I was napping when Sunday afternoon’s game began. So were the Mets. When I awoke and flipped on the bedside radio, the first thing I heard from Wayne Hagin was something about trying to limit the damage.
But the damage had been done. The Mets were down six-nothing and yet another starting pitcher…and it wasn’t even the fourth inning. A comeback of sorts was generated, and it was almost invigorating — yet it wasn’t enough [1]. There’s generally never enough you can do when you’re losing six-nothing. The damage, on the scoreboard and within Jonathon Niese’s hamstring, had been done.
Following a most disillusioning four-game sweep in Miami — a new name for Whatchamacallit Stadium, ¡ [2]por favor! [2] — there’s not much left to do besides hope for better nights ahead in Atlanta and, perhaps, channel the wisdom of Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding, former resident of Shawshank State Prison [3] in Maine. Red was last seen violating his parole somewhere near Fort Hancock, Texas, but en route to Zihuatanejo [4] he left behind some words that describe well the weekend that was.
I wish I could tell you that the Mets fought the good fight, and the Marlins let them be. I wish I could tell you that — but the National League East is no fairy tale world. They never said who did it, but we all knew. Things went on like that for a while — baseball season consists of routine, and then more routine. Every so often, the Mets would show up with fresh losses. The Marlins kept at them — sometimes they were able to fight ’em off, sometimes not. And that’s how it went for the Mets — that was their routine. I do believe those four games at Florida were the worst for them, and I also believe that if things had gone on that way, last place would have got the best of them.
The Mets are now incarcerated in the cellar of their division, length of sentence undetermined. They’ve lost five in a row, eleven of fifteen. There’s not a day goes by I don’t feel regret.
Find some measure of Met redemption at Two Boots Grand Central debut of AMAZIN’ TUESDAY. Your hosts are Jon Springer of Mets By The Numbers [5] and me. Our very special guests are Taryn Cooper of My Summer Family [6], Josh Wilker of Cardboard Gods [7] and, hopefully, you. We convene at 7 PM. Details here [8].