Even the most optimistic Met fans are finding it difficult to watch them play right now. May has been awful. Remember the Mets 7-19 record in June of 2023? That month sunk the season. The Mets are 7-19 in May this year. Fans are already staying away with a report this week that attendance at Citi Field is down 21% so far this season. After yesterday’s meltdown the Mets have finally hit rock bottom.
I just can’t watch it anymore!
May has been brutal for the team and Met fans. Aside from the dreadful record, the Mets have either blown leads, or have mustered little or no offense as was displayed in the doubleheader on Tuesday. Scoring two runs in 18 innings is an awful enough thing to sit through. The two runs came on one blow by the maligned Francisco Lindor early in game one of the DH. Yesterday the Mets rallied to tie the game 3-3 only to implode losing 10-3. Reliever Jorge Lopez who had been more good than bad, was frustrated enough to throw his glove into the stands after he was ejected. After the game Lopez was designated for assignment. Social media comments regarding going cold turkey on watching the Mets have been abundant. After all, why subject yourself to more pain and agony?
The adage that you’re never as good as you seem when evaluating a team on a winning streak, is counter-balanced by a team is never as bad as it seems when things are going horribly wrong. Winning seven out of 26 games in May through Tuesday is a .270 winning percentage which would be a historic low. The Mets are not THAT bad even if it feels that way.
Competing to win a NL Wild Card slot was the pre-season narrative. Now the Mets are competing to stay out of last place in the NL East. Although the Braves appear to be more vulnerable in 2024 than in years past, due to both injury and some substandard performances, the Mets chances are not better because of their own shortcomings.
Is there anything Mets fans can look forward to other than the end of the season?
Here’s a little Mets therapy for you. Take a few games off from watching or listening to the team play. Go out for a walk. Go to a park. Go for ice cream after dinner. It’s almost summer, and the weather is nice. Reject the ‘Mets fans aren’t allowed to have nice things’ mantra even if it feels apt and true. My podcast partner and son Gordon noted the other night that the Mets have been in the playoffs only 10 times in their 62-year history. But on the bright side they’ve been in the World Series on five of those 10 occasions and won it twice. That’s not a great record but at least if they make the playoffs there’s hope that they can make it to play in the Fall Classic.
While you consider doing other things with your time, maybe, just maybe, the Mets will play better when you’re not watching. The younger players like Christian Scott, Mark Vientos, and Francisco Alvarez will bring sorely lacking energy AND production to a team, and a fan base that is in great need. Maybe POBO Stearns and owner Steve Cohen are preparing for a big sell-off. That would at least be more interesting than watching the current product on the field.
The Mets 2024 season appears to be beyond salvaging in terms of playing for something. Anything! It’s also sad that Dwight Gooden’s number retirement ceremony earlier this season and Darryl Strawberry’s one this Saturday were and will be in front of a less-than-capacity crowd. They both deserve better but then Gooden and Strawberry are Mets players and fans, so they know. This is what being a Met fan feels like.
For your own sanity and health feel free to take a break. The season will still be going when you decide to take another look and it must be better than what it is now. Shouldn’t it?
