The brief glimmer of hope I had for any run at a wildcard spot was dashed this weekend when David Wright took a 94mph fastball off the ol noggin from Matt Cain.  I can "officially" give up.  It provides me with a great sense of satisfaction knowing that I don't have to dedicate my time on the faulty notion that someway, somehow the Mets can put a string of about 15 wins together to scare the bejeebus out of the Phillies, Marlins and Braves and creep in through the back door to earn a wildcard playoff spot. Has any team ever had such a miserable three years?  Two years of late summer collapse turned into one year of a M.A.S.H. unit.  The only way Miss Cruelty could be any meaner is if the Mets were to die in a plane crash.  Such a thought is horrid, I agree...but you have to wonder.

     From a general fan's perspective, let's just go ahead and state what I would really like to see happen next year (sans a bunch of high fallutin stats). 

STRENGTH / CONDITIONING COACH:  Thought I would start off with pitching, didn't you?  Can anyone name a team with a spate of injuries the likes of which we saw this year?  As I write this, there are 10 players on the DL.  Four on the 60 day DL and six on the 15 day DL.  Six of these players have issues from the hip down.  In my humble opinion, this is more than a trend.  I truly believe in cause and effect.  There's no way in hell any trainer worth his salt could be worth a damn and have this many personnel with lower extremity injuries.  So, pink slips to the following:  Ray Ramirez, Mike Herbst, Rick Slate and John Zajac.  Don't go away mad, just go away.

PITCHING:  "GO OUT AND GET SOME!!"  Johan Santana is all we've got.  I'll repeat:  "All we've got!"  Slots 2,3,4 & 5 ain't doin it.  Maine, Pelfrey, Perez and whatever smorgasbord concoction that was put together in the form of Hernandez, Redding, Niese and Parnell have failed us.  (I'll give Pelfrey some leeway, but not much).  I don't know if it's a possibility, but put together a package with Billy Wagner and go get a number 2!  How many times has it been said (regardless of the sport) that defense wins championships.  In baseball, defense starts with pitching.  How many times have we heard it in this room?  Don't judge the win/loss record.  Look at strikeout / base on balls ratio.  Ground ball outs.  Fine!  Let's go scout the living crap out of the league and the minors and find some 28-33 year old pitchers who provide this. 

SLUGGING:  Beltran, Delgado and Wright.  Well, scratch the last one.  Two bats (one seriously aging) is all the Mets really have as far as slugging is concerned.  Well, considering the Mets play in baseballs Grand Canyon (trumping pitcher friendly PETCO Park), the hell with slugging.  Go out and get some batters with high OBP and insane speed.  Start manufacturing runs!  We could sure use some talent the likes of McCutchen (Pirates) and Ellsbury (Red Sox).  And before you start judging my selections, keep in mind that I'm quite aware that I've left out the monster OBP'ers like Pujols, Fielder, Mauer and Youklis.  But you don't see us competing for their services...Do you?  Yes, yes, yes.  I know...Luis Castillo's attractive OBP.  But c'mon.  He can hardly traverse a flight of steps in the dugout.

BALLPARK:  Enough already with how it plays.  It's a ballpark, not a maze!  The other team has to play in it as well don't they?  If the Mets organization was so damned concerned about how difficult the ballpark would play, then why on earth create an outfield with angles that would drive a Geometry teacher nuts? 

MANAGER:  Don't mess with Jerry.  He didn't create this mess.

OWNERSHIP / FRONT OFFICE:  Wilpons - Signed off on that abominable patch.  We're stuck with them.  Minaya - Someone give me one legitimate reason why he waited so long and "ended up" with Oliver Perez?  Minaya is inept and an embarrassment.  Pink slip please! 

Well, that about does it.  No point in talking about this season anymore.  It's over with.  Let's start talking about next season.