What is a Mets fan to do the final weeks of the season, in October, and even November when the World Series could end?

For me, there is no more baseball. I try to watch the game every evening but inevitably, the Mets fall behind, show no energy, make blunders on the base paths and in the field, knowing there is no way they will come back. Listening to Gary, Keith, and Ron is entertaining as they make idle chitchat but really, there are better things to do.

I try to watch the Yankees but it’s no use. Rooting for them to lose is just as futile as rooting for the Mets to win. I wonder if now in my early 50s, I could become a Yankee fan. Then soon that thought dissipates knowing full well that can never happen. I try to watch the Yanks just for the sake of enjoying good baseball but then I just get aggravated watching the Bombers do everything right while up a couple of channels the Mets are doing everything wrong.

I have the MLB.TV Internet package so often I bounce around to different games trying to get into the limited races still left. I watch the Red Sox because for one, NESN does an outstanding broadcast and two; I went to college in Boston and spent many a night at Fenway Park back in the day of Yaz, Fisk, Carbo, Tiant, and Rice. You know who I will be rooting for if the Sox get into it with the Yanks in October.

It’s hard to get excited about the off season. What moves can the Mets make? The free agent market will be thin and it appears the Mets will not want to spend much money. They can’t make any real blockbuster trades because that would require breaking up the core and two of the three were injured severely hindering their value. No way should the Mets ever trade David Wright regardless of the fact he has had an off year. He’s the face of the franchise. Trade him and the Mets might as well close the gates and go out of business.

I was hoping the Mets could at least cause the Marlins, Phillies, and Braves some fits as they all race to the finish line with hopes of a playoff berth. So far, the Mets lost three in a row to the Marlins, lost three of four from the Phillies, and the opener last night in Atlanta. The Mets are going out very quietly. It’s so frustrating.

Yesterday, the Mets announced their 2010 tentative schedule. They open the new season at Citi Field on April 5th. That seems like a million years from now. Before then, there will be the post season, the winter meetings, the hot stove league, etc. We’ll celebrate the holiday seasons, endure several bad winter storms, basketball, hockey, and football including the SuperBowl. These events will all happen before the first baseball player steps on a field in Florida and Arizona come the middle of February. Then we must suffer through countless days of spring training before finally the home opener arrives. It’s all so far away.

I know I’m not alone in my Mets depression. I know I am not alone in wishing for a season where the Mets could collapse on the last day. Yes, even that would be better. The Mets know it too. You see, they are worried about us. They know that like me, all Mets fans are sad, angry, and fed up.  That’s why the Mets have already announced that ticket prices next year will be reduced.

We Mets fans have already gone through some of the stages of grief. You only have to turn on sports talk radio and read fans comments on the Internet to know the anger has been going on for a while. For many Mets fans, the depression has started. Acceptance will happen but probably not for a while.  When it does, I’ll feel better. We’ll all feel better.

Well my fellow Mets fans, our team has been eliminated from the playoffs for 2009. I know they were eliminated a long time ago but now it is official by the only true language known throughout the physical universe—mathematics.

The Mets have lost 81 games. It is impossible for the Philadelphia Phillies, the NL East leaders, or for the wild card leading Colorado Rockies to lose 81 or more. So, by virtue of the Mets having lost 81 games, more than both the Phillies and Rockies can lose—ipso-facto, done!

But this is not a lesson about math. It is one about expectation, being careful for what you wish for, and the underlying problem.

For the last two seasons, we have heard nothing but griping and complaining from Mets fans about how disappointed and disgusted they were because the Mets were eliminated on the last day of the season. We asked—could it get any worse? They answer is yes—2009!

The point is when you think it can’t get worse, it does. If the baseball gods came to you in spring training and said you may enjoy a competitive baseball season with the Mets being eliminated on the last day of the schedule or have them done by mid August, which would you choose? Personally, I would take 2007 and 2008 over 2009. Regardless of how both those seasons turned out, at least on this date, September 14th, the Mets would still be in the race with hopes of making the playoffs. And really, hope is all you can really ever have.

We had no hope this year. Really there was no hope since Jose Reyes took himself out of the lineup in Los Angeles back in May. The final nail was driven when Carlos Beltran went on the DL for two and a half months. This season was a total loss because of injures to so many All Star players. And when those players went down, we witnessed something that was there all along—a fundamentally dysfunctional baseball team.

Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, David Wright, and Johan Santana are so good, that when they play, their abilities compensate and overshadow for the lack of fundamental skills that permeate throughout the Mets organization. No question, the season was destroyed by injury but sound and smart play could have kept the Mets competitive. The Mets did not quit, but they did not play intelligently in the field and on the base paths. Those things could have made a difference in the standings.

So maybe there is a silver lining after all to this most forgettable season in years. Hopefully somebody in the Mets organization is paying attention and will come to realize, no matter what super star the Mets sign or trade for, every player needs to get on the same page in terms of how this game is supposed to be played. A case in point was in last night's game when Daniel Murphy attempted a steal of third and was thrown out to end the inning. In a one run game, already in scoring position, and Pedro Martinez beginning to labor, Murphy needed to stay put as the potential tying run.

Matt Cerrone of Metsblog.com talks about a need for an organizational plan. Perhaps the plan should have always been to recruit players who are not only talented in the field but who are smart and know how to play the game. And the Mets organization must teach its young players in their system so they will know too what to do in any given baseball situation. If not, any time a player such as a Beltran or a Wright goes down with an injury, another 2009 could be waiting in the wings.

The other day I said I thought the Mets were in good position to be a spoiler. Is it too late to change my mind?

Can someone please tell me what has gone right this year? From where I sit, I would have to say nothing. Nothing! Please tell me something, anything positive about this season. I have never seen anything like this. It’s unbelievable.

The injuries, the shoddy base running, inconsistent pitching and bad defense have all conspired to make this year, 2009, the worst in almost twenty years. You have to go back to 1993 when the Mets lost 103 games to find a worse season.

Even the new ballpark has come under criticism. We have heard complaints of it not having enough Mets memorabilia, not enough blue and orange, and lately it has developed some leaks. I mean there is nothing positive.

You can’t even enjoy individual accomplishments. Look at David Wright. He has eight home runs. Eight! What the heck happened to his power? Lots of visiting players have hit home runs at Citi Field so that’s not an excuse. Plus five of Wright’s eight homeruns were hit at home! I don’t get it. And this idea of changing him to a gap hitter is silly. A good gap hitter would have more than 60 RBI.

Then of course there was all the front offices nonsense with Tony Bernazard. Omar Minaya lost his mind and blamed New York Daily News columnist Adam Ruben. Are we in the Twilight Zone? Was that man in the suit with the thin tie smoking an unfiltered cigarette by Blue Smoke Rod Serling?

And did the Wilpons lose 700 million or 300 million in the Bernie Madoff scam? Are they closing their instructional league operation in Florida to save 300,000 dollars or is it because there are not enough teams in the area? They say the Mets are financially sound but yet they spent less than any other team in the amateur draft. What? They spent less than the Kansas City Royals?

The farm clubs played awful too. Except for Brooklyn and the Dominican rookie team, not one Mets farm team had a record above .500. And their two top level teams were horrible.

Obviously the season went downhill with the injuries which make me wonder what kind of trainers and doctors do the Mets employ. I hope none of them have a first name of Moe, Larry, or Curley.

And to top it all off the Mets must endure this freak show while watching the New York Yankees put together one of the greatest seasons in their history. It seems every day, while the Mets lose, the Yankees win.  I have been as fair as I can possible be to the Mets players, their fans (I’m one of them), and their administration. But patience is wearing thin.

The Mets hierarchy are going to have one tough off season this winter. They must do more than hope everyone comes back healthy and David Wright figures out what his problem is. But what can they do considering there appears to be very little money available to spend in the free agent market this year (which btw appears to be very thin).  What player of decent caliber would even want to come to the Mets with questions of their training staff, a front office perhaps out of money and a cavernous ballpark where home runs go to die?

Usually I feel Mets fans are overly critical. But it is hard not to defend them. Mets fans are angry. They feel betrayed and who can blame them. Injuries are a part of the game and I maintain this season got completely derailed because of the absurd amount of them.  I am not backing off of that. But when you see what was exposed because of the injuries you just shake your head.

Injuries to the star players do not cause the remaining players to forget how many outs there are or to run through the third base coach’s stop sign. They don’t make a player miss the cut off man or throw to the wrong base nor do they stop a runner from sliding into home instead of jogging into a tag. The excuse of injury does not force a runner to miss touching a base or cause an infielder to drop a simple pop up with one hand or not sacrifice the runner. The injuries to others should not allow the GM to enable an abusive employee from running rough shot over underlings and bullying minor league players. It should not allow a GM who is feeling the heat to embarrass the entire organization making it a laughing stock.

Frankly, the Mets are in bad shape. Watching the Mets lethargic play during this three game series sweep to the Marlins just about ended my season of sitting on the couch at least hoping for some competitive baseball. For me, baseball is over for 2009. It will only get interesting next April 5th when the Mets open against the Marlins at Citi Field. For now, it’s time to take up a hobby.

I almost drove off the road yesterday afternoon. I have been as critical as any blogger when it comes to Mike Francesa. His pompous attitude does nothing to minimize what Yankee fans in general mean to Mets fans. But yesterday afternoon, much to my surprise, he came to the defense of the Mets. So in fairness, since I have been critical when I felt he deserved it, I must now praise Francesa because in my opinion, he deserves it.

Most sports writers, radio and TV talking heads, have been bashing the Mets for months. They have criticized everything from the minor league system to the water they boil hot dogs in at Citi Field. Not that many criticisms can be challenged but as I have stated in this blog all summer, no team could have ever replaced the cumulative talent the Mets lost to the DL during this season. And much to my shock, that’s exactly what Francesa said yesterday afternoon.

Did the injuries expose a less than adequate farm system? Yes. Did the injuries remove the cover from some of the dysfunctional antics within the Mets hierarchy, namely Tony Bernazard? Yes. But let’s be fair Mets fans. Had the Mets remained healthy, they would be in contention right now. I’m not saying they would be leading the division. But talent wise, they would be in the division/wild card mix.

A fan called into “Miked Up”, the WFAN afternoon radio sports talk show yesterday and started berating the Mets organization for just about everything except global warming. But Mike defended the Mets, stating much of what I have said. Mike also went on to make a point I have been trying to make all season long. Just what team's farm system is out there to replace the likes of Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, John Maine, Oliver Perez, and more recently David Wright and Johan Santana?

I heard Ed Randall on his Sunday morning show state that Tampa Bay and Texas have suffered from major injuries but unlike the Mets, managed to stay in contention. With all due respect to Randall who I admire very much, you cannot compare the injuries those teams had with what the Mets have suffered. The Mets lost five major all star talents for a huge part of the season.

Francesa also went on to say, and I agree, that the Mets have not given up when they easily could have. Now obviously the Mets can’t believe they have a shot at the post season. But they take the field every day trying to win. The decimated Mets simply do not have the talent to win many games.

Jason Stark, the ESPN columnist, wrote an article the other day that would make most Mets fans want to slit their wrists in terms of next season. But that was countered by another ESPN writer, Peter Gammons, who wrote the Mets are not that far away from being a very strong team again. So along with Mike Francesa, Peter Gammons lends a sympathetic and rational point of view to the Mets and their fans.

Gammons also went on to say that the Mets farm system is not as depleted as many have colored it. The fact is the Mets farm teams have collectively had a miserable season except for Brooklyn. But that does not mean they are barren. There are a number of young players the Mets have that will contribute for the Mets in the future either as players or fodder for trades.

So while many Mets fans and many of the media have painted the glass half empty, Peter Gammons and Mike Francesa, of all people, have described it as half full.

Nothing will change the outcome of this year. The Mets will finish under .500 in fourth place in the NL East. But there is hope for next season. Hopefully the players, the GM, and the owners have learned something from this season. Hopefully next year at this time, things will be looking much brighter.

There is some good news on the Mets front. First, there are only 25 games remaining in one of the most forgettable seasons in Mets history. There are just 12 games left at Citi Field for its inaugural season. The Mets have a magic number for elimination at 11 for the division and 10 for the wild card. So in about a week, they should be done.  And this is the good news?

Well, sometimes it just feels better when it’s over. But there is some good news on the field too. In defeating the Cubs, two games to one over the weekend, the Mets won their first series in the last eleven. It was the first series win since the end of July when the Mets defeated the Rockies at Citi Field three games to one.

Also, Carlos Beltran will likely return this evening. John Maine may actually start a game this weekend in Philadelphia. And since the Mets are playing only eastern division teams till the last weekend of the season, they do have a chance to pay back teams that have put the screws to the Mets in the past.  

Currently, the Braves and Marlins are fighting for the wild card. Although their chances are becoming slimmer each day, both clubs still have a shot. Wouldn’t it be nice to see the Mets give Florida and Atlanta some agita this month?

The Phillies should make the playoffs without too much difficulty but they have lost four in a row. The Mets could at least make them nervous this weekend when they play four games at Citizen’s Bank Park to complete the season’s series.

For the Mets to play the role of spoiler, they will have to play better in the month of September than they did in the month of June, July, and August. I think they can considering they will have Beltran and Wright back together in the lineup. Plus, the pitching has been better as well. I am probably setting myself up for more disappointment, but I think the Mets may have a decent month to close out the season.

Then There Was One…

All minor league Mets teams are now finished for the year except for the Brooklyn Cyclones who made the New York-Penn League post season as the wild card. The Cyclones led the McNamara division for most of the summer until recently. While Brooklyn struggled, the Staten Island Yankees soared to take the division title by winning 13 games in a row. Even at the low A short season level, we have to eat Yankee dust. It’s so frustrating, no?

Citi Pity

Apparently Citi Field is falling apart. At least that’s what the New York Post claimed yesterday. A pipe burst, a couple of luxury suites leaked causing mold, a sign fell down, and some concrete has cracked. It’s hard to know how bad the damage is given the fact it was reported in the Post, a paper that has never been too friendly to the Mets. However, any new building as complex as Citi Field will go through some growing pains. The problems will be fixed and is likely not a big deal.  I would bet Yankee Stadium has a few issues too. 

I know it’s been a rough year, one of the worst in several seasons but I can’t let myself get sick over it. At some point, you have to realize baseball and the Mets are simply a game. It’s not the war in Afghanistan. It’s not the Swine Flu or raging fires closing in on LA. Certainly it’s not the economic crises or the battle over universal health care. The Mets play a boy’s game and that should be put into perspective.

I say this as an older fan of baseball. I grew up in the 1960s. I and my neighborhood friends were passionate about baseball. We didn’t have the Internet, Xbox, or WFAN to distract us. Those times were turbulent too. We had Vietnam and were recovering from a president, his brother running for president, and a civil rights leader assassinated in the primes of their lives. Baseball was our outlet and what I recall from then was we focused our anger on those things we were angry about. We did not channel it toward our ball clubs.

Does this make me some kind of noble baseball fan? No, of course not.  But what concerns me today is the intense anger and hatred I hear toward the Mets. I often wonder if this anger says more about us than it does about the Mets. Should we be cheering our team on, knowing full well they have no chance of winning this year?   Not necessarily but I can’t believe some of the calls I hear on sports talk radio or comments from fans I read on blogs and websites. Some make me embarrassed for the fan base.

I’m not here to defend the Mets. I’m a fan just like you. I don’t work for them. They give me no free tickets for writing this blog. They probably wish I would go away and that’s only assuming they are even aware of this blog. But one thing I try to do here is to be fair. I have been critical of the Mets and I have supported the Mets. Certainly at this time, it’s very easy to be critical of a team headed for a losing record with the highest payroll in the National League.

But again, are the Mets the devil stealing our money or are they trying to do their best but it simply did not work out this season? In all honestly, I have to think it’s the latter. A ballclub does not set out to fleece its fans. Any business that treats its customers with contempt will surely fail. The Wilpons are successful real estate people who know they must give their fans a good product. Perhaps the only sports franchise that could get away with not doing so is the New York Giants whose football games have been sold out forever. They could get away with not putting a dime into their team and still sell out. I know that is not the case but they could.

History shows the Mets cannot do that. During the late 70s and early 80s and again in the early 90s and after 2001, Shea Stadium was a ghost town. Fans do not come out to baseball games if the team stinks. This September will be an exception because Citi Field is still new and tickets have already been sold. In fact, I may go to another game just to try that shrimp sandwich I saw prepared on Mets Weekly but I digress…

The Mets know they have got to put a winner on the field next year whether they are hurting from the Madoff scam or not. Some would say the Mets are trying but are incapable of building a winner. Perhaps there is some truth to that but this season was completely derailed when 88 million dollars worth of players spent the majority of the summer on the disabled list. Realistically, how can we measure this season based on all the players who have been hurt? And let’s not forget, as star players went down, the pressure went up on everyone who was left.  

Had the Mets remained healthy, they would likely be in contention for the division or the wild card. If that were true, would Mets fans be complaining about the farm system, accusing the Wilpons of being the Coupons, or suggesting that Omar Minaya’s goal is just to fill the roster with Latin players? I doubt it. The truth is if the Mets were winning, no one would have cared about the minor league system, nor would they care if the players were imported from Saturn. When the team loses, Mets fans get angry and they want a reason. They want something tangible to point too. They want to have some control over what is happening.

Some have suggested the Mets will have to completely rebuild now. I disagree. They cannot stand pat but they are not far away from being in contention again. They will have Beltran, Reyes, and Santana back. They will have Jeff Francouer from the start of the season and he is an upgrade from Ryan Church. They will have Francisco Rodriguez as their closer. Hopefully Maine and Perez will be healthy and Pelfrey will get his head screwed on straight prior to the 2010 campaign.

Sure there are question marks. The Mets are going to have to find a catcher, a permanent solution for left field and determine if Daniel Murphy is the answer at first. They will also need to find another pitcher, a legit number two starter to work in tandem with Johan Santana. So Omar or whomever the GM is will have a difficult and busy off season.

As paying customers, you have the right to scream and yell and make any accusations you want. I just feel that all this negative energy is only adding to the problem. So let’s help our team along. Before we write or call in, let’s attempt to be objective.  Let’s show the Mets some positive energy. The way things have gone this year, they certainly could use it.

The Mets August is over. One month to go, 31 games left. They can’t be completed soon enough.

This is not about injuries, a depleted farm system, or if the Wilpons will ultimately sell or not (btw, I say they won’t). This is just about the state of the Mets without looking at what got us here.

The Mets record is currently 59-72 having yet to win their 60th game of the season. By comparison, over the previous four seasons, the Mets achieved win number 60 on August 16, 2005, July 26, 2006, August 1, 2007, and August 7, 2008 respectively. This season, win number 60 will not happen untill at least September 1st or later. Kind of puts things into perspective.

These Mets are simply unwatchable. Even when they win, it’s hard to care. It reminds me of the late 1970s when the Mets were totally irrelevant. How many games will the Mets finally win this season? Here are some things to consider.

The Mets have had only one winning month this entire season. That was in May when the Mets had a record of 19-9. Even with Jose Reyes on the shelf, you had to assume the Mets were going to compete having completed such an impressive month. But in June, it all fell apart with a 9-18 record. July got a bit better at 12-14 but the just concluded August schedule ended at 10-19, just dreadful.

Add to that the Mets have not won a series since July 27 through 30 when they won 3 of 4 from Colorado at Citi Field. Since then the Mets have split a two game set and a four game set and lost seven three game series. I guess the ultimate optimist would say at least the Mets were not swept in a series during this stretch.

So to answer the question of how many games the Mets will win, I would assume their rate of victories would remain the same considering none of the injured is likely to return except David Wright. No offense to David, but I can’t imagine he will make much of a difference coming back from a concussion.  

The Mets have ten series left, all are three game sets except for a four game set in Philadelphia because of a rain out earlier in the season.  Of the seven teams the Mets must play, only two, Washington and Houston, are not in contention. Colorado, Chicago, Atlanta, and Florida all have a shot at the post season with Philadelphia being a lock. And all these clubs, perhaps even the Nationals, are better than the Mets.

Let’s assume the trend continues and that the Mets win one game in each three game series and split the four game series in Philly. That would give the Amazin’s eleven more victories this year for a staggering 70-92 record.

But let’s take it a bit further. Does anyone believe this group of Mets, with their depleted pitching staff and anemic lineup, can really take two of four from the Phillies in Philadelphia? Let’s take a victory away from that series. Now the Mets record would be 69-73.

The Mets have six games with Washington. Currently, the Nationals lineup is superior to the Mets. I would not be surprised, especially the way the Nats play the Mets, that Washington could win five out of the six remaining games. Now the Mets record is reduced to 68-94. Maybe I am being extremely pessimistic but we have had five months to become very cynical.

Whether the Mets win 68 or 70 games, this will be the worst season since 2003 when the Mets finished 66-95 in last place 34.5 games behind Atlanta.

If the Mets can somehow win 13 games the rest of the way, they could beat their 2004 record of 71-91. Considering that the Mets won 12 games in July and 10 in August, that doesn’t seem likely. Like I said, these Mets are simply unwatchable.

Over the weekend, Mets CEO Fred Wilpon gave Omar Minaya a vote of confidence that he would return for 2010. As expected, the backlash from Mets fans was not pretty.  I have been very critical of Omar too lately, mostly because of the bizarre way in which he handled the Tony Bernazard affair. But is the criticism of Omar fair? Does he deserve to come back or should he be let go?

The popular response is to fire him. But how much of that opinion is tempered because of fans’ anger and frustrations of a team with the largest payroll in the league playing so poorly because of injuries beyond repair?

No one can blame Mets fans for the anger they are showing. When a fan base has been promised a winner and when they are expected to pay exorbitant prices to attend games, souvenirs, and eat at concession stands, those fans have a right to be heard.

But is firing Minaya fair? Does he really deserve to go after a season when the team has been decimated by injuries, the most recent being to ace Johan Santana? Would any team be doing better under the same circumstances?

A common criticism in the media has been that the Mets farm system is barren and the Mets had no one to call up to fill in. Is that fair considering the number of major injuries the Mets suffered? Whose farm system could have replaced the homerun and RBI production of Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado? What club can boast a minor leaguer that could have replaced 50 to 60 stolen bases when Jose Reyes left for the season?

Emotionally, I wanted Omar fired too. However, intellectually, is it fair to not give him another chance considering the ridiculous number of players that were hurt and missed huge amounts of time this season?

As I recall, I did not hear many complain when Minaya brought in Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Delgado, Billy Wagner, Xavier Nady, Paul LoDuca, Jose Valentine, Chad Bradford, Endy Chavez, Duaner Sanchez, Darren Oliver, John Maine, Pedro Feliciano, Orlando Hernandez, Oliver Perez (the first time), Shawn Green, Damion Easley, Jorge Sosa, Fernando Tatis, Marlon Anderson, Guillermo Mota, Brian Stokes, Ryan Church, and Johan Santana.  Each one of these players has contributed greatly to the Mets success from 2005 through 2008. I know many will disagree with 2007 and 2008 as being successful seasons but they were winning teams ending in second place, not the stumble bums from the Jim Duquette/Art Howe years. And the deals made for this year would have likely paid off if not more than half the team spent the summer on the DL. Francisco Rodriguez, J.J. Putz, Sean Green, Jeff Francouer, Alex Cora, and Angel Pagan all helped the Mets this season until the wheels fell completely off.

And in regards to the minor leagues, Omar and his staff drafted Mike Pelfrey, Jon Neise, Bobby Parnell, Joe Smith, Daniel Murphy, and Eddie Kunz. All have contributed to the Major League club to some degree. They are not the greatest prospects of all time but each has shown potential to have very good major league talent given time to develop. Also, there does appear to be a lot of talent at the lower levels of the organization. They were not ready this year to fill in and probably won’t be ready for a couple of more years. And don’t forget that some minor league prospects were used to acquire Santana, Delgado, and others.

What are some of the bad moves Omar has made?

He should have never let Chad Bradford go to Baltimore after 2006, haggling over a two year deal then giving a two year deal to Scott Schoeneweis who never worked out.  He traded Heath Bell and Royce Ring to San Diego for Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins, both since released.  Omar then sent power arms Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens to Florida for Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick, both released. He traded Brian Bannister to Kansas City for Ambriorix Burgoes, also released.  He let Darren Oliver go to the LA Angels where he still enjoys success and signed aging player Moises Alou who could still hit with the best of them but could not stay healthy. Omar traded for Luis Castillo who was dreadful until this season. He brought in Brian Schneider who has had trouble staying healthy and never lived up to the hype in terms of being a great pitcher’s catcher. He acquired Tim Redding for 2.25 million, whose shoulder was not in good shape when signed then resigned Ollie Perez, giving him 36 million, not recognizing they had likely gotten all they could have from the left handed enigma.

A bigger problem with Omar was what the handling of Tony Bernazard revealed. Attempting to blame New York Daily News writer Adam Rubin for having to fire his crony was completely out of line, immature, and totally unprofessional. I say that with the notion that some of the Bernazard flap was blown out of proportion.  Bernazard was trying to teach his AA players that abusing alcohol would not be tolerated.  Regardless, Minaya handled the situation poorly.  Bernazard was a loose cannon who thrived on intimidating minor league players and other organization underlings. Why didn’t Minaya handle the situation sooner avoiding much embarrassment to the organization?  The fact is Minaya would have kept Bernazard, enabling an apparent abusing employee, than to do the right thing. I find that more troubling than any negative trade or signing he has made.

Could some of this communication breakdown be going on with trainers and doctors too? You have got to wonder if some of the Mets injury issues are partly due to less than adequate training personnel whose friendships, like Bernazard, Omar is protecting.  What damage will this do for acquiring other Major League players who may be targeted by the Mets in the off season? Carlos Beltran and agent Scott Boras, so distrusting of the Mets medical staff, sought their own opinion when Beltran’s knee became so problematic. No other team, regardless of record, has suffered the amount of injuries the Mets have this season. Is it completely a coincidence?

2009 is hard to completely blame on Minaya. The injuries to the Mets are like something I have never witnessed while following the Mets for so many years. The other two seasons that come to mind in regards to injury are 1972 and 1987 but even they do not compare to the disaster of this season.

Wilpon says Minaya will be back. However, as pointed out by Ed Coleman, he didn’t say as GM. Omar is under contract for three more years. That means the Mets could move him to a less volatile position.  We’ll see.

Once again, you scratch your head in regards to moves made in the front office.

I’m not talking about Livan Hernandez, please, enough already. Get him out of here.

What I am referring to is Gary Sheffield who was placed on waivers, the San Francisco Giants claimed him, the Mets pulled him back because they could not work out a deal for a prospect they liked. I can’t entirely blame the Mets but they had to consider that possibility being prepared to accept prospects that may not have been at the level they wanted. At least they would have gotten something.

Now the Mets either hold on to Sheffield who will be a cry baby the rest of the way or they release him for nothing.

Apparently the Mets had also placed Pedro Feliciano on waivers. And like Sheff, he was claimed and the Mets pulled him back. That move I can understand because Feliciano will likely fit into the Mets plans for 2010.

The idea, proposed in today’s New York Post, that the Mets kept Sheffield to sell tickets in September is a bit silly. With the Mets going nowhere, I find it hard to believe that sophisticated Mets fans will head off to Citi Field to see Gary Sheffield bat.

Perhaps the Mets still want Gary around next year but don’t want to give him a new contract now. You have to give Sheffield credit. At age 41, he performed better than anyone expected in a roll no one anticipated. Let’s face it. He was only signed as a backup and pinch hitter. No one projected him with all these at bats at the outset. Only when almost the entire team went on the DL did Gary become an everyday player.

Some have suggested that Sheffield should be back next year as an extra outfielder. I’m not one of them. His legs are brittle and he will be 42. I think the Mets can do better and get younger and healthier bats for backup outfield spots. Some may already be in their midst.

The subplot this season has been the front office and how they go about their business. It has played well next to the main story theme of injury upon injury. The Mets season could have been scripted as one of the great summer disaster films of all time.

Frankly I’m tired of it and I hope some significant changes are made in the front office and on the field. The Mets are going to have to come to the conclusion that they must sever ties with the last three seasons. The meteoric rise to a championship fizzled after 2006. The collapse of 2007 broke Mets fans hearts. 2008 made them an angry mob and the injury riddled 2009 has exposed much dysfunctional behavior with the Mets hierarchy.

The ballpark is great, no question. Now the organization needs to figure out how to put a team in it that Mets fans can get excited over. And I really don’t think it will take much. As long as the Mets stars can get healthy, a shrewd GM should be able to tweak and get all cylinders running. However, the cunning GM in question will have to radically change the starting rotation. Depending on the likes of the Livan Hernandezs of the world must end. Now just who that GM is remains to be seen.

With a record of 55-63, the Mets must go 26-18 to reach the .500 mark by the end of the season. With the four core players now gone from the starting lineup, such a feat seems just about impossible.  It’s not, but what hope is there for the remaining 44 games, the Mets have the capability of turning it on all of a sudden.

The Mets have completed competition with the west except for three games with the Rockies in Colorado. The Mets also must play six with the Cubs, whom they have yet to face. They have three remaining with the Astros that conclude the season at Citi Field. All three out of division teams are contending and will not be easy for the Mets to handle.

Realistically, the teams in the NL east they have yet to conclude season series with won’t be a picnic either. The Mets have nine games each with the Braves and Marlins. They have eight with the Phillies and six with the Nationals who always pose a problem for the Mets. Accept for the Nats, the other three east rivals have their sights set on the post season.

The Mets find themselves in the company of the Nationals as spoilers. Realistically, it’s the only thing left to play for.  It would be interesting to see if the Mets left standing, come late September, can pay back the Marlins for the last two seasons.  Florida is only 4.5 games back of the Phillies and look hungry to challenge the defending world champions.

The Braves are in the hunt too. They are not as talented as the Phillies but Bobby Cox has a way of motivating his players. But I still consider Atlanta the long shot.

Frankly, this season can’t get over fast enough. But when it does end, we will have to endure the constant coverage of the Yankees in the playoffs—ugh! It will be as if the Mets never existed.  Unless the Wilpons can Minaya and others at the end of the season, there will not be much to talk about till the post season ends which could be as late as November this year.

The Mets do have a chance to produce the best sub .500 record in their history, a modest goal I admit. In 1991, the Mets completed the season at 77-84. If the Mets can play .500 the rest of the way, they have a shot at bettering that mark. Pretty sad, isn’t it?