Monday, July 6, 2009

To Serve Mets: A weekend from the Twilight Zone

Picture if you will, a team with more All-Stars (four) than number of runs scored in the most important series of the year so far (three). And this was a series played in a bandbox in which the Mets faced mostly mediocre pitching. Your road trip has just made a stop in... the Twilight Zone.

Of course, popups against the Mets have been traveling into the Twilight Zone all year. Where will the ball end up? Landing on the ground behind David Wright? Bouncing off of Omir Santos' glove?

Throws end up in the Twilight Zone as well. Why else would Daniel Murphy leave the ball on the ground after Shane Victorino beat out an infield hit Friday night?

Then there's Mike Burns, journeyman pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, whose career took a detour into the Twilight Zone last Tuesday, when he shut down the Mets and outdueled Johan Santana. Yesterday, in Burns' next start, he returned to reality, giving up seven runs to the Cubs. Did Burns use all the film in his magic camera? Was he mean to the demonic doll Talking Tina?

Watching Met games this year has become equivalent to the episode in which William Shatner sees a gremlin on the wing of the plane. You can't believe what you're seeing, but every time you sneak a peek, it's there again, preparing to bring everything crashing down.

Picture if you will, Omar Minaya arriving in Flushing promising to bring joy and prosperity to the Mets. He works from a blueprint called "To Serve Mets."

And now, after a dismal sweep by the Phillies, we see the grim truth.

The Mets are cooked.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Plain and simple, the Mets are just a really bad team, period. Poorly run as well. Sell guys like Livan and Sheffield while they still have a little value.

Michael in California

Uncle Mike said...

Submitted for your approval: Mr. Jon Lewin, who has forgotten that "Picture if you will" was the catchphrase of one Dr. Carl Sagan, not that of Mr. Rod Serling. This is what rooting for the Metropolitan Baseball Club of New York, Incorporated has done to him.

Perhaps, in order to escape the daily grind of Met-hood, he made a stop at Willoughby, where he heard a passage for trumpet. Nevertheless, as a Met fan, he has realized that it is not a good life, and that he has become the obsolete man. He is having flashbacks to the days when he could look around at Shea Stadium and cry out, "Where is everybody?"

Perhaps it is time enough at last to give up on this experiment. After all, not that long ago he had to deal with the invaders in Citi Field. These men, in the lateness of the hour, have left Mr. Lewin, in the eye of this beholder, as the howling man.

A case to be filed under M, for Mets... as the signposts fly by: Queensboro Plaza, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Corona, Willets Point... last stop, The Twilight Zone.

(Yes, I know the Yankees lost today. I'm not upset.)

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