Although the Red Sox have managed to eradicate the demons created by 86 years of frustration, the appearance of the New York Mets' blue and orange trimmed uniforms at Fenway Park still brings back painful memories of what transpired between New York and Boston during the 1986 World Series.
The phrase "Curse of the Bambino" didn't become popular until after the Mets came back from being one strike away from losing the '86 World Series to ruin another October for the Red Sox.
It seems now that the baseball gods are angry at the inhabitants of Queens.
In the past two seasons, the Mets let sizable division leads in September evaporate, and failed to clinch a playoff spot in their final game. The Mets' collapse spoiled the final game at Shea Stadium.
The primary reason for New York's demise was the ineffectiveness of its relief corps. The Mets have seemingly rectified that problem by signing a pair of bullpen aces during the offseason. Francisco Rodriguez, among the game's best closers, was lured from Anaheim to New York. Rodriguez has successfully converted all 12 of his save opportunities this year, with his most recent occurring last night at Fenway Park. J.J. Putz, who was formerly Seattle's closer, was acquired to primarily be a setup man for Rodriguez.
When he was signed, Rodriguez proclaimed the Mets to be the "team to beat" in the NL East, not the defending world champion Phillies.
"We are a better team this year because our bullpen is much better," said Mets all-star shortstop Jose Reyes, who could sit out this weekend's series against the Red Sox because of tendinitis in his right calf. "We know that if we have the lead late in the game that we are going to win. That's important because there are a lot of good teams in our division."
The Mets trail first-place Philadelphia by 1<+>1<+>/<->2<-> games in the NL East. New York completed a West Coast trip by scoring just six runs in four consecutive losses to San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Mets' offense was more productive last night in their 5-3 victory over the Red Sox.
New York might not be hampered this year by blown saves, but injuries are becoming a problem. Power-hitting first baseman Carlos Delgado underwent hip surgery Tuesday and will be sidelined for 10 weeks. Mets general manager Omar Minaya said he won't pursue another first baseman.
"First, we expect Carlos to be back after 10 weeks," he said. "The surgery went well and there is nothing to indicate that he'll be out for longer than 10 weeks. Secondly, we can fill the position from within the organization. We have (Fernando) Tatis and also (Jeremy) Reed and (Daniel) Murphy."
It's possible that Reyes also could be placed on the disabled list. Former Red Sox infielder Alex Cora went on the DL Monday because of a torn ligament in his right thumb.
"I hope this isn't the start of a trend for us," said Mets manager Jerry Manuel. "Injuries are something that we can't control. We just have to deal with them the best way possible. We still have a very good club."
The Mets do have a potent team, which leads the National League in hitting. Outfielder Carlos Beltran and all-world third baseman David Wright entered last night second and fourth, respectively, in batting. In addition, New York's pitching staff has the third-best earned run average in the NL.
New York's pretty new ballpark, Citi Field, is a significant improvement over Shea Stadium. However, considering what's occurred during the last two years, whether the Mets have improved won't be definitively answered until the season ends.
(Art Davidson is a Daily News staff writer. He can be reached at 508-626-4403 or adavidson@cnc.com.)
