Step Right Up And Meet The Mets

Your Bloguero tries to refrain from bringing up baseball and particularly the New York Mets, but sometimes even his massive restraint is overcome by circumstance. He could have written this post a week ago, but he didn't. Why? Because his natural optimism, his love of Spring, his natural cultivation of hopefulness counseled silence. Maybe, his inner dialogue told him, just maybe things will change. For the better. Alas, alas, and alack.

Today the New York Mets are at the very bottom of the National League East with a record of 5 wins and 13 losses. They have been hammered at home for two games by the Houston Astros, who at 7 wins and 11 losses, your Bloguero thought were sure to be the very worst team in the league. But, lo, your Bloguero was wrong about that.

To meet this evening's challenge of not be swept at home in a three game series by the (other) worst team in baseball, the Mets have as a starting pitcher on Chris Capuano, who has an ERA of 8.53. Allow your host to translate. This means that he is giving up about a run for every inning he has pitched, for a grant total of almost 9 in a full game, if he ever makes it that far. He has not had a complete game in recent memory. Your Bloguero is not optimistic about this evening's battery.

Nor does today's supposed return of Jason Bay in left field appear to be the Mets' salvation from this disaster. Here's what the NY Post says:

And, now, here comes Bay today; who has a chance to be yet another booby prize from the old administration. He is just a year and a month into a four-year, $66 million contract. He could not -- as Mets executives promised -- defy Citi Field's dimensions in 2010, producing just six homers in 348 at-bats. He did not play the final two months last year after suffering a concussion and strained his ribcage this spring to land on the disabled list.

In other words, the guy is an expensive question mark.

To put this aggregation of pathetic news into an appropriate context, let your Bloguero do the arithmetic. The Mets are winning .278 of their games. There are 162 games in the regular season. That is very, very many. At this rate, the Mets could be projected to win a grand total of, wait for it, 45 games, and that would mean they would lose 117 games. The Mets' worst record ever? In 1962, their first year as a franchise, the Mets lost 120 games, and finished 60.5 games out of first place. Could they beat this record this year? Maybe. Depends on whether things get any better. And that depends in turn on changes to the lineup that don't seem to be on the horizon.

Your Bloguero regrets it, but the conclusion your Bloguero draws from all of this is that the Mets's season is over. It's over, and it's not even May 1. It is completely over. Citifield's seats are going to remain empty for the rest of the year, even if management keeps the present 50% price reduction in effect all summer.

Citiifield should now be considered an outdoor restaurant theme park that provides a simulacrum of baseball.