The New York Mets are off to a good start this year. The first half of the season was pretty exciting for baseball fans who support the Mets.
Since the All Star Game, the Queens team has played pretty poorly. Loyal fans are once again quite frustrated with the team’s recent performance.
What is really causing this year’s collapse?
Some would say that the owners have not spent enough money to attract more talent.
Some fans may blame the reluctance to spend dollars on the losses suffered in the Bernie Madoff scandal.
Others might blame the loss of Reyes. It’s interesting to note that Reyes is hitting sixty points less this year compared to his batting average last year.
The psychology of baseball can explain this collapse.
Like most team sports, baseball is a game where momentum and confidence are huge determinants of a team’s performance over the course of a season and into the postseason.
Quality baseball teams tend to hold the lead in games.
They also tend to win close matches.
Teams that win baseball championships tend to beat the weaker teams and play 500 balls against the better teams.
Good teams also tend to bounce back from deficits and come back to win contests.
Wins from behind, like home runs, tend to inspire and motivate teams. These types of victories also tend to build trust, cohesion and enthusiasm between coaches and players. Last year’s New York Yankees had a lot of one-run wins and many came from wins from behind.
Conversely, losing close games and losing after being in a winning position can demoralize a team, especially if these types of losses occur frequently.
The New York Mets bullpen has lost nineteen games. This is frustrating for the starting pitchers and the entire team. The poor performances of the relief team members seem to be bringing the team down and seem to be causing friction and dissension among some of the players.
Players can lose confidence and focus when this happens and can start to feel like there is no point in playing well, as the team will end up losing anyway. Some gamers may start to remember other meltdowns from this franchise. The New York Mets have a long history of finding ways to lose games they should have won. If owners and coaches want to turn this franchise around this year, they’ll need to find relief pitchers who can hold the lead and save games. Doing this can help restore team trust, focus, camaraderie, and enthusiasm.
