"The first week usually is, because life's essential rhythm has been massively disrupted. There goes early evening's certainty. There goes first pitch at 7:10. This year, there went the playoffs. Playoff time is already disruptive vis-à-vis established rhythms, because games start whenever TV says they start, and they're not aired where you're used to finding them, but you'll accept the little differences in exchange for the gratification they bring."
"This didn't start as one of those Octobers, not after the Mets hovered in a playoff spot for months on end, yet landed adjacent to the playoffs as afterthoughts rather than squarely in them as participants. All things being equal, you'd rather grind down to the 162nd game with a chance to go further than peter out well ahead of the end of the season."
The Mets' absence from the 2025 playoffs unsettled established daily rhythms tied to game routines and broadcasts. Playoff scheduling already disrupts normal viewing patterns because games start at varied times and air on different networks, but the excitement usually compensates. The 2025 playoffs lacked Mets after a season in which the team hovered near postseason positions, leaving fans feeling like participants were replaced. Observing other teams in the bracket felt like an insult after last year's deep run. When elimination is inevitable for a long time, fans shift from disbelief to acceptance and reorient attention away from team-focused obsessing.
Read at Faithandfearinflushing
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