I Just Want To Say Thanks...
There are no words right now that can give me or you any comfort or peace.
After all, what can you say about a team that literally had it all and yet gave it all away?
What do you say about a team that had so much talent and not enough heart?
Over the next few weeks I will analyze this once promising season, one game and one player at a time. I've held back these last few weeks so that I could do the right thing and support my team through thick and thin. For now I will just sit back for a few days and reflect on what went wrong this season and what went right. Although the negatives seem very glaring right now, there were also many positives. It's okay to be angry and upset right now, but don't spend the whole off-season lamenting. We here at Mets Merized Online won't let you!
I do want to take some time to thank every single Met fan that has graced this site with their presence this year. Writing for you has given me great pleasure and allowed me to make some enduring friendships.
I also want to thank everyone on our team for their dedication and commitment to a season that was full of excitement and never had a dull moment.
Your hard work was a credit to your standing as a true Mets fan and a huge compliment to Mets Merized Online.
I want to give a special thanks to Kelly who has been the creative genius behind this site. I also want to thank Brian M and Andrew for their non-stop commitment to excellence with their previews and recaps throughout the year. I want to also thank Tessa, Dave, Jon, Brian N, Ryan and Derek who were with us from the very beginning of the 2007 season and never missed a beat all season long with their weekly columns.
A big thanks to Joe M, David S, Denise, Adam, Greg, Joey B, Shawn, Matt, Mike and Milo who joined us mid-stream but still delivered great posts as the season wore on. I also want to thank Mets beat writers Adam Rubin, Mark Hale, and John Delcos for their time, their knowledge, and their insightful blogs and interviews. Finally, I want to thank our friends at Shea Nation, Metscentric, Mets Board, The 'Ropolitans, Bleed Orange and Blue for their help and support throughout the year.
Despite the sad outcome of the 2007 season, the days I spent writing my blogs and reading your comments, were all days well spent. The Mets are still a great franchise and a first class organization. The team will always be a big part of my life. We are all one big family where we all hurt when the Mets hurt, and we are all overjoyed when the Mets win. This year didn't go our way, but next season will be much different and full of even more excitement.
This is not the end of the line for Mets Merized... only the end of the 2007 season, and the beginning of the 2008 season.
Pitchers and catchers report in only 17 weeks, and the Winter Meetings are only a month and a half away!
I'll say thank you one more time and leave you all on that note... at least until tomorrow!
Lets Go Mets!
Comments
Joe. It's been a pleasure writing blogs for your site. It's been a tough season, but I'm sure we'll make up for it next year.
..and don't count me out for blogging next year! I'm in!
Posted by: Ryan | September 30, 2007 8:57 PM
Thanks a million Joe D, this blog is unlike any other I've ever seen and I have no intentions of not contributing next season. Next year will be fun to follow, hopefully they can win it all!
Posted by: Milo | September 30, 2007 9:07 PM
Thanks Joe - this is a great site and I always make it one of my daily stops. Looking forward to the Mets chatter this offseason.
Posted by: Fred | September 30, 2007 9:14 PM
Milo and Ryan, thanks for everything, you guys were awesome and I appreciate the times you covered game recaps for us. It's such a shame the season had to end this way. I want you guys to know that you are always welcome to write a blog, both now and in the future. I've always loved your insights and your shoot from the hip styles. I will be sending an email out early next week to see if anyone wants to maintain a regular weekly column, and if you are interested, just let me know. METS IN 2008!
Posted by: Joe D | September 30, 2007 9:21 PM
Thank you Fred! I have enjoyed reading your comments, and you were one of the guys that always called it like it was throughout the season.
Posted by: Joe D | September 30, 2007 9:22 PM
Joe, I'm up for a blog during the off-season.
Just hit me up with some info in the next few days.
Posted by: Ryan | September 30, 2007 9:27 PM
Joe,
This site is one of my favorite places to be. I really enjoy being a part of it. Thanks for having me and don't think for one minute I'm taking the offseason OFF ;)
Your creative Mets friend!
Kelly
Posted by: Kelly | September 30, 2007 9:29 PM
I just wanna say thank you guys for a new blog everyday I read them religiously and if it wasn't for yall I wouldn't be so knowledgable of the next game. All in all I just wanna say 2007 wasn't meant to be but there is always next year and hopefully we can bring one more world series trophy to shea, hey she deserves it. Thanx for a great season and yall were the battery of my hope even til the end. Thanx once again for it all.
Posted by: alvin | September 30, 2007 9:38 PM
Thanks Kelly, I'll wait until January before I order some new Spring Training graphics from you! ;-)
Alvin, I have no doubt that Omar is already reflecting on this season, and that when he is ready to make some moves, he will fix all of the problems that plagued us this season. I agree with you and I believe Shea Stadium deserves one more World Series before they tear her down. Thanks for your support!
Posted by: Joe D | September 30, 2007 9:48 PM
Joe I told ya a couple weeks ago i was down for a column here and i'd gladly do a weekly thing in the offseason!
Let me know
And BTW my mets lineup for next year (without any trades that will occur)
1B Delgado
2B Castillo
SS Reyes
3B Wright
LF Alou/Chavez
CF Beltran
RF Milledge/Gomez (I Hate to say it but i don't think Green is going to be coming back. I love the guy, but i just don't see it)
C Ramon Castro (After Lo Duca's inability to do much the last week and a half or so of the season, i think he'll be on the chopping block, as much as i like him as well)
SP's - Maine, Perez, Humber, Martinez Sosa (Gotta put him back in the starting spot) & El Duque (Glavine will either retire or go back to Atlanta)
Relief - Mota, SWeis, Wagner, Heilman (I started liking him this year), Feliciano & Callazo
That's what i would do before any trades or such
Posted by: Travis | September 30, 2007 10:35 PM
I want to thank all of the bloggers. I started coming to this site halfway through the season and it has turned into an every day stop for me now.
Posted by: B_Grease | September 30, 2007 10:35 PM
it was a pleasure writing for this site while i did. i think for now my mets blogging days are over, but im probably going to start another one in time for next year's season. For now, I am just going to be a reader of all these wonderful mets blogs like metsmerized.
Lets go mets!
Posted by: Tommy | September 30, 2007 10:36 PM
17 weeks that won't pass fast enough...
Posted by: Johnny | September 30, 2007 10:45 PM
This site is ef'ing awesome. I love it, I check it every single day, and I can't thank you enough for keeping it up. And I have to say, after the heartbreak today, it was nice to be able to come to this site and know that you all felt the same exact way I did. Kind of like a support group, LOL. Anyway, you guys rock. :)
LETS GO METS 2008!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Rissa | September 30, 2007 10:53 PM
Joe D you have a great site, i check it 3 or 4 times a day at least. To all the bloggers you gyys write great articles, I definatly enjoyed reading all I could. Being in Vegas its sometimes tough to get Mets news, but you guys gave it to me and for that I say Thank You.
17 weeks to go, hopefully there will be some better pitchers reporting and I would not mind seeing LoDuca return and splitting more time with Castro. How bout the Mets fix there mistake from 04 and get Kazmir back.
It still has not sunk in that today was our last game of 08, its a hard pill to swallow right now, but we will be back next year younger and stronger.
Joe D thanks again for the great site that unites all of us Die hard Mets fans....
Posted by: Chris D. | September 30, 2007 11:38 PM
Thanks for taking me on Joe.
Its been a honor, and a privilege to write for you and amongst some of the best Met bloggers out there!!
I will be writing all off season, so be sure to look out for some of my posts! :D
GO METS!
Posted by: TheRopolitans.com -- A Mets Blog | October 1, 2007 12:07 AM
I Love MetsMerized... Keep up the good work!! we're all heartbroken but i still Bleed Orange & Green!!! Guess we just gotta wait for the 2008 Season to come... See What the 2008 Mets have to bring to the Table... Love Peace
-KaRa-
Posted by: KaRa | October 1, 2007 12:45 AM
Great job with the site this year. I hoped on this site in Spring training and got hooked although I still prefer Mets.com fan forum ;o)
Hey what kind of blogs and such do you have in the offseason. Since sports business is my expertise I would be interested in joining the writing staff this offseason if its cool with you.
I am also going to be starting up my own site for fans to help make some changes that MLB needs to make. Obviously the fans are what makes baseball a success. Despite baseball's overwhelming success with record crowds being set and reset each of the last 4 years, there are a few issues that baseball needs to address. My site will be for fans to discuss and vote on baseball issues. I have a bunch of ideas that will be discussed concerning such things as realignment, new schedule format, new playoff format and many info and issues regarding revenue, expenses and payrolls. This is what I do and in speaking with many of my baseball friends over the last year plus many fans do want to see several changes. If we can get the site some significant hits then we can as fans make a statement that MLB will have to listen to.
Posted by: Christian (AKA MetsMan) | October 1, 2007 1:09 AM
Hey Rissa - I read in the previous blog that you are from Miami. I have a place in Miami actually I live there 4-5 months of the year. Usually from Late December to early May. But eventually I will be living there more most of the year. Maybe we can meet up some time. IM me at metsman77 or email at metsman77@yahoo.com some time. I may be going back down to Miami in November this year instead of waiting till December.
Posted by: Christian (AKA MetsMan) | October 1, 2007 1:12 AM
Hey! Well, I don't live in Miami. 10 minutes in the other direction, haha. I'm in South Broward county. - OMG! Next season when the Mets come down, we should meet up at a game, if you're still here. I'll drag my boyfriend and my family and we can show the Marlins that despite it all, theres more Mets fans down here than Marlins fans. :P (though I do that every year anyways lol :P) - I'll IM you :) Or if I forget, my Yahoo ID is rainchyld79. :P
Posted by: Rissa | October 1, 2007 1:18 AM
Joe...Great job this year. I really enjoyed reading your blogs and thanks for doing the interview with me on Metsmerizedonline. I wish 07 could have had a happy ending for us Mets fans.
Posted by: Gary Dunes | October 1, 2007 8:25 AM
Joe, and everybody that makes this site what it is... Thanks for a great site. I made it one of my daily (sometimes 2-3 times) stops. It has been a hard season to endure and I hope this off season brings us all what we want. PITCHING and a stud corner outfielder...I would also be up for an off season blog every day
Posted by: Sean Fitzgerald | October 1, 2007 9:07 AM
Well Joe, as I've said a million times, you are the man!!! You wanna talk about a true orange and blue Mets fan, Mr. Joe D. is it!!! Ever since I got hooked to the myspace Mets Merized it's been on ongoing obsession. Thanks for all the free graphics and contests and sweet blogs and every damn thing!!! We all need some comfort this offseason and we will be depending on the Mets Merized crew. All of you guys are the best and I look forward to reading everyday. These guys sure broke our hearts, but we're gonna hang on for dear life and hope Omar makes some huge moves this offseason. I'll be counting down the weeks until the Super Bowl because when that's done spring training is right around the corner. Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Matt Thompson | October 1, 2007 9:33 AM
Rissa - I don't have Yahoo messenger :o( I have aim but just email me or look for me on myspace we can keep in contact there. More Mets fans the better, bring your fam and friends :o)
Posted by: Christian (AKA MetsMan) | October 1, 2007 10:10 AM
Gary, it was my pleasure interviewing you and sharing your thoughts on the upcoming season. I looked back at one of the questions I asked and found this...
Q: If you were to ask a thousand Mets fans what their biggest concern was going into the 2007 season, I would guess that 999 of them would say it was worried about the starting pitching. What do you think about our starting pitching, should Mets fans be worried?
A: I think with Pedro Martinez unlikely to a pitch until maybe July and with Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez, and John Maine in the rotation they are going to need at least one more strong pitcher if they are to win the NL East.
Besides being a great disc jockey, performer, and die hard Mets fan, it seems you might be a psychic too.
Thanks for your ongoing support and I look forward to interviewing you again next year!
Posted by: Joe D | October 1, 2007 10:40 AM
Matt, KaRa, B Grease, Chris... Thanks for your kind words and you support over this past season. You are among some of our select friends and readers and I greatly appreciated your comments and opinions. I look forward to reading more of you opinions as we enter into the off season.
Posted by: Joe D | October 1, 2007 10:46 AM
Rissa, keep on keepin' on! You are an incredible Mets fan!
Christian, Travis and Sean...
Thanks for being avid supporters and as soon as we figure out who is doing what this off-season, I will get back to you regarding a spot on our roster.
Thank you all!
Posted by: Joe D | October 1, 2007 10:48 AM
This site is great. Thank you Joe D.
Posted by: david | October 1, 2007 10:52 AM
Great season Joe - as always. Thanks so much for the info and graphics. I would be happy to contribute to blogging next season if there is a need for a fresh voice. Please contact me if interested. I propose a metmerized night at Shea next season too! Lets get a group ticket rate and bring all of our myspace friends so we can all meet in person!
Posted by: Allison | October 1, 2007 11:14 AM
Thank you for the chance to write for MetsMerized Joe. I consider it an honor and pleasure to spend games nights with the greatest baseball fans in the world! If ya need anymore blogs from me I'm happy to oblige.Thank you to all of my colleagues at MetsMerized too.Your blogs always made my day. 17 weeks can't go fast enough!
Posted by: Adam Baker | October 1, 2007 12:23 PM