Mets want to “Take the damn thing”

Early Monday, Robert Brender of SNY tweeted a photo of the back of the t-shirts that have been given to the Mets by the team:

Here's a picture of the #Mets new shirts. pic.twitter.com/4ciamA5fm3
— Robert Brender (@robertbrender) February 23, 2015

The shirts, which say “Take the damn thing,” are a reference of the Mets’ expectation of making the postseason in 2015.

A few seasons ago, COO Jeff Wilpon had “underdog” t-shirts printed up for the team in an effort to inspire them.

Thoughts:

It’s not clear who exactly had the shirts printed up, but I would guess that the marketing department played a large role. This doesn’t seem like something Sandy Alderson or another front office member would do, and if the shirts were printed up by a player we’d probably already know about it.

There will be those who hammer the Mets for this, others who praise them for thinking big heading into their first expected contending season since 2008, and some who don’t care much either way.

Count me among those in the camp that doesn’t care much either way.

Most of the talk in 2014 revolved around Sandy Alderson’s internal statement that the team could win 90 games, with most of the players taking a much more measured approach when asked about their chances of contending.

2015 has been different.

The Mets have spoken a big game over the last month or so, with manager Terry Collins, pitchers Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler, catcher Travis d’Arnaud and others saying that they believe the team should reach the playoffs this season.

There are lots of experts who expect the Mets to have a win total in the mid-80s range in 2015, so the idea from the players themselves that they can reach the playoffs is one that seems entirely based in reality.

When it comes down to it, talk and t-shirts don’t matter. However, it’s definitely nice to see the team being confident for a change. And there are legitimate reasons for that confidence and optimism.