That guy has to be someone from the MMO Community because while everyone else seems to be stunned or shocked or in disbelief, I’m proud to say the great majority of us here at MMO never stopped believing in this team and that is something to be proud of. We have hundreds who comment here, but I can count the non-believers on both my hands. That’s why I love you guys, you’re all cut out of that old school Ya Gotta Believe fabric that makes following the Mets so compelling, thrilling, and addictive.
There are so many great pictures and quotes from the celebration that ensued right after the final out at CBP. I picked out some of the really cool stuff and neatly tucked it into this post as a reminder of this exciting and incredible Mets Moment!
Terry Collins: “This game is about pitching. It tells you that this organization has done a tremendous job of stockpiling some pretty good pitching. We traded a bunch of them last year to get us to the World Series, and yet we still had Gsellman and Lugo and guys that have come in this year and saved us — just literally saved us — with all of the injuries we’ve had to our pitching.”
Joe D.: Collins is so right here, this is baseball and it always comes down to pitching. But who could have predicted that youngsters like Gsellman, Lugo and Smoker would carry the load in August and September and not Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler and Matz? You know…. I think that’s what makes this so sweet. And that brings us to the architect…
Sandy Alderson: “I’m really proud of the organization, both the player development system, the professional scouting, the contributions we got from pl;ayers that either weren’t on the roster at the beginning or not even in the organization who have made a major contribution over the course of the season. It’s testimony to a lot of people who have done a lot of good work, dating back to 2011.”
Joe D.: 2011 of course, was when the Mets drafted Nimmo, and Gsellman and Lugo, and don’t forget Michael Fulmer who was the piece that landed us Yoenis Cespedes – the offensive MVP of this team. I’ve talked a lot about our player development system this season, but kudos to the trainers and coaches down in Las Vegas and Binghamton and get these kids mentally prepared to compete at this level. A huge hat tip to guy like Frank Viola and Pedro Lopez. When our kids come up they don’t have that deer in the headlights look you see everywhere else. They arrive to Flushing ready to compete and ready to deal.
Joe D.: Noah Syndergaard will start Wednesday’s wild-card game against either the Giants or Cardinals, that’s still to be determined. Regardless, the Mets will be ready for either challenger on Wednesday when Thor takes the mound at a raucous Citi Field!
Noah Syndergaard: “I think it’s like every little kids’ dream come true to pitch in a high-stakes game like that. I’ll embrace it. I’ll look forward to it. It should be a lot of fun.”
James Loney: “I don’t know if I just dropped it or I flipped it or what. That’s nothing ever toward the other team. That’s just for your team. That’s the excitement that you have. As a hitter, you get out a lot. So there’s times in those big moments it’s fun to enjoy it.”
Joe D.: That bat flip was freaking amazing. I felt happy for Loney who has a rough couple of months after a nice start to his Mets career. Like many other players who had fallen on some hard times at one point this season, players like Alejandro De Aza, Curtis Granderson and of course Jay Bruce, they each stepped up when it mattered most and it’s difficult to think the Mets would be here without their contributions.
Jose Reyes: “With all that I’ve been through this year and to be in this situation is priceless. And, doing it here, with a team that has seen me grow as a player and as a person, this is an unbelievable feeling. I still can’t believe I’m apart of this team one more time. Every day I drive to Citi Field, it’s like a dream come true.”
Joe D.: What can I say about Jose Reyes that I haven’t said already> That he completely changed the dynamic of this team? Nope, said that. That he finally gave the team the speed it has lacked and a real presence at the top of the order? Nope, said that too. How about we just sing “Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose” and leave it at that? 🙂
