As the Mets enter the middle of April, I have some mixed feelings about this team. My concern grew out of one significant statement form Carlos Delgado, which basically showed complete ignorance to the situation at hand. Delgado is absolutely correct in that a loss to the Brewers is not a big deal. The loss itself is not the issue. It is the way in which the Mets lost that is troubling to me.

Every team will have losing streaks and periods of bad play. The difference between a bad team and a good team is that these streaks are few and far between. The difference between a good team and a championship team is that laspes in basic baseball skills are not tolerated. Mets fans aren’t upset that a batter strikes out. We are upset that with the bases loaded and a pitcher who can’t locate the strike zone, that the batter (and this can cover almost ever NY Met at the plate) is swinging at the first pitch. This is about execution. This is about this team NOT playing to their abilities. That’s why Mets fans are frustrated because we all know this team should play better. It’s one thing to lose because say Gabe Kapler had a hot day at the plate. It’s another when you have the bases loaded and can’t score a run.

The question I have is where is Willie Randolph in all of this? I can’t say what he is saying or doing in the club house. I’m not there obviously. However, if Willie is “angry”, well frankly that anger is not being advertised in the club house. I’m not asking for the Mets to feel bad, I’m asking them to get back to basics.

The good news is that the Mets aren’t the only team struggling in April. The Phillies and Braves are right along with the Mets. All three teams have been hit with some significant injuries or bad play. All three teams have issues in the bullpen. So time is certainly not running out for the Mets. However, perhaps the Mets should take some clues from the young Florida Marlins! The Marlins don’t have super stars and don’t exactly win pretty all the time. However, they stay within themselves and concentrate on the basics.

The other good news is that Duaner Sanchez is returning to the Mets! This is extremely important to this team. Duaner Sanchez could give Willie Randolph at least the option of going with Heilman/Sanchez in the 7th and 8th, followed by Wagner. Schoeneweis, Smith, Sosa, and Feliciano now can be reserved for either specific batters (lefties, righties) or if needed in the 6th. The bullpen can now return to close to what we saw in 2006, which would be a huge boost. That of course, is predicated on Willie Randolph using the bullpen correctly, of course.

So am I a tad ticked off? Yes, because I know the Mets should be playing better. Frankly, perhaps Mr. Delgado should wake up and realize that it’s not the lose but the way they lost that should concern him. However, there is hope and the motto of this team is Ya Gotta Believe!