2009 Mets: Baseball's Most Embarrassing Organization

The New York Mets have may have endured the most injury-plagued season on record. Before Billy Wagner was activated on Thursday, the 61 million dollars of payroll that was sitting on the disabled list was more money than 10 MLB teams pay their entire roster. So the fact that the Mets are out of postseason contention should not come as a surprise. With excuse in hand, The Mets should get a pass from their fans and the New York media as they write off the 2009 season. 

So why are Mets fans so angry? Blogs and message boards are teeming with unhappy Mets supporters that are fed up with the day to day feeling that the people running the organization do not share their love for "Amazin' Amazin' Amazin' Mets"  ... any long-time Mets fan will know why I said it three times. But I'm not quite sure that the team's owners, the Wilpons, would know why I said it that way. And that's at the root of the Mets fan's current frustration.

I'm sure many Mets fans would agree with me that the Wilpons would not receive a passing grade on a Mets history quiz. After all, these are the people that cannot locate the club's last World Series trophy. The same folks that decided to display the team's postseason banners over the back door of it's new ballpark, facing the 126th Street "Chop Shops".

This brain trust also decided that lovers of the "Orange and Blue" would wholeheartedly share in their owner's love for the Brooklyn Dodgers and embrace the dedication of the new ballpark's beautiful giant rotunda to a great man that never played for the Mets.

I think I speak for every longtime Mets fan when I say that The Jackie Robinson Rotunda is a wonderful idea and a much-deserved dedication. The magnificent rotunda honors number 42 throughout its massive space without a single mention of Mets. Not even a little section for something small like, maybe a Mets Hall of Fame. No such place at Citi Field. So visiting this enormous dedication in our ballpark leaves a Mets fan feeling like they went to Grandma's Christmas party and she only gave presents to your cousins. 

To the Mets faithful it is starting to feel like the club's handlers can't do anything right. The current Mets are represented by a General Manager that found a way to embarrass the organization more than it's Director of Player Development that ripped his shirt off and challenged the Class AA Binghamton Mets player's to a fight. Tony Bernarzard's shirtless antics were only topped by Omar Minaya's uncomfortable press conference. Minaya's attempt to blame a beat writer for the dismissal of Bernazard was perhaps 2009's biggest embarrassment. 

Other embarrassing moments include: The apparent mishandling of the team's numerous injuries, something that has caught the attention of the MLB's Player’s Association. There was the ill-fated retaliation for the David Wright’s headbeaning recently against the Giants. Our star pitcher misses on the reprisal and follows it up with a fat fastball that ends up hitting the second deck beyond the black and orange left field wall. One can argue that Johan Santana's miss before giving up the tape-measure shot to San Francisco's Pablo Sandoval tops the infamous Shawn Estes' on the "Mets Humiliation Meter."  At least Estes struck out Roger Clemens after his missed him.

The 2009 on-field list of indignities continues to include things like the getting swept by the Phillies, Yankees, Dodgers and even the Pirates. There was the 15-0 beating in the Bronx and the night Ryan Church failed to touch 3rd base in Los Angeles cost the team a victory. We also have the Daniel Murphy/Fernando Martinez outfield pratfalls and, of course, the Luis Castillo dropped fly against the Yankees.

The off-field shame is not limited to the Minaya press conference or Bernazard's outbursts either. Minaya's inability to make a trade deadline deal or Buffalo's and Binghamton's lack of prospects. More shame can be found right in the Mets' new ballpark. To a Mets' fan Citi Field looks like a summer rental. The black outfield wall and obvious lack of Mets pride is something that doesn't sit well with us. The proliferation of the non-traditional black jerseys and hats on our orange and blue has many fans complaining. The recent news of the 1986 World Series owner's trophy being sold on auction makes a mockery of the club's appreciation of its own history.

Last night SNY reports at game time that Gary Sheffield reacts negatively to contract talks and chooses to sit out of the game as the Mets continue to struggle at the plate whenever Johan Santana faces the still hated Braves. Today, we discover that Shef never talked contract with the Mets and that he was upset the that he had to find out he was placed on waivers from reporters. Great job Omar! What's next? Pedro Martinez comes to Citi Field and beats us in a Phillies' uniform? Wait, he's facing us Sunday afternoon! Every Met fan pessimistically knows what's coming next.

So this weekend, the Mets will honor the world championship team from 1969, a team that provided one of the 20th century's great sports stories. It will be a homecoming style pre-game ceremony. A ceremony similar to the one that took place after last game at Shea and before the first game at Citi – both Met losses. A Met fan has to wonder if the planners of this event have any knowledge of recent Mets history as well. They schedule such an event for a late season meeting with the Phillies! Couldn't they find a Washington Nationals game on the schedule?

Given the way the 2009 season has gone, maybe playing the Nationals wouldn't be a good idea either.