The 2009 New York Mets season was supposed to be a hopeful one for fans. Fresh off collapses in 2007 and 2008, the team was not far removed from the National League East title season in 2006 and was poised to recapture that success.
The Mets were getting ready to open the brand-new Citi Field and made offseason moves to build another playoff team, adding the likes of Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz to strengthen a shaky bullpen. With Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, David Wright and Jose Reyes on the roster, things were supposed to be looking up.