This team is embarrassing.  Injuries or no, it’s not excuse to not properly know how to catch a ball.  How to throw a ball.  How to execute basic fundamentals that kids learn in little league. 

The BF joked a while back that the Mets need the Tom Emanski videos (for those of you who don’t know: http://www.tom-emanski-baseball-videos.com).  I think they really do need someone to break it down to square 1 to the guys out on the field.

...Where to throw the ball and when to throw it.

Someone was trying to console me earlier by reminding me that we have no bats. And that even if the team on the field executed flawlessly, we have no hits.

maybe three errors in one inning wouldn’t seem so bad if we were still hitting. I don’t know, I still think I’d be mortified.

And what about Jerry?

And what about Omar? Four years for Luis Castillo. FOUR YEARS. We would all probably hate him less if it wasn’t FOUR YEARS.

And what about the Wilpons? So focused on their palace that they didn’t look at the team that needed to play there. And the ticket prices. And the empty seats. And the continual commercials and hard selling.

I could go on.

There are two ways I’ve been consoling myself since last night. 1) We’re still closer to first place in our division than the Yankees are (at least for the time being…); 2) At least we’re not the Nats, Orioles, Indians, Diamondbacks, A’s, or Padres. Much as it hurts to acknowledge what a bunch of cavemen (and women) Yankee fans can be, it’s still just one series, and the season isn’t even halfway over yet. To be sure, I’ve thrown in the towel already. But like the lottery man says: Hey, you never know.

Was a shitty weekend and I am just glad that not only am I in NY to hear my family give me shit over it, but the Braves are doing worse so I don’t have to hear it from the Braves fan here.

Hi my name is E.J and I’m a Mets fan. Its been 4 days since I last picked up a win. I spent this weekend in a constant state of anger and depression. I stay up way too late nightly scouring the internet for any shred of evidence that Omar Minaya has a pulse and is doing something to rectify this atrocious team. My family and friends routinely are offering me condolences. I subject myself to the stylings of Mike Francesa in what can only be considered an act of self-mutilation to my brain. I have paid $19 for a lobster roll at Citi Field.

Please help me!

20tauri: that’s a fair point.  But when you can score “Yakety Sax” to several frames of baseball that were played this weekend, that just speaks to lack of fundies.

I hate to stress that point so much.  This team is 7th in the NL in errors.  (Wow, I thought they’d be higher up.  Arizona has 20 more errors.  Damn.  And we only have 11 more than the Yanks.  Feels like so much more.)  It’s not only errors, though.  It’s mental mistakes.  Bad approaches @ the plate.  Letting Wang beat us!  (I know he’s due, but c’mon.  4 hits against him!)

A place to vent without Yankee fans? God bless you. You are a baseball-related goddess (sorry, small “g” only) :-)

I think most of us are at the same point of fear - fear that the team is gong back to being a long-term embarrassment. I’m not completely there, yet. However, in four of the six games against the Yankees, we played like complete boobs. Believe me, I understand the current talent disparity with the rash of injuries. However, it doesn’t mean that people should not be able to field their positions correctly and make the proper decisions. These are major league (okay, Triple A) players. Should I whine about the throwing errors, the fielding errors, the mental mistakes regarding where to throw the ball. Yes, I should. But, you all saw the games and know what I’m talking about. It all just makes me concerned that we still don’t have what it takes to perform under pressure.

Our starting pitching this weekend did not bother me too much. In the three game series this weekend, I got what I expected out of the starters. Mike and Livan would have fared better (but probably still would have lost) without the fielding mishaps. Tim should have had relief awaiting his eventual collapse to bail him out. The bullpen was a mixed bag. Here’s hoping that Frankie can get the big outs in the big games. He’s beginning to wear out his welcome.

The hitting? Can I fault the lack of production? In the almost-no-hit games, some of the guys hit the ball hard and the Yankees made the plays in the field. The lineup is a mess with the injuries. Let’s hope it gets better soon.

I think we all have our mental issues with Jerry. He is one odd character and makes some odd choices for lineups. Please let Ryan Church play regularly (yes, I know he got the flu bug yesterday). I wonder if the continual switching of the lineup is unsettling to the players. If they had fixed roles, would they play a little better? I know Jerry is looking for the magic, but I’m not sure this is the way to get there. And the lighthearted approach to the team slowly sinking is wearing thin as well.

Do I think the team should run out and trade for some improvements? I guess I’m wondering what we actually have to trade, do we want to give it up, and what do we get in return. I’m not convinced much is out there. However, a small trade may help. I just wouldn’t give up the last remnants of the farm (pun intended).

My message to the team:  I’m not sure we’ll turn things around, but please play with some heart and conviction. Most of all, play like professionals. Work on the mental and fielding mistakes. Show us you care, instead of shrugging off or (even worse) chuckling about the lapses. We’re all still here to support the team. Please show us that you appreciate and deserve the support.

I could deal with losing if they didn’t play sloppy. Maybe they are playing as hard as they can, but there are too many hits where I think that player X (even DW) aren’t running as hard as they should be. No, I don’t want dramatic leaps, but I want people playing hard, doing things right.

When we were watching the Cardinals, TBF made the point that none of Tony La Russa’s players fuck up essential fielding skills. It wouldn’t be tolerated.

So why is it tolerated?

Is the Mets clubhouse as fucked up a place as people say it is?

Exactly! 

Watching Teixeira run out everything was a joy this weekend.

This is the best quote so far:

“We’re all still here to support the team. Please show us that you appreciate and deserve the support.”

I said last night to the people we had over for the game, I would love a crazy manager like Ozzie Guillen or Lou Pinella. Someone that speaks up and tries not to hide behind their “humor” or that downplays what’s wrong.

And really, the guys are not playing that hard. “Face of the team” David Wright (who we know I love) didn’t even run out a hit last night. I think had he, he could’ve been safe. Shit, F-Mart was barely thrown out earlier in the game and you can tell he ran hard.

I’m just sad…..sad…..more sad
My heart shouldn’t beat harder every time a ball is hit to the outfield or the first base side….should it? 
I shouldn’t “hope” for maybe one run when the bases are loaded with 1 out….should I?
I shouldn’t assume that most men who get on base will be left on base
I’m trying to remember that I do love this game; this team and that we’ve been worse in the past.
It’s just sad today….......

This weekend, I did two things I’ve never done before. I left a game early in the ninth, (Saturday’s Subway Series) and turned off the TV in the top of the ninth, knowing that it wasn’t worth staying up for (last night’s game.)

In the stands on Saturday night, it was downright boring. There wasn’t much heckling, or competitive spirit, and that wafted from where I was sitting prom-level to the field (or vice versa.) The Yanks are actually farther back in the AL East than the Mets are in the NL East and with a full roster, our team had a good chance to beat them. But you wouldn’t have known it at all—it was like the Mets were taking on the Nats. Hell, we had more spirit at Yankee Stadium.

The Mets organization, from the top down, is a mess. We got to the park early, at 4:30 on Saturday, to eat some yummy center field grub and watch BP. But the registers weren’t working—there’s one IT guy for all the cash in the park, apparently—and the Yankees fans behind us in line for 40 minutes at the Taqueria immediately hated on our organization. And I couldn’t help but agree. The Wilpons have been shortsighted about the fans and the Mets in their Ebbets field homage, Jerry Manuel is quickly going from being an inspired and funky leader to just stinking up the new joint, and last but not least our players seem to think that without Delgado, Beltran, and the injured masses it’s better just to quit trying altogether.

I suspect that both fans and players need to realize that this season is not going to be 2006 but we don’t have to repeat the epic fallout from the past two Septembers either. There’s a fantastic opportunity right now for Minaya to take a hard look at the team, analyze what’s not working, do his job, and perhaps make the clubhouse a less f’ed place. What the Mets need—and what they’re not going to get with Jerry, I suspect—is a good ass kicking.

I don’t think this is the Mets’ year, clearly.But I do believe, that despite all odds, that this season is not over and that the Mets have everything necessary within the ball club (and their minds) to turn it around. However, the mental stumbling blocks we’ve all seen the last few years make me think that’s a pretty daunting obstacle.

Money Shaped this team. Murphy and FMart belong in AAA. Regardless of spring they haven’t brought it to the big club. Evans same thing. Tatis should only be a back up player. Reed should be starting more with the current talent on the team. And we lack a pinch hitting specialist for the first time I can remember in ages. We only ruining our young players having them embarrass themselves at this level. Murphy isn’t a bad player he’s just not ready, and people tried to pretend he was to save money. It backfired.

And now with the injuries they need to be up. We have a AAA team, it’s depressing.

At this point you leave Murphy at 1st, and go with Reed, FMart and Church most of the time.

I’m speechless.  You should be cranky.  You should be a bit angry for paying to watch this debacle in person (on an individual game basis).

Everything I think that’s wrong with this club has been posted as comments on several blogs and probably a post on my own.  I just don’t expect much from this season or next or the next one.  They’re a dysfunctional organization with a team has a streaky Jekyll and Hyde .500 team.

Sit back, enjoy the warm weather and become a hockey fan if you aren’t already.  My therapy is TV sitcoms.

Post-Traumatic Mets Disorder.  Tell a friend.  Get diagnosed.  My advice is to start drinking heavily.

The funniest part about last night’s game against Brew Crew - when that McGehee guy fumbled the ball, he hit a GRAND SLAM to forget about it.  Has Luis Castillo ever made up for dropping that fly ball against the Yankees?  Except for a couple slappy mcsingletons…no.

I chose rehab. Two weeks. Puts things in perspective. Won’t link to it, but you can read up if you like. Seriously. After that ball popped out of Castillo’s glove, I called it quits. Cold turkey for two weeks.  Learned a lot. Mets detox. Does wonders…

O.K. guys as a long time mets fan one thing I never do….ever…is try to compete with the yankee fans. forget it…you will never win the arguments….only get flustered and never even win the put down contests. Instead…lets get Omar and the Wilpons to FOCUS on how we are letting a weak National league kick our buts because we’ve have some bad luck with injuries.It’s not even the All Star break and all these players need is a good kick in the butt! So, lets add a bat….wake up and play some good fundamental baseball..and STOP WHINING!!!  Lots of teams get injuries….YA GOTTA BELIEVE!  Lets go Mets!

Never despair if you are a true fan. Get frustrated hate Yankee fans, whatever it is but realize if you are a Mets fan then you are celebrating baseball and a team that has a legacy of losing, making classically bad mistakes and not spending the most amount of money on ‘star’ players as the Yankees do. As well, it is OK. Really it is. The Mets come from a legacy of two great NY teams. Be proud that you are a fan. When they lose (as they did so often in their early years), still try to be proud. ( I live in Philadelphia though born and raised in NYC and I wear my colors when we are winning and losing regardless of how terrible the fans are here.) And remember, these inter league games are not true ‘subway series’ games. They were created by MLB to raise money less than ten years ago. Before then the only time you had a subway series was when the Mets and the Yankees were division leaders making their way through the playoffs.
So to all of you frustrated fans: try to enjoy baseball and remember you are a Mets fan all the way. Don’t despair. Be proud no matter what!

I like Vincent.

Vincent’s posting reminds me of one of the more recent lean years… probably right after we picked up Vaugh and Alomar and we had temporary delusions of gandeur. By the end of the season, we were in the tank. TGF and I had tickets to the last game of the season and we went into mid-town fully decked in Mets jerseys and gear. A policeman on one corner stopped me and said, “You have a lot of balls to wear that after the season the Mets had.” He mentioned that he was a fan, but got so much abuse from co-workers he wouldn’t think of expressing his fandom. I simply told him, “Someone has to support the team.” I guess that’s all of us.