Happy Nohanniversary

[G-Fafif]

One year ago tonight, life changed forever. Oh, the Mets still suck, et al, but we got ourselves off the no-hit schneid. And Terry Collins couldn't have been sicker about the whole thing.

�I�ll tell you, my stomach was upset,� Collins says, recalling the June 1, 2012 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, during which Santana�s pitch count began to mount. �You know how important he is to the organization. If you think about last year, it happened in June -- June 1 -- so you�ve got four months left of the season, plus another six months the following season at $25 million. Are you s------- me? I�m sacrificing $40 million bucks? Oh, I was ill. Sicker than hell. Sick to my stomach. I said, �If you get hurt, just don�t fall over on the mound like in the ninth inning.�� Collins knew the organization had yet to experience a no-hitter despite all the famous pitchers who had passed through Flushing. Yet, truth be told, up until a point of no return, Collins almost hoped Santana would give up a hit.

I appreciate that Collins had a unique position in all this and that money is money and hindsight is hindsight, but geez, stop excreting over one of our rare shining moments. Next year at this time perhaps Terry will wish the MFYs had taken one or two games in 2013 so as to relieve the pressure his team felt on their next stop in Miami.

[Zvon]

A whole year. Kool beans. I started a wallpaper tribute dealeeo back when it went down and never finished it. If I had half a brain I'd have that ready for today.

[Guest themetfairy]

A great day indeed!

[Ceetar]

G-Fafif wrote: I appreciate that Collins had a unique position in all this and that money is money and hindsight is hindsight, but geez, stop excreting over one of our rare shining moments. Next year at this time perhaps Terry will wish the MFYs had taken one or two games in 2013 so as to relieve the pressure his team felt on their next stop in Miami.

Agreed. I understand the fretting and worry in hindsight (And don't we all do the 'hope he gives up a hit' in the back of our head things? Mets are down 4-2 in the 8th of a west coast game the thought doesn't cross your mind that if they go quietly you get to go to bed?) but now that it's over and done with and had no effect, let it be.

[Edgy MD]

Oh, the Mets still suck, et al, but we got ourselves off the no-hit schneid.

Another perspective suggests the Mets didn't suck at all, but have ever since.

Mets the first two months of 2012: 29-23 (.558)
Mets ever since: 67-95 (.414)

So, any of us who said, posted, or thought something along the lines of "Whatever else happens this season will be gravy --- we have a no-hitter to forever cherish and it's all worth it!" or the like, let us all step forward and collect our booby prizes.

Interestingly, that's exactly 162 games. So I like to think our cosmic debt is paid in full and we get to back to moving forward exactly NOW!!!!

[Ceetar]

Oh, the Mets still suck, et al, but we got ourselves off the no-hit schneid. Another perspective suggests the Mets didn't suck at all, but have ever since. Mets the first two months of 2012: 29-23 (.558) Mets ever since: 67-95 (.414) So, any of us who said, posted, or thought something along the lines of "Whatever else happens this season will be gravy --- we have a no-hitter to forever cherish and it's all worth it!" or the like, let us all step forward and collect our booby prizes. Interestingly, that's exactly 162 games. So I like to think our cosmic debt is paid in full and we get to back to moving forward exactly NOW!!!!

#ArbitraryEndPoints

[G-Fafif]

The Mets were indeed on their hottest streak of the year before, during and after the no-hitter, 10-4 en route to 31-23 at the end of that weekend, and I was reasonably giddy leaving Citi Field as they rose to eight games above .500. But I never quite shook the "suck" out of my system until July 5, the night they came back on Papelbon for the second time during the season. That's when I said, all right, enough being convinced to the contrary, this team is for real! (Even though they had gone from eight over on June 3 to all of seven over on July 5.)

And three days later it all started rolling irretrievably downhill.

But the no-hitter...that's in the books in type raised a little higher than every other game from that year and every other game from this era, whenever this era happened to begin. So I celebrate it today and wish Johan well, wherever he is.

[Zvon]

I'll give ya what I got. Lets called this an unfinished work.

[G-Fafif]

Zvon wrote: I'll give ya what I got. Lets called this an unfinished work.

A thing of beauty.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I dunno. I was thrilled when it happened, just because, but that game if any illustrated just how random and weird a no-hitter can be, but that sense of randomness along with the Baxter play is what was great. I think in my Mets-watching life I've experienced a few dozen better performances by a starting pitcher that didn't wind up as NHs, that's what makes this great, NOT that is was extraordinary in other ways.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I dunno. I was thrilled when it happened, just because, but that game if any illustrated just how random and weird a no-hitter can be, but that sense of randomness along with the Baxter play is what was great. I think in my Mets-watching life I've experienced a few dozen better performances by a starting pitcher that didn't wind up as NHs, that's what makes this great, NOT that is was extraordinary in other ways.

Well sure, we celebrate the random and the weird as part of what makes baseball great. It weaves a story beyond the strict value of the performance. three cheers for statistical oddities.

I was at Johan's start the weekend before that and it was probably a better performance.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I just watched the Mets Insider look back at the no-hitter. (It was on my TiVo, recorded June 3.)

Boy, that was fun. And at the end, even knowing what would happen, I got goosebumps. They did a nice job of revisiting that night, with commentary from Gary, Ron, and Howie as well as "talking head" shots with Terry and Josh Thole, among others.

[Guest themetfairy]

I still have that game's Mets Fast Forward broadcast on my DVR.

[ashie62]

I'd like to see a no no by the Mets that was not controversial.