See How We Are

Games 86 & 87 - Mets

Mets 4, Reds 0
Mets 9, Reds 7
Record: 42-45

These last two games before the Break are merely a handful of sawdust sprinkled on the puddle of classroom barf that was the first 85 games of the season. In the ever-so-slightest of ways, it reduces a little of the stench and unsightliness, but let's face facts: there's no mistaking what's under there, and the teacher says it may be some time before the janitor can actually clean up this mess.

Recently the SportsGuy had an ESPN.com podcast with one of his Yankee-loving friends. After making half-hearted analyses on the nature of the acrimony between Mets fans and Yankees fans (as if on cue, SG's buddy brought up "26 championships" and how that invariably makes Mets fans so bitter . . . this being the irony Alanis Morissette should've sung about), they launched into a topic of mild interest: are the Mets the new Red Sox?

As much as the Mets' recent disasters can't possibly match up to 86 years of heartbreak, the acuteness of the torturous undoings and the collective mindset of Mets Township that now expects the debacle before presuming any victory does ring some bells with Sox fans. A fan base whose faith in the team now "officially" hovers around 30% (that's generous) and whose M.O. has become "what next?" . . . but also a team that consistently answers that question with "well, since you asked . . ." It's familiar ground for rooters of the Olde Towne Team.

And such is the metamorphosis (no pun intended) since we began this endeavor in 2003. It's like when Elaine became George. I have become a sad sack Sox fan. It's not a question of whether this will be the year, only how low and embarrassing we'll sink. Or how heartbreakingly close we can come. The good news is that it seems like we will have a 7-game World Series loss or two somewhere in the coming years, and you'd not expect that level of competence give the bungling currently in every aspect of this organization.

In other good news, when the NL blows the All-Star Game, it means the Dodgers or Phillies won't have home-field advantage, which is fine by most of us. So there's that.