Byrd Remains The Word..Even In Pittsburgh

Photo Courtesy Of @Lets86It

I know some people check out at the end of the season if the Mets don't find their way into the playoffs.  On the off chance you're one of those people, you may still recall that the Pittsburgh Pirates haven't sniffed the post season since 1992.  You may also recall that the Mets sent Marlon Byrd to Pittsburgh in late August.  What you may not know is that the Pirates got everything they paid for..and then some.

All Byrd did since his arrival in the Iron City is bat .318 with three home runs and seventeen runs batted in..in just thirty games.  He played a big part in not only the Buccos first season above .500 in twenty-one years, but their first playoff appearance in just as long.

Since arriving to the post season, Byrd has batted just .273 over four games, but he has contributed an additional home run, four runs scored, and another five runs batted in.  In fact, Byrd has directly factored into eight of the Pirates nineteen runs scored since the post season began.  Good for Bryd, who was also nominated for NL Comeback Player of the Year this week.

If you decide to tune in, the Pirates, up two to one in the best of five series, continue their battle against the St. Louis Cardinals today at 3:07 pm.

Do You Root Against The Mets?

It's a simple question. Are you currently rooting against the Mets? From a playoff standpoint, the Mets have been playing meaningless baseball for months. That is unless you consider the impact they're making on the race between Reds, Pirates, and Cardinals meaningful.

The Mets are playing for pride, for the future of Terry Collins and for the most part, the future. It's an epic conflict of interest. Players like Lucas Duda, Dice K, Juan Lagares and so many others are auditioning for roles in the majors. In the process however, they are risking a future portion of the franchise. 

The Mets currently sit in a fourth place tie for the ninth worse record in baseball. I haven't the first clue as to how the tie breakers work when it comes to protected draft picks, but the Mets recent stretch of good play has certainly put theirs in jeopardy. 

I may fall in the minority here, but there is no difference between 70 wins and 75 wins for me. The team will have still finished well out of the playoff picture and made little to no progress towards finding its future identity. The tiny moral victory that would be finishing ahead of the Phillies in the division is just that, nothing more than being able to say my team sucks a little bit less than yours. 

And so with one turn through the rotation to go, I'd actually prefer the Mets tank for a change. Lord knows they've been so proficient at it in the past. Lose now, so the front office has one less excuse at its disposal this winter when the free agent period opens. Lose meaningless games now, so there is even a slightly better chance you can win meaningful games later. 

Mets Secure Another Losing Season

In losing the first game of yesterday's doubleheader, the Mets have lost 82 games this season and in the process have secured a fifth consecutive losing season.  As per ESPN's Adam Rubin, the organization has had only three worse stretches: Two stretches of seven years taking place from 1962 to 1968 and again from 1977 to 1983, then another period of six years from 1991 to 1996.

Times are tough in Queens, as illustrated by the maybe 5,000 fans in attendance for the night cap yesterday.  Some question whether things are set to get better or worst next season.

Plenty has been said this week about the Pittsburgh Pirates securing their first winning season since 1992.  Now that that streak is over, its important to note that by season's end the Mets and Astros will be deadlocked as the only team's to not have a winning season since 2008.

Call them inept, incompetent, or flat broke.  Fan morale has reached new lows this season for good reason.  The Mets must make strides this winter before the franchise becomes irrelavent in the New York sports landscape, because right now its five seasons and counting...

Photo Courtesy of @Lets86It