Are We All Slipping?

When Valerie Malone (Tiffani Amber Thiessen) was introduced to Beverly Hills 90210 for the gang's sophomore year at California University, things got hot, hot, hot.

Sparks flew, the controversy grew strong and a fiery New Jawn sat on the edge of the couch. The show was peaking.

About mid way through the season though, the show slipped. Everything was there, the cast was finally happy with Shannen Doherty fully entrenched on Charmed and the fans were there to stay.

But the writers got complacent. They were too content with the parts, that they did not worry about the product.

From there on, the show never was the same.

Over the last 3-4 weeks, I feel the same way about our New Mets.

All of a sudden I don't find myself glued to the television. Watch a game or play basketball. Of late, I've been going the Jesus Shuttlesworth route.

This season has just been too easy for me.

Am I alone here? If I am, then maybe I shouldn't be writing this column. For the first four months of the season I think I missed 15 innings. I think I missed 15 innings of this last Mets vs. Marlins series.

I don't know why this is. Maybe I can't take the winning. Back in the mid 90's or between 2001-2005 I lived for September. It was time to watch the kids, take in all the Mets baseball humanly possible knowing that it wouldn't be there for 7 months.

But not this year.

And now my biggest concern. The New Mets feel the same way.

Yes, the Mets have kept on winning, but of late, our boys have been outplayed. Remember back in June when the Mets scored 4 runs in the first inning every game.

For most of the season, the Mets were flat out dominating baseball games.

Dominating a baseball game. Think about that. A pitcher can dominate a baseball game by shutting down its opponent. But that's not what was happening.

The Mets as a team were dominating baseball games. It was weird to watch. They broke out of the gates and took over games like the Bulls did when Jordan was in his prime. You just knew, everytime they took the field that they would win the game.

This confidence is no longer there. For almost two months now, the Mets knew that the East was theirs.

And, for the first time, this complacency is starting to show.

The Mets were dominated in this Marlins series. Sure, we took 2 out of 3, but the team was outplayed.

And even if we did lose, would it really matter?

The answer is yes.

There is no worse way to go into the postseason. This team is not sharp.

We haven't been to war on a baseball field in sometime. To the contrary, look at the rest of the National League.

Not a single team has clinched. Our likely first round opponent, the San Diego Padres, are playing the best baseball of their season.

Jake Peavy has been the best pitcher in the National League over the last month. Seeing him twice in a five game series scares the shit out of me.

Which is why tomorrow night's game is so important.

It is not important because it could be the clincher, though that will obviously be sweet.

It is important for two other reasons.

First, Pedro is back. We need Pedro.

More importantly, Pedro's return means its gametime. Our guys have known that Pedro would only be back when the stretch run was upon us. So here it is guys and gals.

There are now two weeks left in the regular season and it is time for us all to get sharp.

It is time for the Mets to burst out of the gates and remind everyone how they have won their 90 games.

And more importantly, it is time for the Sip and all of us, to sit their asses back on the couch and not miss an inning of Mets baseball.

Because, for the splittest of seconds I felt like a Yankee fan, a guy who liked his team but really liked them in October. From there, I did pushups until I couldn't feel my arms to punish myself.

There will be no worse feeling than a 1 and out in the postseason. The Mets as a team will be disappointed, but we as their fans, will take it even worse.

It's fucking game time. Let's get fired up.

Vaya Con Dios,

Sip