The bottom line is that the 2007 New York Mets were a mediocre team that played poorly and showed complacency from June on and missed countless opportunities to put away the division. The Mets only hung onto first because nobody in the division got hot, until September of course, when Philly got raging hot and the Mets went iceberg cold. The Mets could have buried Philly last month, but were swept four games, and then had another chance to do so with a three-game set, only to be swept again.
But even with all of that, even with the lousy bullpen and the disgraceful September from Billy Wagner; even with the ineffectiveness of Tom Glavine (who can never pitch for the Mets again) and John Maine (despite Saturday) down the stretch; even with the inconsistent years from nearly every offensive player, including Reyes going 5 for his last 41; even with their lack of hustle and overly casual, yet at times, brash attitude; even with Willie (who should be back) making numerous bonehead maneuvers, such as pitching people like Brian Lawrence, Phillip Humber, and Carlos Muniz in key spots; even with the injuries to Carlos Delgado and El Duque; even with Paul Lo Duca’s big mouth (another guy who cannot come back); even with the suspensions of Marlon Anderson and Lastings Milledge; even with all of these negative factors, the New York Mets still had a three-game lead in the loss column with seven home games to play against the Nationals, Cardinals, and Marlins and went 1-6 in those games.
Furthermore, they had a two-game lead with five to play and a 5-0 lead against the Nationals on Wednesday, but inexplicably pitched Humber—who had never made a major-league start—and he along with their pathetic bullpen gave away yet another one. I really had felt completely confident that the Mets would win the division until that game.
But even with all that, the Mets still had destiny in their own hands yesterday, yet saw an aging Hall of Famer completely break down and an offense that struggled producing two-out RBIs all year do so yet again as the Mets finished the season a miserable 12-25 at home against the National League East.
Clearly, there are an overwhelming amount of reasons why the Mets did not deserve to compete in the postseason and the Mets got exactly what they deserve: nothing.
Last year’s loss to the Cardinals actually felt worse because of the different expectation level and the way it ended with a Game 7 loss at home, but obviously, the final result of this year is way worse. It’s the worst collapse in baseball history; it’s the worst thing I’ve experienced in rooting for any of my favorite sports teams.
The New York Mets were a disgraceful organization in 2007. They blew it. They suck. They gagged. They were awful. They choked. They were horrific. They ruined the fall for millions of dedicated and passionate fans.
But unlike those pathetic pieces of shit who left Shea in the seventh inning yesterday, this fan stuck it out and maintained hope the entire season, through the final, bitter out, even rooting for the Nationals to somehow piece together a ninth-inning rally against Philly as I watched the game on the computer after the Mets’ game had ended.
But that obviously didn’t happen and this is where we are. And in the first week of March next year, I’ll be right back in front of the television ready to watch the Mets first spring training game as the road towards a World Series title in 2008 will begin. And the good news is: whoever starts that first spring training game is guaranteed to pitch longer than Glavine did yesterday.
I think Pedro Martinez said it best, when he said, “We fucked it up.”
They sure did.
