If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn out tools;If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run—
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
If-
by Rudyard Kipling
I was thinking about the first line of this poem recently. Truth be told – didn’t remember it was a poem. There’s such an information overload that most of us remember things in snippets. Can only guess how many times thru the years this poem has been read by me. There were lines that were familiar once they were re-read, the ending certainly, and lines that seemed brand new. But the first line made the leap to long-term memory. Maybe that’s enough and that’s why the brain works the way it does.
*****
If forced to guess, my opinion of Billy Eppler is likely higher than most others. Now, for the record, that doesn’t mean that I’m a big fan. It’s just that when looking at the big picture, there are things that get put in the positive column as far as Eppler concerns. Absolutely, there are things in the negative column, too. In a way, Eppler is like one of his acquisitions – Daniel Vogelbach. It seems like a lot of people focus on the negatives and completely dismiss the positives with both individuals.
Perhaps some fans look at baseball the way that my brain works with poetry. They remember snippets and figure that’s enough. No doubt some poetry geek out there is beyond offended that one could read this poem and not be bothered to commit to memory anything beyond the first line. Guilty as charged for that particular offense.
In my defense, the part that resonates with me is a positive. Now, perhaps our poetry geek would claim that it’s all positive. As my old high school history teacher said – many more times than once – be that as it may… Anyway, it’s good to remember a snippet of something positive than a snippet of something negative, regardless of the totality of the source involved.
We all have light-bulb moments, times where we hear or read or see something that puts things into sharp focus. One of those moments for me was reading Bill James on Wally Backman and how the Mets focused so much on what he allegedly couldn’t do (field) that they lost sight of what he could do (hit) – especially compared to the guys they played at second base instead of him. Hopefully your age spared you from watching Doug Flynn or Brian Giles or Bob Bailor produce equal to or much worse than 2023 Starling Marte at the plate.
My opinion is that Eppler’s approach to bullpen construction stinks. But that can’t be the only thing that matters when it comes to judging his performance, even just in the strict confines of bullpen acquisitions. After all, he’s the guy who signed Adam Ottavino in March, gave a (relatively) high-dollar deal to David Robertson, even though they had Edwin Diaz coming off a monster year, and made the trade for Brooks Raley.
As much as I dislike Eppler’s approach to prioritize options over talent for multiple bullpen spots, that doesn’t mean he’s rotten at the rest of his job, too. My expectation is that a lot of people are going to be fearful of the moves that Eppler makes at the trade deadline, regardless if the Mets are buyers are sellers. They’ll point to the Darin Ruf trade, while forgetting the Chris Bassitt one. But that’s the risk you run when you depend on snippets.
So, here’s hoping Eppler can keep his head at the trade deadline while other people are losing theirs and blaming it on him.
Good article Brian. At first I thought you were the poet.
I will withhold judgement on Eppler until after the deadline. I view the game differently. Like many fans, I enjoy and follow the game based on emotions. I am happy when the Mets win and when they lose, not so much, but not as bad as when I was a kid or a young man. I became an avid fan as a young boy. The Mets were my outlet and passion in coping with a not so great family situation.
So, a lot of what I say and write can be emotional, and not so much based on fact.
If Eppler makes deals that look really good on paper, then I am OK if it doesn’t work out.
In my opinion, this team needs a lot of change and building towards 2024. That has to start now if Eppler does nothing or makes a Juan Samuel type of a deal, I won’t be happy. Same goes for bargain bin dumpster diving for a scrub like Ruf, I won’t be happy.
To trade or not to trade.
That is the question.
Earlier this season, someone (might have been you) said something about how their mood changed based on if the Mets were winning or losing. I totally get that. May and June were not fun and if the losing didn’t affect you then, I guess you have pretty thick skin.
I think it’s possible to be both emotional and logical. At least that’s what I’m trying for. I’m sure there are days where I succeed more than others…
I think the Mets FO have already missed a window of opportunity in trading away players. Marte might have been moved early June, but not anymore (IR). Pham? Same, when he was going hot; but not anymore. Stewart & Vogelfat still on the roster in August? Then an F for Eppler.
I still like McNeil, but only at 2B; as an OF, he doesn’t have enough offense even when he’s hitting. Mauricio should have been groomed as an OF since last off season. As much as I’m willing to part with Alonso, who would take him now as is? Certainly the return for him would be diminished.
Work on Vientos as your 1B; remember, Alonso was also suppose to be a horrible fielder also.
For me, 2023 is history, start working on getting younger and more athletic for 2024.
Totally agree
There once was a GM named Eppler
Whose team was sinking to the cellar
He botched on a scrub named Ruf
And found trading to be really tough
But he stuck to his britches
While looking for pitches
And came up with a bucket of fluff
Ha!
I dig the poem but let’s hope for better than fluff.
Bill Almon. Leo Foster. Chico Walker. Oh, the Met second basemen of yore. Thanks for stirring up the memories with your list of lovable keystones.
Joe Vasile nailed the main issue with his recent article. Eppler’s game plan with the pen could work if the Mets had some good young arms. Injuries have thinned out a thin group.
I hope any moves Eppler makes keep 2024 in mind.
And let’s not forget Chico Escuela, “to baseball has been very, very to me”.
Let’s not forget our favorite Doug Flynn.
If the Mets were 20 games over .500, as we believed they would be, then Eppler’s miscues and not making the pen stronger, wouldn’t be as big a deal. There are always deals that don’t work out the way you hoped they would. We have talked for weeks about the need for bolstering the pen at the deadline but maybe it needed to be done a month ago to right the ship. If Cohen is going to bring in Stearns after the season he can leave Eppler in place and have a stronger collaboration moving forward.
And I’m guilty of knowing the opening line but not the rest. Thanks for the read.