Y2K7: The Year is Passed

Little something for the old school Y2K fiends today. Not a tradition necessarily, but a concept I've worked once before, back in those salad days at the end of 2005.

Writing that actually gives me pause. 2005. Wow -- I'll tell you, sometimes even I'm amazed that this little website has lasted this long. But sure enough, 2008 marks year No. 3 for good old Y2K, and there's no sign of stopping.

In many ways, 2007 was a tough year. Certainly the end of the year holds much less optimism than year-end 2005 or 2006 ever did. Me, Sip, and Cheddar have taken turns expressing this pessimism; Sip because he's a pessimist and because HE IS BLOGGER, Cheddar because he's objective, and me, well, I took the collapse pretty hard I guess.

Tonight's about turning the page. 2007 is lost and gone forever, 2008 flowers before us like New Amsterdam once did for Dutch sailors' eyes.

But before we move forward, let's take a moment to look back at our past, the good and the bad. As you revel tonight, as you old that bottle of bub in your hand, try bearing in mind the following:

Five Reasons to Pour Some Out

5. I guess this is growing up

Things changed for the Glass Man in mid-2007. The cushy lifestyle I had as a corporate paralegal was gone, replaced by a job with actual responsibility and a ton of hours.

I love the job, but it meant missing the majority of the second half of the season. Given how things turned out, that wasn't a bad thing in some respects, but it all reminds me of a little chat I had with Sip's dad out on the mean streets of the Upper West Side one morning.

I had just written a post bemoaning how I couldn't watch all the Mets' games any more. Chip had read it, and we talked about maybe it was just a sign that we were getting older.

I turned 25 the other day. It's some shit.

4. Paulie Thumbs

Say this about Paul Lo Duca, you never got a sense that he didn't care or that he wasn't trying. I remember Jeromy Burnitz -- J-Burn! The guy was lousy as hell in 2002, but Mets fans had an odd respect for him. The guy played. You never doubted that.

It was kind of the same with Paulie Thumbs this past year. He was hurt a lot, his production suffered, but on a team filled with entitled stiffs, you always knew Lo Duca wanted it.

I imagine he'll hear more cheers than boos when he arrives at Shea next year. I mean, if nothing else, the guy was white as hell.

3. The Dream of Humfrey

Mike Pelfrey and Phil Humber -- more awful than awe-inspiring in 2007 -- didn't exactly erase memories of Scott Kazmir like we'd hoped.

Oh well, maybe it was just a learning experience. Besides, now Kevin Mulvey's the shit all of a sudden, so maybe this doesn't really matter that much.

2. Young Lastings

Do I think Lastings will be a superstar? Honestly, no. Do I know that Ryan Church won't be a superstar? Yes.

Truth is, the more time I've had to think about this deal, the more comfortable I've become with it, mostly because of Brian Schneider, who I've officially drunk the Kool-Aid on (no disrespect to Lo Duca). It's all about defense up the middle, remember (RIP Jim Duquette / Mike Cameron / Kaz Matsui)!

But Young Lastings, you deserved better. Big ups.

1. The 2007 Mets

It's like Catullus once said: Odi et amo. I kind of hated this team for all the same reasons you kind of hated this team -- the sense of entitlement, the listlessness, the Guillermo Mota.

But come on, they were still the Mets. Two more wins and they'd have been heroes to me. If I'm a battered wife to the Mets, so be it.

Odi et amo -- that's real, son.

Five Reasons to Suck it Down

5. Friday Night Lights

The best show on television. I just completed a marathon through the first season DVD -- it's the most astonishingly consistent show I've ever seen.

Unfortunately, the ratings have never really been there. In the hope of this show not appearing on next year's list at No. 1 for "Top Five Reasons to Pour Some Out", I'm devoting myself to spreading the word.

Click here to buy the DVD and watch the first season. Just do it, I promise you you'll be glad you did -- besides, it costs $19. Get it done.

4. Petey

It was only a taste, only a month of service, but how great was it having Pedro back for those 5 starts or so?

I said it this past summer -- what ballplayer ever inspired as much glee (yes, glee) in a fan base as much as Pedro? Yankee fans love and respect Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, Mets fans love and respect Mike Piazza, but it's just different with Pedro.

Jeter's the "king of the city" -- fine. Pedro's a fuckin' rock star. I'd rather party with Julian Casablancas than Prince William any day.

3. David Wright

Remember how worried we were about this guy at the end of last season, and then again in April?

Not saying it was completely unwarranted -- the guy looked lost in April -- but wow did he allay our fears, putting up his best season yet in 2007.

People are fond of saying he became the leader of the Mets in 2007. Well, 2007 didn't exactly end well, but hey, if it's finally his team in 2008 right from the get-go, no matter how things ended last year, I think that's a good thing.

2. Brooklyn, what?!

Brooklyn Heights, really can't say enough good things about it. The 12-minute commute. The brownstones. The impossible coolness.

Yes, the move has treated me well. My wallet hurts, and I've got nothing but love for the Upper West, but on the whole this little move of mine has really worked out well.

Anyone working in the Financial District: you'd be crazy not to look at apartments here, the commute is unreal and you get a lot more space than lower Manhattan (save, perhaps, the Financial District -- I wouldn't know).

1. Readers like you / The green light

I go back and forth on the idea of whether we would continue writing this blog if no one bothered reading it. On the one hand, we love the Mets, and we're a little self-indulgent, so it's a definite possibility.

On the other though, having an audience as dedicated and consistent as ours makes this whole thing a lot more worth our while. On some level, we like being the best kept secret in the Mets blogosphere -- we're on our grind, cousin!

But on another level, being a Mets fan means being part of a community, and the little community we have here means a lot to us. Here's to you guys.

And here's to 2008. Tomorrow we wake and all the unfulfilled promise of 2007 is officially behind us. Ahead lies only the dream of a better 2008. I'm not quite sure we have the talent to get back to the playoffs, but hell, why do we bother if we don't have hope?

- A.F.O.M.G.