The New York Mets have made two consecutive National League playoff appearances, but things don't appear to be headed that way this season.
On the field, the Mets (24-31), besieged by injuries to star players, are 11 games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East.
Slugger Yoenis Cespedes (hamstring) has missed more than half the season, and staff ace Noah Syndergaard (torn lat muscle), is on the 60-day disabled list.
There have been embarrassing moments off the field.
The team's mascot, Mr. Met, was caught in a social media video making an obscene gesture to fans in last Tuesday's game against the against the Milwaukee Brewers.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, during the final two games of the Mets' series against the Milwaukee Brewers, a fan wearing a homemade T-shirt that read, "Fire Terry Collins," was kicked out of Citi field.
The fan, Cameron Scher, also held up a sign both nights imploring the Mets to fire Collins.
The Mets did not address either incident, but sources told WPIX Channel 11 News in New York that Scher was "inebriated [and] belligerent" and tried to sell his "Fire Terry Collins" T-shirts inside the stadium.
Scher denied claims that he was inebriated, and after skipping Thursday's game, he attended Friday's game against Pittsburgh, but left after one inning when he said a security guard made him feel uncomfortable.
Scher's Wednesday ejection, coincidentally, occurred on the same night that Mr. Met made the obscene gesture to fans.
Scher, who vows to never attend another Mets game, said: "I don't want the Mets to take away Mets fans' freedom of expression."
Harper to Cubs?
The 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs (27-27) haven't lived up to expectations so far this season, especially on the offensive side.
But down the road, way down the road, help could be on the way, Major League Baseball Network analyst Peter Gammons said.
Gammons said that Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper, who was the 2015 National League Most Valuable Player, is interested in the North Side as a potential landing place.
Harper, 24, is hitting .328 with 15 home runs and 43 RBI for the first-place Nationals (35-20), but he doesn't become a free agent until after the 2018 season.
"I have people tell me that Bryce Harper really would prefer to play for the Cubs," Gammons said on Mull and Hanley's show on WSCR AM-670 in Chicago. "Somehow I don't think it's going to be affordable to have Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant on the same team. It's a great idea, I'd love to see it because I respect them both so much, personally and professionally, but I don't think it's ever going to happen."
Plus, the Cubs are already crowded in the outfield.
Jason Heyward is signed through 2023, but could opt out of the contract after the 2018 season. Ben Zobrist's deal expires in 2019. Kyle Schwarber will be eligible for arbitration after 2018.
The idea of Harper and Kris Bryant, the last two MVPs on the same team is entertaining, but work needs to be done to make it happen.
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Sports on 06/05/2017