New York Mets

Power Rankings

Date	Ranking	Previous
01/26/2012	27	23
Good business: They apparently have a limitless line of credit from the MLB Central Slush Fund, or whatever it's called. That comes in handy when Bobby Bonilla -- still menacing at 48 -- shows up at Citi Field with Louisville Slugger in hand, demanding his annual deferred contract installment. Bad business: Everything, but especially $12 million for Frank "Frankie the Frank" Francisco. No 72-win team needs a late-game security blanket. Prognosis as of 11:14 a.m. GMT on Jan. 26, 2012: Sad.
10/31/2011	23	20
2011 eulogy: Mentally tough, physically dainty. Offseason to-do list: Make an offer to Jose Reyes small enough that he'll turn it down but large enough that fans will view it as credible ... Replace the far-off Citi Field fences with a ring of traffic pylons 40 feet closer to home plate ... Given that Daniel Murphy hasn't held up as an outfielder or second baseman, invent a new position for him to play, maybe something like "line guarder." Odds of achieving Cardinals-like glory in 2012: Not great. But hey, Met fans are more than they used to be. There's no longer a need for Xanax kiosks in the Citi Field concourses.
09/28/2011	20	22
What went right: In Terry Collins, they found a manager who's equally well-versed in strategy, player relations and media mollycoddling. He's like Bobby Valentine, minus the tan and mystery-manager dugout disguises ... They came away from their trade-deadline half-purge with a legit superprospect, though taking advantage of the Giants' simpleton front office doesn't require negotiating savvy so much as the ability to dial the digits of Brian Sabean's phone number in sequential order ... The offense performed miraculously, leading the NL in walks and OBP and placing fourth in runs scored. Seriously, they did, at least through Tuesday night. Go ahead, look it up. What went wrong: Something they said or did upset Mother Nature, as witnessed by the 23 weather-related postponements and delays ... Jose Reyes was caught by the cameras smiling in the dugout during several losses, which means he's a terrible person who doesn't respect the game or himself, and thus shouldn't be signed to a long-term contract no way nuh-uh no ... Everybody got hurt, again. Obamacare clearly isn't working for the Metsies. Regular-season epilogue: It could've been far worse, but they remain the Phillies' special prison friend.
09/20/2011	22	19
No matter how awake and aware of their surroundings they might have been during the weekend series in Atlanta, that doesn't excuse their quit job against the Nats last week. In four games, none of which were started by a pitcher with the surname of Strasburg or Zimmermann, the Mets somehow only managed to plate five runs total, despite 25 hits and 13 walks. I can't decide whether that's pitiful or perversely impressive. The same sentiment holds for David Wright's eight-errors-in-10-games "streak." ... Star Wars night at Citi Field? Jason Bay batting with a Louisville Slugger/lightsaber hybrid? See, this is why I stopped doing drugs. Who can tell the difference anymore? ... Speaking of Bay, the good folks at @cantpredictball pointed out this most excellent statistamanugget: This season, he's been a better hitter at home (.802 OPS) than on the road (.618). Citi Field's rep as a pitcher's paradise? Bah! You can't predict Bay-seball. Get it? Heavens, I'm fried.
09/13/2011	19	17
I watched the Sunday night Mets/Cubs broadcast almost out of pity. As opposed to the dawdling pace of most national broadcasts, the network couldn't move this one along fast enough. Predictably, the Mets and Cubs didn't cooperate, playing a 4:28, 11-inning contest that pushed the nothin'-but-NFL highlight show back into Monday morning. I believe we refer to things like this as "ironic." ... As for MLB denying the Metsies' request to wear NYPD, FDNY and PAPD caps on Sept. 11, that was just silly and small. But give league officials credit: they're consistent. A few weeks back, the Nats were forbidden to wear what was described in one news report as "a variety of military-flavored caps." Anyway, in the wake of this, join with me in prayer: Please, Big Fella/Gal upstairs, let these incidents be the exceptions and not the rule. Never let the NFL's strict policing of fun bleed over into baseball. Amen.
09/06/2011	17	21
Maybe it's for the best that David Einhorn didn't get the team. Even before the deal was consummated, he strutted around Citi Field like he owned the joint, or at least 30 percent of it with an option to pimp-walk on/over/through the other 70 percent ... Now his stake will be divvied up among 5-10 Baby Steinbrenners willing to pay $20 million for the privilege of saying, "I own a piece of the Mets." Given the events of the last few seasons, that actually constitutes progress ... Did anybody get a final verdict on that hugging thing from a few weeks back, in which Nick Cannon tried to break the Guinness record for hugs in a single hour? "Come for the baseball, stay for the unwanted touching" -- there's your 2012 marketing slogan, Metsie fans. You're welcome.
08/30/2011	21	23
I finally figured out a way to characterize the Phillies-Mets relationship that can be printed in a family-appropriate column like this: The Mets are the Phillies' "special prison friend" ... As I write this, it's by far the nicest day of summer here in the New York area, and yet there are about 327 fans in the stands enjoying the first game of the Marlins-Mets twinight doubleheader, which the Mets ultimately swept. What a shame ... At least Jose Reyes is back, just in time to take advantage of the Labor Day sale at MRIs R Us. The big question: Will the excitement with which he showers us continue to be "pulse-poundingly galvanizing" or merely "breathtaking"? Stay tuned.
08/23/2011	23	19
It's all going up in flames -- literally. On Sunday, there appeared to be a tire fire beyond the center-field fence. Give the Mets credit: their unintentional symbolism is consistently top-notch. ... Frankie Rodriguez said that he'd consider returning to the Mets as a free agent, which might prompt his probation officer to test his urine for the presence of crazybeans. ... OK, you got first-team super all-around guy Jason Isringhausen his 300th save. Can you get him out of any/all game-crucial situations, under threat of mandatory early retirement if necessary? Thanks.
08/16/2011	19	17
Huh. Through Sunday, the Mets had scored more runs this season than the Phillies, Brewers and Braves -- in fewer games, no less. They did this without Ike Davis, Jose Reyes and David Wright in their lineup for long stretches of the season, too ... Speaking of Reyes, this week he's officially not worth the $142 million, owing to renewed injury concerns. O, ill-tempered hamstring, thy ardor doth fall short ... Speaking of Wright, this isn't said often enough: He's a hell of a baseball player and carries himself, on the field and off, with more grace than the Mets sometimes deserve. Here's hoping his prime doesn't go to waste.
08/09/2011	17	14
Despite the injury woes and late losses and brain farts afield, Terry Collins' head hasn't yet exploded. Indeed, his skull remains as intact and symmetric as a well-bred watermelon. Those of you who bet the Aug. 1 over, collect your winnings at window eight ... I admire Jason Isringhausen's resolve and his willingness to mentor the young toughs in the bullpen. That said, is it necessary to put his veteran leadership on display in the ninth inning, or during any late-game situation that matters? Can't he inspire with his professionalism and stateliness just as well in the sixth inning of blowouts?