Fatalistic

I believe that up until late last year I did not have a fatalistic view of the New York Mets. I was not waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, I was not anticipating nervously that something would go wrong, even though the worst was always in the back of my mind. That started to change late last year when the bullpen blew game after game after game. And now this year. This is as bad a fundamental team I have seen since my little league team, the Astros, in 1988. Whether it is missing bases, getting thrown out on the bases, dropping fly balls...

In the second inning of this game in the new Yankee Stadium last night, the Mets get a gift when Joba Chamberlain cannot locate his fastball and walks in two runs in one inning. Three walks and two HBP's. 2-1 Mets. Now I know that in this bandbox of a new park the Yankees play in, no lead is safe. After Teixeira put the Bombers on top with a two-run blast, Ryan Church doubles in a run and Gary Sheffield drills a three-run blast. Fifth inning: Jeter his a home run to right that would not have reached the warning track at Citi Field. Sixth inning. Godzilla give the Yankees the lead with a three-run homer to right. I was upset, but I still felt the Mets could win.

Seventh inning: Runners at second and third, no one out for the Mets. This is the at-bat that no one is giving attention to. Fernando Tatis pinch hits. Facing a lefty, Phil Coke. Ground ball, Double play, run scores. Mets tie it, but any chance for a big inning is gone. Sean Green fights through the seventh inning, but the score remains tied at 7-7.

Eighth inning: Phil Coke gets the first two out and Joe Girardi brings in Mariano in a tie game. Strange move, but I was fine with it. Beltran walks and Wright doubles him home and I am going nuts. The Red Sox are leading the Phillies at this point and although I am trying to just look at the wild card standings, I was pumped. Even better, Green and Feliciano get the Yanks out 1-2-3 in the bottom half.

Ninth inning: Mets do nothing against Rivera. Bottom of the ninth, in comes the great K-Rod. Brett Gardner pops up, and after a long at-bat, Jeter singles. I wasn't too worried, although I knew a home run would end the game. Then Johnny Damon pinch hits for Nick Swisher. After what seemed like 15 pitches, Damon strikes out but Jeter steals second. K-Rod wants no part of Teixeira and walks him, which is fine. Up comes A-Rod. The great hitter who is as unclutch as any, so they say. With a 3-1 count, he pops the ball up to shallow right field. Out goes Luis Castillo and as he is shuffling back, his legs are shaking. I knew he was under the ball, but I dreaded that he might not be able to see it. And he drops the ball, two runs score. Yankees win, theeeeeeeeee Yankees win.

This is Francisco Rodriguez' first blown save as a Met and he absolutely did not deserve it. The bottom line is this. Championship caliber teams do not lose these types of games and do not make these fundamental mistakes on a day in, day out basis. This team needs to shake something up. I don't know if it's coaching or a trade, but this team will not take me and my fellow Mets fans to the promise land. At best, they will compete for the wild card. There is no way they are catching Philadelphia.

And who do we send to the mound today? The immortal Fernando Nieve. Wake me up when the Mets have a lead in that game today.