The Mets weren’t even on my radar yesterday afternoon, until I had to make trip to the bank for work. I flipped on WFAN just in time to hear a classic anti-Mets rant from the all-knowing, all-powerful Mike Francesa. The Omnipotent Pope of Sports was at his bellowing, bellicose, bloviating best. It sounded like he was about to spurt. He took every aspect of the organization to task, from Sandy Alderson to Terry Collins to underperforming and undertalented players. Heck, he even might have called out the clubhouse guys, for all I know. I was too busy doing something I very rarely do: agreeing with him. He was saying everything I’ve been thinking for at least the past month. Couple that with the perception that the last time Big Mike got this worked up over the Mets, Mike Piazza ended up in Flushing. I was right there on board & proudly said so on Twitter.
A couple of hours later, it was announced that Johan Santana would be shut down for the rest of the year with lower back issues. As much as this pains me – not seeing Johan the Magnificent at the end of a season again – I know it was the right move. Santana hadn’t looked right since the beginning of July. People keep trying to hang the blame on his 134-pitch-no-hit performace of June 1, but he pitched fairly well after that. No, I blame his getting stepped on by the odious Reed Johnson during the July 6 game vs. the Cubs, where just about all of 2012’s dreams went to die. Since that game, he’d been less than magnificent, getting cuffed about like a combination of Roger Craig, Pete Falcone and Anthony Young. Two weeks on the DL to treat his Johnsoned ankle didn’t help. I Tweeted “It’s sad when I find out Johan Santana won’t pitch again this year and I consider it ‘good news…’”
Next thing you know, it was game time. I was actually interested in this one, seeing as Matt Harvey was pitching. I wasn’t interested enough to want to put it on the TV, but I was content enough to check in over the Blackberry every few minutes. Harvey definitely rewarded my interest. Making a first inning run stand up, he kept mowing down opposing hitters, but for the rocky fourth when he wiggled out of a second-and-third-no-out jam, allowing only the tying run to score. Harvey was pulled from the tie after the sixth, having thrown 102 pitches. Ramon Ramirez came in and gave up a home run to Wilin Rosario on the second pitch he threw. That of course was the ballgame, touching off a run of obscenity-laden screeds over Twitter by your intrepid columnist. Someone responded to one of them “We’re Met fans. We hope for the best and expect the worst.” I replied “I’m pretty tired of that [stuff]. If the idiot skill sets don’t sell this mother[lover], I don’t know…” I meant that. I AM tired of this “put-upon-loser” stuff. I AM tired of being the butt of the joke EVERY year. I AM tired of trying to figure if scorn or pity is worse. I signed off after Tweeting “Goodnight, all. I’m off to stew in my own bile and stick pins in little Wilpon dolls.” I came away with the conviction that the Wilpons finally do, indeed, need to sell. I haven’t been this angry and disgusted with this team since 2004, when I was actually pining for Omar Minaya. I went to bed wishing some sort of a Steve Cohen/Bill Maher/David Einhorn/Cowbell Man/Mr. Met syndicate could be put together to muscle Freddy & Jeffy to the side. While we’re at it, let’s get rid of Dan Warthen the one common denominator in five years of lousy bullpens. I respect Sandy Alderson, if that hasn’t been made clear from my earlier posts, but if he’s bought into all the Wilponic nonsense or worse – stepping in merely to slash payroll and help Bud Selig avoid pulling a “Dodgers” on his buddies — then he needs to go, too.
I’m begging you, Wilpons: please sell and put you out of our misery.
And as always, you can Follow me on Twitter @CharlieHangley
Amen Charlie. We’re all there. Thanks for saying it.
The Wilpon’s have run this team with one thought in mind. Quickest return on investment hence no money for the draft and these are the results:
No 2nd round pick has made it since Todd Hundley in 1987.
No 3rd round round pick has made it other than Joe Smith since 1983.
No 4th round round pick has made it other than Angel Pagan since 1966.
No 5th round pick has made it since Burt Hooten in 1968.
No 6th round pick has ever made it.
It would almost be impossible to duplicate these results if one were even trying to miss on every selection. Any random person with a subscription to Baseball America would have done better. I mean are they even trying? Trying to build an Organization? Trying to build a team? Trying to get this thing fixed? I know it takes years before any progress made in these areas starts showing up in Queens but what the hell have they been doing all these years, just selling draft choices?
Not sure where you’re getting this info. Nine second-round draft picks of the Mets have made it to the majors since Hundley in 1987.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis was a third-round pick.
11 fifth-round picks have made the majors since Hooton in 1968.
Seven different sixth-round picks have made the majors.
Besides, this is devoid of context. We need to know what the average is per round to see if what the Mets have done is truly as bad as you imply here. The Mets’ fellow expansion club – the Astros – have had 15 second-round picks make the majors compared to 22 for the Mets.
Great article.
Watching the game last night…oh, man, it was rough. There is a defeatism in the body language that is unmistakable.
As some of you know, I have been high on Ike Davis. “I like Ike!” 🙂 A guy who hits 20 homers as a part time player could be something special, and I have defended him and wanted to see him work through issues, instead of riding the bench…
Last night he didn’t even try on the ground ball. Keith H didn’t even say a word. I was stunned and hit the reply and still…no dive, no leaning, nothing.
I think that Terry Collins is likely a very nice man.
Question for others: Do you think that the ball players have lost respect for him? I know he is not an intellectual giant. What do others think?
I can’t get into the players’ heads, Peter, but I see them all as “independent freelancers” looking for their next gig once their contracts run out. Hence, it’s really hard to see any player mailing it in, as that may cost them quite a bit of future monies—and what MLB does not like money? So I think for the most part they’re simply not good enough to be winning players over a 162-game stretch. Harvey is certainly trying—and he’s damned good so far. Wright is regressing without both rest and protection in the lineup, but his defense is still there. The other two MLB players on the roster—Dickey and Tejada—generally perform.
As for Collins, he’s a nice guy, mediocre manager, and decent babysitter for a bankrupt and ethically lost organization that should be put into receivership. And I hope the protests against the Wilpons start soon a la the NY Giants in the mid-70s…
I’ve been looking for THAT since 2004, too, kjs…
Well,they officially hit rock bottom today,not only being swept at home by a bad team but being shut out.TC still has a job though,not sure why.