Uncustomed Heroes of 2015: Mets

Well, I'll be damned. 2015 was the year I rooted for the Mets in the World Series.

I saw them at CitiField this year, and was so impressed by what I saw. The pitching was spot on, the lineup was explosive, and they only got bigger and better as the year went on. Yoenis Cespedes was the main crux point of this- once he joined the team he started hitting like an absolute monster, home runs left and right and making the other teams fear the cleanup spot.

I'm not sure if he'll be around Queens in 2016, but here's hoping.

Another guy who I'm hoping sticks around (haaaahhh...I wrote this a week ago...), Daniel Murphy stepped up big time in David Wright's absence, hitting tremendously and playing 2nd and 3rd whenever needed, also playing well into the postseason. This guy, if he stays with the Mets (which he probably isn't going to), will be a huge postseason performer.

Well...Curtis Granderson is one of my favorite players, and this year, he FINALLY had a great season on the Mets, hitting like his former self, and giving the same amount of fun that he gave in his first few seasons in the Bronx. Hopefully there's more coming.

And then there's the Dark Knight. Matt Harvey, the guy who had a shaky season, yet became one of the anchors once the postseason started, playing some great games, pitching like it was 2013 all over again, and giving hope to a city that needed some.

Steven Matz, the just-as-stellar fifth man in the rotation, came up and had some amazing RBIs in his first few games. He came back in the postseason, where he had even more great starts. I swear, if this guy is your #5 guy...the rest of the league is in trouble.

Michael Cuddyer was one of the Mets' few free agent signings in 2015, and while he didn't play every game, he did a decent enough job, making the most of his bookends on the team, and giving some home runs whenever needed.

Kevin Plawecki started games behind the plate once Travis D'Arnaud got injured, and while he's probably not going to be the ultimate answer at catcher for the Mets, he did a good enough job, and is definitely a worthy backup.

Juan Uribe played with three teams this year. Two of them, he was a monster offensively, and thankfully, one of those teams was the Mets. I witnessed one of Uribe's first few games as a Met, and he did not disappoint, giving some great hits, and just being a lot of fun.

Coming Tomorrow- The Nationals team that got sooooo close...

Uncustomed Heroes of Baseball: Dodgers (Part One)

I made a good amount of Dodgers customs a few months back, because I was intent on them advancing in the playoffs. Sadly, that didn't...really...happen, so they were sentenced to my unposted folder. Thankfully, they're seeing the light of day today.

I'm starting with Kemp because he's the big story this week, as he was recently traded to San Diego for another catcher that they didn't especially need. I'll be sad to see Kemp go, but I don't know what he has left in the tank.

Meanwhile, Juan Uribe had another nice season at third, continuing his ascension as one of the Dodgers' most trusted position players since his arrival in L.A. in 2011.

Kenley Jansen was the Dodgers' closer this year, and he did a pretty nice job, landing on the NL closer charts for most of the season, and making the fans forget that Brian Wilson and Chris Perez were even on the roster. Plus, unlike those two, Jansen lacks sufficient facial hair, and that works for him.

I meant to post this a few days after Joc Pederson's rookie debut, but that didn't happen, due to the playoffs. Pederson will likely get some more playing time due to Matt Kemp's departure, but whether he'll pan out like Yasiel Puig did remains to be seen.

Tonight I'll post the rest.

Juan Uribe's Recurring Daydream

 

DISCLAIMER: This, folks, is another entry in Nachos Grande's amazing and awesome Blogger Bracket Contest, Round Numero Dos. Which means I'm writing another zany and awesome prompt for a junk wax-ish card. Look at me go.

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Focus.

Juan Uribe repeats the word like it's his mantra. Focus. Just focus. He stares down the ball intently, with the gaze that would rival that of a mighty eagle or Nolan Ryan.

Focus, Uribe. Focus.

The hole is only a few feet away, and Juan Uribe is already buckling under the pressure. They said it was Tiger's Masters. They all said he'd run away with it again. Well, Juan Uribe is snickering at those critics, though still trying his best to hold steady and not break composure.

This isn't the 2010 NLCS, Juan. This is the Masters. Now focus.

He adjust his purple brimmed Colorado Rockies hat, so that it just barely hugs his head. He firms his brow, and takes one last shot at the line between the ball and the hole, sizing it up in his head, where there are no imperfections. Where mistakes are only potential.

Focus.

As the caddy hands him the putter, the crowd at the Masters hits a deafening silence. Juan can nearly hear the whispering commentators, saying something along the lines of "this is Uribe's last shot to win, or else he'll go back to his day job of standing in for Dee Gordon", all the while making the sport even less exciting than it already is for everyone who isn't a retired professional athlete (looking at you, Jaworski).

Juan Uribe sighs one last time as he sizes up the shot.

Focus.

He extends his arm outward ever so slightly, giving the ball a nice enough tap to increase the acceleration, but not to send it to Mexico. The ball begins to roll, ever so slightly, toward the final hole, the climactic one that the commentators made everybody shut up for.

All the while, Juan Uribe winces in anticipation, like how someone would wait for a text back from a girlfriend. Juan Uribe wouldn't know how that feels. His only girlfriend left him for Tiger Woods back in '09.

The seconds seem slower than minutes, which seems highly improbable, unless it's a Salvador Dali painting (2 for 2 on Dali shout-outs). The ball continues to roll toward the hole, the commentators continue to whisper so that everyone watching at home must scooch into the side of the TV, and eventually blow out their eardrums once the crowd comes back in.

The ball stops on the edge of the hole. This is exactly what Juan had been fearing for all his years. He squats in nervousness, as well as in an attempt to hide that he's totally wetting himself right now. He clasps his hands together as if to pray to a God that isn't Tommy Lasorda.

Whatever prayers there were, they are answered: as if by magic, the ball lands, with a miniature 'thump', into the hole, meaning the tie that Uribe had been fearing would happen has been averted.

Before Juan Uribe can fully comprehend the situation that he, a former MLB player, has been crowned the Masters champion, before the caddy can attempt lifting him off his feat and hoisting him throughout the unfortunately non-exercising crowd, and before the trophy can be handed over, Juan Uribe's recurring daydream ends, like it always does, abruptly.

Juan looks around, and realizes he is back at Coors Field, surrounded by his teammates, still on a perpetually mediocre Rockies team. He sighs. Buddy Bell calls him over to start warming up.

As him and Helton get warm, despite the fact that it's already warm out, Uribe still longs for his fantasy. He still hopes for what he knows isn't real.

So, as Helton takes a break to sign autographs, and when Uribe knows no one is looking...

"Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. Former Colorado Rockies 3rd baseman...about to become, Masters Champion...IT LOOKS LIKE A MIRAC- IT'S IN THE HOLE! IT'S IN THE HOLE!"