Sticking with the education theme Yahoo! was kind enough to come up with for us and 29 other contributing blogs, my attention was detained this morning when I saw the following headline on mets.com:
Mets’ loss to Cards a valued learning experience
Say, I thought, that looks familiar. Where and when have I seen that sentiment before?
Oh yeah — on the same site at the same time under more or less the same circumstances a year ago:
Rival’s clinch could be lesson for young Mets
Hey, the Mets are learning! They’re sitting quietly in their dugout as the upperclassmen on the Phillies one season and the Cardinals the next teach them how to win by giving them a competitive wedgie! Aren’t those contenders courteous that way?
I realize the headlines are a matter of MLB accentuating the positive (the way ensuring uniformity is better than honoring the memories of fallen heroes); and yes, the Aldersonians need time to undo the damage Tropical Storm Minaya wreaked; and yes, [fill in your rationalization of choice regarding the prevailing mediocrity of the era and how it might actually end someday], but geez. It’s yet another September of learning by losing for the New York Mets. Another year when the L’s outpoint the W’s. Another chance to pick apart Mike Pelfrey’s brain. Another offseason when patience won’t be so much a virtue but our only option as Mets fans.
Yippee.
As the button says, “Oh, no! Not another learning experience!”
Yeah, valuable learning experience…now they’re equipped with the knowledge that their bullpen can’t get hitters out. They should study hard, that might be on the SAT’s.
I kept waiting for info on the last time an inning started with the first two hitters being retired and the team still more than batting around.
Maybe that’s why CitiField sounds like a library lately. Unfortunately, the lesson that Reyes may be learning is that if you want to win, go someplace else.
At what point does Pelfrey go from “young pitcher still working on his game” to “mediocre-to-poor pitcher who can fill a spot in the rotation if absolutely no one else is available”? I think we all know the answer there.
If Reyes does indeed bail on us, what are the odds that his balky hamstrings will miraculously heal and no longer be an issue for him? My guess would be even money. What are the odds that during his first return to the newly-remodeled Citi Field he’ll still go 5 for 5 with three triples and a HR? Again, I say even.
It’s been a long year. It was quite entertaining there for a while, but the fun ran out a while ago and now it’s just a slog to the end. But you can bet I’ll be watching that last game, weird stuff always happens on the last day of the season.
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Minaya – and the Wilpons – really left this organization in a shambles. AA and AAA are practically devoid of top prospects. Alderson and the Nerd Herd have their work cut out for them.