The Mets ran out of gas
Monday, November 9, 2015 by Dave Winer

I was emailing with my old friend from Mac days, David Jacobs, about this year's playoffs. Dave is a Cubs fan. I am, as you know, a Mets fan. The Mets and the Cubs have never played in the post-season before this year. Dave and I have been to a lot of Bay Area baseball games together, but of course never with the Cubs playing the Mets. So this time our friendship was tested, in a very unusual way. 

Given the way it turned out, I waited a few days after the Mets loss in the World Series to contact Dave, and was careful not to make it about baseball. I sent him a link to Zach Seward's comparative review of new TV from tech companies. Dave was the original Fetish columnist at Wired, at the same time I was a columnist at HotWired. Neither of us were journalists, before or since. Anyway, I told Dave that Zach, a young man who I've known about ten years, was picking up the baton in a nice way. I sent a link to his piece.

Then of course we discussed the post-season. Dave said the Mets weren't managed well in the World Series. I had a different theory. Here's what I wrote. 

The Mets ran out of gas

Honestly the way they were playing in Sept after clinching, I was surprised they beat the Dodgers, and by the time we got to the NLCS it was a juggernaut. But you could see the certainty creep in, and that was the mistake. I think some of the Mets thought they were the Yankees!

It was the most exciting baseball for me, ever. When the Mets won in 1969 we had nothing like the Internet, and I couldn't afford to go to any of the postseason games, and I had to go to school!

And in 1986 I was totally preoccupied with Living Videotext, got to watch the games, but didn't get to experience it like this year. 2000 was like a dream. I don't know what I was doing then. But this year. Wow.

What a thrill. And I'm totally ready for next year.

The Mets have never been about winning. I'm sure you understand that, being a Cubs fan. We have that in common. 

That's why when the team actually does win it's so fucking amazing. 

And you should be totally proud of the Cubs. I loved the way they do it at Wrigley Field. It's so commercial everywhere else. They'll be great next year too.  

That seems a good place to leave it until next year. Which Cubs and Mets always understand is where greatness lives.