New York Mets 2016 Season Thread

[DevilMinder]

God he did that too, and you knew it was coming in your soul

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, capo said:

 Can't kill the offense...  Bumgarner is the best post season pitcher in recent history.  Familia  is a garbage and unclutch as they come.  Absolute garbage!

Familia is garbage?  This was a sh!tty moment for him, but he's not garbage.  But he needs to be better overall next season for sure.  Too many baserunners this year.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Opt out Ces...at least you're good until the team REALLY needs you in high stakes.  Mets gotta bring him back though.

[NJDevs4978]

7 minutes ago, capo said:

 Can't kill the offense...  Bumgarner is the best post season pitcher in recent history.  Familia  is a garbage and unclutch as they come.  Absolute garbage!

On the whole I can't kill the offense but Ces and Bruce had some brutal AB's. Reyes too for that matter. Can't help but think that was Ces's last AB as a Met (sigh)

Edited October 6, 2016 by NJDevs4978

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Sandy...go get some bats this offseason.  Too much of the same old same old.  The live-and-die with the HR sh!t doesn't work against these better arms.  

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

At least I'll get better sleep this postseason.  

Gotta give Bum credit...guy is all clutch.  Something most of our team knows NOTHING about.  

[NJDevs4978]

Just now, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

At least I'll get better sleep this postseason.  

Gotta give Bum credit...guy is all clutch.  Something most of our team knows NOTHING about.  

So was Thor...but he pitched to a better lineup that could only outlast him.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

5 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

On the whole I can't kill the offense but Ces and Bruce had some brutal AB's. Reyes too for that matter. Can't help but think that was Ces's last AB as a Met (sigh)

I'll hate to see him go too, but he's a bit of a paper tiger.  And a PITA to boot.  But I feel like the Mets almost have to bring him back, even with his warts.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, NJDevs4978 said:

So was Thor...but he pitched to a better lineup that could only outlast him.

Thor was awesome tonight.  Not lumping him in with the other invisible men.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Was it the 2000 Yankees that sucked for a while, then pulled it together for the playoffs?  Maybe the 2016 Giants do the same.  

[Devils Dose]

Oh well. It was a fun and surprising ride to just get into the postseason. We all knew this team wouldn't really be able to win it all, not with the rotation having been blown up by injuries. Got to improve the lineup and hope to be healthier next year. We won't be able to keep the good young starters (and that's assuming that they all stay good) together forever.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

First order of business:  bye bye Bruceless Useless.  Don't bring this nothing back.  Let him go play in Colorado or some other stat-inflating bandbox where he belongs.

[capo]

Time to switch to hockey...  Baseball is dead to me in 2016.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Hear ya Cap.  We'll see how awake Passive is come the 2016 offseason.

And on the offseason note...hope Sandy explores moving Familia.  Not for a sh!t return, and not because I think he sucks (he doesn't), but because I think it's time to start tweaking.  

Edited October 6, 2016 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[NJDevs4978]

And another thing I'm sick of...every damn season that matters ending at home. 2000, 2006, 2007, 2008, last year, tonight. Every damn one of them doing the walk of shame out of our own building. It's like the '00's Devils only worse.

['7']

Games like this is why I believe in curses. I know of the Cubs and Indians and others but none of them have come close and been dealt the blows the Mets have since 1986. What the Mets have endured since 86 is more than the Cubs or any forelorn sports franchise has endured. 1986 to 2016 is more painful than 1908 to now. They never really got close. We did. And then the most unfortunate ironic gut wrenching pain hits. Always. Perpetually. Predictably.

Scioscia, Gibson, Chipper Jones, Benitez, Luis Sojo, Brian Jordan, The two collapses (07-08) game 1 2015, Murphys gaffe, Duda's gaffe, John Franco (why the fvck was this idiot there with the first pitch nonsense again...nobody likes him) Timo Perez, Benitez again, So Taguchi, Yadier Molina, Beltran, 2009-2015. The injuries, generation k. Losing the last 5 in 1998, Clemens-Piazza 

This is incredibly unfair. 

And on and on and on. It will never end. Ever.

 

 

[thecoffeecake]

The post season is going to have a hard time topping either Wild Card game. I cannot wait for this Cubs Giants series. As bad as the Giants were in the second half, I think today they're the two best teams in the National League. As good as Thor was, Mad Bum was Mad Bum. He'll go down as one of the best post season performers of all time. You guys might hate him today, but you'll love him in March come the WBC (assuming he goes).

Can't say I wasn't glad to see the Giants celebrate on your turf after the performance you guys put on in Philly for clinching an appearance in game 163. We'll see if the gap closes a little more next year between our clubs.

['7']

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Was it the 2000 Yankees that sucked for a while, then pulled it together for the playoffs?  Maybe the 2016 Giants do the same.  

Yea they went like 3-15 down the stretch

This Giants team can do it...they can also get swept. Tough to really get a beat on them other than the fact they have an angel on their shoulder and a great clutch pitcher.

[MadDog2020]

Games like this is why I believe in curses. I know of the Cubs and Indians and others but none of them have come close and been dealt the blows the Mets have since 1986. What the Mets have endured since 86 is more than the Cubs or any forelorn sports franchise has endured. 1986 to 2016 is more painful than 1908 to now. They never really got close. We did. And then the most unfortunate ironic gut wrenching pain hits. Always. Perpetually. Predictably.
Scioscia, Gibson, Chipper Jones, Benitez, Luis Sojo, Brian Jordan, The two collapses (07-08) game 1 2015, Murphys gaffe, Duda's gaffe, John Franco (why the fvck was this idiot there with the first pitch nonsense again...nobody likes him) Timo Perez, Benitez again, So Taguchi, Yadier Molina, Beltran, 2009-2015. The injuries, generation k. Losing the last 5 in 1998, Clemens-Piazza 
This is incredibly unfair. 
And on and on and on. It will never end. Ever.
 
 

To be fair, the Indians came damn close a few times in the 90's, particularly '97 when they lost game 7 to the Marlins... But yeah the Mets have had a ton of heartbreak the last 30 years, no disputing that.


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['7']

10 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I'll hate to see him go too, but he's a bit of a paper tiger.  And a PITA to boot.  But I feel like the Mets almost have to bring him back, even with his warts.

Yea. Ces really is a textbook poor mans Manny Ramirez. Obviously not as dominant as Manny but a bit odd, a bit goofy and tough to figure out. Sometimes a monster at the plate, sometimes a pea brained dumptruck in the outfield.

Ultimately the good far outnumbers the bad. He loved the Mets, he loves it here.

If he is elsewhere or (god forbid) in pinstripes...the Wilpons will have to go into witness protection

['7']

2 hours ago, MadDog2020 said:

To be fair, the Indians came damn close a few times in the 90's, particularly '97 when they lost game 7 to the Marlins... But yeah the Mets have had a ton of heartbreak the last 30 years, no disputing that.


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Yea forgot about them in 1995 and 1997 was a mess. They deserved that not the mercenary Marlins.

Plus the Browns moving the previous year. Cleveland up until Cavs last year was in rough shape. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

10 hours ago, '7' said:

Games like this is why I believe in curses. I know of the Cubs and Indians and others but none of them have come close and been dealt the blows the Mets have since 1986. What the Mets have endured since 86 is more than the Cubs or any forelorn sports franchise has endured. 1986 to 2016 is more painful than 1908 to now. They never really got close. We did. And then the most unfortunate ironic gut wrenching pain hits. Always. Perpetually. Predictably.

Scioscia, Gibson, Chipper Jones, Benitez, Luis Sojo, Brian Jordan, The two collapses (07-08) game 1 2015, Murphys gaffe, Duda's gaffe, John Franco (why the fvck was this idiot there with the first pitch nonsense again...nobody likes him) Timo Perez, Benitez again, So Taguchi, Yadier Molina, Beltran, 2009-2015. The injuries, generation k. Losing the last 5 in 1998, Clemens-Piazza 

This is incredibly unfair. 

And on and on and on. It will never end. Ever.

Heh heh, re:  Franco...it's funny, I think he is much more beloved by the franchise (read:  Wilpons) than he ever was by the fanbase...yeah, he was a native New Yorker and all, spent a long time here, compiled some good numbers...but I think for most Mets fans, he was just kind of there...especially since a lot of his saves were of the uglier variety.  Sure, he was a pretty good closer, but nothing about him as a player was terribly captivating.  Piazza should've been the guy catching that first pitch last night.  On the "All-Time Mets Who Fans Really Embrace", Franco is way way down on that list...hell, most of the '86 team would finish well ahead of him...even the more bit players.  I remember being kind of ticked when the Mets dealt Randy Myers to get him, but from all accounts, Myers was a weird, tightly-wound guy who was freaking out his teammates...I remember reading about how he kept grenades in his locker, of all things.

Familia is really getting roasted today in a lot of circles...I think you can still start the 2017 season with him as the closer if Sandy doesn't find any deals to his liking (and move him in-season, though I have no idea for who), but I think Sandy has to least entertain the idea that Familia might be, very sadly (I hate to say it), yet another good-stat closer who's prone to crumbling in the key moment.  The Mets seem to corner the friggin' market on those guys, they really do...and man, we never seem to have that guy who kills another team, who's that incredible "money guy", ever.  The problem with a franchise like this is that it's not like playoff appearances can ever be taken for granted...none of us expected the Mets to go far this year with everything that went wrong (and SO much did), and even if Familia tosses a zero, still don't know if the unclutch bunch of zilches and frontunners ever would've plated a run.  But you don't get tons of opportunities here to fail, fairly or unfairly (the way A-Rod did before finally putting a good postseason together)...Familia has become Benitez in the eyes of many, and that means that every blown save is going to get, well, blown up, picked apart, shredded, etc.  He's already almost dead to a lot of Met fans for last night...he starts slow next season, and man will it get ugly for him.   

Depending on who's coming back next season, this could be a VERY combustible bunch of bats.  Cespy is Cespy, the way Manny was Manny, Rickey was Rickey, Darryl was Darryl...we'll have to take the bad with the good, but man do his more annoying traits become that much more so when he's disappearing at such key moments.  The Loser Brothers who never seemed to get that big hit in their first go-round together in Wright and Reyes (I saw Wright in the dugout and thought "Oh God no, not Sad Sack, please no") are actually going to get another opportunity together, only both are past their primes now. 

And Sandy, don't make it sound like Wright coming back into the fold for 2017 will be a good thing.  The Mets haven't missed this version of him when he's been out.  He will get in the way.  That's all he can do now. 

Wonder if Neil Walker signs a "bet on myself one-year contract" for 2017.  If he's willing to go that route, I'd consider bringing him back, but with that back, I could never offer him anything long-term...a shame, because I like him, but can't take that risk. 

10 hours ago, thecoffeecake said:

The post season is going to have a hard time topping either Wild Card game. I cannot wait for this Cubs Giants series. As bad as the Giants were in the second half, I think today they're the two best teams in the National League. As good as Thor was, Mad Bum was Mad Bum. He'll go down as one of the best post season performers of all time. You guys might hate him today, but you'll love him in March come the WBC (assuming he goes).

Can't say I wasn't glad to see the Giants celebrate on your turf after the performance you guys put on in Philly for clinching an appearance in game 163. We'll see if the gap closes a little more next year between our clubs.

In fairness, what did you expect the Mets to do?  With all they went through, they were going to celebrate clinching "Game 163", no matter where they were (and they had enough fans there to add some spice to it). 

That being said, I think the amount of champagne-popping is getting ridiculous now.  If you're a WC team that gets on a roll come playoff time...once for clinching a WC spot, once for winning the WC game, once for the DS, once for the CS, and once for the WS.  Is that really necessary?  Me personally, I would save the champagne for a Division Title, then for the CS and WS.  I wouldn't do it for anything WC-related, or even the DS.  Not every step needs to be punctuated so emphatically...makes the celebrations seem less special and much more like overkill. 

Phillies really looked bad as the season went on...they're greatest "strength" was finding a way to win over 70 games despite getting outscored by a ton and then some.  Braves season progressed much more positively.  But that doesn't matter...an offseason awaits, and the Phillie team that finished the season might not bear that much resemblance to the one that takes the field for 2017.  Lots of unknowns.  But they really finished up badly. 

Edited October 6, 2016 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[nmigliore]

Well, that ends that.

As this game went a long you could see whichever team got to the bullpen first would probably win. The Mets let Bumgarner cruise too easily through the first 3 innings and it hurt them big time in the end. Still, he's a hell of a pitcher, and hats off to him for an incredible performance. No shame in losing to him.

Hats off to Noah, too. He got into enough trouble to where he just squeaked through 7 innings, but all in all, it was a pretty dominant performance. Bumgarner just outlasted him more, mostly due to the Mets gift wrapping quick outs the first time through the order. What can you do? The Giants also seemed to get a lot of gift ball calls behind home plate.

Also, man, what a catch that was by Granderson. Not quite Endy Chavez, but sort of close given the scenario, right?

TC did nothing wrong with going to Reed in the 8th and Familia in the 9th. That duo has been one of the best relief combos in baseball this season and those were 100% the right choices. Ironically, Familia gave up ONE homer the entire season. Poor fortune that this was the spot he gave up #2 instead of doing what he usually does (induce an inning-ending double play or a strikeout).

Overall, I'm not dissatisfied with where this team went this year. This roster was completely turned upside down by injuries and they were in such a hole in August that it's pretty miraculous they overcame those problems to grab a playoff spot. Even if they had won this game, this team is not only injury-marred and drained but would be given the Cubs. Obviously anything can happen in a short series, but what are the odds they even win a game vs Chicago, let alone 3?

Too much to digest and think about offseason needs right now... but kudos to this team for making do with what they had. Looking forward to brighter days in 2017.

Edited October 6, 2016 by nmigliore

[nmigliore]

10 hours ago, thecoffeecake said:

The post season is going to have a hard time topping either Wild Card game. I cannot wait for this Cubs Giants series. As bad as the Giants were in the second half, I think today they're the two best teams in the National League. As good as Thor was, Mad Bum was Mad Bum. He'll go down as one of the best post season performers of all time. You guys might hate him today, but you'll love him in March come the WBC (assuming he goes).

Can't say I wasn't glad to see the Giants celebrate on your turf after the performance you guys put on in Philly for clinching an appearance in game 163. We'll see if the gap closes a little more next year between our clubs.

They'll put up a better fight than the Mets would've, I'm sure. All of the Divisional Series are actually pretty intriguing this year. I don't really have any rooting interests besides seeing the Nats get knocked out. Cubs and Red Sox, which MLB is praying for, would be the best World Series outcome to watch, IMO.

Edited October 6, 2016 by nmigliore

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, nmigliore said:

TC did nothing wrong with going to Reed in the 8th and Familia in the 9th. That duo has been one of the best relief combos in baseball this season and those were 100% the right choices. Ironically, Familia gave up ONE homer the entire season. Poor fortune that this was the spot he gave up #2 instead of doing what he usually does (induce an inning-ending double play or a strikeout).

Is anyone criticizing TC for going with his two best relievers?  Anyone who'd do that is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off base.  You can question never bringing in Blevins during Reed's inning, but even then, Reed's been terrific against lefties all season.   

In ways I feel for Familia...he's going to be made out to be a lot worse than he's really been because of last night...you could absolutely do a lot worse at closer than him...and it's not like he even blew a lead.  I'm concerned about him because he flat-out wasn't as effective as he was in 2014 and 2015 (though he did resemble that guy for stretches this season).  I've never been a huge fan of tightrope closers...hope that's not what he is becoming.