Someone Else to Kick Around

Oh Mets. What can I say? The only thing that changed since I last blogged about you is that you are no longer clinging to .500... you're officially under .500 and are closer to competing with the Nats than with the Braves. You dropped three out of four against the Rockies. Something is outta whack.

Charges of racism (in a game that is more integrated than most workplaces or communities in America it should be noted) by Willie, our star players looking like Mitt Romney (over-hyped and under-performing), and of course the hitting. Or lack thereof.

My two cents on the Willie thing - I said last month that it might be time for him to go. I don't know if that will solve the problem immediately but there is something wrong at the core if a team built like this can't get things going. Sometimes those who are the most gifted are the most lazy laziest, which is why leadership and guidance are critical. I fear those things are missing and is that is precisely what is holding us back.

And it looks like tonight will be no different than the last couple of days. Another loss; I suppose the Marlins is an excuse. Clearly the boys aren't playing up to their potential, but in this case the perception fueled by the media have become the reality. Joe Girardi must be a happy guy - everyone is so busy trashing the Mets that the end of a five-game winning streak is probably not a contender for the sharp tongue of tomorrow's NY Post.

Almost in the Toilet

We're baacck! Yes, the Mets that played in April are back again in May. Yes, I know they disappeared over the weekend. But it seems like the scoreless, listless and even nearly unconscious (if you're Ryan Church) Mets showed up at Turner Field to drop two to Atlanta yesterday. Good times.

I can't decide what is more painful - my bathroom getting ripped out or my heart after watching last night's game. At least the bathroom is scheduled to be back in commission tomorrow. Too bad I can't say the same for the Mets.

Settling In For the War

For just a moment watching the Mets v. Braves today, I felt bad for the Braves. In an emotion I am all too familiar with, I watched an aging pitcher fall part. But this time it was John Smoltz (because of course, every aging Mets pitcher is already on the DL).

This tiny weakness was enough for the Mets bats to wake up, including two, yes TWO, big ass home runs by Carlos D. Beautiful. I, along with pretty much all of Metland, have been trashing Carlos D. for not performing. Today was a welcome change; I guess Friday's mental health day did its' voodoo.

The bullpen even held it together, Schoenweis included. 6-3, the boys are back. We won the battle. The war? Tied for second with Philly, where half the team is on the DL. Let's settle in for a long season gang, just like another contest that won't be settled until later this year.

Is Willie's Time Up?

Now, I love Willie Randolph. Love. Seriously. An exceptional player. A Brooklyn boy. But this team has so much talent, has spent so much damn money, and has so much opportunity. Last night's loss against the Braves was not just the bullpen or the starting pitching, but slopping fielding and lost hitting opportunities. It's a serious funk. Benching Carlos D isn't a bad idea, but I wonder if that's just throwing the wrong man overboard.

Sometimes when things start to feel Titanic-like, you've got to look around and make some changes. More fundamental than a new player here or letting go a manager coach. Hillary Clinton did it by dumping Patty Solis Doyle, who was a longtime, very loyal staffer. McCain did it by dumping the Bush crew last year. And look at where we are now.

After last year, after this type of start, I just wonder if a complete change of atmosphere is needed for everyone in Mets nation. I'm not screaming in New York-ease, "Get him the fuck out" but maybe it's an option to consider. There, I've said it.

Three Makes a Trend

And we're almost there.... Yesterday was a repeat of what we saw with the Braves. The relievers that bring no relief giving up the hard earned lead of the starters. That and again with the stranded runners.

The Mets are starting to look a little bit like the Democrats. Where is our Obama now? Not that he would be a guarantee of victory in the fall, but at least we could bump up our win/loss record.

Early Spring Torture

Yes, tortured today with the Mets getting creamed by the Braves. The source of torture? Death by pitcher. The same pitcher I raved about just days ago - Johnny Maine. Johnny only led me down to the dungeon. The true pain came from the middle relievers that haunted me all of last year - the S's... Smith, Schoeneweis. But the best - Sosa, who gave the Braves a grand slam. Goodbye.

The pisser in this, aside from the damn pitching, is the Mets leaving so many runners stranded on base. This eluded them last season and today aided in the trouncing.

I ordered the MLB package which seems a little sadistic after today. 160 bucks for nearly daily torture.

Crocodile Tears

The only tears that came from last night's 3-2 win by the Nats is that the new stadium is finally open. While I am part of a group of taxpayers that is financing 94 percent of a stadium in a city that doesn't have functioning public schools and potholes that threaten my daily commute, I am not bitching. No more institutional food, no more seats with posts in the way. Now that's progress.

And hey, now the Mets are a half game up on the Braves...

Now That Hurt!

I tried to write last night, but the pain was just too great. A tough one. A spanking. Worse than being Mike Gravel, left out of last night's Presidential debate. 7-3 loss to the Braves.

I'm blaming this on my upcoming vacation, which starts tomorrow. A lack of focus by the Mets, a lack of focus by me.

I'm trying to keep it together.... to not let the pessimism, the weight of the years of losses pile up and blind me to a couple of things.

1. We've stayed in first place all season. This does not happen to crappy teams. This happens to teams that have a shot at the playoffs.

2. We have been ravaged by injuries by our first string of players and we have still managed #1.

3. We have some amazing talent and I have to believe in it. But more importantly, they need to believe in themselves.

I guess all this madness comes from being so close, yet so far. Yes, we are in first place, but our lead just shrunk by a game, something we could ill afford. When you're ahead, anything that chips away at that lead, that threatens it, hurts more than never being there in the first place.

Sigh. It's gonna be ok. We'll both be back. The Mets before me, I hope.

Stressation

Yes, it is a made up word. Stressation. It's how I describe my feelings when I think about August baseball. Now shit starts to matter. To really matter. And with the Braves and the Philles picking up some pitching (although Julio Mateo is no prize) , a girl's gotta sweat a little. Plus, the Braves picked up some hitting too.

Now I realize that part of all of this is Kabuki theater, kinda like politics... there's a whole game going on here that everyone has to play. It's late in the season and if you're not in first place than you have to speak like it is inevitable that you may end up there or as a Wild Card or whatever it takes to be a contender. Even Dennis Kucinich believes he's got the stuff. I mean, why else would he get up in the morning and do it?

But the Braves are talking bold. And they won against Houston tonight. But I'm not gonna fall prey to the hype. If I did that, I would have thought Howard Dean was gonna be President.

I gotta believe, but I said it kids, Stressation.

And Mr. Viagra is aiming for 300 tonight, but he's down 2-1 in the 6th. More stressation.

You're Not Just A Number, Are You?

Sometimes in life, you're just a number. A Social Security number. A number in the deli waiting to order your sandwich. Your Amex number as you type it into Amazon. A seat number on an airplane as you try and haggle for an aisle.

In baseball, it is no different. It took me at least one season to understand IPs and Ks and RBIs and all that crap. Look at Johnny Maine. No one knew who he was until his April numbers were the best in baseball.

But we all know that we are more than number 91 or seat 12A. So these guys are more than ERAs and more importantly, number of losses in a row. I have been on a plane all day and have not had a chance to read the post mortems, but this is where my head is.

Call it spin, but I need something to cheer me up other than the Braves have also lost the last three.

Scalped

It's a good thing the Mets have no hair, since the Braves would have removed it in this game. Atlanta is giving the boys from Queens a good scalping. I can't even watch. Pitching disaster. Sosa, Sele. No more "S" words, but you can see where this is headed. I stopped watching in the 4th, but like a train wreck, I cannot stop myself. I turned it back on, it's now 8-1 and I am really stopping this time. I promise.

Like the Yankees game on Monday, the Mets started playing like they were defeated the minute they were 4 runs down. It's bologna, I tell ya. That's not the attitude of champions. Buck up boys. And remember who won against those who employed scalping in the past.

The only thing I have going for me is that I am soon leaving for Italy. Via Italia! I think there will be no scalping there. Certainly, there will be no Braves. Although I still have to get through tomorrow night.

Onward, Upward

Tonight, the Braves. While the Yankees may be the company that sell shit in your territory, the Braves are selling the exact same product right next store. Unlike last year, the Braves are a competitor and I suspect will be nagging at our asses all season long.

Sometimes we spend too much time thinking about other people and things when we are trying to accomplish something. But success is about concentration. Be aware of your barriers to success, make a plan to exploit the weaknesses of your opponent, but keep focused on your goal. It ain't about someone else losing; it is about you being top dog.