Fourth Annual Y2K Thanksgiving Spectacular... Presented by Mitt Romney

I feel a bit like Mitt Romney. I remember old Mitt getting up in front of his supporters after each successive second place finish in the primaries.

The first time he started by saying, "Well, we won a silver." The second time it was, "Well, it was another silver." The line was intended to inspire confidence, but Romney was never a good enough salesman to make you believe he could turn silver into gold. In the end it just sounded hollow, like he wasn't sure he believed it himself.

As the silvers piled up it became clear: Mitt Romney had something going for him, but it was never enough to get him anywhere worth getting getting excited about.

Loathe as I am to compare anything Mets-related to Mitt Romney, there is a disturbing parallel between the predicament Romney found himself in in January and the one we've found ourselves in for two Octobers running.

The Mets have been caught in that mid-2000s malaise that plagued the Phillies; they've become the team just good enough to finish 1 game out of the playoffs, which is really no better than the

We've lamented their failings before, and doubtless we will again. But today's a day for giving thanks, so without further ado...

1. Johan

There's no other place to start.

For me, the enduring image of Johan Santana was captured by The New York Times. The picture ran in the September 28, 2008 issue; a day before, Johan had pitched the Mets to a 2-0 victory over the Marlins, drawing them into a Wild Card tie with the Brewers heading into the final day of the season.

In the picture (which I can't find online, regretably), Johan is standing on the mound after the final out of the game has been recorded. He's looking toward his catcher, or maybe the home dugout, his mouth a perfect circle as if to say "Let's Go!" Behind him are blurred images of fans, euphoric, arms above their heads as they applaud.

It was a moment when hope met ability, and it all seemed like it might be alright. In truth, every fifth day felt that way. Santana would warm up as "Smooth" blared in the background, and for 9 innings you'd wonder how you ever questioned this team.

In the end, the problems with the 2008 team were greater than one man. But Johan, a would-be 20-game winner this year, lived up to our expectations all season, and in that final rain-soaked game on three days rest, he surpassed them.

2. Shea Stadium

I've resigned myself to an acceptance of the conventional wisdom about Shea, that it was a dump. I'm fine with that. The memory of Shea is about much more than attractive aesthetics or comfortable seats.

For me, it's about the memories between me and my dad, me and my brother, me and my friends, and the teams we rooted for over the year. Shea is where we grew up.

Nothing against Citi Field, which I'm sure will be great in its way, but it won't be the same going out to Mets games and never having Shea as the backdrop again. For all its bells and whistles, Citi Field can never have those memories.

3. Continued employment

The credit crunch has been a bitch on the blogosphere, kids. We've had to liquidate some assets and eliminate some redundancies (see Momo, Sippy; Ben, Cheddar), but the little site that could is still trucking, just like the Glass Man.

So far my day job has held up pretty well; there's no telling how long that will last, but so far so good. A lot of really talented people have lost their jobs in recent months, many of them no more or less deserving of losing their jobs than I would be.

To those who have lost their jobs, remember, health, family, and the Mets are the important things. Besides, there's always B-School.

4. Sip and Ched

It's not the same doing Y2K without these two.

Sip's one of my oldest friends; the friend I associate with the Mets more than anyone else. He started this site as a bored paralegal, and left it all out on the blog for three years.

Sip's the Godfather of Y2K, without him I wouldn't have known where to start. I know that to be true, actually, because the summer before my senior year of college, I tried. I forget the name (Depressed Mets Fan? Something like that), but I had it all set up, it was ready to go, and then I sat down, and... nothing. I didn't know where to begin.

Sip showed me where to begin, and I still haven't figured out where to end. As for him, the truth is he began talking retirement long before he finally hung 'em up, and I suspect a large part of the reason he hung on as long as he did was because he knew how much the site meant to me. And it meant a lot to me to share it with him.

As for Ched, he comes from a different part of the map, and didn't grow up a Mets fan. He wrote becacuse he loves to write, it's in his blood the way it's in mine.

But for him, as for Sip, life came along and changed the equation. Ched's in law school now, and Sip's in business school. It was too much to focus there, have free time, and blog. It's a shame, but that's how it is.

It reminds me of what they say about managers, how they're hired to get fired some day. Bloggers start only to finish some day. For every Matt Cerrone who's able to make a buck off the thing, there are a million others who do it only for love of the written word or for love of hte subject matter.

Sip and Ched were two of the best.

Door's always open, guys.

5. Football: So back!

Football, who knew!?

For much of my life, it was baseball or bust. I remember one season, 1999 I believe, when I watched the Jets intently. And another, 2000 I think, when I followed the Knicks game-in and game-out.

Since graduation I'd been flirting with the Giants. Last year it finally stuck. I picked them up the week after the Mets broke my heart, and the ride to the Super Bowl was an awesome thing to be a part of.

This year it's been one big gravy train with the Giants coasting and the Jets looking like the real deal, too.

It's a great time to be a football fan in New York. Now if we could only fix the Mets and the Knicks we'd really be getting somewhere.

6. Barack the Nation

This isn't a political blog so I won't dwell on this one, but suffice it to say that I was pleased with the election result this year. It's nice to see that an educated, Northerner still has a chance to be considered the best man for the most important job in the world.

7. Vampire Weekend, Ra-Ra Riot, John Mayer

The three artists that defined my year. Vampire Weekend's self titled album was the soundtrack to those late spring days when summer was so close you could taste it. Highlight tracks include "A-Punk", "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", "Wolcott", and "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance", but really the whole album is terrific ("One (Blake's Got a New Face)" notwithstanding). Highly recommended.

Ra-Ra Riot was to autumn what Vampire Weekend was to late spring, a last gasp of energy before the clocks fell back. Highlight tracks include "Each Year", "Can You Tell", "Dying is Fine" and "Winter '05".

As for John Mayer, I realize it's not the most macho thing to get into but whatever. Mayer's a soulful dude, and I can get into that. Give a listen to "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room", "Stop This Train", "Vultures", and his cover of "Free Fallin'".

8. Mad Men, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Gossip Girl

The best shows on television. I've only seen the first season of Mad Men, but wow, that show is not whomping around. As different as they are, Don Draper might be the best television character since Tony Soprano.

On to Terminator... chances are you're not watching this gem. If you're not, pick up the DVD and start from the beginning. The brooding, the unbearable man-terminatrix sexual tension, the Brian Austin Green... what a show.

As for Gossip Girl, watch the show then read about it on nymag.com afterward. I take it back, Chuck Bass might be the best character since Tony Soprano.

9. Readers like you

As alluded to above, 2008 has been a year of transition for Y2K. The continued support of our readers is something that I'll always be thankful for. Cheers to all of you out there who make this worth the while.

Gobble, gobble.

- A.F.O.M.G.