Ah, the All-Star Break…A midsummer reprieve from the agony that has been the first half of the 2009 season for the NY Mets. I can’t begin to tell you what a nice little break this will be – especially since they come into the hiatus on a two game winning streak. Pathetic to be calling two wins in a row a streak, but that’s pretty much indicative of the kind of season it has been thus far. One would only hope that this short break doesn’t kill any momentum gained from this past weekend’s series against the Reds.
But come Thursday, it’s back to the grind with the start of a nine game road trip through Atlanta, Washington and Houston. With so many key players still on the disabled list and without a set timetable for return, what can we as fans expect from this team in the second half?
The hope I have is that the small spark ignited by the return of Angel Pagan and the acquisition of Jeff Francouer continues to flicker strong enough so that the team wins some games and gets some confidence back. By no means are they firing on all offensive cylinders, even after scoring nine runs on Sunday. But if they can get solid starting pitching, dependable relief work and play good defensive baseball, they won’t find themselves in a hole by the third inning of every game that they offensively can’t dig out of.
What I want from this team is for them to play “under –the-radar" baseball. Go out every day, play hard, do the small things right and stop complaining about the injury situation that is completely out of everyone’s control. Forget the “whoa is me” attitude and go out and play with pride instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Stop worrying about what other teams are doing…At this juncture, scoreboard watching is pointless. The Mets need to just worry about themselves at this time and focus on the internal problems that haunt them. Get the fundamentals and teamwork right so that even if Beltran and Reyes don’t make it back this year, 2009 can end with some semblance of hope for 2010.
I am not delusional. After what I have seen from the Mets to start 2009 and the ridiculous amount of injuries, it would be foolish to think this team can fully climb out of the hole they dug themselves into. The Phillies are a tough bunch and if they get Halladay, then, barring injury or catastrophe, the division is a lock for them. But a little less than half the season remains and with that there is still a faint glimmer of hope. All we can do as fans is sit back and watch it unfold. Anything can happen in baseball. For Mets fans, 1969, 1973 and 1986 are prime examples. But then, so are 2006, 2007 and 2008. Maybe this year karma will shift and the end of the season will be much happier than the beginning. Maybe I also need to hold a casting call for black cats in the vicinity of Citi Field. We could use all the help we can get!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
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I liked the black cat idea! (haha) I agree, the Mets have nothing to lose at this point and I am so sick of hearing about their injuries. Nothing is going to change and no one can prevent these injuries so the topic doesn't need to be brought up ever again. The Mets will just have to push through and play the game the right way.
ReplyDeleteIf the Mets had any semblance of an adequate farm system they could have overcome some of these injuries a bit better. But then again, they'd probably also be making a play for Halladay if they had any prospects so...Thankfully, the area around Citi Field is chock full of rats so cats should be in abundance as well.
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