The series sweep of the Rays once again showed that the 2012 Mets are a resilient group of players.

Something that I don’t think has been written about enough is their knack for bouncing back after tough losses or a stretch of bad baseball that has them on the fence of falling out of contention.

So far this season they have overcome adversity and stormed back to reclaim their spot in the race for a playoff spot time and time again. Every time we get swept or have a bad stretch that drops us back to .500, the team has surged over the next few games to get back to 5 or 6 over. It has happened at least 3 or 4 times already this season and is starting to show that this team has a lot of fight.

What is it about this team? How are they doing this? When will the other shoe drop?

These are legitimate questions Mets fans ask themselves as the season goes on, probably on a weekly basis. No, check that, a daily basis.  We have come to expect that things aren’t always what they seem with the Mets, and a let down is just right around the corner.

Is this something that will go on forever, or is it a culture that can be changed?

There is a new breed of Mets coming though the system and a new attitude coming from the General Managers office.

A new era of Mets baseball is on the horizon as our young phenom pitchers loom in the near future. We as Mets fans are counting the days until they arrive, and when they do the fans will come out in droves to see the potential future aces of our staff.

This season has been one that has seen no names such as Omar Quintanilla, Mike Baxter and journeyman such as Scott Hairston helping lead this team to where we are today. Dickey, Wright and Santana have been the stars, but without the role players stepping up in the absences of Pelfrey, Tejada and Bay we would not be enjoying such an exciting start to our season.

There is a new organizational philosophy that puts an emphasis on patience, maximum effort and accountability. Players are playing for their jobs every time they step on the field and they know if they don’t perform that they won’t be here very long. Sandy has made this very clear from day one when he cut Castillo and Perez, and he still continues to make it clear with mid-season cuts of Acosta and quick hooks with fill in starters who underperform.

The roster is very different from years past as we lack speed and power, but the team gets on base and hits in the clutch which are things previous teams did not excel in.

Terry Collins has made his message very clear. Play hard and be accountable. So far this season the team has shown guts, heart, determination and character. None of which have been traits of Mets teams over the past 5 seasons. The new regime has brought credibility to a franchise that was in desperate need of it. As they build this team from the inside out over the next few season, there is reason to believe that dysfunction may be a thing of the past and the future has some bright stars and on the horizon.

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