If you are a Mets fan these days October has got to be a difficult month to bear. After losing in game seven of the NLCS in 2006, an epic collapse in 2007 and yet another collapse (not as epic, but still heartbreaking) in 2008; one has to wonder if the Big Guy in the Sky has something against you. Then, this season you aren’t really ever in contention. Sure there’s a couple of months there where you put up a fight, but really, with the injuries, and lack of talent, there was never any real shot of making the playoffs this year.

Maybe that’s okay. Maybe after three straight years of getting so close to glory, only to see your beloved team fall flat on their faces, maybe a year where you weren’t fooling yourself come August first is a relief. Ah, but someone upstairs is enjoying kicking you square in the seat. So what happens this year? Not only do your beloved Mets miss the post season entirely, but your cross town rival, the New York Yankees post the Majors’ best record and make the World Series. What is it they say in those infomercials? Oh yeah. But wait there’s more! The team that has helped demolish your last two seasons, the team that might actually be surpassing the Yankees as most hated opponent, the Philadelphia Phillies, not only win the NL East, but also make it to the World Series. For the second straight year.

So now, if you’re not just a Mets fan, but also truly a baseball fan, you have the unenviable task of trying to decide what team you hate just a little bit less. You need to try and figure out who in the name of all that is holy you could possibly actually root for in a match-up that was clearly designed simply to torment you. Do you pick the team you spend all summer trying to beat out for supremacy in a division, or the team you spend all summer trying to beat out for supremacy of a City? It’s not Sophie’s Choice, but it seems almost as painful.

It doesn’t help that even outside of the playoffs this season has been one horrendous joke after another. This is after all the team who had to fire the Vice President of Player Personnel after he was outed as trying his best to win the “Most Insane Executive in Baseball” award by challenging various minor league players to fist fights. This is also the team who’s general manager, at the press conference announcing he had to fire his little street fighter; accused a beat writer of only covering the story because he wanted a job with the organization.

And right before the World Series started, the Mets got more egg on their face, even if it was indirectly. Former Met Steve Phillips was first exposed as someone who sleeps with numerous co-workers (while himself still being married) and was eventually fired from his broadcasting job at ESPN because of it. That situation brought back his past indiscretions including having to take a leave of absence from the team in 1993 after being accused of sexual harassment.

Truly, this has been a season (or three) to forget if you’re a Mets fan. There’s not much to do at this point but close your eyes and plug your ears until February rolls around and you can start looking forward to Spring Training. Of course, if you’re a true Mets fan, Spring Training might only make you wonder what else could go wrong.

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