'Red Sox in 7. Mets in 7 Years'

It's funny how the mind works.

On Saturday a moment from my past came careening into the present, offering insight on a much-lamented past and a glimpse of a hoped-for future.

It was October 2004, and I was working with on a group presentation in an international relations class. I was randomly assigned with a few other dudes, jocks mostly, each of them a Yankee fan.

Back in those days I jocked the Red Sox pretty hard. Between their underdoggery, their fans' hatred of the Yankees, and their employment of Doug Mientkiewicz (if that last bit doesn't make sense to you, go back to some of our posts from 2005), the Red Sox had a lot of appeal to a Mets fan disgusted with the state of his own team.

More than anything it was about being in New England, in Massachusetts where the Red Sox ties run deep. Being in that environment, so far from the Mets, who were, in turn, so far from contention, pulling for the Red Sox felt right.

So me and the other guys in the group project were trading emails, some about our assignment, others about baseball. The Yankees had gone up 3-0 in the series, and the jocks were feeling good; worse, they had begun to gloat.

Sick of their gloating and anxious to stake a contrarian position, I responded to one of their emails with a rejoinder one half hope and one half pragmatism: "Red Sox in 7. Mets in 7 years."

Time bore out the former half of that prediction as the Red Sox shocked the baseball-loving world to win the ALCS, and later, the World Series.

And now (wishful-thinking-masked-as-lament alert) it seems time may yet bear out the latter half as well. It never felt that way in 2005-2006; hell, to a hopeful fan the pieces were falling into place as early as the end of 2004.

Back then there was room to hope, room to think that the latter half of the decade wouldn't be as depressing as its first five years.

You saw the pieces falling into place with David Wright, who debuted in 2004, and you knew he'd be a perennial 30-home run guy after he got a season or two under his belt.

Omar Minaya had been hired to clean up the mess left by Jeff Wilp... er, Jim Duquette. And sure, he'd made a few disastrous trades as GM of the Expos, but he was going to have full autonomy, bitches! Problem solved!

Jose Reyes, in full Mr. Glass mode, was injured every other second, but man, you knew that if he could just get healthy...

* * * * *

It was an exciting time. My "prediction" was tongue in cheek, self-deprecating; but here we are, 5 years later and the Wright-Reyes-Minaya "renaissance" has produced exactly one playoff appearance, one deeply dissatisfying playoff exit, one franchise-staggering collapse, its sequel, and the horror show that was 2009.

As I've written before, 2010 seems like it's pretty much shot as far as the Mets making the playoffs or being any kind of serious contender.

That leaves 2011, 7 years after my collegiate declaration. Red Sox in 7. Mets in 7 years.

The first half of the prediction came true. Maybe the stars will align for the second half.

We should be so lucky.

- A.F.O.M.G.