Category: mets

As I read my way around the internet and the newspapers this morning, something seems to have struck a nerve…

If Mike Piazza made you forget your troubles for a few minutes in 2001 then that’s a good thing…but let’s back up a little bit.

On May 3, 2001 the New York Mets were off to a bad start, at 11-16 (hmmm) and 5 games out.  They would play 71-64 the rest of the way at a clip of .526 ball.

When we all went to bed on September 10th the Mets were 71-73.

Here’s where the fable starts.

According to legend, when baseball resumed, Mike Piazza hit a home run to defeat Al Qaeda.  Then, led by John Franco’s lucky t-shirt, the feel good story of the year the 2001 Mets played .611 ball the rest of the way to hunt down the Braves, win the pennant and then maybe even beat Arizona in game 7 of the World Series.  Those Mets sure helped us pack up our troubles.

Sorry folks.   I’m not going to diminish the value of escapism in those troubled times, not the volunteer and charity work of the team that fall…but let’s get real.

Sure the Mets played .611 ball.  That got them to 82-80 and third place.  If there is a New York baseball story to be re-told it happened uptown.

Sure Piazza homered and the fans cheered.  Maybe it made you feel good for the first time in two weeks.   I could not have cared less and still don’t care about that home run at all.  I had other things on my mind in the fall of 2011 . I was numb. 3,000 people died.   A home run and a two week winning streak wasn’t going to make up for that.

As you may know, I have a problem with math. My problem is that I do math to see how many wins the Mets need to get to such and such a point, and
I rarely like what I see.

Before the winning streak they needed to play like .590 ball to get to 90 wins (and the Wild Card was 91 wins in 2010). Then they ran off six. But then they dropped three. That’s the problem with the math and the problem with being over a week’s worth of wins away from .500, you can win for a week and still be in a big hole.

I don’t like the last-place/6.5-out combo. I look at it and deep down I already know they won’t make the playoffs. Search your feelings you know it to be true.

I need the Mets to just get closer. Make it halfway plausible. Don’t tell me they need to jump 4 teams to catch the Phillies/Marlins (Marlins?) Don’t quite wild card games back to me when there are TEN teams to jump.

If they get on a tear and narrow it to 4 I can stare at a 4 all summer and lie to myself. 4 will be five some days and some days it will be three. Eventually the math will catch up an time will run out and our 2011 Metsies won’t be able to play .600 ball (or whatever the number is) for three months, but the 4 will give me a summer on the deck listening to Howie with a tinge of hope. Is that too much to ask?

6.5 out on May 3rd. Not good.

Nice job!

METS DONATE 4,000 TICKETS TO MILITARY MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

FLUSHING, N.Y., May 2, 2011 – The New York Mets today announced the team has donated 4,000 tickets to military members and their families for tomorrow’s game against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field.

Working in conjunction with the USO, the Mets distributed 2,000 tickets to tomorrow’s series opening game with the defending World Series champion Giants to all five branches of the military – Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.

In addition, the first 2,000 members of the military who show a valid military I.D. at the Day of Game Ticket Sales Window at Citi Field will receive complimentary tickets for themselves and their guests. Military personnel can receive their tickets, limited to six per party, starting two hours before tomorrow’s 7:10 game.

Marine Corps veteran Sgt. Elizabeth Quiñones will sing God Bless America during the seventh-inning stretch of tomorrow’s game.

Today’s donation complements the Mets’ season-long policy of providing a free ticket to any active service member who presents a valid military I.D. at the Citi Field ticket office.

MEDICAL UPDATE ON RHP JENRRY MEJIA

FLUSHING, N.Y., May 2, 2011 – Righthanded pitcher Jenrry Mejia was examined today by Mets Medical Director Dr. David Altchek and was found to have a complete MCL tear of the right elbow.  Mejia underwent an MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.  Surgical treatment has been recommended, but Mejia is expected to seek a second opinion.

In his last start for Buffalo (AAA) of the International League on April 29, he left after 4.0 innings with discomfort and was flown to New York to be examined. In five starts for the Bisons, Mejia was 1-2 with a 2.86 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.  Mejia went 0-4 with a 4.62 ERA in 33 games, three starts for New York in 2010.

 

Check out this one – which contains a ballcap car. Those of us of a certain age will recall that pitchers would come in from the bullpen in one of these cars. There was a Mets version, but also a custom version for each opponent! Presumably they swapped the top.