Nightmare Scenario Commences for Mets Fans
Nobody's wrong in their stance heading into the Fall Classic. Except maybe me.
Yes, after defeating the Dodgers in six games in the NLCS, the Atlanta Braves are back in the Fall Classic for the first time since 1999.
For most Mets fans, this is a punch in the solar plexus. Multiple, vicious, breath-stealing blows, in fact (damn you, Kenny Rogers!!!).
History aside, each time Atlanta has advanced in this postseason, a slight wisp of envy strikes. “It could have been the Mets,” is probably unrealistic. Get into the dance and anything can happen, but still, highly unlikely.
This team did have their chances. Make no mistake about it. Though, at the end of the day, New York was ill-prepared for a run of this magnitude, plain and simple.
Maybe they could hang on paper and in the projections and conjured up some magic with The Bench Mob driving the bus to first place, but between widespread underperformance from the regulars, Jacob deGrom’s ultimately season-ending elbow injury, and the team’s general stand-pat-edness at the trade deadline, the writing was on the wall for those who chose to see it.
Once it was clear deGrom wasn’t returning anytime soon, the Mets could have replaced him in the rotation via trade. They chose not to. That speaks volumes.
Javier Báez would never be enough to get this group over the hump, but they probably knew that, too. If anything, sending Pete Crow-Armstrong to the Cubs was simply a very expensive foot in the door to re-sign the 28-year-old dynamo long-term.
Vegas-level gamble, but that’s another bag of potatoes, altogether.
Atlanta made their moves at the deadline, got hot, created some separation, left the door slightly ajar for a moment in early September, then slammed it shut and kicked into another gear in October, knocking off Milwaukee (95 wins) and the Dodgers (106) en route to the promised land.
For the Mets as an organization, this should be a kick in the rear-end and maybe a smack on the back of the head. Do better. Don’t waste opportunities.
For Mets fans, this is simply unpleasant.
The Atlanta Braves as an organization are easy to dislike. The international signing violations. Waving the carrot of multi-year contracts worth millions of dollars in front of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, resulting in both agreeing to ridiculously under-market deals through their early primes. And, of course, that damn rallying cry.
The Chop is abhorrent. It’s degrading. It’s insensitive. It’s tone-deaf. Worst of all, the Atlanta fans love it. And the organization loves that the fans love it. They even dim the stadium lights to accentuate the fans’ waving their illuminated cell phones while chopping. Awful.
For the Braves players who might want to speak up, taking a hard public line is next to impossible. As noted, the folks who sign their checks and the fans who fill those organizational coffers are actively encouraging this behavior. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, to an extent.
One day it will come to an end. Let’s hope that day arrives soon. Back to the World Series.
The first baseball season I digested from first to last pitch was in 1991. Howard Johnson and David Cone were my guys. The Mets finished fifth in the NL East and Atlanta would begin their MLB-record run of 14 consecutive division titles.
That’s right. My indoctrination into this wonderful game of ours was a decade and a half of watching the Braves win, and win, and win. And the Mets mostly lose, and lose, and lose. Thank goodness for 1999 and 2000.
Atlanta usually ended up falling short of the ultimate goal (1995 was their only title during that span), but that’s inconsequential. They were always in the mix. As a Mets fan, unless you weren’t going to watch the postseason (a viable option, just not for me), you had to watch this team.
Once the Mets are out of it (which happens quite often; five postseason trips in my lifetime; I’m 38), I switch gears concerningly easily. Am I not “a real Mets fan” because of that? That’s a clown question. But the peculiar nature of the scenario isn’t lost on me.
I truly don’t have a problem just sitting back and enjoying postseason baseball for what it is: the crown jewel of this beautiful game. Maybe I learned to look past the uniform and just love the game at some point?
Will I be “rooting” for Atlanta in the World Series? No. But I won’t be rooting against them either. The same goes for Houston. Just gimme some outstanding baseball with a dramatic ending and I’ll be good until pitchers and catchers report.
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You're not wrong... Root for good baseball, nothing we can control.
I'll be pulling for Houston though. I just don't have it in me to root for the Braves even though they're not nearly as unlikeable on the field as I want them to be.