By Anthony Bosco
Maybe it’s just me and my ever-increasing frustration with the current state of the New York Mets, but I am not the least bit jazzed about the upcoming installment of the Subway Series. The Mets will host the New York Yankees in a three-game set this weekend at Shea Stadium, the first of two series between the teams.
And it’s not that I have anything against interleague play, Major League Baseball’s attempt to boost revenue and interest in the game by capitalizing on regional rivalries between American and National League teams. I like interleague play and I think it brings a lot to the game of baseball, even if the traditionalists disagree.
But the Mets are in as sorry a state as I can remember since the dreary days so long ago when Craig Swan was the ace of the staff and Dave “King Kong” Kingman the power hitter of the team.
As of this writing, the Mets were in last place in the National League East, behind such powerhouse teams as the Florida Marlins and the Montreal Expos. Yes, those same Expos were supposed to be contracted out of existence a few years ago, but they have somehow managed to stay alive thanks in part to general manager and former Mets front office man Omar Manaya, who is a former Queens resident to boot.
The Yankees, on the other hand, have had their share of troubles this season as well, actually tumbling out of first place after a super start had them threatening the record for best start by any team in history. Of course, despite a little turbulence from The Boss and media, the Bronx Bombers are right back in that most familiar of positions, looking down at the rest of the American League East.
In order to have a legitimate shot at making the post-season, the Mets will have to play close to a .700 clip for the rest of the season. It is such a tall order that it would appear they have already thrown in the towel on the season with the firing of former General Manager Steve Phillips last week, as well as the call-up of super-prospect Jose Reyes, something the Mets have vowed not to do in desperation.
Add to that the fact that Mike Piazza is out with a groin injury and may not return for the rest of the year, Tom Glavine has not been the quintessential ace the organization had hoped and offense, by in large, has been sporadic at best.
Of course, I am harping on the negative here. There have been some good things this season for the Mets, but when you are in last place, it is hard to take solace in someone’s solo performance. Still, just to say I tried, here goes.
Jae Seo has emerged over the past two months as the most dependable and consistent pitcher in the Mets rotation, just ahead of the 7-3 Al Leiter. Glavine has also been good in spots, but nowhere near as steady and good as the team needs him to be. Steve Trachsel just pitched a one-hit shutout over the defending World Series champion Anaheim Angels, but he has an .ERA of 4.79 and is 5-4 on the year.
With Pedro Astacio hurt for a good part of the season, the Mets have needed solid bullpen work, but that just hasn’t happened. David Weathers, Graeme Lloyd and Armando Benitez have all had their place in Mets’ disasters this season.
Offensively, Reyes has been a nice addition recently, as well as the emerging Ty Wigginton. In addition, Cliff Floyd and Jeromy Burnitz seem to have tried to carry the load left by Piazza. I love Floyd. He has been playing through pain and still producing, while Burnitz is starting to put up the kind of power numbers Mets fans were expecting when the team signed him.
But the bad and mediocre still outweigh the good. Mo Vaughn may be a memory, but his salary isn’t and Roberto Alomar is still struggling at the plate. The rest of the players merit no mention because they haven’t done a thing worthy of note. Yes, Tony Clark has eight homers, but he is hitting .209.
Also taking a little shine off the latest Battle of the Big Apple is that, despite maintaining their hold on first place, the Yankees have been less than dominant this year. Bernie Williams is also on the disabled list and the significant turnover in roster from the glory days of a few years ago has me wishing for Paul O’Neill’s return.
The Yanks just don’t seem as romantic anymore. Even with Roger Clemens recently surpassing the 4,000 strikeout plateau and the 300 win mark on the same night, the magic is missing.
I think all the free agents have done more harm than good. George Steinbrenner has paid through the nose for talent and what he has is not so much a team as it is a collection of good ball players.
Alphonso Soriano may be the best all-around player in the game today, Jason Giambi can hit the ball a ton, Derek Jeter is back and healthy and the staff keeps picking up wins. Still, this team just doesn’t seem to be nearly as good as some of its most recent predecessors.
But so what if maybe this installment of the Subway Series makes me want to call a cab? With the other major sports laying dormant until September, there isn’t much to be picky about.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
