Growing up in the 70s, the worst fans were the ones who somehow rooted for both the Yankees and the Cowboys. By the end of the decade, they were Islanders fans, too. Bandwagon fans, ones who root only for teams that are winning and will ditch them once things aren’t good for more than a year or so. I wonder how many of those Cowboys fans from back then still root for “America’s team.” After all, it’s been a while since they won it all – their greatest hits videos are all on VHS.
Anyway, my thoughts turned to those Yankees-Cowboys fans from my youth as I work with a guy who is a UNC & Braves fan. We don’t necessarily call someone who roots for UNC here as a bandwagon fan. The putdown is that they’re Wal-Mart fans. They have no connection to the university but they buy all the merchandise they can find at the local big box shop.
And unlike the New York City Cowboys fans, it’s not unreasonable for people in this area to root for the Braves. Depending on where you are in the state, the Braves are most likely the closest MLB team. Some might be closer to the Nationals and others might be closer to the Reds. But in addition to proximity, there was the Superstation broadcasting all of the Braves games back when they were terrible.
Still, here in the 21st Century, if someone from this area roots for both UNC and the Braves, you can wager anything you’d like that they’re just as obnoxious as those Yankees/Cowboys fans from my past.
My colleague has been crowing about the Braves’ recent winning streak. And certainly, it’s an impressive stretch that they’ve been on. Lousy teams don’t win 14-straight, even if they’ve all been against teams with losing records, including three teams in last place in their division. The five opponents the Braves have played are a combined 126-193 (.395) this season. In a 162-game season, that’s a 64-win team.
And if that’s not enough, the Braves get the 23-39 Cubs next.
It’s unfortunate that the Braves have been going through the cream puff portion of their schedule at the same time that the Mets are engaging in the toughest part of theirs. Back when Chris Dial wrote his “June swoon” piece at the end of May, my opinion was that if the Mets could survive the month – you know, avoid a 5-20 month – that they would be fine. At that point, the idea that the Braves could go on a 14-game winning streak wasn’t even a remote possibility.
Yet my position remains unchanged. The Mets are currently 7-6 in the month and while they still have a game left against the Brewers and four more against the Astros, they also have seven against the 28-33 Marlins. And before you think anything like, “The Marlins always play us tough,” know that the Mets are 41-26 against their Florida rivals since 2018, despite the Mets having a losing record in three of those four years.
The concern at the end of May was that this June gauntlet might end up with a dismal record for the month. And now that appears off the table completely. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if the Mets finished with a winning record in June. And it’s a non-zero chance they wind up with a 15-10 record in this traditionally challenging month for the club.
And after that, the schedule gets much easier – including 16-straight games against currently sub-.500 clubs in September. The Braves needed this soft part of the schedule in June to avoid being blown out. The Mets get the soft part in September when there might be a divisional race at stake. In Caddyshack terms, they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.
So, if you have an obnoxious Braves fan in the circle of people you interact with, let them have this moment. And then when things fall apart for them in September and the Mets pull away, they’ll no doubt complain how the Mets have such an easy schedule. Just smile at them and remind them of June. Chances are that thought will have never occurred to them.
Of course, in addition to the schedule, there’s the likely addition of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer to the team next month. It seems like forever when both of those pitchers appeared in the same Spring Training game. Just imagine what fun it is when we roll into a series with both of those guys pitching. The Mets have that going for them, too.
Great article! I grew up in NYC (well, Staten Island) in the 60s though I didn’t discover the Mets until I was 8 during the miracle year. So I guess one could call me a Mets bandwagon jumper. I was also a Cowboys fan because of Staubach, who I believe entered the NFL also in 1969. Somehow I think I may have been just a bit too young to understand the impact of the Jets a couple of years earlier but I definitely jumped on the Knicks bandwagon and those teams still remain amongst my favorites.
I agree that the Mets/Braves schedules have contributed to the recent tightening in the standings but I won’t be disappointed if we end up in a tight race in Sept. Those seasons when every game counts and every AB seems critical are the best. I love the make-up of this team, both physically and mentally, and think they will be exciting in the crucible of a pennant race. IMHO, there is no other sport that sustains the intensity and excitement of a weeks long back-and-forth.
That said, I won’t be disappointed if the Metsies run away with the division either. It’s all about the WS anyway, right?
I’m definitely on the “they are doing this against the worst teams in the league” side of this — however (caveat), the way they are doing it has certainly been impressive and made me take notice. They aren’t eeking out any of these wins (like the Phillies getting the walk-off yesterday down to their last strike). They are scoring like 7 or 8 a game and building big leads early on. Hopefully the Albies injury slows them down a bit. Even the worst teams are supposed to beat the best teams every now and again. Doesn’t seem like the Braves have been challenged during this streak at all.
It’s a mistake to discount the Braves for any reason. The fact is they are a well-constructed team by very accomplished front office execution and planning. They have superior coaching and a superior roster (not without weaknesses). That kind of foundation allows that the team performs well most of the time, wins many close games based on talent and character, and occasionally goes on an extended run. 14 consecutive wins is extraordinary under any circumstances. If the Mets pulled anything close, we would be over the moon.
The Mets are a much better team than in the past. They still need some tweaking and some roster upgrades (bullpen). I believe the Mets will be there in the end, but so will the Braves. Who winds up on top will be decided on the field. If I had to put my house on one team or the other, I would go against my heart and choose the deeper organization… I hate the Braves, but they are damn solid.
It’s good to see the Mets success (thanks, Brian) against the Marlins, but I do believe these will be hard fought games… it will be their post-season, and they have quality pieces. Who is the Lama?
I say this not just as a Mets fan, but from an objective standpoint. When you consider the fact that the Mets remaining schedule is a little softer than the Braves from here on out (per Tankathon the winning % of the Mets remaining opponents is .482 and the Braves is .496), and the fact that the Mets will be adding arguably the 2 best pitchers in baseball over the next month, I would put my money on the Mets coming out on top. Of course they still play each other 15 more times, which will certainly go a long way to determining who comes out on top. The other wild card, as always, would be injuries to key players.
How much of that winning percentage discrepancy is because the two teams play so much down the stretch and the Mets have the better record?
I’m surprised the Mets’ advantage here isn’t greater. But the Mets also have 4 games against the Yankees that the Braves don’t have. That new schedule can’t come fast enough.
I agreeeeee. I hate the imbalance in every way, and I hate that the Mets play 4 games against a very good team across town. Still, destiny is everything. We have to hope that playing the Yankees will somehow benefit this team.
The key to the season is obviously the many series with the Braves. A healthy Mets team has a great chance, but the Braves will be ready, having been hardened by last season. I’d still venture that the Mets are the underdogs.
Brian, this article makes a lot of Met sense.
The Braves are a good team but the pressure is on the Braves. They have to make up a 4.5 defitic.
The Mets are consistently winning. They haven’t had a losing streak of more than 2 games. They are not going to fold especially with Scherzer and deGrom on the horizon.
At this point, in the remaining 15 games against the Braves, they would have to have a 10-5 record to unseat the Mets.
It’s hard to like the Braves. I mean, how do they get away with still using Native American images, and that f****** offensive chop? They continue to promote it knowing full well that it is offensive to many… perhaps even their own fans!
Being in their stadium must be sheer torture.