Reviews

Thanks to the Mets for a Great Season

11/2/2015

Think About This All Winter

What a wonderful time, probably the most fun I've ever had watching a team through an entire season, allowed to be a fan.Not going to let the last week get in the way.

They were admirable, playing for Collins even when he had AAA players and castoffs in the middle of the lineup, guys like Campbell and Recker, plus Colon and Niese, who made the Mets decent enough, bought time, emboldened the management to spend on better players.

Who will forget Wright’s first swing in Philly, and the perceived panic move of calling up Conforto from AA ball, and the arrival of Johnson and Uribe, plus Wilmer Flores’ tears, and then Cespedes, out of nowhere, looking like Willie Mays for six weeks. ("Sold his soul to the devil so he could play guitar" -- Lucinda Williams.)

They crushed the Nationals. They stunned the Dodgers’ aces. They swept the Cubs. Now they have lost to a better team that plays the game right, guys who learned lessons last year, and carried them out this year. Great energy. Skills. Make contact. Take the base.

No recriminations. Harvey challenged the manager in the dugout, in front of teammates, in front of the world.

On Sunday evening, I felt: Let him pitch til he puts somebody on base. Two-run lead. Then bring in the big guy. Collins stayed with him one batter too long, not two, but unless I was in the dugout, with the decision to make, I won’t second-guess Collins. He’s had a great run.

Murphy also had a great run, clubbing Chicago into submission. The Mets were going to jettison him anyway, for reasons of salary and age and defensive liability, his inner klutz. Back to Plan A.

As for Cespedes, my National League-centric brain wondered why he had been on three AL teams in his short time in the majors. Looking back, why did it take NL pitchers six weeks to learn to go up, up, up on Cespedes?

He couldn’t adjust. He seemed to get more nonchalant in the outfield and the bases as the pressure mounted. He went golfing on the day of a game in Chicago. I don’t think he was ready in center field for the first pitch of the World Series. He’s 30, time to keep moving. He just saved the Wilpons a ton of money, but what an epic jolt he brought for those few short weeks.

I spent the whole season watching personal favorites like Granderson, deGrom, Familia. Who knows about next year? But wasn’t it a great time?

Alan D. Levine

11/2/2015 02:30:26 pm

Amen. In mid-July, had someone told me we'd be having this discussion today, I'd have have thought him daft. It was a great year, and I'm hoping for more.

George Vecsey

11/2/2015 04:46:23 pm

Alan, what if it was lightning in a bottle? G

Alan D. Levine

11/2/2015 05:08:46 pm

I'll remain grateful for it.

Josh Rubin

11/2/2015 02:38:51 pm

Yes, a season worth savoring and full of surprise. The post-Cespedes (post tears-of-Flores?) run was something else, but I really admire the team and Collins for the first 102 games. They were over 500 when they pulled the trigger on those trades. That was without Wright, largely without D'Arnaud (missing both his bat and steadying effect on the young pitchers) and I think Murph missed some games as well. Tremendous grit. Also, while the Royals were the better team and had strengths the Mets could not solve, very little separates losing the series 4-1 from being up 3-2. ,

Also, I agree about Harvey. I am even less inclined to second-guess Collins on leaving Harvey in after reading 538's attempt to quantify and compare the risk of Collins's choices. The differences were there but were small.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/the-cost-to-the-mets-of-leaving-matt-harvey-on-the-mound/

George Vecsey

11/2/2015 04:56:01 pm

Josh, thanks. As I recall, one of the 538 lot went on a year ago about how the Royals' third-base coach should have sent Gordon. My response is, pick up the ball in the OF, think about throwing ability, watch your runner, and make the call, in a heartbeat. No time to peck at the computer. As for Collins and Harvey,I split the difference and say I want the closer with the tying run at bat. Harvey could have blown away the Royals. Little had tangible evidence that Martinez was wearing down. These games are played in real time by athletes and baseball cadre. But 538 was great about elections. GV

Michael Berman

11/2/2015 09:36:17 pm

George, bang on as always. Gee how I miss you in the NYT.

George Vecsey

11/3/2015 08:35:44 am

Thanks. I did it a long time, and am thrilled to not be working, traveling. This site and writing books give me plenty of challenge. Best, GV

Alan Rubin link

11/2/2015 10:51:48 pm

Win or lose, the Mets more than gave us a fantastic season.

George is correct in that things happen in real time on the field.

I’ve like Collins from day one. He has the ability to get the most from what he has.

In his book “Outliers: The Story of Success”, Malcolm Gladwell shows that individuals with IQ’s of 130 do as well as those with much higher ones. Without going into the details, which is quite interesting, he theorizes that once intelligence is above a certain level, it is good enough to be successful. Obviously, other factors such as environment and timing also come into play.

Collins got the most from a team that was not great, but good enough.

Mendel

11/3/2015 02:23:57 am

Indeed, this season provided some wonderful entrees. Now, however, I can resist the temptation to recite Grace After Meals before digesting the disappointing main course. I did not stay up all night to eat side dishes. Late inning home runs happen but how do DW and LD allow Hosmer to score from third?

Roy Edelsack

11/3/2015 06:52:37 am

The Bee Gees had a song called "I Started a Joke," with the significant line, "But I didn't see that the joke was on me."

Pre-World Series I posted a brief parody of "Damn, Yankees" on this blog with Yoenis Cespedes as Joe Hardy (and Matt Harvey as Lola). The joke, such as it was, was that the Mets success was based on a deal with the devil. Imagine my horror when Cespedes actually turned into the aged Joe Hardy in the outfield on the very first pitch of the Series. And Harvey's "whatever Lola wants" number caused Terry Collins to send him back out for the fateful ninth inning.

Damn you Applegate. The joke was on me.

George Vecsey

11/3/2015 08:41:56 am

Roy, I remember your comparison, and you were spot on. Cespedes was not the same player. Your Applegate probably reminded me of the Lucinda Williams lyrics:

No dope smoking no beer sold after 12 o'clock
Rosedale Mississippi Magic City Juke Joint
Mr Johnson sings over in a corner by the bar
Sold his soul to the devil so he can play guitar
Too cool to be forgotten

Cespedes on that first pitch in KC looked like Joe Hardy, or Mr. Johnson over in a corner. Have a good winter. GV

melvyn krauss

11/4/2015 12:09:22 pm

The conventional wisdom is that Terry Collins managed poorly in that fateful ninth inning. I don't agree. The only person to blame for the Mets not going on to KC was Lucas Duda. He made the errant throw that would have meant a Mets victory had he got it right. David Wright is also blameless. He fielded the ball cleanly, looked the runner back and threw the batter out. Hosner took a calculated gamble because KC knew Duda can't throw. That
's what championship teams do. Terry Collins is such a stand up guy that in his post game press conference, he took the blame for the loss. He was just covering for Duda. Remember this: Matt Harvey will always love Collins for what he did--and the other Met starting pitchers noticed as well. None of the press seems to be mentioning this. Bravo to Collins for a great job!!!

George Vecsey

11/4/2015 01:17:11 pm

Melvyn: Astute analysis. (That is to say, I mostly agree with you.)
Bob Gibson could challenge Schoendienst...and Whitey Ford could talk Ralph Houk out of taking him out...but Harvey not at that stage yet. In a way, he showed up Collins; from another angle, he asserted himself. Fine line. I think Collins should have gotten him upon the first base runner. But he was in the dugout, and has done a great job for five years...and I applaud the Wilpons and Alderson for recognizing that. Thanks for your note. Welcome. GV

Mendel

11/4/2015 03:51:24 pm

From Citi Field my dad described how the crowd was behind Harvey. Like George and Melvyn I say you gotta stick with your ace no matter how ridiculous his nickname is. And Duda surely blew the throw home. However, my 11 year old son wants to know why Wright did not leave the play for Flores while covering third? Anyone?

Don McGee link

11/4/2015 04:32:01 pm

Hi George,

From Alderson to Collins to each and every player, the Mets gave us more than we could have hoped for this season. An entire team of guys you could genuinely root for - no malcontents. Even Harvey's innings issue - I can see both sides. But he took the ball. I know the complete game is a thing of the past, but I want every pitcher to at least WANT to finish the game – to keep competing, to close the door.

Perhaps, in some way, it's also good these Mets didn't win it all on their first try. Life is never that easy. Maybe it'll make them hungry.

This time around, understandably, I think some of the players were as surprised as we fans were that the team made it to the World Series. I don't mean this as a knock, but it felt as though the Mets were happy just to in the Series. Clearly, Kansas City came
to win it.

Best,

Don

George Vecsey

11/5/2015 10:03:00 am

Don, great to hear from you. It may have had more to do with Cespedes bottoming out, hitting his level, whatever the phrase is. Looking back, the Dodger and Cub series were amazing. Then again, the Royals all said they started off this season looking to win the Series this time. How many teams get the chance? Best, GV

Shruthi Kumari link

11/9/2015 05:52:01 am

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Thanks to the Mets for a Great Season

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