Mets Pull Within One Game Of First Place, Getcha Popcorn Ready!

After signing an exorbitant free agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys, wide receiver Terrell Owens posted the following note on his locker on the eve of the biggest game of the season:

Dear Reporters,

Due to the magnitude of this week’s game and high volume of questions for the Original 81 (T.O.) about the other 81 (Randy Moss), I will be taking all questions immediately following Sunday’s game.

Sincerely,

Terrell Owens

P.S. Getcha Popcorn Ready

Now I don’t know exactly why, but when the New York Mets pulled within one game of first place last night, after Noah Syndergaard and Tyler Clippard completed a shutout victory over the San Diego Padres, that’s what popped into my head.

I was looking ahead to the upcoming weekend series against the Washington Nationals, looked at the current standings, smiled a big smile, and thought, “Holy cows… Get your popcorn ready!”

The Mets are still just three games back of a wild-card spot, but at this point I’m thinking, screw the wild-card, I want that damn National League East title.

It’s right there my friends, it’s just sitting there waiting for us to grab it.

When I think about how impactful all our new additions have been already, and I consider the fact that Travis d’Arnaud will be back this weekend, Michael Cuddyer next weekend, and David Wright before the end of August, I’m besides myself with hope, excitement, and anticipation.

I love this team so much. And I was so proud of them last night for seeing how they put that whole stunning Mejia incident behind them and went out and played a helluva gutsy game.

It’s amazing but not surprising to see how much more confidence this team is playing with, since they promoted Michael Conforto. It was something I heard Terry Collins mention a couple of times as well as Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda. We’ve seen this before in baseball, where you call up an enthusiastic top prospect who shows up and energizes the entire team. And that seems to be taking root right now with our New York Mets.

Getting two quality MLB players like Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe has also transformed the mindset and the psyche of this team. The two of them have changed the chemistry for the better and suddenly we’re looking at a team that plays more confidently and is beginning to show some signs of swagger.

Can we actually surpass the Washington Nationals, grab first place, and then actually hang onto it until the end of the season? I don’t see why not. As newcomer Tyler Clippard said last night, “the Nats are beatable.” He’s right. The Nationals are a very vulnerable team right now.

On July 31 we begin a critical weekend series against the Nationals, and the Mets are sitting in the driver’s seat. It’s going to be huge!

The Mets’ destiny now lies in their own hands. It won’t be easy and there will still be some ups and downs along the way, but this team is built to win. I truly believe that.

We have the starting pitching and we have a solid bullpen, but now we have the pieces on offense to take this team from 3.5 runs per game to 4.0 runs per game.

And as I’ve often alluded to, the Mets are 35-5 when they score four or more runs this season. Oops, make that 36-5.

Would I love it if the Mets were to surprisingly add a Gerardo Parra or even a Will Venable before the deadline? Of course I would.

But truth be told, if we do nothing between now and the deadline, I still love the makeup of this team and I believe they’ve got what it takes to win the NL East and get into the postseason .

And when the Mets get in, WATCH OUT… They will easily be the most dangerous team in the playoffs with the young and lethal studs they have in the rotation.

So buckle up, strap yourselves in, and get your popcorn ready, because the next two months are going to be the most exciting we’ve seen around Flushing in nearly a decade. Let’s Go Mets!