Double Trouble: Mets Collapse Again

Last week, I questioned Doug Melvin's decision to fire Milwaukee Brewers' manager Ned Yost with just 12 games left in the regular season, and I stand by my opinion when I say it was a terrible and disrespectful move for the organization. It was a slap in the face to a man who was apart of Brewers' history, and it could have resulted in a costly distraction to players. The Brewers officially clinched a playoff birth yesterday with their 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on the final day of the regular season, but it had more to do with the New York Mets' collapse than anything else. This year, the Mets held a three-and-a-half game lead in the NL Wild Card with 17 games left, and they blew their chances on a trip to the post season due to their second consecutive September collapse. I searched the blogosphere to find some in-depth analyses as to why the Mets won't be playing in October, and I came across two posts that I commented on. The first one was entitled "Torch Song", published by long-time professional journalist and radio broadcaster Jeff Kallman. His most recent post regarding the Mets collapse on his blog titled The MLB Source, presented the argument that the Mets' collapse should not only be attributed to the terrible relief pitching but should also linked to the team's lack of hitting down the stretch. Kallman also argued Johan Santana was really the true ace everyone was looking for, whether they saw it or not. The second post was entitled, "FINAL: Mets Miss the Playoffs With 4-2 Defeat to the Marlins", published by New York Times' reporter Joshua Robinson. The blog can be found NYTimes.com "Baseball" section of the site. This post provided an exciting inning-by-inning account of the Mets' final game and made readers feel as if they were apart of the action. In addition to publishing my comments directly on these blogs, I have also posted my comments below.

"Torch Song"
My Response:

Thank you for writing a well-constructed post regarding the New York Mets’ second collapse in as many seasons. You clearly watched games as more than just a fan and made the judgments in your mind of how the Mets could have done something differently to either win their division or fend off the Milwaukee Brewers and keep their lead in the NL Wild Card. I believe your first paragraph sets a great tone for your post. “This time, [the Mets] didn’t blow a seven-game divisional lead by going 5-12 in their final seventeen … This time, they blew a mere three-and-a-half game divisional lead and went 7-10 in the final seventeen.” I like how your opening paragraph humorously points out this Mets’ collapse this year may not be comparable to last year, but it’s just as sloppy and disgraceful for the organization. One aspect of the collapse I felt you could have expanded on was the horrendous individual work of the Mets’ bullpen. Rather than focusing on the games they blew for ace Johan Santana, which, I’ll admit, I had no idea he could have won between 23 and 27 games this season, I would have liked to see more commentary on the fact that the relievers were all basically lefty of righty specialists and couldn’t get through a clean inning to save their life during September. Once closer Billy Wagner got injured for the Mets in August, their season slowly began deteriorating, and that’s something I feel you left out. In addition, I would have liked to get some of your insight of the upcoming plans for the Mets. Management just signed general manager Omar Minaya to a four-year extension, whether he deserved it or not for putting together two straight teams that have collapsed, and I would like to get your insight to what the organization’s off-season plans might hold to right the ship. Will they go after another big name free agent like a A.J. Burnett or CC Sabathia? Will they make another big trade like they made last season? Or do you think they will they sit tight and try to win with what they have?

"FINAL: Mets Miss the Playoffs With 4-2 Defeat to the Marlins"
My Response:

First off, I would like to thank you for writing a post that was different from any other account I've read about the Mets' second-straight collapse. Reading this post almost felt as if I was at the final game at Shea Stadium, and I could feel the crowd. It was a very fun read, especially because you kept going back and forth between the Brewers' game and the Mets' game. One of the most crucial points you hit on during the third inning of your post was when you wrote, "It already has the feel of a game that will be won and lost by the bullpens, which is never a good sign for the Mets." And eventually, the bullpen blew yet another game during the Mets' dismal September collapse. Reading through your post, I found it interesting that you focused most of your blame for the team's loss today solely on the bullpen, when the offense failed to show up at all. Despite Carlos Beltran's game-tying home run, the offense produced nearly nothing during the team's most important game of the season. Coming into the game, you even pointed out the Mets' opposing pitcher Scott Olsen had little success in his 12 career starts against New York, going 1-5 with a 4.89 E.R.A. The Mets should have put more runs across the board, but they didn't, which resulted in a lot of pressure placed on the relievers heading into the later innings, and they gave up two runs that would ultimately end the Mets' season. One more area I think you could have expanded on were the players' reactions during the game. Because I am reading the recap and not watching the game, I need as much detail as I can get to picture it in my mind. While you did a great job with the fans' emotions, I would have liked to picture the players' emotions as well. Lastly, I have some questions for you regarding Mets' interim manager Jerry Manuel. Do you think he is responsible for the collapse this season? Could he have done anything differently? And, do you think he will be back in 2009?