Playoffs?!!! You're Talkin' About Playoffs?!!! I STILL Believe

Well the return to Citi Field has (after one game) ended up being exactly what Mets fans were looking for.  Not only did we see pop off the bats with the Mets but in a game where the Mets scored runs, we saw an excellent pitching performance as well.  There have only been 2 games since the beginning of July where the Mets have both given up 3 or less runs and scored 5 runs or more - and they've both come within the last 4 games.  Is this a sign of things to come? Or is this just a mild flare up in an otherwise disappointing second half?  Well, I was reading Metsblog.com yesterday and saw a post by Matt Cerrone on New York media talking points, and it was just mix I needed to brew up some more kool-aid for all of you.  That's right, I'm saying it here - despite a real down road trip - THIS SEASON IS NOT OVER.

Look at the Mets' history - while it has plenty of disappointments, it's riddled with comeback stories.  Look at our most successful teams and taglines - the Miracle Mets, "I Believe," etc.  Late season heroics and comebacks are a part of our history and this year doesn't have to be any different.  It's at this point always that Mets fans start talking about firing coaches, firing GMs, and the cheapness of the Wilpons.  We've seen this team have talent this season and we know their potential with this manager, these GMs, and these owners...this season!  Just like the Mets have lost 7 of their last 10, we've seen them this season win 9 of 10 games.  With the fire we saw in the bats last night, a comeback in the standings is not out of order.

With 30% of the season left, changing GMs or even the coaching staff isn't going to make the difference.  This is not an instance of the Mets outwardly showing they don't want to play for Jerry Manuel.  Also, getting rid of Omar may be the right move for the future, but bringing in someone right now isn't going to be the deciding factor on making a move.  Winning is.

How is this team going to win?  Getting Ted Lilly isn't going to make the Mets better every day.  Are we going to get a big bat?  Where would they play?  Unless you're getting a second baseman or a catcher, there's not much space in this lineup right now.  No, this team has a good lineup already.  This team has a rotation that can be successful.  What needs to happen is to be patient, wait for the Mets to get out of the weeds here.  The Mets are going to win if Carlos Beltran starts hitting, if David Wright and Jose Reyes get out of their funks, if K-Rod can come in an close out games, and if Mike Pelfrey can regain his confidence from the beginning of the year.  August is still a time when players can be gotten if need be, but this team needs to not only make the front office believe that 2010 isn't over.  It's not just the fans that need to believe either.  They Mets need to believe it themselves, and more games like last night will do that.

So, here we sit in limbo.  I'm not saying this team is going to make the playoffs, but I'm not going to say this season is over yet either.  I've seen too much fight and success out of this team to give it up yet with more than 2 solid months of play left to go.  As Mets fans, we've been programmed (especially after 2007-2009) to immediately give up so we don't get our hearts broken again.  It's not time for that now.  It used to be "I Believe," well I say, "I STILL Believe."  Put that in your cup and drink it!

PS - Speaking of being down and out before. In this game...it looked like a season was over too...but then this happened. (Thought this might perk everyone's Mets spirit)