TALES FROM THE CRYPT by Tom Brennan

The Mets' seasons in recent years have been laid to rest. Too early.  Too often.  Both too early and too often, frankly.  A team without a playoff pulse.  RIP. See ya next year.

Yet in some seasons the crypt hasn't been quite closed shut, and the Mets have crawled out, lived and prospered. 

Flash back to 1969: after 6 last place finishes and one 9th place finish, the Mets showed some early promise but then slid to 18-23. The creaking door was closing shut again...until they won 11 straight as the start of an 82-43 romp to the pennant.  Well, not so easy a romp...after a tailspin into early August that had them 9.5 games out, the cryptologist lurked again, but an amazin' 41-9 storm surge to complete the season wrapped things up. After that, a Series win against the Robinson boys was a piece of cake.  Yummy.

Then in 1973, 10 games under going into September, and the final nail in the coffin needed one more hammer blow...but the Metsies woke up, won the pennant with a rousing 82 wins, and then came within an eyelash of beating Cincy (they did) and Oakland (they didn't).

1986, the screw gun was buzzing in the final screw in October, but Bob Murphy's immortal words "gets by Buckner" caused the gun to jam, and Carter, Mookie, Knight, Straw and the rest of the boys departed said box and proceeded to pull down some Red Sox. And make history.

The Mets of 2014 seemed mighty dead before ending a losing streak on a Wheeler gem that kept them from falling 10 below .500 after miraculously escaping April 4 games over.  Long-dormant hitting elements reviving, continued superb starting pitching, a strengthened young pen, and Lagares and Gee soon to return? D'Arnaud ready to show us how good he really is? Maybe the coroner showed up too early again? The crypt is creaking open unexpectedly?  Cool; hey Mr. Coroner, take your business somewhere else!

So maybe today all is not such doom and gloom. Maybe the funeral is postponed, and we turn out to be buyers at the trading deadline and not sellers. Was that the coroner I just saw making plans to take the summer and fall off?  Maybe.  Maybe.  Time will tell. 

I know this whole article has been kinda cryptic, but....for now.…LET'S GO METS!