Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

Uh oh – I think my “black just doesn’t look good” panel needs a little more work.  Holy crap…

On the 1969 Baltimore Orioles as Cyclops, the 2007 Mets as the lotus fruit, and José Reyes’ free agency as the choice between a six-headed monster and a deadly whirlpool:

“So many stirring moments in The Odyssey can be recast in Mets terms — at least with some creative stretching. The massive Cyclops, putting the immovable boulder at the entrance to his cave so that Odysseus and his men have no chance of getting out alive? Surely those are the 1969 Baltimore Orioles, supposedly unbeatable, yet the Miracle Mets found a way. The lotus fruit, which causes anyone who eats it to stop striving, to just relax and while away the hours? Surely that fruit was consumed by the 2007 Mets, as they complacently sat on their division lead; that team never realized until it was too late that once you eat the lotus, you can’t stop eating it. Scylla and Charybdis, one a six-headed monster, the other a devastating whirlpool? There is no good choice here; whichever way Odysseus’ ship sails, men will die. Surely that was the decision faced by the Mets front office regarding Jose Reyes: the Scylla of signing an injury-plagued shortstop to a long-term contract that would extend well past the point when his greatest asset, his speed, would cease to matter, or the Charybdis of losing their most exciting player to a division rival.”

via Mets Hofstra Conference Excerpt: The Odyssey — The Sports Section.

And what was never in doubt was whether he hit well enough to stay at the position. Through 75 plate appearances, Murphy is posting a 130 OPS+, right around the 126 he gave the Mets last year. Among major league second basemen, that puts him fourth this year, behind only Ian Kinsler, Jose Altuve and Kelly Johnson. Again, 75 plate appearances isn’t enough to draw a conclusion, but Murphy now has 1205 of them in his major league career, and a 113 career OPS+ in those PAs. So we have a pretty good idea that Murphy is far better at the plate than the average 2B.

via Daniel Murphy, Second Baseman | The LoHud Mets Blog.

By the mid- to late seventies, the Mets mascot has disappeared. Why? Perhaps one reason: Mr. Met marketed to the nuclear family, but in the mid- to late seventies, the U.S. has begun to experience a steady increase in the divorce rate. One could draw the conclusion that the intended target of the franchise during this era has purposely shifted from the nuclear family to the single male.

In 1994, Mr. Met reappears. Let’s take a broad look at society in 1994: The economy is thriving, and individuals have some discretionary funds. The reappearance of Mr. Met at this juncture seems tied to a corporate milieu. And what about in 2012? As the franchise struggles financially, Mr. Met is being utilized to assist in addressing those issues……

via The Metamorphosis of the Mets Mascot — New York Magazine.