Friday, August 24, 2018

The East Egg Team

Only the sorts of die-hard Mets fans who run what's left of the baseball desk at the NY Times could take yet another pineapply deGrom defeat and turn it into a reason for hope.

But here was Jay Schreiber today, with a major analysis piece headlined, "Surprise!  The Mets Might Actually Be Getting Better."

Because, you know, since that 33-48 they are playing .500 ball, and the starting rotation is real good, and "an argument can be made—perhaps with some wishful thinking sprinkled in—that in Conforto, McNeil, Rosario (who is 22) and outfielder Brandon Nimmo (who is 25), the Mets have the beginning of a core.  All four have contributed to the Mets' mini-resurgence."

There are enough caveats and hedges in that one sentence to drive a religion through—the religion of the Mets.  It goes on and on like this:  'if maybe, only Rosario can do a little better like he has of late, and Conforto can heal some more, and Nimmo continues to improve, and Bruce and Cespedes come back..."

Yes, and "tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther...and one fine morning—"

Maybe it's their location, on the site of the former Valley of Ashes that featured so vividly in The Great Gatsby, but the Mets have always struck me as the Gatsby team, staring out at that little green light from East Egg and wishing on "the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us." Hoping for another miracle year, like it was in 1969, or 1973, or 1986, or 2000, or 2015...

Somehow, never realizing that the whole outfit was long ago acquired by the Tom Buchanans of the sporting world, who see the team just as a real estate dodge.

But the thing is...they're right.

The Mets may never reach that orgiastic future.  But they have a better chance of getting there than these Yankees do.

They have indeed solved the Rubik's Cube that Brian Cashman never has been able to align.  That is, they have built a solid, and potentially overwhelming, starting staff.

The fundamental flaw in the Yankees ever since Coops took over the team is that he has never been able to duplicate, in the starting rotation or the bullpen, the incredible depth and professionalism of the staff he inherited from the Holy Trinity of Stick, Bob, and Buck.

He's tried again and again, acquiring his vaunted "young power arms," switching to grizzled veterans, even, at last, resorting to growing his own.  All to no avail.  And now, we've gone to Happ and Hapless, with no real hope of building a good young staff anytime soon.

So much for orgiasms.




26 comments:

JM said...

Cashman...Cashman...Cashman...oh, yeah, I remember him now.

Isn't he the guy that really sucks?

Anonymous said...

IF THE METS WIN BIG BEFORE US, GET THE ROPE READY, CAUSE I'M HANGING MYSELF.

YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT COOP THOUGH HOSS, SO RIGHT.

IN TRADE SCENARIO'S, HE JUST NEVER FINDS THE RIGHT PITCHER FOR US.

MOSTLY IN THE PAST, FOR SOME REASON, HE SEEMED ADDICTED TO NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHERS, WHICH ALMOST ALWAYS, WITHOUT FAIL, WAS A DISASTER FOR US.



Vampifella said...

I wish we had the Mets starters. I'd feel more confident with them leading our team to 100+ wins than the scrap pile stuff we scrounge up. Luckily the Mets will never have the decent hitters (or the good health) to go behind the pitching to make them a scary team.

That reminds me, I was thinking about CC last night and we'll probably resign him for another year. His numbers are good enough to justify it but more importantly is that he's very close to some important milestones. 250 wins and 3000 strikeouts. I'd be very surprised if he calls it quit before reaching those numbers and I'd be even more surprised if the Yanks wouldn't want to capitalize on them. I'd count him in for our 4th/5th in 2019.

Also, Happ is doing well enough to get a dreadful 2-3 year contract from us much like how we rewarded Ichiro for not sucking for his couple months of play. I really hope this won't happen but I feel that it will.

Severino/Tanaka/Gray (plus Sheffield to learn the ropes) and we are all set with our 2019 starting pitching. Not too bad if healthy, but we know that's very unlikely to happen for very long. I still rather have Syndergaard, deGrom and Wheeler though.

Austria's Only Baseball Fan said...

"The most unfortunate time of the year” – https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/see-the-yankees-players-weekend-nicknames/c-289581842

Oh, what jolly good fun! What Mensa-worthy originality! With all due respect to Bryan Hoch (oh, fuck it – NO respect to Hoch):

Mason DUE jar
DELICATE (alternate: BORICO ACIDO)
ORNITHOLOGEE-WIZ
BRANGLADA
DOLLY CHAPSTICK
SLAW
THE INVISIBLE POISONOUS JUNIPER BERRY (available in limited quantity)
JUNGLE RED (in honor of Joan Crawford; see “The Women” – 1939 George Cucor)
GARDNER
PICKLES (the name of Maury Amsterdam’s magnificently ditzy showgirl wife on “The Dick Van Dyke Show”)
GREGARIOUS DODO
GREENY
HAPPY
HELLIE
HICKEY
HOLDILOCKS
GIGI
MIA FARROW
MONTY (the original “Monty,” Montgomery Clift, was dubbed “Princess Tiny Meat,” which certainly didn’t help THAT career)
COO, COO, CA-CHOO, MRS. ROBINSON
THIS DUB’S ON YOU
ROMAINE A LA SALMONELLA
SEVY
GIGI
MASA’S IN DE COLD COLD GROUND
CLOBBER TOONCES
VOIT FOR THE ROIT TO PITY
WALKIE-TALKIE-SLEEPY

And for the finale: It’s time to release the KRÃœCKEN (the Austro-German word for crutches, which should be distributed to the first 10,000 people who show up, if they can get that many souvenir collectors).

Gee, I wonder what the Baltimore names are…

JM said...

Why are the Yankees in clown costumes?

JM said...

I'm listening to Billboard hits of 1970, and it sounds fucking incredible. Nice to have a Nakamichi.

JM said...

Neil The Hat Walker. HR, mofo.

TheWinWarblist said...

Neil the Hat still sucks. How do we find a way to lose now?

TheWinWarblist said...

John M, it's freaking "Nickname Weekend."

TheWinWarblist said...

Wow. Luke Voit has a huge head. Look at the size of that melon, would ya?

TheWinWarblist said...

AHH! AHHH!!! HaVoit-haaaaVoiiiit-ah-haaaaa!!
AAaAhhaaaa-haha-haaa-hhhhhHHHHHHHHaaaaAAHHHHHHHHHHHaaaa-ah-ah-ah-aaaaaaaaAaAaHaHaHaaaAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!

Anonymous said...

What was Sterling's homerun call for Luke Voit?

Leinstery said...

They won that game due to Luke Voit and Walker? I saw Robertson did his thing and assumed it was over. Fuck it, put Voit in at Manager.

13bit said...

I'm not going to get sucked back in.

Anonymous said...

Just heard it--has to be the worst one ever:

"Luke here! Voit is adroit!"

Please--someone please find a comfy spot for Sterling in an assisted-living facility.

TheWinWarblist said...

An assisted living like a college campus!!

Anonymous said...

Yes--a college campus where he can receive some free psychological counseling.

JM said...

Voit and Walker...fuck me.

Anonymous said...

I WILL TELL YOU ONE THING...

WATCHING VOIT PUMPING HIS FIST AROUND THE BASES, AND STORMING UP AND DOWN THE DUGOUT SHOWING FIRE WITH HIS TEAMMATES, CERTAINLY SHOWED US WHAT GREG BIRD DOES NOT DO.

WATCH AND OBSERVE, MR. BIRD, BECAUSE IF YOU ARE NOT HURT (AGAIN), YOU'RE BLOWING IT.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Missed the game, but I'm glad to hear somebody showed some life.

For Voit, shouldn't it have been, "Into the Voit we go!" Hmm, no...this is harder than it looks...

Hey, we'll take wins from anyone, even Walker and Voit. They sure as hell gave us enough agita this year, particularly Walker.
And nice to see us beat Carroll while Britton—barely—managed to hang on for the save. Buck's head must've been exploding.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Vampifella, I sure like CC, but I don't think it would be a good idea to sign him. He's much more likely to break down than to give us another season like this one.

BUT...that said, as with so much else, we may HAVE to sign him, now that Cashman's brought us to this point. And I agree with you about Happ. He should not get such a contract—not a guy who can't take a five-run lead against a team like Toronto into the seventh.

As for the rotation next year, I think the number one guy we have to sign is Patrick Corbin, who will be a free agent from Arizona. I don't think that Gray should have any role except to be traded, but I guess a lot of that depends on how he does down the stretch.

So the rotation for 2019 could be: Sevvy, Corbin, Tanaka, and...?

Maybe Sheffield and CC? Maybe Happ?

Don't want Gray and don't think Monty will be back. I don't want us to sign Eovaldi, who I'm sure will revert to form with us. Would love to see Mike King, now tearing up Triple-A, get a shot...

Joe of AZ said...

Poor Voit...
You just know once the yabjees "coaches" start teaching him their strategies he'll be as big as Mr ice cream sandwich and as useless as floppy bird


Nonetheless GREAT CUPCAKIAN VICTORY

Anonymous said...

EASY HOSS.....

REMEMBER, COOP CASHMAN WILL STORM TO GET CORBIN.

ONE PROBLEM.

NATIONAL LEAGUE.

(EVEN YOU'RE FALLING INTO COOP'S VORTEX).

I ALWAYS WANT A "BATTLE-TESTED" PITCHER FROM THE A.L. IF AVAILABLE.

THINK DALLAS KUECHEL.

J.HAPP TOO (2 YEARS MAX).

GIVE JUSTUS A SHOT.

MONTY MAY BE BACK MID-SEASON.

TANAKA.

SEVY.

I KEEP SAYING NO TO CC BUT THEY KEEP SIGNING HIM. (HE HAS BEEN MOSTLY RELIABLE, BUT HOW LONG CAN IT GO ON WITH HIS KNEE)?

AFTER ALL I SUGGEST, I KNOW COOP IS GOING FOR CORBIN.

.....BUT DON'T BE SURPRISED AT THE DISAPPOINTMENT.

I HOPE I'M WRONG.

TheWinWarblist said...

Loaisiga!!

HoraceClarke66 said...

You have a very good point, ALL-CAPS: all too often, these recruits from the Straight-Fastball League prove to be duds in the AL.

Though maybe things are changing. Unless the balance changes drastically, the NL will win inter-league play—for, I think, the first time ever. That is, after 21 straight losses!

But that is the evil genius of Coops. He is adept at creating a reality you have to accept, or else. He screws up that incredibly deep farm system we had last year, and now he will say we have to go along with his signings, if we are to have any chance at all.

And he will be right.

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