NL Beast

Every Mets blog seems to be publishing a novel today on the State of the Mets, so why not add my two cents. I understand that we just lost 3 of 4 at home to Washington (so much for that 5 for 7 in the homestand) and that we’re going in the Bronx as a .500 team, but all is not lost here. Sure, this was a hiccup. Sure, this was a missed opportunity. Sure, we’re in third place right now, 2.5 games behind the Marlins of all teams, but come on, all is not lost here. It’s only May. I understand that at some point the “it’s only [insert month here]” mantra turns into “yeah, but when are we going to start playing well,” but this team has nowhere to go but up at this point.

Sure, the lineup isn’t clicking (which starts with Jose Reyes trying to pick up the slack, which is evident by watching him at the plate), but the Mets lineup remains dangerous and perfectly able to compete with the Phillies, Braves and Marlins. The rotation has been shaky after Johan Santana and John Maine, but with Pedro Martinez slated to return soon, that should bring a nice boost to the starting five. The bullpen hasn’t been terrible, with the notable exceptions of Aaron Heilman and Jorge Sosa (adios), and Billy Wagner has been phenomenal. Of course, the key is to give Billy some save opportunities, which seem to be few and far between these days.

I’m not being naive here, this team has problems. The two most important hitters in the lineup aren’t hitting, and the atmosphere in the dugout looks funereal (then again, who are we to judge how the atmosphere looks when Brian Schneider calls the atmosphere in the Mets clubhouse one of the most enjoyable of his career). This team seems to lack a spark, and seems to be trying not to lose every game. I’ve had the opportunity to watch teams like Florida, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh play in recent days, and it’s amazing to me how much fun these teams seem to be having when they win. For the Mets, win or lose, it’s only a day at the office. I almost hope that this team continues to struggle just so they start acting like an underdog. It sickens me to see this team in the same light as I see the Yankees, but that’s just what they are at this point.

Which brings me to this weekend, and the Subway Series. So many Mets bloggers are saying how the last thing they want to be doing is playing the Yankees right now. Well, the Yankees are in last place. They are a team loaded with high-priced “superstars” that is expected to win. They are a team that has no identity, a team that shows no emotion, and a team that just lost three of four to Tampa Bay.

Sound familiar? These two teams are, really, the same. This may be the first Subway Series that I’m not looking forward to, not because of the rivalry, but because these teams are just so boring to watch. I don’t know what has to be done in the Mets clubhouse to inject some fun into this team again, but I’m sure a weekend sweep in the Bronx would help. At the end of the day, though, this weekend’s series is really a matchup of two overpaid, underachieving teams with identity crises. I won’t be watching any of the games this weekend because I’ll be graduating from college. It will be a nice, relaxing three days off from what I’ve been watching all season.

-Jonathan Kraft