In Denial Stretch Run Thread

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Don't bother posting here if you're not in denial. Go to the post-motem thread instead. Go play on the hot stove thread. Try not to get bored stupid with that considering what we'll be doing here for the next 7 months.

Patterson will miss tonighht's game with a sinus infection and the Nats will go with an all-bullpen effort. That's encouraging in the first game of a series.

Meantime, we have to be tomahawk-swinging Braves fans, which in concurrent sweeps, would bring the Phils down to a half-game in front of us and Washington a half-game behind us.

We then need to pair a sweep of Atlanta with a sweep by Philadelphia over Florida, who have 3 more with the Astros this week (I suppose a split is the best outcome).

Then next week, we take 3 from Florida while Atlanta dusts itself off from a sweep at our place and takes 3 from Philly. Houston returns to the Central only to find Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Chicago hungry to spoil.

Basically, we need to go 9-0
Houston needs to go no better than 3-6
Atlanta needs to go 6-3
Philly needs to go 3-6
Florida needs to go 2-7
Washington needs to go no better than 6-3 (they get the Coast teams after the Mets)

By the time we leave for Washington next Friday, it's a whole new race with 10 games to go:

Atlanta 89-64
Mets 80-72
Houston 79-73
Florida 79-74
Nats 79-74
Philadelphia 78-75

This is possible here in denial.

[Willets Point]

De Nile.

[Guest sharpie]

I think you're being too kind to the Nats -- for God's sake we can't let them back in the race --- they must be killed by the Coast teams.

[Elster88]

I love it.
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This post had the designation 157) Alex Ochoa

[Guest KC]

>>>Basically, we need to go 9-0
Houston needs to go no better than 3-6
Atlanta needs to go 6-3
Philly needs to go 3-6
Florida needs to go 2-7
Washington needs to go no better than 6-3 (they get the Coast teams after the Mets)<<<

And I was beginning to think things weren't looking too good. Sounds doable.

[seawolf17]

I want you all to get up out of your chairs, stick your head out the window and yell...

Let's! Go! Mets!
=orange]Let's! Go! Mets!
Let's! Go! Mets!
=orange]Let's! Go! Mets!

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Suit me up and put me in.

[metirish]

]And I was beginning to think things weren't looking too good. Sounds doable.

Certainly it's not out of this world, we can do this.

[Guest Rotblatt]

]Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

Hell no!

(that was a good one, SK)

I found myself thinking this morning that if we go 19-0 over the rest of the season, we could still reach 90 wins, which ought to be enough for a comfortable WC berth.

So count me in. Post Mortum & Hot-Stove threads, I cast thee off!

[Vic Sage]

Damn the torpedoes,
FULL SPEED AHEAD!

Welcome to the annual meeting of the Never Anticipate Defeat Society...
go NADS! go NADS! go.... oh.... um... nevermind.

lets go mets.
rah.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Piazza is two days less concussed. Floyd is one day less hamstrung.

I'm ready.

[smg58]

Let's rock!

[Frayed Knot]

I remember doing a similar (if somewhat less far-fetched) "we're not dead yet" thread explaining why post-season was still doable with 3 games to go in 1999.
Hey, it worked then.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I'm totally on board with the theory that in addition to doing certain things badly during this last trip (closing, baserunning, XBH hitting) we also got very unlucky -- we went 2-8 but outhit those biotches in 7 out of 10 games, with one tie, 93-81 overall.

We have a second baseman hitting for the first time all year. Piazza is motivated to get No. 400. A good run by Reyes nets him league-leading marks in several categories and team records in others. Beltran has a 10-game hitting streak (.333). Diaz has homered in 2 straight games.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Rotblatt wrote: (that was a good one, SK)

Thanks. I wish I could take credit for it - I think JD used that as a tagline many, many moons ago.

But at least I steal from the best

[Guest holychicken]

So, IOW, you guys are suggesting that I have to go to the game this saturday to cheer them on?

Consider it done!

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

And MK and I will take Sunday!

[metsmarathon]

i need to find myself back at shea this september....

[Centerfield]

The Mets went on a nice little run right after my son was born. I need to have another son NOW!!!!

[Guest SwitchHitter]

I'll give you one of mine...will that work? He's 18.

[Guest Rotblatt]

If we go 18-0 over the rest of the season, we can still get 89 wins! That should be enough for the wild card!

Seriously, despite how crappily we've been playing, we're not a bad team.

One last stretch run. Forget how improbable it is and get out there and play like you love the game.

If you can't do that, play like you've got some fucking pride left.

And if you can't do that, play like you care that this is Mike Piazza's last gasp with the Mets. He deserves players around him who give a shit and who want to win every night, no matter where they are in the standings.

And Willie, if our boys can't give you that, call up the kids. I'd rather see career AAA'ers with something to prove than stars who have given up.

[Guest Edgy DC]

They're playing stars who have given up?

I disagree with both halves of that. I guess the only one who that could describe is Beltran. Matsui maybe, except he's their hottest hitter. Looper?

[Elster88]

Did they have to lose the first one? Couldn't they just have one once, to give me one more day of denial?

*bummed*
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This post had the designation 155) David Segui

[Guest Rotblatt]

Edgy DC wrote: They're playing stars who have given up? I disagree with both halves of that. I guess the only one who that could describe is Beltran. Matsui maybe, except he's their hottest hitter. Looper?

Okay, so we don't have many stars to see--Petey, who clearly hasn't given up, and Beltran, who just looks like he's not actually a star after all.

I can't point to any specific players, since Gary & Howie have been my eyes for the most part, but the team sounded miserable last night. Missed opportunities, boneheaded plays--it sounds to me like the team is giving up.

Either they're a much worse team than they looked like for the first 5 months, they're getting unlucky, or they're playing with their heads up their asses. I think they got a little unlucky, then stuck their heads up their asses, and my post this morning was basically my way of saying, "Take your heads out of your asses and play like you mean it."

[Guest Edgy DC]

Sure, but the assheaded plays came from the desired kids (Reyes whiffing while attempting to bunt, Jacobs getting over-aggressive on a bunt), and the undesired backups (Offerman getting nailed on the old 8-4, Castro erroring away in the ninth).

And I'm giving Reyes a pass on the pickoff as the CPF accounts are calling it a bad call.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

May I please have a sip of that stuff when you're all done with it.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Things go to print slowly at the New Paltz Oracle, where students woke up to this.