The Out Route

I started the season geared up for the Mets like no other. I probably completely missed maybe 20 games total -- by completely, I mean I didn't follow any of the game on TV, the radio, or the internet. Since spring training starts around early March, I've been engrossed in Mets baseball for nine months. I could have knocked someone up while the Mets were prepping in Arizona and she would have given birth during the duration of the season. Every day, I'd come home from work and turn on the Mets game. Now, knowing that I'll come home and they won't be there actually stings.

It also stings because this was the year. In sports, you can't predict what will happen in any season, so when the pieces are in line, that's the time to do it. The Mets cannot expect the NL East to be any easier than it was this year. In fact, expect it to be harder. The Phillies were surging by the end and they're going to be more competitive. The Marlins have a great young team and if the front office decided that they want a competitive team, they have those pieces -- Anibal Sanchez, Scott Olsen, Hanley Ramirez, Miggy Cabrera, Mike Jacobs, and Dan Uggla are just a few of the young talents that make this a threatening team. Add Dontrelle Willis and you have a good team. I'm starting to wonder if the Mets should have traded Wright for Dontrelle. Ultimately, I say no -- it's just the shock talking -- but it would have been a better move for this specific postseason. The Braves are the Braves and you can never count them out. Ultimately, the Mets had the easiest road to the NL East title this year.

For that reason of unpredictability, the Mets had to get it done this year. And after the efforts that the Mets put in Game 7 -- such as Oliver Perez's excellent game and Endy Chavez's spectacular catch -- to lose it is a damn shame. If the Mets weren't contenders, it wouldn't be as hard. When the Rams got eliminated from the playoffs after an 8-8 season, I wasn't that upset. They didn't deserve to be there. The Mets deserved to be in the postseason. The Game 7 made it harder. In a 7-game series, a winner-take-all game is a different feeling.

Tom4 knew not to call me last night. He knew to wait until I contacted him. Tom knows the pain of seeing your team get kicked from the playoffs. It's real pain. Why do we do it if the yearly pain is almost guaranteed?

It's the hope. That's the reason. At the beginning of every season, everything resets. Your team is in the same position as every other team. I'm upset now, but I'm already excited to see what Omar Minaya is going to do in the offseason. There's always hope in sports. There's almost always a moment in the season you have a reason to celebrate -- unless you're a Knicks fan. Even the Florida Marlins, who were counted out before day one, had an excellent run.

That's why we subject ourselves to pain and disappointment daily. It's for that chance to watch your team win and celebrate with them. Sports are a microcosm of life and this is a prime example. There's always a chance for hope.

It's because of that I'm willing to take the disappointment. The pain I felt after the loss yesterday had the same feeling as when my last relationship ended. Sure, it's less potent, but it's the same feeling. And unlike relationships, I know the Mets will be there ready to play next April. With them, I'll be ready to hope.