I am ecstatic for Yankee fans, really. Happy they have Giancarlo Stanton to go along with Aaron Judge. More homers in the Bronx. The natural order. Mostly, I am happy for good friends like Big Al, like Marty, who share their Yankee highs and Yankee lows with me. Now I read that the Yankees have signed the aging warrior C.C. Sabathia for $10-million for another season. How nice to have owners who spend money like that. But: it’s that time of year – the holidays, good will to all. I must admit, I am feeling the opposite emotion of the holidays –deprivation, not getting enough toys. As a Met fan, cooped up indoors at this time of year, I remember how Mets games helped get me through last season, trying to avoid unpleasant subjects I will not mention. I rooted for Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce and Neal Walker and the best defensive catcher on the team, René Rivera, and Addison Reed, with his cap cockily tilted sideways after a successful inning. Then they all got shipped out. The Mets have a new manager I never heard of. They just signed a long reliever I never heard of. Underwhelming. Now I find myself playing a mental game: Name one position in the Mets lineup, offense or defense, that is really secure. C: Travis d’Arnaud tries hard. Kevin Plawecki is big. The Mets are bringing Jose Lobatón into camp, as a non-roster catcher. Adds up to – what? 1B: Dominic Smith showed some power but other times looked like the second coming of Mo Vaughn. 2B: Nobody has mentioned Weeping Wilmer Flores, who is what we Brooklyn fans used to call “The Peepul’s Cherce.” 3B: Asdrubal Cabrera aged five years last year. Jose Reyes is unsigned. SS: Amed Rosario showed youth and flash. But Ron Darling or Keith Hernandez were often saying (but nicely): “Oooh, he shouldn’t have done that.” LF: Yoenis Cespedes was dragging in the first television spring exhibition. He kept breaking down. I suspect that football physio from Michigan only made Céspedes worse. Maybe terminally. CF: Juan Lagares is altering his swing for more power. Three years ago he looked like Curt Flood. What went wrong?
RF: Michael Conforto was having a streaky year. Then he got hurt. Pitching: Jacob deGrom. The best we have. Thor better stop lifting those freaking weights, or maybe it’s too late. The Dark Knight needs to leave Gotham City. None of this is any consolation at the onset of bleak winter. I cannot imagine watching this team, even as distraction from unpleasant subjects I will not mention. I am happy for pals like Big Al, like Marty. Very happy. But I am just asking: in the grand tradition of my home town, with all those gift packages heading to Yankee Stadium, would it be so terrible if something happened to, um, fall off the truck?
bruce
12/17/2017 12:37:19 am
george,
George Vecsey
12/17/2017 01:11:44 pm
"God Bless The Child"
Ahron Horowitz
12/17/2017 01:08:18 pm
george-very depressing to read this in the middle of chanukah.regards
George Vecsey
12/17/2017 01:16:50 pm
Hey, Ahron:
Rick Taylor
12/17/2017 03:04:11 pm
George, if you want to weep, read the Newsday column entitled Wilpons Need to Be More Transparent About Payroll, Offseason Moves. I'm afraid if something did fall off the truck the Mets wouldn't spend the money to ship it to Queens.
George Vecsey
12/17/2017 03:51:45 pm
Rick: Thank you. Beat-reporter Marc Carig chastises Wilpons for (a) not using the $50-million technology windfall from MLB. Then he chastises them for not discussing budget plans.
Brian Savin
12/17/2017 07:09:31 pm
I haven’t read a position by position analysis this good since the Herald Tribune, or Street and Smith’s Baseball Yearbook were being published. Thank you, George. I’ll keep this we’ll into Spring training season. 12/18/2017 04:04:54 am
George, your last paragraph had me immediately harking to the lyrics of "If I Were a Rich Man," when Tevye remarks/pleads, "It's no shame to be poor, but it's no great honor, either. What would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune? ... Would it spoil some vast, eternal plan if I were a wealthy man?"
Marty Appel
12/18/2017 08:28:12 am
This all still feels like someone "made off" with the Mets treasury. How long must Mets fans suffer? Baseball teams have long gotten many breaks from the community they reside in, in the form of tax considerations, roadways, police, transit....and of course, free publicity daily in media. There comes a point where a public outcry should widen and be heard. It was the public, after all, that led the Giants to dismiss their head coach 2 weeks ago. The public voice matters.
George Vecsey
12/18/2017 10:12:54 am
To the three most recent responses:
Joshua Rubin
12/18/2017 04:30:21 pm
I know we disagree about this, but I can't let go of the decision to let Murph go. Kind of this generation's Nolan Ryan, except an everyday player now hitting .330 and lots of doubles elsewhere. Alas, a little boneheaded, yes; despite that, or perhaps because of that, a quintessential Met hero.
Joshua Rubin
12/21/2017 10:31:51 am
Well, I admit it was a closer call at the time than in retrospect as it was possible to see Murph's September-October of 2015 as a bit flukey, and not want to bet on it for the future. But even as a .280 spray/doubles hitter, he was a big part of that team's identity. Michael Powell called him the "beating mutt-heart" of the team, which seems about right and probably equally true of Lenny on the '86 Mets. Sometimes a good team has an alchemy that doesn't show up in the analytics (I assume the data people disagree with this).
ahron horowitz
12/20/2017 09:18:53 am
george-thanks for the good wishes.joshua-the feelings about murph will hurt for many years.
George Vecsey
12/20/2017 09:26:29 am
Anybody who gave up on Murph, raise your hand. Ooops, that's me.
Brian savin
12/20/2017 07:33:06 pm
The hardest part is that Murph, it seemed to me, reallywanted to stay, but wasn’t given the chance.
Joshua Rubin
12/21/2017 10:32:50 am
I replied above, but meant to post it here.
Rick Taylor
12/20/2017 10:11:27 am
As we bid goodbye to a horrible 2017 (not just because of the Mets mind you) I present a headline from SNYtv.com that should cause a heavy sigh from those diagnosed with that serious affliction known as Mets Fan.
George
12/21/2017 02:08:39 pm
Oy. Comments are closed.
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