You are in the market for a new house, and have been searching and searching. You have narrowed down your options into two different, but equally attractive homes.
Option one
Your first options is a really nice apartment in Manhattan. It is like new, and no detail has been missed. It is a finished product.
It is clean. It is precise. Hardwood floors span the entire apartment. There are granite countertops in the kitchen, and the bathrooms are just marble. Everywhere.
It is a polished place, and you know you will not have any issues with it. The down size is it is only two bedrooms. You were hoping for four or five. And of course it comes with a Manhattan price tag. Just for this article’s sake, we will say it costs $2 million. You can afford that. But it is still $2 million.
Option two:
A home in Queens. It is a nice area. Tress are on the street. It is an older home but has five bedrooms. There are no granite counter tops in the kitchen. It is still nice enough. The bathrooms are tile, not marble. One of your favorite things about the house is the back yard. Large enough for a grill. You see yourself out there summer nights, beer in your hand, listening to a ball game.
The price tag is nice too. We will say $750,000.
The Decision:
You go with the house in Queens. The backyard. 5 bedrooms. Trees on the street. Plus, if you spend $2 million, and something goes wrong, you could be in trouble. Paying only $750,000, and you have some breathing room if things do not quite work out right.
The outcome:
Yes, the apartment in Manhattan was nice. Newer. Finished. You were worried about spending all that money. It is a commitment. And you have been burned before.
The house in Queens might be older, but it was the smart move. It has all this rooms you want. Plus the back yard. It is not as nice as that shiny Manhattan apartment, but at least now you have a backyard. You have that extra money in case something does go bad.
And go bad it does. Soon, you find out you need a new roof.
And the 80 year old plumbing is shot, and needs to be replaced.
That wiring you were told was updated three years ago? Not done up to code. Needs to be replaced. Completely.
Those big beautiful trees on your street? Con Ed just cut them down so they could update line gas lines.
Do not forget about that great back yard. At least you have that. Until you see it is infested with wasps
You bought that house in Queens, for $750,000, thinking it was a good deal. A safe bet. You knew it had some flaws, but thought you could get past them. That you could some how make up for those little things that are just a bit off. In reality, that house ends up costing more than that finished apartment in Manhattan.
The point:
The New York Mets, from top to bottom, is that house in Queens. While the fans wish for that finished apartment in Manhattan.
The Mets always need work. It always seems like more work than any other house on the block.
Have a star powered rotation?
Can’t hit the ball out of the infield.
Smash the ball out of the park?
The relievers can’t get anyone out.
Amed Rosario came up to the Mets with all the hype of the number one prospect in baseball. Mets fans were hoping for the Manhattan apartment, with 2 finished bedrooms-or polished skills. He is more like the Queens house- five bedrooms, none of them complete. All missing something. He might have all five skills, but all of them are far from finished.
The front office continues to buy the house in Queens. There are finished products out there. They might not have everything you are looking for, but what they have is a done deal. They are polished.
Mike Moustakas is not a great fielder. His bat is one of the best in the league at his position. 2 bedrooms. Granite countertops.
Jay Bruce had one of the best years of his career last season. It made sense that the New York Mets re-sign him to a three year deal.
The Mets did not know his roof would start to leak, and that he had plumbing issues.
Todd Frazier came over from the Yankees. And the backyard is infested with wasps.
In 2018, the Mets should be celebrating the closing acts of two future Hall of Fame players. Two life long Mets. Two of the franchises all time best.
This is not the apartment in Manhattan.
In the house in Queens, they let Jose Reyes ran off, only to return a shell of his former self. Meanwhile the Captain, David Wright, has not played a game in two years. A Hall of Fame career cut short. That is tile in the bathrooms, not marble.
In 2015 the New York Mets went on a historic play off run, all the way to the World Series. The Mets were close, so close. To winning. To being relevant for years to come. The Mets were so, so close to being that Manhattan apartment. That finished product. Everything almost worked.
Almost.
In the end, the New York Mets always seem to end up being just an old house in Queen, with bad wiring.
Fearless Baseball 