Comments on: Trying Times

By: Matt in Sunnyside

Matt in Sunnyside — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:54:28 +0000

Hey, sorry about going overboard last night. I was trying to be emphatic and ended up sounding like a madman of the Interwebs.

But, seriously. Why the Spring Training pessimism? The Mets have some interesting prospects, it’s no longer blizzarding every week in the tri-state area, and Daylight savings time means many of us can still see the sun occasionally during commutes home.

The rotation looks very questionable, other than Johan, but most teams are dealing with questionable pitching. It’s not exactly a unique situation we’re in. Many teams don’t even have a legitimate ace for a starter.

You guys have bashed Brian Schneider for two years. And now the team has let him go and hired a truckload of pitcher whisperers. I realize Faith and Fear hasn’t been bashing that, but it’s become a running joke everywhere else. Why? Maybe Minaya saw a legitimate problem and was trying to fix it. Maybe Barajas and Blanco can extract some things from this relatively youthful pitching squad that Schneider and Santos could not. It’s not the worst set of choices I’ve ever seen a GM make. It’s not like the guy was in a position to trade for Joe Mauer or Matt Wieters. And they’ve basically hired Chris Coste to mentor Josh Thole.

Oh yeah, and we’ve got Jason Bay in left field now. And you’re still bitching that we didn’t overpay for Joel Piniero, who is almost certainly going to suck without David Duncan.

I’m not delusional, but when I read negative article after negative blog post after negative article, when I can’t read the local tabloids without seeing two columns about how the Mets have already lost the 2010 season, when I can’t read any blog that doesn’t feature a raging debate about how Manuel and Minaya are prepared to sacrifice Jennry Mejia’s superstar career in a demonic ceremony of call ups and send downs, just to save their own heads for six more months, when I can’t even turn to Sports Illustrated without reading Tim Marchman’s sour snark about the Mets, it gets old fast.

It’s spring training, man. The Mets, as usual, have assembled a decent team. The team is likable and they have much more of a shot than the Pirates or the Orioles or the Padres or the Royals or about at least half of the MLB league. Can we at least focus on the positive aspects of the team until we’re sure there’s not going to be another brutal snowstorm this year? Not trying to be a dick, man. But what is up with the unrelenting pessimism? It’s spring training.

By: Matt in Sunnyside

Matt in Sunnyside — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:35:46 +0000

Come ON. It’s spring training and you guys have already given up on the season. I seriously hate you all. Including Jason. Dude, STFU. It’s spring training. SPRING TRAINING.

If you have to crush our dreams, at least wait until the second week of April, man. I am not kidding.

Jesus.

By: Jackabite

Jackabite — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:25:50 +0000

I can remember a time when we would root for a .500 season.
Nowadays, it’s all or nothing.
You would have be more of a cockeyed optimist than good ‘ol Nellie Forbush to believe that the 2010 Mets will contend for the WC. I say 78 wins, but I hope for 81+. It is what it is.
The worse pill for me to swallow this spring so far is the fact that the Phillies are really that good – the Phillies! This is what it has come to.

By: Matthew A.

Matthew A. — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:40:40 +0000

I’ll admit – it’s taking all the strength I can summon to not make sweeping generalizations about the pitching staff after the average 5 total innings pitched for each.

It’s 5 innings. I know all I need to know, right?

By: mikeski

mikeski — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:23:56 +0000

Don’t watch angry.

By: Crooksbanza

Crooksbanza — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:37:23 +0000

It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be gray, and it’s gonna last us Mets fans for the rest of our lives.

By: Joe D.

Joe D. — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:39:46 +0000

“SNY must have gotten such a deal from Joe’s Old TV Equipment”.

From me? If so, the games would also be in black and white!

By: NostraDennis

NostraDennis — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:27:38 +0000

I can’t believe our friends at Mets Walkoffs don’t have this info handy, but does anyone remember the last time we heard the sentence I caught on SportsCenter this morning: “It is gone, and the Mets win!”

I don’t think that happened at all last year. Fells like it, anyway.

By: 5w30

5w30 — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:04:37 +0000

Why are the Mets and by extension Comcast’s SNY so damn cheap? The spring training games on TV are in standard definition, without closed captioning. Their competition from Tampa is all in glorious HD.
SNY must have gotten such a deal from Joe’s Old TV Equipment … here’s an exclusive picture of the truck they used!
http://www.tvhistory.tv/1960nbctruck-YONEZAWA-batteryOp-9in.JPG

By: srt

srt — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:35:55 +0000

I know it’s early and I know it’s spring training but I’m not seeing what I think we need to see from the starting 4 (Johan excluded) that is inspiring confidence. We need strong pitching in April, out pitching the competition, until Beltran and Reyes are back.

Why is it those vying for a starting spot – not named Johan – are pitching better so far than those that are apparently a lock?

And yeah, the Mets have the most HRs this ST so far. But most of them are being hit by those not expected to be on the 25 man roster come opening day.

Just a little bit scary….