The (Brutal) Life of a New York Mets Fan: Part Five

The following is an elaborate spin-off of an essentially live blog entry I wrote in August as the New York Mets bullpen blew a lead for Johan Santana for the sixth time in the 2008 season. Part one / two / three / four . So last time we left off, the New York Mets had officially hit rock bottom, leading to wholesale changes for the upcoming 2005 season. Jim Duquette and Art Howe were out as general manager and manager, Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph were in. Minaya didn’t mess around. He was kind of in a bind in Montreal because he had little or no money to play with. He was like a kid in a candy shop when he got to Flushing. Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran were the big signings when Minaya took the helm, and a winning team started to take shape. A core of Beltran, Reyes, and Wright was solidified in 2005. Beltran didn’t have anything close to an amazing season, but considering his paychecks, his name needed to be included. Wright hit 27 home runs and reached the ... (link)