About Last Night …
-
- April
- 26
The Mets woke up this morning a .500 team, which is nothing to get excited about.
It’s ridiculous to write them off and say they won’t get better. However, it’s not early to acknowledge this is a flawed team with nothing guaranteed except a lot of frustrating moments this summer.
They aren’t playing well and it begins with the pitching. Bullpen and starters both have been inconsistent. And, by definition, inconsistency translates to .500.
This entry was posted
on Saturday, April 26th, 2008 at 10:34 am by John Delcos.
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They will get better because the talent dictates so…but that doesn't change the fact that something needs to change.
I'm not in favor of firing a manager so soon. Obviously it would be a knee-jerk reaction, but if this team is still plodding along at .500 come the end of May, I think that the option may have to be seriously considered.
I get annoyed with the team on a game-by-game basis, but personally, I take a long-view approach with the entire season. 22 games in is nothing…but the problem with this team is not so much a lack of execution (which there is, but every team goes through slumps like this), it's that they just don't seem to care, aside from 2-3 players.
No fire, no killer instinct. Nothing…we can say, "well, they had it in '06."
But did they?
Maybe that was just a magical year where they blew away everybody and faced zero adversity…until the NLCS when they were cracked in the jaw and never got up. And that includes all of last season and the first 22 games of '08.
It's becoming painfully clear that this team, whether it's from Randolph's influence or not, is following his mantra of no worries and one game-at-a-time approach.
That is fine, but it works only to a certain point, and they have gone above and beyond that point.
Atlanta is in town, and nevermind the fact that they got shut down offensively. It happens, and when your top 3 hitters (Reyes, Wright, Beltran) are slumping, you're not going to win often.
What is very disturbing is the lack of fire or passion…they just go through the motions day in and day out. I will never, ever, ever stop loving or rooting for the Mets, but beginning in June of last season, this team has made rooting for them virtually impossible and no fun.
Even the '02-'04 squads were more fun to root for, because at least then you knew they didn't have the overall talent to compete.
Santana, Beltran, Wright, Reyes, Wagner, Pedro…these guys SHOULD be winning…but they still seem to think that by name alone, they can do so.
What it takes to wake them up, I'm not sure…I wonder, besides firing the manager, if they flat-out release Delgado, if it would send a message to the team.
JD,
I think you are more inclined to write them off then you let on, but I wouldn't blame you. They are the EXACT same team as last season, save for once every 5th night when Santana pitches. You're totally right, it's not just Delgado. This team has been undermined by the MAJORITY of its players at one point or another, which you expect over the course of a full season, but not 20 games. They stink something awful and it's not that they couldn't be better, it's that they show no signs that that is going to be the case.
JM-
Like I said…the talent is there for a 90-93 win team, perhaps more.
That being said…they just don't show the intensity that is needed, outside of a few guys.
Beltran is who he is, but he competes.
Wright is true gamer.
Santana is a bulldog.
Wagner is a loudmouth, but you know he cares and shows it.
The two biggest problems, notwithstanding the bullpen:
Reyes. I have ZERO clue as to what's happened to him. Personally, I'm beginning to think that he hates playing for Randolph. Just my opinion. If so, Reyes needs to grow up and just play for himself and his teammates, but still…I think this may be a problem.
Delgado is done. If allowed to stay the entire year, he'll have some moments, but he is exhibit A of the "what-me-worry?" attitude that seems to have invaded this team.
Next time Santana pitches, Willie ought to do a double switch when it's time to come out. Santana would slide over to first, Delgado would leave the game for the new pitcher. That way we could keep a good hitter in the lineup
Mike,
You can try to divorce talent and intensity, but it doesn't work in practice. Focus, desire, and intensity are simply part of a good baseball player, physical gifts notwithstanding. You can attribute it to whatever you like, but guys like Reyes, Perez, Pelfrey, and even Maine just don't have what it takes right now. They are not a 90 win team, or a 93 win team, not even close. Maybe all they need is a kick in the ass, but right now they fixing for a 3rd place finish.
How dreary would this team be if they didn't make the trade for Johann. It is early but should we be worried the team has been a .500 team since last June 1st?
In retrospect the most fun team was the 1984. The young talent like Gooden and Strawberry on the team, The minors were stocked with talent. Davey Johnson's first year and he managed to make a ball player out of Wally Backman who had been buried by George Bamberger. The team won 90 games despite getting outscored.
You are so right Dan, that 84 team was great to watch…. I think the 69 team was even more fun to watch as Hodges bled every inch of talent out of every one of his platoon players…..