Sending You Along

Hi Mets Fans....
I am now wandering the world and am blogging about my adventures. Rest assured, I am still a hardcore NY Mets fan and will occasionally spout off about baseball. So check me out at:
www.firstworldwhitegirl.com.

LET'S GO METS!
Jill

Wishes For 2009

I know I was a crappy blogger this year, so just say it. Almost as crappy a blogger as the Mets were crappy ballplayers in September. But it's over, I'm not watching anymore baseball and will only occasionally blog during the off season as circumstances warrant. I will, however, offer my thoughts on what is needed for next year.

1. I like Jerry. Keep him. He came along late, but he definitely pushed the Metropolitans in the right direction.

2. I am becoming skeptical on the youngins' - Jose Reyes and David Wright. Yes they is cute. Yes they can make the plays - most of the time. But when it comes to being clutch, Jose ain't your guy and neither is David. You may all boo me, you may call me a traitor. But face the facts... they have a been 50 percent of the nucleus of the team for the last 2 years (and '06 too, of course). And I don't have to tell you how that went down. One more year I say. Maybe maturity and the last two years can give them the confidence to pull it out when we need it most.

3. Pitching. Disastre. Need I say more. Closer, another solid starter (at least one), a setup man. We need more help in our bullpen than George Bush will need building a positive legacy.

4. Leave the Carloses. I know they ain't young, but they're good. Keep 'em another year.

5. Shop for a second baseman, Castillo has sucked. Would be nice to get someone that can hit AND play second base, especially since we haven't seen either from Luis all year.

It was a hard baseball year, almost harder than the '06 collapse. I think this was because July gave me hope. And then September crushed it to bits. It's all a little Hillary Clintonian. Everyone talked about you, you were the one to beat. But in the end, fizzle. She fought, we fought. But in the end, our adversaries proved to be stronger.

At least for some of us there's always next year. 

Optimism in the Face of Impossibility

After the crap that has been going down, I know what you expect from me. Crying. Whining. Bitching. Moaning. Because the Mets are on the verge of doing the worst possible thing they could - repeating last year.

Instead of the usual bitch session, I am going to try something different. No complaints. I am going to do what Jerry Manuel is doing... say it is possible. Say anything is possible. No, the Wilpons are not paying me. I've decided that if we tell them they are no good, they will be no good. Kind of like children.

Besides, it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings and she is still making her way over from the Bronx.

Groundhog Day in September

I went to last night's Mets-Nats game in the lovely new Nats stadium here in DC. Sat in the best seats I had been in this season, courtesy of a good friend/recovering Mets fans.  As we watched the game last night, he told me how his spirit had been broken during the 2000 World Series.

I get his pain circa 2000. Flashback.... The Mets were right there (against the Yankees no less) in the big time. And they screwed up. They let it slip through their gifted little fingers in the 12th inning in Game One, coming back in the 9th in Game Two only to lose, winning the third and crumbling to the end. That was the Mets of 2000.

Fortunately he gave up then. He didn't have to live through 2006 or last year. Instead of feeling like it was Groundhog Day in September, he was yippin' it up with the fans of the lovable losers and yet again Mets spoilers. Hadn't I been to this same game in September already?

Sadly, it wasn't deja vu. It was another Mets loss. In September. Against the lousy Nats. The only consolation is that it wasn't the Yankees.

Oh and those beautiful seats. 

Pitching, Pitching, Pitching

I am back in the comfort of my sprawling apartment in DC, back to the giant TV and every baseball game a girl could want.  So last night I watch the nail biter of a game v. the Brewers. This nail biting thing has become a little too de rigeur these days. While it makes for great baseball, it has been giving me heartburn for the last week or so. As was early in the season, the culprit seems to be pitching. 

Pitching, pitching, pitching.

They got through it last night, by the skin of their pretty little asses. But mostly because of the incredible defensive play of the team. Amazing catches by little Nick, badass throws as fast as gunfire from Endy!, David tackling the ball more like a defensive end then a third baseman. 

Last night was all about saving themselves from a melting bullpen. And they did it. Ten innings, 6-5. As long as the bats are alive, they may survive September.

As for some of the candidates, I am not quite as certain. 

Beat Me, I Can Take It

Alright, I know... you are going to accuse me of being a fair weather fan. Sure, the Mets are hanging on by a thread in June and July. And where was I? Galvanting across a continent, forgetting about where I come from and the important things, right? No, it's not true. In fact, I spent three months in South America, wearing my Mets hat. Consider my time not blogging as being an ambassador for the Mets and for American baseball. Not sure if I recruited anyone, but let's just call it "general awareness".  And I did check the scores when I was anywhere near civilization. 

Ok, so back to it. It's September, crunch time. I am now praying daily for the bullpen. Cause it's nothing short of a miracle that keeps them hanging on. Kinda like how it felt to support Barack Obama or John McCain a year ago, right?

Believe.

You Turn Your Back for a Second and Then What?

I realize I have not been keeping up with the blog. I know. Have gotten some private comments about it. I apologize. First, you should know that I have been watching everything from here. Every last thing. Reading before I go to bed (extremely late, mind you this is Buenos Aires where you have dinner at 11 pm), getting up a bit before my Spanish class to make sure I miss nothing. Really, I promise.

As for Willie, you know I always liked him. A Brooklyn boy, a good ball player, a good guy. But I totally get why he was given the axe. When things stink, the smell eventually leads to the top. And in my mind this is not limited to Willie... Omar and the Wilpons also need to take a hard look in the mirror. The last couple of weeks of public bullshit, the hemming and hawing, the soap opera like dramas that have enveloped the team certainly don't help. I don't now about you, but blood in the water doesn't bring me any day to day relief.

I will say this... I like what Manuel is doing. Sometimes tough love is needed. And with the benign neglect of the last regime, maybe the hands on approach is what we need.

Now that you've gotten my two cents on the most pressing issue in Mets baseball, I have to figure out how to talk about politics and my trip. Hmmm.. well, the President of Argentina recently proposed an increase in a tax on farmers. And boy, the farmers are pissed... so pissed that there was a massive protest (which I checked out). There was a concession, with the President agreeing to let the Congress debate the tax. But a la a situation we are all familiar with, a concession does not mean victory. It only means wait and see.

At Least Someone's Winning

Ah Metsies...you're killing me, killing me. The series of losses endured against San Diego have been tragic... matzo bats are the death knell. Oh well, at least the pitching hasn't fallen apart, right?

The good news is that yesterday I toured Buenos Aires on a bicycle and just loved it. Although the drivers are a bit sketch, it was thankfully a weekend and I managed to survive without incident. On the tour, we went through a neighborhood called La Boca, which is the namesake of the soccer team. The team- the Boca Juniors - seem to be quite the rage in BsAs and even throughout Latin America according to my sources. All over you can see people in Boca Jr's gear. I daresay they are the New York Yankees of soccer. But this year, they lost to Brazil.

There's another team in Buenos Aires. But it appears they are less adored by the throngs of soccer afficiandos across the land. River Platte they are called and they suffer from second class status. In fact, I have yet to see more than a splash of red and white around town. Sound familiar?

But, how tables turn. They are now the team that is making stuff happen. Today they beat Olimpo for the Clausura Tournament. And La Boca? Done. Toast.

So while maybe the boys of River aren't as popular, it appears they are better. At least the less popular boy wins sometimes.

Changes

The Mets have changed and hopefully for the better with the glorious return of Pedro. We can only hope this is the spark that lights the fire that unlocks the potential of this team.

The Democratic race for the presidential nomination is over. Last night's results leave the Democrats with one choice, one that will hopefully allow them not to lose (something, it should be noted they excel at doing - giving it away - not unlike the Mets so far this season).

And for me, a big change. Instead of bringing you Mets commentary from Washington DC, I will b bringing it to you from South America. I write you today from Buenos Aires, where I just arrived to my hostel in San Telmo. It is a bight lovely onld house with brightly painted walls, skylights and Aussies traveling around the world, not shocking.

Change is good for the Mets. Let's just hope it's good for both me and the Democrats.

Beautiful

It was a beautiful spring evening when the Mets took to the field to play the Marlins. I watched the first inning, saw the Mets score two and decided it was too beautiful to stay in watching baseball.

So I walked. I walked through the city, people were outside drinking, running, biking, errand running. It was spring and everyone was soaking up the delicious weather. I come back in the 6th, only to see the Mets down 5-4. And then Endy! tied it up. NB: For those of you unfamiliar with my blog, I always call him Endy! after that amazing catch at the 2006 NLCS. It should be noted, I haven't had too much to Endy! about so far this season.

Maybe it was spring, maybe it was the pressure, maybe it was the self realization that they are a great team. They sure played like one. Second stringer Tatis with the clutch hitting, a fantastic bullpen, even Ollie kept it together. My personal favorite extra innings play was the Sanchez bunt; even after getting smacked by a pitch he came back, bunted and ran his mightiest to first. He didn't make it, but man... he tried. He tried so hard, as ever single one of them did.

And that my friends, is indeed beautiful. 7-6 beautiful.