Obviously, I retract every remotely positive thing I ever said about Tom Glavine. Fucking Brave can go fuck himself straight back to Fucklanta.
Obviously, I retract every remotely positive thing I ever said about Jose Reyes. When you go to winter ball, work on hitting the ball on a line and don’t be chummy with Miguel Olivo. AND RUN!
Obviously, I retract every remotely positive thing I ever said about Willie Randolph. Your lifetime streak of winning is over. Check for a pulse while you’re at it.
Obviously, I retract every remotely positive thing I ever said about Omar Minaya. Jason Vargas? Ben Johnson? Ambiorix Burgos? Way to stockpile.
Obviously, I retract every remotely positive thing I ever said about the 2007 New York Mets. Believe in the tooth fairy before you ever believe in a bunch of stiffs that can’t beat its closest competition, can’t beat dreadful competition, can’t beat itself in a race to nowhere.
Obviously, I am disgusted. I was certain I was going to sit down and give you eloquent and reflective, but in fact I am angry and pissed. Eloquent and reflective is still simmering inside me but angry and pissed is boiling over.
What a fucking bunch of losers. With a handful of exceptions, they either did not play to their capability or they were not capable. In some realm I am able to look past that and say “well, I’m sure they were trying.” What evidence there would be to back up that assertion, however, is beyond me. There was a handful of exceptions, but this entire team and this entire organization is at fault for this collapse of historic, immense and confounding proportions. The broad brush of failure doesn’t ask questions, so I apologize to the handful of New York Mets who pushed themselves and generated the performance necessary to win the requisite number of baseball games required to ensure a continuation of their 2007. I would single you out as the exceptions, but this has to be a blanket indictment.
You all sucked.
It is not crucial that your team win championships or earn playoff berths every year. That’s not what being a fan is about. If it were, there would eventually be no fans. But at some point, you have to be able to trust your team to follow through on its position in the game, in the standings, in your hopes. You have to be able to count on a team that has led its division consistently for virtually an entire season to finish the job. Yes, it’s a job. The Mets’ job was to win a division which was in their firm control as late as the second week of September.
They did not do their job. They did not go down to the wire with the heart of a champion or guts of a contender. They went down to last-place teams and next-to-last-place teams. They went down, on-field hijinks Saturday notwithstanding, without a fight. They went down like a doormat. Gallingest among the much that was galling was how the Florida Marlins made it their business to destroy the Mets on Sunday and they were not stopped in pursuit of their goal. Just because some bitchy last-place team wants to beat you doesn’t mean they should or they can. Unless that bitchy last-place team is playing the 2007 Mets. Then the doormat’s right here, go ahead, wipe your feet on us.
What’s remarkable about these Mets’ losing these past two weeks is how uniform and universal it was. Even in the contests in which they blew leads, there was never any great feeling that, oh, they came so close, if only this or that had gone their way they would have pulled it out. They were on a collision course with failure and they smacked head on into it, baby. Full fucking force into a full fucking farce.
In the aftermath of the 27th out of the 162nd and absolutely final game for the 2007 Mets, some jagoff in the upper deck put a paper bag over his head and said “I’m ashamed to be a Mets fan,” to which I said, “I’m ashamed that you’re a Mets fan, too.” But even without the prop comedy shtick, I get it. The Mets are shameful. But I’m not ashamed that I’m a Mets fan.
I’m ashamed of the Mets, but I did fine. I did all I could. I supported my team the way I’m supposed to, by sticking with them and exhorting others to do so and paying my good money (not incidentally) for the privilege to do so. If you’re reading this, I know you did what you were supposed to do, too. We collectively came through. Mets fans have nothing to be ashamed of. We are not our team, after all. We are better than them.
I hope they regroup and meet the standard we have set for them. We’ll be waiting. At least I know I will.
Sort of feels almost good to say it, doesn't it? Bunch of pampered, uncaring chumps.
I was done with Willie before yesterday's game, when he said he had no plans to watch the Phillies game. Said he would go out to dinner and put it out of his mind. Fuck him. Just keep punching punch the clock Willie, like you work at a goddamned factory. Don't pretend the outcome matters to you. Stay the course, despite all evidence that the course sucks. Why does that last part sound so familiar?
Tom Glavine was never a Met. Jerk didn't fool me for a second. Good riddance Tommyhawk. Way to go on your precious 300 wins you shallow, narcissistic assclown.
While we're at it, fuck Billy Wagner. Giving interviews about how bad your manager is the night before the decisive game of the season? What the hell is going through your mind, Billy? You're probably right, but still, what's your damage?
I said this before, but you guys really went above and beyond. This team doesn't deserve fans, much less bloggers, much less writers as thoughtful and passionate as you and Jason. If one ounce of your enthusiasm could have spilled over onto the team we'd be getting ready for the playoffs now.
Blech. Bah. Fuck. Grr. Eh.
I've read your blog with tremendous admiration over the years. I've often felt chastened when my infantile rage met your calm and reasoned judgment. So its only out of great respect and thanks that I say you've gone too far with this post. There is much to say, and you'll say more than I will. But I'm struck by this reasonable speculation: if Castro's first-inning shot had gone a few feet further, the game would have been 7-5 and the Mets would have been well-situated for an amazing comeback, at which point we would have loved this team, just as we all did on Saturday. Yes, they played awful baseball over the last 17 games; yes it was pathetic to lose 6 of 7 to inferior opponents at home. But the Phillies played crappy in April and then improved and they are the “Phighting Phils.” We played amazingly well in April and May and then began to play like crap. And in the end, the Phillies beat us by all of one game. So we're supposed to believe that they are a great comeback team and we are losers? That just doesn't make sense. Bottom line: as disappointed and stunned as I am, I also realize that this team will contend for a long time, and I was never able to say that in the 1970s, for most of the 1980s, or for the 1990s.
In solidarity (and misery),
David W.
I agreed with everything you said but I believe Wagner gave that interview a week ago or so. Which makes it slightly better but not much than giving it Saturday night. They need to blow up large portions of this team. I'm too pissed to write more, I'm kinda numb from the last 3 weeks. I usually watch the baseball playoff regardless of the teams that are in it but I may not be able to stomach it.
“All I can tell you is that myself, I believe in Willie Randolph,” Minaya said. “We're a team together. The bottom line, Willie Randolph, for me, has done a good job. You don't look at a person just one year. You look at a person over a couple of years and the change that has happened.”
The team was a reflection of their Manager. A lifeless, passionless caretaker who managed most of the time like he didn't have a clue. The Phillies were also managed by a guy who for the most part didn't have a clue but at least he had enough fire to get his team to play hard. You think this team wouldn't had won the division if someone like Manny Acta was managing them?
The Wilpons must dump Randolph for the good of the franchise.
C'mon..the Phillies didn't win because of Charlie Manuel, they won in spite of him.
The Phillies won because Jimmy Rollins is a fucking stud.
Reyes is the third best SS in the DIVISION. (Maybe 4th..Renteria is 3rd behind JRo and Ramirez)…
Thank you Greg. Your first sentence was the first thing I heard all day that was able to make me laugh.
Though I was also disgusted by the lack of hustle and general childish attitude, let's not give up on Reyes yet. Remember Wright's first two months this season? He looked every bit as bad as Reyes has recently. It's just a major slump that Reyes has failed to take in stride. He'll be back. You don't go from being one of the best players in baseball to being a worthless chump in six weeks. Anyway, he's just a kid. I put equal blame on Henderson and Randolph for failing to put him in the right mental space.
Never mind. He didn't run out a grounder with the season on the line. Fuck Reyes too. And Milledge while you're at it. Fuck everbody. Fuck me.
I hate this. I hate this. I care so much more than these bums. We all do.
Exception: David Wright. I want to have like a million of his babies, botched DP or no. Wright has soul.
This from the person who introduced me to this blog by way of Jason's term “The Manchurian Brave”?
check mets.com. They finally took away “Your season Has Come” tag line.
Yeah, mf-ers. My season has come…and gone.
Marmalade…dead…Niedermayer……
My apologies for miscrediting the phrase “Manchurian Brave”. Sorry Greg!
the most articulate summary of the mets i have yet read. this team and its performance these last two weeks wasn't a disgrace to ny or mets fans, it was a disgrace to the game of baseball. these guys were strolling around for the past 3 weeks, resting on their laurels, thinking they would win the east since they'd led all year long. well, guess what ? the team with more heart won and now you deadbeats are going home. i can deal with bad teams losing, i can deal with good teams playing hard and losing, what i can't stomach is great teams, composed of millionaires being completely lethargic and not giving their all. and losing. the phillies deserved to win. i mean, even if they mets had made the playoffs, can you envision them beating anyone? i couldn't. they didn't want it and it showed and now all of our time and our energy has been for naught. this is an absolute travesty and each and every member of this team should be ashamed of themselves.
By the way, all those people who said to me last year: “Hey, man, at least you made it that far. Most teams don't even make the post-season.” I now agree with you (and apologize for any lashing out I may have directed at you).
Game 7 hurt, but this, this in its collective, cumulative suckitude is definitely worse.
This team will not seriously contend until they have their attitude adjusted, starting with Willie. The main problem with this team is that it doesn't have a leader. Willie sure isn't leading it.He doesn't do anything to set a direction or correct bad, lazy attitudes. Plus, talk about a team with NO motivation. They're so-o-o-o good that sometimes they forget to play their best??? Willie should have stomped on that attitude with both feet and thrown a soda machine on it. How can a manager with no fire himself fire up a team when it needs it?
I can't even write a coherent angry post – I'm just ranting . I'm going to go and get very drunk, and dig out my Cubs gear for the postseason. Got to root for somebody. GO CUBBIES!!!!
Like Greg, I apologize to the relative handful of players and fans who who actually followed through on their end of the bargain.
And, like Greg, I'm proud of the way I handled myself as a Met fan. But I'm sorry, I do disagree that my fellow fans have nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe I did some yelling and throwing things at home, sure… but at that ballpark, all 30 some-odd times this year, they got absolutely unconditional support from me, every single inning, even when they sucked. That's my job, as a fan. To cheer on and support my team. That's a fan's only function. If you don't feel you can live with that, if you feel nothing but angry contempt for your team unless they win, please do us ALL a favor and either hop off or simply stay home until it passes. Because frankly, people, today was NOT the time for self-serving vitriol. Today they needed us to boost morale, and as usual, we made them feel like crap. THAT, like the paper bag guy Greg described, is what I'm ashamed of. That when our team is down we stomp on them, instead of getting behind them. I really hate that about us.
Yeah, I'm disappointed. It sucks. But I'll live. Because we've made the playoffs what, 7 times in our entire existence? I'm more used to this than I am to winning. So I wasn't sitting there shellshocked and crying, like “oh heavens, how could the Mets lose? This isn't what I signed up for when I decided David Wright was a hottie!” *sigh* It sucks and I hate it and it makes me want to PUKE and I wish it was different. But it's not. We all got pretty much what we deserved. A crappy team went down in flames and a whole lot of crappy fans didn't get to demonstrate their “I love the Mets as long as they're winning” hypocrisy at the playoffs.
We all suck. We've all said some things this week we'll probably regret later (and will likely say plenty more). So let's just take a deep breath, put on our big-girl panties and direct our venom where it can do the most good, and where it belongs–at the Yankees. Because THEY REALLY SUCK.
If I bet you last year that Heath Bell and Kaz Matsui would be playing October baseball while the Mets sat on their sorry, collectively eliminated ass, you'd have turned me down as not to take advantage of the mentally disabled.
But if not, you'd have cider in your ear…
Obviously, the Mets should listen to the Cars more. If they had, perhaps Drive would've thematically struck them from their stupor:
You can't go on
Thinking nothing's wrong
Who's gonna drive you home tonight?
You nailed it, Greg. Glavine's comments after the game were as lame as his performance today. Now I know why Atlanta fans hate him so much. It's like they used to say about NY Senator and frequent GOP nominee for Prez Tom Dewey: You really have to get to know him to dislike him. Well, Glavine's been here long enough. Let him go into the hall with his damn Brave hat and his one damn ring. It's no surprise that's all he ever got.
“I'm not devastated, but I am disappointed,” Glavine said. “Devastated is a word used for greater things in life than a game. I was disappointed in the way I pitched. I got some ground balls, but I can't control where they go. A couple got through. Another was too slow to turn a double play.”
You have got to be kidding me. You have the gall to say that after that pitching performance? If I were Christine Glavine, I'd think about a divorce.
” They had sleepwalked through the last two weeks of the season as if entitled to the NL East crown, and fresh off a 13-0 whitewashing of the Marlins on Saturday, the Mets appeared remarkably relaxed — almost too relaxed — before Sunday's game, with everything on the line. Before batting practice Jose Reyes and a half-dozen Mets slouched on leather couches, cackling as they watched the PG-comedy Rookie of the Year on a big-screen TV. Glavine had a hard time suppressing a yawn as he sat at his locker.
After the game all TV sets were off — alas, there were no longer any relevant baseball games being played elsewhere in the country — as some Mets players sat on chairs in front of their lockers with their heads down; others gazed blankly around the room, at nothing in particular. One by one they spoke:
Pedro Martinez: “We f—ed it up as a team, plain and simple.” Carlos Delgado: “It's surreal. You just can't believe any of it.” David Wright: “We played beyond horrible.” Billy Wagner: “We're all shocked.”
In the end, there was nothing more to say. “
I think there's a wide gap between “if you only feel angry contempt at your team unless they win” and unconditional drinking the kool-aid.
they blew a tremendous lead. they played sloppy, a lot. they played lackadaisical, a lot. and i don't have to sit there and applaud that, and I won't. i won't boo them if they're being beaten by better teams or if they caught a bad break. that's a fair weather fan.
It's insulting people who offer thoughtful commentary that isn't always positive to classify us as fair-weather fans. that's bullshit, i'm sorry.
JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!
Last year: Glavine is brilliant and Pujols claims he sucked.
This year: Glavine gives a historically bad pitching performance (if what he did can even be called “pitching”) to cap our historic implosion and then claims that, contrary to all evidence, he was actually pretty good.
Let me speak for New York City when I say:
SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU WORTHLESS FRACTION OF A MAN. I HOPE SOMEONE SHIVS YOU ON THE SUBWAY. THOUGH YOU PROBABLY RIDE A LIMO. DIE.
Crikey – I didn't check in for the quote which, by the way, is from mlb.com.
Parsing the blogosphere in by no way a scientific study, I estimate:
90% of Mets fans expressing an opinion want Willie gone, 70% same for Omar.
He's not a kid. He's precisely as old as me. I play occasional beer-league softball. I am quite terrible.
But you know what? I fucking run out my grounders. Millions of dollars and the season on the line and Reyes is too busy pouting his way through a slump to bother to do what I do FOR FUN.
I'm not done with Reyes. I still think he'll be back and great next season. But for now, fuck him.
For a few days at least I'll be wearing a white cap with a black bill, a black M in the middle with a smiling Mickey Mouse, arms at his side.
It's not the devastating comment that pisses me off… it's the notion that he didn't pitch that badly. Also, I'm pretty sure he wasn't thinking about Endy Chavez's sister.
Take three guesses as to where he can shove his millions of dollars.
Yes, we have deep flaws. But there is more talent on this team than there is on the Phils.
It isn't all a matter of will. But will has something to do with it. And a lackadaisical atmosphere in which half-hearted play is acceptable can spread like mold through a team. Ever work at a job? You notice how slacking off is a communicable disease? It's the managers job — whether you're Willie Randolph or the manager of Starbucks — to make sure that this is unacceptable. Reyes, Delgado and Glavine all turned into the barrista who's too busy having his fourth smoke break to get you a fucking latte, and that attitude will catch on unless the boss nips it in the bud.
Atmosphere is a very small part of a team's final record. But it only needed to be worth one win. Sheer will CAN get you one win out of 162.
He hit the ball down at his feet and assumed it was foul–that is to say, he didn't think it was a grounder. Stupid? Yes. Sign that he doesn't care or that he's pouting? I doubt it. Reason to boo him in the middle of the most important game of the season? Definitely not.
It has been such a pleasure to discover this blog. It is remarkably thoughtful and well-written, and it is a blessing to have a place to go to meet with kindred spirits and, in recent days, to share the pain. Grief, bitterness, anger, sadness, frustration, embarrassment–I have to agree with all of these sentiments–and more– that have been posted. We have been through many hard times, we Met fans. Many, many hard times. The Mets of the early '60s were a national punchline, a shorthand for “bumbling losers.” The long dry spell following the Seaver trade. The failure of the late '80s teams to fulfill their potential. Vince Coleman. Tony Fernandez. Roberto Alomar. Mo Vaughn. Kenny Rogers walking in the winning run (“Why did they bother acquiring him?” I'd thought long before that day, “Surely his career is over.”) And Bonilla and Rickey playing cards in the clubhouse while we agonized and pulled for our guys. When the Mets eff up, they do it royally. They always have. And now we'll spend the rest of our lives hearing the phrases “worst collapse in history” and “7 up with 17 to go.” We knew they'd played under .500 since June 1. We knew the Phils had outplayed them after the first two weeks of the season. We knew they were in danger down the stretch. And those that didn't know, that delight in their demise, we'll need to listen to their braying till–well, forever. It hurts like hell. But, at the very least, I'm thankful there's this place to go to hurt. And after all, we do descend from the Brooklyn Dodger fans, do we not? So what can we do but…wait till next year.
Laurie, I've been holding my tongue about this team all year, following the “If you can't find anything nice to say don't say anything at all” rule. Notice how last year I commented regularly here, and this year only intermittently. I didn't want to be a downer.
Well, as my eighth comment within the last three hours attests, I'm done with that shit. I'm going to my window and shouting something, and it sure as hell ain't “Let's Go Mets.” I'm not going to regret a word of this, because if it doesn't come out my head will explode.
Expect many more comments like this until the whiskey makes it impossible to type.
He THOUGHT it was foul. The fucking season's on the line. RUN UNTIL THE GODDAMNED CALL!!! HOW HARD IS IT TO RUN 90 FEET????
Hear, hear, my friend. Hear, hear.
Amen to that. FAFIF forever.
I like your passion and anger. I have posted similar feelings all over Mets blogs and frequently get called 'angry' and other similar things.
Nice to find someone else who gets pissed off at blatant failure, gutlessness, cowardice, and sloth.
if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle
“if Castro's first-inning shot had gone a few feet further, the game would have been 7-5 and the Mets would have been well-situated for an amazing comeback”
and if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle
your thoughts are very dangerous
this was a disastrous failure and it's futile to spin it as positive
jeff and fred wilpon are hoping the 4 mill paid attendance of 2007 thinks your way so they can ring up 4 mill tix in 2008 with the same crap on the field
i agree with all you say except that omar deserves a big slug of blame you place entirely on willie
delgado the dog for three years
mota and sosa vs. chad bradford
fragile pedro and alou for any amount of time
poisonous malcontent rickey henderson whispering in reyes' ear
what a douche
what a corporate coward
mighty white of ya omar to show support for willy
do you think we don't understand that it was your horrible winter of 06/07 trade dealine performance that put inept willy in a double inept spot?
lo duca sucks
he tried to play the clint eastwood role in the last two weeks
however, he can't hide his expanding waistline, which, as it did for mo vaughan, revealed his real committment: near zero
instead of pointing the finger, fat man, you should have kept yourself in shape and led by example. why should jose reyes hustle and lastings milledge act like a pro when paulie bangs teenagers and wears size 40 pants? the message lo duca sent to young players is that we are so good, i can get fat and we'll win anyway.
bye, paul. nice spot at espn waiting for your glib, fat self
“You can't blame Randolph for the bullpen meltdowns; you can't blame Randolph for Perez hitting two batters with the bases loaded. ”
But I CAN and DO blame randolph for LEAVING PEREZ IN, which allowed him to hit to guys w bags full
horrible post
go tell it to oprah, girlfriend
yeah. best post so far.
rampant, kool-aid, feel-good optimism is obnoxious
this was an atrocious year and a deplorable finish by a lethargic, un-hungry, DL-lovin', entitled group of stiffs
we didn't have this sort of vitriol when wayne garrett popped up to end game 7 vs. oakland. we blew a 3-2 lead that year but the fucking team was hungry and played WAY over their heads. that is why the '73 mets, who utlimately lost, are adored.
this team is a 180 from the '73 mets.
I don't agree. Lo Duca had a bad season, but he busted his ass for us. He tried to wake us up. And he was equally pudgy when he was great in '06.
I would prefer a new catcher for reasons of sheer ability. But Paulie gave us everything he had.
Based on their performance since June 1, I had expected this team to win 91 games (wrong) and I thought that would be enough to win the division (right). So they underperformed by three games. I'm not at all satisfied, nor I expect are the Wilpons: I'd like to build a team that can consistently win in the high 90s, low 100s. But this team was not going to make it. But I still think people are over-reacting. On Saturday night, no blog that I read called the Mets total crap; after today's game, everybody is saying that. That's a huge swing in opinion based on one game, given that any one game can turn on some very small, almost random events, like Castro's shot going 340 feet instead of 345.
Well stated.
I'm still behind Omar and Willie LLC. But Glavine, to hear him talk about how “he's not devastated” — as rational as the sentiment may be — I can't stand it. BYE.
Carlos Delgado: “It's surreal. You just can't believe any of it.”
Hey Carlos – I can't believe how much time you missed down the stretch for a — wait for it — 'hip flexor'? Was that his injury? I lost track with this team.
All I know is that delgago dogged it. Have no clue what his injury was or whether it was severe. I just know he missed key time and he should have cortisoned up until he was near drunk and played through the pain.
but omar is his amigo, so no need to push himself. if his last name was 'bradford', he'd a been out there on one leg fighting for his job
Yes, of course, I see: Willie KNEW that one of his best pitchers who had thrived in big games in the past was about to hit two batters with the bases loaded; but because he doesn't really care, and because he's really a Skankee at heart, Willie left him in instead of going to his under-worked, highly talented bullpen in the frickin' third inning. Yes, that's right, its all Willie's fault. Geez, Willie makes enough bone-headed moves, you don't have to blame him for outcomes he has no control over. And I notice nobody wants to blame David Wright–but if Wright had simply stepped on third base, the inning would have been over before OP hit those two batters. They are all humans, by the way…superb athletes, highly competitive, but still fallible humans.
no man, he DID NOT
look at his body
if he gave us 'everything he had', he'd of taken better care of himself and turned a couple GIDPs in force plays, or gained that 1/8 a second on his throws to second
i actually like lo duca, but his attempt to get tough and be the spokesperson at the 11th hour rings hollow in view of his inattention to his weight and fitness
even miguel carbrera took the hint and shed some lbs during the year. he was becoming a house but did something about it