Buffalo Rising Online

Sep 22nd 2008, 3:58pm By BRO Reader Submission

BRO reader submission from Scott Kareff:

As Mets fans brace themselves for the final week of what is rapidly and disturbingly looking like a re-run of last year's brutally epic collapse, you can forgive them if they failed to notice Buffalo Rising to the West on their sports pages last week with the announcement that the Mets would be the new Parent team for the Buffalo Bisons. After years of affiliation with the Cleveland Indians, Bisons fans might be wondering what is in store with the Mets. As a native Buffalonian now residing just a few miles from Shea Stadium and the new CitiField, I have good news for you: The Mets are a team the fans of Buffalo can embrace. New York's Second team, overlooked in their own city in favor of the Yankees. Lovable Losers for much of their history, the Mets have tortured their fans of late.

Who needs any more of THAT, you might ask, recalling years of mediocre Buffalo teams interspersed with some flashes of brilliance that only made worse the ultimate heartbreak that ensued (think 1970's - '80's Bills followed by 1990-1994 Bills, and 1980's - '90's Sabres followed by 1999 and Post-Lockout Sabres). But I look at it the other way: who better than a Buffalo fan to appreciate the angst of the New York Metropolitans and their fans as they try to rise up off the matt and hold on to a Playoff Spot over the last 7 games of the season with a bullpen that is shakier than a Kaye Stephenson motivational speech or a Buffalo Bills Super Bowl lead (how many of those were there?).

Plus, you don't have to do much studying to get up to speed on the History of the Franchise. Born in 1962 to replace the Brooklyn Dodgers and the NY Giants (whose respective colors, Blue and Orange, the Mets wear), the Mets were terrible at first, but Magic struck in 1969 with the Miracle Mets (World Series Win) and again in 1986 vs. Red Sox with Mookie Wilson and Billy Buckner. Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, Lenny Dykstra and Keith Hernandez; maybe a little Dave Kingman and Felix Millan from the '70's. A Pennant in 1973. Gary Carter and Mike Piazza. Nolan Ryan, but none of his no-hitters (the Mets have never had one) (think Scotty Bowman and none of his Stanley Cups). Tom Seaver but they traded him to the Reds where he won the World Series as a part of the Big Red Machine. That's all there is, historically speaking.

More recently, here is last year's background, which you need to understand this year's team: Mets blow a 7 game lead over the last 17 games last season, losing one game in more ‘horribilistic’ fashion than the next in rapid succession over the last month of the season, especially the last 1-2 weeks. Think of 8 straight days of brutal loses like Homerun Throwback. On the last day of the season, needing a win to force a 1-game playoff for the wildcard or the division, Tom Glavine (former Atlanta Braves legend) allows 7 runs in the first inning and the Mets never recover. It would be as if Dan Marino came to the Bills as a free agent in the twilight of his career and then, in the last game of the season, the Bills needing a win to beat Miami for the Division and make the playoffs, throws 4 interceptions in the first quarter, 3 of which are returned for a touchdown.

This year, the Mets suffered a hangover during the first part of the season (think of the Sabres after Drury and Briere left) and played so poorly that it cost Manager Willie Randolph his job (the Mets terribly botched the Randolph firing, letting him twist in the wind for weeks before firing him at 3 AM local time after the team had finally won a game and flown across the country for a road trip in LA).

But they had seasoned Jerry Manuel on the bench (like Dick Jauron, Manuel was somewhat successful in Chicago before flickering out in his only prior big league experience). Manuel turned the team around and had them playing good ball; great record since the All-Star Break as Carlos Delgado personally made one of the biggest comebacks since Elvis started attending Bills home games.

The one thing Manuel can't overcome is the combustible bullpen. Johan Santana, the pitching ace of the staff, whom the Mets unbelievably acquired in the off-season from Minnesota, has had 7 wins blown by a Mets bullpen that makes the end of each game more excruciating than a Bills-Cowboys Super Bowl. Reliever Aaron Heilman is so terrible that my 8-year old son runs around the room and screams in horror any time Heilman enters the game.

And yet, the Mets sit 1.5 games in front of Milwaukee for the Wild Card, and 1.5 games game behind the Phillies for first in the NL East. If the Mets win their last 7 games (yeah, right), they will probably take the Division Crown, with a likely match-up against the NL West Division winner (LA or Arizona), both of whom the Mets have good recent history against. The NLCS and even the World Series are not out of the question. Neither is missing the Playoffs in heart stopping fashion. Again.

So, if you want to jump on the Mets bandwagon, welcome aboard: you are just in time, and it will be a familiar ride for you. Oh, and Seinfeld is also a big fan.