Why the Long Faces in Flushing?

Written by Mike Mariano | 12 April 2010

I've been fairly busy this past week, so I haven't gotten to watch as much of this opening week of baseball as I would've liked.  That being sad, what is going on Mets-ville?  From the rundown of sports blogs and news articles I've browsed this morning, all hell is breaking loose in Flushing:

Santana is Flushing away his talent
Santana struggles, Mets hit rock bottom
Mets Unprepared After Months Of Preparation
New Year, Same Mets

If I'm not mistaken, and I frequently am not, we're only seven games into the season.  Granted, the Mets are 2-4 and have lost 4 of their last 5, but who cares! So there's some ribbing going on at the water cooler?  Get over it.  Seasons are not won and lost in April, if the Mets are truly a great team (like I'd been hearing all winter) then a slow start should be but a blip on the radar.

I'm sure not all Mets fans share this "always say die" or maybe "very quickly say die" attitude, but it's kind of embarrassing.  And that's coming from me, a Phillies fan.  In Philadelphia, we pronounce the Eagles dead long before the math does and when the Phillies suck we're not shy about telling them so. However, it's April 12th and Mets fans are looking like the awkward guy at the party who can't take a joke.  So if you're a Mets fan and level headed during this little rough patch, please announce yourself because your fellow compadres need some guidance.

Added by Benny B.

Here's my point of view...and I am an optimistic Mets fan.

It is true that pennants are not won in April.  However, this goes back to the whole "September games are more important than April Games" argument we had last year.  ALL these games count. All the loses that could have been wins add up and can cost a trip to the postseason (see 2007 & 2008 Mets seasons).  Mets fans--like me--are not booing an individual player like Santana or Wright (I would never boo them anyway).  What has finally become crystal clear even to the most optimistic fans is that our team is not being managed properly.  In other words, they are not putting our team in the best position to win.

It is Omar's job to get the players, and he has received a lot of flack the last couple of year...as he should: The Castillo Deal, Ollie Perez deal, etc.  There are a lot of bad deals that he has made that overshadow and outweigh the good ones (Yes, he has made good ones).  While Jerry gets a pass for the players on his roster, it is HIS JOB to put field those players that gives them the best chance to win....and he is flat out not doing his job.  Every time he pencils in Mike Jacobs & GMJ in the starting lineup, he is not doing his job.  Jacobs was cut by the worst team in the AL last year, and somehow was batting cleanup for the Mets the first series?  GMJ has gotten the nod over Pagan while Angel is a superior baseball player in every way. Yesterday, GMJ came up to bat with runners in scoring position 4 times, and 4 times he ended the inning and a potential rally.

It's not the players that we are venting our frustration on.  It's not their fault they suck as baseball players.  Evaluating talent, and utilizing new sabermetrical tools in place of "the gut" is what the Mets lack.  Johan Santana, Jason Bay & K-Rod are easy to evaluate.  They are stars.  It's forming a well rounded roster with role players that can step up in the event of injuries, and can contribute better than the replacement lever player that make the difference. When players like Nelson Figeroa get released & Chris Carter sent to AAA; Or Jesus Flores and Darren O'Day left unprotected last year, you can't help but see a pattern of bad decisions. There are many teams littered with valuable talent the Mets have discarded.  This is what has become intolerable.  This is why we "Boo".  This is why Mets fans don't spend $100+ to go to games (regardless of the whether), when they can watch it on TV (or not watch at all).

So yes, it is early.  There is plenty of time for this team to turn it around.  But the Mets could very easily be 4-2 (and should at least be 3-3).  Until the best players are put on field, until the GMJ experiment is ended, until Jacobs role is limited to power bat off the bench (or cut entirely), expect more of the same.  I have watched the Mets under the Omar era for a long time now, and the only way these changes are going to happen is from the top down.  That means Omar & Jerry need to go.  Go Mets...