Jose Reyes

Ever since I started following baseball and pretty much all four major sports, my favorite team has been the New York Mets. Why? I have no idea. But I have never been more disappointed with the Mets than the 2010 season. They have had so many bad memories and so few good ones.

The Mets have to make changes in the offseason and it starts off when Jeff Wilpon fires both Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel. These two alone have been absolutely awful for the franchise. Here is a list of the good players Minaya has gotten:

Deja vu can be defined as the experience of feeling sure that one has witnessed or experienced a new situation previously.

I had an extreme sense of deja vu during tonight's Mets game against the Florida Marlins. Jose Reyes singled to right field in the second inning during the Mets' rally. Soon after, time was called, and I saw trainer Ray Ramirez approach Reyes at first base.

Reyes took an awkward swing on his base hit, and it appeared Ramirez was just checking in on him.

What Johan Santana did today for the New York Mets was nothing short of amazing, and this is a franchise that knows from amazing.

Much the same way he pitched a gem when the Mets needed a win at the end of the 2008 season, Santana came up huge a day after the Mets saw another eighth-inning lead disappear, only to have their closer, Francisco Rodriguez, arrested for assaulting his father-in-law near the clubhouse after the game.

Do we have a Flushing Zoo on our hands?

Forget the countless injuries to Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes.

Or the fact that Bobby Bonilla, who last played with the team in 2000, is reportedly on the payroll.

Those are just minor problems compared to what the New York Mets truly face.

On the field, things appear grim.

Despite Major League Baseball's fifth-highest payroll, the Mets look to be missing out on the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

For two consecutive years (2007-2008), the Florida Marlins eliminated New York from fall ball down the stretch. 

It is no secret that professional athletes go where the money is, and a player staying with the same team for their whole career is rare.

Trade markets and free agency are always going to be explored and tested by both player and organization.

So the question is, do teams keep the players that their franchises are built around?

The Mets have two of the most dynamic and beloved players in recent New York history: Jose Reyes and David Wright, AKA The Dynamic Duo.

When Omar Minaya was brought to New York to take over as general manager of the Mets, New York was divided equally into two sections: lovers and haters. 

SAN FRANCISCO-- The New York Mets lineup tonight against the San Francisco Giants is out, and it includes Carlos Beltran for a third straight game, but Jose Reyes has been pushed back until Monday.

Tonight's Mets lineup against San Francisco:

CF Angel Pagan

2B Alex Cora

3B David Wright

CF Carlos Beltran

1B Ike Davis

LF Jason Bay

C Rod Barajas

SS Ruben Tejada

P Hisanori Takahashi

SAN FRANCISCO—What the Mets wanted to do in the first half was hang around until they got Carlos Beltran back.

But unlike last season, the Mets didn't wait for their reinforcements to return, they treated them as a bonus. They did a good job of playing without their star center fielder, going 48-40, and being only one game behind of a playoff spot.

Tonight, almost exactly six months to the day of announcing knee surgery on January 16, Carlos Beltran returns to the Mets lineup, batting cleanup in center field.

As much as I hate to admit this, I think the Mets have been overachieving this year.

I'm not sure anyone would have guessed that they would have been playing this great of baseball this year.

No one expected stellar performances from R.A. Dickey, or even Angel Pagan. David Wright was a huge question mark, especially given his peculiar 2009 season. Jose Reyes's health has been in question.

The Yankees, Red Sox, and Marlins have proven that it can be done in baseball. The Miami Heat are about to prove it can be done in the NBA.

There are some things money can’t buy, and championships used to be one of them. But not anymore. It’s an unfortunate reality, but reality nonetheless.

As long as it’s done right.