After losing 2 of 3 to the Cubbies going into the break, the Mets went out of the break on a 1-11 run.
The fact Jordany Valdespin is no longer on the team is not the ONLY difference between 2012, but it does interestingly offer a fitting symbol between the difference of this year, and the last year the Mets crashed and burned in July.
2013 and 2014 were miserable first halves with 2nd halves to build on. 2012 was the last time the Mets were in a position to contend, but they fell apart, and too quickly to even think about making a deal to support them.
Like 2010...
And kinda 2009, but that was the culmination of the mess of post-2006.
When you look at 2012, however, you remind yourselves of where the Mets were.
Johan Santana completely broke down.
Lucas Duda, still in the outfield, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis stopped hitting and were sent back to AAA.
The completely unsustainable rampage of 2-out hits predictably dried up.
And Frank Francisco was the closer.
It's crazy to think of how bad the offense currently is, but when you look at the lineup, even without Wright or d'Arnaud in there, it should be much better. Is how historically bad they've been really sustainable?
The pitching is world's and world's above where it was in the 2nd half of 2012, when Johan Santana, a great 1st half, was a non-factor, Matt Harvey was getting his feet wet, Dillon Gee was an anchor and R.A. Dickey was the only true ace. And Jeremy Hefner was getting innings.
Plus, now, there is Jeurys Familia, arguably the best closer in baseball currently.
The Mets are in a MUCH better position to continue to contend heading into these final games of the year.
It's up to Sandy Alderson and the Wilpons, however, if they want to make 2015 it's own special thing...
I'm pretty sure most of us who followed this game from the 1st pitch thought it was gonna be another one of those losses we've gotten used to (from the 2013 Mets....but go ahead and say "from the Mets.") I was able to watch the early part of the game, including David Wright's off-a-tee shot, but had to transfer to the Josh and Eddie C. train basically right as the rally got going.
Got a little scary there later, and you know we all thought that the Mets were once again going to blow this one. The bullpen, though, including a Bobby Parnell who finally got a little "mean" last night (he's a REALLY nice guy) and notwithstanding Scott Atchison's 2-run blip on the screen, did a great job after being a major concern in recent days (...alright, fine: ALL THE TIME.) It's only one win, but if there was ever a game against the Marlins on May 1 that we needed, it was THAT one. Now, onto ATL, and a much needed off-day. I'll tell ya, though: as much as I appreciate his roll in this Metsian Era, I'm very much ready to move on from Terry Collins, who I don't believe is the long-term solution at the managing position, regardless of what you think of the roster. I will never root for a Mets loss, but in the back of my mind, I knew a sweep at the hands of the Marlins would get us closer to what I believe is the inevitable. But maybe I just need to heed the words of the man whose song was on the radio right after I switched off the pitiful 2-1 loss last night...
LET'S. GO. METS.
(side note: I just decided to officially move Julian's Met of the Week series to Thursdays. So, check back in tomorrow for this week's card.
For a recap of today's Mets loss, head over to Rising Apple. At 6:30PM EST, Will Deboer and I will wrap up the series loss to the Dodgers, and Ted (you know, THIS Ted) will call in and brief us on his Fightin' Phillies.
I completely spaced on Julian's Met, which normally arrives every Wednesday. Well, with the walkoff Grand Slam from Mr. Jordany last night, we present a baseball card Valdespin most likely has blown up and hanging over his bed.
I was working the Rising Apple twitter feed for the majority of the game, when my internet went out just in time for the 9th inning. I had been watching the game, but my dad wanted to get his American Idol fix (.........................) in an upstate house with only one TV (he's renting his house out soon so we're up here getting it ready.) After the 6th inning, I started listening to Howie and Josh on gameday audio until the internet went out, 'cause for some reason Sprint just stopped working around here yesterday after being one of the better Sprint spots I've found. So, 3G gameday audio pickup was impossible.
Anyway, you could care less about my technological angst. I got to watch the Mets comeback in the 9th inning (with me ranting and raving to my dad about the sac bunt to get Mike Baxter over to 3rd after his double, but that's really a whole 'nother discussion for a whole 'nother post.) With the internet still very, very flimsy, I hopped into the car and listened to the 660 feed that had very tolerable amounts of static. THAT was where I heard Josh Lewin's call on Jordany Valdespin's Grand Slam walkoff, the first Mets Grand Slam walkoff in 22 years, which...
@2stepsaway @convertedmetfan You might have been able to hear Josh all the way to wherever you are without the radio on that last one. — Mets WFAN (@MetsWFAN) April 25, 2013
I still haven't seen The Duda's two BOMBS. I was driving so I only heard Howie (and Josh.) Shall we do that together since, other than another Buck Shot, there wasn't too many Metsian thrills after Hefner couldn't handle the 1st? (One of those "Shoulda Woulda Coulda" games.) Let's go see if any of the homers can be embedded.... Awww, that's too bad. Well....here's the first one. And here's the second one. Buck launched it on the first pitch he saw from Kyle Kendrick. Great Cohen Call. And Jordany got 3 infield hits, making a couple nice catches. (still needs to hone A LOT of his skills.)
Buuuuuuut lotsa chances by the wayside, leading to a 7-3 loss to the Phillies for the first series loss of the year. And now we head to the Twin Cities.....which are supposed to receive 10 inches of snow by the end of today's off-day. Isn't Interleague play WACKY?!
The Big Bad Baseball Gypsy is still searchin'. The more he tries to root for a specific team, the more he realizes he...just can't. He has slightly found a solution, which is to just follow baseball with his gameday audio At Bat. The thing is, especially with where he has found his location on the 7 line, the Mets would be a natural choice. The 2008 Phillies, however, got him then and are still endearing to him now. Hence the impasse. With Citi Field so close, though, he couldn't see himself not making a few games this year. That's if I would let him. Last year, the tale of the Gypsy and his Voodoo was well documented on these digital pages. If you're as superstitious as I am, things got pretty damn spooky. I coined him "voodoo" when we walked into that Mets Nats game last year and Dillon Gee immediately gave up a home run. It's been kind of a half-joke since, a narrative I have certainly pushed, though the natural story unfolding in front of us I believe has less to do with me perpetuating the issue and more to do with....spooky ghost stuff...? I don't know, but when you pick up the Gypsy's check when he is out of town and he responds (via text) with "The hex on the Mets has been lifted!" "(For the weekend.)" And you then travel to Citi Field and witness the Mets first no-hitter, they shut out the Cardinals ALL WEEKEND but then lose 5-4 that Monday, no matter how much you might be at fault for continuing the narrative, you still feel there are other forces at work. I AM trying, however, to get to the point where none of that matters, or at least is just a funny little joke. I laughed at all the times the outside forces seemed to be swaying the Metsian fates, but I was definitely serious about what did start as a funny little quip. If there is baseball only 4 miles away from the Gypsy's location and he wants to see it, I can't stop him because of a stupid superstition. Of course, though, the Mets had runners on 1st and 2nd and no out when we walked into the ballgame, and by the time we had settled into our seats, an out was made and a double play was grounded into. My friends who we met at the game agreed there might be something to this whole voodoo thing.
But is it really the Gypsy's fault that the only person who can stop Jordany Valdespin...is Jordany Valdespin? Anyway, the exorcism didn't quite work last night, and took a big hit when in the 7th, the Voodoo Gypsy jokingly started playing the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's Go Daddy-o, just before everything fell apart. The Voodoo Gypsy, however, was still legitimately rooting for the Mets at points throughout the night. When the offense finally (kinda) got it together, he was standing up with the rest of us chanting "Let's. Go. Mets." They battled, but unfortunately could not get over the hump, but he certainly appreciated seeing some fight. (And Dan Haefeli had the entire section and then some cheering for him when he handed a pop-up foul ball to the kid running towards it.) So, I'll attempt to exorcise it again in the near future. He's too close to not randomly decide one night or afternoon that we'd like to take in a ballgame, and so at some point, just as it did for the Red Sox, the witch doctor hovering over and shaking his staff with some voodoo spell will have no affect on the Metropolitan baseball team. I just hope we don't have to wait another 86 years... Jonathon Niese takes on the Marlins and Ricky Nolasco today at 1:10PM at Citi Field.
For a recap of last night's 7-5 win over the Astros, head over to Rising Apple. Julian's pick for Met of the Week is none other than Mr. Cup Check himself, Jordany Valdespin.
For a recap of today's Mets 11-0 rout over the Tigers (including Jordany getting drilled in the groin then being blunt about it when asked by the press), head over to Rising Apple. Today's Mets Legacy Photo comes to us from what could have been where there is basketball right now.
No matter what the standings, no matter what the decor, I always get juiced for going to a Mets game. Some more than others, but Thursday, August 23rd's game, for a team who was on the brink of getting swept for a 2nd straight time at home to the Purple Mountains (in two 4-game series), I was pretty juiced for it. I love sitting outside on a summer's day taking in something I consider my religion. The summer is actually winding down, the team has swooned once more, and so you better get jacked up and take in every ounce of this season that you can, because the 2012 New York Mets, in all likelihood, will soon be no more. Enjoy every last moment of Orange and Blue, because that flawed majestic canvas in front of you will soon depart for greyer pastures.
Even though the Mets were worse than they've been in three years going into the game, a feeling, at least for me, of better times ahead encompassed the Metsian atmosphere. Yet another rookie, Collin McHugh, was making his Major League debut, and the pitcher had intrigued me ever since I discovered him in the 2011 season. I wish Johan Santana's season had ended successfully, but it was yet another opportunity for roster evaluation. Maybe McHugh would give us something to cheer for even if the offense doesn't.
As always, I timed my entrance perfectly to arrive at the 3rd base field standing room seconds before first pitch. Certainly didn't want to miss the kid's first throw in The Show. My eyes settled in, getting accustomed to the green grass that had been absent in my vision for a couple weeks. Finally, Collin and the rest of the baseball players were ready, and his Big League career commenced. Fastball. Ball one. He got the ball back, and with an intent stare of someone well beyond his Major League debut, threw a fastball over the plate for a strike. The next pitch, however, was knocked by Charlie Blackmon slowly towards the left field line and rolled to Scott Hairston for a double. Knowing the Mets have been struggling (understatement) for a run all week, the Rockies played for the single score, bunting the runner over to 3rd. With that, realizing that my section was on the 1st base side, I hastily made my way over as McHugh began facing his 3rd Big League batter. He was a couple pitches in as I stopped at the standing room section on the other side of the field to watch the At Bat. While he did let an 0-2 count go to 3-2, he still got Jordan Pacheco on a called 3rd strike. That got me mobile again, and I stopped behind another section to watch what turned out to be the last batter up in the top of the 1st, as McHugh struck another out to strand a runner on 3rd. I made my way to section 106 with a slight feeling that this game could actually end with a Mets victory. But the way things have been going, that was entirely up to the offense.
This was the first time I had ever sat in the right field foul corner, and I like the angle. Seeing the outfield from there makes you appreciate how hard a professional ballplayer has to hit it to get the ball out of there. Not just the Citi (which is still vaster than a good amount of outfields) but when you are personally on a softball field or a little league field and then see a Major League ballfield, man, you gotta applaud those athletes. Even when it is hit foul, it goes a long way for the fact they just missed it. That's exactly what Scott Hairston did to open the 2nd inning. Had he connected just a little bit better, he would have had a solid opposite field home run. He instead fouled it long into my very own section, about 12 rows in front of me. I saw a bunch of people (or whatever the definition of "bunch" is at a Mets game these days) go for the ball. One skinny, grey-haired middle-aged man put his hand up to catch it on the fly, but it grazed his fingers and landed in the row behind him. I guess my eyes drifted for a second, because the next thing I know, he's holding the ball up high, gaining applause from the folks around him. All of a sudden, I see his other hand is red and he's holding his head back. It was either his nose or his lip, but he was certainly bleeding. He was brought to the first-aid area and on his way back, I asked what happened. Before he started his story, I saw a red, vainy mark in the middle of his upper lip. He said after the ball landed behind him, he whipped around and bended down to get it. In doing so, and doing it in the hasty manner one goes after a foul ball, he slammed his face into the back of the chair.
I hope there's a little red mark on the ball.
I lasted till mid 5th in my ticketed section, after another swinging strikeout by a Rockie. I made my way over to section 131, the last row right in front of Keith's Grill in the left field stands. There, I was greeted by Greg Prince, a new friend named Sharon Chapman, and her son. She is a fantastic photographer, showing me great action shots throughout the game. Through the remainder of the fantastic McHugh effort and the baserunning blunders, and the defensive miscues, and the usual Parnell Effect, the highlights of the day were watching a young Mets pitcher completely locked into his game plan, and the conversation had between a bunch (there's that word again) of Met fans.
Considering how low everything has gone in a very short while and the fact they lost for the umpteenth-hundredth time since the All-Star break, there really wasn't anything truly miserable about Thursday. We got a glimpse into the Mets organizational pitching depth. We evaluated Jordany Valdespin and realize we're not quite sure his defense fits anywhere. Bobby Parnell is more and more looking like a trade chip than a Metsian bullpen mainstay. Josh Thole...most likely not a champion-caliber battery mate, with his defense or his bat. So many things are closer to being resolved than they were before, no matter how disappointed we are they went through the same thing AGAIN. Our starting pitching isn't a short-term problem and it doesn't look to be a long-term problem, and that's the last thing we thought we'd say two years ago.
What I love about this 50th Anniversary campaign is that we are basically getting a hybrid of every single one of the 50 seasons prior. We've got our collapse, we've got our LOB, we've got our championship (in the form of a no-hitter). We've got all of the good and all of the bad, and certainly all of the ugly. No matter the final product (which is looking more and more like a deep 20-games under) this will have been one of the best seasons in New York Metropolitan History.
That's certainly finding something out of nothing.
2013 and 2014 were miserable first halves with 2nd halves to build on. 2012 was the last time the Mets were in a position to contend, but they fell apart, and too quickly to even think about making a deal to support them.
Plus, now, there is Jeurys Familia, arguably the best closer in baseball currently.
