Mets' Hard Times Defy Logic

Teams in Chicago and Boston have earned lots of attention over the past 100 years for the supposed curses that kept them from celebrating a World Series win. Boston buried its Curse of the Babe in 2004 and won again 2007. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs appear unlikely ever to break their omen, which is tied to both a goat brought to the park nearly a century ago and a foolhardy fan-Steve Bartman-whose boneheaded decision contributed to the Cubs losing the National League Championship Series in 2003.

Another team, though, appears to be in the midst of something out of the ordinary. Despite paying top dollar for top talent over the past several years, the New York Mets appear mired in some sort of black hole, where wins are sucked into the vortex and seemingly healthy superstars are sent to the infirmary in startling numbers. The Mets' hard times have become so notable, in fact, that the sports world is left scratching its held. In August 2009, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Mets spend more money for fewer wins than any team in the game. In the same city, the New York Yankees spend more, but the kids in pinstripes also find a way to make the most of their super-talent. In 2009, the Yankees won their 27^th World Series title. It was their fifth championship in the past 14 years, and New York is loaded again as the Yankees roll through the latter half of the 2010 season atop the American League East.

Perhaps the Mets cashed in more than their share of luck in past years. After all, New York's Miracle Mets turned baseball on its ear in 1969 with an unlikely World Series win against a highly favored Baltimore Orioles team. It was the Mets' first winning season ever, and they became the fastest expansion team to win a World Series.

In 1986, the Mets received a little more luck. Their season on the verge of a disappointing end, Mookie Wilson slapped a grounder to first baseman Bill Buckner. The ball rolled through Buckner's legs, making him the greatest World Series goat the game has known. Wilson reached base, and the Mets rallied to avoid elimination in Game 6. New York then won Game 7 to celebrate its second World Series title.

Since then, though, Mets' players and fans have endured frustrating season after frustrating season. Other than a World Series loss to the New York Yankees in 2000, Mets fans have largely watched their teams go from hopeful and exciting to hopeless and confounding. The cause of a lot of the woes has been some of the very men who were supposed to help the Mets rediscover greatness. They have suffered both injury and humiliation. The latter often came at the worst times. For example, poor pitching and anemic offense in the final games of the season have left the Mets watching the playoffs from bar rooms and living rooms.

Just what has gone wrong? Well, so much that any Mets fan can name at least five major disappointments. Here's my list:

1. The Bay Jinx: Following a disappointing 2009 season, the Mets' ownership cracked open the vault and found a wad of cash to give to right-handed slugger Jason Bay. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Canadian outfielder entered 2010 spring training as one of the premier sluggers in the game, and Mets' fans were joyful and hopeful. In 2009, Bay bashed 36 homers and knocked in 119 runs for the Boston Red Sox. It was the fifth time in his career that he had topped 30 homers. The Mets spent $66 million spread over four years to acquire that kind of production. And what has Bay done to justify? Essentially, nothing. Bay played in 95 games but managed just six homers and 47 RBIs. On Aug. 20, ESPN reported that Mets Manager Jerry Manuel didn't expect Bay to return to the field a month after he suffered a concussion while crashing into the outfield wall. Even if Bay makes a late-season return, his contribution will not account for much. After all, the Mets are doing well to play .500 ball and stand no chance of catching either the Atlanta Braves or Philadelphia Phillies. Certainly, all of the charge that Mets fans felt when Bay signed had fizzled out by the All-Star break.

2. Carlos Beltran: The left-handed hitting centerfield signed a 7-year, $119-million contract with the Mets prior to the 2005 season. Certainly, it was warranted. In 2004, Beltran totaled 38 homers and 104 RBIs. In his first year in New York, though, his homer totals were half as much. He had a superb 2006 and a fine 2007. Beltran's 2008 season was strong, too, but his production tailed off late in the season. That left the Mets a little short of the playoffs. Then the injury bug hit. Today, Beltran is known more for his inability to stay healthy than for anything else. He played only half a season in 2009, when the Mets fell just short of the playoffs for the second straight season, and missed much of the 2010 season with a lingering leg injury. Of course, his salary counts for more than $19 million of the Mets' total player salaries for the 2010 season. That's a lot of money to pay for the two homers and 11 RBIs he had through mid-August.

3. In 2006, the Mets landed slugger Carlos Delgado and declared him the team's new first baseman. It was quite an upgrade from Mike Piazza, the aging catcher who moved to the corner infield spot to prolong his career. Delgado proved worth the $13.5 million paid to him in his first season with the Mets. He hit 38 homers and knocked in 114. Delgado repeated the performance in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, though, Delgado played in only 26 games. That worked out to almost a half-million dollars per game. In 2010, Delgado was never able to establish that he was healthy enough to play, the Mets cut him loose after paying him $55 million over four seasons.

4. The Collapse: In 2007, Delgado and Beltran were still in pre-injury form, and the two led a power-packed Mets offense to the top of the National League East. In the final three weeks of the season, though, New York fell apart. With 17 games to play, the Mets led the division by seven games. New York, though, went 5-12 over those last 17 games and lost the division to the Philadelphia Phillies when left-handed future Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine allowed seven runs without ever finishing the first inning. It was the second shortest loss in Glavine's 21-year career. The same Glavine who won more than 300 games ensured that he will be remembered eternally by Mets' fans for one of the few times when he didn't have his best stuff. Of course, Glavine was 41 at the time, and he certainly doesn't deserve all of the blame. But the pitching staff does. The Mets allowed an average of eight runs per game over those 12 losses. Four of the losses were by a mere run, and two came in extra innings. The offense did its best, but the Mets' pitchers couldn't even hold their own against the league's worst team. The Washington Nationals won five of six games against the Mets during those final three weeks of the season.

5. After what some called the worst collapse in baseball history, it seemed a sure bet that the Mets would redeem themselves in 2008. The pitching staff was better and healthier, and it featured left-handed star Johan Santana, who was acquired prior to the start of the season. Somehow, though, the Mets managed to repeat their 2008 disappointment. With star closer Billy Wagner out with an injury, New York led the division in mid-August once again, but the Mets went 7-10 the rest of the way and lost both the division and the wild card on the final day of the season with a 4-2 loss to the Florida Marlins.

Sources

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574342662481820106.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5480406

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bayja01.shtml

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/item_qi0smqKgTajZlY6uTRG3BN

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/08/19/2009-08-19_forever_friends_and_champs.html

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/beltrca01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/delgaca01.shtml#contracts

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/01/sports/baseball/01mets.html

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26930530/