Tuesday, August 19, 2008By Mike Steffanos
Game 125: Pirates 5 - Mets 2
After a nice 6-game winning streak, the Mets had all of their warts on display in the finale of this road trip. Lack of timely hitting kept them from building on a 2-0 lead. It's obvious that John Maine will be a somewhat diminished pitcher for the remainder of the year. The bullpen couldn't get the job done.
With today's news that makes Wagner's return at any time in 2008 an open question, it occurs to all of us that we root for a severely flawed team. I took a walk last night and pondered the question of whether this team could continue to contend with this bullpen.
Admittedly it's not pretty, particularly if Wagner doesn't make it back. Still, at this time of year you are what you are as a team, and you need to find a way to win with what you have. The 2006 Cardinals were indisputably the worst team in the playoffs, and yet they won it all.
I realized that I was tired of endlessly brooding about what is wrong with this team. I'm going to put the angst aside and just root for them and hope for the best. In a year when all three contenders for the NL east have big flaws, the Mets have a chance to win it despite everything.
I'd love to be heading into the last 6 weeks of the season rooting for a team that had a dominant bullpen as the 2006 Mets did. It ain't going to happen this season.
On the other hand, sometimes flawed teams with a lot to overcome play with a sense of looseness and purpose that overcomes even large flaws. I hope that happens for the Mets. The other teams aren't going to feel sorry for them at all. They can't afford to feel sorry for themselves, unless their hope for the first week of October is to be playing golf somewhere.
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