Just when you thought they were out, someone quotes Michael Corleone.
In the aftermath of a Steve Cohen press conference in which he said he’s “preparing all contingencies,” fueling the belief that the most expensive roster in MLB history might begin selling off several assets, the Mets have, at least temporarily, put such plans on hold by winning five straight games, the latest a 9-0 victory Thursday night in Arizona.
Though their season had been likened to someone on life support, the Mets are just 6.5 games out of the National League’s final wild-card spot. Even with multiple teams to jump, the Mets can’t be counted out, given their talent and potential, as well as the history of teams who have surged in the second half. We’ve seen such comebacks in New York too many times to dismiss the possibility.
In 1951, Bobby Thomson hit the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” against the Dodgers after the Giants recovered from a 13.5-game deficit in mid-August. In 1969, the Mets trailed the Cubs by 10 games in mid-August before winning the division and the World Series. In 1978, the Yankees were 14.5 games behind the Red Sox in July before winning the division and the World Series. In 2007, the Mets blew a seven-game division lead with 17 games remaining.
On Friday morning, FanGraphs gives the Mets a 19.6 percent chance of making the playoffs (that figure reached a season low of 7.5 percent one week prior). Baseball Reference calculates the Mets with a 6.2 percent chance to make the postseason.
If the Mets — who have the majors’ sixth-toughest strength of schedule the rest of the season, per Tankathon — are to achieve the improbable, this is who they’ll need to best:
The NL Central runner-up
Someone has to win the worst division in the National League. Right now, it appears to be a coin flip between the Brewers (51.7 percent playoff odds, per FanGraphs) and Reds (40.4 percent). Cincinnati, which hasn’t won a playoff game since 2012, appears to be buyers (“We want to do whatever we can for this team,” general manager Nick Krall said recently) at the trade deadline. Milwaukee will need to overcome having the NL’s worst offense.
The Cubs (8.8 percent) could be in play, too, owning the NL’s softest remaining schedule (.491 opponent win percentage).
A division rival
The Braves (98.7 percent division title odds) can’t be caught, meaning the Marlins (69.1 percent playoff odds) or Phillies (64.9 percent) must be caught.
Miami has a few games up on Philadelphia, but the Marlins still have much to prove — they have made just one playoff appearance since 2003 and have the fifth-hardest remaining strength of schedule — while the Phillies are the reigning NL champs and likely to improve their roster before the trade deadline.
NL West bridesmaids
First, the Mets need to leapfrog their West Coast doppelganger in San Diego (29.0 percent), which has similarly made its title expectations seem silly. The Padres do have a positive run differential, though.
The Mets also need to catch the Giants (58.5 percent), who have gone 30-17 since May 15.
And finally — if the Mets don’t move ahead of the Phillies or Marlins — they would need to get past whichever team is in wild-card position between the Dodgers (87.8 percent) — the most consistent regular-season team of the past decade — or the Diamondbacks (62.2 percent), who could be aggressive at the trade deadline and still have an 8.5-game lead on the Mets even after this week’s sweep.
No one said it would be easy. But no one should say it can’t be done.
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Most years, the NBA Summer League can be ignored.
Wins and losses don’t matter. The rosters are filled with players who may never see meaningful minutes in the NBA.
This year isn’t much different. Except tonight. Except when the most hyped prospect in two decades takes the floor.
Victor Wembanyama, the top pick in the NBA Draft, will make his debut with the Spurs on Friday night in Las Vegas against No. 2 pick Brandon Miller and the Hornets. The sold-out game from Las Vegas will be broadcast on ESPN (9 p.m. ET). The 7-foot-4 Frenchman then likely will face No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson and the Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Wembanyama, 19, is expected to make an immediate impact with the Spurs on both ends of the floor, an inside-out scoring threat who could lead the league in blocks as a rookie. He is expected to be worthy of generational acclaim, a la LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Sidney Crosby, Peyton Manning and more. So were Freddy Adu, Michelle Wie and Brien Taylor.
Even if Wembanyama isn’t affected by historic hype and newfound celebrity, others will be.
Wembanyama received his first sour taste of the spotlight Wednesday night, when a member of his security team allegedly assaulted pop star Britney Spears, who reportedly tapped Wembanyama on the shoulder at a Las Vegas restaurant in hopes of taking a photograph with the Spurs rookie. According to TMZ, Damian Smith, the director of Spurs security, is accused of slapping Spears with the back of his hand after she made contact with Wembanyama, causing the tabloid fixture to fall to the ground and have her glasses knocked from her face.
It isn’t easy being an international star as a teenager. Wembanyama can ask Spears.
All championships aren’t created equal. Sometimes, legends and dynasties are the final bosses to face. Sometimes, upsets create desirable paths to titles.
The Golden Age of men’s tennis has provided few easy roads to becoming a major champion, especially at Wimbledon.
From 1969 to 1976, Wimbledon crowned seven different men’s champions. There were six different champions from 1987 to 1993. There were four different winners from 2000 to 2003.
But since 2003, only four men have won Wimbledon, the fewest of any major tournament in the past two decades. Even casual fans can probably name them all: Roger Federer. Rafael Nadal. Novak Djokovic. Andy Murray.
Djokovic, 36, remains the heavy favorite to claim his fifth straight Wimbledon title (eighth overall) after winning his first two matches in straight sets. He may be the favorite at every Wimbledon until he retires.
Whenever Djokovic does retire, a new generation will have an opportunity that hadn’t existed in more than two decades. Winning Wimbledon won’t require beating one of the three greatest players of all time.
These are the players whose legacies at Wimbledon suffered most due to the Big Three:
Andy Roddick
The hard-serving American was limited to just one major title (2003 U.S. Open), facing a prime-aged Federer in three separate trips to the finals at Wimbledon. The 2009 loss ranks among the sport’s most crushing, with Roddick losing 16-14 in the fifth set.
Marin Cilic
Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, had multiple chances to add a Wimbledon title, too. In a four-year span (2014-17), he suffered two quarterfinal losses to Djokovic, a five-set semifinal loss to Federer and another loss to Federer in the 2017 final.
Tomas Berdych
The former Czech star achieved greater wins at Wimbledon than some former champions. In 2010, he beat Federer in the quarterfinals and Djokovic in the semifinals, before falling to Nadal in the finals. Berdych also reached the quarterfinals in 2013 (Djokovic) and the semifinals in 2017 (Federer).
Juan Martin del Potro
Injuries are the biggest reason the 2009 U.S. Open champion didn’t win more majors. The Big Three played a big part, too. A run to the 2013 semifinals ended in a five-set thriller against Djokovic. He also suffered a pair of losses to Nadal at Wimbledon, including a five-set battle in the 2018 quarterfinals.
Kevin Anderson
The 6-foot-8 South African’s huge serve seemed ideal on grass, but Anderson didn’t get past the fourth round in his first 10 trips to Wimbledon. Then, he upset a top-seeded Federer in the 2018 quarterfinals and won a server’s duel against John Isner in the semifinals. Djokovic dominated the final.
Richard Gasquet
The Frenchman’s steady but unspectacular career featured two great showings at Wimbledon. Both ended in the semifinals. Federer was victorious in 2007. Djokovic was waiting in 2015.
Marat Safin
Few players who have won multiple majors are considered underachievers. Such was the talent of Safin, who won two grand slams, reached another two finals, but struggled with health and motivation in between. After demolishing Djokovic in the second round of the 2008 tournament, Safin was knocked out in the semifinals by Federer, who lost to the Russian in the Australian Open semis three years earlier.
Lleyton Hewitt
The largely forgotten former No. 1 cashed in during the brief window of Pete Sampras’ twilight and Federer’s youth, winning Wimbledon in 2002. Once Federer became the world’s best, Hewitt had no chance, losing to the Swiss star in the 2004 quarterfinals and 2005 semifinals.