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Well, Folks, I am Truly Numb Tonite...Just Not "Comfortably" Numb...
First of all, before I get accused of over-reacting, todays loss to the Nats was just another shovel of dirt on the casket that's starting to form on this Mets' season - it's not a done deal, by any means, and we can, certainly, come back- but at this point, I just don't have the hope that I did for this season before it began...Now let's get one thing straight- when we decry where the Mets are right now, and the job that Willie Randolph has done as Mets' manager, we are NOT judging the team on just this season, fair or not. We are taking into account everything that has transpired since 2005, Willie's first season, as well as the fact that, even when we had a better team then the current one, in 2006, we still couldn't get the key hit we needed to get into the World Series. One Carlos Beltran hit, instead of a strike-out, and it's true, things might be different; but the hit didn't happen, we didn't get to the Series, and after losing 3 of 4 to the Nationals, let's face it- it's looking like the odds of doing it this season are getting longer by the day. So where does this leave us?
Well, for starters, we're looking at a very flawed team, more so then I cared to admit to start the season. The contributions we've received from Brian Schneider and Ryan Church far exceed anything that we thought possible, and if you'll remember, we were quite high on both players in our pre-spring preview. Facts, however, are facts, so let's take stock of our current roster; David Wright is a bonafide superstar, and hopefully will remain our cornerstone for many years to come; Jose Reyes has been merely average since last season, and the great progress he had made has come to a grinding halt- as Jonathan said the other day, he's currently the third best shortstop in his DIVISION; Luis Castillo was overpaid and signed too long, probably in an effort to help land Santana- that deal is done, so perhaps it's time to eat that contract and move forward in another direction; Carlos Delgado might still rebound to have a semi-decent year, as he's shown flashes of better things lately, but he's not the all-star that he was and remains a hall-of-fame candidate on the extreme downside of his career; Moises Alou is still a great hitter, but at 42 isn't exactly a long-range solution; and Carlos Beltran remains an enigma, seemingly playing through pain at the cost of his own stats and status, and while admirable, as Kenny Rogers said, "you gotta know when to hold up and know when to fold up" and sometimes I think Beltran should just take a few days off to recover, as he is prone to major hot and cold streaks; John Maine, Johan Santana, Joe Smith, Scott Schoeneweis (yes, you read that right) and Billy Wagner have been incredible in the rotation and bullpen, respectively; will the real Duaner Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano, Aaron Heilman, Oliver Perez and Matt Wise please show himself; Mike Pelfrey has been improving by the start (thank goodness) and the bench, led by Marlon Anderson and Damion Easley, have been okay but a bit lesser than expected; finally, the addition of OF Angel Pagan, now on the DL, has been the biggest surprise this side of Church this season, but his starting job has been taken by Alou and Endy Chavez has replaced him as the first OFer off the bench, so we'll see how much longer he retains a place on the club.
Every day, someone else writes how managers (and, for that matter, pitching coaches) don't win games or lose games for their team; and yet, if one had to analyze the main differences between this years Marlins team, sans Willis and Cabrera, it would be the maturity of their manager, Fredi Gonzalez, and the addition of their new pitching coach, Mark Wiley. Gonzalez stresses fundamentals, and isn't out-managed; Wiley has merely taken what looked to be one of the worst, and least experienced, pitching staffs in the game, not just the NL, and has mediocre starters (like Mark Hendrickson) believing in themselves, while he's also convinced a merely ordinary bullpen that there's no situation they can't get out of - and it's working, folks! What about the amazing job that Dave Duncan is doing in St. Louis, WITHOUT the likes of Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder - including the recent meltdown of formerly reliable relief ace, Jason Isringhausen! So the next time someone says that managers don't "win" or "lose" games because they don't pitch, hit, or field, remind them of these examples- or, simply ask them what "might" have happened in yesterday's game IF Willie had left Vargas in for one more inning!
Where does this leave this team? Let's face it, loyal readers- we're not looking too good right now, and perhaps this should become a "building" year, not a re-building year, if things continue as they are now for a while longer, which means we could bring up players like Mike Carp, Fernando Martinez, Jon Niese and Eddie Kunz, in order to see what they have to offer to us. At the rate we're going, Willie is probably going to lose his job if he doesn't take 2 of 3 from the Yankees (just my opinion, not based on any heresay, etc.) and a revamp of the entire coaching staff will have to follow thereafter. That gives us the perfect excuse to try out some younger players, in an effort to build a more exciting team to open Citi-field next season with, as well as shedding unproductive payroll. I'd rather forget the likes of Adam Dunn, Kevin Millar and Joe Blanton and, instead, see exactly what we might have in the organization that will help us in future seasons.
Now, lest you think I'm giving up on this season, you'd be wrong; I wouldn't want these steps to be taken until after June, at which time we'll all have a better idea as to where we stand. However, IF, at that time, it's not looking good for this season, forget about taking on other people's "baggage rentals" and worry about who's already in our system. There will be free agents to sign and inflated salaries to trade for in the off-season, one in which, I still believe, needs to be led by Omar Minaya. Remember this- before Omar came to the organization, NO ONE had any faith in this team; now, we are angry because we think we should contend, and can contend, and that, friends, is because of Omar. He deserves to be given a few more years to enact his plan, either with or without Mr. Randolph, as he still hasn't shown every "trick" up his sleeve.
I still can't believe that, a few days after we take 2 of 3 from the Reds, we can't win a series over the lowly "softball girls." Everyone on that team who ISN'T a pitcher should walk over to Vargas and Pelfrey and apologize for wasting their excellent starts the last 2 days - Billy Wagner had the right idea when he layed into his teammates today, which you can see by clicking here, courtesy of Metsblog.com. I just wish everyone on the team, and in the organization, would be as candid and self-aware as Wagner is, as this would certainly be a different team...who we are remains to be seen- I just know that, right now, it's not so easy watching, and hope seeps away by the moment- not a good feeling on May 15th, that's for sure, and it's feeling more and more like this is just the appetizer for the rest of the season!
