The Ballclub

What is this and why am I reading it?

In 2006 the New York Mets had a season that erased several years' worth of growing desperation and even anger among fans. The previous few seasons had witnessed an upheaval in the management and front office, a shipping in and out of questionable veteran players, and several disappointments among the touted "can't miss" prospects of the team's farm system.

2006 saw the genesis of a new order in the team, as a new general manager effectively said, "Okay, enough. We're serious this time," and fielded a winning team of established stars, rising young players, and valuable role players led by a capable new manager. The team won 97 games and took its division for the first time in almost two decades. They got to within one game of their first World Series appearance since 2000, and then …

And then that ellipsis appeared. A good reliever gave up a home run to a weak-hitting Cardinal catcher. The Cards' closer threw a perfect curveball to the Mets' number three hitter. And that was that.

But, hey, hell of a ride, right?

The Ballclub is about the Mets and the coming season, and any beyond that we're around to chronicle. I decided to create this site when it occurred to me that there weren't enough smart-alecky white guys writing about sports on the Internet. Now, as to why you're reading it, that's between you and your AA sponsor. But if we offer you a unique perspective that sets us apart from the thousands of other blogger/hacks, or that you just enjoy for whatever reason, we're satisfied with that.