Keys To Success In 2011 By Angel Pagan

“Victory is sweetest when you’ve known defeat.” – Malcolm Forbes

Nobody knows about defeat more than the Mets. Since 2007 they have been killed up and down the NL East and by the media. I tend to agree with Mr. Forbes. I’m sure the 2004 Boston Red Sox team agree as well after being cursed for 86 years to come back from a 3-0 deficit to steal the AL championship from their nemesis, the Yankees. Nothing is sweeter than the taste of victory. Unless, of course, it is sweet revenge.

Well, Mets outfielder, Angel Pagan, claims to know the keys to a successful 2011 as he stated in the NY Daily News. I’ll list them for you:

1. A different atmosphere, a new start and that’s what we’re looking for.
2. Carlos Beltran will have a bounce-back year. He’s going to be key to where we want to be, turning things around.
3. Jose (Reyes), if he’s healthy, he’s the best leadoff hitter in the game.
4. The Mets must “find a way to go to someone else’s house and do the same damage” they did atCiti Field.

He seems to have forgotten about our pitching situation. It is not just the starting rotation. Quite honestly, I am more worried about our bullpen than I am about the rotation. While GM Alderson has been making moves, they are not the moves the fans would like.

What would the fans like? BIG signings. They want a splash. How has that worked out for them over the years? EPIC FAIL!

So the Mets are going small but with a different attitude brought about by Pagan. I will acknowledge that on paper the Mets have not got a chance in hell. I mean, the Pittsburgh Pirates have a better shot. Well, let’s not go that extreme, but you get the picture. However, Pagan is thinking that if the Mets can get their act together, they have a legitimate shot.

Look at the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. Who did they have compared to the mighty Yankees? Yet they managed to shut them down with only two stellar pitchers in Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Did I mention that they had two starters with ERA’s over five? The greatest idiots to have ever lived in Boston beat the Yankees. It seems smaller market teams, including the Florida Marlins, manage to get it done.

So my question is: Why not the New York Mets?

Was it really that big of a deal that they did not even look at Cliff Lee or any other star pitcher or position player? You can have all the stars. Will that bring you a championship? No way! The Yankee teams from 2001-2008 can tell you that. They paid out of their butts with no rings to show for it.

Pagan has the right idea. It takes strength, determination, courage, and, most importantly, CHANGE. The change is definitely what they got up and down Citi Field. Now this team will need to go into Spring Training, not as a defeated team, but as a team that has a shot at taking their rivals who is everybody in the NL East.

The game of life is about attitude. Why shouldn’t baseball be too? LET’S GO METS!