Good Night, 2009 Mets, and Good Grief

The Mets blanked the Astros yesterday, taking a tiny bit of sting out of their fourth-place finish. Faith and Fear in Flushing gives a somber season obituary (“We come to bury the 2009 season this afternoon. We’re not ever going to praise it, no way, no how”). The Times gives the Mets season lowlights! (“Aug. 23 vs. Philadelphia… Jeff Francoeur lines into an unassisted triple play to end the game. It is the first unassisted triple play to end a major league game since 1927.”) It usually hurts to be a Mets fan, so most of us are well inured. Still, this was a wrath of God season, with hellacious injuries, front-office meltdowns, ominous portents, and negative outcomes even for ex-Mets: Lenny Dykstra lost his World Series ring and Jerry Koosman went to prison. Best to try and drink it off our minds, and leave the field to the United Football League . The Bombers might get all the way to the League Championship Series this year, but we’re not even in the mood for preemptive schadenfreude. It’s a long wait ’til next season, and with any luck by then we’ll have forgotten why it is we keep doing this to ourselves.