17 To Go
As of today, the Mets have 17 games remaining in the season. The lead they have over the Phillies is 1/2 what it was at this time last year. 3.5 games. Metsblog does not have the Magic Number counter like they did last year. In a week, the Magic Number counter won’t have the outline of the Phanatic creeping up on Mr. Met like it did last year.
I could make some sort of forced analogy here about the 17 remaining games coming on September 11th. I won’t. I will say that today should have been the day that the Mets and Yankees made up their rainout game in June. Mets/Yankees for the last time in the Stadium would have been a good thing today.
At this time last year, I had stopped watching the team. I was more intent on catching up with TV than I was about watching them knock the magic number down from 5 to 0. As it started to fall apart, I still didn’t watch. It was going to happen. In my stupid head, I’d decided that I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of making me nervous enough to watch. Their last 17 games featured 6 against the Nationals and 6 against the Marlins. On Saturday, John Maine pitched 7.6 innings of 1-hit ball. It was locked up. All they needed was one good start out of a Hall of Fame pitcher against a team 20 games under .500. One. Good. Start.
He got one out and gave up seven runs. The season was over on the last day — the Mets were out and the hangover started. A hangover that forced the Mets to get Johan Santana and wouldn’t end until about June 26th of the following year against the Yankees. Watching the team at the beginning of the year was frustrating. The were bad, mundane, and the manager couldn’t get them back.
There’s an argument about when the season turned. It could arguably be the day Jerry Manuel took over, benched Jose Reyes over his loud protests, and seemed to say “what you pulled with the other guy you’re not going to pull with me. If you suck, you will sit. I do not have “guys.” The team will be a meritocracy.” The team was down 6.5 when Manuel took over in LA and down 3 when they got home a week later. Going in to the All-Star break, they had a week of St. Louis and Philly, went 5-3, and were on their way. I have a cautious optimism for the Mets right now. It borders on confidence for the first time this season. They’re getting the kind of things that baseball teams who win things get. Inexplicably good play out of role-players. Career months from regulars. Crazy stretch pitching.
I look forward to the bullpen crushing my soul in October.
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