Mike's Mets - Rise and Fall

 

By Mike Steffanos

For my own sake, I'm just refusing to react to every peak or dip in the New York Mets' season.

There have been a handful of times in my life when things are going so well that I wish I had some mechanism to freeze things exactly where they were. Not a permanent suspension of time, of course. Just a long enough period of stasis where I could truly enjoy the place I found myself without having to wonder when the inevitable moment of returning to reality would come. Because, no matter what, something will always come along and knock you back off the pedestal of good fortune. But the knowledge that nothing good goes on forever is also why I've learned to not fast-forward recklessly past a terrific moment in anticipation of the tantalizing possibility of another one.

In Ancient Rome, when a general won a great victory, he was given a "triumph" upon his return to the great city: an ostentatious parade through the streets. In reality, the purpose was more to impress upon the citizens of Rome the greatness of their empire than to celebrate the achievements of one particular man. In fact, to try to ensure that the conquering general didn't get too full of himself, a slave was given an important task:

...behind the victorious general in the chariot stood a slave, holding a golden crown over his head, and whispering to him throughout the procession, "Remember you are mortal" in the ears of the victorious generals as they were paraded through the streets, reminding him that he is a man even when he is triumphing.

I doubt many long-time Mets fans would need any reminder that the team they root for is populated by mortals. The scars of the Wilpon years are just too fresh for that. But still, there was a heady moment this winter when the Mets reached an agreement with Carlos Correa that almost anything seemed possible. Even I, who should understand the perils of giving in to magical thinking about this ball club all too well after watching Lucy yank that football away over and over for five decades, allowed myself to contemplate a glorious future for the Mets, full of non-stop triumphs. The voice of that slave was momentarily drowned out by the magic of finally having an owner who seemed absolutely all-in on bringing a winner back to Queens. I allowed myself to get a bit giddy, although I fully understood that not everything that happens over a baseball offseason works out quite how I hope.

Well, the Correa saga reminded us that "pending a physical" is much more than just an insignificant asterisk. But it also served to shake me out of my momentary flirtation with euphoria. The Mets had added plenty to their roster over the winter. When it began, I wondered if the organization might choose to take a step back and spend the 2023 season trying to integrate their rookies and position themselves for a future playoff push. After all, the costs of rebuilding the Mets into a genuine contender seemed to be ridiculously high.

There proved to be little need to worry. Steve Cohen demonstrated to Mets fans that he meant business — and then some. Even without Carlos Correa, the 2023 Mets would be a legit contender, although much would depend on the health and performance of aging stars. But there were certainly plenty of chances for things to go sideways, and that's how it played out over the first quarter of a season.

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