#Mets, Yet Another Epic Fail; NFL to Save the Day

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

Even with the highest payroll in sports history, only the New York Mets could acquire a pair of future Hall of Fame pitchers like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander – with a combined six Cy Young awards and 17 MLB All-Star nods – and fail as epically as the 2023 edition of the Mets have.

It’s just so “Mets-ian,” so typical of this lackluster franchise that continues to boggle the collective minds of Mets fans the world over, myself included.

I never fell in love with the prospect of the recently-traded-to-Texas Scherzer being the ace of the Mets’ staff. Yes, I loved that he was acquired as a potential ace for the Mets, but it never materialized since he’s been on the last legs of his future Hall of Fame career #Bummer. The fact that the Mets failed to stay – even remotely – within striking distance of the NL East-leading Braves is further testament to their ineptness, which models the current U.S. government (both sides of the aisle).

I can almost always count on one thing: By the time my family and I head off to LBI every August, the Mets are either out of contention or damn close, which means my nights on LBI will be missing the element of competitive baseball yet again. At least we have the Yankees, who are still hovering in wild card contention, to keep us interested in something other than Guy’s Grocery Games and Bar Rescue reruns, barring a 1973 #MiracleMetsTypeRun.

So the Mets, after the trades of Scherzer and closer David Robertson, are clearly raising the white flag, and the Yankees are a shell of what we expected/hoped for. So, thank God NFL camps opened last week, which means the greatest sport on Earth is about to take center stage. With Super Bowl LXIII in Paradise, Nevada’s Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024, the league has gone all in on making Las Vegas a prime-time football destination.

After an off-season for the ages, the Jets are staring at their best odds to win a Super Bowl in well over a decade. QB Aaron Rogers’ Jets are the seventh favorite among all the major books, including Caesars, FanDuel and MGM, which means Jet fans will be unbearable as we head toward Week 1 when the preeminent favorite and defending champion Kansas City Chiefs host the intriguing Detroit Lions on Sept. 7 #DontSleep.

That’s not a knock on Jets fans, it’s just the truth. Hope runs eternal among Gang Green fanatics every year, and now that they have a Hall of Fame signal caller under center, an absolute beast-mode WR in Garrett Wilson, a horse in RB Breece Hall and a top-notch defense led by Sauce Gardner, Jet fans are all in yet again.

The Jets are now a consistent offensive line away from making the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Jets fans – after 64 seasons, 14 playoff appearances and one Super Bowl win/appearance – are spouting off much like Mets fans did last April, but 2023 could be their year.

That said, the Jets are a Rogers injury away from being an NFL bust, much like my Mets…

With the seventh pick in my fantasy football league, am I crazy to consider Falcons rookie RB Bijan Robinson, if Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey, Ja’Marr Chase, Austin Ekeler, Cooper Kupp and Travis Kelce are all gone? Or do I snag the top remaining WR – maybe Tyreek Hill – or RBs Saquon Barkley or Jonathan Taylor, who was the No. 1 in most 2022 drafts last year but is in a murky situation, having requested a trade from the Colts?

Dudes, hit me up on Twitter @Directrays with your opines. I’ve got 10 days on the beach to catch up and study, but I’m all ears.

Ray Gallagher

Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.

Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.