The long nightmare continues

It’s Halloween weekend in New York, a time for ghouls, goblins and a few scares. In other words, it’s an opportunity for the rest of the baseball world to experience what it’s been like to be a New York Mets fan in 2009 … and 2008 … and 2007 …

It’s been a nightmare.

With the team scattered across the country, and the world this week, without even lifting a glove or swinging a bat it’s been more public humiliation. Mets fans are still getting sucker-punched as the World Series plays out. A Broadway writer couldn’t have scripted Game 2 on Thursday night. If they did, it wouldn’t have seemed plausible.

Once again, the stars aligned against the Mets. As painful as it is to watch the Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets modern-day nemesis, now they had to watch former Met Pedro Martinez go out and pitch six-plus innings and record eight strikeouts.

Martinez did end up on the short end of a 3-1 loss to, uh-oh, the New York Yankees, the Mets crosstown rival (if you can suggest a competitive rivalry exists). And who did Martinez lose to? A.J. Burnett. Yes, that A.J. Burnett, who was originally drafted by the Mets in 1995 and later traded to the Florida Marlins in 1997 as part of a deal for Al Leiter.

Trick or Treat.