File photo/TheNYExtra.com
As we continue through the New York baseball season, this year is beginning to remind me of 1973 when The Yanks started out so well and the Mets had trouble finding their way until a clubhouse meeting occurred in Queens. Remind you of anything?
There are so many familiar facts in this season that remind me of 51 years ago. The Mets were managed by Yogi Berra—a man whom like Carlos Mendoza spent years in a Yankee uniform before joining the Mets. Their closer–Tug McGraw–much like Edwin Diaz—had first half struggles which were corrected in the second half. Although that 1973 team had far more injuries than the current Met team, Kodai Senga’s return after the All Star break reminds me a bit about that season.
And in that season the Mets struggled to get over 500 and much like this year, made the playoffs finishing only 3 game over 500 which we could all see happening this season. Meanwhile in 1973, the Yankees hit the skids as their starting pitching betrayed them in the second half. And that certainly seems to be happening this year.
But the biggest thing is the clubhouse meeting–in 1973 that is how the “You Gotta Believe” slogan was born. The Met ownership team had a meeting that year telling the players they still believed that the season can be turned around. And right in the middle of that meeting Tug McGraw screamed out You Gotta Believe as the turnaround began.
A much different clubhouse meeting this year but who knows maybe OMG was born in that meeting. And since that meeting, The Mets have gone 25-12 tops in the majors while the Yanks have gone a very ordinary 18-20. If you shorten that stretch to what has gone on since June 15, the Mets are 15-6 whie the Yanks are 6-16.
Now there is so much season left but right now but the Mets sit in ownership of that 3rd Wild Card spot and given where they were six short weeks ago, that reminds me the most about 1973. Their rotation has improved numbers-wise and the offense is cooking like a mid-summer BBQ every day and all day long.
And yes they will be buyers at the deadline—not sellers. And as I said, reminds me of 1973 in this town. Look it up in the history books and you might begin to get the same sense I have been feeling for the past few weeks. Or as the great Met manager of that year Yogi Berra might say, “deja vu all over again.”
