When I was a teenager, I loved the band Cream.
Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton.
Felix and Leslie from the Mountain days
With some song writing and producing from the future Mountain bassist and vocalist, the great Felix Pappalardi.
One of the great songs that Cream did was called "Born Under A Bad Sign."
This Mets team sure seems to be born under a bad sign.
I can’t say they’ve been down since I began to crawl, but they provide extraordinary levels of frustration.
I mean, how on earth can this team not dominate the fragmented Miami Marlins, where Jake gives up 4 runs, yet his ERA drops to 1.74?
How could the Mets sweep a doubleheader against the ever-frustrating Yankees, leaving fans to believe that, yes, this time it would be different, but the Mets then stop hitting in the third game and expectedly collapse in games four and five?
How can the Mets have a superstar like Pete Alonso hitting 53 homers in 2019, and turn into the bad version of Dave Kingman in 2020? Or Chris Davis in a not-so-great year?
How can this team continue to hit so incredibly poorly with runners in scoring position, when they have good hitters?
How can so many pitchers go down with injuries?
Then, we trade for a bowl of Robinson Chirinos (pretty "catchy" pun there, huh?) and an ever-aging Todd Frazier, for two twin prospects named PTBNL. Never heard of them. Who names their kid PTBNL?
Anyway, if your favorite team is going to lead baseball in anything, it might as well be to lead baseball in guys whose first name is Robinson. The distinction being that Cano can hit, while Chirinos (5 for 42) can't.
Then traded for what appears to be a decent reliever named Miguel Castro, who is 25 and to his everlasting credit gives up somewhat fewer homers than Edwin Diaz, so what could be so bad, but getting him takes giving up Kevin Smith, a likely future # 5 starter, no doubt aggravating the 800,000 New Yorkers also named Smith, and somehow with the Mets also throwing in another dude named PTBNL...who knew we had THREE?
Maybe they're - like - friggin' clones, y'know.
Kidding aside, this season has had much disappointment, and feels like it needs a miracle (don’t we always?) I just have to ask...HOW THE HECK are the Mets 15-20, while the Miracle Miami Marlins are 15-15?
Met fans keep looking for a sign - anything - I say, look up, and you'll see this team is born under a bad sign.
Just wait until they drop the next two games against the putrid Orioles.
ReplyDeleteOuch! One loss will be to...Kevin Smith, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteI still say that the "Baseball Gods" have cursed the team, indirectly for the misdeeds of the Wilponzis!
ReplyDeleteThere will be a cleansing (exorcism?) once the sale goes through and a new owner takes over.........or, at least I hope so.
Or, maybe we spent too much some "karma capital" in 1986 and we haven't caught up, yet?
Mike, hope all is well with ya. Yep, I firmly think that Satan said to Mets ownership in that World Series, how much would “get by Buckner” be worth to ya?” He drove a very hard bargain that day.
ReplyDeleteRadical, but in 1969, would I have preferred to go to a World Series game or a Mountain concert? I would have headed to the Fillmore East. Loved the Mets, loved Mountain then even more. Just being honest.
ReplyDeleteRichard Neer was a DJ spinning Mountain records on WNEW FM in 1969.
ReplyDeleteTom, you spoke about Alonso not having a good year, the team not hitting well with runners in scoring position & the injuries to the starting pitching staff, these problems occur with every team, In 2019, Judge had an off year. The Yankees didn't hit well with runners in scoring position against the Astros in the 2019 playoffs and they had setbacks to their starting pitching staff in 2020. They lost Severino & German for the season plus Paxson & Tanaka have been hurt. I think NL pitchers have finally learned how to pitch to Alonso after pitching to him terribly in 2019 by placing pitches low & outside where he likes it as I said last year.
ReplyDeleteTony, I am very surprised it took the league a year to adjust to Alonso. But they see what he is struggling with and feeding him a steady diet of it. My solution for him is to be swinging on first pitch strikes and avoid strikeouts. With his strength, contact often has a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem is mostly his - between the ears. Frustration is affecting performance in a big way. Can't do anything about the first 36 games - just have FUN FUN FUN ON THE LAST 24, TIL YOUR DADDY TAKES YOUR T BIRD AWAY.