Mets fans can be excused if they didn’t believe the team would actually pull the trigger and add to a team just off the pace in the N.L. East and Wild Card races in late-July. After years of being told to be patient we were all ready to believe that this was finally the year. However, as the trade deadline approached, Sandy Alderson wasn’t gearing up for ‘the year,’ but instead sticking to the plan of trying to construct a team with a window to win that will remain open for many years.
As the Mets piled up shutout losses and wasted valiant efforts by their starting pitchers, I could not help but think of Gene Hackman’s coach Norman Dale in the movie ‘Hoosiers’ letting his team play a man down to prove a point.