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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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Have You Seen This Team?
by Greg Prince on 7 September 2022 8:16 am  MISSING: Sole proprietorship of first place in the National League East.
AGE: Approximately 5 months.
ANSWERS TO: Let’s Go Mets, LFGM or “Not Again”.
LAST SEEN: Leaving PNC Park following a third consecutive barely competitive loss to a last-place team.
RECOGNIZABLE MARKINGS: World-class starting pitching, unrelenting middle-of-the-order production, indestructible right fielder, preternatural ability to quash lesser opponents.
***PLEASE LOOK HARD FOR THESE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS — THEY MAY BE HARD TO DETECT IN THE HARSH GLARE OF SEPTEMBER.***
ALLERGIES: Driving in runs, keeping games close late, out-of-town scoreboard updates involving ATL.
REWARD: Division championship, Wild Card round bye, collective sense of self-esteem.
PLEASE CONTACT: Bat to ball in useful manner.
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I know it’s apples and oranges, but I detect a distinct whiff of 2007 emanating from this team. True, there are three wild cards now, and we’ll almost certainly be one of them, but this franchise has a historically bottomless capacity to rip our hearts out.
And now Max on 15-day IL. Word on Marte somewhat encouraging–for now. Of course, we have zero starting pitchers in AAA to call up and zero decent OFs. Meanwhile, Harris and Grissom for Braves at all-star level and Albies coming back.
Buck rightly getting roasted for bullpen use lately (actually I have questioned all year when he can’t simply dial in Ottavino and Diaz). Oca gets 2nd inning last night after Mets make it 4-2–with pen rested. Yeah, DH today but only an issue because Buck almost refuses to use guys two days in a row. I am old enough to remember when he said he wouldn’t do that early in the year but would later. I guess he is waiting for playoffs. Shall we mention Zach Britton, here?
Meanwhile, Eppler keeps calling up terrible AAA relievers (e.g. Medina, Oca, Alvarez) while Nogesek, the only good one, with 1.32 ERA, rots down there–they even let him pitch last night (his usual shutdown inning) even knowing they could call him up today for DH….
I’m not torturing myself with another 2007-2008 scenario. If they don’t sweep the Pie Tins today, I’ll have no choice but to turn my back on them, at least until (if) they snap the hell out of whatever this is supposed to be. The dead-eyed, shuffling, listless Mets are back, with the LOB and the horrible bullpen and dismal slumps, and I’m not standing for it. And I’m certainly not going to sit there watching someone like the Phillies dance all over their faces in some silly wild card game. Just a week ago the Mets were giving “the best team in the league” all they could handle, and now, completely out of nowhere, they’re getting routed by basement-dwellers every day. Snap the hell out of it, now.
weeks ago (or was it just days? this past stretch has messed with my sense of season-time) i predicted we were in the midst of an 07-08 type of collapse (but with time to get things eight) but had hoped to jinx said collapse by speaking its name.
all season long these (or is it those??) mets often did their offensive damage when i’d been momentarily away from the tv.
i may need to skip a game or two to see if my mojo-by-absence can hell this wretched bunch wake up, heal up.this leak of oil : seal up!
baaah!
The Mets of the spring and summer brought so much joy that this is incredibly sad to watch. I’m 15 years older (as are all of us) than I was in 2007, and I had to turn away from last night’s game -more in sadness than in anger. I just don’t think I can take seeing this team collapse after all the non-baseball sadness of the past few years; the Mets were a tonic that’s being ripped away piece by piece. I’ve been a Mets fan for over 50 years, and I know You’ve Gotta Believe, but I need proof of life in this team right now. Jake this is the most important game you have ever pitched.
thank you. so well said ljc.
I fully expect a bounce-back (dead cat bounce?) after rock-bottom is hit (whenever that is), even the ’78 Red Sox did that. Greg, we may be able to find these missing persons (insert team photo here) on a Dairylea milk carton, and the appropriate reward (upon providing helpful information and cutting out a coupon to be presented live at the CitiField box office), would be standing room only tickets to a future Mets/Nats or Mets/Pirates game. BTW, Ollie Perez and Bartolo (of course) are still available if we need a spot start.
People keep comparing this season to 2007, and I get the comparison, but the season this feels like the most to me is 1988. On the surface, 100 wins, 1st place pretty much the whole season, even took 11 of 12 from their playoff opponents, all should be good. But beneath the surface, a shaky bullpen, a reliance on a few guys on the other side of 30, annoying lack of clutch hitting…to me 1988 never felt quite right (which could have been in part because of the natural comparison to 1986, where everything felt right), and sure enough in the playoffs, that team that lost 11 of 12 to us during the previous 162 was able to take advantage of each flaw (enhanced by Bobby Ojeda’s ill advised landscaping) and next thing you know, the Mets and their 100 wins are watching the World Series on tv like the rest of us, and what we hoped would be a dynasty is turning into a one-and-done.
Except this team doesn’t have its one to be done from.
Greg, For the record, huge Mets fan here transplant from NJ. I have to say that once you get past the pain, this is hilarious. I especially enjoyed the Answers to : “Not again.” Great stuff. Wish it wasn’t true but funny is funny.
What a stretch against bad teams. For me it’s almost a relief. The Braves have been coming, coming, coming like some irresistible force of nature. Now they’re finally here. Let’s see how we deal.
Not sure how long it would take Megill to stretch out to start as they’ve been prepping him for relief. No idea if Lucchesi has been working short or long in his rehab. I imagine in the short term we’re looking at 3-4 innings from Trevor and patch whatever we can behind him. Hope 15-day is actually 15-day and not, “See you next March when pitchers and catchers report.”
Loved this, “PLEASE CONTACT: Bat to ball in useful manner.” That was great.
I still want to see the guy batting .320 be higher up in the order where he can get more ABs. Based on the box score he was cleanup in the early game? Bassitt has been a monster lately. Hope we score some for Jake.
On Friday, following yet another series win, this time over the MLB-best Dodgers, the Mets beat the Nationals. Not a blow-out win, but they looked the part of a contender dispatching a last-place team with aplomb.
Then the Mets fell off a cliff. They’ve been carrying a slumping RISP-LOB offense and shaky bullpen for a while, but I don’t blame those weaknesses, at least not foremost, because the Mets had been winning at a regular clip while carrying them.
What worries me more is health and fitness. The Mets count on a number of players who are older with injury histories and playing hurt. I’m worried the season has caught up to them, and the Braves’ unrelenting chase hasn’t allowed the Mets to compensate with more rest and recuperation.
Now, with the Braves pulled even and no hint of slowing down, Scherzer is on the IL again. I hope Marte is okay. He’s needed. They both are.
Holy cow….
IT WORKED!! — Thanks Greg!
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