Mets fans make it clear who their choice for the NL Cy Young award is

As we all saw with the 2012 Gold Glove award, the best player does not always win. Maybe the sportswriters of America wanted to give Padres fans to be excited about. Maybe the rapid downward spiral the Mets took in July hurt David Wright’s chances. And as much as I like Chase Headley, the best defensive third baseman did not win the award.

The only other meaningful award that a Mets player could possibly win in the 2012 NL Cy Young award. To me, this is an award that could go to one of three players: R.A. Dickey, Clayton Kershaw, and Gio Gonzalez. Throw Johnny Cueto into the discussion if you want, but it’s coming down to those three pitchers. Any one of them can win the award, but I, like many other Met fans, would be extremely surprised if Dickey doesn’t win.

We all know Dickey’s numbers by now. He led the league in innings pitched (233.2) and strikeouts (230). Not to mention, he also led the league in shutouts (3), complete games (5), and was second in ERA (2.73) and wins (20). Dickey was also our first 20-game winner since Frank Viola. I think it’s amazing that Dickey won 20 games on a team that only won 74 games. He pretty much cemented his Cy Young campaign after he pitched back-to-back one hitters against Baltimore and Tampa Bay.

The pitcher that might take some votes away from Dickey is Clayton Kershaw, and really, he’d probably be the only other pitcher I’d be okay with winning the award. Kershaw led the NL in ERA (2.53), had the highest WAR among NL pitchers (6.2; Dickey was third with a 5.6), while allowing the fewest walks and hits per 9 IP (1.023). Kershaw is second to Dickey in strikeouts (229) and innings pitched (227.2). I don’t know if the Dodger’s August collaspe will hurt Kershaw, but I see him as the only formidable opponent that Dickey has in this race.

We all knew Gio Gonzalez was good in Oakland. He just had the misfortune of playing for bad Oakland teams in a tough AL West. Gonzalez gets traded to Washington and explodes. He led the league in wins (21) and also had the highest amount of strikeouts per 9 IP (9.346; Kershaw had a rate of 9.053 while Dickey posted 8.859). I’m not knocking Gonzalez, but I think it’s a lot easier to win 21 games when your team goes 98-64. Gonzalez will probably get votes because he played for the best team in the regular season, but his season wasn’t up to par with Dickey, Kershaw, and even Johnny Cueto or Matt Cain.

R.A. Dickey and Clayton Kershaw were the two best pitchers in the National League. Sure, the New York guys will vote for Dickey and the Los Angeles guys will vote for Kershaw, but I think this race is still very much up in the air and it isn’t a lock for anybody.

It seems like a familiar enough scenario: the Mets play the Marlins for the final series of the year. In a must-win series, the Mets lose two out of three.

Why does it seem familiar? Because it’s happened far too much in recent memory for Mets fans to even forget it. The only difference between this year and the Metsian collapses of 2007 and 2008 is that this time, none of the parties involved are playing for anything but dignity.

I don’t know what’s going to happen today when Jeremy Hefner steps on the hill, but hopefully he does better than Tom Glavine’s 2007 lackluster effort. I hope that he does better in a crunch situation than Scott Schoeneweis in 2008. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment for the Mets that year was learning how to spell Schoeneweis.

I hope Hefner goes out there and proves that he belongs on this team in some capacity. Despite one epic hiccup against the Phillies, Hefner has otherwise been effective whether he starts or goes out of the pen. There have been times where he’s made me look like I know something about fantasy baseball.

I don’t understand why the Mets let the Marlins get to them year in and year out. It’s not a heated rivalry like the Mets/Phillies rivalry or even the Mets/Braves rivalry. When the Marlins beat them two out of three in the final series of the season, it means the Mets go out on a losing note. R.A. Dickey was lucky to come out of last night’s game with the no-decision as the Mets continue their streak of making mionr league pitchers look like Cy Young.

What got me about last night’s game is that the Mets struck their two-out lightning magic and then couldn’t harness that magic and turn it into a victory. We certainly had the (W)right batter up at the right time and he certainly got that clutch hit, but as the Mets went further down the lineup, their offensive woes certainly began to show.

After Ike Davis bats fourth, there’s no protection. If Jason Bay or Andres Torres comes up, your inning is basically over. The Marlins, and any other person who has watched video of the Mets in 2012, have figured it out and used it to the best of their advantage.

To me, winning the last game of a series means so much more than winning the first two games of a series. If a team is on a losing streak, winning the last game of a series may allow them to go into the next series on a victory high. To win this last game would mean that the stench of defeat wouldn’t stink so badly.

The Marlins have gotten the last laugh against the Mets far too often. I want that to change. I want the Mets to really get to the Marlins today. I want them to say, “Yeah, you took the series, but we won the last game.”

I want them to go out as winners.

I get asked why I still care about the Mets. They’re going anywhere, Jessica. Why still listen to them, unless you want to get the most out of your MLB At-Bat subscription? The truth is, there’s still a lot to listen and watch for. R.A. Dickey will be going for his 21st win of the season and on a team that has as many wins as the Mets do, that’s no small feat. It will be interesting to see how the Mets play this final series. Do they play the series like it’s Game 7 of the World Series or do they play it because they have to play 162 games?

Either way, when the last pitch is thrown on Wednesday, I’m going to be bummed out. Not because we missed the playoffs or because it’s a fourth straight season with a sub-.500 record, but I’m truly going to miss this team. The 2012 Mets, despite their win-loss record, gave me a lot to be excited about this season.

R.A. Dickey, despite his 8-13 record in 2011, was the best pitcher on our team. We expected him to have a better year, but he exploded this year and they’re engraving his name on the Cy Young award as we speak. Dickey was responsible for nearly a third of the Mets’ victories this season and I loom forward to seeing more from him in 2013 and beyond.

This July, even though we fought it, we saw the MLB debut of Matt Harvey. Harvey pitched to a 2.73 ERA and struck out batters left and right, but his record definitely should reflect better. I was also happy to see Jon Niese make it through a full season without getting hurt, and he was rewarded with career highs in strikeouts, innings pitched, and starts. Next year, I hope Niese is able to continue to prove that he is worth his five-year contract.

After struggling at the beginning of the season, with some fans calling for his demotion, Ike Davis came back and slammed 31 home runs this season. I don’t know about anybody else, but with the way Davis started the season, I was not expecting him to come back and hit 31 home runs. I can’t wait to see how Ike starts in 2013, if he gets off to the hot start that we need him to, then I expect Ike to be able to hit 40 home runs in a season at his prime.

Even David Wright’s quest for .400 at the beginning of the season kept us watching, with many skeptics to how long Wright’s (and the team’s) hot streak could possibly last. When Wright is hot, the team is hot. When Wright struggles, the team struggles. It was nice to see David bounce back this year after missing nearly two months last season with a back injury. I think if Sandy Alderson wants to build a winning team, you start with Wright, Davis, and even Harvey, and build a team around them and what they can do.

2012 had its moments of disgust, but overall, I felt way more optimistic about this team’s chances than in the last three seasons. More often than not, we’ve pitched to stay in games and rallied with two outs to score a run or two. More often than not, I said, “Hey, we have a chance today.”

I’m sad for this season to end because we have so much to look forward to next year. I just hope we can go out on a winning streak.

As of September 20, the Mets sit in 4th place by one game and six perentage points. Our elimination number is two and Barney Stinson is closer to smoking his next cigarette.

The only thing as equally Amazin’ as our 4-23 home record post-All Star break, including 15 straight home games where we scored three runs or less, is the fact that we still sit in fourth place. Are the Miami Marlins that bad of a team that they can’t win two more games than the Mets? Or have the Mets’ successes away from Citi Field helped them avoid the cellar?

I think it’s a little bit of both. During the first half of the season, when the Mets were sitting three games out of first, it was the Phillies who occupied the cellar and made the Marlins look like a better team. Then the All Star break came… Ryan Howard & Chase Utley returned from the DL and Giancarlo Stanton went down for the Marlins. Stanton is the only guy on their team hitting home runs (34) and bringing runners home (81 RBI).

But Jessica, how does Stanton getting hurt help the Mets? Stanton missed about six weeks, including the All Star Game and the Home Run Derby, which he was favored to win. At the trading deadline the Marlins also decided to trade Hanley Ramirez, arguably the face of their team, to the Dodgers. Without perhaps their two most prominent bats, how does a baseball team expect to win games? Good pitching has to help good hitting and vice versa. Neither team has seen much success with that formula, but the Mets squeak by on that front.

The other element that people might contend with is the new dimensions at Citi Field. I think I’ve seen only a handful of home runs that wouldn’t have been home runs with the old dimensions. The walls were brought in to help the Mets players, especially guys like Jason Bay, Ike Davis, and David Wright. Only Ike Davis has hit more than 25 home runs this season. Jason Bay hasn’t even hit 10. Maybe the Mets have seen enough success away from their home field to keep them out of the cellar? Let’s take a look.

The Mets are 7-5 in their last 12 road games, and have a 36-39 overall record away from Citi Field, after going 43-38 away from Citi Field in 2011. Overall, the Mets are 9-14-1 in road series this season. David Wright has a .324 batting average on the road, which ranks among the best in the National League. Ike Davis has hit 20 of his 27 home runs away from Citi Field and his .258 road average looks way better than his .186 home average.

I still check the standings daily to make sure the Mets haven’t slipped into the cellar yet. It’s very possible; 11 of our last 14 games will be against division rivals, including two sets with the Marlins. All the Marlins have to do is win four of their six games with the Mets. The only good thing about finishing in dead last is that the only way you can go from there is up.

However, there is one thing that my dad and I tend to disagree on and that is the future of David Wright.

Of course, when it comes to David Wright, I tend to become borderline fangirl, but I get where my dad is coming from when he says the Mets shouldn’t be paying David Wright an enormous sum of money if they are just going to continue losing. Why should David Wright get Ryan Zimmerman money if he plays for a team that is just going to lose down the stretch and isn’t ready to compete with the powerhouses in their division? When we talk about the playoffs, we are usually speculating that 2015 or even 2016 as out time to compete.

By 2015 or 2016, David Wright will be 33 years old. My dad is one of those people that seems to think Wright’s best years would be behind him, and that he actually peaked in 2007 and 2008. However I think that if David Wright takes what he was doing at the beginning of the year and harnesses it into something positive and longer lasting, then he still can still be that guy that was flirting with .400 back in the first half.

The real question for me is if David Wright can be a career Met.

If Peyton Manning can’t play with the Colts for his whole career and Albert Pujols can wear a different team’s red, then what’s standing in the way of David Wright to test the free agent market?

Obviously, many teams would be very happy to sign him; I’m pretty sure that the Colorado Rockies, who put in a waiver claim on him this year, just as they did the last year, would be very interested. Why? Because Wright performs extremely well at Coors Field.

My dad seems to think that Wright will not be a career Met.

He could very well pull a Mike Piazza and spend the last years of his career being a designated hitter in the American League.

I on the other hand, hope that David is a career Met and that when he retires, the Number 5 goes up on the wall at Citi Field. Having your number retired is the highest honor that any New York Met can have and I sincerely want David to be here long enough to make it happen.

Yeah, it’s September. The elimination number on the Mets is six. On October 3, Mets baseball will become dormant for the winter as the Wilpon family and Sandy Alderson try to re-sign David Wright and R.A. Dickey to long-term contracts. Or at least that’s what I hope they’ll do.

No, the Mets won’t be a .500 team this year, but that plan went moot after the Mets had horrendous homestand after horrendous homestand. They believe in homefield advantage about as much as they believe in comebacks (remember that slogan?). Sandy Alderson has recently expressed confidence in Terry Collins and his coaching staff as the season winds down, but the future of the coaching staff will be discussed in the next seven to ten days.

Most Met fans I talk to on Twitter have moved on to football season, either rooting for Big Blue or Gang Green, with a few Cowboys fans thrown into the mix. While I go for Gang Green myself, I remain a baseball purist, loyal until the last out. I still listen to Howie Rose and Josh Lewin on WFAN, thanks to advances in modern technology.

People wonder why I even still bother with the Mets. They have the worst bullpen in baseball and can’t win a game at Citi Field if it was handed to them on a silver platter. As Robin Ventura once said, “Mets fans are born, not made.”

My dad, brothers and I still have conversations about the Mets. Whenever I need to complain about them possibly shutting down Matt Harvey or about how Jason Bay can’t hit his way out of a paper bag, I call one of them. We even talk about the deals the Mets are (or aren’t) making in the offseason. We see eye to eye on most things, but if you bring up trading David Wright, I will shut you down.

The Mets bring my family together. Whether we are in Florida, New York, Hawaii, or Alaska, the Mets provide a common discussion piece amongst the DeMattia’s. It’s not over until it’s over for the DeMattia family. And then we start talking about 2013.

Being a Mets fan is a birthright I am grateful that my dad passed down onto me. I can’t let September get me down; it’s just like any other September in franchise history.

We Welcome Back Jessica To MMO!

She is one of the most passionate Mets fans I know, and I mean passionate! She entertained our readers for almost four years beginning back in 2007 and was one of the crowd pleasers here at MMO for her skills as a writer and her great blend of pessimism, optimism and sarcasm. We are glad to have her back to share her personal journey as a Mets fan.

You can read more from Jessica on her MLB Blog entitled It’s All Mets To Me. Or you can follow her on Twitter at @JessicaBrooke5.

Reyes was following up a physical for the first spring training game, he didn’t make the trip to play the Braves, and he didn’t appear on any split squad. Now, the Mets are saying that Reyes is being tested for a thyroid imbalance, just one day after clearing Reyes to play today.

I really hope the patterns of 2009 don’t come back to haunt us. First, we lose Beltran, and now Reyes can’t play until he gets the results back from his thyroid examination. Last season, in many cases, the Mets mishandled the injuries to their team. We went from contenders to bums in just under a month.

I still have a lot of questions about this Mets team, but one of them shouldn’t have to be about the condition of one of our star players. The Mets should have said yesterday that he was going back to New York for testing. If the Mets were more straightforward with their fanbase, I feel there would definitely be less treading waters between the Wilpons and the fanbase.

However, I do feel that this Mets team is in better shape than last year’s squad. We have guys to cover the guys and hopefully the minor league guys are building experience before we thrust them into New York.

We want the truth, not, “Oh, he’ll be back today……PSYCH!”

Sure, we made an offer to Jason Bay, but it is for four years and Bay wants a guaranteed five years. We signed Chris Coste, Henry Blanco and made an offer to Bengie Molina, because apparently, Omar Minaya’s goal this offseason is to sign every free agent pitcher on the market.

Well guess what? We can say next year is our year all we want, but I’m tired of waiting! I’m tired of Omar Minaya signing the same type of player. I’m tired of our rotation falling apart in the middle of August, I’m tired of our core players not performing when it really matters, and most of all, I’m tired of the ownership doing nothing about it. And the sad part about the whole thing is that ownership doesn’t feel the need to do anything because they know once Spring Training rolls around, we’ll all be rooting for the Mets, albeit with our eyes covered. The only thing that the Wilpons and the front office have done for the fans was send an email saying that “sorry we sucked, maybe we’ll do better next year.”

Well, when this time next year rolls around, the whole “sorry we sucked, maybe we’ll do better next year” thing won’t cut it. They should really send a letter that says, “sorry that Omar sat on his hands the last two offseasons and signed 37-year-old and 38-year-old catchers and we will fix it.”

I understand that the Mets can’t sign every free agent player on the market. I would gladly welcome Jason Bay (back) to the Mets. But our rotation is one huge hole that should have taken precedence over acquiring an outfielder.

The Mets made a blip on the playoff radar in 2006, but lost thanks to a Scott Spezio triple and the most infamous 2-run home run in Mets history. 2007 was an epic collaspe and 2008 was deja vu. 2009….don’t even go there.

Every off-season, we make our wishlists: “I hope they sign Matt Holliday!” or “I hope we acquire a #2 starter!” or (on the top of my wishlist) “They should just get a bionic arm for Johan Santana.” Every offseason, we watch Omar Minaya sit on his hands as the Yankees buy their 27th World Series ring.

The difference between the Yankees and the Mets is that the Yankees say their committed to winning and they show their fans that. The Mets say they’re committed to winning and that means a 20% hike in ticket prices.

The Mets haven’t done anything worth talking about in the last three years, unless the conversation is about futility in Mets history. They haven’t tried to improve the team by fixing the holes in our roster *cough* left fielder *cough*. Omar Minaya and Wilpon family may say they are committed to winning but I was always taught that actions speak louder than words. So, Omar, show us you want to win; show us you are committed to this team. Until Omar shows us he wants to win, I hate to say it, but I agree with Wallace Matthews.

This season, some really crappy decisions were made and I was anxiously awaiting the day where we called up the Brooklyn Cyclones to replace the Mets. Or at least for the day where the Mets would have to hold open tryouts. Luckily, that didn’t happen.

With the news that Jose Reyes tore his hamstring while testing his torn hamstring tendon, I feel like we are very near the bottom. The bottom would be a firesale (although it has worked for the Marlins). Jose Reyes is the face of our medical blunders, playing in 36 games and being listed as day-to-day for 12 days before being placed on the 15-day DL. I hope for our core’s sake, he does come back in time for spring training.

I don’t think firing Jerry or firing Omar is the answer. You can’t blame Jerry for trying to work with what he’s got, which was essentially David Wright and AAA Buffalo. The lack of depth in the farm system does ultimately fall on the general manager but Omar has made some good moves in the past to try and help us. Getting Frenchy has to be the deal of the year. Hopefully, in the offseason, we can TRADE for a legitimate left fielder, as that position has been a black hole for the last 3 seasons. I do think, however, both of them should be placed on tight, tight leashes. I think the only coach I would retain is HoJo; sure, we’re dead last in home runs but we’re 2nd in the NL in batting average, an eye-opener to me.

While most fans have undoubtedly moved on to football, I’m still checking scores and watching high(low)lights. I’m still a Mets fan; I have to see the end of this atrocious season. LGM.

The Mets continue to amaze me, not by their winning-ness, but by their lack there of and how quickly they went from “Ya Gotta Believe” to “Ya Gotta Be Kidding Me” (and that’s the family-friendly version, folks). I knew it was bad when SportsCenter made a Not Top 10 based on our team alone but I didn’t think it could get worse. Apparantly, the Baseball Gods think differently.

I’m not surprised when the Mets fathom up some new way to lose. Casey Stengel would be rolling in his grave if he could see these Mets! Not covering first base, dropping routine pop ups, the Mets have done it all. Maybe they would throw in a win or two to change things up a bit, but nothing major. The Nationals may be in last place, but even they went on a 8-game winning streak. The Mets longest run ended at 4.

It’s the middle of August and I officially have no more expections for the Mets. I was hoping we could flirt with .500 but even that seems like too much. I just want everybody to come back healthy and ready to play next year. For now, Mets Nation turns its lonely eyes on the well-being of our third baseman. We can’t mess this one up guys.

Billy Wagner, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, John Maine, Fernando Martinez, J.J. Putz, and now Fernando Nieve all fell to the injury bug and we don’t know when they’re coming back (my money’s on Wagner coming back first). I’m tired of hearing about all of the injuries, I’m tired of hearing Jerry Manuel say that we gotta truck along and stay in contention. I’m wondering if Jerry got the memo that we’re not in contention right now. I don’t know about the rest of the Mets blogosphere, but I’d be happy if we broke .500 with the team we’re fielding day in and day out.

As much as I hate to admit it, I am warming up to Frenchy. However, I don’t think that trading for him was The Move to light a fire under this team. And giving up the entire farm system for Roy Halladay is not The Move either. Getting somebody like Beltran back from the DL would help us tremendously. I think we should just get through the rest the season, and hope for a high enough draft pick that Omar Minaya will probably end up forfeiting to sign a Type-A free agent.

I’ve pretty much convinced myself that 2009 is not our year, unless a miracle happens. Hey, it was 40 years ago yesterday that man walked on the moon! But I don’t blame Omar, and I don’t blame Jerry. Maybe the medical staff and the strength and conditioning staff but not Omar and Jerry.

Even with this team, a part of me inside still believes. I got that from my dad. Happy birthday…and LETS GO METS!

I keep going back to the 1962 Mets, trying to figure out what the difference was between this current depleted Mets team and the scraps from the other teams that were used to establish this team. The 1962 Mets were the worst team in modern history, going 40-120 and they were 60.5 games behind the NL Champ San Francisco Giants. Sure, the 2009 Mets may be in second place right now, but they aren’t doing anything to catch up to the Phillies OR try to run away from the Braves (who are now only a half game out of second).

The 1962 Mets were bad. Their pitchers allowed 948 runs, which was the most in the majors that season. Our pitching staff, I feel, does their job by keeping this team in the game (except for the occasional blowout); the offense lets them down. The leading hitter on the 1962 Mets was Felix Mantilla, and he only hit .275! Craig Anderson wishes he had K-Rod’s 20 saves but his 4 saves led the team.

The 2009 Mets, I believe, are worse than the ’62 Mets. They are uninspiring to watch. They make Little League errors and have already stranded the population of Rhode Island on the base paths. The only thing we have going for us is David Wright and his NL-Leading .348 batting average. My only hope for this team right now is that the front office realizes that we totally stink and try to make it better, even if it means giving up Fernando Martinez or Daniel Murphy.

The 1962 Mets were at least likeable. They were an escape from the Pinstripes of Evil. Sure, they lost, but at least Mets fans back then thought it couldn’t get any worse. It just did.

The Mets are hurting right now, with John Maine being the latest to bite the dust. The bright side of Maine’s placement on the disabled list is that we didn’t wait 12 days, a la Jose Reyes. Instead of him potentially having 1 or 2 bad starts, the Mets can now give someone like Fernando Nieve or Nelson Figueroa a chance.

Even with eight players on the disabled list (at the latest count), the Mets are finding ways to get it done (most of the time). It’s easy to get frustrated with the B-Mets because we’re down two starters, a power bat, etc., etc. When I found myself longing for the days of health but a legitmately bad team, I knew we were in dire straights.

We’re only four games out of the division race and it’s the beginning of June. We could be like the Nationals, who may already be pondering next year’s first overall draft pick. We’re still in the race and the great thing about baseball is that we could go on a 10-game run and be in first place.

We face the Yankees tonight at (New) Yankee Stadium. Livan Hernandez, who I truly think is underappreciated, is on the hill tonight. The Mets are 14-6 in series openers, including an 8-1 record on Fridays. David Wright and Carlos Beltran are absolutely on fire. I would love to have at least Delgado back to give us another power bat, but I’d rather not rush him. I wish Jerry would play Daniel Murphy; if Murph’s just going to keep the bench warm, then I’d rather see him in the minors, where he’s gonna be able to play every day and become a better player.

The Mets are going to be healthy again one day (hopefully soon). But for right now, I think the B-Mets are doing an okay job, even with this last series loss. So change that ya gotta bereave to a ya gotta believe!

LGM-YGB

“Now I have gloating rights. Sox won 12-5.”

Okay, so I rubbed it in when the Mets won on Friday…..and came back in the ninth to stun the Sox on Saturday but yesterday’s game was just pathetic for the Mets. We had two leads and we blew them both and how the heck did Takahashi drop the ball? Needless to say, I was visiting my grandmother and was spared pretty much the whole game.

However, I think we did pretty good on this road trip. We went 5-5, which isn’t a winning road trip, but it’s not a losing one either. We won 2 of the 3 series that we played in. Considering that half our team is hurt, I’m surprised that we didn’t have a worse road trip since we’re relying on our bench.

Both David Wright and Carlos Beltran had excellent trips, even with Beltran’s knee. Omir Santos came through with another Omir-acle and I really hope they keep this guy up because he’s also making Ramon Castro a better player. I like Gary Sheffield’s presence in the line-up, even though anyone can also argue that they’d rather have Fernando Martinez in the line-up.

With the Mets reluctancy to put anybody on the DL *cough* Reyes *cough*, we as Mets fans have to hope for the best. We’re playing a three-game set against the Nationals, and while I don’t want to sound cocky or anything, but the Mets can afford to rest the players that need to be rested. It’s still early enough in the season to bounce back.

Oh, and I told my BFF that the Mets let the Red Sox win and that they were lucky to avoid the sweep =)

LGM. YGB.

As a rivalry is renewed this weekend, I would like to remind you that the Mets beat the best team in baseball eleven times to seven last year. Okay, so the Mets got off to a 10-12 start, but quite frankly, I’d rather go 7-10 in my first 17 games than in my last 17 games.

I’d also rather have my best player be in a slump now than in September. Going back to 2007, our best player was in arguably the worst slump of his career and if I recall correctly, he ended up with better numbers than the so-called NL MVP.

If the season hasn’t gone over well with the New York media, then I suggest they get a bat and glove and take Oliver Perez’s place in the rotation or a place in left field. The Mets aren’t playing to please the media; they are playing for the enjoyment of their loyal fanbase.

You talk about being some of the most supportive fans in baseball. How come when things start to go bad for the Phils, you can hear the faintest of “Lets Go Eagles” chants at games? Where were you when the Phillies became the first team in any sport to reach 10,000 losses? Mets fans have stuck my their team, through the good times and the bad and the ones that didn’t have now put on their Yankees hat.

You can go on and on about how you’re “the team to beat” and about how the Mets are “choke artists” or about how Mets really stands for “My Entire Team Sucks” or “Miserable End to September.” Really, the whole bit is getting old. I think you need new insults in the arsenal.

The Phillies may be the team to beat but the Mets will be the team that beats them. LGM

Sincerely,

Jessica DeMattia

Welcome to the first regular season installment of Hot/Not.  In an effort to write about what the Mets actually have going for them, all I could think of was Johan Santana. Our ace is 3-1 with an 0.70 ERA, which is tops in the National League and second in the majors (Zach Grienke still has a 0.00 ERA). Santana’s 37 K’s also lead the majors.

The ninth inning of any Mets game will be interesting; it’s a cardinal rule for the Mets. Yesterday’s 2-run rally by the Nationals wasn’t enough to make me think less of K-Rod, excuse me, Frankie Rodriguez. Our bullpen keeps the team in the game, even though I am already fearing that these guys may be overused.

Offensively, Carlos Beltran and Luis Castillo are getting the job done. They are hitting .400 and .383 respectively. Beltran was recently moved from fifth to third in the lineup and Castillo seems back to old form, hitting well no matter where Jerry puts him.

As for the bad, I could go on and on about how too many runners are left on base, there is uncertainty in the rotation after Santana, and David Wright who seems to be thinking too much at the plate. But I decided to keep this post positive.  The Mets need all the positive vibes they can get… and maybe a bionic arm for Johan Santana.

LGM

As the eve of baseball season approaches us, and national media outlets remind us that we were choke artists for the last two years, it is reassuring to know that these same outlets believe that we can a) win the division, b) make it to the World Series, and c) win.

I hope the addition of Gary Sheffield bolsters our lineup; I hope he gives us the pop we need at the bottom of the lineup. I hope Mike Pelfrey can continue upward and pitch his heart out that first night in Citi Field. I hope Oliver Perez grows to be a consistent pitcher. I hope Luis Castillo doesn’t become my permanent scapegoat. I hope Jose Reyes once again leads the majors in stolen bases. And most importantly, I hope we win the World Series.

We’ve waited silently in the wings for three years. We’ve watched as the Cardinals, Red Sox, and Phillies celebrated their championships, and have debated which one hurt most. We’ve watched our playoff run end one too many times for this Mets fan. I think the Phillies have awoken a sleeping monster by winning it all.

Even though Shea was home, I will always think of Beltran striking out with the bases loaded, Tom Glavine’s 1/3 inning of torture, and Scott Schoeneweis giving up that home run to Wes Helms. Lets make new memories for Citi Field, starting with a crisp new World Series banner.

LGM

The Good
For any Mets fan, hearing that your ace may miss their Opening Day start is never a good thing. Then you remember that they’re playing the Reds. And then you say to yourself, “I’m glad Jerry’s being careful with Johan.” I’d rather lose Johan for one or two starts in April than for the whole month of September. In the mean time, Jon Niese and Bobby Parnell have shown why they should at least be considered for the rotation. Luis Castillo has also surprised me this spring. I may have to give him a cookie. And the best news of all….Jose Reyes and Fernando Tatis are back in Mets camp after the Netherlands stunned the Dominicans!

The Bad
Angel Pagan, after showing once again he deserves a spot on the Mets roster, got hurt. I really hope he isn’t a younger version of Moises Alou. I also believe that Freddy Garcia is nowhere near ready to be the Mets 5th starter. I’m all for letting Niese or Parnell have a shot. The Mets have also shut down Tim Redding, which means there will be a spot on the roster for a long reliever. Port St. Lucie may very well become an infirmary.

22 days until regular season! LGM

The Good
*Jose Reyes looked really good coming out of the three hole this week. At first, I was opposed to this move because his stolen base count might go down, but I’d rather see him drive in more runs than swipe more bags.
*At first I was a little annoyed with Luis Castillo for not showing up to camp earlier. But to hear reports of him showing up to camp having lost weight and being able to run with Reyes were encouraging. Then in the first spring game, he got 4 RBI and I now I have hope that this year will be better for Luis. I’m not on the bandwagon yet, though.
*At this early stage in spring, it looks like Livan Hernandez is the front-runner for the 5th rotation spot. Of course, with troubling reports about Johan Santana, whoever loses this battle may get a second audition after all.

The Bad
I will not rip anybody yet. I will not rip anybody yet. I will not rip anybody yet, unless your name is Freddy Garcia, then I shall rip you (see below).

It’s troubling to hear the reports about Santana’s elbow. It’s troubling anytime the ace of your pitching staff is hurt. I slept better at night knowing that the first game of the regular season was in the bag. I hope, as every Mets fan does, that it is nothing serious and Johan will be lights out come Opening Day. If he is not, I really hope the Mets are looking for more than just a 5th starter. And I hope that Mike Pelfrey gets the nod.

The Freddy Garcia
Ah, now the time has come to talk about Freddy “Start me or release me” Garcia. I know he hasn’t pitched in the bigs since ’07 and I know it’s still early. But he walked into camp expecting the Mets to make them their fifth starter when he knew like 4 other guys were competing for the job. On the outside looking in, I think we all knew Garcia had the most to prove. He took about three giant steps back if he wants that 5th starter role. Jon Niese makes his case today; I would love for the Mets to build on a rotation of young guys.