I think I was kind of in disbelief last night. I agree with a lot of what I wrote, but as I woke up this morning the dread of the season being over hit me pretty hard. No more baseball and no more Mets. Before I go any further I just wanna address this team. I have been a pretty big critic about their attitude of thinking they are better than they are, including how they handled the Willie Randolph firing. I will call out one guy for this attitude. Carlos Delgado. He had a great final 3 months of the season and could have been the MVP, but when he makes comments like "we have the talent to dominate the division", then he pisses me off. This team lost 2 straight years to the Phillies. The Mets can deny it all they want, but the Phillies have proven time and again over the past 2 years that they are the better team. Until the Mets either win the division or beat the Phillies in a playoff series, then they need to shut up about them.
Anyway, I'm glad the Giants are coming off their bye this week, and hopefully they will continue to distract me with wins deep into the winter.
Monday, September 29, 2008
I did not want seconds...
Today was a rough one. As if last year wasn't brutal enough, the Mets had to go and break our hearts again. Last year I was in disbelief at this time, but right now it just feels like a reoccurring nightmare. It is nowhere near the collapse as last year, but the bottom line is that this team did not play well down the stretch and blew a lead for the second straight year.
After the loss set in last year, I felt anger and betrayal. I didn't look forward to a new season, I just wanted to erase the past. I can honestly say that right now I want the 2009 season to start as soon as possible. With a new bullpen of course. I am not that naive Mets fan that just looks at the bullpen and places all the blame. I will be the first guy to point out how David Wright gave us nothing in the clutch. There is no arguing the fact that this Mets offense lives and dies by Jose Reyes getting on base, and in too many of these Sept games, he has disappeared. One thing I won't do is rip Carlos Beltran. Until he wins a championship in New York, everyone will point to that last pitch in 2006 against the Cards, but if you look at his career fairly you will see a guy who has been a big time player in big time games, at the plate, in the field and on the bases.
So once again, where do we go from here? I don't know how Omar will go about it, but we need a closer and a complete overhaul of the bullpen. I am pretty sure that we have seen the last of Heilman, Schowenweiss and at least one or two others. We locked Castillo into a long-term deal at 2nd base which looks very ugly right now. I honestly don't know where the Mets go as far as the line-up is concerned. Daniel Murphy looked very good late in the year, and he should get a chance to play somewhere everyday in Spring Training. Delgado will have his option picked up and I don't see Reyes, Wright or Beltran going anywhere. I think the catcher platoon worked out pretty well, but if they can find an improvement at that spot then there really is nothing stopping them.
What I would love is to acquire a guy like Brian Roberts from the Orioles. Obviously the Castillo contract hurts in that regard, but I just feel that this Mets offense relies way too much on Reyes. We need a high on base guy with speed to pair with Reyes at the top of the line-up to take some of the pressure off of him. Roberts is the perfect guy for this team, I just don't know how they can maneuver it. As for starting pitching you are bringing back Johan, Maine and Pelfrey. I would also sign Perez to 5 yrs 60 million if thats what it takes & let Pedro walk. Find a 5th starter among young guys and cheaper options.
Look, until the Mets prove they can win in the clutch, people will make fun and question them. I don't blame them. If I wasn't a Mets fan I'd be the first guy saying that they need to change the core of this team now that changing the manager did not change they play in September. At the same time though you need patience. I know patience is tough when youngsters like Ryan Howard and Ryan Braun are winning games for other teams, but you can't act irrationally. Look at the NFL. The Eagles lost three straight NFC title games, but they stuck with their guys. I know they brought TO in, but he wasn't around in the playoffs when they made their Super Bowl run. The same thing with Peyton Manning and the Colts. They stuck to their game and eventually won it all. I think that patience is key, especially in day and age. As for right now, I will root for Torre & the Dodgers, as well as the Rays. I have to watch baseball, but it won't be easy. This is the life of a Met fan. We know its never easy, but there is still so much potential on this roster for the future, especially when I compare it to days gone by (early to mid 1990s). I know that is overly optimistic, but after last years collapse, I feel like I have gone through the absolute worst and I can handle anything when it comes to this team. I am ready for some better times though...
After the loss set in last year, I felt anger and betrayal. I didn't look forward to a new season, I just wanted to erase the past. I can honestly say that right now I want the 2009 season to start as soon as possible. With a new bullpen of course. I am not that naive Mets fan that just looks at the bullpen and places all the blame. I will be the first guy to point out how David Wright gave us nothing in the clutch. There is no arguing the fact that this Mets offense lives and dies by Jose Reyes getting on base, and in too many of these Sept games, he has disappeared. One thing I won't do is rip Carlos Beltran. Until he wins a championship in New York, everyone will point to that last pitch in 2006 against the Cards, but if you look at his career fairly you will see a guy who has been a big time player in big time games, at the plate, in the field and on the bases.
So once again, where do we go from here? I don't know how Omar will go about it, but we need a closer and a complete overhaul of the bullpen. I am pretty sure that we have seen the last of Heilman, Schowenweiss and at least one or two others. We locked Castillo into a long-term deal at 2nd base which looks very ugly right now. I honestly don't know where the Mets go as far as the line-up is concerned. Daniel Murphy looked very good late in the year, and he should get a chance to play somewhere everyday in Spring Training. Delgado will have his option picked up and I don't see Reyes, Wright or Beltran going anywhere. I think the catcher platoon worked out pretty well, but if they can find an improvement at that spot then there really is nothing stopping them.
What I would love is to acquire a guy like Brian Roberts from the Orioles. Obviously the Castillo contract hurts in that regard, but I just feel that this Mets offense relies way too much on Reyes. We need a high on base guy with speed to pair with Reyes at the top of the line-up to take some of the pressure off of him. Roberts is the perfect guy for this team, I just don't know how they can maneuver it. As for starting pitching you are bringing back Johan, Maine and Pelfrey. I would also sign Perez to 5 yrs 60 million if thats what it takes & let Pedro walk. Find a 5th starter among young guys and cheaper options.
Look, until the Mets prove they can win in the clutch, people will make fun and question them. I don't blame them. If I wasn't a Mets fan I'd be the first guy saying that they need to change the core of this team now that changing the manager did not change they play in September. At the same time though you need patience. I know patience is tough when youngsters like Ryan Howard and Ryan Braun are winning games for other teams, but you can't act irrationally. Look at the NFL. The Eagles lost three straight NFC title games, but they stuck with their guys. I know they brought TO in, but he wasn't around in the playoffs when they made their Super Bowl run. The same thing with Peyton Manning and the Colts. They stuck to their game and eventually won it all. I think that patience is key, especially in day and age. As for right now, I will root for Torre & the Dodgers, as well as the Rays. I have to watch baseball, but it won't be easy. This is the life of a Met fan. We know its never easy, but there is still so much potential on this roster for the future, especially when I compare it to days gone by (early to mid 1990s). I know that is overly optimistic, but after last years collapse, I feel like I have gone through the absolute worst and I can handle anything when it comes to this team. I am ready for some better times though...
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