Is Being A Met Fan More Fun?

I have to tell you, this is making a lot of sense to me.

"Back then, you never knew whether the Yanks would make the World Series or finish third," he says. "Sure, I wanted them to win every game. But the truth is, I love not knowing what's going to happen in baseball. There's something fun about entering a season and not being sure how your team will do."

Would it be better for the Mets to be in the playoffs for the next ten years or to have years like '07 only to come back in '08 and '09 and be treated to trips to the playoffs and even the World Series perhaps. If the Mets made it in this year and continued to do so over the next five years, it would be nice for sure, but would it be as exciting as true pennant races and the unknown?

One of the early economic principles I learned in college was the theory of marginal utility.

UTILITY: Economist-speak for a good thing; a measure of satisfaction. Underlying most economic theory is the assumption that people do things because doing so gives them utility. People want as much utility as they can get. However, the more they have, the less difference an additional unit of utility will make – there is diminishing MARGINAL utility. Utility is not the same as utilitarianism, a political philosophy based on achieving the greatest happiness of the greatest number.

One triple cheesebuger is great, but two? If one was good, two should be twice as good, right? Not so much. Your stomach, your significant other, and possibly your ass would have something to say about that. Could this be applicable to baseball? It sure seems like Braves fans had become indifferent after not even selling out playoff games. Of course, there has to be some reward at some point. Us Met fans endure a lot, but if the Mets can win something in the next few years, the disaster that was 2007 will be distant memory and it will taste that much sweeter.

When did a baseball season in New York become solely about the finish line, and not about the journey? How can a team that clawed its way out of a 14½-game hole be deemed a failure for falling to a team -- the Cleveland Indians -- that features two of the league's top five starting pitchers? Do the memories of Alex Rodriguez's 54 home runs and Chien-Ming Wang's 19 wins and Derek Jeter's steely determination and Joba Chamberlain's meteoric rise fade to ashes without a diamond-studded ring?

So buck up...if the Mets were the Yankees, you wouldn't even care right now. At least the Mets have something to look forward to while the Yankees are destined for another season of 'failure' in 2008.

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Schuerholz is stepping down as the GM and moving up to second in command of the Braves with Frank Wren sliding into his spot. Will it matter? Who cares. This next decade is all about the Mets and they are their own worst enemy.

Prediction....Frank Wren's big first move? Tom Glavine back to Atlanta and what a joyful occasion that will be. Also, how does Tom feel about Atlanta even though his child and wife were unable to attend his first games as a Met in Atlanta?

Is A-Rod bluffing? I hope not. He is the lynchpin for me in regards to the Yankees having a shot at the playoffs next season. If he returns, they are in. If he skips town, they are out.

The Phillies are willing to spend more money on next year's club. That is all well and fine if there was something to spend it on. Also, with a team that has so many holes in the bullpen and the rotation, they would not have enough to band-aid those ouchies. I know I'm probably jinxing the Mets, but they should run away with the division with a few smart moves. In reality, the '06 season covered up some of their blemishes and the '07 season put them to the forefront. The '08 season should be the reality.

The Rockies kick ass. Everyone should be fearful of the machine that is the Rockies.