You may have heard Terry Collins say last night, that win or lose this season has been a success. In fact he called the NLDS gravy.
“This, to me, is gravy. We’re going to go out and play real, real hard, but they can’t take away what these guys accomplished all year long. You can’t take that away from them. No matter if we lose tomorrow night or we come out on top, we’re very, very happy with what we’ve accomplished, and we’ll be prepared tomorrow.”.
I was wondering how most fans would answer the followin question after hearing it debated on sports talk radio all this week. I decided to throw it out to our staff.
If the Mets fail to advance or get to the World Series would you still consider this season a success?
Brian Mangan – Yes, but only if the ownership allows Alderson and co. to make this team competitive again in 2016. Granted, any season where your team fails to win the World Series is, in an objective sense, a failure to accomplish the ultimate goal. Nonetheless, I think we can all be proud of the team and the direction of the Franchise regardless of the ultimate outcome.
I do not want to forgive and forget what the ownership group has put this Franchise and the fans through over the last few years, but it can no longer be argued that Sandy Alderson did not do a fantastic job as General Manager. The Mets are in a position now where, with some luck and some financial support, they can compete for several years.
Tommy Rothman – Yes, of course. We haven’t been in the playoffs since 2006. We haven’t been a relevant team worth anybody’s breath since 2008. We made the playoffs, which is the hardest part of winning a championship. Anybody can reel off 11 wins, but holding off so many other teams for a 162-game stretch is the challenge which keeps most of the league on the couch in October.
I’ll certainly be disappointed if they don’t win it all, and maybe a bit let-down if they lose in the first round. But when you think about what our expectations were going into the year, this can only be an encouraging season for Mets fans, as long as they build on it rather than regress. That being said… Let’s “Take the Damn Thing.”
Brian Greenzang – To me, if the Mets fail to make it past the NLDS, this season is already a success. They made it to the playoffs, which is a necessary step after nine years of playoff absence. The Mets did what no one thought they would do this year. The pitching matured sooner than most thought, the hitting came around and here we stand. This has been an admirable year for this team, and even if it doesn’t mean a World Series appearance, it’s still a success and one that they just need to continue to build on in the years ahead.
Robert Piersall – Considering the fact that the Nationals were the favorites to win the World Series prior to the season, and I didn’t expect the Mets to run away with the N.L. East, I do view this season as a success. With the injuries we endured early on, as well as our lack of offense, we still managed to stay competitive and in the race, and once we got a few more pieces we were good to go. I think even if we don’t win this season, we will build on our success and be a force over the next several years.
Joe Spector – Absolutely. This team is finally out of the wilderness. It can only get better from here as long as the team stays the course. We all know how rough it’s been – we’ve lived it, felt it, breathed it. STAY THE COURSE!!
Logan Barer – If the Mets fail to win the World Series, this season would absolutely still be a success. The time has finally come to win and this team is built to endure. This season is the first of many, and a wake-up call for the rest of baseball. Next year, when Zack Wheeler is back, Harvey is stronger, and Juan Lagares is healthy, they will be even better. This postseason run, win or lose, provides invaluable experience that will only make this Mets even team scarier to face next season.
Mike Simon – Absolutely. Of course, now that they are in the dance I will be disappointed if they lose. But after nine long years, to be back in the playoffs in a year when very few people expected it is a success in itself.
Paul Myron – This is a tough one. To me, a successful season usually culminates in a championship. However, given all of the circumstances surrounding this team, I may have to make an exception with the 2015 Mets. They have overcome great odds, have stayed together even when the offense was historically inept, and won a division that no expert believed they could win. It’s been a fun year and productive year for sure.
William Botchway – Without a doubt, the 2015 season has been a great success in Flushing, no matter how the playoffs go. Even if they get eliminated by the Dodgers in the NLDS, I’ll be very happy with outcome of the season – after I finish crying, of course. The Mets shouldn’t be in this position right now. Once some of the highly touted position player prospects like Brandon Nimmo, Dilson Herrera and Gavin Cecchini arrive to give the great young pitching staff more support, the Mets will be one of the best teams in the major leagues. The fact that they’re in the playoffs now only gives me more reason to believe that. Obviously, I’m pushing for them to win the championship now, but they’ll have better opportunities in the immediate future, mark my words.
Joe D. – Is this season a success? Absolutely, definitely, 100 percent. But a sustainable success is what I’m aspiring and hoping for, and that should be the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, much of that is dependent more on Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz, than it is Sandy Alderson.
For the last few weeks all we’ve heard about is the record attendance and earnings at Citi Field, and then there’s SNY’s cable network reporting historic viewer ratings while MetsBlog has traffic and ad revenue soaring to new heights.
Will any of all that money be reinvested in the team to keep their premium players from bolting for free agency after the World Series? Will payroll rise above the current $103 million bottom 15 MLB level? Will Sandy Alderson have the latitude to improve the roster as he wants rather than what his budget will afford? Nobody knows for sure.
Some will say the Wilpons proved they would invest in the team when Sandy brought in several key players including the incomparable Yoenis Cespedes at the trade deadline. But that’s a myth. In all but one of those trades the Mets received substantial cash in return, and the net cost of all the deals was covered by the insurance on David Wright‘s contract.
So to reiterate, yes, 2015 was a phenomenal success that has been fun and exciting to watch and experience. However I want the winning and the success to continue into the 2016 season and beyond. I don’t want a one-and-done, I’m seeing a real opportunity for a dynasty run if we can continue to bring in the marquee players to fill in the gaps as we continue to build a pipeline from the farm to the majors. Let’s hope that’s exactly what we get. Here’s to some more big-time success tonight against the Dodgers. LGM
