The Winning Streak Has To Start Somewhere

It is easy to be cynical when the Mets win their first game in 8 days, especially when going into the Citi Field leg of the Yankees series. Two things were good, at least, about that isolated one game: The offense didn't completely fizzle out late after taking an early lead, and the game wasn't blown in the 9th inning.

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Photo via New York Times

The thing is, if they are ever to win two in a row again, the winning streak has got to start somewhere (insert "duh" gif here.)

I like it when the Mets win, even when the more they lose, the more fervor gets churned about how much the Wilpons suck at running a baseball team. I'm not one for tanking (even if the result is a draft pick of glorious nature down the road.) I want miracles. I want Amazin' times. I glitch, though, when I utter, "Amazin'," because the nickname was arrived at in an ironic state, referring to the Amazin' Mets of 1962.

By 1969, however, Amazin' was literally that, as we recollected on this past weekend. That is how quickly things can change.

The "They" everyone talks about like to say, "Success is luck and preparation intersecting" or however you want to phrase it yourself. It would seem, cynically enough, that any success under the
Wilpons, whether it is one isolated game or years like 2015 and 2016, is more luck than preparation. I'm sick of them proving us right, but as hard as it is to watch the nature of 2017, '18 and '19 after two great years in a row, I would never trade the joy and glow the memories of those two years have provided me. As much as we can sometimes laugh off the awful nature of the way things have gone, I'd still rather they figure out how to prepare to string together a bunch of 2015's and 2016's in a row.

The winning streak has to start somewhere...

BEAT. THE. YANKEES.

LET'S. GO. METS.

It's Groundhog Day...Again and Mets Daddy on A Metsian Podcast

I mean, what else can I say? I'll quote myself from the below A Metsian Podcast: "Well, It's Groundhog Day...again. It's almost a  feeling of Groundhog Day to continuously compare our fandom to that movie, but I'll tell you what? The next time I see Ned Ryerson, I'm going to punch him in the fucking face."

Photo via nypost.com

After taking in a game Monday in Philly, my first of the year where I actually still had a good time despite the final, I, like all other Mets fans, just kept watching the same thing over and over again, as we've been doing so for day after day, month after month, and year after year. Today should have been a day of celebration, with Tom Seaver being honored at Citi Field with the main address of 126th Street being named 41 Seaver Way. Instead, just the fact it was this far into the life of Citi Field, and Tom Seaver himself can't even take it in because he now has dementia...that they were doing it 3 hours before starting their 4th and final game against the Phillies...yet again, the ineptitude of the Wilpons are front and center. And then all we're talking about later on in the day is once more how AWFUL the Wilpons have allowed this team to be with another blown save. Today should have been a day of celebration, but instead, it is once more a reminder how how far this team is from those glory days of yesteryear, as well as the glory days of only 4 years ago.

How do they expect to ever have consistent winning? There is nothing they can do to change the way this team keeps going through these peaks and valleys operating the way they continue to operate. I am exhausted talking about them, yet it is the only thing we can do because it is SO GLARINGLY this team's BIGGEST issue.

We had a lot of great rants on the 30th episode of A Metsian Podcast last night, and I urge you to tune into listen to Rich, Mike and John aka Mets Daddy, as well as I, rant, rave and holler about this gloriously awful team we love to love.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Dropping MF Bombs

This is how it goes. That never-ending cycle we all hope they will break. One step forward, 8 steps back. Just when the weekend looks like progress is being made, they blow a very winnable game and then almost choke out a reporter. This is a team on the brink of a breakdown.

Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Photo via Newsday

We all try to stave off being on the brink of a breakdown. Some more than others. Glory can be almost tasted, seen right in front of us and we do everything we can do not to get in our own way. The Mets are no exception, and clearly Mickey wants to win. As much as we give him shit for the moves he makes, like yesterday when he clearly should have had Edwin Diaz ready to go when it was clear Seth Lugo didn't have it in his 2nd inning of work, he is trying to win. No competitor isn't. Art Howe wanted to win, Jerry Manuel wanted to win, Dallas Green wanted to win. I don't think Mickey doesn't want to win. He's trying his best, but yesterday was the first time we saw him break.

He had been pretty even keeled until the perceived sarcasm from Tim Healey of Newsday, someone who does a great job of reporting and has been on our podcast. Knowing Tim, he wasn't jeopardizing his own line of work by causing conflict in the workplace. Hence why the Mets reached out to him to apologize and "handled affairs internally with personnel." They recognize, which they hardly ever do, the mistake that was made internally. Wouldn't it be nice if the Wilpons did the same on a more consistent basis?

How are we supposed to break the cycle? How are we supposed to make any progress when we keep tripping over our own two feet?

I'm going to the game tonight in Philly, and they're having their own problems having lost several games in a row including three at home to the Marlins. This will be the first game I've made it to all year, and I probably shouldn't even be going, but I've been planning it for a while and haven't seen my friend in some time. Hopefully, I'm not tripping over my own two feet as well since I should keep earning and not be spending money. I, however, also need a breather. As much as they may end up frustrating me tonight, I'll be happy I saw a game in person.

Then again....

Oy. Those Motherf-

Anyway, last night, on A Metsian Podcast, the guys had Mr. Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing on to rant and rave for themselves, for the fans and for me. Please, indulge with a listen when you have a chance.

LET'S. GO. METS.

The Optimist Slips

It doesn't matter how bad it gets, the optimist can always find a silver lining. I try to stay as optimistic as I possibly can be. In my life, with the Mets, with whatever comes my way.

photo via nypost.com

For instance, I had to go to court in Mount Laurel, NJ, for a traffic summons last week. I found it enthralling to watch the judge and the cases he had to give judgement on before I was the particular one. It was theatrical, and it serves me in my screenwriting persona to act as a fly on the wall before entering the scenery. Of course I wasn't particularly thrilled to have to pay my fine, which included a court fee I would have rather avoided by being able to plead guilty online and just pay it there, but it benefited me to get the most out of the experience.

At what point, however, does the most optimistic Mets fan become so cynical, disgusted and depressed that even he or she can no longer weave positivity from the negative they see?

There is a breaking point for everyone. Every year can be different. Every person can be different. Even though we have gone through this before, each season offers a new potential for wiping the slate clean and starting over. Though we have a point of reference for the misery of other years, many of us sweep it under the rug in hopes that what we know to be the pattern will shift ever so slightly to provide a different outcome. At some point, the idea it is still early becomes just another lie we tell ourselves to forget the fact there is always a further bottom, one closer to the hot, uninhabitable core that apparently sits in the center of this Earth.

Yesterday, in some fashion, offered a contained metaphor for the overarching theme of the season: a little hope early with a dreadful, devastating middle that makes any hope late pointless. I have railed many a times this season at the job Mickey Callaway has done, but I cede to the folks who say that firing him will make little of a difference. I was never in denial that the main issue of this franchise are the Wilpons, as I have been skeptical all decade there would ever be sustained success with them in charge. I was hopeful, however, they would prove me wrong. This decade started with a new beginning and once more ends with the reality that it doesn't matter if you change the manager, the general manager, the pitching coach, the hitting coach, the bench coach, or the bay boy. The owners of this team keep doing the same thing and expect different results. Maybe one day they will pass go and collect their 2 billion dollars.

The pessimist in me, however, has no faith another collection of owners would be any different. The optimist in me, though, knows it couldn't hurt to try.

SAME. OLD. SAME. OLD.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Mind the Gap

I wish I could quote word for word what Howie said last night about the difference between the Mets and the Braves, but he basically listed off everything Atlanta was doing right. He then finished with, "And then, there's the Mets."

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Photo via Amazin' Avenue

It was glaring how far and beyond the National League East leading team is over the "Come get us" Mets right now. That is the line everybody likes to sarcastically bring up these days when voicing their disdain with the state of the team. I cannot fault, however, Brodie's bravado. What else would you want him to say as he is putting together his first offseason at the helm? It's just a very easily mockable thing now as we watch this team fall apart at the seams.

Even if the pitching isn't sound because the ball is "juiced," you cannot make excuses and have to adapt to the circumstances at hand. There are obviously plenty of teams having success with the hypothetical tighter wound ball. The Mets have issues all around, but the bullpen is far and beyond their biggest. They would be a pretty good team if they could just hold onto some games.

The way Zack Wheeler pitched last night, however, the bullpen only exacerbated the issue. They had no game to blow, only one to let get further away.

As I tweeted earlier...

For a hot second, I was sure the #Mets couldn’t have another June as bad as last year. Then their June schedule was all like pic.twitter.com/AlyEm5i5RD

— Sam Maxwell (@THE_SamMaxwell) June 18, 2019

FURTHER. DOWN. NOW.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Hot Trash

Where to begin? I am beyond aggravated with where the Mets find themselves two days into the Cardinals series, with all that has transpired. I shouldn't blame anybody but the Mets for what they themselves can control. They could have taken adversity and gotten over it. They unfortunately continue to be the first and foremost thing in their own way.

Photo via My Motherlode

What a metaphor. Maybe that is why we all can relate. So many of us have such potential for greatness, yet we find ourselves continuously self-sabotaging. You have to think to yourself, of course, there is no way the Mets are doing so in this particular instance. Whether it is fear of success...for the more we succeed, the more we have to lose...because obviously why would the Mets and their players not want to achieve greatness? They clearly don't WANT to continuously trip over their own two feet. Top down, however, they continue to put themselves in the position to be the most glaring reason they have the entire league shaking their heads wondering if the Mets will ever get it together for a prolonged period of time.

I begin writing this without having gotten enough sleep but with a parking spot on my block in Manhattan that at least renders me some time to gather myself. I, however, am a hot mess indeed, so I might as well take a moment to rant without the rave about the hot trash that has helped to keep the Mets on the losing end of things 2 strange games in a row.

1. The Umpires - Could you make a decision with any conviction at all? Thursday night and the debacle with the tarp is front and center why most fans in the league think you are the worst officiating in sports and with absolutely no accountability amongst your ranks. Of course we all would rather wrap the game up as quickly as possible but the conditions were clearly within the traditional form of unplayable and you stand around, while things get worse, going back and forth about what to do AFTER you've already made a decision to begin the tarp proceedings. I mean, look at that photo I used. It looks like it was taken underwater. There is no thought given to what your indecision means for the young arm being forced to get up and sit down, attempting to stay warm before finally throwing a baseball in a downpour. Edwin Diaz will not be included in my hot trash takes because our young closer whom some fans want to give shit to right now has been nothing but dicked around.

2. Jeurys Familia - There was a hot second when I thought he may be turning a corner, but he continues to be put into high leverage situations and continues to fail miserably. The body language is completely off and the confidence of his youth has been completely wiped away. It is sad considering I keep flashing back to us fans dreaming of what could be when he was just a lil-ol' B-Met in Binghamton. Whether or not he should have even been brought back in the first place this past offseason has no place in my discussion right now. The only thing is he is what brewed the phrase in my head, "Hot Trash" after last night's horrendous 8th inning. At this point he should clearly not be anywhere near situations of that nature, no matter who may be rendered unavailable at the time. Speaking of which...

3. Mickey Callaway - I keep telling myself he will get better as a manager. I see no proof, however, of this way of thinking as of now. He would look much better as a manager if Familia was anywhere near dependable this year but he keeps making himself look bad by continuing to trust Familia in those moments. I can't tell you what the other options could have been considering apparently Gsellman had some back aches after his 7th inning last night, but at some point, Familia clearly once more did not have it, yet Callaway gives him all the room to fail. That isn't even the most egregious moment of the day. WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS YOUR CLOSER DOING STARTING THE 10TH INNING OF A SUSPENDED GAME WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED HIS ARM COME THE 9TH INNING LATER ON THAT NIGHT?! I'm sure that was indeed the plan had Familia gotten through the 8th, but why, oh why, was Diaz even close to an option earlier?! It makes absolutely no sense. The only thing I can think of is you're trying to save other arms in case it goes deep and also trying to save other arms for the night billing. So, you think, I want my best available arm to shut these guys down immediately. Complete backfire. I just wouldn't have gone that route and I'm irrationally upset Callaway did.


As I write this, I've been back and forth with a fellow fan who said it's time to move Wheeler or Matz. I would keep Matz 'cause he is still cost-controlled for a few more years (and better at this point) and Wheeler is on his way out most likely. I'll just go ahead and copy-and-paste the rest....At some point, if it keeps going this direction, move Frazier, Wheeler, and maybe even Diaz. I don't know, (to reiterate something I wrote way above) the Mets have all the potential in the world but cannot get out of their own way, and the Wilpons keep operating like the way they have all these years has been a formula for success. So frustrating.

I'm spent. Time to go driving.

TAKE. A. BREATH. NOW.

LET'S. GO. METS.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 28 - Subway Series Bronx Edition Recap & Looking Ahead

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast enters episode 28!

We'll recap the Subway Series doubleheader in the Bronx, look ahead to an important 4-game series with the Cardinals at Citi Field, and of course, take a look at the players to wear number 28 in Mets history.

More specifically, we'll discuss Zack Wheeler's uneven walk year...Jason Vargas's resergence, Pete Alonso's All-Star and Rookie of the Year potential, and look at whether the Subway Series is still as exciting after all these years and with the novelty of interleague play having worn off.

PLUS MUCH MORE! So, join us LIVE at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen LIVE below, or at the direct link here.

Escape from the Bronx

It seems to be the way it goes every time these Mets/Yankees series arise. The Mets are starting to turn the corner and the Yankees are swooning some. I am generally optimistic, as you may be aware if you're familiar with my Mets fandom. When the above is the case, however, going into these series, I only see a letdown coming. The Mets have gotten our hopes up that we can handle these bombers, only to see it crash down around us.

Photo via nypost.com

Yesterday, after Monday's game was pushed to Tuesday afternoon, only half of that was true. I felt, with the Mets road record at 13-22 going into the series, you had to be happy with a split of the 2-game series that would bring them to 14-23. Baby steps after all.

Zack Wheeler has been rather home run prone this year, so yesterday, we all knew he would have to be much more finely tuned to stave off the cheap, I mean, short porches that Yankee Stadium provides. I troll, of course, because the home runs hit against him yesterday were anything but cheap.

The first game represented the narrative of the Mets on the road this year. Grab a lead, don't retain it. Luckily, and it began to feel dicey after they gathered a 6-0 lead that was immediately cut to 6-3, last night was handled soundly by Jason Vargas and the bullpen. The 9-3 lead they had finished at 10-4, the Mets able to escape with at least somewhat of a good feeling going into an important series against the consistent St. Louis franchise that always seems to be right there in the mix.

Looking at the standings...and June is an appropriate time to start dissecting them, not APRIL 17 as some like to do who post the Mets in 1st place on days like that...the Mets are a game behind the Cardinals in the Wild Card race. Though they have 3 teams in front of them before getting to the Cubs, who own the 2nd position as of now, followed by a tie for the 1st position with the Braves and the Phillies, you have to start somewhere, as 2016 showed with the Mets clinically making their way through 5 teams to eventually grab a wild card spot. 

This team, as frustrating as they can be and as hard as it has been to finally climb back over .500, is right there with plenty of baseball left for them to get their act together. It's rarely a breezy season for the Metropolitan franchise. As much as our hearts wish for a 1986, even that season eventually became nerve-racking come October. This is what we live for. The excitement, the suspense. This is why we are not Yankees fans. This is why I am no longer a Yankees fan. Fourteen years in and I still would rather the day-in-day-out drama of the Orange and Blue than the ease of the pinstripes. It is a much more realistic way of taking in baseball and a much more realistic representation of life itself. It's easy for some, but for most of us, it is a absolute struggle. We just have to choose to be happy, 'cause you're not going to be able to be ever stave off the eventual misery.

I told you I was optimistic! Um....LAUGHING OUT LOUD NOW...

BEAT. THE. REDBIRDS.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Home Cookin'

We're exhilarated when they're playing well and we're disgusted when they are not. I have not been high on Mickey Callaway and I'm always skeptical this franchise can ever sustain success with the Wilpons at the owning helm. This team creates such a bipolar emotional swing, there is never a dull moment.

Anthony J. Causi
Photo via New York Post

Thing is, the 2019 New York Mets are bucking the trend and playing well at home. They're just not playing well, and that is an understatement, on the road. They are currently 7 games over at Citi Field with a 17-10 record but 9 games under on the road at 13-22. That right there is the difference in the season. The majority of the games we have complained about them blowing have been the bullpen's inability on the road to stave off their opposition's 0wn home cookin'. Just a 5 game swing and they would be a .500 road team. It all is obviously hypothetical, but that's how thin the difference is between them being a winning ballclub and 2 games under .500. I'm sure all us fans can list 5 games we know the Mets could have held onto in other's people's ballparks. Tighten that up, and we're not as fed up as we have been.

Now, with the Rockies on the way in, it is time to plow forward and make sure June is not even remotely close to the miserable 5-21 it was last year. I still believe this team is far better than the 2018 squad was but they have their work cut out for them this month with the majority of the clubs vying for a playoff spot, including the Yankees at the stadium on Monday and Tuesday. I'm sure all Mets fans are looking forward to THAT potential trolling. Buckle up, Buckaroos.

Before I go, thanks once more to Taryn "The Coop" Cooper for joining us on the 27th episode of A Metsian Podcast last night!

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 27 - Dreaming of a Brighter June, with The Coop

At 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast will be LIVE with our 27th episode! Taryn "The Coop" Cooper of "My Summer Family"joins us to talk about..who else? The New York Mets!

Well, with last night's win, the Mets are 1/5 of the way to matching their win total of 2018's June. Obviously, 6 wins this month will still be rather miserable, and it seems unlikely they will be as bad as they were, but Mickey Callaway and Co. have to figure out how to go through this month with a better formula for success than they have been putting together as of late. We'll discuss some strategies we think they need to take to do so, you know, other than the overall strategy of not blowing the leads they keep having.

Robinson Cano was rushed back from the IL and proceeded to re-aggravate his injured quad. Why do the Mets keep rushing these players back from injury? Have they seriously not learned by now?

That plus much, much more! Including a look at the players to wear number 27 in their history.

So, join us LIVE at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen below, or at the main page HERE.

Giving Props to Vargas When Due

I spent a lot of words early on this season on this page scolding Jason Vargas and the Mets for continuing to trot him out there. Why even link those? We're not here to re-litigate all that but rather celebrate the fact Jason Vargas, fresh off shutting out the Giants over 9 innings, now has the 2nd lowest ERA of the Mets starters, 2nd only to Jacob deGrom.

Noah K. Murray/USA Today Sports
Photo via McCovey Chronicles

It doesn't matter whether this wouldn't be the case if some of our other starters had their shit together. Vargas has quietly, as we dog him every time his slot comes up, had a resurgent season. Forget the fact the Giants have not been very good. We know the Mets well enough to know the record status of their opposition never matters. Every ball team is going to have to play the good, the bad and the ugly, and you have to collect W's wherever you can find them. Not only did the Mets collect one on the backs of an impressive offensive performance, but on the back of a man who would not be here had most Mets fans gotten their way going into the season.

We can only hope and keep rooting for Jason Vargas to continue to excel. He gave the Mets and us fans all we could hope for and more last night, and relieved a relief corps in desperate need of some support (and more quality outings.) Momentum is only as good as your next day's starter, and Vargas has been a rather good next day's starter after a miserable start to the season.

Keep it up, Vargy. Are people calling him that, by the way? We should be.

Enjoy the day game, folks.

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Stop Me If You've Heard this One...

Just the other Metsian offday, I wrote about how much Mickey Callaway contradicts himself. Well, last night, taking Noah Syndergaard out when he was cruising wasn't so much a contradiction as it was precisely in Mickey's wheelhouse. Second-guessing the moves he makes with the pitching staff is all too common these days, and even he was second-guessing himself after the game, apparently even going as far as to apologize to the team for the move.

Charles Wenzelberg
Photo via NY Post

I don't see this carrying on much longer. Not his bad decisions... unfortunately I'm no longer giving him the benefit of the doubt, as much as I do not want to be reactionary with his performance. At this point, there is cause and effect to the reactions he is garnering from most of the fanbase, and I can't see him holding onto his job if all of this keeps trending the way it has been going.

Enough words have been said on Mickey Callaway. My gut feeling is there will have to be a major change of direction for us to believe in his performance, or for the front office to believe in his long-term potential with this team. If they don't bottom out this June like they did last year, he at least won't make it into another offseason. I think, however, he won't make it into another 2nd half...

One way or another, you know how the saying goes...

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.

The Contradictory Nature of Mickey Callaway

After Sunday's loss, Mickey Callaway had no positive spin to put on the exemplarily bad play of his New York Mets ballteam. According to the NY Post:

“Overall game, bad defense, bad pitching, no offense," Callaway said. "We can't allow people to have the best games of their career against us. That's the bottom line. 

Inconsistency is not going to win you games. That is why we are where we are in the standings and what our record looks like. We are just too inconsistent. I don’t think it is a focus issue at all, it’s going out there and trusting you are going to get the job done and doing it every time. We play great at home and then we go on the road and what we do on the road is not acceptable.’’

“We put ourselves in a position to win more games than we did but we lost them so it doesn’t matter what position you put yourself in, you gotta go get the job done,’’ Callaway said. “We have to do better. I’m kind of getting sick of saying we have to right this ship.’’ 

Norm Hall/Getty Images
Photo via Yahoo! Sports

Up until this point, he has tried to stay positive, using clichés such as "hard fought" and "toe-to-toe" and what have you. Obviously, after yet another listless loss following a game the Mets should have won, which is standard practice for this team, he couldn't take it anymore.

Unfortunately for Callaway, in my opinion, no matter how awful you want to say the roster is, he himself has been inconsistent in doing what he says is the strategy they are taking.

I have a habit of being a chronic reneger. I'll say one thing, and then eventually do another. I lose steam on momentum and the goals fall by the wayside. I get life is a hard thing to overall follow through with sometimes. Maybe that is why, as I personally try to correct my reneging nature, I'm so sensitive these days to when Callaway says one thing then does another.

When Jeurys Familia got back from his injury, Callaway said they would ease him back into high-leverage situations. The Seth Lugo injury certainly left them altering strategy, but only within a few days was he given back the 8th inning mantle, and a day after giving up a run in the 7th, no less.

Then, as another example, Callaway overall preaches taking everything one game at a time, but then is quoted as not committing to Tomas Nido being deGrom's personal catcher because they'll need Wilson Ramos's bat out there in the playoffs.

He makes a point, for sure, that it won't be ideal for the light-hitting Nido to be starting game 1 of the division series if we even make it that far. Guess what, though? There are better ways to frame that. Say, we need Ramos to be catching our best pitcher because we need all of our personnel on the same page. Whatever is the wording, don't be mentioning the playoffs when you are struggling to even push over the .500 mark.

For the Mets, and for Mickey Callaway in his green managerial career, it's 1 step forward, 3 steps back. For two years in a row, Mickey has struggled to maintain his club's hot start. Last June, the Mets went 5-21. Any chance they had for the season completely fell by the wayside then, obviously. I and others wondered whether they were going to lose 100 games for the first time since the 90's. The way they were playing, it was a grand possibility.

Now, this June, they play the likes of the Phillies, the Braves, the Yankees, the Rockies, the Cardinals and the Cubs, with the Giants the only team under .500 they face. As we saw on this past road trip, every flaw the team has was exposed by the better clubs after they were able to mask their flaws, which still bled out some, against the Nationals and Tigers at home. Callaway may not survive long enough for his team to have yet another similarly bad month.

I am not sure I like the way Brodie Van Wagenen is operating the ballclub. We all know it always comes back, regardless of the management personnel, to the way the Wilpons operate the team. Callaway, however, is leaving much to be desired. I talk about the nature of New York sports in not letting anybody, whether it is a player or a manager, settle in to their role. Callaway is only in his sophomore year managing at all, though this may be why it is so difficult for a newbie to get his feet wet with a team like the Mets. Tony LaRussa survived a few 90-loss seasons to go on and have a very successful career split between the White Sox, the A's and the Cardinals. Terry Francona, Callaway's supposed mentor with the Indians, was not immediately the genius he is viewed as now, beginning his managerial career with the Phillies and 4 losing seasons. We never give anyone, whether it is Amed Rosario or Mickey Callaway, a chance to settle in.

Mickey, however, is making it rather hard for us to give him the benefit of the doubt when he contradicts himself so much.

June is here, buddy. What have you done for us lately?

TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.

LET'S. GO. METS.

(too fitting a song title to not use twice this year)

Arriving Home Early to the Sounds of a Late Win

Last night, I hit a wall. Considering I drive for a living with Lyft, I should both specify that I didn't literally hit a wall and also state, however, that it is not the best when you're on the road and you figuratively hit one too.

AP Photo/Matt York
Photo via Yahoo Sports

I had been up since 4:15 in the morning, and though I had gotten a nap in, I had been ambitious in thinking that I would be able to go to an hour past jersey closing time, roughly 3 in the morning. I had thought about taking another nap, but the cookie didn't crumble that way. So, as I headed back to Hoboken for that conceptualized nap, potentially arriving there by 12:30, I changed my tune and decided to get today started off right with 7-8 hours of sleep by going home.

Three times throughout the night I checked the score of the game, first when the Mets had a 3-1 lead. It dawned on me I hadn't checked in a while, probably sometime in the 11 o clock hour, so I opened the app just in time for my eyes to roll at the 4-3 Snake score. Since I arrived home before seeing an alert of a Mets loss or otherwise, I parked the car and opened the app up, pleasantly surprised at the 5-4 affair with 2 runs having recently been scored. I was going to be able to either hear a late Mets win, or be around like all of you for another devastating Mets loss. At least I would be there.

So, I brushed my teeth and climbed into bed with 1 out having already been gotten but a runner now on. To say I was exhausted was an understatement. I cannot remember if I heard the 2nd out or if I had fallen asleep before that as well, but when I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, it dawned on me I had knocked out before the final was understood. I got worried I was going to once more check my phone and see a devastating alert, one that referenced an Arizona walk-off win. I headed back to my sleeping quarters to check my phone I had not brought with me, and luckily, the 5-4 victory had been secured. Big sigh, back to sleep.

Sometimes, no matter how hard the Mets train you throughout their existence to think otherwise, it all turns out alright.

There is always, however, another game to secure the next day. Let us pray they figure out how to W more than L.

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Dreaming of a Better Outcome

I had to go to bed before I listened to a single pitch last night. I was hoping for similar alerts on my phone to when I woke up yesterday morning, most of them focused on Michael Conforto's game-winning grand slam. Unfortunately, the first alert I saw before the At Bat ones showed me the blown game was a friend of mine in LA texting, "nice finish by LA." Other fans really know how to push Mets fan's buttons, that's for sure. I texted back, "Terrible text to wake up to."

Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
Photo via northjersey.com

I cannot make absolute statements, however, that Edwin Diaz is just another bum closer and the Mets lost the trade. Yes, Cano has left a lot to be desired, but Diaz has been pretty lights out up until last night, give or take a couple home runs during tie games. It is a symptom of the reactionary social media environment, as well as the Mets track record, that we would make definitive statements about the legacy of certain players, or even seasons, before anything has actually run its course. Robbie Alomar was a letdown, we know that now. The 2005-2008 Mets stretch was a great disappointment, we also know that now. Jason Bay didn't pan out, that is for sure. No matter how well Jared Kellenic is doing in single-A, however, and no matter how poor we think the players we got back are performing, nothing is definitive as of yet. We do ourselves a disservice by making such statements before everything has played itself out, as far as I'm concerned. I'm guilty as much as the next, but I'm trying to train myself wherever possible to remember the words, "So far."

This stretch will continue to be a big test for this team, and so far, they have unfortunately fallen flat when they had a chance to gain a lot of goodwill last night. We're only 3 games into it, and though it will not feel like a lot have progress has been made if they don't come out of this over .500, we have to remember you're supposed to go .500 on the road, win at home. They've been so bad on the road, if they can go .500 on this stretch, that will certainly be progress. Maybe I'm settling for mediocrity, but you have to start somewhere.

Considering I am having trouble in my personal life this week staying optimistic, color that progress for me to even stay this optimistic about the Mets.

I'm going to be talking to Gil Hodges, Jr. about his father's Hall of Fame candidacy at 12pm ET on my Bedford & Sullivan podcast today. That's certainly something to be optimistic about. Please, take a listen when you have a chance.

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Midgame Back-on-the-horse Post-Holiday Post

I usually don't make posts during gametime but I haven't written anything since before the weekend, so I figured, what the hey? I'll go ahead and just type some words.

photo via thepopcornfactory.com

There's no way to cover everything that has happened since Thursday night. It was classic baseball and classic Mets at that for the Nats series to go the way it did only for the Mets to lose a back-and-forth affair to Detroit Friday night. Though they went 6-1 on that homestead, there were still some glaring issues seen with this ballclub, including the bullpen and the lack of quality out that way. Last night, that issue was front and center as the pitching fell apart after deGrom was taken out.

I wish sometimes I could just not care about this club. That, however, is not how all of this works. My attention is divided around a lot these days, but I make sure to give the team some of that attention, as hair-pulling as they can be.

And maybe I aught to write during games more often, as Steven Matz just scored the first run of the game. (But then Cody Bellinger crushed it to scratch that point I just made. but then Todd Frazier ties it....)

My brain, however, is truly fried today. Yesterday was the first anniversary of my dad's death, and it wasn't too emotionally wrought throughout it. Today, however, it kind of all caught up to me. Now, I must get some sleep with the sounds of Howie and Wayne subconsciously entering my brainwaves, while I dream of the Mets winning the last major league game of the year.

If you will indulge me, however, I threw together a home video montage of my dad being his goofy self over the course of my childhood, as well as during his sickness. It speaks to the fun-loving, outgoing human he was and how much he just saw life as his playpen. Enjoy the montage, and enjoy the game. Let's win this.

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.

This #MemorialDay is extra heavy for my family and I as it is the 1-year anniversary of our dad #Max’s death. Time flies, c’est la vie and whatever other clichè you can think of, but in his memory, I decided to edit together a quick home video montage showing off our Dad’s... pic.twitter.com/DYMaSbnrGw

— Sam Maxwell (@THE_SamMaxwell) May 27, 2019

...goofy personality. We’re editing together plenty more for the #documentary, but for now, I hope you enjoy this personal clip of Norman “Max” Maxwell, a father, brother, actor, teacher and veteran. Love you, Dad.

— Sam Maxwell (@THE_SamMaxwell) May 27, 2019

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast Memorial Day Weekend Special - Assessing the 2019 Mets

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast Memorial Day Weekend Special is here! Once more, there isn't a shortage of places to travel on this full service podcast. Gary McDonald of Mets Musings will join us for the chat!

On top of wrapping up the final results of the Nationals series, the heat was on Mickey Callaway entering the week after 5 straight losses. This prompted the "seal of approval" presser with Brodie Van Wagenen on Monday, while yet another flurry of Meddin' Jeff articles were written by the media, local and national alike. Just another year in the world of the Mets.

Injuries have lead to some shuffling of the roster. Of course, after getting heat for a perceived lack of hustle, Robinson Cano pulls a hammy legging out a double. Of course. Rajai Davis got called up after Brandon Nimmo was placed on the IL and immediately makes his presence felt with a 3-run home run to cap off a 6-run come-from-behind inning Wednesday night. What is to be expected of him and will he stick around?

Carlos Gomez has yet to truly make his presence felt with the bat though his notorious energy has been there both with on-the-field flare as well as cheerleading from the bench. He's been walking some so he hasn't been completely absent. Can he ever regain his Major League prowess?

Jeez, there's even MORE to cover! Yoenis Cespedes violently broke his ankle NOT falling off a horse, but apparently stepping incorrectly in a hole on his Port St. Lucie ranch. Is it time to completely write off him ever playing another inning for this team?

So much to cover, so little time! Join us at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen LIVE down below, or at the link here.

Wake Up

The bats had been asleep all night, other than the occasional hit here and there. Jacob deGrom, fed up with the way he had been pitching, gave up an Adam Eaton 1st inning home run, and nothing thereafter. The look in his eye said all you needed to know. Enough was enough. And could we get a little strike-calling consistency from the home plate umpire, please?

Michael Owens/Getty Images
Photo via federalbaseball.com

The story, however, is not how the ump would sometimes call a strike just off the plate and sometimes call it a ball. The Mets looked listless for the majority of the game, albeit against one of the best pitchers in baseball, Max Scherzer, who I normally rib for being to0 home run prone. He kept the Mets in the ballpark all game, with their best opportunity coming in the 1st inning when they were gifted 2nd and 3rd and 1 out on a booted Robinson Cano-hit ball. The Nationals bullpen is so horrendous you know if you can just wait it out, you may have a chance. I don't think I'm alone, however, when I say that I thought the Mets were going to lose 1-0. No matter how much I believe and how optimistic I can be, it just felt like one of those games where the team was going to come up short.

The beautiful part of it all was that even though the Nats bullpen did their usual in the 8th, it was particularly sweet when the best chance they got, Sean Doolittle, came undone when brought in to get the 4-out save. First hitting Carlos Gomez, he faced Juan Lagares, who had not been too successful lately. None of that matters now, though, as Juan crushed a double that cleared the bases, giving us Mets fans a moment we all hope for from this team on a nightly basis. Some sort of life, some sort of spark, when our backs are against the wall, we overcome it all.

They weren't done, however, and a player I wanted almost a decade ago provided a grand Mets memory for his first AB as a New York Met. Called up to replace the injured Brandon Nimmo, Rajai Davis crushed almost over the Great Wall of Flushing but far enough to more or less seal the comeback deal. Just like that, the Mets are going for a 4-game sweep of the Washington Nationals today at 12:10.

It's the kind of early summer early start I so wish I could go to, but alas, I must deal with prior engagements. I'm not one to boycott, though my finances and schedule basically render that I cannot give the Wilpons my money right now anyway. I love this team, however, and I cannot be in the camp that want to see the Mets do badly just so the Wilpons are forced to sell. It's just unfortunately not the way it works, as sports teams toe that weird line between public interest and private venture. I would always rather see the team play the way they have the last 3 games, and I hope it continues all the way through the last Major League Baseball game of the 2019 season. I have my issues, I have my qualms, but what I also will always have is a love for the New York Mets.

Ya Gotta Believe indeed.

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.