Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: We Win (Again)
by Greg on Wed 26 Sep 2007 04:32 AM
And who among us didn't begin to lose Faith during that dreadful first Dodger series coming on the heels of that dreadful Tiger series coming on the heels of that dreadful Phillie series coming on the heels of that dreadful Diamondback series? June looked like a dread end, I can confess that now.
I don't know that I ever felt lower all year than when Hong-Chih Kuo hit the third homer in three pitches off Maine and then flipped his frigging bat in celebration. I spent that whole night (it was a long one) ruminating on whether we should have followed Ronnie's advice and plunked somebody or if the best revenge would have been a retaliatory W. Of course it didn't come that night. Nothing came that night. I remember thinking it would have been great if Gomez or Reyes could have laid a bunt right down the first base line and then run right up the guy's ass. Gomez did bunt, I think, but right back to the mound. We weren't doing anything well during the first half of June.
But the first half of June didn't last forever. It rarely does.
True confession: I kind of began to give up on the Mets on June 12. Maybe my Faith was clinically dead for a few seconds. I began thinking what if the Mets do suck this much, what if losing eight of nine is what they do from now on? I brooded for a while and decided, so what? What am I going to do, not be a Mets fan? It seemed like one of the worst stretches I'd ever endured as vicarious participant in the cause, but it was still this year, 2007. I mean, come on. If you're a Mets fan, you'd have to unfurl the Worst Ever list for a couple of hours before any part of '07 could even begin to enter the conversation.
Funny thing was for all the lack of clutch hitting and clutch pitching and general air of discontent, we were still in first place even if it wasn't by as much as we would have liked. I guess we learned that in a season of 162 games they all count. Good thing the Mets had that good start. And that nine or so games somewhere in the middle aren't the end-all and/or be-all. And that we had players who were capable of turning it around as easily as they were capable of going down the tubes.
I think we all learned that by September.
Win tonight with Sosa and stop the bleeding a little bit..Look at the standings in the NL. No outstanding records. Our ten games over .500 and 3 up on the Braves in the loss column is alright dispite this rotten spell..I hate going to the Bronx this weekend, with the Yanks as hot as they are now, but hang in there kids..
Count me as one of those out on the ledge…
2007? Hi! Meet 2001…
Greg,
You've been to September 2007?
Six numbers. That's all I need. Six numbers between 1 and 54.
At least my Twins are taking care of business for us. Nice to know ONE of my teams can get to Kyle Davies.
Over the years (almost 40 by now) I've watched a lot of really bad Mets teams; a few really good Mets teams, and a few teams that first looked good and then turned out to be bad. I don't think I've ever seen a team first look good, then suck big time for about two weeks, and then turn around to be good again. If you'll kindly remind me of what I might have forgotten, then I'll come in off the ledge. For now, I've resolved not to even watch tonight–staying up late and losing is really, really bad for me.
Hi Greg,
How do you think I feel right now, a Met fan working in a sea of Yankee fans? I'm still keeping the faith although the fear is starting to flush… in. Just two wins since June 2nd – it's a nightmare.
The worst part of Maine's three-pitch fiasco was that Kuo's blast was the hardest hit of the three.
1976
First 27 Games: 18-9
Next 80 Games: 34-46
Next 50 Games: 34-16
Final 5 Games: 0-5
1988
First 55 Games: 38-17
Next 68 Games: 33-35
Final 37 Games: 29-8
1999
First 26 Games: 17-9
Next 19 Games: 10-19
Next 95 Games: 65-30
Next 7 Games: 0-7
Final 6 Games: 5-1
2007
First 54 Games: 35-19
Next 9 Games: 1-8
Final 99 Games: …
Oh, and for good measure, in 2006 we were 42-23 and then embarked on a 6-11 stumble that had not a few of the Faithful updating last wills and testaments, you know, just in case.
Feel proud. Your team couldn't play much worse for two week and stands in first. Their team has played brilliantly for two weeks and is still almost ten games out and just got to .500. The season is longer than two weeks.
It's really tempting to catch up on my sleep tonight…
Nahhhhhh
I'm starting to fear pitchers at the plate. Seems like they've become tougher and tougher outs. Benson, Willis, Zambrano, Davies, and now Kuo have all gone deep against us in recent memory. And Olsen, Zito, Kuo all southpaws, have had key, game altering hits against us this year. And I feel like there's more I'm forgetting. Doesn't seem like our guys get to do that.
Yeah, the bat-flip was a stupid, showboat impulse. I'm sure Kuo would plead momentary insanity. But we really didn't do much about it. I'm not talking about plunking anybody (although a brush back or two would have been nice and probably helpful). I'm just saying that the really good teams don't grumble about it later after they've lost (again). They go out there and WIN! There's no retaliation like a few long deep drives ourselves and a freakin' W.
Essentially, Kuo did the Mets a favor by offering them this opportunity to get fired up and they essentially spat on it…
P.S. Sosa has some power doesn't he? Hmm….
First, thanks for talking me down from the ledge (but now I have to stay up and watch tonight's game). Second, now I know why you have a great blog and I leave comments–I'm too lazy to do my own homework! Thanks
Oh, Greg did no homework.
He typed the above extemporaneously.
He's that good.
8: Our eighth playoff appearance
6: Our sixth divisional title
39: My projected clinching date is 9/23/07
21: Because Delgado will turn it around
47: Because Glavine will win his 300th by September
41: You hafta ask?
If this works, send me half.
You're welcome. Now go grab another Red Bull.