On advice of my agent, er, my doctor, I am instituting an innings limit. As any Met fan knows, watching this team can be very stressful, so I can’t make any commitment beyond Tuesday’s game.
Squawker Lisa, I know what you’re thinking: I blog so little, what’s the difference? And shouldn’t I be excited about the chance to watch meaningful games in September for the first time since 2008, not to mention the good chance of playoff baseball?
But my agent, er, my doctor, reminds me of what happened when the Mets last had division leads in September – in 2007 and 2008. Tom Glavine, a future Hall of Famer, gives up seven runs in 1/3 of an inning in the final game of 2007 to eliminate the Mets. It took months of grueling rehab for me to overcome that debacle. What if future Hall of Famer (just ask him) Matt Harvey spits the bit in a similar situation this year?
Then there’s 2006, the last time the Mets made the playoffs. Future Yankee Carlos Beltran with the bat on his shoulder. Do I really need to see probable future Yankee Harvey merely an observer as another Mets October dream dies?
As great as the 2006 Mets team was, their starting pitching was decimated by the time they reached the NLCS, forcing them to turn to lefty Oliver Perez in the pivotal Game 7. Perez actually did pretty well that game, but with team as stacked with starters as the 2015 Mets, it would be a shame not to have one of the studs not on the mound should the Mets get to the postseason and face another Game 7.
I told my agent, er, my doctor, my nightmare – that all of the Mets’ young pitching stars would be capped by innings limits, forcing them to turn to another fringe lefty for Game 7 – Eric O’Flaherty.
As a compromise, the Mets have suggested that I skip any innings that feature O’Flaherty. But my agent, er, my doctor, points out that innings featuring or anyone in the bullpen not named Familia or Clippard (and Clippard didn’t do so well yesterday) usually result in unhealthy agita.
One day, science will find a cure for unreliable setup men. But until then, an innings limit for me is the prudent course.
*
Update: In a post for The Bloggers’ Tribune, Squawker Jon announced that if and when the Mets make the playoffs, of course he will be watching. His fear of being traded to a small-market fanbase has nothing to do with his decision.
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