Mike's Mets - Savor the Moment

 

By Mike Steffanos

The Mets earning a playoff berth was special. Make sure you enjoy it.

(Note: this post was originally written Tuesday morning.)

When the Mets beat the Brewers to clinch a playoff spot last night, it affected me more deeply than I expected. After all, despite their stumble against the Cubs last week, I've known the Mets were playoff-bound for quite some time. But I shouldn't have taken for granted the meaning of just earning a playoff spot when your team has only accomplished that feat 9 times in the previous 60 seasons. Therefore, I will ignore anyone who tries to crash this party and put a damper on the significance of last night's achievement.

Maybe it's a little petty of me, but I couldn't help but take a little extra satisfaction that this moment happened in Milwaukee. As Gary Cohen mentioned on the telecast last night, the Mets have fared horrendously in that city in recent years. But it's more than that. I couldn't help but hope that Brewers' owner Mark Attanasio attended the game last night and took great displeasure in the result. Not so fun when someone else is denying you something you want, right, Mark?

But, my pettiness aside, last night was special. Max Scherzer comes back and gets his 200th career win in dominating fashion. Pete Alonso hit an absolute bomb of a home run. The Mets beat an ace pitcher in Corbin Burnes. They played an excellent game as a team last night. Yes, the Braves are still on the Mets' heels, and Atlanta is playing the Nationals, who have essentially packed in their season. Nonetheless, last night's achievement really matters. If you run into anyone trying to pour cold water over the good feelings, in person or in the media, freaking ignore them.

Yes, there is still work to be done. I really want the Mets to finish ahead of the Braves. The Mets have only won the NL East six times in 60 seasons. That's an insanely low number. Almost by itself, that number is an indictment of the futility of the Wilpon years. So when I choose to allow myself the right to feel good about making the playoffs, that's not to say that I won't feel much, much better if the Mets manage to take the division. The next time the Mets win the division, whether this season or in the future, will be really special to me in a way that probably only long-time fans could understand.

But ending the playoff drought is a huge achievement. One of the hardest things to do in sports is to successfully perform a U-turn from being a perennial loser to a real contender. It takes more than just spending money (although that certainly helps, no doubt) to change the collective mindset of an organization where mediocracy is an acceptable outcome, and performing horribly when your team needs you the most doesn't leave you "devastated."

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