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ABOUT US
Faith and Fear in Flushing made its debut on Feb. 16, 2005, the brainchild of two longtime friends and lifelong Met fans.
Greg Prince discovered the Mets when he was 6, during the magical summer of 1969. He is a Long Island-based writer, editor and communications consultant. Contact him here.
Jason Fry is a Brooklyn writer whose first memories include his mom leaping up and down cheering for Rusty Staub. Check out his other writing here.
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More Chronicling Than They Actually Deserve
by Jason Fry on 14 May 2013 11:14 pm Terrible pitching, crappy fielding, nonexistent hitting, a stupid media sideshow that will be an overstuffed brouhaha tomorrow — just another checkpoint in the Mets’ freefall.
There’s no point analyzing this game. There’s no point analyzing this team. The franchise has been starved of money until it’s baseball’s equivalent of a North Korean labor camp, with Bud Selig the China preventing reform. Until something gives, the vast majority of our recaps will be interchangeable. What’s the use of complaining, agitating or even watching?
Do something else. This abandoned shell of a franchise doesn’t even deserve your disdain.
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Seriously contemplating not watching anymore. This is truly bad.
We were all war criminals and serial killers in our past life and this is our punishment, plain and simple!
Hi Jason,
Understand the Mets concern about getting bad press due to Terry’s candid remarks about the fans but feel it would have been best had they simply let the media do whatever it would do and then react instead of taking a pretentiously rehearsed preemptive strike for damage control beforehand.
Attempting to really improve the team is all the damage control they need to take.
I don’t think there is a Met fan around who would find offense in what Terry said. I actually felt his honesty was refreshing.
It’s time to brand the distinctive quality of play we’ve enjoyed these past going-on-three seasons with a catchy marketing label. I propose: Sandyball(TM).
This squad is making a serious run at those late seventies Mets teams for all-around putridity. What a sad-sack sorry bunch of dead-eyed losers.
I honestly don’t care about what Terry Collins has to say about the fans or some obnoxious platoon outfielder on the bubble of one of baseball’s worst rosters. What I want is some reason to care about the remaining four months-plus of this miserable season. Other than hoping that they score enough runs every five days to get Matt Harvey a respectable win total, I can’t think of any.
wow.
I never thought I would ever get to the point where I would not want to watch a Mets game. It’s like watching a rerun of a train wreck in slow motion. oh, here’s the part where the pitcher gives up three runs before the fourth inning. And here’s the part when the big lefty swings and misses for strike three leaving runners stranded. Don’t forget this one where the reliever gives up a clutch hit to put the game out of hand.
I’ll keep watching because it’s what I do here in California. I just may not catch every inning. Instead of avoiding any sports reports or scoreboards until I can watch the game on DVR, I’ve begun to just see what the score was and look for the few highlights. I even only watched the Harvey half innings when he got the no decision/one hitter (why does that have a ring like “grand slam single”?) because I knew obviously that the offence was MIA again until Baxter pinch hit. Maybe I will break out the 2006 game DVD’s once a week to remember what a winning Mets team looked like.
Three letters say it all.
wow
I stopped watching all non-Harvey starts a couple weeks ago. But for whatever reason, I’m ok with this season because I knew they were going to be awful. A year from now, if Sandy doesn’t have this team respectable, he needs to go.
Welcome to rock bottom. You can’t even survive by rooting against the Yankees anymore…they are too likeable right now…low paid over-achievers with one of the classiest players ever as closer. Maybe A-Rod will come back and help us out.
The emptiness of Shea II will be astounding this summer. It will be the story of this season. Selig is second-guessing his decision to put the all-star game here. As I have been saying for years, since this is basically the late 70s now, the same solution applies that worked last time…SELL THE DAMN TEAM. A boycott could not work until now, because too many fans had the notion that they still love going to and watching the games…I think a boycott could now work. We need some influential bloggers to do this. Starve the Wilpons of cashflow…protest at the ASG. Any other ideas? If you must go to a game, buy $5 tickets on Stubhub, take public transportation and bring a sandwich.
Don’t know about the sandwich. Last time I was at a Met game (which, granted, was a while ago), they wouldn’t let us bring in any outside food. All the better to force you to buy their overpriced hot dogs, my dear.
SNY should start broadcasting St Lucie and Savannah games instead. We have no idea if there are players there who will ever amount to anything, but at least the teams appear to be competitive at their respective levels.
Yep, just endorse the above
Being in the UK, I try to watch all the day games live as they’re on at 18 00 ish here so a good time. I ummed and aahed about Thu and Fri as other things available to do, and I’ve now decided to do the other thing. It’s rare I agree with Francesa but yesterday he stated that Mets are unwatchable apart from Harvey starts and it’s tough to disagree. We all look forward to next season with the prospects coming up but it’s big pressure on them. And,whilst Sandy has done a good long term job, throughout his tenure he has consistently failed to address the bullpen issue,how long will that take?
BlackCountry – If I were you, I’d watch cricket. Better a silly mid-off than a silly middle innings reliever.
Hi Guys,
It has gotten so bad that I no longer feel a need to vet my frustrations by lengthy essays regarding Sandy Alderson being a business person with his concerns focused on having the Wilpons survive as owners as they face a mounting multitude of financial losses (both in revenue and outside investments) and heavy debts. Again, doesn’t make Sandy the villain in anything – just that his hiring was not to turn the team around as it was the financial picture.
Feelings aside, Bud Selig was right to point out that the Wilpons were victims of a financial fraud and did not bring the fiscal problems upon themselves so he admitted to haven takne extraordinary measures to help them that he didn’t do with other owners who then had to declare bankruptcy. It’s sad but a major league franchise cannot flourish on the field under these type financial circumstances.
I’ve reached the unfortunately standard level of indifference/ennui already. I watch when there’s nothing else to do, and barely engage digitally anymore. My friends and I hardly discuss them. The worst is, there’s no end in sight. People talk about competing next year – How? With one good pitcher, and possibly a second on the way? With one good position player? Our so-called building blocks like Ike and Duda and Niese all stink. Evidently there is not a single OF prospect anywhere near fruition. Who knows what d’Arnaud will be. I thought 2013 was going to be 1983, maybe even ’84 if things broke right. It’s 1978.
A business associate has invited me to one of the games against the Yankees in the Bronx. That oughta be fun.
I saw that ..someone was trying to compare the current Metsies to either 1978 or 1982, with 78 being the close-to-bottom and 82 starting to look upwards. These Mets are getting close to 1979 bad, when even Lindsey Nelson bailed from the broadcast booth and joined the SF Giants.
The 2013 Mets are right now just as awful as the 77 through 82 teams, all of which were nightmarishly horrible. Lousy roster, skinflint ownership, empty ballpark…the resemblance is uncanny.
Well they should have turn back the clock day and charge 1977 prices for tickets, gifts and food!!!!
The best thing I can say about this season is that, for the first time in forever, I pocketed the $130 or so by not subscribing to mlb.tv. Now if only I could request that Quick Pitch and SportsCenter leave out my favorite team’s lowlights …
wow! remember when an engaging and promising first half followed by a dismal second half was considered a disapointment??
i anticipate a summer of many game-time bike rides.
mets: my legs/cardio vascular system thank you in advance.
Best post ever.
BOYCOTT THIS WILPON ATROCITY!
They’ll get to 80 wins. Did you really expect more than that? No pitching, no outfielders, no cash. 2014 will be a different story.
Madoff made it impossible to throw money at the condition Omar put it in. What can you do?
People talk about rebuilding. This is what rebuilding is like.
80 wins? I’d be amazed.
The way it looks right now, I’d be amazed at 60.
Niese and Gee will improve. Marcum will get a little better. Ike will start hitting. They will play the Marlins. Wins will come.
80 wins is out of the question unless the 2013 season is extended until about June of 2014.
But seriously, is this what rebuilding is like? The few Mets farmhands you see in best prospects lists were all acquired via trades, and unless a big market suddenly develops for third-tier players, the Mets have no trade bait left to speak of…nobody is giving us a blue-chipper for Buck, Murphy, etc. None of the players that Alderson’s team has drafted or signed are being talked about as high impact players. In fact, this year’s draft will be interesting to watch, as it will include the player who was too good to pass up to sign Michael Bourne.
I believe in rebuilding with young homegrown talent, that’s how our glory years happened, but every team gets to draft young players, every team has a farm system, and not only do I see no indication that Alderson does this better than anyone else, it seems to me as though a lot of people have him beat. He left the world of talent scouting and player development years ago, was brought back to this line of work to help the Wilpons get their finances in order and maybe restore credibility, and while I’ve been as patient as I could possibly be (and I lived through the pre-Davey Johnson Dark Ages too), my faith in Alderson has all but disappeared. It takes no talent to slash payroll, you can accomplish that by signing guys who belong on the Somerset Patriots. But put together a competitive team, or even a team that’s entertaining to watch on a smaller payroll? Other teams do it, but they all have GM’s not named Sandy Alderson.
We’re all in violation of Jason’s dictum that the Mets don’t even deserve our disdain, aren’t we?
You know what? I live only a couple of towns away from Somerset.
Maybe it’s time to discover the joys of indy-minor-league baseball.
No heartache. No Wilpons. No dashed expectations. Cheap tickets.
Go Patriots!
9thString: What have you seen or read that gives you any indication 2014 will be better? Other than presumably having Wheeler on the staff, what is there to boost us up? A frequently-injured rookie catcher? OK, that’s two players. And we have Harvey and Wright. What else is on hand? Positions we thought we had covered like 1B and SS and LF are manned by incompetents/head cases. Mediocrity reigns everywhere else. Who’s down on the farm – Den Dekker and Nieuwenhuiss? Is Reese Havens still alive?
I’m not angry. I’m not gonna march around with “Fire Sandy” signs, or boycott the club. I understand the need to rebuild, but ARE we rebuilding? We’re not going to sign any impact free agents, not that I want to be in that business anymore. I just don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.
I actually think the infield is pretty good, but in a bad place right now. Backman will get them working well next year. A lot of cash comes off the books which will translate into another pitcher and an outfielder. Catcher should be okay. You have Wheeler, Snydergaard, Montero and D’Arnaud on the way up. It will be a very different team. Think 1982 going into 1983.
Everybody should cool it. This coming from a Met fan from 1962 when they lost 140 games, I think. Then the question was – in what way did they loose today? There are so many ways. When a team is in this condition, it’s more than just baseball – there’s a story arc. It’s a soap opera. It becomes a wider discussion. Then there is – if this is so bad for you, then become a Yankee fan. Comforting thought – they will get better. Meanwhile we are in the bunker – get used to it.
Hi George,
Since we both share that unique distinction of being original New Breeders, I know how age is creeping up on both of us – and why 120 loses can now be remembered as 140! LOL
But remember back then that while we were having fun in the stands, the players still put out 100 percent even through those bad times. Last night I was happy to see one thing – John Buck’s open expression of enthusiasm after getting himself out of that rundown at second even though the team was down by seven runs. It shows he was still putting out that 100 percent effort as well.
I don’t care if they lose 162 games if they try hard and have a plan for the future…that includes the players, coaches, groundskeepers, announcers, GM and ownership. That’s when you are proud to be a fan. This is just EMBARASSING now. Unfortunately, the fans are paying for the sins of the owners and that is borderline intolerable. BOYCOTT!
I’ve been reading “FaithandFearinFlushing” for a few years now. In what has turned out to be a dark period in the history of the Mets, it’s you I’ve turned to as a beacon of hope, the wise uncle who helps put things (called third strikes with the bat on your shoulder/September collapses/Jason Bay/Ike Davis) in perspective.
In the past I’ve posted comments on the blog. Last week, however, I commented on Ike Davis and his seemingly helplessness at the plate. I was done with him. Then I attended Sunday’s game against the Pirates. I was one of the thousands who booed Davis following yet another strikeout, this time on a 59-foot pitch with two runners in scoring position. I booed lustily and it felt therapeutic.
I drove home to Pennsylvania, listening to WFAN. It was amazing to me that it was only Mother’s Day and I knew with full confidence that the competitive part of the Mets’ season was over.
This brings us to the St. Louis series, where it seems the Mets are playing against a very good field goal kicker. Three points here, three points there, and it’s 6-0 before you know it.
Then this morning I read your reaction to the past week, month, years. It was as disheartening to read as it is to see Davis coming to bat.
Sandy clearly had direction from the Wilpons not to spend this offseason, the same directive as 2011, when Jose Reyes was allowed to walk without even receiving an offer, according to him.
This M.O. will clearly not work, especially in New York.
Here’s another cheery thought: we need to steel ourselves NOW for the very real possibility that Matt Harvey will sign with the Yankees — his stated childhood fave team — as a free agent following the 2018 season.
Every other season since they’ve been at Taxpayer Field, the Mets have teased us with a competitive May or June. Not even that’s happening this year.
http://doublegsports.com/2013/05/15/no-false-hopes-for-mets-this-year/
This is a team built on “IFS”. If Duda can hit, if Davis carries over his second half stroke, if Niese remains “consistent”, if the new bullpen guys can hold their own, if Tejada can grow, if one of these outfielders can perform at a major league level, etc. Only one non-IF on this team going into the season and we know who that is. You can’t say that about a good team like the Cards, or Rays, Texas….well you can, but it’s from the opposite end of the thought process – if Beltran, Hilday don’t hit, if Price gets hurt, if Longoria sucks all of a sudden. But, what’s extraordinary to me and seems to defy all mathematical odds, every last one of these Mets “IFS” has imploded and has become Designated for Assignment material. I wouldn’t want to bet Alderson’s hunches in the stock market or race track, believe me.
But, what keeps coming back to me in spades when I bother to watch: Davis has really killed this teams chances to compete. Maybe even the spirit to compete.
ike davis is the new mo vaughn with admittedly better skills on the field.
in the lineup every day for little more than team brass being enamoured with the shots he unleashes on those rare occasions that he gets a hold of one.
please, brass, let turner take over at first…give the dude something to do other than pie-ing his teammates during interviews. it’s beyond tiresome.
actually brass…keep putting the same crap on the field every night.
at some point the wilpons will have to prefer a quick exit over counting their ever more meager box office receipts. ya gotta believe :-/
Well they gave it a try- rebuilding with little trade bait and without spending any money. A couple good deals, a couple missteps. The jury was out for a long while, but the verdict’s in: this rebuilding attempt has failed.
Without talking about individual players- starting pitching could possibly end up being pretty good to very good next year. Not probable, but possible. Bullpen- not looking too good, tho who ever knows about bullpens. But absolutely no hope the lineup will be anything other than bad this year, next year and beyond.
There’s really no reason to think it likely that 2014 or 2015 will be markedly better than this year. Sure, if things break just right…. but that’s true of any bad team. Too many guys we thought were part of the future haven’t panned out and might not even end up being major leaguers in a year or two. What we have coming up is not near enough by themselves.
So- rebuilding attempt failed. Perenially bad team. They’re the Braves of the 80’s with Wright playing the part of Dale Murphy. Didn’t you always feel bad for Dale Murphy?
Im amazed at how many responses this post got. It’s as if we all reached our breaking point at the same time.
This is surprising?
And ANOTHER thing…
I would just for once like the Wilpons to come out and say “WE HAVE NO MONEY.” I’d have a helluva lot more respect for them if they’d just stop BS-ing us about putting Madoff behind them and having the resources and participating in the FA market — frankly, I want them to stay OUT of the FA market next year: there are no game-changers there — and proclaiming themselves financially solvent JUST after the last viable FA is signed. Just come out and say it: “We’re broke and any money we DO make is already earmarked, because we’re in hock up to the eyeballs.”
I can hear that. It’s honest.
Hi Charlie,
I started thinking that the first winter when Sandy started acquiring Young, Carrasco, etc. and as Jason knows, concluded that as being so when they threw the team under the bus in 2011.
Even during the Grant years after the Seaver trade I had more hope for it seemed the front office was trying it’s best considering the hold that Grant and Ms. deRoulete had on it. We did have a young team that looked like it might be heading up sans Hebner who only wanted heading out.
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[…] More Chronicling Than They Actually Deserve […]
[…] My recent advice stands: Find something else to do with your summer, with the possible exception of every fifth day, and let the Christmas carolers be a reminder to check on the team’s financial condition. That, more than anything else, will determine whether you should pay attention in 2014 or wait for new ownership. […]