Embrace the Ace & Cowgill Caution

Originally posted on Metszilla.com

One of the positives of being a Mets fan is the fact that we follow a club that tends to do well on opening day.  After dropping their first six opening day games, the Mets have a franchise record of 34-18.  That’s pretty damn impressive when you consider some of the long stretches of futility this franchise has experienced.  When you stop and think about it, this is probably the least talked about reason for the cautious and sometimes pessimistic nature of Mets fans.

So what can we take from yesterday’s great start?  Jon Niese may have the right attitude to be an ace.  It is a small observation that certainly needs the test of time.  It is derived from the fact that he looked like he was going to take a swing at Terry Collins when he was initially informed that he wasn’t coming out for the top of the seventh inning.  Collins finally compromised and allowed him to face the first two batters of the inning.

Here’s my reaction when they took him out:

I’ve always been a fan of Jon, mainly because he is from Lima, Ohio.  The fact that he has been a solid lefty has helped too.  His display today took him up a notch.  I guess I should expect nothing less from a fellow Midwestropolitan.

Cowgill Caution

Let’s face it; we have been starved for favorites in the lineup over the last few seasons.  Colin Cowgill has definitely hit the ground running as a leading contender to join Captain Wright and Ike Davis.    All of the comparisons to Lenny Dykstra with regard to his play not his financial wisdom; have definitely thrown gasoline on the fire.  At this rate, I am going to be officially sick of the “more Cowgill” references by Wednesday.

I advise you to proceed with extreme caution.  There has to be a reason he has averaged 37 games a year at the major league level over his first two seasons.  Enjoy the show by all means.  However, wait and see how he combats the adjustments pitchers start to make before you anoint him the next superstar in orange and blue.

The Mets Don’t Suck. The Astros Do.

After watching this series I think it is fair to say we have learned one simple, irrefutable fact.  The Mets don’t suck.

I’m sure that many are clambering to disagree right now.  Before you send me e-mails filled with personal insults and threats of physical violence, let me make a  few points that are chock full of logic.

The Mets are two games below .500 which means they are two games below being an average team.  Two games below average does not equal sucking.

A team that sucks does not win three straight series (two of which on the road).  Nor does it go 7-3 in its last ten games finding itself 4.5 games back in the Wild Card standings.

The Astros, on the other hand, suck.  At least they did in this series.  They played absolutely horrible defense and at times seemed like they had much better things to do (see the Mets theft of home Little League style in the fifth inning today).

I know average isn’t exactly something to write home about, and I’m not saying I find it to be an acceptable stopping point.  It is however, not a horrible  spot to be in considering the financial and roster challenges the Mets organization currently faces.

When you stop and think about it, 19-21 is actually amazing in a way.  After all,

• Johan Santana has not pitched a single inning this season.
• David Wright and Jason Bay are hitting .226 and .216 respectively.
• Angel Pagan has been non-existent (literally).
• R.A. Dickey still has yet to find his knuckle ball.
• Willie Harris and Scott Hairston, two players that were signed to create a solid bench,  have been absolutely dreadful
• Chris Young is out for the season after only pitching 24 innings.
• Along with Pagan, Pedro Beato, Ike Davis, and Bobby Parnell are all currently on the DL.

Frankly, I  believe we should be happy with where the Mets stand with regard to their record.  It says something about the moxie of this team to be able to win of late.

Don’t mistake this as settling.  As long as I feel the Mets are working towards becoming a franchise that will be perennial contenders, I am going to be content.  Eventually, continued improvement will result in the Mets obtaining that goal.

So for those fans that fill up comment sections about how bad the Mets suck every time they lose, grow up.  Realize that in the real world, building a succesful organization from top to bottom takes more than two weeks.

In the meantime, try to enjoy the 2011 Mets as much as possible.  They could have mailed it in a long time ago.  Hell, imagine what could happen if the Mets hang around and they get some guys back, or Wright and Bay start hitting.

I’ll Keep It Simple Tonight

There are more important things in life than baseball. Put rivalry aside. This is awesome.

Update: A Quote I Like

“I don’t like to give Philadelphia fans too much credit, but they got this one right,” – David Wright

They Don’t Give A Phuck About Us

When the Mets visited Philadelphia earlier this month, Wall Street Journal ran an article that dubbed Citizens Bank Park a “safe haven” for Mets fans:

“If you’re looking for a measure of how far the Mets have fallen these past few years, here’s a new one: Phillies fans, who have a reputation for their rowdy behavior in the stands, don’t even seem to find pleasure in heckling their rivals anymore.”

And

“We don’t really care about them enough to give them a hard time anymore,” said Russell Holman, a 28-year-old sanitation worker from Verona, N.J. “They don’t win often, and even when they do, it doesn’t change anything. They’re not relevant.”

Anyhow, you get the gist and if you desire to read the rest of the article it is linked above.

None of this is surprising to me. It’s going to take a whole lot more than winning this series to change the perception. It’s going to take months of solid, competitive baseball from a Mets team that’s legitimately in contention. Even so, the Phillies will probably be so far ahead in the division that they still might not care.

I’m not really sure I care either. By the time the Mets are really good again the Phillies will probably be on the decline. Matter of fact, I can’t think of any time aside from 07-08 when both teams were really competing against one another for something big. The history of both clubs has peaks and lots of valleys – and the peaks never seem to coincide.

As for the series, 2 of 3 is ideal. 1 of 3 is realistic. Being swept would take all of the good feelings from the 6-game win streak away. Time to find out what this team is made of during a brutal stretch in the schedule that starts Friday.

Free Tickets Anyone?

Check it out, the Mets are giving away free tickets to the Pirates series:

Ticket redemption offered to fans by Mets

When I first read this headline I thought the front office was literally giving people their money back after last night’s sad, sad, loss. 

It makes sense doesn’t it?  When you go to Lowe’s and the push broom you buy snaps like a twig the first time it meets a little resistance, you take your receipt in and they give you a new one.

I understand it is impossible to get a new team.  You can’t exactly exchange an entire team for brand new players.  Unless you are playing World Series Superstars on Facebook that is.  So the next best thing is getting a voucher for another game, right?

This actually makes sense fiscally as well.  No one is going to go watch the Mets and Pirates at the end of May if things keep going this way.  Why not try to bring people out to the park so they will at least buy concessions?

It doesn’t matter anyway.  The reason for the ticket redemption is there was question the game would be postponed due to rain.  Uh huh, sure.