Sure, the dream of the New York Mets reaching the postseason this year turned into a nightmare before we even knew what happened. To say things went off the rails is the epitome of an understatement.

But as our beloved Metropolitans are fighting to keep themselves out of the National League East basement, as evidenced by their refreshing, spirited level of play in Friday night’s 6-2 win over the last-place Miami Marlins, there is more at stake for this team and for the entire organization as a whole than their win-loss record at the end of the year.

The New York Mets have slipped back into the depths of professional sports hell. They’ve become a laughingstock again, and for fans of all ages, times like these are what we dread the most. Having to defend our fandom to friends and family members who see just how disastrous things have become for this franchise is getting pretty old, in this writer’s (and fan’s) honest opinion.

But as bad as this season has gone, there is always a way to change the narrative amongst the throngs of frustrated Mets fans; win.

No, the Mets won’t make a late charge for a wild-card berth. But if they can continue to play .500 baseball (16-17 since July 1) and, if it’s not asking too much, maybe even a little better, it would certainly rinse out some of the awful taste that this year has left in the fan base’s mouths.

Will things get better overnight? Of course not. That would take a concerted effort from every facet of this sad-sack organization which, right now, seems light years away from being the case. There have been too many miscommunications. There has been too much disarray and discourse. There has been absolutely no attempt at transparency.

Considering how deep our love runs for the New York Mets, the powers that be simply haven’t met, or even come close to, the same type of dedication, loyalty, or effort that we put forth. And all we do is root for the team.

Jacob deGrom is having arguably one of the best seasons in franchise history. Zack Wheeler has persevered and battled his way back to prominence. Amed Rosario, for all of his ups and downs, looks to have begun a turnaround.

There are good things happening with this team, even amidst a lost season. Playing hard and winning more games than they lose over the last six weeks of the season could do wonders for the morale of this tortured outfit and their supporters.

It’s just a shame that if the Mets do indeed turn things around on the field before season’s end and finish up strong, they will likely get overshadowed by the organization’s innate ability to screw things up off of the field.