These Games are Just Painful to Watch

[Centerfield]

Serious question, is anyone having fun watching these games?

It's just three plus hours of torture.

[Frayed Knot]

Yesterday was merely 2:20 of torture.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I wouldn't call these times having fun, but it's what I do.

[Edgy MD]

No hope in your offense, waiting for a run to score by accident, is no recipe for entertainment.

[Frayed Knot]

I thought the E6 was our key to scoring. It was our go-to move in the series w/Cincy.

[Guest themetfairy]

Except for the Matz game this entire week has been torture.

[Centerfield]

They are 28th in the league in OPS. How they justify this is beyond me.

I think I might take a break from watching the Mets this long weekend. The front office should be ashamed of themselves.

[Frayed Knot]

T-minus 15 Hours until next game.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

[Zvon]

d'Kong76 wrote: I wouldn't call these times having fun, but it's what I do.

This, I suppose. I love watching a baseball game no matter who's playing, but the fact that I root and care what the Mets do makes it difficult. But I still will watch em. Especially since I have to pay for the privilege.

[HahnSolo]

I was having fun listening to Keith last night. The game itself? No fun.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Fortunately, I only watch a few innings at a time. I did happen to have been watching when that failed suicide squeeze occurred. Yeesh, what a fuck-up.

I did watch most of the "double-header" action on Sunday, and it paid off. But for the last few years, whenever I find myself having spent two hours or more watching the Mets, I often seem to end up regretting it.

[Ceetar]

Centerfield wrote: Serious question, is anyone having fun watching these games? It's just three plus hours of torture.

The first hour or so felt like it might be the day they broke through. Felt like a typical 'scratch out some baserunners but the good pitcher eventually strands them' type of game. But then they sorta floundered after that.

I still enjoy watching though, I know that yesterday's/last week's results don't particular inform today's and that the runs are coming because that's baseball. For a whole myriad of reasons the offense will get better than that and ANY MOMENT could be that moment.

But I've never been one of those fans that boos every strikeout when the team is slumping.

[Edgy MD]

It seems like a team with a punchless lineup should at least be more adept at manufacturing a run when they need it. But with no base stealers at the top of the lineup, terrible bunting execution, and pop outs and strikeouts looking with men on third and less than two outs, when all they need is a deep grounder or modestly deep fly... they're rather awful at manufacturing runs.

They're a team that doesn't hit homers playing for the homer.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: It seems like a team with a punchless lineup should at least be more adept at manufacturing a run when they need it. But with no base stealers at the top of the lineup, terrible bunting execution, and pop outs and strikeouts looking with men on third and less than two outs, when all they need is a deep grounder or modestly deep fly... they're rather awful at manufacturing runs. They're a team that doesn't hit homers playing for the homer.

Eh, basestealing and bunting. Chicken and egg lately. Are they failing to score runs because they're not executing, or is trying to manufacture runs causing them not to score runs.

Stop getting cute and just put good swings on the ball. Perhaps some of these guys aren't talented enough, with enough bat control, to try to think about other things during the split second they have to decide to swing at a pitch and where.

[Edgy MD]

By the nature of the strategy, trying to manufacture runs diminishes your chance for a big inning while committing to the plating of a single run.

Eh on you too. Can you tell me where people are generally trying to be cute? That squeeze last night was seemingly the first one called this season, clearly uncharacteristic and born of desperation, and clearly executed poorly by all three players involved. And it was probably a bad call by the manager.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: By the nature of the strategy, trying to manufacture runs diminishes your chance for a big inning while committing to the plating of a single run. Eh on you too. Can you tell me where people are generally trying to be cute? That squeeze last night was seemingly the first one called this season, clearly uncharacteristic and born of desperation, and clearly executed poorly by all three players involved. And it was probably a bad call by the manager.

no, right there. I agree with all those things about the squeeze. There have been some hit and runs and whatnot the last few days too, seemingly born of the same desperation. I think it's exacerbating the problem. My 'eh' was that I don't really care if they should or shouldn't be better at manufacturing runs. Murphy's back now, and maybe Tejada, are the guys with the contact rates. Everyone else is too Two True Outcomes (Because apparently no one homers anymore) to be too creative with it.

It's an old school train of though that the hit and run sorta forces the swinger to focus on contact but that only works if contact is his game. For guys like Duda it probably gets him swinging at pitches he feels aren't as hittable, and probably plays right into the shift.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Watching the Mets offence is like watching a totally inept soccer team face the US womens soccer team's defence. Hopeless and boring.

[Vic Sage]

we are in an era of run scarcity, post-'roids. Each run, therefore, is worth more, just as they were in the old-timey "small ball" era when 1-run strategies were developed. So, while i've never been a big fan of giving up outs or giving away ABs, those type of strategies are at least justifiable now. And it's a particularly valuable approach when you have a dominant pitching staff, where 1 or 2 runs can win a game. A team without power can't passively wait for an XBH in order to have a "big inning".

So "eh" on your "eh", and i raise you an "eh."

[ashie62]

Watching the Mets is what we do.

We cheer, we boo, we rant, we rave.

There were high expectations by many this year and the suckitude has basically brought out rant, anger or indifference in most.

[Edgy MD]

I completely missed the high expectations.

[Gwreck]

Expectations are not the same thing as predictions.

My expectation is that the Mets will field a team that annually has a legitimate shot of making a run deep into the playoffs. The team has not lived up to my expectations since...about 2010.

My prediction was that they would not do so this year. That prediction has also been accurate since...about 2010.

[Edgy MD]

It's certainly a pale distinction. I type "expectation" into my online thesaurus and "prediction" comes up.

Anybody expressing "high expectations" in the offseason was certainly in a small minority.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I seem to recall that there was a lot of talk about how this was going to be the Mets year to contend. Not everyone necessarily bought in to that expectation, but I think it was more than a small minority.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I think the 11 game winning streak early in the season raised the expectations (or maybe hopes is more appropriate) of many Mets fans. Unfortunately, the early success appears to have been a mirage, rather than a reality.*



*Edited for typos and clarity

Edited July 3, 2015 by Guest

[ashie62]

Edgy MD wrote: It's certainly a pale distinction. I type "expectation" into my online thesaurus and "prediction" comes up. Anybody expressing "high expectations" in the offseason was certainly in a small minority.

Weren't you down for 102 wins Edgy?

[Edgy MD]

I still am.

I didn't notice a broad consensus gathering around me in the caucus room.

[ashie62]

Now you are just playing with us.

Done with this thread.

Be well.

Lets Go Mets!

[Edgy MD]

No, I'm not "playing" with you. I'm trying to deal honestly in facts.

I saw dozens of pre-season expectations posted and most of them hovered around the .500 mark where the team is hovering right now. Certainly I missed many high- and low-profile pre-views, from partisans and non-partisans alike, but you're going to have to convince me that expectations were generally high. That hasn't been my experience.

[ashie62]

By "high expectations" I was thinking more about the sentiment of this board.

I would say the media was hopeful at best sans a few either way.

[Lefty Specialist]

I'm thankful for 10 PM starts. Gives me an excuse not to watch.