Read : A History Of Heartbreak
Mike Novara who works for ESPN Radio emailed this Mets rant shortly after the heartbreaking events of last week. Its a passionate diatribe on how the Mets have continuously broken the heart of a 30+ year Mets fan and a must read.
All,
This is my first mass email rant. I started writing this on Sunday night and completed it last night. Although this is a finished piece, it is still a living and breathing document. I am sure there will be new Mets horror stories to add to this as the weeks, months, years and decades roll on. The excruciating losses over the last two weeks has forced me to reflect on how and who I spend my time watching sports.
I am not kidding. This one really hurt.
MN
For all Mets fans, Sunday was one of the darkest days in all our years of following this team.
And yes, you could blame Glavine, or Perez Friday night, or Heilman last Thursday, or Willie for leaving Humber in on Wednesday, or even Ricky Henderson for being a bad influence on Jose Reyes, and Delgado’s ineptness, or Castillo botching the double play, or the (gulp) bullpen. But I point to the June Swoon, the loss of key bullpen players in ’06 (Bradford, Oliver, Sanchez) Wagner’s inability to dominate, plenty of men LOB, as well as the over-all lackadaisical play of the regulars towards the end (or did you forget the 6 errors against the Phillies two weeks ago?) who expected to have the division handed to them on a silver platter. The METS were lucky that during their ”swoon in June” the Phillies and Braves played .500 baseball at best and the Mets stayed in first place for as long as they did. The tell tale signs for a fall were there, the holes were glaring early on, but we were in denial. I know I was. We thought the worst was behind us after they picked it up at the end of July and the beginning of August.
Boy, were we wrong.
Everything caught up to them over the last two weeks, as they played two of the worst teams in the NL, the Nationals and the Marlins. Who could have predicted those two teams would turn into the 1927 Yankees and play as loose and as comfortable as Walter Mattheau’s Bears against Vic Morrow’s Yankees in the original “Bad News Bears”?
Here’s a quick stat: The Washington Nationals scored 32 runs against the Mets last week, and all the Mets had to do was win one game. Just one. From there it was downhill and when they failed to score for Pedro, you knew it was over, didn’t you? I tried to believe that they would pull it out, just like I once tried to believe I would one day be 6’ 6”. It isn’t happening. Or ever will.
But truth be known, futility and collapses and failure are the foundation of this franchise beginning back in 1962. Yes, there was the miracle of 1969, Ya’ Gotta Believe in 1973, and the greatest Mets team of all, the 1986 World Champions. I cannot say it’s been entirely a nightmare, but come on, lets be serious. It is downright painful and gut-wrenching to be a Mets fan. Now, I wasn’t around when it all started, being I was born in 1966 (during a Baltimore Orioles World series win I might add) and I have faint memories of the 1973 World Series loss. My ascent (or descent) into Mets fan hood was in 1974 when my dad took me to a rain soaked Shea stadium that summer to watch Bob Apodaca get pummeled by Cincinnati’s Big Red machine.
As I reflect on this awful loss, I started to think about my last 3 ½ decades as a Met fan. The tell tale signs of futility are there. Sorry to say this fellow Mets fans, if history has taught us anything, it is that there will be more pain and suffering in the decades ahead. Let’s face it. Let’s put it on the table and call it what it is: the Mets suck. They are the updated version of “da bums”. As a father, I will do my best to shield my son from becoming a Mets fan. I think I will go out and buy him a Navy Blue Yankee hat. Or a Derek Jeter poster or Yankees bed sheets circa George Costanza. But for him to wear Dodger blue, Giants orange, and Wilpon black would be unfitting for a parent who truly loves his child. Why should he suffer as I? I am a lost cause, he still has a chance!
Here is a brief look back at some of my worse memories as a Mets fan. As I wrote this, I was not surprised that there are SO MANY bad memories. I may have missed a few “doozys” so please respond back to me so I may add it to this missive.
Here you go:
1974- They fire Yogi Berra towards the end of the year. Don Hahn is the centerfielder and Cleon Jones is caught with a 15 year old girl.
1975- Mets finish in third place despite another Cy Young award for their ace Tom Seaver. But thank god for Dave Kingman and his 36 homeruns, 153 strikeouts and paltry .231 batting average. Yes, he batted .231.
1976- Did they even play this year? Wasn’t some guy named Joe Frazier the manager that year? Didn’t they trade Tug McGraw to the Phillies for Del Unser and then trade Rusty Staub to the Tigers for a fat, bloated and old Mickey Lolich? By the way Mets fans, Rusty Staub was voted a starter on the AL all-star team that year, and Mickey Lolich ate donuts while walking out to the mound. Christ, I should have realized then.
1977- Oh, this year is easy. Tom Seaver to the Reds for Pat Zachery, Doug Flynn and Steve Henderson. Oh well, wait till next year…I mean, wait till the eighties!
1978- Lee Mazzilli is the new Mets savior. Yikes.
1979- Willie Montanez and his flair for catching balls is fun to watch, but John Stearns is the all star that year. Joel Youngblood is at second base and Gene Clines is around in right. Another 90 loss season.
1980-1982 – I entered high school, discovered Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and was in love with Connie Corsentino from afar so these years are a little foggy to me. But I remember they signed an over-the-hill George Foster, Craig Swan was their ace, and George Bamberger was going to manage them to the top (chuckle). The Wilpon-Doubleday era begins, and they sign Strawberry out of high school. Things are starting to turn for the better, but they are still a disaster.
1983- Mets trade for Keith Hernandez and bring up Strawberry. Going in the right direction….finally! And Tom Seaver is back. I hope the Mets hold onto him and don’t lose him on the waiver wire. I’m sorry, did I say that out loud?
1984- Things are looking better. Dwight Gooden appears, Ron Darling is here and the Mets give the Cubs a run for the Division. They still lose, but it’s losing with a glint of hope. Finally, we can’t wait till spring!
1985- Mets bring in Gary Carter and almost catch the Cards in the final weekend of the year for the division. Almost, but alas, they didn’t…again. But the glint of hope is now a beacon! I can’t wait for 1986.
1986- The greatest year in the history of this franchise. Wire to Wire they were the best. They made it exciting in the NLCS with Mike Scott looming. They win the World Series. And thank god for Calvin Schiraldi, passed balls, wild pitches, Buckner’s legs, the Red Sox curse and Keith Hernandez’ addiction to cigarettes and alcohol.
1987- This season started off awful. Cashen refuses to sign World Series MVP Ray Knight, Doc Gooden puts Smither’s Rehab on the map. They are chasing the White Rat’s Cardinals all year. The Mets are only 2 games behind the Cardinals with 3 to play at Shea in late September. Mets are winning by 2 runs towards the end of the first game. Darling gets hurt. McDowell comes in and gives up a grand slam to Terry Pendleton. They get swept in that pivotal series and never recover. Cards win the division. Mets go home to a number of question marks. Oh yeah, and I forgot that they traded for Mr. Personality, Kevin McReynolds. Yes he hit 28 Homers that year, but they always seemed to come when the Mets were winning by 10 runs in the eighth or losing by 12 in the top of the 9th, didn’t they?
1988- Mickey Hatcher, Rick Monday and Steve Sax. The Dodger’s version of Murderer’s Row. Mike who? Oh yeah, Mike Scoscia. Please…
1989- I blame management for this one. The season begins with a Dykstra-Wilson platoon in center and ends with Mookie on the Blue Jays, Lenny on the Phillie’s and Juan Samuel, a light hitting second baseman as the centerfielder??? What the hell was in that cigar Cashen was smoking? Jeez! And the Mets lose the division to the Cubs by 2 games. More heart break, and the beginning of the end. Goodbye Mex. Goodbye Kid. Thanks and we’ll miss you.
1990-1996 – These years were a blur to me. I was too busy following the Rangers run to the Stanley Cup, hanging at the shore house, and trying to play golf ( BTW, I’m still trying). I must say I did not follow them as intently as I did in the past. But I do know they still sucked. Here are some of the few things I remember as I reflect back: they sign an old Eddie Murray, Willie Randolph and Hubie Brooks to be the saviors and they’re not; they don’t sign Strawberry, but usher in the Bobby Bonilla era (and the Mets don’t sign the other Bobby, future hall of famer) and I think the Mets are still paying Bonilla his deferred salary to this day; Vince Coleman and the bleach incident; Brett Saberhagen dons a Mets uniform and forgets how to pitch; Hometown boy John Franco joins the Mets and the Wilpon’s think he walks on water…come on Fred? So what you went to the same high school? ; David Cone to the Jays for Jeff Kent, who never lived up to his billing (as usual); Hundley the homer boy; Lance Johnson, Bernard Gilkey, Butch Huskey, Rey Ordonez, Pete Shoureck, Carlos Baerga, Jeremy Burnitz, managers Bud Harrelsson, Jeff Torborg and Dallas Green…what the??; Let’s not forget Generation K; am I missing anything here? You forgot about these years too, huh?
1997- More Futility; Mets fire Dallas Green and hire Bobby Valentine. They also make a big trade with the Cubs for Turk Wendell and Brian McRae and Dennis Cook. Maybe things will change? They still finish out of the money….AGAIN. You weren’t surprised, were you?
1998- Trade for Mike Piazza in May and things are turning around quickly. As Mel Allen used to say when the Mets got good in the 80’s “Everybody is rushing to Flushing ” and they really are. Attendance is back up; the Mets are playing a fun brand of baseball, and they’re making things happen on the field. Now all they need to do is win ONE game against the Atlanta Braves in the final weekend of the season to clinch the Wild Card. They don’t. They lose all three. They go home again. I bet you forgot about that aggravation, didn’t you? Christ, I hate being a Met fan. It sucks!
1999- This is the year. They play well all year. But they start to suuuuuck the last 2 weeks of the season and almost blow the wild card lead. It comes down to the final game of the season to clinch a tie with the Reds and force a one game playoff. The Mets luckily win, and go to Cincy to win on a beautifully pitched game by Al Leiter. Todd Pratt’s walk off homer in the NLDS helps them. In the NLCS, they fall to 0-3 against the Braves but force a sixth game back in Atlanta after Robin Ventura’s grand slam single. Game 6 in Atlanta , the Mets were losing early on, got the lead back, lost the lead, and got the lead back on a Mike Piazza three run homer. They give up the lead again thanks to Armando Benitez and a bases loaded walk by rental player Kenny Rodgers which ends the game in the 10th. I thought I saw the worst I will ever see as Mets fan. Wrong again.
2000- Let’s face it. Did we really think we were going to beat the vaunted Yankees of the 90’s? And I’m sorry, but the fact the Mets did not have to go through the Braves to get the World Series should have given you reason to worry. The Cardinal’s of 2000 were a joke, Timo Perez was the Mets catalyst, and Jay Payton was the centerfielder. And let’s not forget the fun-loving Benny Agbayani! And why, oh why, was Roger Clemens allowed to stay in that game after trying to harpoon Piazza with the splintered bat? Let’s not forget Game 4 when Mr. Jeter took the Mets and their fans out of the game with his first pitch homerun. And you knew the series was over anyway in Game 1 when Timo Perez decided to watch Todd Zeile’s fly ball hit the fence, and Armando Benitez walked Paul O’Niell . Come on, you knew!
2001-2004- Let’s review: Roberto Alomar, Art Howe, Jeremy Burnitz version2.0. Sean Estes pitches behind Clemens in the subway series, Mike Cameron and Cliff Floyd are their big free agent pick ups, and the Wilpon’s and Jim Duquette think it’s a good idea to trade Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. Let’s not forget Fat, old, Mo Vaughn. Do I need to go on?
2005- A rebuilding year with Wright and Reyes coming into their own. They still fell apart in September when they had a chance. No surprises again.
2006- Game 7, Bottom 9th, 2 outs, 2 strikes, bases loaded, down 2 runs…Beltran strikes out…looking? And what a waste of a beautiful catch by Endy Chavez! How could they lose after that catch you ask? They’re the METS, dummy! Haven’t you learned anything?
2007- Up 7 with 17 to go. Disgraceful.
But let’s keep this in perspective. They may have collapsed, but they did not lose 4 straight after being up 3-0 during a Championship series (sorry Yankee fans, but the Yankees collapse 3 years ago is helping me heal from this disaster). More helpful perspective: we won’t endure late nights this fall staying up for disappointing losses, no more being controlled by the post season schedule where you won’t even mark your calendar without consulting the TV schedule of games. No more falling asleep at your desk, lamenting about a loss or feeling this exact way at the end of October.
I’m glad the healing began on Sunday afternoon, so maybe I can enjoy the Rangers opener this Thursday and the Jets game this Sunday. Yes, the word “Enjoy” is open to interpretation.
So all in all, I’m OK the Mets are not in the postseason. Yes, they failed to play at least .400 baseball the last 17 games of the season, which by the way, would have gotten them in the playoffs. But you might be asking the question, “Mike, why are you OK?”
And that’s easy…”I’m a Mets fan, and I’m used to it”.
Only 165 days till pitchers and catchers.
Merry Christmas, and let’s go Mets.
Michael P. Novara
