If you thought the 2009 Mets season could not get any worse, guess again. No, thankfully no Mets player hurt himself and no poor trade was made. In fact, what I am referring to has nothing to do with the Mets but it has everything to do with Mets fans.

The only thing that can carry on the pain and suffering for Mets fans this season is what teams will ultimately make it the World Series. I have been rooting for the Dodgers and Angels for two reasons.

First, as I mentioned the other day, I actually feel baseball should be played in decent weather. With an all LA series, that would be assured. The other reason, and the one more pertinent to Mets fans, is the last teams Mets fans want to see in the fall classic is the Phillies and the Yankees. I mean, what does a Mets fan do here?

Personally, I just cannot bring myself to root for the Phillies. They have become everything I thought the Mets would be after 2006. It has been so painful to see the success the Phillies have earned while the Mets continue to step backward. I really do not want Philadelphia to win back to back pennants let alone back to back World Series.  The Phillies are poised to be this good for years to come. How do we endure a potential dynasty 90 miles down the Jersey Turnpike? I have to root against them.

But then what, I root for the Yankees? I can’t do that either. I’ve spent a lifetime loathing the Yankees and now they are doing it to us again. Once more, they own New York. Am I delusional to think that ever changed anyway?  The Yankees represent everything the Mets are not. The Yankees are fundamentally sound, consistent, and champions. The Mets are pretenders. Look, I can face the truth, but regardless, I can’t root for the Yankees, I just can’t. Is it possible both teams can lose?

Unless the Dodgers and Angels perform a couple of miracles, this is what we are faced with. I can just hear comments from Phillies players now in regards to the Yanks. “Now we will have to play the real good team from New York.”, “This is a New York team that just doesn’t talk.”  You know someone in that clubhouse will say something like this, you just do. In complimenting the Yankees, they will be bashing the Mets. The Yankees on the other hand will not say anything about the Mets. They have more class than that.

Although I will not root one way or the other, if it comes down to the Yankees and Phillies, I would prefer the Yankees win. We need to see the Phillies knocked down a peg. Back to back world championships will just be too much to live with. We Mets fans can say nothing if that happens. Actually, there isn’t much we can say anyway. Plus the Yankees have won so many times over the years, what’s the difference if they win one more World Series. I’ve lost count anyway.

Maybe the best thing to do is not even watch. I love baseball but what good can come of it.

Hopefully, Mets management is as embarrassed as Mets fans feel right now. To see their two biggest rivals succeed after such a tremendously disappointing season has got to be killing them. And make no mistake about it. The Yankees are one of the Mets biggest rivasl even though they play in a different league. I hope they realize that.

2009 was an awful baseball year. The fact that the Phillies and the Yankees are poised to meet on the biggest stage of all just about sums it up.

I completely understand if you don’t want to read this. It was painful to write. But, as I have done since 2006, I felt it was my duty to review 2009, a most forgettable season.

70 wins and 92 losses is not what Mets fans expected back on April 6th, the day the 2009 season began. It is especially disappointing considering the Mets addressed their bullpen woes from a year ago by acquiring both J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez as setup man and closer. After that first game in Cincinnati ended and the Mets behind Johan Santana came away the victor, hope was running high. But when that first road trip ended at 3-3, some doubt became apparent as the Mets returned home to open brand new Citi Field.

It was a three year wait for the new ballpark whose construction began in earnest in late summer of 2006, the last time the Mets made the playoffs. After the hoopla and the ceremonial first pitch was thrown, the first of a series of omens occurred that gave pause.

Mike Pelfrey was on the mound to face San Diego batter Jody Garrut, the first batter in Citi Field history.  The left handed hitting Garrut pulled a drive down the right field line for a home run to inaugurate Citi Field. At that moment I began to wonder. Could this be a sign that perhaps this year may not go the way we had hoped.

Later that game, Pelfrey stumbled and fell off the mound in comical fashion. In the end, ex-Met Heath Bell recorded the save for San Diego spoiling the party.

The Mets picked up their first Citi Field victory two nights later but lost the series to the Padres. The Mets split their first home stand and left for the road with a 6-6 record. At the end of April the Mets were an unimpressive 9-12. Mets fans were wondering what was wrong.

One thing that was wrong was Oliver Perez. The Mets resigned Perez to a three year 36 million dollar contract. The lefty showed up to spring training after the WBC out of shape. He struggled through the month of April and was put on the disabled list in early May with tendinitis in his left knee. Also, Tim Redding, who was signed as a free agent, was out since spring training with shoulder tendonitis.

Things were looking up however as the Mets won seven in a row at the beginning of May. Heading to the west coast the Mets found themselves in first place a game ahead of the Phillies. Another omen occurred during the plane ride to San Francisco when Jose Reyes suffered some sort of injury to his calf. He had to be scratched from the lineup the next day. What happened on that plane is still a mystery.

Alex Cora filled in at short as the Mets took the first three of four games against the Giants. The Mets were shut out by Matt Cain in the final game. Jose Reyes missed the entire series.

Another problem was fast becoming apparent. Already out of action, Carlos Delgado went on the disabled list with soreness in his right hip, the same soreness that caused him to miss time in 2008. Alex Cora, the Mets primary infield backup, also went on the DL. He tore a tendon in his right thumb sliding into second during the last game at San Francisco. Injuries were becoming alarming and beginning to mount.

Yet another omen of things to come occurred the next evening in Los Angeles. Reyes would miss his fifth consecutive game and now Delgado and Cora were not available either. But the real story of this game occurred in extra innings when the Mets made another dubious statement.

With the score tied in the 11th inning, Ryan Church scored the go ahead run with two outs. Ah, but it turns out the former Mets right fielder never touched third base. The Dodgers won the appeal and the run did not count. On a throwing error in the bottom of the 11th, the Dodgers won the game 3-2.

Jose Reyes returned to the lineup the next day, the same day that Carlos Delgado had surgery to repair his ailing hip. Delgado’s recovery was set to last ten weeks, but Delgado would not return the rest of the season.

In Reyes’s second at bat, he felt something pull in his right hamstring while running to first. Reyes left the game and like Delgaod, was not seen the rest of the season. Of course at the time, the Mets and their fans did not know the injury was so devastating. Reyes was eventually put on the disabled list and will now, some four months later, undergo surgery to clean out scar tissue that’s been causing him pain.

After the Dodgers swept the series, the Mets were off to Boston for the first inter-league meeting of the season. Based on the injuries to key players and poor play in Los Angeles, most felt the Red Sox would mop the floor with the Mets. Surprisingly, the Mets won the series winning two of three including an incredible game on Saturday evening, the 23rd of May.

With the Mets down to their last strike trailing by one run, Omir Santos hit a ball that appeared to be a two run homer as it hit off the top of the Green Monster.  At first, it was called a double. But after a 10 minute review by the umpires, the call was overturned and the Mets took the lead heading into the bottom of the 9th. A spectacular play by Luis Castillo saved the game for the Mets who held on to win. The game was one of the few highlights of the season. The Mets went on to win five of seven ending the month of May.   

On May 31st, the Mets were 28-21, one half game behind the Phillies. The Mets finished the month of May with a record of 19-9. Even with Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado out of the lineup, there was still reason to believe the Mets would contend for the division title. After all, it was assumed those players would be coming back.

But the Mets got off to a bad start in June. They traveled to Pittsburgh where the Pirates swept three games of a rain shortened series with Mets injuries continuing to mount. Ryan Church was placed on the DL with a sore right hamstring. Angel Pagan was placed on the DL with a groin pull. Carlos Beltran and John Maine missed time with severe stomach flu.  Gary Sheffield was listed day to day with a sore hamstring. But the biggest news was that J.J. Putz needed surgery for bone spurs in his right elbow and would miss two months of the season.

The off season plan had been that J.J. Putz, a successful closer with Seattle, would set up former Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez. The formula worked a number of times but Putz began to be vulnerable giving up big hits in key situations. He had complained of discomfort for a while but the Mets encouraged him to pitch through the pain. Eventually the pain was too much and the surgery became necessary. Unfortunately, like Delgado and Reyes, Putz never returned either.

After the Pirates sweep, the Mets managed a 3-3 record over the next six games before they traveled to the new Yankee Stadium for the first game of the 2009 Subway Series.

Perhaps this was the game that defined the Mets season. The Mets were without two of their core star players. It was becoming obvious that the Mets were starting to struggle. 

On a rainy Friday evening, June 12th, the Mets and Yankees played a see-saw affair with the Yankees getting off to an early 1-0 lead. The Mets went ahead 2-1 in the third but in the bottom half the Yankees went ahead 3-2. The Mets scored four in the fifth to take a 6-3 lead but the Yanks scored one in their half and three in the sixth to take a 7-6 lead. With single runs in the 7th and 8th, the Mets took a one run lead into the bottom of the ninth. Francisco Rodriguez had not blown a save all season but got into trouble when Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira reached base. With two on and two out, K-Rod was able to get A-Rod to pop up to second base. But Luis Castillo dropped the popup. Jeter scored the tying run and Mark Teixeira who busted it from first base scored the winning run. It was the most devastating Mets loss in ages. The Mets showed some character the next day and won but it was the only game of the season in which they defeated the Yankees.

Oh, did I mention that John Maine was now on the DL too. He went down with shoulder fatigue. Mets players were dropping like flies. And to add injury to insult, Carlos Beltran was suffering from a sore right knee. It was discovered that he had a severe bruise in the knee and on June 22nd, Beltran was placed on the disabled list. Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and now Beltran were all out of the Mets lineup. The sole core player left was David Wright while healthy, had been struggling with his power all season long.

Wright’s average was high, at times above .350, but his power numbers had dropped significantly. Were the huge dimensions of Citi Field in his head? If that was true, then they were affecting his abilities on the road as well.

Everything the Mets did right in May they undid in June. The Mets finished the month with a 9-18 record. Certainly the injuries were the cause of the problem but poor fundamental play also contributed. At the end of the month the Mets had dropped to two games below .500, were in third place, but still only three games back.

In early July, the Mets were swept in a three game set at Philadelphia. Afterwards they managed a 3-3 record at Citi Field heading into the All Star Break. At the break the Mets had sunk to fourth place 6.5 games back of Philly with a record of 42-45.  

On the injury front, Fernando Martinez who came up and played admirably in place of Church and Beltran was placed on the disabled list in July with inflammation in his knee. Pitcher Fernando Nieve, who pitched marvelously covering for Oliver Perez, tore a muscle in this right thigh running to first base on July 18th and is placed on the 60 day DL. Gary Sheffield was put on the DL as well with that nagging hamstring injury. It seemed the Mets had more players on the DL than on the team.

On a positive note, Omar Minaya made a trade that could turn out to be a good one. He swapped outfielder Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur from Atlanta. Both outfielders were struggling and Church apparently wore out his welcome mat with manager Jerry Manuel. Francoeur played wonderfully for the Mets while Church played about the same for the Braves.

Back on the field, the Mets played well against Colorado at Citi Field, winning three of four, to end the month of July. However, the Mets would need a remarkable final two months of the season to make a run at the playoffs, a seemingly improbable feat.

It was hoped that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran would have returned shortly after the All Star break. That did not happen. In fact at the beginning of August, they still were not back and neither was Carlos Delgado.  On August 4th, Luis Castillo fell down the dugout stairs at Citi Field and had to leave the game with a sprained ankle. You just could not make this stuff up. With all the injuries and misfortune, some were beginning to wonder if Citi Field had been constructed on consecrated ground perhaps upsetting a few ghosts. 

The next day, August 5th, young pitcher Jonathan Neise who showed so much promise, completely tore his hamstring from the bone and collapsed on the mound. He had just stretched at first covering the bag and came up limping. Insisting on taking a warm up pitch, Neise fell to the ground ending his season and heading for surgery.

On the field, the Mets were playing dreadfully. They lost nine of the first twelve games of August. Then on August 15th, the face of the franchise, David Wright, was drilled in the helmet by a Matt Cain fastball. It was the first time in the third baseman’s career he went on the disabled list.

Alex Cora, who played so gallantly with a torn tendon in his right thumb, had to call it quits in the middle of the month because he needed surgery on both thumbs.  On August 24th, Jeff Francouer tore a ligament in his thumb but continued to play. The icing on the cake occurred the next day when it was revealed that ace pitcher Johan Santana would need season ending surgery on his pitching elbow to clean out bone chips. Not enough bad news? Oliver Perez also would get surgery on his patella tendon.

Not surprisingly, the Mets finished August 10-19. Carlos Beltran and David Wright finally did return to action but with the pitching staff made up mostly of youngsters and retreads the Mets could just not compete to even be a decent spoiler. They did take two of three against the Marlins in September to at least get some payback from the previous two seasons. The losses for Florida virtually eliminated them from wild card contention. Another positive, though a small one, was the Mets played 1.000 ball in October sweeping the Astros to end the season.

All in all, it was a season to forget completely. Unfortunately there are so many questions going into 2010, it’s hard to have a positive outlook.

On Monday, the day after the season, Jeff Wilpon, Omar Minaya, and David Howard appeared on Mike Francesa’s radio program for an hour and a half. They said all the right things. They did not use injuries as an excuse. But of course the injuries were a big part of what went wrong in 2009. Collectively, Mets players were on the DL for over 1400 days, far more than any other team. Plus, injuries were to key players, not just to backups. The starting rotation envisioned at the beginning of the season was nowhere to be seen at the end. Give Mike Pelfrey credit. At least he was around for most of the year only missing some time in April. Unfortunately, his performance was not what it was a year ago.

The Mets have much to figure out over the off season. They must do something to change the dynamic of the Mets. Fans are fed up. They will not be breaking the gates down to get in next season. Mets fans watched the cross town rivals inaugurate their new ballpark with a championship season. Mets fans want the same. They will be watching closely over the winter.

I have taken a couple of days to react to the mea culpa from the Mets a couple of days ago. Here goes… Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I have seen this act before. In fact I have seen it far too many times. Years ago I use to look forward to listening to Fred Wilpon with Mike Francesa. Perhaps it was his fatherly ways that made me feel like he really cared. And I do believe he does really care. Fred doesn’t come out much anymore, at least to talk to the media. Now it’s his son Jeff, heir apparent to the throne, who makes the occasional public remarks.

I thought that Jeff Wilpon, Omar Minaya, and David Howard said all the right things during Francesa’s hour and a half interview. But talk is cheap. I am getting too old to assume things are going to be much different. I hope they prove me wrong.

It’s not that these people are trying to dupe us. I do not believe that for an instant. I honestly believe they want the Mets to succeed. It would be psychopathic on their part not to want to win. But it’s the Mets approach and determination that frightens me.

I think it is somewhat easy for Jeff Wilpon to go on the air and say all the things he knows the fans want to hear. I mean what else could he say? If he said anything short of “this year was unacceptable” the fans would have crucified him. What choice did he have? But he did have a choice to make more severe changes than firing a couple of coaches and he did not. For example, if on Monday he announced Bobby Valentine or someone else was the new manager, I would have reason to believe it’s not just words. I do believe cutting ties with Jerry Manuel and his coaches was the move they should have made. If the feeling is the season was unacceptable, why not back it up by firing those responsible.

Omar was Omar. He danced around all the questions really never providing real answers. To some degree, he must measure his words. I don’t blame him for defending Daniel Murphy against Francesa’s tirade in regards to the young first baseman’s shortcomings. Part of me wanted to hear Minaya say we (the Mets) will have to go find a power hitting first baseman but that would have been self defeating. Not only must he protect Murphy because there is a good chance he will man the position again next season but he may want to trade him. How could Omar possibly agree with Francesa publicly and not devalue his commodity. So for that, I have to give Omar a pass.

I must admit, I really like David Howard. At least he’s very honest and is not afraid to speak his mind. He really appears to be the only one in the front office that has a pair. Howard made an appearance recently on Fox Business News countering the claim from author Erin Arvedlund that the Mets would soon have to sell the team. He really let her have it denying the claim. Had the Mets shown as much tenacity on the field as Howard did in that interview, they might have finished at .500.

Honestly, I really could not find much fault with anything Wilpon, Minaya, or Howard said. But that still doesn’t make me feel confident that anything will change. Because let’s face the facts. The New York Mets have been a franchise that has never been able to sustain any kind of success. Every season where they have won, it’s a one-off. Even during the 1980s the Mets won just one time. Why is it so hard for a team who makes New York its home to produce a perennial winner? The Yankees have done it. Why can’t the Mets?

Sure we can argue the difference in payroll, that’s part of it. But another part is the Mets do not seem to foster a winning attitude. It is more likely a good player will improve their game if they become a Yankee than they will if they become a Met. Why? I don’t have the answer but I think attitude is a big part of it and that attitude starts at the top. Saying all the right things is good but following it up with action is better.

I have no doubt the Mets will make some deals and sign a free agent or two. But will they be difference makers or will they be bargains? And when they come, what will the message be to them?

I recall the criticisms of George Steinbrenner years ago. The press ridiculed him for being a bully and making winning the only thing that mattered. Look at the results of the message he sent. He won six world championships and more pennants and division titles than any other team by far since he bought the Yankees. The Yankees always appear to be focused while the Mets appear to be all over the place.

This winter, I promise not to get too excited when I hear a rumor or the consummation of a deal involving the Mets. This time, they will have to prove it to me on the field next season. Till then, I will continue to have my doubts.

My son and I were two of the diehards at Citi Field yesterday for the finale. For a one game event, completely isolated from the nightmare of 2009, it was a very enjoyable experience.

Nelson Figueroa pitched the game of his life, the Mets played crisp defense and got the timely hits they needed to put together a tidy 4-0 win. It was the first and only complete game shutout at home this season. Pat Misch, just one week ago, also pitched a complete game shutout against the Marlins in Miami.

Sitting there yesterday, soaking up the warm sun and smelling the grilled sausages, it was easy to think if everyone comes back healthy the Mets will not have to do too much over the winter.  Of course, if that happens, the Mets and we fans will suffer the consequences.

I take nothing away from the effort of Nelson Figueroa but the Astros were swinging the bats like the bus engine was running.  There was nothing to play for by either team. Once the Mets scored the first run, it was who can make the next out quicker. The game took just two hours and twenty-five minutes to play.

Even if all the injured come back 100 percent healthy, there are things the Mets must do to fix what contributed to the worst record since 2003. And the questions the Mets must answer will not be easy.

Settling on Daniel Murphy at first base and Angel Pagan in left could be tempting if the Mets hierarchy truly believe these players have what it takes to be in the lineup every day. But what if the Mets are wrong? What if Murphy continues to hit in the .260s and remain on a pace to drive in just seventy runs or so? That is simply not enough production from a first baseman, especially when there now are questions as to David Wright’s production. Wright needs protection in the lineup. Is Murphy really that guy?

We’ve heard a lot about Pagan being the best athlete on the team. When healthy, Pagan is a formidable player but too often, he loses focus on the base paths. Is that something that can be addressed? You would think that at this level, baseball instincts should already be established.

I think Pagan could be an excellent fourth outfielder option. I would rather see Jason Bay or Matt Holiday in left field every day. But to acquire those two will cost the Mets big money. Will the Mets be able to raise payroll?

The one thing the Mets must do is to get some pitching help in the rotation. As positive as it may have been to watch Misch, Maine, and Figueroa pitch so impressively over the weekend, the truth is these games are not a good barometer. Maine is the likely candidate to be in the rotation. Misch could be that sixth starter or long relief guy. Figueroa is a great story but he is 35 years old and yesterday may have been the highlight of his career.

Pitching killed the Mets the last two months of the season. It’s not the reason the Mets did not make the post season. That can be blamed on injuries. But the reason the Mets faded in such a brutal fashion falls on the pitching staff. Once Santana went down, the pitching staff fell apart.

Mets hitters led the league in team batting average and with runners in scoring position.. But one noticeable thing missing was runs scored. Much of that can be blamed on the fact that Mets hitters hit only 95 homeruns in ’09. Stop blaming Citi Field. Visiting players hit twice as many homers there than the Mets did. Let’s not forget that if the fences are brought in, that helps the visiting hitters too.

It was a great one day though. The tacos were fantastic and for one brief period we could dream of the summer that is to come. It’s far off today, six months to the day to be exact. But it will come. And when it does, will the Mets have done their due diligence to fix what went to so wrong this season. We’ll see.

After the embarrassing sweep of the Mets by the worst team in baseball, I came to the conclusion yesterday that the Mets must fire Jerry Manuel. They must do it today.

I know that most of what went on this season was not his fault. But some of it is. No one could have predicted the injuries that have devastated this ballclub all season long. But could some of the hamstring and other muscle injuries possibly been avoided had the Mets players prepared better for games? I can’t know that and certainly that alone would not be reason enough to release the manager.

But what really is of concern is the way this team has played the last two months. In August and September, the Mets went a dreadful 18-39. If the Mets were heading into the final series of the season say at 77-82, even 75-84, I could see giving Manuel a pass assuming injuries were the sole cause of failure. But the poor play including awful defense and incompetent base running must fall on the manager and coaches shoulders.

This Mets roster in its current configuration should be much better than their record indicates. The 1978 Mets did not have a Carlos Beltran or a David Wright. That was a team you expected not to win 70 games. Even with all the injuries to this 2009 team, not winning more than 70 games is a disgrace. 

The current Mets roster was not capable of making the post season once all the injuries occurred, no one is suggesting otherwise. But they should have been more competitive and playing a crisper brand of baseball than the mess we have seen day in and day out. That’s reason number one why Jerry has got to go. Honestly, I’m not sure anyone could do better but the Mets need to find out.

The players seem to like Manuel. There has been no hint of a conspiracy the way there was when Randolph was about to be canned. Perhaps it’s like a marriage that has gone bad. The couple still likes each other but it just isn’t working.  

The Mets simply cannot go into next season with the proclamation that everyone will be healthy next year. That would be a terribly wrong message to send and likely would negatively impact ticket sales. And with the news that Jose Reyes will require surgery on his new hamstring injury, there is a strong possibility he will not be ready by opening day. The Mets are now faced with the prospect of extending this disastrous season into 2010. That cannot happen. This is reason number two why Manuel must be fired.

The Mets must cut ties with 2009 at all costs. After being swept by the Nationals with the Mets playing so poorly and the news of Reyes, there has to be some hope provided to the fans moving into next year. I do not care how diehard a Mets fan is, everyone will have second thoughts about spending their money on Mets ticket plans in these hard economic times, especially when faced with the prospect of the same face on this franchise.

As I have stated, I really do not entirely blame Manuel but like a good captain, he must go down with the sinking ship. The Mets need to find someone who can lead this team out of this mess. Someone with a bit more personality and fire appears to be in order.  Hmmm, is there anyone that comes to mind that might have recently been let go by a Japanese franchise?

Changing managers guarantees nothing. But the Mets need to act and do something to give their fans hope. A Lou Piniella type guy would excite everyone. A manager like that would give the fans some passion and hope again.

I really don’t think the Mets have much of a choice here. They are headed into an off season when everything is going to be about the Yankees.  There is more hatred and venom being spewed at the Mets than I can ever remember. Starting Monday, there are people who work for the Mets who will be tasked with selling tickets for next year. How can they possibly function in the current atmosphere?

Mets management has every right to clean house even if they are part of the blame. Now they must act and do the painful job of firing Jerry Manuel.