Here is the pertinent excerpt from a piece by Andy Martino of the Daily News, "'Too nice' New York Mets would do well to pick up some swagger from arrogant, condescending Phillies":
This is what characterizes the Phillies of this era, and what separates them from the Mets:
Swagger. Arrogance. Condescension toward opponents.
Sigh. I'd agree with Andy -- if he replaced "swagger", "arrogance" and "condescension toward opponents" with "talent", "good players" and "Chase Utley". The idea here is that swagger breeds winning. I happen to believe it's the other way around. Assemble a playoff caliber roster, make the postseason for a couple years and BOOM!: swagger up the ying-yang.
This meme has been propagated over and over since September 2007 and addressing each instance has grown tiresome. But it did make me think -- when the Mets were awesome in 2006, what was the perception of the team? Did people (fans, media, whomever) say they had swagger, arrogance, etc.? I spent much of that season living outside New York so I don't know how the newspaper guys felt about that group's intangibles. Please share any memories related to this. Notable columns from that season would be a bonus.