Can the Mets Avoid Another Meltdown?

The last four decades have brought avid sports fans some of the most memorable (yet hard to watch) sporting collapses ever.  Which ones are the most dramatic? Which were the most painful? And most importantly, will the Mets repeat as a top choke artist once again?

As I look back through my early sporting years, there are a few "chokes" which instantly come to mind. Can anyone ever forget the years of Greg Norman missing out on a major yet again? The Buffalo Bills driving their city to the brink of embarrassment in the '90s? The 2004 Yankees in the ALCS? Or even Bill Buckner in '86?

These are all linked to my top 10 of sports collapses, but as painful as it is for me to admit, the 2007 collapse of the NY Mets might breach the top two.

The stats for the Mets' collapse are just excruciating to see as a die hard fan.  Up seven games with 17 to play...losing 12 of these?! Losing five of six games to the Nationals down the stretch?! Not to mention the ring of Jimmy Rollins' preseason prediction echoing in our ears. All of these factors contributed to arguably the biggest collapse in baseball history. But will there be a repeat performance?

As I prepared myself for the start of the 2009 Mets season, I couldn't help but be filled with the excitement of a 9-year-old on Christmas morning. I mean the Metropolitans finally have a real ballpark, they had a promising spring start, and they made some much needed improvements in the offseason.  But as all Mets fans know, there is a constant reminder of the '07 fall letdown lingering in our minds.

The start of 2009 has been an exciting one thus far. Agreed, the Mets 6-6 record is not as electrifying as the young-gunning Marlins, but there has been a glimmer of greatness in the Mets play til now. But what does the future of the season bring for the NY faithful?

There are certain conditions which all Mets fans must accept with the current make-up of the team:

• No matter how poorly David Wright starts off...he will produce at an all-star capacity.
• As frustrating as it is, Johan will win 18 games with no run-support all year—as demonstrated in his first three starts (2-1 0.46 ERA, 27 KOs).
• Injuries will be prevalent throughout the season (Pelfrey and Scheider already).
• The lineup WILL score runs...just be patient.

As these remain known, the questions still linger for October.

What strikes fear in the Met faithful is the rotation standing behind Johan. Few would believe the Pelfrey possesses the caliber needed for his responsibility in the No. 2 spot in the rotation. Currently sporting a 1-0 record with an 8.10 ERA in 10 innings pitched (and right forearm tendinitis), the inconsistency still remains a question-mark.

Which provides a nice transition to the No. 3 spot in the rotation. When you look up the word inconsistent, a picture of Ollie Perez may be the first image available. Now don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the Perez intensity, but for the contract offered to Perez, we would hope for some type of money-back guarantee. 

Although Perez had a respectable showing last year (10-7,4.22 ERA,194 IP,180 KOs), all Mets fan tremble at the idea of Ollie having one of his "off-days."

Point-in-case being is that the Mets second best pitcher is currently the 34-year-old Livan Hernandez (who for all we know could actually be 43).  The 2-3-4 starters currently all sport an ERA over 7.00 and have shown some strong inconsistencies.

This being said, if the young Maine and Pelfrey develop as the coaching staff hopes, the rotation could bring an array of delightful surprises to Citi Field. Combine this with some of the optimistic traits of the team, and we could survive through the fall classic.

Any Met fan will tell you that there is no better feeling than the revamped bullpen. With the woes of past years behind us, and Putz and K-Rod before us, eight and ninth innings no longer torture our sleepless nights.  Both have proved to be well worth the investments, and barring no injuries should remain consistent (there's that word again) throughout the season.

And how could I ever overlook the play of a young talent like Daniel Murphy, or the steadfast performance of Carlos Delgado, Ryan Church, and Carlos Beltran? Not to mention a re-energized Luis Castillo and the acquisition of lifetime hitter Gary Sheffield?

The questions still remain for the Mets' future, but hopefully, with the introduction of the fierce bullpen, the reemergence of Luis Castillo, development of young Daniel Murphy, and die hard consistency of veterans like Delgado, Beltran, Church, and Santana, Mets fans will be able to show their faces in late October and not shoot a 78 on Masters Sunday.