Category: Uncategorized

A guest post from Sparks:

There seems to be a little bit of backlash generating against Mets fans who complain about the sorry state of various things related to the franchise.  As time passes, more and more comments both here and in media commentary include some form of disparagement against expectations of winning, voicing of displeasure, wishing for better, and otherwise taking the Mets “too seriously.”  The theme of “oh, just relax, be quiet, and enjoy the team for what it is” is becoming a recurring one.

To that I say this: I’m all for just enjoying a game of baseball, and if and when the Mets decide to go, “Hey, we’ve just got too much against us to be able to compete on a regular basis, so let’s just concentrate on building some home-grown talent and giving the fans some fun,” I won’t have a problem with that.

However, until then, this is still a major-market franchise with the 2nd highest payroll in the game and a brain trust who insists they’re *trying* to win a World Series in any given season.  To produce–among myriad other things–the biggest collapse in the history of MLB, a barren minor league system, and Luis Castillo at second base for 4 years at $25M under those circumstances is nothing short of ridiculous.

If the Mets don’t want all the grief, there’s a simple solution: quit trying to sell people on that which you are incapable of delivering.  Just come out and say you *want* to be less like the Yankees and more like the Royals and quit trying to do otherwise only to fall staggeringly short in every way.

DyHrd posted this as a comment, and I believe it’s sincere.  Even if it’s drenched in sarcasm, it’s worth the discussion.

After watching the 1976 Mets Yearbook, I really want to root for the Mets in the mid-late ’70s.  They look like a team that I could get behind, from 2 years before I was born.  Someone, please, tell me what happens after that season.  There seems to be a black hole until 1984.

1977 was my first season following the Mets. At about 7 years old it was mostly about baseball cards and the fact that I lived off Roosevelt Avenue.   That there was this other team winning the World Series in that scary place called the Bronx (where the fires and Son of Sam were) meant nothing to me.  Dad took me a few stops on the 7 and we saw the Mets.

Basically, Dick Young ran Seaver out of town.  You can read a very long recap here in the Daily News.

June 15, 1977 came and the Mets shipped off #41 and Kingman.  Even at 7 that stung.  I maintain that on paper, if you’re going to trade The Franchise, the trade made sense.  They got a young lefty, a starting 2B, starting OF and some other stuff.   Unfortunately none of that panned out.

Meanwhile, the Mets had no true owner.  Long-time owner Joan Payson had died, and the family had no real interest in running the team.  So fewer people came out, to see no-name stinky players, and the Yankees won back to back in a brand new (sort of) ballpark.

I think 1979 was as bad as it gets.  63 wins.  788,905 fans (back when MLB counted actual fannies, not tickets sold).  I remember going to games when the upper deck was closed.

In 1980 the Mets finally got a new owner in Doubleday who brought in a new GM in Frank Cashen and new team president Fred Wilpon (who owned 1% of the team).

1981 and 1982 are forgettable.  I could look it up, but that would defeat my premise that they were forgettable.  SOme fun players named Mookie and Hubie (Brooks) showed up.  My boy Lee Mazzilli was dealt away for someone named Darling.

This entire period was awful.  You’d watch the All-Star game and there would be one Met (Lee Mazzilli or Stearns or a guy yo’venever heard of Joel Yongblood).  None of them started.

Seaver would do things like pitch no-hitters and pitch playoff games.  In a Reds uniform.

Oh yeah, the Yankees played in the World Series in 1981 again.

Some slogans came and went…”The Magic is Back”, “Catch the Rising Stars”, none of which was true.

1983 had one memorable game.  Opening Day.  Seaver was back.  I will never ever forget the way he walked in from the home bullpen in right, and instead of using the tunnel he walked down the right field line.  To this day it’s my favorite on-field memory, well except for the time I met Tom as a kid, a story I must share one of these days.

The sun began to rise in 1983.  The Mets fleeced the Cardinals for Hernandez, and there was a fun outfielder with a cute name Strawberry.  Good things were about to happen, and 1984 would become my favorite season ever because of all the garbage above that I lived through.  All I knew was this crap.  I didn’t see ’69 or ’73.

The reason there is a black hole is that there’s nothing to tell you about.  Nino Espinosa.  Richie Hebner.  George Foster.  George Bamberger.   Alex Trevino.  The return of Tim Foli.  An annual battle for 5th place against the arch-rival Cubs.

Any old-timers care to jump in and comment or correct my memory where it got foggy?

Thanks to Big League Stew and Yahoo Sports for including Mets Police in their New York Mets Blogbook.

Check it out and you’ll find some other cool Mets blogs, and the twitter feeds of the beat reporters (who do a great job on twitter).

Wow this ain’t cool…

Remember the 1986 Lets Go Mets Go video?

“I was never a Mets fan,” Piscopo said. “I only did that video so I could get my kid inside [Shea Stadium] so he could play on the field.”

Full story here. Kids, I told you Shea was packed with front-runners that season.   If you siffered through 1979 it was very annoying to watch the trendy folks act like life-long Mets fans.

Other blogs will do (and probably already have since I’m watching this at about 9pm) a better job recapping Omar on Hot Stove, so I thought I’d just do my Mystery Science Theater 3000 version…

…how many times is he gonna say “bottom line” and “full autonomy.”  The bottom line is that he has full autonomy and that’s the bottom line which is that he has full autonomy.

Did he really just say “when you’re able to bring in a Henry Blanco?”   Am I a fool that is unfamiliar with Mr. Blanco’s resume?  I mean he did hit 7 points abouve his career .228 average last year.

Burkhardt is doing a good job going right at it, such as saying that the Jeff said the Mets would be about pitching and defense.  Now Omar is telling us how Bay is an upgrade in left.  I mean, I guess it’s better than having me out there, I guess.   “I believe Daniel Murphy is going to get better at first.”  So the improved defense is Bay and hope.  Awesome.

“We identified John Lackey as a difference maker.”   Yeah…and…..? (no answer and Kevin didn’t chase it)

The old line about how the Mets were picked to go to the World Series last year.  (I was one of those guys.  It’s a year later, I’m allowed to see things differently.  I also thought the 1987 Mets would make it).

Hahaha he just said “the Japanese Guy” – if he’s going to do it, I’m going to unretire my “Japanese J.J. Putz” joke.

Yeah!!! Kevin just called him on “that’s alot of ifs” (paraphrasing).   You go Burkhardt!

Kevin asked if he fears for his job if the Mets start slow.  Omar’s initial response was a big grin and “I have a three year contract” before he caught himself and said something about NYC demanding winning.   He ain’t going nowhere and he knows it.

As Omar media appearances go this wasn’t the worst

What did y’all think?