He revived the Mets cadaver and got us miraculously to the 2015 playoffs.
The Mets that year got lucky. Most years, not so lucky.
I am going to bring up my annual pet peeve.
The Mets, as we all know, have rarely made the playoffs this century.
You may be fine with that. I for one HATE that.
It is hard to get the playoffs. We all know why.
We are in a tough division, not a patsy one like the AL Central.
And annually, like spring inevitably leads to summer, key Mets' injuries are both frequent and of long duration, jeopardizing chances.
So, Steve Cohen:
If the number one goal for this team every year is to make the playoffs (preferably by winning the division, not a Wild Card)...
Why do we play the top 5 Yankees in several inter-league games every single dag-nabbed year?
To make the playoffs takes wins.
We lose to the Yanks over time more than we win.
We play them 4 times this season. Some years, 6 times.
They're 28-10 in da Bronx, so they are a top 5 team again. Top 1, maybe.
We aren't matched up for those 4 games instead against a 10-28 team.
So, Steve Cohen:
Why not push hard to switch it up and let, I dunno, Baltimore be our key regional inter-league (every-single-year) matchup for say the next 20 seasons, and not play the Yanks at all?
I saw on Saturday, May 21, that Baseball Reference had the Mets (who lead the Braves by 7.5 games) as having a 79% chance of making the playoffs, and Atlanta at 74%.
If our 4 core inter-league games were instead against Baltimore, isn't it likely that the above percentages would change to Mets 85% to 90%, Braves 65% or so?
I like those odds better.
Steve, it is ALL about making the playoffs.
Amazingly, and I tested this "don't play the Yanks, and make the playoffs more" concept on Facebook, and many preferred going head-to-head with the Skanks and downplayed it’s adverse impact on playoff chances.
I am puzzled by stupidity. My recent foray back onto Facebook posts has abruptly subsided, in fact, because too many respondents (and there were many, some very good, but more than a few dingle-heads) who 1) exhibit a complete inability to understand the real thrust of a simple 20-50 word posting, and 2) are just nasty and foul-mouthed in their stupidity. I realize that life is too short to waste it on such fools. I'll stick with the intelligent, polite, discerning readers here.
Simply, playing the Yanks (as opposed to KC or Baltimore) reduces your team's playoff chances. Simple…the more games you lose, the less likely you will make the playoffs without a Wild Card…or even with a Wild Card.
None of you here are mathematically challenged, but here goes:
1) Your team missed the playoffs by one game.
2) You lost 3 of 4 to the Yankees, who won 100 games.
3) You would have instead 3 of 4 against KCR, who lost 100 games.
4) Had you played KCR and not NYY, your chances of making it into the playoffs increase.
Please fix this, Steve.
The excitement of making the playoffs is far greater than playing 4 exciting games during the season against the Bombers and losing 3 out of 4 of them. The Wilpons I could understand - they coveted the Skankee gate receipts. They would never say this, but they expected to miss the playoffs. So….cash in early, right, Fred?
Bills to pay, cash flow boosted mid-season.
Cohen, on the other hand, doesn't need the in-season extra revenues.
Especially when playoff revenues are so much higher.
More revenues…AND the playoffs? Sign me up.
Please fix this, Steve.
Don't let a Judge to the left (geographically speaking, of course) render a negative verdict on our playoff chances.
What do you readers think Steve Cohen should try to do for 2023 and beyond in this regard?
14 comments:
I like the idea! Save the subway series for the World Series. Just have to get there first.
Agree 100%. Not fair. Bring back the Mayors Trophy game for the Mets/Yankee king of the city game. Both teams would get extra revenues from this game.
FS
I did a more detailed article on this subject some time back. If I can find it, I will re-post it at noon today.
Forget trying to change that series.
I believe it is league created.
But Steve Cohen is an owner in that league. If I were Steve, the issue would be on the table.
Less of an issue for the Skanks - they win the majority vs. Mets, and make the playoffs almost every year. We win the minority, and miss the playoffs almost every year.
There was a reason the LA Dodgers beat the Mets 16 of 18 times in 1962. Stronger teams beat weaker teams a lot. I want to play weaker teams and pad our win column.
The alternative, if you want to keep Yank inter-league games, is presented in my noon retrospective article.
Simply, if the Yanks are a .620 team in 2022, play other AL teams in 2023 such that the overall record of those teams in 2022 i close to .500. In other words, we play Yanks? OK. But offset it with games against AL patsies. It's my "equity agenda."
First I put Luis G. at third and LEAVE HIM THERE as that will win more games alone. Can we stop the EE nonsense as I don't know what more Luis has to do to stay in the lineup as I'm hoping Buck doesn't pull a "Terry" and play the over priced veteran. We'll see this week as we face 3 righties in Frisco. Schedule wise we should play the O's more as it's only a short trip down the interstate to Baltimore and forget visiting the say the Dodgers to help even out the schedule as it seems the Evil Empire plays Baltimore every other week.
Gary, I agree. Luis’ one weakness is his .218 BA with RISP, coupled with lack of pop. Start driving them in and they have no more reason to not play him more.
Dom Smith…14 for 74, and 10 for 70 if you drop his best game.
Luis? 22 for 65.
Tom I agree but considering the alternative of JD or EE I go with Luis as he seems to always affect the game in a positive way.
A few points.
1. Guillorme has looked very good when put in the game. Playing him everyday will kind of bring about Wilmer Flores Syndrome. The nore regular he plays, the more his weaknesses get exposed at the plate.
2. MLB wanted to have more of those "classic" matchups (i.e. Mets-Yanks, Nats-Os, Reds-Indians, Angels-Dodgers, Giants-As, etc.) Unfortunately, the Mets gets saddled with the Yankees. I hate the subway series games. The Mets will win one of three and the Yankees the rest.
3. There may be an idea afloat that all teams play each other at least one series each year. This would seem to make for a horrendous travel schedule, but it may be fairer.
4. Now that the DH is in both leagues, if you add two more teams, you could eliminate National and American League and have four 8-team divisions. Not sure how that would favor the Mets (Mets, Yanks, Red Sox, Phillies, Nats, Orioles, Jays & maybe a new Montreal franchise?)
Bob W, good points - I would not want to be in that 8 team division myself.
Would Luis expose himself? What if he didn't, but got better? Always that possibility.
I think I may be sitting out here on my own limb, but my comments:
(1) My kids got tired of me saying this, but one of my go-to expressions is: "Life isn't fair and the sooner you get used to this truism, the better off you will be"
(2) Why don't we just root for them to become a better team than the Yankees instead of admitting that they are inferior?
(3) Playing the better teams makes you better.
(4) A week or so ago, the Mets just lost their first series of the year to an interleague team that is currently 8 games under .500 and has won 3 of their last 10 games - 2 against our Mets. Not exactly a powerhouse team. If we lose the division by one game, perhaps we can look back at the Seattle series as the one that got away.
Now, with all that said, would I like to see a more balanced schedule? Certainly. The NL East is a tough division and playing each other 19 times seems a bit much.
Now let's root for them to have a sustained run of excellence on the Cohen watch and start becoming the favorite in every matchup.
I'm pretty sure there are some Angels fans who might agree with you!
Bill, I hear you - but if something increases my chances of making the playoffs, I'll take any advantage I can get.
I don't want to face Sandy Koufax for the fun of it. I'd rather hit against a washed-up bag of chips.
I am struggling to see the difference between your statement about the 'unfair' schedule and Dom Smith's statement about it being 'unfair' that two quality first basemen cannot play the same position at the same time.
I believe your response to his statement was "just hit better". My response to the scheduling statement is "just play better". The Mets have not had a championship team for the last two decades and it didn't matter who they had to play.
The Mets were in the World Series in 2015 (and were beaten by a better baseball team) and have had two seasons in the subsequent six where they finished over .500. In each case, 87 wins in 2016 and 86 wins in 2019 they finished 8 and 11 games behind the division winners, respectively.
In each of those years they split their series with the Yankees at 2 and 2. Two more wins would not have made a World Series team.
backstream
Post a Comment