Jonah Kerri’s Page 2 list of “100 Players To Hate” has ten Mets entries, and remarkably, none of ’em are named Scott Schoeneweis. And while it remains to be seen if tonight’s 2nd inning, 3-0 lead over the Nats will hold up for Brian Lawrence and the gasoline-pouring Mets bullpen, the Times-Herald Record’s Mike Geffner predicts Willie Randolph’s charges are primed for “one of the greatest chokes ever by a New York baseball team, right up with there with the Dodgers blowing the NL pennant to the Giants in 1951 and the Yankees losing those four straight to Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS.”
Over these last three huge games, ending with the Phillies sweeping the Mets aside once again this season, the Mets found a way of gradually regressing from bad to worse to ultimately something so ugly that the word “ugly” doesn’t remotely do it justice.
All of which has tilted the Mets’ currently fragile mind-set from concerned to downright jittery ” and heading on the fast track to nothing less than panic city.
They needed just a single win in this series to stave off a disastrous weekend and, for the life of them, they just couldn’t do it, playing the role of easy pushovers rather than division divas for a whole season.
At the worst of times, they suddenly look like a team that’s way too soft and too passionless and too young and too dumb.
They’ve also got the 2nd best record in the National League, having played virtually the entire season with one key component or another on the disabled list. Sure, there’s no way of sugar coating what happened at Shea over the past 4 days, but Geffner seems to forget the Phillies have fallen further behind the Mets since the last CBP sweep.
Did Phil Humber, Joe Smith, and those other rookies all do something to Willie’s daughter? Because there’s no other explanation for why they are banished and Jorge Sosa and company continue to trot out there and walk everyone.
What the fuck is Willie Randolph thinking? How conservative and tight can a team play?
From Mets.com “If we smell the roses and sip some champagne, so be it. If not, that’s life.” — Willie Randolph
I take it all back. The rookies apparently can’t pitch either.
3 errors sure is an improvement over yesterday though!
I was chuckling this morning because when Mike wrote for Texas Monthly he did a big “Roger Clemens is washed up” story … in 2000. But it’s not like he said anything you can’t also find on every blog and message board, though I still don’t understand the panic given the 10-2 run NY went on after the last series. Even if tonight has been a different story.
“It remains to be seen if the 3-0 lead blah blah bleugh.” It no longer does. 12-4. Good fucking times.
I should acknowledge that during his inaugural season with the Mets, I compared the Carlos Beltran signing to the acquisition of George Foster. And that I almost killed a guy because the Mets kept calling up Gerald Williams. I seem to recall being unimpressed by the Endy Chavez acquisition when it happened (I was worried, justifiably, that it’d cut into Eric Valent’s playing time) So sometimes I’m a little off base, a little alarmist, even. All this by way of preface: I am maybe starting to get a little nervous, now, maybe.
Yeah, well, start watching the Phillies game…
Oh please. This is so not fair. How can I fucking root for the Cardinals and not have my brain fucking explode?!
Goddammit, if my team isn’t gonna win this game at least I’m gonna win this pity party…
Was that Carlos Beltran.. or Russell Branyan at the plate? I’m confused.
And people questioned why Manuel brought in Romero/Gordon/Myers for the third consectutive game vs the Mets on Sunday with a 4 run lead.
Marc,
I hope you’re satisfied that Joe Smith had his chance tonight.
Much as I wanna scream at the GM, the damage was done ages ago. As in Duaner Sanchez’ taxi wreck and the loss of Chad Bradford. Oh, and the inability to pay Mota’s Signature Pharmacy invoices.
All of a sudden, the sky rocketing price of middle relief makes just a bit more sense.
Yeah, but I also can’t blame him for continuing to use Mesa and Six-Fingers (he’s getting anywhere from two to four nights off this week already, depending on how legit his appeal is). Condrey and Geary and Kane and Rosario (and Ennis, and probably Durbin) are no more reliable.
I was fully expecting Branyan — who the Phillies actually traded to the Cardinals — to hit the walk-off.
GC-
I am glad Smith and Collazo got into the game over another Mota appearance. I would have preferred to see them earlier in the game over Sosa.
I think we all know Mota, Sosa, and Sele are useless at this point. Why not try the younger guys?
And, I agree that the damage was done last year/off season. The lack of middle relief stockpiling was compounded by the Mets essentially staffing an entire 5 man rotation with guys who go 6 or less innings almost every time out.
Don’t forget Darren Oliver.