Accoriding to CNN Money the Mets lost 15 million or more in postseason revenue. The New York Mets lost more than a playoff spot, their pride and probably some of their fan base this past week. The franchise lost millions of dollars, while the players themselves lost at least $20,000 apiece, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. (Mets Prospects)
In nearly 40 years of watching baseball, I can’t remember a weaker N.L. playoff bunch then this year’s version. This is not sour grapes because the Mets’ didn’t get in, as I am including our beloved orange and blue right in that mix, as they didn’t even GET to the play-offs. What does that really say about a team that we all thought was far better than this? Growing up, my favorite 2 days of the year, after my birthday, of course, was the All-Star Game and the first game of the World Series. With names like Morgan, 
Schmidt, Garvey, Seaver, Carlton, Bench, Rose, Concepcion, Bowa and Simmons in the mix every year throughout the 70’s, there were always familiar names throughout the roster, many of whom became Hall-of-Famers. It’s not like the N.L. won every year, as the A’s and Yankees were just as memorable as the Big Red Machine was, but whichever N.L. team made it to the Series’ at least looked like they could go all the way to the championship.
This year, it is as far from certain as I have ever seen it (and yes, that includes last year’s under-achieving Cards, who in spite of their record had a lot of great players who came through when they had to.) Who looks powerful this year- the Cubs? Please – they simply out-lasted the Brewers, in the worst division in the game. The D-Backs? Their roster is laden with youngsters and beyond Webb, their pitching isn’t going to scare anyone. The Padres? IF they make it after today’s game vs. the Rockies, after Jake Peavey, there’s not a lot to be scared of, especially with the losses of Cameron and Bradley. The Phils? While their hitting can surpass anyone this side of the Yankees, their pitching, especially in short series action, leaves much to be desired and isn’t set up for a championship run. That leaves the Rockies, who have to beat the Padres in that one-game series today. Their offense is as potent as the Phils, especially with now-probably MVP winner Matt Holliday in their line-up, and their pitching is a mite bit better than the Phils and their momentum could very well carry them all the way to the Series…
…and that is EXACTLY where it seems like it would stop, or any other National League team’s momentum should stop, as it doesn’t matter if it’s the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels or Indians, the A.L. should have no problem rolling over their senior circuit counterpart. IF the Mets’ had made it all the way to the series, they probably wouldn’t have been able to defeat the A.L. team, either; at least we would have had an opportunity though. If Commissioner Bud really wants parity, well, he’s got it…it just seems more parody than parity to me right now…
I wish I could say it was a great season, but it wasn’t, and the reality that we didn’t deserve it with the kind of play we showed in September is evidence that all of the advancements we thought we’d made might be more illusory than reality…but we’ll talk more about that tomorrow. In the meantime, I have to figure out how to get rid of a pair of Padres tickets for Sundays’ game – I thought it was going to be a Mets- Padres game and John Y was going to fly out here to see the game…there’s always next year, because we’re all Mets’ fans and we’ve only been to 4 World Series in 45 years of existence – what’s another few years (or year, hopefully)? (LOL)
Some quick notes: After tomorrow’s recap column, and one more with our long-awaited (and long-promised) awards nominees, we’ll be taking about 3 weeks off. That will just about bring us to the GM meetings in November, followed by the Winter Meetings in December, and we’ll be speculating with the best and the rest as to what moves we might make this off-season to right this ship.
At Rotoworld they write about Oliver Perez, John Maine and the last rotation spot in the playoffs:
Oliver Perez surrendered five runs -- two earned -- in just 4 2/3 innings against the Phillies on Sunday but didn't factor into the decision.
The Mets committed five errors in this one, so most of the blame won't fall on Perez's shoulders. However, it was another subpar outing with six hits and six walks. If the Mets can hold off the Phillies down the stretch they'll likely keep Perez in their post-season rotation, but it's no guarantee. The club is going to use Pedro Martinez unless he's awful down the stretch, and Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernanez, assuming good health, are also locks. That leaves one spot for Perez or John Maine, both of whom have earned the opportunity. Since Maine has struggled some of late, consider Perez the slight favorite.
So we have a 7 game lead on the Phillies and a 9.5 game lead on the Braves. Our magic number is 11, and everybody tastes and feels the Playoffs slowly drifting over from the Bronx to Queens (step aside Yankees, we are the new kings of NY).
But the big question is, what will happen?
Can our struggling and/or non-clutch players rise to glory? Be the Endy Chavez of last year? Can we have those players who will step up?
We have been on fire lately but what happens when we cool off? What happens if we face the Yankees, who no matter how bad they are they will be hard to beat in New York? What happens if we face the Cardinals, who embarrassed us so badly last year?
But look at the bright side. Four years ago we were getting excited if the Mets got near the .500 mark. This year we have a chance. A chance to shine. A chance to get all the fair-weather Yankee fans to suddenly decide that they are Mets fans. A chance for people all over the world to stop wearing those Yankees hats that when you asked them what was on their head they would have no clue.
So what happens?
NLDS?
NLCS?
WS?
CHAMPS?
www.bleedorangeandblue.blogspot.com
Mike Bauman at MLB.com writes about the entire Mets team and tries to figure out if they are as good as most believe:
Pitching is paramount in the postseason. On paper, the Mets have a surplus of starters for October. Tom Glavine (13-6) is going to the Hall of Fame. Oliver Perez (14-9) has been nothing short of brilliant at times. John Maine (14-9) survived a slump and delivered a big performance when the Mets needed it most, immediately after the four-game sweep by the Phillies.
With Hernandez and Martinez, both presumably healthy, that's a highly reputable crew, one which would be the envy of the vast majority of Major League teams. But is there anyone among that quintet that reminds you, as we speak, of, for instance Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres? Is there anyone as likely as Peavy, a distinctly possible postseason opponent, to absolutely shut down a team on a given night?
Offensively, the Mets have a wonderfully diverse offense, even with a disappointing campaign from Carlos Delgado. David Wright is a reasonable MVP candidate in a crowded NL debate over that award. The Mets still have substantial pop, and they still have Jose Reyes, who can put the other team on the defensive in a way no other contemporary player can. If he has not had a terrific second half, Reyes still is a unique talent and a real concern for any Mets' opponent.
On talent alone, the Mets should be the class of this league. When it comes to October, we'll find out if they have enough postseason pitching prowess to live up to the expectations, the aspirations and the time of the year when all of this matters most.
With the magic number dwindling by the game, the Mets playoff chances get better and better. They’re a mere fifteen games away from clinching the National League East title for a second straight year and unlike last year will finally might have the entire pitching staff at full strength.
So the only thing for us to do is to take a look at some possible questions that the Mets are going to be faced with as the playoffs loom.
Is Mota playing come October?
The first problem is an enormous one and it all falls on Willie Randolph’s shoulders. Is Guillermo Mota going to be allowed to be on the post season roster? There are an astronomical number of reasons why he shouldn’t and the number on reason is his 5.82 ERA. This should be reason enough for Mota to be sent home packing come October, but we all know how Willie thinks that he will turn his game around come playoff time. The only problem with this train of thought would be, and we all know it’s going to happen, that Mota is going to be brought into a big situation and give up the game.
Pedro, the Number One Starter?
With his first two starts since coming off of rotator cuff surgery, Pedro Martinez is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA. Should this warrant him as the top dog in the Mets playoff rotation? I firmly believe so. With Pedro atop of the Mets rotation, they look more intimidating than the Peavey, Young combination in the National League.
Is Ramon Castro going to be ready for October ball?
Castro has just started his rehab assignment for Brooklyn and still isn’t ready to come back to the big club yet. Knowing that Paul Lo Duca is going to make most, if not all, of the playoff starts, could Willie bring Castro up before the post season begins? Well he should because I don’t think I could see Lo Duca going down and the remainder of the games played out by Di Felice, can you?
Who’s on first?
Carlos Delgado is apparently out for the rest of the season and that brings a plethora of questions to light. Could Shawn Green cover first in the post season? If not how about Conine? These questions are ones that I don’t want to ask, so Delgado had better suck up the pain come October and make a repeat of his effort last year, when he destroyed LA and the Cardinals hitting .354 with 4 home runs. That kind of production would be sorely missed if he can’t make it back.
Who’s the fourth starter?
Maine and Perez both came up big for the Mets last October, but that was when Pedro and El Duque were side lined, so they won’t be asked to make the same kind of repeat this year. Paul LoDuca already said that he believes that Oliver Perez wouldn’t be a good option out of the pen because of his erratic style. Good enough for me, so my fifth starter would have to be Oliver Perez or even a two headed beast of Perez and Maine. How about a little three or four inning show from each in the same game?
Todd Zolecki at The Philadelphia Inquirer writes about the Phillies chances of catching the Mets:
Is the NL East out of reach?
Mathematically, no. Realistically, it seems to be. The Mets play just seven more games against teams with winning records, and 16 more games at Shea Stadium. They have Pedro Martinez back. They have the fifth-best pitching staff in the NL, and they have the sixth-best offense in the league.
David Lennon at On The Mets Beat held a poll for fans to make thedecision for the playoff rotation. Here are his results:
...Based on our unscientific poll and your votes, here's the Mets' postseason rotation:
1. Tom Glavine (12 votes)
2. Pedro Martinez (10)
3. John Maine (9)
4. Orlando Hernandez (8)
5. Oliver Perez (5)
So it looks like Perez is the long man.
At Rotoworld, they explain the rule change for the NLCS that came at the Mets expense last season:
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