I Hurt

[Elster88]

...

[metirish]

[DocTee]

The header on Mets.com has been modified-- no more images of any of the players, just a ghostly NYC skyline. Weird.

[Guest Rotblatt]

. . . sometimes.

[Guest Iubitul]

ugh - if this is what a hangover feels like, I now know why I don't drink.

I had to be numb yesterday - either that, or just nuts... It doesn't help to have the smug-assed Yankee fans around the office today...

[bmfc1]

Like Edgy and Vlad, I live in the DC area. We awoke to find the Mets collapse on the front page of The Washington Post. Even here, I'm getting calls and emails with condolences. Perhaps I should sit shiva.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Some joker deliveryman this morning had taped the front and back pages of the News and the Post on back of his breadtruck. I bought the sNooze this morning as usual and took my punishmeent but I hope that guy wrecks.

[Valadius]

My desire to do the crossword today has been quashed by the Post's editors.

[soupcan]

Spoke to an 'acquaintance' Yankee fan this morning who not surprisingly had no sympathy for me (not that I'm looking for any).

He then proceeded to rant about how Randolph should be fired ("FIRED!! THEY NEED TO CLEAN HOUSE!!"). Total team breakdown and all that nonsense.

When I enlightened him about how this whole collapse was all about the pitching and lack thereof, Peterson and Minaya's respective roles, and how the pitching coach was not a choice of Willie's, he said he'd had no idea and maybe they shouldn't fire Willie after all.

Typical Yankee fan.

[soupcan]

Valadius wrote: My desire to do the crossword today has been quashed by the Post's editors.

Do the Times - it's easy on Mondays and the headlines aren't as juvenile.

[Farmer Ted]

Which hurts more, this or Kenny Rogers walking in the winning run?

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think this is worse than that.

I've just completed my 37th year as a Mets fan, and the only thing I recall that might be worse than this collapse was when the Mets traded Tom Seaver in 1977. And if I was an adult when the Mets traded Seaver I probably wouldn't have taken that as hard as I did.

But, honestly, I can't say that I "hurt." I'm fine. Remember perspective. The Mets are entertainment. I'm disappointed that they failed to be entertaining this month, and more disappointed that I'll miss that October entertainment I had been looking forward to. But the Mets are not, or should not be, an overly important thing in our lives.

Let's not wallow in pity or anger. Let's instead go about our days, and our lives.

[Frayed Knot]

Farmer Ted wrote: Which hurts more, this or Kenny Rogers walking in the winning run?

This one and it's not even close.

Mets fans obsess too much on the Rogers walk as if that game & series were somehow in hand until that point. Rogers not only isn't the biggest pitching culprit from that day he's not even in the top 3.
The fact that it was a walk that allowed the run is what seems to rile most fans but once the bases were loaded - via a cheap 2B, SacB & 2 IWs - there was little chance of getting out of there alive and it still only keeps the game going if we do. Then, even if we pull that one out, we STILL would have had to win game 7 on the road.

This division was in the hands of the supposedly most talented and (at that point) reasonably healthy team needing to play only mediocre ball for 2-1/2 weeks ... and they performed a total team collapse.

[HahnSolo]

="Farmer Ted"]Which hurts more, this or Kenny Rogers walking in the winning run?

Rogers wasn't even the worst moment from that game. I thought the blown saves by Franco and Benitez hurt much more. By the time Kenny was in the game, I figured it was over.

[Guest Iubitul]

Farmer Ted wrote: Which hurts more, this or Kenny Rogers walking in the winning run?

The similarity of the Mets starters' pitching lines between yesterday's game and that game is interesting...

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I came in to work today and there was a mock tombstone on my desk with Mets RIP on it.

But there also was a kids batting practice jersey that the culprit found at a garage sale that will fit my daughter to ease the pain.

[Guest Kid Carsey]

I ain't really hurt, angry, or distraught.

Little numb, I think. Thankfully I was busy at the office today so I couldn't think about it too
much. No talk radio, very little internet (baseball-wise), and people who wanted to talk about
it at work got short answers with little elaboration or invite to continue talking.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It ain't the disappointment of the Mets for me. It's the death of the Mets.

The Mets, particularly a nice run by the Mets, keeps other shit away for me. And now the other shit comes tumbling down on me.

The Mets is my methedone.

[stevejrogers]

[Guest cooby]

I've been hurting for a month anyway so this doesn't really compare, but still it's sad.
One day I'll look back on this and be just as appalled as the rest of you already are.
It's kind of hard to believe that losing a 7 game lead is a record setter. Am I getting that right?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

It's never been done before (7 game lead, 17 games) but as a percentage of games ahead blown to games remaining, it's still not as crushing as the Phils losing a 6.5 games lead over 12 games.

Collapse ratio chart here:

http://mikesrants.baseballtoaster.com/archives/826975.html

[Zvon]

From Fox Sports.
Ill only include details to # 4 and #1..

] Where does Mets' collapse rank? 10. Portland Trail Blazers, 2000 Western Conference finals 9. Greg Norman, 1996 Masters 8. Boston Red Sox, 1978 7. Jana Novotna, 1993 Wimbledon 6. Brooklyn Dodgers, 1951 _________________________ T4. Philadelphia Phillies, 1964 and =blue]New York Mets, 2007 OK, so maybe we're taking the coward's way out on this one. But we like to think we're simply highlighting the irony of the 2007 Phillies being the benefit of the largest September swoon in major league history, given how that dishonor had previously belonged to ... the 1964 Phillies. Back in '64, the Phillies could have claimed the National League pennant if they'd only managed to go 4-8 in their final 12 games. Unfortunately for them, they weren't able to win at that .333 clip, dropping 10 in a row at one point and blowing a six-and-a-half game lead in just 12 days. Granted, with 12 games remaining, the Mets' lead in the NL East had already shrunk to a paltry one-and-a-half games. So at least on the surface, it doesn't seem like anywhere near as egregious a choke job. But that doesn't change the fact that with 17 games left on the schedule, New York had a seemingly insurmountable seven-game lead. It doesn't make up for the team's inability to even manage a face-saving wild-card berth. And it certainly doesn't excuse the Mets for losing five of six at home to the Nationals and Marlins in the final week of the season, when going just 2-4 against a pair of teams that combined for 180 losses in 2007 would have at least earned them a one-game playoff. In fact, all it does in our books is link the '64 Phillies and the '07 Mets in baseball history. _________________________ 3. Houston Oilers, 1992 AFC wild card game 2. Jean Van de Velde, 1999 British Open _________________________ 1. =darkblue]New York Yankees, 2004 ALCS When you're the first team to blow a 3-0 series lead in 101 years of postseason history, that pretty much qualifies you for the top spot on our list. When you do it against your biggest rival, ultimately enabling them to end 86 years of postseason futility, it pretty much mandates it. And it's not as if anyone else had come close to duplicating Boston's unprecedented rally from three games down in the American League Championship Series. The Red Sox were the first team to even force a Game 7 after dropping the first three. Only two teams before Boston's merry gang of idiots had even made it as far as a Game 6.

[bmfc1]

Bill Simmons revised his Levels of Losing to include you know what. It's the 2d most painful in his tier:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071001

[Guest cooby]

Cool chart, JD, I"d heard about the 1964 Phillies of course, but I guess I just always thought that the lead was more like 30 games that was lost.

[TransMonk]

#5 according to SI. (MLB only)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/10/01/bp.collapses/index.html

[G-Fafif]

Thought while walking outside about an hour ago:

"I fucking hate Tom Glavine."

[Guest Edgy DC]

Understood.

If the Mets rallied and tied, does he get thid one filed off like Leiter did?

[soupcan]

No. He doesn't.

He spit the bit twice in those last games.

Tom Glavine needs to retire or play somewhere else.

For what its worth I was never a big Leiter fan either.

[DocTee]

Didn't the Blue Jays lose the final seven games one year (1987?) and blow a sizable lead (I think they may have even fallen to third in the division-- I know the Tigers caught them by winning out)

[Guest cooby]

="soupcan"]No. He doesn't. He spit the bit twice in those last games. Tom Glavine needs to retire or play somewhere else. For what its worth I was never a big Leiter fan either.

Buddy!