Jenrry Mejia

I’m Done with the Mets

It’s a process that began with Game 5 of the World Series. 

In that game, I saw Terry Collins turn to noted steroid cheat, Bartolo Colon, when the Mets were down in extra innings. The Mets went to him even after he blew Game 1 of the World Series. Why turn to a younger, fresher, and overall better arm like Hansel Robles?  No we go to Colon, who blew it again. 

I processed the emotions of that loss, and I moved on. Then the Mets bring back Collins, the very same man who managed a horrendous World Series. They brought back Colon because, well, there was no good reason for that. Also, because Sandy Alderson is trying to replicate his late 80’s Oakland Athletics teams (i.e. steroid users), he added Antonio Bastardo to the bullpen mix. That was also after the Mets offered Jenrry Mejia a contract – if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. 

While the Mets made sure to keep their steroid cheats, they got rid of Daniel Murphy, who single-handedly carried the Mets this offseason. I guess if Murphy started a steroids cycle and hit 30 home runs last year, the Mets would’ve given him a legitimate contract. 

Think about it. The Mets threw away Murphy, who led them to the World Series, and they kept Lucas Duda, who literally threw away the Mets chances of winning a World Series. If the Mets were really serious about winning, they would keep the players that helped them win, and they would’ve gotten rid of the streaky players that did nothing to help them win anything. 

Furthermore, during the offseason, we had to see Matt Harvey flaunt his bedroom prowess on Bravo. We saw Noah Syndergaard take a victory lap at every New York stadium and arena after the Mets lost. He probably should’ve spent that time learning how not to lose a World Series or needlessly throw at batter’s heads. 

Even better, the Mets released Ruben Tejada for no reason at all.  Tejada was an integral part of this Mets team. It was his injury that galvanized the Mets. Even with a cane, he was able to help the Mets win the pennant.  When the Mets released him, they not only got rid of their leader, they had no legitimate backup plan. Eric Campbell has no business being a baseball player, and Matt Reynolds is a complete bust. Seriously, just remember it was Omar Minaya’s players, not Sandy Alderson’s that won the pennant. 

I got past all of that and more. However, this Spring Training was the final straw. This Mets team has gone 13 straight games without a win. It’s clear from all of this Spring Training, they’re not taking getting ready for the season seriously. 

Well, if this team can’t take winning seriously, I can’t root for this team anymore. I still can’t root for another NL team, and I’ll never root for the Yankees. I’ll be honest. It’s hard to pick another team to root for. I’ve been a Mets fan all my life, and the vast majority of my family (including my Dad and brother) are Mets fans. 

Right now, I’m leaning towards the White Sox. Their coaching staff is full of great former Mets like Robin VenturaJoe McEwing, and Daryl Boston. They’re taking getting ready for this season seriously. They actually addressed their needs in the offseason, and they let Adam LaRoche know they will not let his son be a distraction. 

I wish Mets fans the best of luck. It’s been 30 years since the last World Series. I’d like to tell you to hang in there; that’ll happen soon. However, I’ve seen two collapses, Carlos Beltran not swinging, and Mike Piazza fly out to deep center. I know it’ll never happen in my lifetime, especially not with this offseason. 

Best of luck to you Mets fans. Go ChiSox!

Mejia’s Press Conference Didn’t Disappoint 

In all seriousness, the last thing I want to do is to write about Jenrry Mejia again. It’s going to be an exciting year for the Mets, and there are so many great and positive things to write about and discuss. 

However, he called a press conference, and WOW, do we need to address his allegations. 

First, Mejia alleged that baseball threaten him with a third suspension if he didn’t name names. Essentially, Mejia is asserting that the way MLB handles its steroid policy is nothing short of how the McCarthy hearings transpired.  For not naming names, Mejia alleges he was suspended a third time even though he was not using a banned substance at the time of the last suspension.

Now, Mejia only admitted to being guilty the first time, which he chalked up to an accident. He said the subsequent tests were no accurate. When pressed on whether MLB was issuing false positives, Mejia’s attorney said the information is confidential. Despite the confidentiality asserted here, it did not prevent Mejia from making that assertion. 

Second, Mejia has alleged that MLB has hacked into player’s social media accounts. Following the Cardinals’ hacking scandal this is no small allegation. Mejia is not only asserting baseball has infringed upon his rights, he is also accusing baseball of criminal behavior. If true, this is a scandal that could rock baseball. If false, these allegations are nothing short of defamation. 

Of less surprising news, Mejia says he is innocent, and he will appeal the suspension through the Player’s Union. As such, no court case as of right now. As we’ve seen in past cases, these appeals happen behind closed doors, which is a shame. With all that Mejia is claiming, I’d love to see this on live TV. 

This press conference has raised many issues regarding how MLB handles people who test positive for PEDs. If MLB is willing to bargain with a tainted player for information, it puts the legitimacy of the policy and what’s on the field in question. Conversely, if MLB is creating false positives and hacking into player’s social media accounts, it shows the great lengths baseball will go to in order to catch PED users. At this point, this all seems a little far fetched . . . at least I hope it is. 

The Mejia drama has taken some strange twists and turns thus far, and by the looks of it, the drama is not going away any time soon. 

Editor’s Note: this was first published on metsmerizedonline.com

Buddy Carlyle May Only Have One Chance Left

It was Opening Day last season. Jenrry Mejia was injured and could not pitch. Terry Collins had to turn to someone to close out the Mets 3-1 win over Washington. He turned to the 37 year old Buddy Carlyle, who earned his first career save. 

In some small measure, Collins pick was to reward Carlyle for an absolutely terrific 2014 season. 

Carlyle really came from nowhere. He had been 11-12 with a 5.58 ERA in his seven year major league seasons. He played one year in Korea, one year in Japan, and one year in the Dominican Winter Leagues. In the two years prior to joining the Mets, Carlyle pitched in AAA. There was no reason to believe that Carlyle could help the Mets in 2014. Then again, there was no reason to believe the bullpen that was constructed would need Buddy Carlyle. 

Carlyle got called up at the end of May. He would go on and pitch 31.0 innings in 27 appearances. Carlyle would finish the year with a sparkling 1.45 ERA. He was supposed to be a part of the 2015 bullpen and build upon his success. Instead, Carlyle recorded the one save and had season ending hip surgery

Well Carlyle is back with the Mets on another minor league deal. There’s two open bullpen spots, and at least in theory, Carlyle is a candidate for the job. He has a history of pitching well for the Mets, and they thought enough about him that they invited him to come back on a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. 

Carlyle is 38 years old. As of right now, it appears he’s ticketed for AAA to start the season. I always have an immense amount of respect for players like this. Guys who could easily quit and go home. He’s had a tough career, had some success, and have suffered injuries. It’s never easy for the Carlyle’s of the world, yet he is going to force baeeball to tear the uniform off his back. At that point, he’ll look to play elsewhere. He will play until someone says he can play no more. 

That’s admirable. Baseball is better with the Buddy Carlyles of the world. People who scratch and claw just to be average, just to be a part of something. When he finally retires, it’ll be a blurb in the newspaper instead of him having an elaborate press conference. 

Before that point, I hope Carlyle gets one last chance to pitch for the Mets. I hope he can walk off the field, under his own terms, with his head held high. With all he’s done to be here, he deserves that chance. I’m rooting for Buddy Carlyle. 

Mejia’s Conspiracy Theory

Jenrry Mejia three his entire career away for his continued use of PEDs. At the age of 26, his career is over. It really makes no sense whatsoever.  

In an earlier MMO article, different avenues were examined as to the reason why Mejia tested for PED use a third time despite his professed innocence. As part of the analysis, there was the mention of a Latino Sports article wherein Mejia claims he was being that no one was helping him. He said the player’s union abandoned him. He was told that if he appealed the second positive test baseball would suspend him a third time thereby giving Mejia a lifetime suspension. 

Mejia has now double-downed on those claims in an exclusive interview with Ben Berkon of the New York Times:

Mejia said that baseball officials told him that if he appealed the punishment for the second doping offense, “they will find a way to find a third positive,” Mejia said through an interpreter. “I felt there was a conspiracy against me. I felt that they were trying to find something to bring me down in my career.”

Naturally, MLB denies these claims. 

As for Mejia, who never appealed any of his three steroid suspensions, he will tell anyone who is listening that no one was there to help him save his career:

The association should have done more, Mejia said, adding that he thought the union “should have been there to defend me – because that’s what they’re there for. They should have found something to appeal for.”

It’s interesting that Mejia would continue to profess his innocence while doing nothing to clear his name or toss aside the lifetime suspension.  In the NFL, Tom Brady destroyed evidence and took the NFL to court over four games.  For his part, Mejia will cry to anyone who will listen. 

Overall, while it’s hard to fathom how anyone could have three positive PED tests so close in time, it’s getting harder to fathom how Mejia is the victim of some elaborate conspiracy theory. As more and more times passes, Mejia has substituted actions for words. 

Just like Mel Gibson, Flores is certain there’s a Conspiracy Theory. Sooner or later, he’s going to have to settle which one he’s sticking with. Hopefully, like Mel Gibson in the movie, Mejia just disappears forever. 

MLB Steroid Policy Needs Changes

Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association should be commended for creating the best steroid testing policy and penalty system in all of professional sports. With the Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring after this season, it’s time to reevaluate the steroid policy and make some changes. 

After seeing the saga of Jenrry Mejia, I believe there is some room for improvement. 

The first issue is that Mejia came back at all in 2015. While Mejia was serving his first suspension, he again tested positive. Mejia got to pitch in seven games before the second suspension was finally levied. At this time, the Mets and Nationals were separated by two games and were about to head into the All Star break. Mejia had an impact on a pennant race even though he tested positive for steroids. Overall, there was no reason why he should’ve played. 

Baseball should implement a rule that a player cannot return from a steroid suspension unless they pass a steroid test. 

Now, in the case of Mejia, he never would’ve pitched in 2015. That would’ve been a good thing. It would’ve prevented a steroid user from having any impact upon a pennant race.  

Keep in mind, this is a slight tweak of the current testing policy. Under the current policy, a player who tests positive is subjected to increased testing over the course of the year. However, it calls for increased random testing, not time specific testing.  Rather than do completely random testing, there should be a blood and urine test right before the players is scheduled to return. When and only when the player passes that test, the player can then return.

The next issue to be addressed is what to do with these players if they test positive on their reinstatement test. Under the current policy, these players would receive an additional suspension. As we saw with Mejia, he pitched all of seven games in the 2015 season before his career was done.  

Research seems to indicate that anabolic steroids, like the ones taken by Mejia, are addictive in nature. An abuser of anabolic steroids can experience depression, and worse, may become suicidal.  Now, I can’t tell you Mejia is depressed or suicidal. What we can see however is that Mejia showed signs of addictive behavior. Mejia continued to use steroids even though it was to his detriment. 

Now, if Mejia had been caught using cocaine or another “drug of abuse,” Mejia would’ve been placed in a treatment program. However, because Mejia used steroids instead of heroin, the treatment program was not an option, at least as the drug policy is currently written. It’s very well possible Mejia needed help, and it was not available to him. 

Don’t misunderstand me. Mejia is a cheater. He deserved his first suspension. No one ever forced him to take Stanozol. However, if he truly became addicted to steroids, there should be measures in place the help Mejia rather than just throw him out of baseball. Therefore, the penalties for steroid use should be changed to address this issue. 

For the first offense, a player should still be suspended for 80 games. However, I believe that should become a minimum suspension. If a player cannot pass the aforementioned reinstatement steroid test, the treatment program provisions of the “drugs of abuse” should come into effect. The 80 game suspension should then become an indefinite suspension.  It should not trigger the 162 game penalty at that time. 

Under this new plan, a player who tests positive the first time could effectively be suspended longer than 80 games, 162 games, or possibly more. It really is up to the player. If a player is addicted, and needs help, the avenues should be there for them. If the player continues to test positive, and refuses to accept treatment, the “drug of abuse” treatment providions should apply:

  1. First failure to comply: 15-25 game suspension;
  2. Second failure to comply: 25-50 game suspension;
  3. Third failure to comply: 50-75 game suspension; and
  4. Fourth failure to comply: one year suspension and whatever additional penalties the Commissioner sees fit. 

Essentially, the goal should be to get the addicted players the help they need. If they fail to comply, the refusal to seek treatment penalties should apply instead of the 162 game penalty. Once the player has completed their program and can pass a reinstatement test, they should then be allowed to return to baseball. 

If, after all of that, a player tests positive a second time, that player should receive the 162 game suspension. After a second suspension, the player should automatically be enrolled in a treatment program. After the 162 game suspension, the player should again be subjected to a reinstatement test. Additionally, that player should not be reinstated until they pass that test. 

If a player fails a third test after all of this, that player should then receive the lifetime suspension. 

Right now, there is a 26 year old reliever who may have a substance abuse issue. It was his fault for starting in the first place.  With that said, baseball failed to put steps in place that could have helped him. The second and third suspensions might have been prevented. If he used cocaine like Josh Hamilton, he would still be in baseball. 

Mejia cheated and deserved his suspension. After that, he was penalized because he was addicted to steroids instead of cocaine. It’s time baseball got steroid users the help they may need. 

Could Mejia Possibly Be Innocent?

Well unless you’re living under a rock, by now you’ve heard that Jenrry Mejia is permanently suspended from baseball for testing positive for steroids use a third time. The universal take is that he was incredibly stupid. At first, that was my take as well. 

However, there is something in me that began to question this premise. The one question I kept coming back to was why would he continue to use steroids while he was on suspension?  There was nothing he could gain from it. He wasn’t eligible to pitch until the 101st game of the 2016 season. It just doesn’t make sense for him to get busted for using steroids half a year before he was even allowed to pitch. 

To gather an understanding of what happened, let’s first start with the banned substances Mejia was taking and the correlating suspensions:

  1. April 2015: Stanozol
  2. July 2015: Stanozol and Boldenone
  3. February 2016: Boldenone

Looking over this list, there are two things that jump right out at me. The first is he tested positive for a banned substance during a suspension. The next is that each time he tested positive, he tested positive for a banned substance he had tested positive for in an earlier test. 

What is interesting about Stanozol is that with one injection, the presence of Stanozol in your system can be identified for several months. Therefore, it is at least possible that Mejia tested positive for Stanozol in April and July for just one injection.  What’s problematic for Mejia is he also tested positive for Boldenone in July. As such, there were two banned substances present in his system. 

Now, Boldenone can be detected in your system for a whopping 16 – 18 months after its been injected into your body. Again, it is possible that Mejia tested positive twice for one dose. Whether or not you choose to believe this is what happened is up to you. However, scientifically, it is plausible Mejia is getting suspended a second time for the first (and only?) Boldenone dose he took. 

For his part, Mejia has stated, “It is not what they say. I am sure that I did not use anything.”  He also states that, “I am going to appeal. Lose or win, I have great faith. I have to clear my name. I will take this case to the ultimate consequences.”  

It should be noted that Mejia never appealed his first suspension despite claiming he had no idea how Stanzonol got in his system. There were no appeals or statements after the second suspension. It seems now with his baseball life on the line, he’s not going to go down without a fight. 

Unfortunately for Mejia, he is unable to appeal this third suspension. If he is going to have if overturned, he will have to go the Tom Brady route and sue Major League Baseball. The question is whether or not he has a good case. 

In judging that, we are at a disadvantage. It’s possible that Stanozol and Boldenone could remain detectable in a person’s system over a long period of time. What we don’t know is the levels detected in Mejia’s body. If these levels significantly decreased, it’s possible Mejia got nailed twice for the same dose. That’s inherently unfair. In that respect, remember Mejia twice tested positive for Stanozol in a three month span. However, Stanozol was not found in this latest test.

Stanozol itself is interesting here. This year there was an inordinate amount of Stanozol usage. As a result, Commissioner Rob Manfred determined that the issue needed to be investigated. 

Looking over the Stanozol suspensions each player was from Latin America. Over the course of baseball’s steroid testing, players from Latin America have been suspended more than players from anywhere else. The Dominican Republic, where Mejia is from, has more steroid suspensions than any other country. It’s clearly an issue. 

For what it’s worth, Latino Sports published an article examining Mejia’s second steroid suspension. In the article, it was alleged Mejia tested positive the first time because of an injection he received while he was having asthma problems. It was also alleged Mejia could’ve avoided the second suspension altogether by naming the individual who gave him the steroids. The article alleges this person was working with other baseball players as well. For his part, Mejia was quoted as saying he had no dealings with that person. 

While I’m skeptical about this Latino Sports article, I will admit it fits the narrative of MLB conducting an investigation into the increase in Stanozol usage. 

At this point, I don’t know what to believe anymore. On the one hand, I cannot fathom how anyone can continue to take a banned substance knowing if he did his career was over. It’s inane to take something again without first seeing if you could compete without it. 

And yet, Mejia did test positive three times. All we have to try to make sense of everything is guesswork and rumors. It’s not exactly how you build a strong case. 

While I can rack my brain to try to figure out how this possibly happened, I keep coming back to my initial reaction. Maybe Mejia is just that stupid. 

How Much Money Will the Mets Have to Re-Sign Their Pitching?

One of the many blurbs that have surfaced from Yoenis Cespedes press conference is the Mets believe they can keep this young rotation together:

Now, the $200 million is conjecture. To be fair, if you polled most Mets fans, or really anyone for that matter, they would agree with this assessment. Rather than take it at face value, I figured it would be better to actually try to figure out if it’s possible.

Of all of the Mets pitchers, Matt Harvey has reached the arbitration stage of his career, and he agreed to $4.325 million to play in 2016. He will be a free agent in 2019. That’s the key timeframe because that’s the point when these starting pitchers will start receiving large free agent deals. 

Right now, the Mets payroll stands around $140 million.  Before figuring out how much these pitchers will cost, we should figure out which of the players on the payroll whose contracts will expire by the time Harvey first reaches free agency along with their 2016 salaries:

  1. Yoenis Cespedes $27.5 million (free agent 2019)
  2. Curtis Granderson $16 million (free agent 2018)
  3. Neil Walker $10.55 million (free agent 2017)
  4. Asdrubal Cabrera $8.25 million (free agent 2018)
  5. Bartolo Colon $7.25 million (free agent 2017)
  6. Addison Reed $5.3 million (free agent 2018)
  7. Antonio Bastardo $5.375 million (free agent 2018)
  8. Jeurys Familia $4.1 million (free agent 2019)
  9. Jerry Blevins $4 million (free agent 2017)
  10. Lucas Duda $6.725 million (free agent 2018)
  11. Jenrry Mejia $2.47 million* (free agent 2019)
  12. Ruben Tejada $3 million (free agent 2018)

Before proceeding, it should be noted the Mets only owe Mejia a pro-rated portion of the $2.47 million due to his suspension. Mejia served 62 games of his 162 game suspension last year meaning the Mets will owe him roughly $945,000 next year.

Without factoring in arbitration increases and the like, the Mets payroll will decrease by $98,995,000. That means the Mets payroll obligations would be around $41 million. When you look at David Wright‘s salary, it will actually decrease by an additional $5 million to reduce obligations to $36 million. On the other side of that coin, Juan Lagares‘ $2.5 million 2016 salary jumps to $9.0 million in 2019. That’s a $6.5 million increase. As a result, the Mets 2019 payroll obligations will be $42.5 million. 

If payroll remains stagnant, that means the Mets will have $97.5 million to fill out their roster and pay their starting pitchers. 

Part two will analyze how much of this money will be attributed towards position players. 

Bastardo Signing Fits a Theme

I can make a case that Antonio Bastardo was a bad or unnecessary free agent signing. He walks to many guys. Following his ERA+, he’s an every other year player, and next year is his bad year. The Mets were well represented from the left-hand side with Jerry BlevinsDario Alvarez, and Josh Edgin. Last year, Bastardo had less innings pitched than appearances. 

However, I’m not going to make that case. Bastardo appears to be that rare cross-over non-closer lefty reliever. For his career, Bastardo allowed lefties to hit .178/.277/.319 and righties to hit .211/.308/.332. He had a 1.198 WHIP and a 11.0 K/9. He limits the long ball. He has been durable. 

No, I’m again going to question this front offices’ obsession with steroids players. Bastardo is the third steroids player the Mets have signed this offseason. Bartolo Colon and Asdrubal Cabrera are the others. On top of that, the Mets offered Jenrry Mejia arbitration. This is the same Mejia who was suspended twice last year. The same Mejia the Mets were reportedly angry and disappointed with for the suspensions

How can the Mets say one cross word about Mejia when they keep bringing other steroid users into the organization?  It’s hypocritical. It’s apparent the Mets don’t care about steroids. They care about players getting caught. 

If you think I’m going too far with this, or you don’t care, please consider this tweet:

That’s right.  A roided up Bastardo beat a presumably clean pitcher for a job.  Meyer never pitched in the big leagues again, and Bastardo has a two year $12 million contract. Of course it came from the Mets. 

They love players who use steroids upo until the time they get caught. Then they’ll tell you how much they hate it. Hypocrites. 

Tears of Joy Was Not Good

Supposedly, this documentary was directed at Mets fans.  As such, I really wanted to like it. With that said, wow that completely missed the mark. 

Yes, completely. I know it’s an hour show. However, it missed so many HUGE storylines. First, there was no real mention of Matt Harvey. Seriously?  He was coming back from Tommy John surgery. It was the reason for the flip-flopping on the six man rotation all season. There was the Yankee game. There was the innings limit drama. There was the whole keeping him in too long in Game 5. Harvey was a huge, important, and at times, divisive figure.  He barely received a blurb. 

Speaking of pitching. This could’ve been the year Jacob deGrom became the staff ace. He was utterly dominant in the first half. He was the story of the All Star Game. He opened the postseason with a 13 strikeout performance. He somehow gutted out Game 5 of the NLDS, which is known as The Murphy Game

Both pitchers got less coverage than Steven Matz‘s debut and his grandfather. It was a big moment in the season, but also lost there was the Mets mismanaging his injury in a season of the Mets mismanaging injuries. Heck, Matz got more coverage than any pitcher. That includes Noah Syndergaard, who was probably standing 60′ 6′ away.  It also includes Jeurys Familia, who got thrust into the closer’s role due to two Jenrry Mejia PED suspensions. Familia was arguably the team MVP, but you wouldn’t know if from any of this. 

Speaking of MVPs, if he wasn’t interviewed, I wouldn’t have known Curtis Granderson was even on the team. Granderson may have been the sole professional bat on an injury ridden deplorable offense. We heard about David Wright‘s back, but we didn’t hear about any of the other injuries (even in passing) that led to John Mayberry, Jr. and Eric Campbell hitting in the middle of the lineup. How do you miss this?  Ask any Mets fan, and they will tell you that was a seminal moment in the season. 

It was part of the whole Mets mockery of the fans with Panic City. It lead to an important Mike Vaccaro column about the Mets malpractice. This column really touched upon what it meant to be a Mets fan since the Madoff scandal. We were angry. Very angry. There was a campaign to buy a billboard did the Wilpons to sell the team. That side of the story wasn’t voiced, not even with Joe & Evan. 

Instead, we got The 7 Line Army story. I mean no disrespect to Darren Meenan and what he’s created, but why was The 7 Lime Army featured more than anything else?  The 7 Line Army got more coverage than Yoenis Cespedes being the hottest hitter anyone has ever seen.  Seriously, when Cespedes hit the NLDS homer, we saw The 7 Line Army celebrating instead of an epic bat flip. Interview Darren Meenan?  Absolutely. He’s a fan, and he’s made a successful business out of his fandom. However, I’m sorry. The 7 Line Army was not the defining story of the 2015 season. Yet, it got a lot of coverage. Maybe the most coverage. 

With that, a lot was missed. Think about it. There were many key games this past season. If you take longer than a nanosecond to pinpoint the Padres game as the nadir, you’re a casual fan. If you don’t know the game to which I’m referring, you’re not a Mets fan. That game  set the stage for the exhilaration fans felt after the Cespedes’ trade. No matter your feelings about the trade, you were excited to se degree that the Mets were remade and going for it. 

That trade flipped the script on the season for the fans . . . perhaps for the team as well. The Mets went from an under-.500 team falling apart at the seams to real contenders. They went from a laughingstock with the Carlos Gomez trade debacle to a force to be reckoned. The documentary took the incredible, real-life drama that unfolded and omitted it. You could do a mini-series on July 30th and July 31st. Instead, we get a snarky Tom Verducci comment about Mets fans not being happy. I would say the quote was taken out of context, but really, how could it be?  Until that trade, the Mets had cheap owners and an under-.500 ball club. Any fan had a right to be angry. 

That’s the thing overall. You simply cannot discuss the fans without capturing their anger. It’s an example of how passionate Mets fans are. We’re not the hapless bunch we were presented as to the world. We are fans that have lived through nightmares. There was the worst team ever assembled. The Midnight Massacre. There were the misses in the 80’s.  The Worst Team Money Can Buy. Kenny Rogers walked in the series winning run. Mike Piazza‘s ball died on the warning track. Carlos Beltran struck out looking followed by two collapses. All hope was then seemingly lost with the Madoff scandal. 

However, Mets fans have seen enough magic to believe in anything. The Miracle Mets. Ya Gotta Believe! A little roller up the first base line. The Grand Slam Single. Overall, Mets fans don’t expect the worst. We’re not Cubs fans or pre-2004 Red Sox fans. No, we believe anything can and will happen. It’s a feeling that was awoken with Harvey’s right arm. It’s a feeling that’s not going away. 

So no, Tears of Joy didn’t tell the world about Mets fans. It missed the mark despite excellent work by Anthony DiComo, Jared Diamond, and Jim Breuer. 

Also, it didn’t tell me about the team or the season. From my understanding of Tears of Joy, Daniel Murphy had a hot streak before losing the World Series with an error. All 27 homerun Lucas Duda did was make a poor throw home. I could go on and on ad nauseum, but you get it. You watched the season. You know just as well as I do that Tears of Joy didn’t do a good job describing the ups and [mostly] downs of the season. 

No, overall it mostly failed to capture the season or the fans. It’s disappointing really, just as the end of the 2015 season was. I guess there it at least hit the right tone. 

Mets Star Wars Alter Egos

It’s been an incredible year. The Mets played in the World Series. There was a Rocky sequel. Starting tonight, there’s going to be a Star Wars sequel. My son really is a good luck charm. 

Speaking of which, I was reminded of the first real time in my life when the Mets and Star Wars intersected. It was this Halloween when the Mets played a World Series game and my son went as Yoda for Halloween:

  
Today, I thought it would be fun to compare current Mets to Star Wars characters:

Noah Syndergaard – Luke Skywalker

  • Both were raw until there were leaders who showed him how to harness that potential. Both eventually became leaders themselves helping bring everyone to the promised land. Also, let’s face it, both can get a little cocky. 

Matt Harvey – Han Solo

  • Mets fans still question if he’s truly on their side, but when the chips are down he comes through. 

Bartolo Colon – Jabba the Hut

  • Both are large and in charge 

Curtis Granderson – Lando Calrissian

  • I know what you’re thinking.  It’s lazy to compare the Mets lone black player to one of the few black Star Wars characters. However, consider that Lando initially aided the Evil Empire only to later join the good guys and blow up the second Death Star. If that’s not Granderson leaving the Yankees to join the Mets to have an incredible postseason, I don’t know what is. 

Jenrry Mejia – Jar Jar Binks

  • They’re supposed to be on your side, but all they do is just ruin everything. You just want them to go away before they do something else stupid. 

David Wright – C3PO

  • Both have been there through everything. Both seemingly fall apart a little too often. Both have helped in more ways than you can count. 

Terry Collins – Obi Wan Kenobi

  • Both were exiled.  Both were called upon to mentor and protect young prospects. Both found redemption in this role. 

Lucas Duda – Wedge Antilles

  • Both survived battles no one expected them to survive. For Duda, it was first base.  For Wedge, it was blowing up the Death Star. Both have seen their roles and contributions to their causes being overlooked and disregarded even if both were vital to the cause. 

Jacob deGrom – Princess Leia

  • Both are rocking the long locks. Both had their abilities overlooked for another. Both were instrumental in all that was accomplished. I just don’t want to see deGrom in the golden bikini. 

Jeurys Familia – Mace Windu

  • Mace Windu constantly appeared in dangerous situations in order to save everyone, much like Familia did this year. Both were successful against all odds until their last chapter. Also, when you’re played by Samuel L. Jackson, you’re just awesome. Familia is awesome.

Wally Backman – Uncle Owen

  • Both are entrusted with the future, but both ultimately will not be the ones that bring everyone to the next level.

Wilmer Flores – R2D2

  • Overall, there’s no getting rid of either. They’re indestructible. They’re in the center of everything. They’re also fan favorites. 

Kirk Nieuwenhuis – Chewbacca
  
As I think of more, I’ll add to the list or amend the existing list. I didn’t add a Yoda because as you see above, you’re not doing better than that Yoda. If you have a suggestion, I’ll be happy to add it to the list giving you full credit.  For example, here’s Jason Fry’s point-of-view:

https://twitter.com/jasoncfry/status/677612060092596224

Yes, this is the same Jason Fry who wrote The Weapon of a Jedi, which is available for sale now. 

By the way, don’t be that guy.  Keep the spoilers to yourself. Don’t ruin the movie for everyone.