Why do These Mets Hate Success?

After streaking some wins together at home, and then taking three out of four from the lowly Giants, the Mets looked to be well on their way to living up to the first place expectations placed on them by the city of New York.

But, just when they had success in their grasp and they were starting to look like a first place club, they fell apart at the seams against the Manny-less Dodgers and quickly gave up the division lead.

You have to wonder if this group even wants first place.

It's one thing to deal with injuries and slumps, but it's another to play the fundamental-less baseball that these guys have been playing; the base running blunders, the errors, the late-in-the-game miscues- not the type of play that you'd expect from a first place club.

Not to mention the fact that J.J. Putz is well on his way to becoming this year's Aaron Heilman.

You'd think that the team missed spring training this year. Some will say that the World Baseball Classic is to blame for not allowing the Mets, loaded with new players, a chance to gel. In early April that arguement may have stood, but it's nearly June now, and they've had two months to straighten it out- but they haven't.

Things won't get any easier in Boston.

Part of the problem could be is that there are too many people on the team who are looking over their shoulder.

Ryan Church sees Gary Sheffield circling right field in a bid for playing time and
Daniel Murphy, who has yet to prove that his bat is worth his shaky play in left, must know that his days are numbered.

Fernando Tatis plays everywhere, and both Church and Murph can spot him lurking in the rear view mirror. The only sure thing in the outfield is Carlos Beltran.

Maybe none of this matters. Maybe the issue that this group of Mets just hate success. Maybe they hate having the expectations of first place placed upon them by fans and reporters who make in a year what most of these guys make in five minutes. Maybe all of these overpaid All Stars want to do is collect their paychecks, take the field when they have to and then flash some cash in town only to retreat to the luxury of their million dollar pads.

If you have that kind of money it must be tough to self-motivate yourself to do much of anything, except make more money. Maybe the strategy is to sign the players with the strategy to have the whole team in their contract year at the same time. Isn't it the case that most of these ballplayers tend to have career years when they're playing for a contract? AJ Burnett, CC, Manny (who went on the juice to ensure his contract)?

Or maybe the Marlins have it right. Bring in the talented young guys that still yearn to make it big.

Jose Reyes had that fire before he became a millionaire.

Only time will tell what the case is, but June is far too late into the season for the Mets to be playing the lifeless baseball that they've played through April and May.

Maybe it's time to give HoJo a bat and a glove, and bring Keith Hernandez out of the broadcasting booth.

The Mets need to do something, because the fans will start losing interest- just like the ballplayers have.