Our Worst Fears Realized?

Not exactly the triumphant return we all envisioned for Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, and the rest of the gang last night, was it?

Mets fans had any number of reasons to be excited about Beltran's return, but for most of us there was another corner of our minds that harbored concern. The team had been playing well, who could know whether would Beltran disrupt the roster's balance or the team's chemistry?

Through five games with Beltran back the team looks terrible. I'm not trying to imply any direct causality, because it's such a small sample size still and it could be nothing more than the team going through a funk.

But if it continues, will we look back to the All Star Break and ask if Beltran's return was the turning point of the season, and not in a good way?

It's not that Beltran isn't a uniquely talented player -- he is. It's what Kevin Costner's character said in "Bull Durham": you don't fuck with a winning streak.

Now granted the Mets sputtered into the All Star Break, but in the aggregate they had a very successful first half. They outperformed just about everyone's expectations. To my mind, you don't fuck with a team that's outperforming; you just try to ride that wave as long as you can.

Maybe the Mets did that. Maybe they were playing above themselves all along and they needed reinforcements.

But maybe they didn't. Maybe that mix of guys really had something special. Maybe it was a feeling that they had been disrespected; maybe it was people telling them they couldn't win without Beltran... then Beltran comes back and that espirit de corps no longer applies.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just frustrated by the past five games, but the team looks off right now. Could be just a funk, or it could be that something good has been disrupted, albeit through the very best of intentions (and, in fairness, every ounce of conventional wisdom -- if you have a Carlos Beltran you play him).

But still, I can't help but wonder.

- A.F.O.M.G.