The Reason To Doubt

I have been a die-hard, loyal Mets fan since the beginning of the 2008 season. You may ask how I got to be this much of a Met fan. Well, the truth is, The Norfolk Tides used to be the Mets Triple-A Affiliate until they went to the Orioles. My Dad grew up in Norfolk for most of his childhood, so I sort of started to follow the Tides until I found out the Shocking Truth: They were not actually an MLB team. So through some crazy reason in my young mind, I started following the Mets as I did the Tides. This little seed of a fan of the Mets then started growing. In fact, it grew so much, that it has turned into the sports obsession that I have today with the Mets. I cheer, I boo, and of course I get angry sometimes at my beloved Orange and Blue. But, in the midst of their recent 6 game losing streak, which pushed them down to 3rd in the NL East and tied for 4th in the Wild Card race I finally came to the conclusion that this is just simply not our time. Sure, it’s easy to say that we are only 3 and a half games out of making the playoffs, but really, if you combine our lineup with our brutal schedule up ahead, things don’t add up.

Terry Collins came into the job with the right mentality. He had just been hired as manager of the New York Mets on a brisk, November morning in 2010. Signing a two-year contract, Collins knew what he was getting into. He had just signed up to manage a team that was not heading in the right direction. The Mets had gone from having the best record in ’06 (97 wins) to having 79 wins in ’09. Collins knew that he would have to turn the team around or he would have the same fate as Jerry Manuel, whom Collins was replacing. In 2011, Collins led a team that was predicted last by Sports Illustrated to a forecasted 77 wins, astounding even new GM Sandy Alderson who did not believe his team would hit that level of success. Even though Terry had not led the team to more wins than in ’ 09, Sandy still wanted to keep him around. He liked what he saw in Collins. Terry took advantage of this opportunity by telling the Mets that they can be contenders and that we can “prove everybody wrong”. Well, those words of motivation have helped the Mets this year as again Sports Illustrated predicted them last in the NL East. Even so, the Mets stormed out of the gates and were 46-40 heading into the break. But then, a familiar foe showed up again.

In 2007, the Mets looked like they were going to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year for only the second time in franchise history. As September approached, the Mets had an 8 and ½ game lead over the number two team, the Phillies. Most would say that the division was locked up barring and fatal collapse in the final month of the year. Then it happened. The Mets started to fall on their faces. Losing games, bad starting pitching, and even worse hitting created the perfect storm. That 8 and ½ game lead started shrinking by the day. Mets lose. Phillies win. Mets lose. Phillies win. This pattern continued until the end of September, where the Mets saw themselves looking up at the Phillies, not down. They had just had the worse September collapse of any team in the last 100 years. They ended up losing the Wild-card spot, completing the awful month. Ever since that September, the Mets have never been as close to making the playoffs. In fact, they even collapsed the next year in September, but only losing and 5 game lead this time. Over the years, the negatives of the Mets have been bigger then positives. Since 2010, they have had a winning record in the first half of the year, only to slump in the second half, losing their swagger, and looking up at more and more teams in the East. That’s exactly what it’s looked like this year. Out of the All-Star Break, the team went 0-5, fall to 7 games behind the Nationals.

The Mets are going to need a few more pieces to fall into place before they can make a serious run at the Post Season. Trust me, I can be the most optimistic Mets fan out there, but seriously, our hopes will come crashing down on us. Here are the pieces we need before we start thinking post season.

1. Bullpen Help. This is really an easy one. Our bullpen has the highest ERA in the majors, the biggest gap in ERA between starters and the bullpen. There have been at least 16 games this year where our bullpen has given up the lead in a situation where we could have won. Possible Replacements: Brandon Fuentes, LHP, St. Louis

2. A Power Right Handed Bat. Because Jason Bay is most likely on the trading block for some Bullpen Help, we are going to need another righty that can step in there (other than David Wright) and get pitchers nervous. Possible Replacements: Jonny Gomes, A’s, Josh Willingham, Twins, and Kelly Shoppach, Red Sox.

3. A 1-2-3 Pitching Punch. Matt Harvey could easily be the third piece in the punch short term, but Johan and R.A are getting old. We have young guns in the Minors (Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler) that could help, but I have a feeling that we need one more veteran in there to help Harvey out. Possible Replacements: Ryan Dempster, Cubs, Matt Garza, Cubs.

If these final puzzle pieces fall into place within the next two years, I have hope that we could make the post season in 2014 or 2015, and make a serious run in the postseason in 2016. Ya Gotta Believe!

R.I.P Gary "The Kid" Carter #8. Never Forget Jose Reyes.

Mid-Season Awards

This is the the 2nd of the 4 editions that I will have of awards this year (1st Quarter, Mid-Season, 3rd Quarter, End of Year, and then Playoffs if we make it.) I hope to show you that over the course of just 40.5 games each part of the year, awards will change and stay the same.

MVP: David Wright Previous Winner: David Wright. This award stays with David through the mid point of the year because he has ignited the flame in this offense that has led us to be 6 games over .500 and in contention for the playoffs. He still has a startling .351 average (3rd in the NL) and is tied for the team lead in Homers with 12. Also, hes not too shabby in the RBI department either, where he has 59 of them which is 5th in the NL.

Silver Slugger: Scott Hairston. Previous Winner: Lucas Duda. I give the mid-season award to Hairston because, even though he is not a regular starter, he makes the most of his opportunities. He his 12 Homeruns which is tied with the team lead (Duda only has 11). What is more surprising about Hairston is, if you look at his splits this year against Righties and Lefties, it almost looks as if 2 totally different people were batting. He has a average in the .340s, 11 Homers, and 90 percent of his RBI's against Lefties. Against Righties, Hairston only has a average in the .160s, 1 Homer, and only 10 percent of his RBIs.

Cy Young: R.A Dickey Previous Winner: R.A Dickey. Dickey has almost locked up this award all year if he keeps at his pace. He has an active win streak of 11 consecutive wins, and went for a stretch of 44 2/3 innings without surrendering a earned run. Dickey is tied for the NL league in wins, 2nd in strikeouts, and is stifling more and more batters with his dancing knuckleball each time he starts. Dickey is 12-1 at the Mid-point, What will we be saying by the end of the year? 24-2?

Rookie of The Year: Jordany Valdespin Previous Winner: Kirk Nieuwenhuis This award would have still been Kirk's if it wasn't for his recent slump that he's been in. As for the current winner, 'Spinsanity as I call him, has been clutch in every way possible. Now, his fielding skills might be real crummy, but 'Spin has made up for that by hitting late game Homers (may 7), and showing us his legs. This is my Award To Watch though in the 2nd half because with Dillion Gee being out indefinitely, maybe some rookie pitchers could change my mind.

Best Newcomer: Andres Torres Previous Winner: Jon Rauch Torres, even with his low .200s batting average, still wins the award because he has saved many catches with his glove, stole some bases with his legs, and drawn a lot of walks. Take This: Even with his low .200s batting average, Torres still has an On-Base Percentage up in the .340s. That just shows how many walks he has drawn. Rauch, on the other hand, has dropped to rock bottom, and has caught the Bad Pitching disease from the other bullpen members (Probably caught it from Frank Francisco)

Biggest Disappointment: Our Bullpen Previous Winner: Our Bullpen/Ike Davis. Ike's performance in June got him off the hook for this award, but Our bullpen could not seem to get off it with him. Our bull pen has a combined ERA in the 6.50s, largest in the league by at least 1.00. Now, I'm not trying to say anything good about our bullpen, but with the trade deadline approaching, The Mets are seeking bullpen help from other sources. This could lighten up some of the anxiety that i have every 7th inning when that big metal door in Citi Field creaks open, letting someone out to the real mound.

Biggest Surprise: Ike's Turnaround Previous Winner: Terry Collins managing Injuries. Ike wins the award here for his stellar performance since June 1. Ike has gone from a .160 average to a average just over .210. He has found his power, getting 7 Homers since June, and is once again tied for the team lead. Ike has helped himself out too, by not swinging at pitching 2 feet off the plate, and watching them go by. Ike should continue to improve.

R.I.P Gary "The Kid" Carter #8. Never Forget Jose Reyes.

The Mets' Top 10 All-Stars in History

In Honor of All-Star Weekend, I have come up with a list of the Mets, just the Mets, Top 10 All Stars in the 50-year history of the franchise (with some honorable mentions of course) I will count the Top 10 in this post down Top 40 style, so let it begin!

10. David Wright- Wright, who is the current 3rd Basemen for the Mets Wright now (did you see what i did there), is making his case for the NL MVP this year. But in the last week of fan voting this year, Giants 3rd  Basemen Pablo Sandoval beat out Wright for the starting job for the NL by 1.6 Million votes. Mets fans were up in arms once they heard about Sandoval beating Wright arguing that Wright has had the better year and all that,but it really came down to Giants fans supporting their 3rd basemen more in the final weeks of voting. The stats are thrown out the door. Never mind that, This year is Wrights 6th appearence in a Met uniform, also having appearences in 2006, '07, '08, '09, '10, and now 2012. 

9.  Ed Kranepool- Even though he only did have 1 All-Star appearence (in 1965), Kranepool was apart of many other big things as a Met. For Starters, if you think Bryce Harper is young, think again. Kranepool made his MLB debut with the Mets in their debut season as an expansion team. He was 17 years old when he got the call-up in September of that dreadful season for the Mets. Kranepool went on to be one of the best Mets first basemens of all-time, and was a big part of that 1969 Miracle Mets team that won it all against all odds.

8. Keith Hernandez- Keith, who came to the Mets in a trade from the Cardinals in the offseason after the '83 season, helped the team who had not been good since '69, do a complete 180 turn. After almost losing 100 games in '83, The Mets almost won 100 games in '84. Keith made the All-Star team that year, the first as a Met of the 3 he would have ('86, '87). Now, in '84 the Mets would not make the postseason, but Keith was the one who ignited the spark that turned this team around.

7. Jerry Koosman- Koosman, who barely made it as a Met in 1966, came to be one of the Mets stars alongside Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan in the Mets rotation in the late 60s. He broke the rotation a '68, and was a star in '69, getting a 17-8 record. He pitched in game 5 of the World Series that the Mets eventually beat the Orioles that year. Koosman is also famous because he brought to Met fans a whole new vibe they had never seen before. He rembraced Tug McGraw's "Ya Gotta Believe" slogan and Yogi Berra's "it aint over til its over". This gave Met fans hope, something they had never had before. Appearences: 1968, 1969

6. Willie Mays-  The Say Hey Kid was not a Met for long, and he is famously a San Francisco Giant,  but Mays still has his mark in the Mets organization. After his time with the New York BASEBALL Giants, Mays remained popular in New York. Even though he was aged, when he came to the Mets there was a lot of buzz. Mays was apart of the 1973 Mets World Series team that lost to the Athletics in 7 games. Mays played a season and a half for the Mets from 1972 to 1973, He made the All-Star team both of those years, which is remarkable since he was 41 at the time



5. Dwight Gooden- Doc Gooden, as they often called him, was and still is one of the most famous Mets of all time.Gooden made his MLB debut with the Mets in 1984 at 19 years of age. He quickly became known as one of the most feared pitchers in the game, and played a key role, along with Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter, in the 1986 Amazin' Mets World Series winning team. He played his whole 10 year career with the Mets, from 1984 to 1994. His career would have been longer but he was suspended the whole 1995 season after testing positive for cocaine use. He then retired from baseball forever, but is still a drug mess. Appearences: 1984-86, 1988.

4. Gary Carter- "The Kid" shows up at 4 on our list, and I don't think much has to be said about him. But I will anyway. Carter made a splash in his 1985 debut for the Mets after being traded from the Expos in the offseason after '84. Carter hit a 10th Inning Homer to give the Mets a win over rival the St. Louis Cardinals on Opening in 1985, a nice first impression. His youthful atmosphere spirited the locker room and gave the mets that push they needed to win the World Series in 1986 over the Red Sox. Carter made 4 consecutive All-Star appearences for the Mets from 1985-1988. Sadly All was not well for Carter after his career ended. He was diagnosed with a gyroblastomia tumor and cancer in his brain in 2011. Carter got extensive treatment and chemotherapy on the cancer, but sadly, Cancer won the battle as he died on February 16, 2012, only at the Age of 57.

3. Darryl Strawberry- "Straw" as they called him, you can make an argument for as the Best Met ever. (eventually you will lose though because it is Tom Seaver) Strawberry made his debut with the Mets in 1983, and made his case why he was here to stay. His rare ability (at least in those days) to be able to hit 35-35 guy made him a very valuble asset, especially on the World Champion '86 team. Strawberry was very popular in New York during his prime, but as he declined in numbers, so did his mentalb stability. He was also Suspended in 1995 for his usage of cocaine. After that though, he was a big part, along with Dwight Gooden, a part of the 1996 World Series Champion Yankees club. He also help them in '98 and '99 to win the World Series. Appearences: 1984-90 (7 appearences)

2. Mike Piazza- The main piece in "The Best New York Mets Trade Ever" on May 22, 2012. The Mets traded for Pizza in exchange for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnell, and Geoff Geotz. Let's just say we got the better part of that trade. Piazza helped us make consecutive playoff appearences for the 1st time ever in  1999 and 2000 (where we lost to the Yankees in the World Series). Piazza was known a little bit for his temper, as shown in his famous broken bat incident with Roger Clemens during the playoffs of 2000. In 2001, he gave back to the city of New York, as 10 days after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centers, He homered in the 10th inning of  home game, and gave the Mets the win, and winning for the city. He went on the play very productive years for the Mets until after 2005, when he was not re-signed with the Mets, and went and signed with the Padres. His Number is one of the 4 retired on the "Great Wall of Flushing" in left field of Citi Field. Appearences: 1998- '02, 2004-'05 (7 appearences)

1. Tom Seaver, THE BEST MET EVER, is number 1 on our list Terrific Tom was the biggest part in turning the once dreadful club from 1962-1968 into a contender. His mix of speeds and how he controlled his pitches was so sought out for in those days by scouts, once the Mets heard about it, they jumped at the chance to get him. He proved the scouts right, as he was the captain and leader on the squad. His leadership rewarded him with the Mets turning it around in '69....and well you know the story. Tom's number is one of  4 out on the "Great Wall Of Flushing" in left field in the Mets ballpark, Citi field. Tom has sealed his place in Mets fans' hearts for life and will always be....well Terrific Appearences: 1967- 73, 1975-76 (9 appearences)

R.I.P Gary "The Kid" Carter #8. Never Forget Jose Reyes.





Willie Mays