The Mets That Got Away: Ty Wigginton

Suppose you're an everyday player in the big leagues.  You're young.  You play hard.  You play multiple positions on the field.  Basically, you do whatever it takes to help your team win.  Then you get traded away because the team feels that a younger player would be even better for them than you are.  I think it's safe to assume that you'd be pretty miffed about that.  You'd also want to show your former team just how much you could have contributed to their success by doing well against them every time you faced them.

Stories like that occur every so often in the big leagues.  It happened to one particular player on the Mets in 2004.

This player was never viewed as a top prospect when the Mets drafted him in 1998, but he worked his way through the Mets' minor league system and forced his way into the starting lineup.  He played at five different defensive positions when he was first called up and showed the same determination to succeed on the field that he exhibited throughout his four-year rise through the minors.

But the Mets had a top prospect who was also climbing the ladder to the major leagues.  And once he got there, no one was going to stand in his way - not even a scrappy, versatile player who had proven that he belonged in the major leagues.  The writing was on the wall for Ty Wigginton, and he has repeatedly done his best to make the Mets pay for their decision to trade him.

Even as a 20-year-old, Ty Wigginton looked like he was going to run you over at the plate.

Ty Allen Wigginton was selected by the Mets in the 17th round of the 1998 June amateur draft.  Wigginton wasn't particularly impressive in his first professional season, batting .239 with eight homers and 29 RBIs in 70 games with the Pittsfield Mets.  But after getting the bugs out of his system, Wigginton blossomed.

With St. Lucie in 1999, Wigginton batted .292, leading the team in home runs (21) and RBIs (73).  Wigginton continued to excel in 2000, leading the Binghamton Mets to a division title.  The infielder finished first on his team in hits (129), doubles (27), home runs (20) and RBIs (77), while maintaining a solid .285 batting average.

Injuries provided a minor setback to Wigginton's advancement in 2001, as he managed only seven homers and 25 RBIs in 89 games.  But at Norfolk in 2002, Wigginton flew out of the gate, batting .374 through mid-May as a member of the Tides.  It was only a matter of time before the Mets would need his services at the big league level, and when infielder John Valentin was placed on the disabled list with a torn rotator cuff, the call for Wigginton finally came.

Although Wigginton only stayed in the majors for the two weeks Valentin was out, he got a chance to experience big league action for the first time.  Used mostly as a pinch-hitter and in double switches, Wigginton only got into six games during his initial time with the parent club, scoring one run and collecting one hit in four at-bats.  By the end of May, Wigginton was back in Norfolk, where he remained for the next two months.  Once he got back to the majors in early August, he never looked back.

As the summer progressed, it was becoming clear that the Mets were going nowhere in 2002.  Subpar performances by offseason acquisitions Mo Vaughn, Jeromy Burnitz and Roger Cedeño doomed the Mets by the beginning of August.  Injuries to second baseman Roberto Alomar (another failed addition to the team) and third baseman Edgardo Alfonzo created a gaping hole for the Mets in the infield.  To patch that hole, the Mets recalled Ty Wigginton from Norfolk and inserted their versatile neophyte into the starting lineup on August 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Wigginton's first major league start would become one of the best by a rookie in team history.

Wigginton went 4-for-5 in his first Shea Stadium start, providing a game-tying three-run homer in the third inning to erase a 5-2 deficit.  Wigginton also singled twice and hit a double in the 12-7 loss to Arizona.  It was the fourth loss in the Mets' franchise-record 15-game home losing streak.  The Mets failed to win a home game in August 2002, but they also failed to find a reason to take Wigginton out of the starting lineup.

After his auspicious debut as an everyday player, Wigginton continued to tear the cover off the ball.  He batted .500 (11-for-22) with four multi-hit games and five RBIs in his first five starts, then proceeded to have a tremendous month of September.  It was truly a September to remember for Wigginton, as the utility player batted .358 with six doubles, four homers, 11 RBIs and 11 runs scored in only 53 at-bats.  Wigginton accomplished this while playing five different positions, spending time at first base, second base, third base, left field and right field.

By season's end, Wigginton had left his mark on the team.  Although he had just 116 at-bats for the Mets in 2002 (thereby retaining his rookie status for 2003), Wigginton finished the year with a .302 batting average and .526 slugging percentage.  Forty percent of his hits went for extra bases, as Wigginton pounded eight doubles and six homers out of of his 35 total hits.  Wigginton also drove in 18 runs and crossed the plate 18 times, with some of those runs coming at the expense of the opposing catcher.

Wigginton was never shy about bowling over the catcher, doing so on numerous occasions with the Mets.  He got plenty of those opportunities in 2003, as the Mets gave him the starting third baseman's job after fan-favorite Edgardo Alfonzo signed a free agent contract with the San Francisco Giants.  Now guaranteed an everyday job from Day 1 of the new campaign, Wigginton went on to post one of the most unheralded rookie seasons in franchise history.

The Mets' new third baseman played in all but five of the team's 161 games in 2003 (one game was rained out and was not made up), setting numerous rookie records.  No Met rookie had ever played in as many games as Wigginton did in 2003.

In addition to his 156 games, Wigginton also set new club marks for rookies in at-bats (573), hits (146), extra-base hits (53) and doubles (36).  Wiggy scored 73 runs, which was one short of Cleon Jones' rookie record of 74, set in 1966.  His 71 RBIs fell three short of Darryl Strawberry's total of 74, which he accomplished during his Rookie of the Year campaign in 1983.  (Wigginton himself finished eighth in the 2003 National League Rookie of the Year vote, tied with teammate and fellow infielder Jose Reyes.)

But Wigginton wasn't just etching his name atop the Mets' all-time rookie leaders.  He was also becoming a top offensive threat over his non-rookie teammates, leading the 2003 Mets in every cumulative offensive category except home runs and stolen bases.  And he didn't do poorly in either of those categories, as Wigginton was only player on the '03 squad to reach double digits in home runs (11) and stolen bases (12). 

Prior to the 2004 season, the Mets signed Kazuo Matsui to a three-year deal, moving Jose Reyes to second base to accommodate the Japanese shortstop.  Wigginton remained at the hot corner for the Mets, but also started 22 games at second base, filling in at the position while Jose Reyes was on the disabled list.  But things were starting to get crowded for the Mets in the infield once Reyes returned.

Wigginton played all over the infield for the Mets in 2004, starting games at first base, second base and third base.  But veteran corner infielder Todd Zeile was being given an opportunity to start more games at third.  Manager Art Howe was also giving Zeile occasional starts at first base whenever Mike Piazza needed a day off or was catching.  Reyes was back in the starting lineup at second base and was not getting many days off.  And then, there was this kid named David Wright.

Wright was the Mets' top minor league prospect prior to the 2004 season.  The 21-year-old had dominated minor league pitching and was about to be called up to the major leagues.  There was only one problem.  Wright played third base.  So did Ty Wigginton.  Something had to give.  Something finally did.

Nine days after Wright made his major league debut for the Mets, Wigginton was sent packing.  General manager Jim Duquette, in a misguided effort to be a buyer at the July 31 trade deadline despite the team losing ground in the wild card race, jettisoned Wigginton, Jose Bautista and a minor leaguer to Pittsburgh for infielder Jeff Keppinger and former No. 1 overall draft pick Kris Benson.

Keppinger played in only 33 games with the Mets before being traded in 2006.  Since leaving New York, Keppinger has become one of the best contact hitters in baseball, batting .288 and striking out just 166 times in 2,343 at-bats.  Benson won 14 games as a Met and rarely showed the ability that made him the most coveted player in the 1996 June amateur draft.  (His wife, however, was coveted by more than just amateur baseball scouts.)

Meanwhile, Jose Bautista spent a few seasons bouncing around from team to team before finally finding a home in Toronto, where he became a three-time All-Star and two-time American League home run champion.

Ty Wigginton did his own share of bouncing around after leaving the Mets, but unlike Bautista, who waited many years before achieving success, Wigginton made positive contributions to his teams almost immediately.

Wigginton played in 115 games with the Pirates between 2004 and 2005, spending a few months in the minors in 2005.  Once he returned from his temporary minor league exile, Wigginton caught fire.  In 14 late-season starts, Wigginton batted .383 with seven extra-base hits and 13 RBIs.  Two months after his scalding finish, Wigginton was released by the Pirates.

The next stop for Wigginton was in Tampa, playing for the perennial cellar-dwelling Devil Rays.  Wigginton played everywhere for manager Joe Maddon, starting 37 games at first base, 37 games at second base and 32 games at third base.  Despite not having a steady position on the field, Wigginton was as steady as they came at the plate.  Wiggy got off to a tremendous start in 2006, batting .302 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in his first 16 games.  After another wonderful month in July (.317, 5 HR, 11 RBI, .650 slugging percentage in 60 at-bats), Wigginton missed the entire month of August with an injury but returned to hit .300 with six homers and 22 RBIs in the season's final month.

Wigginton had his finest season in the majors in 2006, setting career highs with 24 homers and 79 RBIs.  He continued to thrive in Tampa, collecting 21 doubles, 16 homers and 49 RBIs through the first four months of the 2007 season.  The Devil Rays then traded Wigginton to the Houston Astros on July 28, dealing him for his former Met teammate, Dan Wheeler.  Wigginton continued his strong season in Houston, batting .284 with 18 extra-base hits in 50 games.

In 2008, Wigginton began his first full season in Houston and quickly became a fan-favorite.  He also was finally playing for a winning team.  After six consecutive years playing for sub-.500 teams in New York, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, Wigginton got his first taste of a pennant race in Houston, although it didn't look like the Astros were going to be playing meaningful games in September for most of the season.

As July turned to August, Houston's record stood at 50-57, leaving them 11½ games behind the wild card-leading Milwaukee Brewers.  But over the final two months of the season, Houston posted the best record in baseball, winning 36 of their last 54 games.  The main reason for their resurgence was the record-breaking performance of Ty Wigginton.

Wigginton tied Jeff Bagwell's team record by blasting 12 home runs in August.  The Astros' third baseman also hit .379 during the month and drove in 26 runs.  By September 11, Houston had moved to within three games of Milwaukee for the wild card lead.  But Ty Wigginton had injured himself running out a ground ball five days earlier and did not play again until September 17.  By the time he returned to the lineup, Houston was in the middle of a costly five-game losing streak that effectively put an end to their playoff dreams.  That wasn't the only thing that ended in the fall of 2008.

In a move that was quite unpopular with Astros fans, Wigginton was not tendered a contract for the 2009 season.  General manager Ed Wade cited financial reasons for the split, but Wigginton was still taken aback by Houston's decision not to offer him a contract.

“I was thinking all along there was no way I would be non-tendered, to be honest with you.  It’s one of those things.  The last three years I’ve been as consistent as anybody out there, and I’ve hit 70 home runs or something like that in the last three years.  I’ve been consistent average-wise, and my on-base percentage keeps getting higher.”

Wigginton was right.  His numbers across the board were getting better and he was one of the most consistent players in the majors.  The Baltimore Orioles were looking for a player like Wigginton, hoping his consistently good play would help the O's end their streak of 11 consecutive losing seasons.  Baltimore signed Wigginton to a two-year, $6 million deal in 2009, using him at third base (a position already held by another former Met, Melvin Mora), first base and designated hitter.  But for the first time since 2005, Wigginton did not have a good season.

After averaging 27 doubles and 23 homers per season with Tampa Bay and Houston, Wigginton managed only 19 doubles and 11 homers with Baltimore in 2009.  Wigginton also scored 44 runs and collected 41 RBIs despite playing in 122 games.  Had the 32-year-old Wigginton not signed a two-year deal prior to the season, he might have had a tough time finding a new team in 2010.  But given a second chance in year two of the deal, Wigginton proved that his 2009 season was a fluke.

In 2010, Wigginton became an All-Star for the first time, leading the Orioles with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs by the Fourth of July.  Wigginton played in 154 games in his second year with Baltimore - his highest total since his first full season with the Mets in 2003.  By season's end, Wigginton was back to being his old consistent self, finishing the year with 29 doubles, 22 homers and 76 RBIs.  One other consistency returned to Wiggy's career - he became a free agent and signed with another team.

Colorado became Wigginton's sixth team in 2011, as the 33-year-old Wigginton once again replaced Melvin Mora as the team's versatile infielder.  Although Wigginton only had 401 at-bats with the Rockies, he still managed 21 doubles, 15 homers and 47 RBIs.

But once again, Wigginton was piling up his numbers with a non-contending team.  He thought that would finally change when he signed a one-year deal to play for the five-time NL East champion Phillies in 2012.  It did not, as the Phillies finished with the year with an 81-81 record.  But Wigginton did get to show the Mets what they had been missing over the years, batting .412 with four doubles, three homers and an incredible 15 RBIs in only 34 at-bats versus New York.

Video courtesy of MLB.com

Ty Wigginton has played 11 years in the major leagues, but has only been involved in one pennant race.  But the final chapter in Wigginton's book has not yet been written, as the veteran utility man signed a two-year, $5 million contract to play for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013 and 2014.   The Redbirds have had winning seasons in 12 of the last 13 years and have made the playoffs nine times in that stretch, winnings three pennants and two World Series titles.

After years of playing games in September to earn a job the following season, Wigginton might finally be playing for a postseason berth instead.  A player who has fought so hard to achieve everything he has accomplished since receiving that first call-up to the major leagues in 2002 deserves that chance.

Ty Wigginton was never supposed to make it to the big leagues, let alone succeed in the majors for over a decade.  Most 17th round picks don't.  But the gritty, hard-nosed player did make it to the big show, doing it through sheer determination and a strong will to win (even if his teams had trouble doing so).  Although Wigginton only played parts of three seasons in New York, he still played more games with the Mets (288) than he has with any other team.  Yet despite that, Wigginton has still hit 176 doubles and 140 homers (and counting) after the Mets let him get away.

Two years before Jim Duquette traded Wigginton to Pittsburgh, he had this to say about the infielder:

''When we got him, he wasn't where he needed to be, defensively, at the professional level.  But through his work ethic alone, he's turned himself into a solid second baseman.  He hasn't been exposed as much at third, but we're going to look at him.''

Duquette thought the Mets had a solid second baseman in Wigginton, but manager Art Howe played him at third in 2003.  Wigginton remained at third base in 2004 because Jose Reyes was the team's second baseman.  For the record, Wigginton has played a total of 168 games at second base in his career, making 14 errors at the position.  But the Mets never thought to play him there.  Meanwhile, the team used Kaz Matsui at the position from 2004 to 2006 and Luis Castillo from 2007 to 2010.  That's seven seasons of boos at the second base position.  And seven seasons of wondering what might have been had the Mets just given the position to Wigginton.

Ty Wigginton has made a career out of being a consistent performer.  But the Mets delivered a knockout blow to his career in New York when they sent him to Pittsburgh in 2004.  Wigginton has been doing his best to knock out Mets pitchers and their battery mates since then, batting .313 with 14 extra-base hits and 27 RBIs in only 96 career at-bats against the team that originally drafted him in 1998.  Of course, former Mets catcher Josh Thole wouldn't know a thing about that.  He's still recovering from his close encounter of the Wigginton kind.

Ouch.

Note:  The Mets That Got Away is a thirteen-part weekly series that spotlights those Mets players who established themselves as major leaguers in New York, only to become stars after leaving town.  For previous installments, please click on the players' names below:

January 7, 2013: Nolan Ryan
January 14, 2013: Melvin Mora  
January 21, 2013: Kevin Mitchell 
January 28, 2013: Amos Otis
February 4, 2013: Jeff Reardon
February 11, 2013: Lenny Dykstra
February 18, 2013: Jeff Kent
February 25, 2013: Randy Myers
March 4, 2013: Ken Singleton 
March 11, 2013: Mike Scott
March 18, 2013: Jeromy Burnitz

The Perfect Way For The Mets To Stick It To The Marlins

As all Mets fans know, the Marlins have been a thorn in the team's side since 2007.  First, Tom Glavine was able to retire only one more batter than I did in the 2007 regular season finale, completing the Mets' collapse.  One year later, the Marlins wouldn't get off the field after they once again eliminated the Mets (and Shea Stadium) in Game No. 162.  Three years after that, they stuck it to the Mets again, this time by signing Jose Reyes to a six-year deal worth $106 million, or about $106 million more than Fred Wilpon has stored away in his souvenir Sandy Koufax piggy bank.

In fact, if you really want to get technical about it, the Marlins have been one-upping the Mets since 1997, when they replaced the Mets as the fastest expansion team to win a World Series.  (The Marlins have since been knocked off that perch by the fourth-year Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.)

But other than the Mets celebrating their 2006 NL East title in front of their home fans while the Marlins watched in the road dugout, they haven't really done anything that would be considered negative to the Marlins.  Are they upset that the Mets took Mike Piazza and Carlos Delgado from them?  Did Fred Wilpon insult Marlins' owner Jeffrey Loria's mother because he found out Loria grew up as a Yankee fan during the era in which the Brooklyn Dodgers kept losing to them in the World Series?

The time has come for the Mets to stand up to the Marlins once and for all.  And I know just how they can do it.

Earlier today, it was reported that Bud Selig expects two extra wild-card teams to be in place for this season, rather than the 2013 campaign.  Therefore, with five teams now qualifying for the playoffs in the National League instead of the usual four, the Marlins have reasonable expectations that they will be one of those five teams.

More than likely, the Phillies will win the NL East for the sixth consecutive season.  But the Atlanta Braves are coming off an epic late-season collapse.  The St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers both lost their top power hitters (Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder) to free agency.  With all those windows being opened in the National League, the Miami Marlins are poised to break through and crash the playoff party for the first time since Art Howe was supposedly managing the Mets.

Like many other teams competing for the wild card spots, the Marlins might not play a potential clinching game until the final series of the season.  And who, pray tell, will the Marlins be playing on October 1, 2 and 3 in front of their dozens of fans at their brand spanking-new ballpark?

The New York Mets.

Wouldn't it be something if the Marlins needed to win their final series of the season and the newly-signed (and former Met) Heath Bell blew a save or two to the Mets?  Or how about if Jose Reyes, representing the tying run in the bottom of the ninth was caught stealing to end a game?  What if the Marlins' new ace, Mark Buehrle, only lasted a third of an inning in the regular season finale, as the Mets battered him for run after run in the opening frame?  Would that be devastating to them?

It's been too long since the Marlins have been a thorn in the Mets' side.  Ever since Steve Trachsel's arm and Jose Valentin's bat took them down in the 2006 division clincher, the artists formerly known as the Florida Marlins have been giving the Mets and their fans recurring nightmares.

Hey, we all know the Marlins are just one poor finish away from conducting their once-a-decade fire sale.  Why not speed up the inevitable and give them a chance to do it this year?  The Marlins have been sticking it to the Mets every chance they've gotten since 2007.  It's time for the Mets to stick it right back to them in 2012.  Ya gotta believe.

Joey's Letter To Sandy Claus

Dear Sandy Claus,

You may not know me, but I know you.  I know you're the guy who spreads holiday cheer at Citi Field by giving Mets fans what they ask for when they write you a letter, so here's mine.

My name is Joey Beartran.  I've been a Mets fan all my life, from the time I was born at Shea Stadium in 2004 to Jose Reyes' final game as a Met.  In the time I've been a fan, I've seen Art Howe do nothing but make excuses for his latest loss.  I've also seen Willie Randolph take his team to within one long hit of a World Series berth and I had one eye open when he was unceremoniously axed in Anaheim.  Jerry Manuel?  I saw him do something a real gangsta would never do - laugh at every question in the post-game interview, even after gut-wrenching losses.

Last year, I met Terry Collins in person and realized he's barely taller than I am.  I also saw a man who resembled you, but his name was Sandy Alderson.  Still, he was a very nice man to talk to and I think you should hire him as one of your helpers.

Anyway, I have some things I've been wishing for.  They're things that all Mets fans would probably want as well, so I hope you read my letter and can give us what we want for the holidays.  Here goes.

I'd like Johan Santana to pitch an entire season for the Mets.  Ever since his Herculean effort in the next-to-last game at Shea Stadium in 2008, Johan has missed the entire last month of the season in every year.  Last year, he didn't pitch at all for the Mets.  I go to many Mets games and I'd like to come to the ballpark with reasonable expectations that the Mets are going to win.  Johan used to give me that feeling.  Please give me that feeling again in 2012.

Speaking of Johan, I'd also like the Mets not to say that a player is day-to-day and then have him miss two and a half months.  When David Wright was placed on the disabled list in mid-May, he was supposed to resume baseball activities in a week and a half.  Two and a half weeks later, he was told he had to stay away from baseball for another three weeks.  It took over a month from that point for Wright to return to the Mets' lineup, finally playing again in late July.  I don't even want to get into Ike Davis, whose injury caused him to be originally listed as day-to-day when his proper status should have been season-to-season.  Let's stop with those incorrect injury assessments, okay?

I'd like Jason Bay to regain his power stroke.  After hitting 36 homers and driving in 119 runs for the Red Sox in 2009, I expected him to do the same when the Mets signed him during that offseason.  In the two years since his signing, Bay's cumulative power numbers (18 HR, 104 RBI) are still short of his numbers compiled during his final season in Boston.  The fences have been moved in at Citi Field for 2012.  Let's hope Jason Bay has noticed this.

Speaking of the walls being moved in, how about sending out a memo to the rest of the team as well?  Since the Mets moved in to Citi Field three years ago, only David Wright has surpassed 20 HR in a single season (29 HR in 2010).  You can even take that a step further.  In that 2010 season, Ike Davis finished second to Wright in home runs with 19.  No other Met has hit more than 15 HR in a single season since they moved to New Ebbets Field.  (Daniel Murphy hit a team-leading 12 HR in 2009 and Carlos Beltran led the team with 15 HR in 2011.)  In 1998, Sammy Sosa hit 20 HR in the month of June alone.  Only one Met has reached that total in an entire year since Citi Field opened its doors.  Let's make it two in 2012 (but three or four would be better).

I'd like some Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.  That's not meant to be taken literally.  I meant that figuratively.  I want the Mets to show some fight in them for a change.  If a player gets knocked down by an opposing pitcher, I want a Mets pitcher to knock down an opposing hitter.  Bob Gibson did it.  Don Drysdale did it.  Both pitchers are now in the Hall of Fame.  The Mets only have one Hall of Fame pitcher, and I'm sure no one wanted to face Tom Seaver either, especially after an opposing pitcher knocked down one of his teammates.  No one is afraid of the Mets.  Make them afraid.  Make them very afraid.

I need R.A. Dickey to get some run support in 2012.  Dickey led the team in 2011 with his 3.28 ERA.  But keeping opponents' runs to a minimum didn't help his won-loss record, as R.A. went 8-13 last year.  From May 20 to the end of the season, Dickey sported an excellent 2.69 ERA.  Surely he must have had a winning record over those final 24 starts.  Unfortunately, he did not, as he went 7-8 with nine no-decisions during that stretch.  (And don't call me Shirley.)  Dickey allowed two earned runs or less in 15 of those 24 starts, but was only credited with a win in five of those starts.  Let's get R.A. the help he needs by crossing the plate a little more in his starts.

I'd like Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler to be the real deal in the minors.  The last time the Mets had several highly touted pitching prospects in the minor leagues at the same time, Generation K was born.  How did that go for the Mets?  In less time than it takes to not make Jose Reyes a formal contract offer, Generation K turned into Generation KO, as injuries and poor performances knocked out Paul Wilson, Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen before the Mets became legitimate contenders.  Don't rush Harvey and Wheeler to the majors until they're fully ready.  Jenrry Mejia was rushed to the majors in 2010 and what did that do for him?  You guessed it.  Injuries and poor performances.  It happened a generation ago.  Don't let it happen again with Harvey and Wheeler.  They're not to be promoted until they're ready to face major league hitters.  Period.

Last but not least, I'd like a box of chocolates.  It doesn't have to be a $106 million box of chocolates.  I'm just really hungry and want a box of chocolates.  And if it's not too much trouble, perhaps you can bring me a new Mets hoodie as well.  I've had this one since I was born and it's getting a little old.  Thanks so much.

Love and best wishes for the 2012 season,
Joey Beartran

P.S.  My Studious Metsimus colleague would also like Jonathon Niese not to be traded.  He has some weird obsession with him, one I can't explain, but who am I to argue with him?  Thanks, Sandy Claus!  Hope you read my letter!

Bears On Film: Moneyball

Greetings to all!  We're Joey and Iggy Beartran and this is the premier edition of Bears On Film, which is not to be confused with Men On Film, the old skit starring Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier from In Living Color or Girls On Film, the classic song by Duran Duran.  In today's segment, we're going to review "Moneyball", a film based on the best-selling book by Michael Lewis.

(By the way, this review comes with a HEAVY SPOILER ALERT, so if you don't want to know what happens in the film, you should stop reading this now.  However, since we went through all this trouble to write it, you'll have to get us some popcorn so that we don't call your house and leave a voice mail with the entire synopsis of the film.)

The cast of the film includes Brad Pitt as Oakland A's general manager (and former Mets first round draft pick) Billy Beane, Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman as A's manager (and former Mets manager) Art Howe and Jonah Hill as assistant general manager Peter Brand (since Paul DePodesta was presumably too hard to spell).

The film begins with the 2001 ALDS between the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees, focusing on Johnny Damon (the opening shot of the film is of Damon batting against Roger Clemens in Game 5 of the ALDS) and Jason Giambi, two high-priced members of the A's who were free agents at the end of the season.  The A's fell to the Yankees in that deciding fifth game and Damon and Giambi signed free agent contracts with the Red Sox and Yankees, respectively.  (Former and current Met Jason Isringhausen was another free agent mentioned in the film who packed his bags following the Game 5 loss and took his wares to St. Louis.)

General manger Billy Beane was left with a problem after the departures of his star players.  How would he replace their numbers without breaking the bank?  Enter Peter Brand. (Or Paul DePodesta - if you're still calling it Shea, then we're calling him DePodesta!)

In a meeting with Cleveland Indians' GM Mark Shapiro (played by Reed Diamond), Beane attempts to trade for relief pitcher Ricardo Rincon.  When that fails, he decides to acquire outfielder (and future Met) Karim Garcia, a player Shapiro is originally open to dealing.  However, Brand/DePodesta, through a series a hand and head gestures, tells Shapiro not to deal Garcia.  Beane ends up with nothing from Cleveland.  However, he didn't leave empty-handed.  Shortly after the meeting, Beane convinced Brand/DePodesta to come work for him in Oakland as his new assistant general manager.

We missed the next few minutes of the film because we wanted some snacks.  It was really hard to pass up that freshly popped popcorn and the oodles of snacks on display, so we sacrificed a few minutes of the film to refuel (that's code for filling our tummies).  Eventually, we'll catch those missing minutes on DVD/Blu-ray.  For now, you'll have to either see the film or ask someone who saw it in its entirety and wasn't as tempted by the snack display as we were.

The movie continued with Beane and Brand/DePodesta bucking the system, while at the same time alienating the other members of the A's front office/talent evaluators with their new approach to evaluating players, namely through the use of on-base percentage as a way to properly replace Damon and Giambi without having to pay an arm, a leg and Rollie Fingers' mustache for it.  Billy Beane was down with OBP (yeah, you know me), while the old farts of the old regime were left with questions like "Who's Fabio?".  (Trust us, it's a very funny scene.)

Damon and Giambi were replaced by David Justice and Scott Hatteberg.  Justice had helped defeat the A's in the 2001 ALDS, but was considered to be over-the-hill and a liability on the field by all of the talent evaluators on the A's not named Beane and Brand/DePodesta.  Hatteberg had played all or parts of seven seasons with the Boston Red Sox, primarily as a catcher.  However, he could no longer throw the ball and was not being sought after by any major league teams.

Despite their shortcomings on the field, both Justice and Hatteberg did have one thing in common.  They walked more than Caine in Kung Fu.

So down came the Damon, Giambi and Isringhausen banners at the Network Associates Coliseum (that's what the ballpark was called in 2002) and up went a lone David Justice banner.  The 2002 A's were built to walk, and over the first two months of the season, they walked their way to the bottom of the AL West standings.

Manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman) refused to play Scott Hatteberg at first base, going so far as to reminding his general manager that it was his (Howe's) job to manage and Beane's job to be the general manager.  Needless to say, Beane wasn't exactly fond of his manager, so he traded Howe's other options at first base, Carlos Peña and Jeremy Giambi, to the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively.  This led to a classic scene in the film where Beane orders Howe to insert Hatteberg in that night's starting lineup, to which Howe steadfastly refuses.  Howe insists on starting Peña that night before finally being told by Beane that he can't start a Detroit Tiger at first base.

Philip Seymour Hoffman must be a great actor if he could effectively play the most boring manager in major league history in Art Howe.

The film continues with the ascension of the new "Moneyball" A's, as they rise from the ashes of last place (after Beane assures the owner of the A's that they would be within seven games of first place by the All-Star Break) and adds a story not seen in the Michael Lewis book, namely the relationship between Beane and his daughter, Casey (played by Kerris Dorsey).

Although the father-daughter relationship scenes seemed out of place at first and an unwelcome addition to the film, one particular scene in a music shop set the stage for future scenes involving Beane's ability to "enjoy the show" that was his ragtag group of players (and yes, the quotation marks in the previous sentence are intentional).

And what a show it was!  The A's climbed all the way to the top of the AL West, winning an American League record 20 consecutive games late in the season.  They returned to the playoffs after being written off by many after the fleecing of their high-priced free agents, but were once again eliminated in the ALDS, this time by the Minnesota Twins.


Moneyball showed off the fantastic acting chops of Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but what surprised us the most was the portrayal of Brand/DePodesta by Jonah Hill.  Hill's dramatic turn in Moneyball was a complete 180 from his usual comedic roles and should not be discounted.  Speaking of comedic roles, Brent Jennings was hysterical in his role of A's infield coach Ron Washington, producing some of the movie's funniest lines (a scene in Scott Hatteberg's house comes to mind).

Finally, we can't imagine what's it like to be a GM in the major leagues, but one scene involving Beane's attempt to finally land reliever Ricardo Rincon from the Indians at the trade deadline was pure genius.  The scene involves a hectic back-and-forth exchange between Beane, the always-in-the-background Brand/DePodesta, Beane's secretary Suzanne, and a plethora of other major league GMs, including former Mets GM Steve Phillips.

And to think this was all for a 32-year-old lefty specialist who pitched a grand total of 443.2 innings in 11 seasons in the majors (which, you guessed it, ended with this time as a Met in 2008 - did everyone in this movie have a job with the Mets at some point?  Even Chad Bradford, who "prayed" for Billy Beane in another fantastic scene, played in Flushing.)

Brad Pitt will certainly garner attention from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences come Oscar time.  His portrayal of Billy Beane showed a man who was willing to think outside the box, but did so because winning was the most important thing to him.  His passion for the game, despite not being able to play it well enough to stay in the major leagues (seeing him in a 1984 Mets road jersey with the racing pinstripes was worth the price of admission), was evident throughout the film.  Losing was unacceptable.  Beane would not accept anything less, even from players who on paper weren't supposed to compete with the Yankees or other teams that bathed in their own money, and Pitt played the character perfectly.

Brad Pitt rallies the troops, which includes former big league shortstop Royce Clayton, who plays Miguel Tejada (clearly before Tejada's "alleged" steroid use).

Since we are also the Studious Metsimus culinary experts, we couldn't help but notice various scenes with Beane eating peanuts, popcorn and an entire Twinkie in one bite.  He never seemed to eat anything but junk food, which is a trait we'd like to incorporate into our lifestyles when we're not reviewing baseball films.

So do we recommend Moneyball to our faithful readers?  Let's just say we gave the film TWO BIG PAWS UP!!

It's got tremendous acting (Philip Seymour Hoffman put Iggy to sleep a few times, which means he played Art Howe perfectly), fantastic baseball drama (the A's-Royals matchup at the end of the 20-game winning streak was full of tension - we felt like we were watching an actual game being played), and enough junk food to make any bear happy.

At two hours and 13 minutes, the film might have been a tad lengthy (gotta love those father-daughter scenes), but then again, it was about as long as four innings of a Red Sox-Yankees game.  If you think of it that way, the film flew by.

Moneyball was worth the money we found in the Studious Metsimus petty cash tin.  Even the Oakland A's, with their penny-pinching ways, would shell out top dollar for this film.  The A's might not have won a championship yet under Billy Beane, but the performances in this film are most certainly of a championship caliber.  Go see Moneyball!

8 Since 7 Played 1

Eight years ago today, the Mets were playing the Texas Rangers in an interleague game. The Mets fell short in that game, losing by the final score of 9-7. It was just another game on the schedule for the Mets, who were on their way to a 66-95 season under first-year manager Art Howe. But one significant thing did happen on June 10, 2003, for that was the day Jose Reyes made his debut for the New York Mets.

On the day before his 20^th birthday, Reyes became the first teenager since Dwight Gooden in 1984 to take the field for the Mets. The charismatic shortstop was one of the top prospects in the Mets’ minor league system and was called up to replace Rey Sanchez, who was placed on the disabled list with a thumb injury. Although Reyes started his career with a bang (he hit a grand slam for his first major league homer five days after his debut), injuries sidelined him over his first two seasons in the big leagues. His second season with the Mets (2004) saw Reyes move to second base to accommodate Kaz Matsui, who never lived up to expectations after signing a three-year deal to become the team’s new shortstop.

Finally, in 2005, Jose Reyes stayed healthy for the first time. He moved back to shortstop, displacing the oft-booed Matsui, who moved over to second base. Reyes played in all but one game that season, hitting .273, while banging out 190 hits. He also led the National League with 60 stolen bases, becoming only the second Met to steal as many as 60 bases in a season (Roger Cedeño stole 66 bases in 1999). Reyes’ run of excellence and good health continued over the next three years, when he stole an average of 66 bases per season, including a franchise-record 78 in 2007. He also added power to his game, racking up extra-base hit after extra-base hit. From 2006-2008, Reyes hit 103 doubles, 48 triples and 47 home runs.

Then the injury bug victimized Reyes again, as he was limited to 36 games in 2009. Reyes did come back to play in 133 games in 2010, but without a strong supporting cast around him, his play suffered. He finished the season with 83 runs scored, 10 triples and 30 stolen bases, all of which were career-lows for a season in which he played at least 100 games.

Now comes 2011, a year in which Reyes once again has had to play without a strong supporting cast. Last year, he couldn't rise to the occasion (although in his defense, an assortment of minor injuries did slow him down a bit). This year, he's surpassed all expectations and is carrying the team with him. Through the Mets' first 62 games, Reyes has already surpassed last season's total for triples. His 11 three-baggers lead the majors, and he also ranks at or near the top of the league leaderboard in batting average, hits, multi-hit games, runs scored, doubles and stolen bases.

Jose Reyes has been special for many years and is now just entering his prime. However, just as he's in the midst of his best season in the majors, he may also be nearing the end of his Mets career, as free agency is looming for Reyes after this season. Perhaps Sandy Alderson will find a few extra million dollars in Fred Wilpon's wallet at the end of the season to give to Reyes. Whether or not he accepts the offer is up to him.

However, regardless of what happens to Reyes in the next few months, let us not forget the dynamic player he has been for the Mets. As Reyes goes, so goes the team. If the Mets are involved in a late-inning rally, Reyes is usually involved. If the team needs a spark of life, Reyes will provide the charge.

Since the days of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, no homegrown player has provided as much excitement to the Mets' fanbase as Jose Reyes. We've watched him grow from an energetic teenager to a sometimes immature superstar to the leader he has become this year.

The team may have changed dramatically since Jose Reyes played his first game eight years ago today, and Reyes has changed quite a bit as well, but one thing hasn't changed. Jose Reyes plays the game to win. He plays the game to have fun. He plays the game, period. We should be thankful that we've been able to watch Reyes play for the past eight years. Talent like that doesn't come along very often.

Joey's Soapbox: Two Years Later, It's Still Hard To Shea Goodbye

Two years ago today, on September 28, 2008, Shea Stadium hosted its final Mets game. It was also the final time I set foot inside the place where I was born. I'm Joey Beartran and although it's been two full years, it's still hard for me to Shea goodbye.

On June 20, 2004, the Mets played the final game of a three-game interleague series against the Detroit Tigers. It was also Father's Day. I was hanging out at the Mets Team Store behind home plate at Shea Stadium when the man who would later become my Studious Metsimus colleague introduced himself to me and offered me the opportunity to watch the Mets game with him. He also offered me some chicken tenders. Of course, I said yes.

That was the beginning of my business relationship with my colleague, but it was also the day I first experienced Shea Stadium in its entirety. At my young age (about 15 minutes old at the time), I was overwhelmed by Shea's beauty.

We went up to my colleague's regular Sunday Plan seats in the Mezzanine Level (Section 7, Row E, Seats 16 and 17) and I marveled at the field, the players, the food vendors (ESPECIALLY the food vendors) and the entire Shea Stadium experience.

It was unlike anything else I had ever experienced in my life (which by then had doubled to about 30 minutes old). The Mets won that first game I attended, which was the best birthday gift I could ever ask for.

The following year, in 2005, the Mets brought in Willie Randolph to manage the "New" Mets, led by new acquisitions Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez. Those Mets finished with an 83-79 record, giving them their best record since 2000, which was the last time Shea Stadium hosted a World Series game.

The following season was even better, as the Mets went 97-65 and came within one win of the World Series. Despite Endy Chavez's highlight reel catch (see below, left), the Mets fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. I attended Games 1 and 6, both Mets victories, but was not present for the stunning seventh game loss. That offseason was a very difficult one for me, as even when I dreamed about Shea Stadium, all I saw was Cardinal red (see below, right).



The 2007 and 2008 seasons should have been about redemption. The Mets should have made the playoffs both seasons and should have inaugurated Citi Field with a championship banner. However, instead of silly celebration, there was Phillie denigration, as the Mets were eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of each season.

First came Tom Glavine's "non-devastating" loss in 2007 on the day after John Maine's near no-hitter. Then came the final game of the 2008 season - Shea Stadium's final game. My colleague had brought me back to the place where I was born in the hopes that the team (and my birthplace) could avoid an early death. It was not to be.

For the second consecutive season, the Mets tried to hook the Marlins and instead took a right hook to the face, groin, you name it. If the Marlins could rip the heart out of a team, its fans, a ballpark, a Joey...they did just that. Two years, two final game defeats to the Marlins. Two was a popular number that day, as I left my birthplace for the final time feeling like number two after the events of September 28, 2008. Not even a final pitch from Tom Seaver to Mike Piazza could change the fact that I was feeling more blue than orange.

So here we are, two years after I left Shea Stadium for the final time. The ballpark may be gone, but my memories of it are still intact.

From my first memories of Art Howe and wondering why he was ever our manager to begin with to seeing George "The Stork" Theodore during the Shea Goodbye ceremony and marveling at his oddly-shaped shoulders, Shea Stadium will always be home to me. It is where I began my love affair with the Mets, ballpark cuisine and Lou Monte. (Lazy Mary, anyone?)

Citi Field is my new home. However, while I may have replaced the chicken tenders with chicken nachos, I'll never replace the spot in my mind and in my heart for Shea Stadium. It is forever locked away in both places, where no one will ever take it from me.

Casey Stengel will always live there. So will Gil Hodges and the Miracle Mets. The 1986 Amazin' Mets will always be welcome at the bar. Mookie Wilson's little roller will always go through Bill Buckner's legs. Mike Piazza will forever be hitting homers off Roger Clemens there as well.

Shea Stadium is mine. It's yours. It's everyone's. It's been two years since its doors closed for the final time, but all Mets fans have a piece of the key. All you have to is close your eyes, think of Bob Murphy's voice and Shea Stadium will always be there. And that, my friends, is the happiest recap of all.

How To Cope With Being Oliver Perez

Oliver Perez. The two words strung together in a sentence are enough to make a Met fan long for the days of Mel Rojas. To say Oliver Perez has been ineffective this since signing his three-year, $36 million contract would be an understatement. Ineffectiveness would be an improvement over the guano we've gotten from El Perez-idente.

Here are some quick numbers on the Mets' $36 million man:

Since signing his deal, Oliver Perez has won a total of three games, or three more than I have. In 110 innings, he has allowed 224 base runners, of which 95 reached via the walk and seven were hit by pitches. On every tenth pitch or so, when Oliver Perez has found the strike zone, opposing hitters have sent that pitch into orbit. Perez has allowed 21 home runs in those 110 innings, including the home run by Brian McCann last night.

Oliver Perez was sent to the bullpen and made his first relief appearance for the Mets on May 19. Since becoming a reliever, his ERA is 9.28. He's faced 57 batters and 28 of them have reached base (.491 on-base percentage). Perez has thrown a total of 233 pitches to those 57 batters, of which only 30 of them were called strikes. A whopping 107 of those pitches were called balls. Yet the Mets continue to keep this man on their active roster, paying him what has amounted to approximately $24,000 per strike. If a starting pitcher making 35 starts in a season got paid $24,000 per start, he'd earn $840,000 per year, or more than double what Cardinals' starting pitcher Jaime Garcia is being paid this year (Garcia is 12-6 with a 2.33 ERA and a $400,000 annual salary). Perez is earning that amount FOR EXTRA STRIKE HE HAS THROWN!

Let's just say that if Oliver Perez were spotted going to the bathroom at Citi Field, he'd be booed there as well (and then he'd miss the urinal). However, Ollie should take comfort in that he's not the first Met to be booed just for being alive. Studious Metsimus caught up with some of these former Mets to ask them for their feelings on what it was like to be booed during their time in New York.

Armando Benitez

I don't remember them booing me. In fact, I remember one time in an extra-inning game, I balked Jose Reyes to second base, then balked him home, then gave up a walk-off homer to Carlos Delgado. I didn't hear a single boo that night. Oh wait, I was on the Giants then?

Braden Looper

Why would you think they were booing me? All I heard every time I came into a game was LOOOOOOOO, because my last name is Looper.



Art Howe

I'm still confused why fans ever booed me. I was a great manager for the Oakland A's. I even gave Eric Valent a shot to play when no one else did and what did he do? He hit for the cycle! The Mets respected him so much that they didn't give away his #57 jersey to anyone until this guy named Johan came over.

Kaz Matsui

They had two reasons to boo me. First, I could never live up to the legend that was Tsuyoshi Shinjo. Second, I disgraced the #25, a number that belonged to Mets superstar and World Series of Poker fan Bobby Bonilla. Maybe I should make it up to him by finally allowing him to show me the Bronx.

Bobby Bonilla

I can't believe the Mets would give my number to that Mat-phooey guy. They should have retired my number! I was the MVP of the 1993 team! Now leave me alone. I have a card game to focus on.







So Oliver Perez is not alone when it comes to being booed at Shea Stadium/Citi Field. It's not just the guys above who have been booed. We tried getting in touch with George Foster but he was doing some motivational speaking for the Doug Sisk Fan Club. Mel Rojas was also unavailable because he was tending bar at Paul O'Neill's Pub.

Oliver Perez may not be wanted in New York, but he is not the first player to go through this. Ollie can look on the bright side. Next year, he'll probably be paid about half a million dollars per sunflower seed he spits out.

Joey's Soapbox: Changes At Citi Field Everywhere But On The Field

Welcome to the latest edition of Joey's Soapbox. As always, I'm your fav'rit Studious Metsimus correspondent, Joey Beartran. Today I'm getting up on my soapbox to talk about a real doozy. It's about all these new changes at Citi Field.

For the past year, fans have clamored for Citi Field to be more Mets-centric. Homages to the Brooklyn Dodgers can be seen everywhere. There's the exterior of Citi Field resembling the main entrance at Ebbets Field. There's also the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Once you take the center escalators up to the Field Level seating area, you're faced with the Ebbets Club. There's even a '47 shop that sells vintage clothing. (I wasn't around in 1947, but I heard that was a good year for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Something about the rookie season of the aforementioned Mr. Robinson and the Dodgers winning the pennant.)

See what I mean? Everywhere you went at Citi Field, you couldn't escape the Brooklyn Dodgers. Do you want to go even further? How about the store for ladies on the Excelsior Level? (Touch by Alyssa Milano)

Alyssa Milano was born in Brooklyn! She has confessed to being a Dodger fan and season ticket holder! (According to that link, she also follows many Dodger blogs, but does not follow Studious Metsimus. I will now have to put up my Who's The Boss Season 1 DVD for sale on eBay because of that.) Yes, I know there are other Touch stores in other major league stadiums, but surely the Wilpons must have jumped at the idea of having a Touch boutique at Citi Field when a Brooklyn-born Dodger fan is behind it.

So this year, the Mets are going all out to make Citi Field have more of a Mets feel to it. They started with the renaming of certain areas of the ballpark. In 2010, fans can now enter through the Gil Hodges VIP entrance, the Tom Seaver VIP entrance and the Casey Stengel VIP entrance. (We have not received confirmation on whether the janitors' entrance was renamed to honor Doug Sisk.) The bridge in right field was also renamed as the Shea Bridge.

In addition to the newly renamed areas of the ballpark, the Mets were going to construct a Hall of Fame and Museum adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. They were also finally going to induct new members to their Hall of Fame, all of which were instrumental to the 1986 World Championship team.

In February, the Mets announced that McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon would be opening a new location at Citi Field. Now comes word that the Mets are adding new menu items to their various eating establishments, as well as new eating establishments for fans to enjoy.

The one thing I couldn't help but notice was the fact that there will now be poutine at Box Frites. (Shameless plug: For those who don't know what poutine is, please read this Studious Metsimus classic, where I discussed the topic with Professeur Bay.) Do you think this would have happened had the Mets not signed Sgt. Bay of The Yukon to a multi-year deal? Are they now going to have Molson, Labatt and Sleeman on tap at McFadden's?

Next thing you know, the Mets are going to put out an official press release stating that during the sixth inning, they will conduct races similar to the sausage race in Milwaukee and the Presidents Race in Washington. It will feature Terrance and Phillip (from South Park), Geddy Lee and Anne Murray. Similar to Teddy Roosevelt in Washington, Anne Murray will never be allowed to win one of these races.

Terrance, Phillip and Geddy Lee won't even allow Anne Murray to appear in these photos.

Ah, but I digress. What's the point of this rant from my soapbox? I'll tell you. In 2009, fans were treated to shoddy baseball by the Not Ready For The Major League Players. The result of that was a 70-92 season and fans coming to games dressed as empty seats.

Since the Wilpons and Omar Minaya couldn't get anyone other than Jason Bay to sign with the Mets (the Catcher Crusaders notwithstanding), they needed to do something to attract the fans' interest. Therefore, they're loading Citi Field with all these new attractions so that when the team is losing to the Phillies, Braves, Marlins and Nationals, no one will seem to notice because they're too busy in the Museum or drinking at McFadden's or savoring their poutine.

I am a Mets fan and I always will be. Although I'm not quite six years old (I'll be six on June 20. Send cake and chicken nachos.), I'm old enough to remember the dark days of the Art Howe Era. I want last year's team to be a fluke and not a throwback to the Art Howe days.

Perhaps if this off-season had featured better movements regarding player transactions (i.e. an improved starting rotation), the Mets wouldn't have to resort to these other fan-friendly changes to attract their fanbase. I'm sure I'll enjoy all these new amenities (especially the poutine) but I would enjoy it more if the product on the field had improved as well. Sure, they could surprise us and have all their injured players return to good health and good performances. Maybe even Oliver Perez might pitch a good game or twelve. But right now, the Mets might be a .500 team at best.

Hey, Mets fans. Look on the bright side. At least we can drown our sorrows with a Molson at McFadden's.

The Clinching Is At Hand; Can Mets Go "Fourth"?

Sunday, September 20, 2009. Mark it on your calendars. It could be the day the Mets finally clinch fourth place in the National League East for the first time since 2004.

In 2004, Art Howe led his ragtag band of misfits to a 71-91 record. It was a struggle to fend off the upstart Montreal Expos, but the Mets managed to hold on to fourth place by a four-game margin over Les Expos.

Prior to 2004, the Mets' last fourth place finish was in 1996. That year produced similar results to 2004. The Mets finished 71-91 and held off the last place Phillies by four games.

This year, the Mets have run away with fourth place in the division, as they have a commanding 12½-game lead over Washington. Will the Mets be taking part in a celebratory silly string party after the last out is recorded on Sunday?


Silly string celebrations have been the precursors for better seasons in the past. In 1996, the Mets finished in fourth place with a 71-91 record. The following two seasons they finished 88-74. Those winning seasons were followed by the only back-to-back playoff appearances in franchise history.

In 2004, following their fourth place finish, the Mets went on to an 83-79 record in 2005. After that, they finished with the best record in the National League in 2006.

In today's baseball, a fourth place finish in the National League East means that the team finished in next-to-last place. Back in 1968, there were no divisions. There were only two ten-team leagues. Finishing in next-to-last place back then meant ninth place. That's exactly where the Mets finished in 1968. I think we all know what happened to them in 1969.

Do not despair, Mets fans. The history of the franchise suggests that fourth place (or next-to-last) finishes are only the beginning of amazing turnarounds. All they have to do is beat the Nationals on Sunday and the future will become much brighter much sooner. Get your silly string ready. The clinching is at hand!