Letters to the NL East, part 5

Letters to the NL East, Part 5 of 5

Dear New York Mets,

Expectations soar this year. You disappointed us horribly last year, and I hope you disappointed yourselves too. Whether we like it or not, the marketing department has introduced the element of revenge into the advertisements. It’s important that you guys keep this revenge fresh in your minds.

No more taking it for granted that you’re good, instead you need to rub other teams faces in it. Up 9-2 in the ninth? No reason to take that for granted either; steal that base, bunt those runners over, score that extra run. It’s never enough, and you should never be satisfied with being ahead, whether it’s in a game, a series, or the division.

I want to see some attitude this year, and I don’t care about how the other teams feel about it. I don’t care if Jimmy Rollins thinks the Phillies are awesome or if Hanley Ramirez hates the Mets. You guys are better than they are, and there is no reason not to act like it. They don’t like you dancing on your on-deck circle? Fine, dance on their on-deck circle. Don’t be afraid to throw inside, and hard. It’s punishment time for the rest of the NL East, and you are the enforcers. Your opponents should feel like they were in a wrestling match and body slammed to the mat repeatedly. You should be playing like the Phillies punched your mother, and the Braves knocked up your sister. Remember, there are no unwritten rules of baseball; Play tough, play hard, and it doesn’t matter how you get there in the end, just get there.

Your lifelong fan,

Optimistic Mets Fan

The Collapse, and 2008

I’ve been thinking about this, and it has a lot to do with David Wright and how he’s easily the captain of this team.

The Mets maybe be an 85 win team next year, but I don’t think so. I think they’re going to be angry about last year, angry and ashamed.

You know how the the Patriots played after being caught cheating in week 1? That’s how I see the Mets next year. Up 9-2 going into the 9th? Why not go for another run? There will be no ‘taking it for granted’. And I don’t care if it pisses off Hanley Ramirez or anyone else. I want them to take the confidence of 2007, but not think they deserve anything. They should go out and play the Phillies(and the Braves and Marlins and Nationals) like they punched their mothers.

Last year they had what I felt to be a good attitude, but they seemed to lose it on the field. 2008 is going to be a good year.

Nothing to Say

I wish I had something to say, but there is nothing. The only reason to peruse Mets blogs and media today is the faint hope that someone, somewhere has some insight that promotes confidence. The problem is everytime you find that glimmer, the Mets blow it to shreds at night.

This season started with the most promise and expectation in at least seven years, World Series or bust. The last team the Mets faced in 2006 was to become the first team they’d face in 2007. Now they are seriously in danger of that being the case again, only this time it’s not a World Series champion that foils their quest, but the lowly Marlins. In that first season of the year, they did something they have struggled to do of late, and that’s get revenge and complete a sweep. Maybe seeing Albert and Yadier sparks that fire that they need. Destiny, however slim, is still in the Mets hands. Are the Mets complacent, acting entitled, almost snobbish? Well here is the true wake up call. The one team that can remind them that despite the glory of last year, they are essentially losers. They are owed nothing and have everything to prove.

Hopefully the Mets beat up on the Cardinals, and then because a one game series is just not enough for the Mets to work out their aggression, they’ve got a series against bored fish on the weekend to continue with. Something needs to wake up this team, and if it’s not the Cardinals, I may be using my Playoff money to buy an HDTV.