As 2011 comes to a close on a pretty sour Mets year, our thoughts turn to 2012 and what comes next for our team. For a while 2011 was actually looking pretty good. After finishing in 4th we forget that there was a point when people were kinda impressed with the 2011 Mets. Up until Mid-August they were in a solid third and in about the same position the future World Series champ St. Louis Cardinals were. However it never felt like the Mets believed they could win. The Braves and the Phillies were too good and it seemed like they never believed they could overtake it. Granted no one could have expected the crazy September we had, but a team like the Cardinals who played hard even though it seemed pointless got a big payoff when the Braves collapsed.
That's why my number one wish for 2012 is hope. Most Mets fans, including myself, have pretty much already written off 2012 and with good reason. We have pretty much the same team as last year but without our closer and best player. So a 4th place team that loses two of its players shouldn't be expected to do any better. That being said, nothing is impossible. Johan Santana could come back and have 2008 stuff, Duda and Murphy could both be 25 + homerun guys, Tejada could be the next Reyes, Wright could start looking like a future Hall of Famer again, Dickey could throw that no-no we all know he has in him...
Are all these things likely? No, whats likely is we will finish in 5th and with 70 wins. Nor do I think we should being managing the team to win in 2012, it's right to play the odds and plan for down the road. But still, let's wait and see what actually happens before we just assume the season is a bust. If we learned anything from the Mets of 1969 and 1986 it's that when the Mets do win, they do it in a dramatic fashion, and what would be more dramatic and exciting then a competitive 2012 Mets?
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