Not a Collapse?
On Septembr 12, 2007, the Mets were in first place, 83-62, up by 7 with 17 games to play. They finished 88-74.
On September 12, 2008, the Mets were in first place, 82-63, up by 3, with 17 games to play. They finished 89-73.
In both cases, the Mets finished in second place and just barely missing the wild card.
Yes, the 2007 “collapse” was more dramatic, but 2008 is just as disappointing, and just as unacceptable. The only reason it won’t be measured similarly is because it wasn’t as bad as the previous year.
Let me put it this way: if 2007 never happened, this September would be judged much more harshly than it has been. The horrific decline of 2007 made this year’s disaster seem not so bad. As a result, the GM gets a 4-year extension, the manager likely gets a new contract, and a complete housecleaning in the organization is hardly a consideration.
What’s the goal next year? To be in first place by only one game on September 12, 2009, then blow it by the last game of the year? Perhaps every year the “collapse” will be less and less dramatic.
Other than transferring to Citi Field, it’s hard to figure which way this organization is going
About the Author
Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers.
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I will recycle a comment I made after last season.
Hypothetical post-game press conference.
Question:
Did today’s loss feel like a punch in the throat, a punch in the gut, or a punch in the balls?
Answer:
A punch in the throat, because the Mets have no guts and the Mets have no balls.
YA GOTTA BELIEVE — that’s a joke — how about YA GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!
I’ve been partial to YA GOTTA BEREAVE, myself.
How do you expect the Mets to continue to conted (and they did contend) if they get rid of all of their best players? They can’t clean house!!! Its not an option.
They have too many guys with the wrong personality. They need a Reggie Jackson or Pete Rose or Lenny Dykstra type. They have too many ‘people-pleasers’. Those guys don’t perform well under pressure. I like all the Mets players but I just think they are not pressure performers. I’ll elaborate on this idea in a later post.
Who said get rid of all their best players? When I said “clean house”, I meant the entire organization. That means evaluate EVERYONE — MLB players, minor leaguers, scouts, coaches, managers, front office — EVERYONE!
Housecleaning also doesn’t mean getting rid of everyone — just evaluating everyone. Just like when you literally clean your house — you evaluate whether you need that old jacket, that broken radio, that faded sweater, etc. Some things get kept, others get tossed, new replacements are brought in.
I agree that no one is untouchable. Everyone’s place and role needs to be evaluated.