Once upon a time, not so long ago, the Mets had a top ten prospect named Zack Wheeler who was deemed the heir apparent to their oft-maligned rotation.  It had to be Wheeler, who would assume the role of staff ace.  Especially with the controversial trade of surprising knuckleballer, RA Dickey.  It seemed unanimous that Wheeler, his high nineties fastball, and array of formidable secondary pitches were just months away from changing everything.  That was [...]

If you’ve found yourself uninspired about the 2013 New York Mets.  If you’ve been looking for a reason to get excited about this season. If you’ve been looking for a solitary reason to believe.  Well, the Mets’ 11-2 Opening Day demolition of the San Diego Padres was exactly what you needed. How could you not take notice? The game featured more than adequate starting pitching, solid relief work, clutch hitting and even a grand slam.  [...]

As winter creeps onto the landscape and the offseason crawls along, its becoming apparent that the sweeping changes that were promised by Mets GM, Sandy Alderson, are likely to be held off another year.  Instead of renovating the roster to resemble that of a organization poised for a resurgence, the Mets remain in a holding pattern.  The team’s front office had declared the World Series, then the Thanksgiving holiday and now the start of the [...]

Though to most baseball fans the season has just begun, to many Mets fans it was over before it started. The Mets were welcomed at the beginning of the season by five fans covering their faces in shame with brown paper bags and chanting “sell the Mets.” After being sued for $1 Billion by Bernie Madoff victims, the Mets franchise is now left with a brand new, state of the art stadium that is home [...]

This is a bittersweet moment for me, as this is my last column on MetsMerized, at least as it stands now.  I’m moving on to pursue another opportunity that includes covering the Mets, so I’ll still be involved in the scene.  But I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Joe, the other staff writers and all of you readers who made the last 15 months or so an absolute pleasure for me. I know [...]

Look in the dugout during a Mets game.  If you see Jose Reyes smiling, laughing and dancing, you know the Mets are winning and contending.  If you see him anyway else, they are probably losing.  We saw it happen in 2006.  Reyes led the Mets with 194 hits, batting .300.  He hit 37 doubles, 19 triples and 16 home runs.  Oh, and least I forget he stole 64 bases.  The end result was 97 wins [...]

Along with the state-of-the-art scoreboards and sound system, top-notch restaurant amenities and beautifully manicured baseball field, there is one other notable offering at Citi Field. It is available only to the players, however, the fans are the ones affected by it. It is the curse of Citi Field. I don’t believe in superstition. There is no God of Baseball to wear a headdress for and dance around a campfire while chanting stupid lyrics. But something is [...]

For the first time in six years, the Mets began the second half of the season with a loss, falling a season-low 7 1/2 games behind the division leading Phillies. As if that wasn’t enough, last night the Mets were handed their second straight loss after the break, their eighth shutout of the season, and their fourth shutout in the last nine games. Oh, did I mention that they broke their own season-low record from just [...]

Forget the players. Forget the standings. This is about the fans. It’s that time of year when New Yorkers come together – and get torn apart – over the love of the game and the love of their team. The Subway Series. Whether you are a Yankee fan or a Mets fan, you’re a proud New Yorker. But why is it that in this sport, unlike any of the other major sports, you just can’t [...]