Where the grass is always greener...

Another Year, Another Failure

thebishop thebishop is offline

Road Beef

Quote:

And so it goes, the Mets lose out on a playoff birth for the 2nd straight year, once again to the Florida Marlins and, yes, once again with a FA lefthander to be on the hill for the team.

As far as failures go, this one's not nearly as epic as last year's debacle. No, this was a team setup for failure from the get go, with a bullpen that never could get anyone out, a bench that shouldn't have seen the light of a ML team and a manager who should have been fired after last season's dismal collapse.

The moves of General Manager Omar Minaya, past the coup that was the Johan Santana deal, have proven ineffective time and time again, as he relies mainly on a few highly paid free agents and then a patchwork throw rug tossed around them called players that proved, in the end, unworthy of the uniforms on their backs. When You have 3 position players in your lineup at all times that aren't producing any better than your pitching core at the plate, you've got severe problems.

Sure, injuries played a big part, from Billy Wagner to Moises Alou, but there's only so much you can blame on that. The real problem with this team, beyond limitations in talent and a sad sack excuse for forming a roster, is the team's total lack of heart. There's a glaring hole amongst these mercenaries of anything that could be deemed as chemistry or, perhaps, even liking the game they play. It's just a paycheck to this bunch and they proved it today, letting everything slip out of their fingers by doing nothing against a Florida Marlins team that may have won fewer games, but showed bounds full of chemistry as they took it to the Mets a 2nd straight year.

The real losers here are the Mets fans, however, as they once again put full stock into a club that's let them down repeatedly. Omar's lack of urgency to really help the club when they needed it, by not finding some real arms for the pen (as the Phils, Fish and just about every team did without giving up much) and not getting a professional bat for the bench, have now given the team's fan base two straight years of almost in a time they were thinking beyond that, as were most analysts around the game.

With a new ballpark set to open next season, the Mets close out Shea in the most realistic way they could: by losing, something the park is more than used to by now. Adding a new cable network to the new park should net the club's owners some serious coffers full of cash from here on out, but you can't help but feel it's all for not when the team rewards a GM like Minaya for his epic failures. And that's despite the fact that his clubs have all finished fairly high in the NL East each season he's been in place. But this isn't Kansas City, this is New York, and almost is never good enough with the majority of fans there, so Minaya getting rewarded for almost is just another slap in the fan's faces.

And so it goes. Another year, another failure. I can only imagine how they'll manage to shoot themselves in the foot next season.

I'm sure they'll find a way. Adios, baseball.

I didn't realize the Mets were out of it until I read your post. I was actually pulling for them to make it to the playoffs because I wanted at least one NY team involved.

I thought being a Yankee fan was fairly tough these last couple of seasons (especially this season), but it would seem that being a Met fan right now is probably just as difficult, if not harder.

Maybe the new stadium will get everyone going again.

Jeff Wilpon's comments would make me worry a bit. The injuries no doubt played a part in the team not making the playoffs, but I think there were some areas that probably should have been handled better by Minaya. Besides, is it really a surprise that Alou wasn't able to contribute much? The guy is 41 and hasn't had 500 plate appearances sine 2004.

Jeff Wilpon is a moron on the level of a guy who'd put a screen door on a submarine. Since he's had more to do with how the club's run and put together, they've consistently made ridiculous deals while undercutting in spots like the pen and bench were this year. Them giving Omar an extension after this, instead of letting him run out next year with 1 year left to prove himself more capable, is just another example of not seeing the forest for the trees.

I suspect they'll be very much the same heading into their new park next year, which doesn't bode well for the fans at all. I won't bother getting interested unless I see big changes, which won't happen.

So wait. Wilpon is an idiot, and he is getting to much hands on with the team... All of that sounds about right. From everything I have heard, the Wilpons are bad for baseball (at least for the Mets), and now he wants to be King George II (well, Maybe III, since Hank might be II right in the Bronx)... If that is the case, do you really think Omar is the problem.

Cashman was getting some grief early on in his tenure in Yankee land (if memory serves me), because George was pushing him to do dumb stuff... Once George backed off, the Yanks started getting younger, and better (now Hank is doing the dumb stuff, and they are going backwards)... Maybe Omar just needs to be left to do his job...

Omar still plays a big hand in what the team does, though, and you're not getting rid of the Wilpons anytime soon.

From what I gather, Jeffy doesn't actually make decisions ala George S did. He does throw his hat in when it's something he really feels strongly for, but Omar makes the majority of player decisions there, and he's lousy at it, for the most part. He relies on older players way too much and brings in guys that don't have any business being near the big club, such as Jose Lima and Robinson Cancel. He caught lightning in a bottle with Tatis, but one out of 15 isn't really a great ratio when you're playing for a playoff spot.

The Mets need someone who's up with the way GM's currently play the game, not some old schooler who doesn't realize he's behind the times. Omar still thinks it's 1995 with how he's playing things.

Okay. I see. You are right about one thing though, like the Yankees... With their money, and a good GM... There is no reason they shouldn't be at the top every year... Reality says the Yanks, Mets, Red Sox, Dodger, and Cubs should all be competing for the title every year...