Joe Janish at Mets Today declares the Mets irrelevant. The preliminary ESPN Sunday Night Baseball schedule came out, and the Mets are not on it. Of course, the schedule only lists 10 of probably 26 or so total games, but certainly no one at ESPN thinks the Mets are going to be a draw early on.
He then asks at what point between the Mets signing Pedro Martinez and yesterday did the Mets fade into oblivion?
I think that date was when Jose Reyes signed with the Marlins. The Mets losing their homegrown star, who’s one of the most exciting players in baseball, and seemingly fading into a financial holding pattern, was a big blow. ESPN likes to air flashy stars and lots of drama.
This doesn’t mean the Mets won’t be on ESPN though. There are certainly parts of the Mets that can turn into compelling stories. ESPN would love to see a resurgent Johan Santana face Roy Halladay for instance. If the Mets were competing with the Marlins later in the season, ESPN would love to twist the knife with the Reyes at Citi Field game. The Subway Series could get flexed to prime time. If Ike Davis and Lucas Duda are blasting home runs, it could propel the Mets into a interesting story.
ESPN’s opinion on what is a draw is also high skeptical. A Spring Training beaning of Chase Utley by Mike Pelfrey and an ensuing fight could be enough to prompt them to put the first Sunday Mets-Phillies game on. Still, the Mets are clearly underdogs in not just the games but in attention. If they want to be a respected or interesting team, they’re going to have to earn it.
