddah. The sad reality is, if this putrid offense continues to choke (and yes, David Wright is choking big time) then we will have yet another embarrassment to endure. What happened last year is no doubt in the Mets' heads. Only 2 hits off Jamie Moyer? Are you kidding me? That is hilarious. David Wright, popping up to right field with 2 outs, 2 men on? Predictable. It's downright inexcusable how many times he's failed to come through in big spots. 

So, Johan, pitch the way you've been pitching all season. David Wright on the other hand, go out and get us some big hits, something you've haven't done in a long, long time. 

There was a Phillies fan who called in on WFAN the other night after the Phillies won 3-0. He was gloating, rubbing it in, and said Greg Dobbs and Victorino are more clutch than Wright or Beltran. Sadly, I can't even argue with that.

Notes on Opening Day

Brad over at Bugs & Cranks put together some notes on the final Opening Day at Shea Stadium. Besides having a National Lampoon's European Vacation reference the post is full of some hilarious insights.

My favorite anecdote is "Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate to have Bill Buckner throw out the first pitch at Shea?" Why didn't Wilpon think of that. That would have been a scene for the ages. Mookie could have played catcher!

Check it out at Bugs & Cranks. And the Jamie Moyer dating Mary Magdalene reference had me rolling.