New York Mets on fire since GM threw chair

Maybe all it took was a thrown chair to turn around the New York Mets season.

Back on July 5, the New York Mets were spiraling. They had become the biggest circus in New York, a complete train wreck of an organization. The optimism of the preseason had faded away, with seemingly weekly damage control.

The nadir appeared to have come that evening. Following another disastrous loss, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen lost his patience, melting down on the Mets coaching staff. In the process of his tirade, he threw a chair across the room in anger, then dismissed manager Mickey Callaway to conduct his press conference.

As it turns out, throwing that chair may have been the best move of Van Wagenen’s tenure. Since that point, the Mets have been on fire, clawing their way back into postseason contention.

Other people have used a hurled chair to make their point. We all remember the infamous incident of Bobby Knight throwing a chair in a game against Purdue in 1985. And, back in the olden days (not that long ago), a folding metal chair was one of the weapons of choice in the WWE. Chairs can be used to make a point.

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Obviously, there is more to the Mets success than a thrown chair. They have worked at fixing their problematic bullpen, and replaced Jason Vargas with Marcus Stroman at the trade deadline. Armed with one of the best rotations in the game, the Mets have the potential to be dangerous.

The Mets also have not played against the best of the best in that stretch. With a pair of series against the Marlins and Pirates, as well as games against the White Sox and Padres, the Mets were in a position to make a move up the standings.

The quality of the opposition notwithstanding, the Mets have certainly been on a hot streak. They are, however, about to be tested, with a three game set against the Nationals this weekend, followed by another three game series against Atlanta. If the Mets can come out of that stretch at .500 or better, it may be time to believe.

The New York Mets have been on fire since Brodie Van Wagenen threw a chair just over a month ago. If this streak can continue, that chair should be enshrined in the team Hall of Fame.