Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Hovering Around .500

For a brief moment, the Mets were a .500 ball club.

Last week I was psyched to watch Tyler Gee get his eighth straight win; unfortunately that didn't happen. Two rain delays combined to knock Gee out without five innings to secure a win. He would have been the Mets' fourth pitcher in franchise history to start a season 8-0. At least the Mets prevailed 4-0 over the Atlanta Braves and made it back to .500.

.500: the start to respectability.

But then the  Braves beat the Mets the following night. I was happy to salvage a Mets' series win but damn, the loss also dropped the Mets back below the line of respectability. And what a way to lose. Frankie Rodriguez blew his first save in months and then the Mets lost on a balk by DJ Carrasco in the 10th inning.

It hasn't been easy to be a Mets fan over the last few years.

In 2006, we got close but fell short. 2007 and 2008 brought devastating season-ending collapses. 2008 was especially painful as the Mets last loss was also the end of baseball at Shea Stadium and dampened post game honors and celebrations.

In 2009, Citi Field opened. That didn't give the Mets the fresh start they needed. A season that began with high hopes ended with a 70-92 record. 2010 was better, but a 79-83 record stings.

On Opening Day, everyone begins with a clean slate. While some pre-season favorites will prevail, we'll also see upsets. A team may leap from worst to first. Miracles happen. But the Mets started the season under dual clouds: doubts about team performance and doubts about ownership finances. I don't expect miracles this year.

2011 has a  few silver linings: Reyes is playing the best baseball of his life; Turner and Tejada have impressed. And I already mentioned Gee.

I'll keep watching.

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