So this is the inaugural post for this new baseball blog. I’ve been planning to launch this blog for a few weeks now. I wasn’t quite ready to go live with it just yet, but sad demise of my beloved Mets has inspired me to get online and start writing right away.

This blog will be a back and forth dialog between an East-Coast Mets fan (me) and a West Coast Padres fan (Mike).

I am proud to say that unlike my partner (who has clearly spent too much time in San Francisco) I did not shed a tear over the loss. I’d be lying if I said it was easy though. After the brutal loss in game two (which I had the misfortune of witnessing first hand) I decided I had to just enjoy the rest of the series and appreciate the fact that this was the best season a Met fan has had in many years.

So down to the nitty gritty: What happened? Sure David Wright was pressing, sure we lost half of our rotation before the playoffs began. But I think the real difference in the series was the Mets lack of bench depth. LaRussa was able to run guys like Preston Wilson, Juan Encarnacion, Scott Spezio, So Taguchi, and Duncan’s kid.

I love Julio Franco, but he looked shot by August. Floyd was hobbled. Chavez was forced off of the bench and into the starting lineup. Willie had no offensive flexibility.

The other thing I was struck by was the preparation of the Cardinals. I don’t love LaRussa. I don’t love that he is always making every move. I think that he outsmarts himself as often as he helps himself (though not in this series). But it was clear that he and Duncan had all of the pitchers prepared with really strong game plans against all of the Mets hitters. In Three Nights in August LaRussa repeatedly complains about pitchers that don’t “follow the plan.” Guys like Weaver and Suppan didn’t have the kind of stuff that can dominate a team as offensively potent as the Mets. But they clearly had a game plan, they stuck to it, and the Mets failed to adjust. The lack of bench depth comppounds this problem for the Mets. They sent up the exact same lineup everyday because, really what else could they do?

Oh well. It was sad to see Cliff Floyd in the clubhouse after the game. He really wants to be on the team next year and I can’t imagine it happens. If you haven’t already checked it out, he has a fabulous blog. I still remember him for his effort in 2004. When Piazza was hurt, he was the only bat in the lineup and he hung in and played hiss ass off with bum wheels until Piazza got off the DL. I’ll always like him for that. If it weren’t for his effort, those games would have been totally unwatchable. I kind of hope they sign him even if just for his clubhouse presence. If we could somehow sign him and dump Green, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

On the other hand, I have never hated a player so much as I hate Trachsel at the moment. His performance was so gutless. All year I was bothered by his defensiveness when talking about these games he’d have when he’d give up 6 runs over five and a third. He’d always talk about how he “followed his game plan” and “executed his pitches” but the other team was just able to hit him. It made me crazy to watch him give up a hit, get scared, start nibbling around the corners and putting people on base, then being forced to groove one down the middle and watch it get crushed. He just seemed so afraid and fragile. Will be glad to have him off the team next year.

So hopefully the Mets can keep their bullpen intact, add a starting arm, establish Maine and Perez as reliable big league pitchers, and get a little more bench depth. If they do that, I should witness good baseball for a few years to come too.

All I can do is look ahead to February when hope springs eternal.

Now I have to figure out who to root for in the Series. I generally can’t root for the American League (DH….blech!), but I’m pretty tired of watching the Cardinals win right now, and I kind of like Leyland. We’ll see…