Pardon My Ranting - That's Only One Down...

So a friend of mine calls me early this morning, telling me how great the Mets' win was yesterday vs. the Phils (like I DIDN'T see it?!) and how we've now stopped the "curse" of the Phils. Actually, I countered, the PHILS stopped the so-called "curse" - did he not see Rollins' replacement at shortstop make 2 errors? Did he not see Mike Pelfrey last less than 7 innings? Did he not see that the Mets' didn't hit even one homer off of Kendrick or any of his replacements out of the Phils weak bullpen?

And then it hit me- the pessimism that I thought had been exorcised after last season's break-down was back, only stronger - and why not, I thought? What had this season's Mets' done so far to ensure that the "exorcism" stuck? Show evidence of a cracked bullpen? Be hit square in the face by the injury - bug? Have age creep up - no, scratch that, explode up on Carlos Delgado, O-Hern, Pedro, Moises Alou and Castillo (who's not even that old but whose knees seem older than Joe Namath's)? See Willie get out-managed (again) by Charlie Manuel, who by all accounts is not a "rocket scientist" himself when it comes to baseball strategy?

The cure to this curse of pessimism is simple, and yet so hard- see the Mets run up a winning streak against the Phils, which runs through their series against them next week back in Philadelphia; watch Castillo return to form, and have his knees work with him and not against him; keep getting great progress reports on Duaner Sanchez and then watch him PITCH for the METS, not in Florida; have Pelfrey go one inning more next start with similar results; enjoy a third straight great outing from Oliver Perez; have the "real" John Maine, the one we saw this spring, pitch a great game tonite and hold off the Phils again; and finally, watch as Jose Reyes has a fire lit under his behind and make things happen so that pitchers are scared to face us again!!! Is this too much to ask??? Possibly...but realistically, let's face it - no matter how many times we try to put 2007 behind us, the ONLY way it's really going to sink into the abyss of bad memories in the far reaches of our subconscious is to see these, and other, advancements/improvements/returns to form take place, and SOON! It's nice to hear Willie say that 2007 is behind us- now we have to see real-time evidence and NOT just words to show that this is, indeed, true!

I have been a Mets' fan over 40 years- some of you have been one even longer, since day one- and some of you bleed orange and blue so deeply it's as if you have been a fan for ages- regardless, we are all united as fans, with millions of opinions (each), but the other thing we have in common is that we need, no, we CRAVE some sign that this season won't be a repeat of last season, that the "hang-over" we've been suffering from since that strikeout by Beltran vs. the Cards in 2006 is finally cured, and that the acquisition of Johan Santana won't be just a happy diversion from a flawed team that won't live up to expectations. UNTIL that time, I won't (and can't) sit confidently in front of the television...