It's tough to write about the New York Mets these days.
There hasn't been a whole lot of good news to write about when it comes to the Mets this spring. Actually, there hasn't been much good news to write about the Mets during this entire offseason, as anything positive that happens to the Amazin's, like signing Jason Bay, is followed by multiple negatives, like not being able to add any pitching, or the Mets continued injury problems.
Come to think of it, there hasn't been much positive news to write about when it comes to National League baseball in New York since Opening Day 2009.
Last season around this time, I was reading and writing articles on Bleacher Report comparing the Mets and Phillies, each one sparking it's own heated, yet relatively cordial debate. I was even asked by some Phillies writers in the Bleacher Report community to partake in a series of debates, as both the 2008 World Champion Phillies and the Mets were considered to be the class of the National League East going into the 2009 season.
Despite many baseball prognosticators predicting an all-out dogfight between the two division rivals all year, it never materialized. While the Phillies held up their end of the bargain by winning the division, and ultimately the NL pennant, the Mets ended up being one of the most disappointing teams in baseball, finishing next-to-last in the division with a 70-92 record.
So as the 2010 baseball season approaches, there has been little mention of how the Mets match up with their Philadelphia counterparts, no arguments with Jimmy Rollins about who should be the preseason favorite, and few Mets fans feeling anything close to optimism, let alone the arrogance of recent pre-seasons past.
I didn't even get contacted by one Philly writer for any debates this season. Not one.
So imagine my surprise today, when I open up an email from the New York Mets with the headline "Don't Miss The Mets In Philadelphia".
I'll admit, the headline piqued my interest, so I opened it.
Sure enough, the headline was right on point, as the email was sent from Mets.com urging the Flushing faithful to follow their team into the enemy territory known as Citizen's Bank Park to watch New York take on the Phillies.
The email listed all nine of the Phillies/Mets games that will take place in the "City of Brotherly Love", all complete with links to purchase tickets.
In other words, the Mets want their fans to spend their hard-earned money to watch the Phillies beat up on their beloved baseball club, and in some cases, probably on them.
Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration, but enough is enough.
In the past three seasons, the Phillies have won the division three times, the NL crown twice, and the World Series in 2008. They also have had arguably the best offense in the National League, an NL MVP winner, and have just added the best starting pitcher in baseball during this offseason.
The Mets on the other hand, have had two late-season collapses, a 90-loss season, multiple injuries and disappointing seasons from their biggest stars, an owner who lost hundreds of millions in a ponzi scheme, and a brand new stadium that rather than be a bright spot for the team, has been blamed for sucking the offensive life out of a team that was no "Murderer's Row" to begin with.
Sure those statements are simplifying things a bit, but after reading them, is there any doubt that the Mets/Phillies rivalry is really no rivalry at all?
The Mets have enough to worry about this season. Rather than trying to force a rivalry with the defending NL champs, a team that is better than the Mets in every aspect of the game with the possible exception of their closer, Mets' brass should be worrying about things like who the heck is going to pitch after Johan Santana.
Something like this is expected from the fans, as our emotions for the teams we love can sometimes get in the way of reason and objectivity, but this is unacceptable from a professional organization. Do you think the Yankees are sending out emails urging their fans to support the Bombers on their road trips to Boston? I think not.
In fact, with both teams being the favorite in their respective leagues once again in 2010, one could make an argument that the Philadelphia/New York baseball rivalry doesn't include the Mets at all, but rather the Yankees.
This is either proof that the Mets organization is completely focused on the wrong things for a successful 2010 season, or they are trying to put the fans focus on a drummed-up rivalry in an attempt to hide the fact that this is an incredibly flawed team who may be primed for another disappointing season.
Come to think of it, with the way things have been going for the Mets of late, it's probably a little of both.
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