A while back, I wrote about a pattern of bad behavior in Mets history, where they were on the brink of true greatness, failed, and fell down so far that it took many years to recover, and then to do it again and again. In that piece, I wrote that they did that in 2006, in Game 7 against the Cardinals, pointing to the half inning after the Chavez catch, when they didn't get the clutch hit that would have put them ahead and probably would have put them in the World Series, as the point where they fell down. I think I see the light at the other end of that tunnel. I feel an optimism building around the 2015 Mets that makes me think that within two or three years, the Mets will be right back at that point.
I wrote after I returned from Spring Training that the Mets would be a .500 team (81-81). Even after losing Wheeler for the season, I stand by that prediction. 81 wins is an improvement, but it's not quite there. A little improvement here, and fixup there, and they can be a 90 win team and in the playoffs, maybe even destined for great things.
Happy (almost) Opening Day.
Let's Go Mets!
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Showing posts with label 2006 mets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2006 mets. Show all posts
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Sunday, September 18, 2011
5 years ago tonight
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Friday, September 18, 2009
My first game and my biggest game
Thanks to Greg Prince of Faith and Fear In Flushing for sending this over a while back from his "Flashback Friday" archives. It's a writeup on the first ever game I saw at Shea Stadium, attending as an 8 year old non-fan pulled out of school, and it happened 20 years ago today (September 18, 1986), the day after the Mets clinched the division. I can't say I was hooked on the Mets immediately. That didn't happen until the end of Game 6 and then Game 7 of the World Series. Those are the only three games from the 1986 season/post-season that I even remember watching, even parts of.
I wish I had pictures. I wish I had the scorecard. I wish I had the ticket stub. All I remember was Hojo hit a home run and Rick Anderson pitched. Mets won 5-0. I found out years later that Greg Maddux pitched for the Cubs that day. You'll recognize the game in any highlights because of the green "band-aids" on the outfield grass (that's how my father explained to me what that was, while later Vin Scully called it "Sharks at feeding time"). This wasn't the regular Mets lineup.
Today is also the anniversary of the 2006 Mets clinching the division (many many similarities to the 1986 Mets). I attended that game along with my father to honor the 20th anniversary of my first game. I also knew when I picked the game in August that it would be that year's clincher. I have the ticket stub, program, photos, and video from the 2006 game.
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I wish I had pictures. I wish I had the scorecard. I wish I had the ticket stub. All I remember was Hojo hit a home run and Rick Anderson pitched. Mets won 5-0. I found out years later that Greg Maddux pitched for the Cubs that day. You'll recognize the game in any highlights because of the green "band-aids" on the outfield grass (that's how my father explained to me what that was, while later Vin Scully called it "Sharks at feeding time"). This wasn't the regular Mets lineup.
Today is also the anniversary of the 2006 Mets clinching the division (many many similarities to the 1986 Mets). I attended that game along with my father to honor the 20th anniversary of my first game. I also knew when I picked the game in August that it would be that year's clincher. I have the ticket stub, program, photos, and video from the 2006 game.
Leave a comment or drop me a line at DyHrdMET [at] gmail [dot] com.
Become a fan of RememberingShea on Facebook.
Become a Networked Blog
Monday, June 22, 2009
There's a lot of parallels
I don't think the immediate future is good. Do you remember the 2000 season, the team got to the World Series? That was good, and maybe they should have won (or at least got back to Yankee Stadium to get finished off there). They really really should have won game 1, but found ways to blow it. After that series, they had a couple of down years instead of working from the momentum, like they had done going from 1999 to 2000 (and even building into '99). That game 1 loss was a game that they, as a franchise, just needed a couple of years to get over.
And those couple years were some down years (2001-2004). Some bad trades. Some bad players. And eventually, the players, coaches, and management from the 2000 team were all gone. Omar Minaya came in to run the baseball operations after the 2004 season, Willie Randolph was named manager, Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez came in as free agents, and we had some good prospects. The Mets were getting built for the future.
And the future came with a good team in 2005, and a team that was made to win it all in 2006. But that didn't work out. They blew their chance in game 7 of the NLCS that year after Endy's catch, and I've said for 2 1/2 years that the franchise hasn't recovered from it yet. This is why I brought up the 2000 team and aftermath. There's a lot of parallels between the two, and some differences too. After 2000, it took into a 5th year before things got pointed in the right direction. After 2006, we had a let down too. A different way of letting down though. We had leads and blew them late, missing the playoffs by 1 game in each of the past 2 seasons. I think we're still on our downslide following that game 7 loss almost 3 years ago. The current team is starting to show signs of slippage.
Back to the parallel, things didn't really get worked out for the Mets earlier this decade until the house was cleaned out and players and management who were part of that 2000 team were gone. I really think that's the same remedy we need here. Clean house. Rid ourselves of everyone who was part of the teams in 2006, 2007, and 2008, because those years collectively have a stink similar to the 2000 team.
It will take a few years to remake the club into a contender, and for us to try again. But I think it's the only way. Throwing new players at this thing just isn't going to make it better.
And those couple years were some down years (2001-2004). Some bad trades. Some bad players. And eventually, the players, coaches, and management from the 2000 team were all gone. Omar Minaya came in to run the baseball operations after the 2004 season, Willie Randolph was named manager, Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez came in as free agents, and we had some good prospects. The Mets were getting built for the future.
And the future came with a good team in 2005, and a team that was made to win it all in 2006. But that didn't work out. They blew their chance in game 7 of the NLCS that year after Endy's catch, and I've said for 2 1/2 years that the franchise hasn't recovered from it yet. This is why I brought up the 2000 team and aftermath. There's a lot of parallels between the two, and some differences too. After 2000, it took into a 5th year before things got pointed in the right direction. After 2006, we had a let down too. A different way of letting down though. We had leads and blew them late, missing the playoffs by 1 game in each of the past 2 seasons. I think we're still on our downslide following that game 7 loss almost 3 years ago. The current team is starting to show signs of slippage.
Back to the parallel, things didn't really get worked out for the Mets earlier this decade until the house was cleaned out and players and management who were part of that 2000 team were gone. I really think that's the same remedy we need here. Clean house. Rid ourselves of everyone who was part of the teams in 2006, 2007, and 2008, because those years collectively have a stink similar to the 2000 team.
It will take a few years to remake the club into a contender, and for us to try again. But I think it's the only way. Throwing new players at this thing just isn't going to make it better.
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