Two Sides to Every Story

"It's over"

That was what I uttered over and over again at the tail end of the Mets-Cardinals game tonight. And no, it wasn't when Albert Pujols launched a Sean Green pitch somewhere between Ohio and Nevada for a 10th inning grand slam. Hell, it wasn't even when Green plunked the previous hitter with the bases loaded with his first pitch out of the bullpen.
Nope, those are too easy. This year, the Mets fan just knows when it's over...and it doesn't take much. Tonight is the latest of oh-so-many examples why fans of the orange and blue probably vomited on their keyboards reading my previous post. For each win that makes you proud to root for this scrappy bunch, there are 4-5 games of tonight's variety.
Tonight, the Mets lost the game on a ground ball to second base. In the top of the 10th, Pedro Feliciano did his job yet again by inducing a ground ball to second. Though a tricky play for Alex Cora, it's one that can be made, and must be made to stop the Card's avalanche of momentum. But instead of making the hurried throw to Dan Murphy, Cora deemed it a better idea to throw the ball wildly, hitting runner Rick Ankiel dangerously close to his private parts. And before Mets fans blinked next, it was another infield single and a walk to load the bases before the Sean Green comedy show came to town.
The Mets needed to have this game. They fell tantalyzingly short yesterday, nearly coming back on Cy Young candidate Danny Haren. This time they threw their own ace, and he did enough (both arm and bat) to give his team a victory. But in what has become commonplace since Johan Santana joined this staff, defense and the bullpen failed when they were called upon. When the Mets score 7 runs on double-digit hits with Mr. Santana on the mound, anything but a solid win is shameful.
But somehow it happens. Nobody thought this game was over when Francisco Rodriguez came in with a 2-run lead. Bouts of wildness and perhaps overconfidence have drove him right back to the ranks of Billy Wagner and perhaps Armando Benitez in the minds of Mets fans. (Sorry Braden Looper, no one could ever fall to the abyss of you as a closer.) But the Mets games are never, ever over until that final out is in the mitt (take a bow, Luis Castillo.) And though the fans take special joy in the victories by this JV-level team, it doesn't make the losses less sucky. And each defeat puts one more brick on the already-giant wall the Mets must now climb.
That's why the Phillies aren't the least bit scared of this team. They are the champs, and the Mets can have however many moral vicories they'd like. Right now, the Phillies' talent and composure is something the Mets can't touch. August may be moving along, but the Mets are still standing still in this race. I've been saying for weeks that the Mets' only hope is to pick their spot and play their best ball head-to-head against Philadelphia; and maybe something big can happen in just one series. After nights like this one, that notion is looking more and more wishful.

A New NY State of Mind

The 2009 Mets have taught many lessons about life, loss, and challenging minor leaguers to fights while shirtless. But now I ask you to think of something utterly ridiculous...
Think of all the positives for the fans to take away from this insane roller coaster year. Be honest, Mets fans: ever since 2006, we have taken stuff for granted. That year, as magical and memorable as it may have been, made us a bit spoiled. The next few years, we expected to win each and every game, because the 2006 team seemed to accomplish that feat. All choke jobs and meltdowns aside, nothing less than a deep playoff run was expected in 2007, 2008, and, at one point, 2009.
But now something crazy has happened. After failures in '07 and '08, The team is currently in 4th place in their 5-team division. The Mets lost seemingly all of the all-stars in their lineup, and now field a hybrid-like team composed of current mediocre players and mediocre players from 2002.
Seems like a nightmare, right? But look what's happened this year. Are there any, I mean ANY, Met games taken as a 'given?' Are there any victories assured? Instead of demanding victory for 162 games and getting all pissy when it doesn't happen, I think 2009 has taught the Mets fan to take a certain joy from each and every win. In the last couple of years, fans have booed Carlos Delgado for a slow start to the season. They grilled Willie Randolph for not making every single correct move. They wished a slow and graphic demise upon Aaron Heilman.
Now, the fans at Citi appreciate a sacrifice bunt by Daniel Murphy. They will take notice if Cory Sullivan hits the cut-off man. And Aaron Heilman has probably saved months of his life by getting the hell out of New York. The point is, the fans can no longer go by the mindset of "We better win this game because this team is nothing compared to us and after this win we are one game closer to the title." Now it's "Ok, let's get our hits in bunches at timely spots and get those big outs when we need them, and maybe we can take this one." It may be more stress and more heartache, but tell any Mets fan at this time in '06 that they won a game a certain night, you may get a shrug of a shoulder; a nod of the head. Tell them they won in '09, you may get two or three follow-up questions about how they managed to do it. Instead of the acknowledgment of the obvious, it's the excitement for hope.
Maybe the Mets' cavalry of hitters will be back soon and they will have one monster stretch to get back on top. And if they do, I hope this new 2009 mindset could have some staying power. As the Mets know all too well from the past two years, each and every win counts. If the Mets' stars make them a potential powerhouse down the stretch, don't forget this hybrid team of mediocrity that kept them afloat in the dog days. And don't forget how good each individual win made you feel as true fans.