Michael Friere - What If?

By - Michael Friere

Sorry for my hiatus, but life gets a little hectic from time to time and you have to prioritize what comes first. Once in a while, the responsible side of me realizes that sports don’t always come first and I have to put them away for a bit, so to speak. I know, what was I thinking?

Anyway, I have gotten some things taken care of and I have a few extra moments to put some thoughts about our Mets down “on paper” during the quiet period just before the official start of Spring Training.

I wrote an article recently, where I tried to define what I would consider a successful Mets season in 2012. I spoke about looking past the wins and losses and focusing more on the process. How 2012 may not be pretty, but if it was necessary to prepare for a successful run in 2013 and beyond, then I was OK with it. However, that was just my opinion. I am still curious what the “greater Mets fandom” would list as success for 2012, in their own set of opinions.

While considering the alternatives, I started to think about the “best case” scenario for 2012 and what “could” happen if things happen to fall just right. Especially after watching an underachieving New York Giants team figure things out just in time to make a historic run to the Super Bowl, just last month. Oh, and just for the record, I am only drinking soda right now, which you may question in another paragraph or two.

So, let’s have some fun with an article that looks at the possibilities, instead of the negative status quo.

What if.........

..........Johan comes back with a healthy, vintage season, winning eighteen games while leading an above average rotation that catches everyone by surprise?

..........Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee combine to win sixty additional games in the two through five slots?

.........the revamped bullpen pitches “lights out”, leading all of baseball in fewest “blown saves”?

.........Harvey and Familia make late season appearances and further add to the overall bullpen depth, sort of like David Price’s first year with the Rays.

.........Ike Davis returns to the form he displayed last April and finishes in the top five NL MVP voting, while establishing himself as the best first baseman in the NL?

........question marks like Torres, Murphy, Duda, Tejada and Thole ALL exceed expectations and solidify the Mets’ offense as an OBP machine, scoring over eight hundred runs as a team?

........veterans Bay and Wright both play to their career averages and both become valuable trade assets for Sandy to consider dealing for the future?

........young players like Nieuwenhuis and Havens stay healthy and add to the team’s bench strength for the stretch run?

........the Mets start 2012 strong and never “go away” as the season progresses, instead winning two out of three in Miami over the first three days of October, which ends up being good enough for eighty-eight wins and the newly created second wild card?

........Johan throws a gem in the one game Wild Card playoff and the Mets upset the heavily favored Braves?

.......the “never say die” attitude carries over into the Divisional Series, as the Mets slip past the Central Division winning Reds three games to two?

......the luck finally runs out, but not before the “young” Mets put a “scare” into Colorado Rockies, losing Game Seven in Coors Field 3-2?

......the Mets use the unexpected run in 2012 as a spring board to a long run of success and several championships over the remainder of the “twenty teens”?

Do I honestly think that all of those things will happen? No, I don’t. BUT, the neat thing is that all of them COULD happen.

Spring training optimism? You bet! Until all of those “crazy” things don’t happen, why not have some fun and consider the possibilities?

Thoughts?