The key is persistence.
That was also a trick.
Since 1962, the Mets have qualified for the playoffs only twice. Their 2015 World Series appearance helped them stay one game out of the 2016 wild-card play-in. They were also participants in the 1999 NLCS and are backed by the 2000 World Series runner-up.
They have only qualified twice in the last three years. The 1986 World Series champions were backed by a 1988 team that won 100 games in the regular season, lost in seven games in the NLCS to the disappointing Dodgers, and won only three games in the postseason. And while the 2022 team won 101 games but missed the play-in round against the Padres, Rose's improbable 2024 breakthrough provided a boost.
That's it.
That's the secret to Steve Cohen and David Stearns today. One of the characteristics of the best teams these days, like the Dodgers, Braves, Astros, and even the Brewers, is that they take legitimate shots every year. And the more shots you take, the more you can finally unlock the key to lifting the commissioner's trophy.
Let's look at it another way. The most impressive thing since the Yankees started making the playoffs again in 1995 is that they have won five more championships. But what's just as incredible is that since 1995, there have been 19 playoff appearances without any final outcome, and 20 including this year, when the result was undecided.
That's 20 times in 30 seasons I didn't Create a title. The Mets have only advanced to the postseason 11 times since 1962, including this year. And prosperity has always seemed ephemeral, mainly because, as I've already pointed out, success is always ephemeral.
There were many criminals. I have an excuse.
The Mets made their first breakthrough in 1969 and won the pennant four years later. However, by then Gil Hodges had died, the most devastating thing to ever happen to this series. When M. Donald Grant took over, the Mets turned into a grotesque pennant race, and from 1974 to 1984 there was not a single season with a full-fledged pennant race, or even a long one. Ta.
The late 1980s was the most unforgivable era. The Mets not only had the best major league operation, as evidenced by their 1986 championship trophy, but they also had the best minor league operation. But one by one, the Mets jettisoned the characters that made them so appealing, and most of the ballplayers who were so dominant with them. In just seven years, the Mets have lost 103 games. It's tough when you're that incompetent.
By the time the Mets reached those heights again, they had found their way again. After back-to-back successes in 1999 and 2000 and a near miracle in 2001, things started to go south. And instead of firing GM Steve Phillips, the man responsible for putting together an aging and awful roster, Fred Wilpon fired Bobby Valentine, hired Art Howe, and…then what? You know what happened.
But by 2006, the Mets finally seemed to have figured it out. They had a young core. They started attracting bright names (Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran) and won the East by about the same margin as the Secretariat. But one heartbreak (NLCS) was followed by another (2007 breakup), then another (2008 Encore breakup), and eventually Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya left, and the good vibes And the fun times disappeared.
The 2015-16 doubles season felt like it was being built on ever-shifting sand, but that was before all the big arms holding the team exploded. In '15, the Mets took full advantage of a rare down season by the Nationals. In '16, he entered as a wild card because the Cardinals and Giants stopped pushing. From there…well.
Now you have this. We have 2022 Heartbreakers and 2024 Heartwarmers, and for the first time since 1969 (Joan Payson, Johnny Murphy, Hodges), Cohen, Stearns, and Carlos Mendoza have supportive and intelligent leaders at the top. Leadership appears to be present. I have a plan. And what we've seen about that plan looks promising.
I don't know if that will happen in the next four or five years. Let's take a look.
Wack's Wack
Note to Firefighter Ed: You are not part of the team. You have never been part of a team. Now I can either scream and cheer for the Jets like everyone else, or I can go back to rooting for the Dolphins.
Either way, I knew we were going to miss Jersey guy Greg Olsen, because he's the best analyst in football, and most of all. But replacing him with Tom Brady is like replacing quarterback Brady with Mac Jones.
If you enjoy reading this newspaper as much as we enjoy writing it, check out The Leftover Papers: The Rogues, Traitors, Wise Men, Mad Men, and Relentless Reporters Who Redefined American Media, by Susan. You'll be devouring every word. Mulcahy and Frank DiGiacomo. It's a fun read.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a quarterback find guys scrambling off the field as often as Josh Allen. That's an amazing superpower.
hit back vac
Matt Deakin: It's hard to say good things about last Monday's game between the Jets and the Bills, but their old uniforms sure looked cool.
vacuum: With so many issues bogging down the Jets right now, perhaps sticking with these unis might be a good place to plant the flag of competence.
Neil Ptashnik: Is Davante Adams to Aaron Rodgers what Rob Gronkowski is to Tom Brady? As a disgusting 50+ year Jets fan, I hope so!
vacuum: …Let's take out our hats here…Rather than saying anything, let's hope the reunion goes well. Rogers-Nathaniel Hackett.
@DariusPSmith: You did one thing wrong. As of Friday morning, 17,690 days have passed since New York last won a basketball title. On May 13, 1976, the New York Nets defeated the Nuggets in the final ABA game at Nassau Coliseum.
@Mike Vac: I went to the game and adored Dr. J and Super John. But it was overwhelmingly a Long Island team. I don't know how many people in the city knew about the Nets, let alone paid any attention to them. I'm happy even if I'm wrong.
Joe Nicoletti: Why were the less talented Giants teams so much better than they are today? Oh yeah. That team had Saquon Barkley.
vacuum: Sunday. It's 1 o'clock. can't wait.
