The Great Ny Sports Debate: Realism Vs Optimism

Every baseball season we hear the phrase 'spring hopes eternal'. As if the consistent rhetoric of it will spring forth the team we root for into a upward spiral of victory. The same holds true for any sport and any fan base in the beginning of their team's season.

The New York Rangers went into the season feeling that they had answered the scoring questions of previous seasons and could elevate themselves into this years playoffs. It was not to be this year. The New York Islanders and the New Jersey Nets, both are team I never discuss, are in the middle of rebuilding and may be some time away from contention.

The New York Knicks have been rebuilding and noticeably positioning themselves for the big free agent class of the summer. The New York Jets are coming off of an foreseen ride that has hurled them into the spotlight and their young players into stardom. The New York Giants are coming off of a disappointing season to say the least.

The New York Yankees have had their share of glory. They have shared the title of 'toast of the town' with the a fore mentioned Jets. After winning the World Series, the parade was just as glorious as the victory.

Then, we come to the New York Mets. A team mired in expectation and mediocre results. They are also a team who has been wallowing in their own excuses of injuries. They have had a very inconsistent beginning to the season, much to the dismay of their fan base, whose expectations are very high. The expectations seemed to be just as high in the club house until a recent quote surfaced. When asked of his thoughts on the upcoming series with his Mets against the St Louis Cardinals, the General Manager, Omar Minaya had stated,

"St. Louis is always tough. If we can win 2 out of 3, that will be outstanding. If we win 1, I’ll take it"

This is a statement that thus far has been greeted with much controversy. Many fans are reacting as if this is unacceptable. That it is perfectly fine for them to be able to criticize and be honest about the team they cheer for, but it is not acceptable for a realistic opinion from the architect of this current roster to be so truthful.

The truth is the Cardinals are a better team at this point than the Mets. Why is that so hard to accept. The Cardinals are in a better position in their division and will be in such position for the remainder of the season due to the strength of their division. The Mets are in a stronger division and are not playing up to the expectations of that division.

The Mets are without several players, and have been in such a position for quite a while. They are able to be more competitive than they have been showing so far, so this is not an excuse, but in comparing rosters, the Cardinals are clearly the better team right now. Why then, is this so difficult for the fan base to accept as an honest answer from their franchise builder.

This is a franchise that has had so many instances of miscommunication and misunderstanding. Why then, would the one who has been centered around so much of that be berated now that he is being upfront? Many fans will wholeheartedly disagree with me. They will call me crazy for this, but I must in this instance applaud Mr Minaya.

I have to on this occasion give him the benefit of the doubt. For once. Make no mistake, I have been the biggest proponent of his ineptitude. In this case, he is right. I completely believe in optimism. That is wonderful. In the words of the great Tug McGraw "You Gotta Believe". However, you also have to look yourself in the mirror and see you for what you are. That is the only way you will change for the better.

Perhaps this is what Omar was trying to do. Maybe he was trying to be honest and point out their opponents strengths and compliment them, thereby pointing out their own weaknesses and devising a plan to work on them. Keep in mind the old sayings, 'a ship is only as good as its' weakest bolt' and 'a house is only as strong as its' loosest nail'. In other words, a team must look within itself first for change to be stronger, before it can look outward at comparisons.

Optimism is a glorious thing to have. However honesty is rare and a necessity, as Billy Joel once wrote, 'honesty is such a lonely word, everyone is so untrue.' 'Honesty is hardly ever heard and mostly what I need from you', at least from the teams we cheer for anyway.