Better To Have Missed

I actually had tickets for Friday night's game between the Mets and the Marlins. Because I'd moved that morning I didn't go, which was just as well as the Mets were still shaking the gremlins out of their system and lost what I can only assume was an eminently forgettable game, 3-1.

By not attending that game, and of course not attending the other Mets/Marlins game I had tickets for earlier in the season, I in fact have missed seeing the Marlins for 2017. This is just as well; I think everyone by now knows my feelings towards the Marlins, and if you needed another reason to hate this utter blight of a franchise, well, look who their new owner is going to be. I can't wait to root against them even harder.

I didn't even see Friday's game on TV as my cable hadn't been turned on yet. Then, of course, came the late night news of the Curtis Granderson trade, as he'd been shipped out to the Dodgers for another prospect, and of course it was immediately followed by another shitstorm of reactionary Mets fans screaming about the stupid team, and giving away all the players and a bah blah blah. I hate to see Granderson go, in fact my other half hates it even more and I had to spend the rest of the evening again explaining to her about Free Agency and the Mets trying to just get something rather than letting him leave for nothing, and the fact that the Mets were still losing with him anyway, but at some point things are beyond explanation. The gutting of the 2017 roster is basically complete, although there's still about 10 days for them to deal Asdrubal Cabrera.

Saturday, my cable was on and I did see some of the game, where the Mets actually decided to be a team and hit the ball and treat the Marlins like the Marlins. Wilmer Flores homered, Kevin Plawecki, newly returned, homered, and Rafael Montero pitched reasonably well in an 8-1 victory.

Sunday was, well, Sunday and as the Mets were home and it was Sunday, even Jacob deGrom couldn't save them.

This week, Arizona is in town and I'm actually going to be at a couple of games this week now that I'm starting to unbox myself. It feels like months since I've been there, but that's probably a side effect of moving as opposed to the team, even though sitting through a full game must feel like œons right now.

Box Them Up Too

Because, as I mentioned, I'm in the process of moving (and will later this morning actually go through with the process) I haven't had much opportunity to watch any of these games this week, and I feel somewhat the better for it. I feel bad enough having to recap things but man, imagine if I'd subjected myself to a full game this week? Or worse, if I'd gone?

The Mets getting totally swept in the Subway Series sort of signifies the nadir of an era, although since the only time it's happened was in 2003, and that was certainly a nadir, there's not much "evidence" to back that up. I'm not sure that 2017 qualifies as a nadir, although given the way this season has played out, it's felt that way. This series already featured a neutered version of the Mets, who have been sort of lagging along and playing out the string. Wednesday night, both Jose Reyes and Wilmer Flores got hurt before the game started in probably the most Subway Series thing to happen ever, resulting in the folly of Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis d'Arnaud playing musical infield. Then, of course, Steven Matz, who's more resembled a 2003 Met than an 2017 Met, took the mound and was lit on fire, departing after 3.1 noncompetitive innings down 7-0 and basically sealing the fate on this nightmare. A 9th inning Grand Slam from Curtis Granderson did little more than simply delay the miserable end.

I mean, this probably should have happened to the Mets in 2011, not in 2017. I know this interview with Gary Cohen on Mike Francesa the other day has been making the rounds and, well, he's right. Going into this season, I was calling for Mets fans to pound their chests and be overconfident because it begets attitude. There are seasons I over-romanticize because of how the Mets fought down to the end, but years like this? 2017 is going to get tossed in the tire fire with 1992 or 2009 as years we should never speak of again.

Groundhog Day

Wednesday night's Subway Series game was basically the antithesis of how stupid this chore of a series has become. The Mets scratch out an early run, the Yankees tie the game. The teams then trade 1-2 runs back and forth. The Mets are usually battling and clawing and score runs on ground outs and Sac flies. The Yankees score on monumental Home Runs by their biggest names. The game gets late, the bullpens take over, some Mets reliever gets attacked by Subway Series gremlins, the Mets try to rally and then someone else has their own Subway Series and the Mets lose again.

I saw maybe an inning or two of last night's game and I already knew how to sum it up. The Mets had an early lead, Robert Gsellman gave up an 800 foot Home Run to Mike Judge that broke Baseball, the game was tied late because the Mets scored two runs on Sac flies, and then Paul Sewald came in for the 7th, was one strike from getting out of a jam and instead gave up a 2-run double to Didi Brontasaurius and the Mets had no recourse in a 5-3 loss.

I throw up my hands at these games now. I said on Monday just don't get swept and now I'm not sure that that's not better for them. Probably because I have no confidence in them winning, particularly when you have to throw the Gremlins on top of the odds.

Gremlins 2

It's worth noting that my other half and I are moving on Friday. Our lives at this point have essentially been reduced to boxes and more boxes, with a healthy dose of boxes.

As such, I haven't been able to watch these games in their entirety the last couple of days, and will probably see even less the next couple of days. This is just as well; it will spare my sanity the cost of having to deal with being subjected to the Subway Series and all the garbage that comes along with it.

I saw about two innings on Tuesday night and that was probably two innings too many. Jacob deGrom, whom I'd hoped might be above an attack of the Subway Series, instead succumbed to it in the 3rd inning. It was at that point that I remembered that deGrom actually began his career by having a Subway Series, so this was like coming full circle for him. At any rate, he gave up a double to Pepé Torreyes (who if you'll look closely at him, might just be the embodiment of Subway Series) to begin the 3rd inning, and he scooted up on one ground out and then scored on an Aaron Hicks single. Fortunately, Hicks did not stand there and preen this time. That was bad enough. One inning later, deGrom walked Franch Headley with two outs, and then gave up a line drive to Jacoby Ellsbury. Were this line drive hit in basically any other ballpark, it's probably a single, at most a double and not a long double at that. Of course, the environs being Steroid Field I, it landed in the Right Field seats for probably the biggest piece-of-crap 2-run Home Run I've ever seen. I would think most Mets fans reacted the same way deGrom did, by screaming and swearing into his mitt, and rightfully so because he knew. He knew he'd been done in by a Subway Series again.

Then, we were out, actually moving things to our new place of residence, and then a stop for dinner. So we didn't see the rest of the game, which again was just as well. Stubby Gray mowed down the Mets who looked mostly lifeless, until Dominic Smith hit his first Major League Home Run in the 7th inning. This made the score 4-2. deGrom worked into the 8th before departing, allowing a 6th inning Home Run to Gary Sanchez and a mess in the 8th that led to a 5th run. That 5th run of course being the Subway Series run, as in the 9th, Amed Rosario hit a 2-run Home Run off Aroldis Chapman that made the score 5-4...and thus ensured the Mets would lose by 1 run instead of 3 runs.

Had enough yet? I have. I'm actually glad I won't get to see much, if any, of the next two games and believe me, I had zero intention of actually going to those games. None for me, thanks. I'm driving.

Night of the Gremlins

There are few things in Baseball I've grown to loathe more than the annual Subway Series. It used to be something I'd get excited for, but now it feels like a chore in the midst of an already arduous season. And I feel this way even when the Mets are going well. These games always seem to happen at the worst time of the season, and nothing good ever happens. In fact, usually it's just full of dumb shit and generally it's the Mets who end up looking stupid. I talked about this last season, but it's like they become haunted by a gremlin whenever the Subway Series comes to town.

It happened again last night. I mean, it's bad enough that this season started with all this talk about New York becoming a Mets town again, followed immediately by the Mets turning to mush. But now we have to be subjected to four days of the new masturbatory fantasy of Baseball, Aaron Judge, thrown in our faces. We get it. He's the new now and the Mets are duh stoopid slobs. He hits 800 foot Home Runs and snaps trees in half with his bare hands. I feel like every time he comes to the plate, their fans break into this Stromboli-esque chant, pounding their fists on the table, yelling "JUDGE! JUDGE! JUDGE! JUDGE! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW! JUDGE! JUDGE! JUDGE!" He already broke the Home Run record before the All Star break, in case you weren't aware, and you wouldn't notice that he's slumped substantially since then, but of course the Subway Series is here so you can expect him to hit 8 Home Runs this week. He got one down in the 6th inning off Rafael Montero, which erased an early 2-0 Mets lead and tied the score, and set off this amateurish, vertigo-inducing disco light show at Steroid Field I.

To his credit, Montero pitched surprisingly well in a ballpark that has a 200' Right Field line, only allowing 2 runs in his 6 innings of work. The Mets got a pair of Home Runs from Yoenis Cespedes and Curtis Granderson in the 3rd off of Luis Cessa (because you knew Granderson would hit a Home Run in SF1) but nothing further and so when the game went late and the Mets summoned Hansel Robles, well, you knew it was a matter of time before the gremlins got him.

Robles pitched a fine 7th and really it would have been fine to get him there, but noooooo. Collins sent him back for the 8th where predictably he gave up a leadoff Home Run to Aaron Hicks, who blasted it and stood and styled while Robles stood there with that dopey puss on his face because the Subway Series got him again. Robles was then replaced with Erik Goeddel which isn't quite an improvement, as evidenced by the fact that Gary Sanchez, who will spend the rest of his career trading high on two hot months last season, hit another Home Run and that pretty much threw the game down the toilet.

I'd say we should just throw the rest of the week down the toilet. I just hope the Mets don't get swept this week. Tonight's deGrom, so that's probably our best chance. Hopefully he's immune to the Subway Series. Otherwise, we're screwed.