The False Truth

Being a sports fan is a constant challenge and a relationship that can be a love affair or drive someone crazy. If you are a Met fan this dichotomy is always in play. Let's be clear about the New York Mets, they are clearly a very poorly run franchise, they are a big market team that never seems willing to dig into their pockets to provide talent on the field or for the fans. The front office doesn't seem to have a plan in place or a direction that is consistent for winning over time. They ask their fans to be loyal which they are even when the results on the field are never positive for very long. Met fans are constantly waiting for their next minor leaguer to be a star or the next win streak however short it may be. Last year their season revolved around RA Dicky, this year this season so far has revolved around Matt Harvey and the sweep of the Yankees. It was a wonderful weekend for the Mets as they established themselves as a real team at least for 4 days against the Yankees. Then, unfortunately, they went to Miami and got swept by the worst team in baseball, once again reminding Met fans of the reality of their team. For the Mets 50+ years of existence and the overall winning % is .478. and therein lies the rub. Met fans level of expectation is never high enough or demanding enough. Unfortunately over the years their season revolves around a couple of good players, one good week, one big series win over the season and that seems to be enough to placate the owners and many of their fans. It's not that their fans don't want more they just don't expect it because of the history of the team and it's front office. The bar is raised too low and the Mets are given a pass by the media, the newspapers and everyone else who does not demand this large market franchise with deep pockets provide a better product for the fans. If this was the Red Sox or the Yankees or the Dodgers or even the Cubs there would be revolution in the streets, but the local media and other major outlets never criticize the Mets for there ineptness. What other franchise with their own cable network would have the nerve to provide as bad a product as the Mets do on a nightly basis? Met fans, and God bless them, are always sold the idea that next year will be better and it never is. After coming off a terrible year in 2012 the Mets off season plans and subsequent talent acquisition amounted to nothing. But that's okay because they don't have to answer questions to the general public about their unwillingness to try and improve the team. Maybe the owners really do care, but if you continue to show a total lack of effort to improve your product you either don't care or you're clueless about how to do it, either way you are selling a flea circus to the public and asking them to care.
Mets fans deserve better.