Nice Level Swing

Signs

2009-04-20T13:01:00.003-04:00

So Doc Gooden signed a wall at Citi. A nice little touch from a member of the 86 team.

Our ownership however finds this to be a disgraceful act of graffiti.

Sweet merciful Jesus, what the fuck is wrong with these people?

Now, I am in the minority in regards to the stadium looking like Ebbets Field. I could not care less. I even whole heartily support the Jackie Robinson Rotunda (which, btw, has been talked about since the stadium plans were unveiled. I ask why no one was bitching back then? Did we really think it would not be so large? enough bitching people).

I do think they fucked up not having a Mets Hall of Fame in place, or at least CONCRETE plans for one (they vaguely mentioned one for the future, but it sounded a lot like CYA).

Here though, we have a former Met great who, on a lark, signed a wall in a restaurant. A nice token. Jay Horowitz' response was sad. "Graffiti" he called it. And said it would be removed.

Guys, you are getting the snot kicked out of you by fans due to pricing, site lines and lack of a Mets feel. Doc gave you a PERFECT way to get back some goodwill. And you stepped on your dicks with golf shoes.

It's simple. Leave the signature the hell alone.
Then, get other former Met greats to sign the wall as well.
Even some of the present guys.

You will look better. Fans will be pleased.

Instead, you come off looking like a bunch of idiots.

Again.

Today, It Begins

2009-04-06T10:11:00.003-04:00

The building of the roster is basically done.

The exhibition season, completed.

Today, the games begin for real.

Today, the quest for redemption starts. The quest to make this tool drink a big tall glass of STFU. And he can share it with a number of others.

Oh, I know, SI said the Mets were gonna win, so the jinx is on. Fuck that.

I know, there are holes on this team. I know, Ollie turns into "LOLLIE" too often (hat-tip to Danny at Metsgeek). I know Sheff is 40.

I also know that there are some you know, great players on this team.

I know, other teams "hate us". LIke I said a few months ago, lift up your skirts, show a little sack. Who cares if other team hate us? They hated the 86 team. So long as we win, THAT my friends is all that matters. Go into town, beat the team, drink all their beer and eat all their food (the last is your job Livan). If they hate, they hate.

Today, a new season begins. Time for us fans to forget last year. Shea is gone, as are some pinata's. A new stadium awaits us next week. Time for the players to forget last year too. It's easy to do:

Just.Fucking.Win.

LGM!

4 Days Left

2009-04-02T20:53:00.003-04:00

4 days left as I type this. In 4 days, it's time for the Mets to put up or shut up.

Time for the additions to show they were worth it.

Time for some past disappointments who are back (I'm looking at you Luis) to show that last year was a fluke.

Time for Jose and David to continue to grow.

Time for Daniel Murphy to seize the opportunity and take advantage of it.

Time for Jerry to show what he can do over a full season.

And it's time for Mets fans to forget last year and the year before. Oh, I know it sucks. I understand the pain. But sweet jeebus folks, it's not like we haven't dealt with disappointment before.

How many of you are fans of this team? I am.

Or this one?

Or this one? I mean shit, they even had a GM who can give Steve Philips a run for his money in terms of being inept. I am.

Or this one, who went a LOOOOOOONG time between championships? (tee-hee)

We are stuck for now with certain truths:

1. Luis Castillo is going to play 2nd base for the Mets for the near future.
2. Livan Hernandez is going to be the 5th starter for the near future.
3. Marlon Anderson is on the team.

It sucks. I know. I've spent a lot of time bitching about it on Metsgeek. And others have done the same on that and other sites. But here's the thing, it just doesn't matter. No matter how much we bitch, it's not going to change anything. All it does is cause us more agita.

Being a fan is not easy. Even in the best of seasons, there are things that irk us (see Sisk, Doug in 1986). We cannot allow it to defeat us. It is not easy, especially when the media does its best to constantly remind us of the last two seasons. But we do a lot of damage to ourselves as well. Dwelling on the past , or worrying that it will repeat itself is simply not healthy.

Giving up on this team is not an option. There is too much talent there to do that. Oh, there are holes, I do not deny that, but for pete's sake, can we stop focusing on them? Can we focus instead on how we have 3 of the top everyday players in baseball, a top starting pitcher, two top closers? Can we realize that the pen has been improved? No longer do we need to see Show trot in from the pen? Or Heilman? Do we realize that we will not have that feeling of dread when Jerry walks out to the mound?

4 days folks. The season opens in Cincinatti. As I posted a few months ago, forget about what other teams and the media think. I want this team to go out and win. And win big. And I want us fans to stop worrying about if other teams are mad because Jose dares to show excitement. We root for a damn good baseball team that has had a couple of bad years. Get over it. Turn the page. It's a new season.

Lets Go Mets

Just.Frakking.Win.

T minus 6 Days

2009-03-31T10:29:00.002-04:00

The start of the new season is less than a week away. This weekend, a couple of exhibition games will "open" Citifield. Then the Mets will go to Cincinnati for the opener (remember when the Reds ALWAYS had the official opener? Back before ESPN bought Bud?) and the Florida, before returning home for the official regular season Citifield Opener on April 13. I for one am excited for the season.

I've read elsewhere people saying that they are not hyped for the season. They don't think the team is appreciable better than last year. They bemoan moves made (Ollie for $12 m per) and not made (Lowe, Manny). I say pooh.

It's April folks. A new season is upon us. How can you not be excited to see Jose leadoff? To see him get on first and them await the inevitable break for 2nd? To see him leg out a triple in the gap?

Or how about seeing David Wright at the plate, doing all his little quirks and then driving the ball into that gap? How about seeing Delgado drive one deep? Or Beltran patrol center with the gracefulness of a gazelle? To see if Daniel Murphy is as good as he looked last year over the long term?

On the mound, how can you not be pumped to watch Johan? Every time I flip on SNY and they are showing game 161, I get chills. I can't wait to see him this year. I want to see Pelfrey continue to make THE LEAP, to see Ollie, as maddeningly inconsistent as he may be, hurl a gem. To see the Maine we all know from 2006. To see a pen that won't leak.

I know, all the projections say this guy is gonna do worse than last year, and Ollie isn't worth $12 million, WARP this and Verducci that, and the stadium is too small/cold/antiseptic/paid for by tax-payers. Forget all that stuff for a while.

Sit back and think about the smell of the grass, the sound of the ball popping into a mitt, the crack of the bat. Think about the feeling when you walk through the gate and see the field. Or think about hearing Gary, Keith and Ron on SNY or Howie and Wayne Hagin on WFAN. There's plenty of time to worry about the stats and projections. For now, just sit back and enjoy the game.

My first game in person this year will be April 27th. And I cannot wait to see the new park, and to watch my Mets.

Fantasizing

2009-03-23T09:39:00.002-04:00

After finishing 2nd in the Regular Season last year (3rd overall), Ed is back fantasizing.

Here is "Craptastic" for 2009:

C – Shoppach
1B – Morneau
2B – HIS NAME IS DAN UGGLA
SS – Rollins
3B – Garret Atkins
OF – Sizemore
OF – He who Loves Hugo Chavez
OF – Vernon Wells
Utility – Hawpe
RP – BJ Ryan
RP – Putz
SP – Halladay
SP – Lester
P – Nolasco
P – Verlander
P – Pelfrey

Bench
Adam Jones
Justin Upton
Cameron Maybin
Rickie Weeks
Rafael Perez (rp)

Yes folks, I drafted Rollins. Why? Well, he was the "best player onthe board". Of course, this puts me in the uncomfortable position of having to root for the bastard. Maybe I can trade him for someone else. There are a couple of Philly fans in the league.

I'm generally pleased with the team, though I need to find some "holds". I'm a little starter heavy right now.

Categories are:

Batting:

R, HR, RBI, SB, BB, K, AVG, SLG,

Pitching:

W, SV, K, HLD, ERA, WHIP

Crossing my fingers and seeing what happens.

What, Me Worry? (Yes, I am worrying)

2009-03-02T14:28:00.003-05:00

Is his elbow shot? Are we looking at Wagner redux?

Those are the questions that were flowing through what's left of my fragile little mind last week.

It started innocuosly enough with a report saying Johan would not pitch against Italy due to elbow tightness. The following was my post on Metsgeek

":readies noose:"

Because at the end of the day, if Johan misses significant time, we are royally screwed. No matter what the pen does, no matter if Wright pictures Francessa's face on every pitch and proceeds to hit .420 with a 1.259 OPS, if Johan is out, this team is done. You cannot miss your ace for a chunk of the season and expect to win. (see the team in the Bronx last year for proof).

Now, Ollie may very well turn a corner. Pelfrey may be able to build on last year. Maine may be able to bounce back from having a bone spur shaved. That's all well and good, but losing TBPIB is a killer.

Once again the team looks like fools. First he is getting an MRI in NY. Then he is not, because Johan felt good after throwing yesterday. (Was I the ONLY one having flashbacks to Billy last year when he blew the tendon throwing? :shivers). Then he says it was the accelerated throwing program Warthen has them on, while Warthen says it is because Johan rushed wanting to pitch in the WBC. I'll tell you this much, when your fortunes ride on an elbow, you DO NOT CHANGE HIS REGIMEN THAT HAS WORKED FOR HIS ENTIRE CAREER! LET HIM THROW AT HIS OWN DAMN PACE YOU NUMBSKULLS!

I feel better now.

Seriously though, once again, the ever changing story about an injury to a player makes the team look bad. Every hour it seems he is flying, or not flying, then maybe driving. It's laughable. here's the deal. Make a plan, then stick with it. If Altchek and others were coming to Fl. this week, then just come out and say it on Friday. Don't say on Saturday he's gonna fly to NY on Monday, then say Sunday he doesn't have to because of the snow, or becuase he feels good, or whatever BS reason is spouted (here's a tip, we knew Thursday a storm was coming this way, maybe watch the weather channel from time to time guys, ok?). Get the story right at the get go. The ever changing words make you look stupid, and cause fans like me to take tums by the case.

The good news is Johan felt good. The bad news, well, it's the Mets, given their history, he could have been BS'ing everyone and he may be on his way to see Dr. Andrews as we speak.

In other news, Mike Francessa is sad because Ryan Church and David Wright had the audacity to not appear on his show last week. If you recall, Mikey said that Ryan did not like playing in NY, and said that David sucks in the field and wilted under pressure. Mad Dog had also bashed David last year, claiming David told Delgado to not take a curtain call. Mike said they are both too sensitive. Who's too sensitive, the players who didn't go on the show, or the host who spent the better part of a day bitching about it. It's very funny considering Mike said he doesn't care about Church since Mike will be in NY longer than Ryan. If that's so, why do you care? As for David, apparently the two talked and made nice.

I for one wish the Mets would never appear on the show. All he does is blast the Mets. Why go on and let him act all nice, when you know damn well he's going to piss all over the team the second the segment is over. He made some comments last week about how there are too many guys who do not speak english well. Nice. I wish Omar would call Mike out on that crap.

Stay tuned for more on this. I'm sure Mike will milk this for a few more day.

And keep your fingers crossed that Johan is really healthy.

Spring is in the Air (or is that something else?)

2009-02-25T10:10:00.001-05:00

Two posts in 1 week!!

Intra-Squad games are done. The real exhibition season begins. Then of course, the WBC starts and fraks everything up.

I’m of two minds on the WBC. I kinda like the idea of getting the All-Stars from different countries together. It will bring attention to the sport we all love, and expose some lesser known players to a larger audience.

What I don’t like is what I am sure most don’t, the fact that players don’t have the time to practice and play with their own team. This is especially a concern with those players who are joining new organizations. A big part of ST is team building, getting to know your new teammates, as is getting in synch with the expectations of your manager and coaches. While a new manager in baseball is not going to install a new system like in other sports, there still needs to be the beginnings of a relationship. So the Mets missing JJ Putz and K-Rod for a few weeks, well, it kinda sucks.

In any event, the positive part is that the back-ups will get more reps. Fernando Martinez (F! folks, not F-Mart) will see a lot of time in the outfield. Tatis will probably play some third with DW being on Team USA. Other pitchers will get reps in the pen with K-Rod and Putz being away. So those guys will get a chance to show what they can do. It doesn’t mean they will make the team out of ST, but it could help them get a call-up later in the year, or perhaps increase their trade value.

In any event, I am getting more and more excited about the coming season. I am encouraged by reports that Luis Castillo appears to be in better shape and is showing some life in his step and bat. I still abhor the idea of him leading off though. I am concerned about Redding, though he is supposed to throw off a mound today or tomorrow. I am not concerned about Freddy Garcia yet. It is early folks, let’s wait and see. I think he could be a key player this year. If he is able to come close to his pre-injury numbers, the rotation will be significantly improved. And if Livan Hernandez is healthy, he is added depth in AAA (I’m not holding my breath on that one btw). I just think Jonathan Niese needs some more seasoning. I really hope he is not the #5. If he is, then a lot has gone wrong regarding Garcia, Redding and Livan. That will not be good.

Tanned, Rested, Ready

2009-02-22T20:27:00.003-05:00

Time to wake from my long winter's nap.

A week in Florida (sadly, not near PSL, happily, some time alone with the wife in South Beach). The tan started. Even got in a round of golf (I still suck) and hit the gym pretty much every day. So, I am ready to start posting again. Of course, the frequency depends on work and the Mets. Of course, being away meant I missed the last part of Shea come tumbling down. I'll miss the old place. But look forward to the new.

I'm sure I was not alone in wondering just what the fuck Omar was thinking when he signed Livan Hernandez and invited him to camp. Then today we see that Tim Redding's shoulder is ailing him, because of slow recovery from toe surgery (why is it that we keep getting guys with bad toes? Pedro, El Duque and now Redding). Apparently, he rushed his throwing schedule due to a late start, and now the Mets will keep him off the mound for a few days. Not giving me the warm fuzzies.

I really didn't see a lot of news while I was sunning myself. Well, I did see that Pelfrey has all his money frozen (no, not the Madoffs, that other cheating bastard Stanford). Damon and Nady from the Yanks are caught up in that too. Common thread? Scott Boras. Scott's not having a great spring. One client can't find a job. One client got caught using roids. Now this. Pelf hasn't had a great spring, first flipping a golf cart, then admitting to seeing Marley & Me.

Otherwise, it's all the same shit. Players lost a lot of weight and are in great shape (see Castillo, Luis), are wishing that the season started yesterday (see Murphy,Daniel). And the media is dropping hints about how K-Rod will react the first time he blows a couple of saves and the media and fans start calling for Putz to close (leave it to Sherman to drop the hint now).

Some are upset about things that Jerry has said about situational hitting and being smarter and putting guys in place to help the team. I do agree that hitting Luis Castillo 1st is probably the dumbest fucking thing I've heard in quite a while. But I do agree that the team needs to change it's approach with RISP (anyone who disagrees, take a look at DW's stats from last year. And piss on the # of runs scored as a team, fat lot of good that did late in the year when they couldn't push a couple of runs across against the Cubs or Marlins. Timing means everything folks).

How will it all turn out? Will Luis really be better than last year? Will Beltran start off hot now that he won't have to learn how to slide again? Will Delgado start hitting in April and go all season strong? Will DW progress back to his normal RISP stats? I don't know. But I am ready for the ride to begin.

It's Been a While, I Know

2008-12-12T21:00:00.003-05:00

So much time, so much to write about.

Going into the offseason, we knew what the issue was. The media knew it. The pundits knew it. The fans. The opposition. The problem was the bullpen. The question was, did Omar and the Mets ownership know?

Apparently, they did. First, Omar waited out the market and was able to get K-Rod for 3 years and $37 million. In October, the thought was he would want 5 years, $70 million. No one thought the Mets would get him, that the price would be too high. Of course, that made sense. However, there was no market beyond the Mets for K-Rod. No other big market teams needed a closer. So, by remaining patient, Omar got his guy. Kinda like last off-season, no?

Then, Omar showed he knew that the problem was not solely in the 9th inning. We knew the 8th was a problem. Hell, the 7th still is to an extent. The main thing though was "addition by subtraction", which Omar and the Wilpon's had repeated since the end of the season. Well, we got some subtraction on Wednesday, as we said goodbye (happily) to Aaron Heilman, and hello to JJ Putz, former closer now our 8th inning guy. Now, we also had to give up Joe Smith and Endy Chavez from the major league roster (along with Mike Carp and a couple of other minor leaguers who were at least 3 years away folks). I liked Joe, he was a good ROOGY, but he had had little success against lefties, mostly due to his motion, which made him hittable from that side. As for Endy, look, the dude could play a great outfield, but he could not hit enough to play regularly. When you have a chance to get ONE OF THE TOP 6 CLOSERS IN BASEBALL, you have to give up something in return. When you make a trade, the goal is to get the best player in the deal. Can anyone argue that Putz is the best player in the deal? Look, Endy will hold a place in Metslore forever due to "The Catch", but he was not a guy who could pinch-hit late in a game. Did anyone really want him coming up to bat down 2 with runners on 1st and 2nd? No. Heilman had to go. He just had to. The team had to move on. Sean Green and Jeremy Reed will replace Aaron and Endy. I wish the former Mets luck in the future, and welcome Putz and Green and Reed to the family.

As I am writing this, I see that Omar did some more subtraction, shipping Scott Schoenweis to Arizona for righthander Connor Robertson. At first blush, it looks like Robertson will be AAA bound, as Omar said:

"We're happy to acquire Connor Robertson," said Mets General Manager Omar Minaya. "He has a solid minor league track record and he's a good addition to our system."

So, goodbye Scott. Maybe the Diamondbacks will be smart enough to NEVER let you face righties.

At the end of the season, my checklist of guys who needed to go bye-bye went like this:

Heilman
Scho
Castillo

Two down. We are probably stuck with Castillo. Maybe he will come to camp in shape. Maybe he will bounce back. He fucking better.

So what else has gone on. Let's see, oh, the Yanks have signed ~~Carl Pavano~~ AJ Burnett to a 5 year contract. That'll work out for them. They also signed CC Sabathia. That probably will work out for them. CC is damn good. Of course, they had to give him an opt out after 3 years to sign him, which basically means he's leaving in 3 years.

Ah, I see the Phillies signed Raul Ibanez. Thank you. I wanted no part of him and was worried Omar would sign him. Much appreciated.

In other Philly news, Chase Utley had hip surgery. I wonder if they changed the grease in his hair while they were at it. He could be back by May, but could be out longer.

Oh, and I see WFAN hosts Benigno and Roberts invited Cole Hamels on their show Thursday. Why you ask? Because WFAN loves nothing more than to piss all over the fans of the team they are the flagship station of. Do they really think Mets fans want to listen to Cole Hamels? Then, they made it worse by asking him if the Mets are "choke artists:. Of course, Cole agreed, and went into a discussion about how the Mets choke, and they have no respect for the game, specifically citing Jose Reyes rounding the bases with his finger extended. Now, Cole feels it is OK to celebrate when you win, otherwise, it is bad. Fine. So next season, when J-Roll points to the dugout when he hits a single, or Howard stands at home plate for 5 second when he hits a home run, or Victorino stands on home plate for 8 seconds after scoring a run, will he say something to them? Will he be OK if an opposing pitcher hits one of them for doing so?

I am sick and fucking tired of the double standard when it comes to the Mets. Reyes ONE TIME did that, and it was after he hit a go-ahead home run against the Phillies. It was not in a blowout. I understand about perception, and how it is hard to change an early impression. Yeah, maybe some of the stuff was over the top in the past, but you know what, no one says shit about Manny cadillacing around the bases, or Rollins talking shit before he did anything of note, or countless other players. How about the "Bash Brothers"?

And my fellow Mets fans, enough with the "they hate us, we need to stop the celebrating". Fuck them. Lift up your skirt and show a little sack. Who gives a shit if other teams hate us. At the end of the day, it means squat in terms of who wins. The Marlins did not beat the Mets because they hated them. They won because that Sunday their pitcher dominated our hitters. It is that simple. The Mets did not lose the division because other teams disliked them. They lost it because the bullpen SUCKED. It wasn't hatred that caused Sho to not be able to get out righties, he couldn't do so BEFORE he became a Met.

Quit whining about teams hating the Mets. They should hate them. And the Mets should hate them right back. Everyone hated the 1986 team. That didn't stop them. This team needs a little bad-ass on it. Two years ago our pitchers pitched inside. Last year, nobody did. Time to do it again. Cole Hamels better see some inside heat. Rollins, Utley, Victorino, the whole lot of them better know not to crowd the plate. Especially Utley who hangs over the plate like Sabathia at a buffet table. Back them the fuck up. And if they bitch, they bitch. Jerry talked about being gangsta last year. I rarely saw it. Bring it this year. Have the mentality that no one can beat you.

This team needs to start out strong. Not 15-10 strong, I'm talking 20-5 strong. Send a message early. And then, keep it up. No cruise control. No mercy. You've got Santana as your ace. You've got Putz and K-Rod at the back end. Beltran, Wright, Reyes in your lineup. Enough excuses. Just.Fucking.Win.

This team will be better next year fans. Book it.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year to all.

Dear Omar

2008-10-29T20:29:00.003-04:00

Congratulations on your extension. You'll notice I left out the "well deserved" that you may think is forthcoming. The reason I did so is that I do not think it is well deserved. I understand why the Wilpon's gave it, but disagree.

You see Omar, you're scaring the fanbase right now. You've said some pretty scary stuff. Things like "Damion Easley had a good year". Omar, the dude had an OPS of .692. That is far from a good year. Yeah, I know he had a couple of good games, but the dude is not a starter, and is barely a competent bench player. In 31 PH appearances, his OPS was .515. That is NOT A GOOD YEAR.

You also stated "The Brand is Strong." No, it is not. A strong baseball "brand" is one that makes the damn playoffs. You know who has a good brand? The Phillies. Because they won the damn division 2 years in a row, and are, as I write this, up 3-2 in Game 5 of the World Series, possibly on their way to a trophy. That is a strong brand. Your brand is strong when you make the playoffs back to back, not when you make it once, then blow two leads the following two years. Your brand is strong when you have a good bullpen.

You also stated you think Luis Castillo can bounce back. Let me clue you in on something Omar. He sucks. Sucks at defense, sucks at hitting. Now, I like saber, and I get OBP is an important factor. But Luis' OBP is empty when you factor in the multiple double plays he hits into, and the key groundouts. Not to mention his inability to hit the damn ball out of the infield. His OPS while playing 2nd base? .666. That's a sign Omar. Not to mention the fact that Mets fans, well, hate his ass. Did you not hear the boos? Now, I know, you will say "Well, the booed Delgado too." The difference is that Delgado can hit home runs. Fans dig the longball. Luis cannot hit home runs.

I know you signed him to a 4 year deal, and he has 3 years left. Big deal. The Wilpon's can be persuaded to eat the contract. They paid Mo Vaughn. They are still paying Bobby Bonilla for fuck's sake. If you can't trade him, cut him. We will not care if he comes back to someone else and suddenly finds the fountain of youth. We do not like him.

Now, let's think about who can play 2nd next year. Easley and Castillo are gone. You could use Argenis Reyes, but that would be stupid. Ypu could throw money are Orlando Hudson, which the press will love since he has "attitude" (we'll get to this). Or, you could do the smart thing and LET DANIEL MURPHY PLAY! He has already shown he can hit the snot out of the ball. His line last year, .313/.397/.473. That's a .870 OPS. That's good. He's young, unlike Hudson. He can hit, something Hudson does not do away from Chase Field. And he's under contract and cheap, which means you can spend money where you need to, the BULLPEN.

Yes Omar, you need to spend money on the bullpen. There are NO internal options for closer. Sign Fuentes, or trade for Putz or Soria. Get Dennys Reyes (we need at least 2 Reyes' on the team). Juan Cruz is an intriguing idea. This is where you need to focus your time and effort and money. Not on 2nd base. You need to sing guys who are not ROOGY's or LOOGY's. You need to sign guys who can face both. In reality, not in your world where Scott Schoeneweis is able to. The real world.

Lastly, there has been a lot of talk about attitude on the team. You know where attitude comes form? Winning. Yeah, it helps to have some hard nosed guys who could NOT care less what people think. The key is to make sure they are actually good (in other words, not a PLD type.) If Jose wants to dance, let him. If Keith Hernandez doesn't like it, TFB. Just remember, it does help to have the stats that Jerry commented about. You know, it is hard to drive guys in if they are not on base.

The last thing is to either resign Ollie or get a reasonable replacement. Derek Lowe is nice. Burnett would be nicer. See, I'm a little worried about Pelfrey coming off his innings. And Maine with his surgery. So, no Pedro. You need depth. Get a couple of guys for AAA while you are at it. I'm fine with Niese as #5, so long as the pen is strong.

Forget the brand being strong. Make the TEAM strong. Fix the pen. Find a Leftfielder. Build a better bench. Put Murphy at 2nd.

Just Fucking Win.

Ed in Westchester

An Open Letter to Mike Francesca

2008-10-16T09:36:00.002-04:00

Dear Mike,

On your radio show on WFAN on October 15, 2008, you made two claims:
1. That there are 20 players comparable to David Wright.
2. That David gets a pass from the press.

I would like to ask you to provide the listing of the 20 players, as well as prove that he gets a pass from the press. What’s that you say, you can’t? That’s what I thought.

David took a lot of heat towards the end of the season, both in the local media and the national media. Many blamed him for the losses to the Marlins and Cubs, and said he was not “clutch”. Some fans even bought into this line of thought. Of course, when you look at a single game, you are likely to find fault and be able to point out a failure. This is what you have done. However, when you look at the numbers on an overall basis, the theory holds no water. For instance, here are David’s numbers for the month of September:
.340 Avg
.416 OBP
.577 SLG
.993 OPS

Here are his numbers for the entire season:
.302 Avg
.390 OBP
.534 SLG
.934 OPS

So September was better than his total numbers. In fact, it was better on an OPS basis than any other month save for July when he put up the following stats:
.317 Avg
.431 OBP
.574 SLG
1.005 OPS

Mind you July was when the Mets went 18 – 8, moving back into contention.

As for the 20 players comparable to David, I can only imagine what that list looks like. Let me guess, two of the members on your list are Jeter and A-Rod. Let's look at the stats for 2008 shall we:
Jeter - .300/.363/.408/.771
A-Rod - .302/.392/.573/.965
I'd say David stacks up pretty favorably there wouldn't you?

Now, I do grant that there are some players who are better than David. The name Pujols comes to mind, as do Manny Ramirez and a few others. I’m sure there are some players older than the 25 year old David Wright who have put up better stats over the past few years. But the number is not 20. You may be interested in this little stat - Only 5 players have put up a OPS over .900 in the past 4 seasons. Including David.

Now, I do grant that David had a poor year with RISP. Of course, you would think based on listening to your show that this is his history. You would be wrong of course. His RISP the last 3 seasons: .310 (2007), .365 (2006), .298 (2005). The history shows 2008 to be an outlier.

I know things are tough for you right now. Your beloved Yankees failed to make the post-season. Your partner left you all alone, and your ratings have probably suffered, so you need to stir the pot. Here’s the thing, try to at least get your facts straight. Now, knowing your history and how you have treated people who did not appear on your show, there is the thought that you are singling out David because he refused to go on your show after you claimed he told Carlos Delgado to not take a curtain call earlier this year. Of course, David denies this, yet you refuse to acknowledge your error. Instead, it appears to be a case of “How dare David refuse to appear on my show!” If David did indeed refuse to go on your show because you LIED about him, I commend him. If he refused just becuase he thinks you are a pompous windbag, I commend him again.

You use this team as a punching bag all the time, from attacking how Willie was fired, to lying about David to claiming Ryan Church does not like NY (another lie). I wish the team would change stations, but they won’t do that. I do hope the players tell you to stuff it though.

And I hope Mets fans stop listening to you. I did years ago.

Making a List

2008-10-15T09:58:00.000-04:00

Well, after a few weeks of gnashing of teeth and reading all the puke coming out of the PC’s of twits like this guy, it is time for Ed to make “The List”. “The List” of who stays and who goes.

Let’s begin with the Brain trust shall we?

Omar will be back, we all knew this was going to happen. Despite my issues with some of his moves (it’s the bullpen stupid); I do not have a huge problem with his being given an extension. I do have a problem with the length of it, as it is one year too many IMNSHO. My concern is knowing how the Wilpon's operate, if they wind up firing him, and having to eat his salary, they will use that as justification towards not spending on players. Omar’s job right now is to do two things. First, blow up the pen and replace what is left. Second, get Luis Castillo the hell out of here.

Jerry Manuel will be back as well. Now, I liked the job he did. He brought a team that was basically left for dead in the middle of June by most to 1 game out of the Wild Card. The problem is that he seemed to go a little Willie on us when it came to the bullpen. Remember in 2007 how Philip Humber sat and rotted on the bench after being a September call-up while the likes of Mota and others kept blowing games? Remember how we thought Jerry would be different? We thought wrong, as Bobby Parnell became this years Humber. Once again, the manager let a call up rot while the bullpen shat the bed. Now, I don’t totally blame Jerry for not making the playoffs. The team lost its #3 starter in Maine for a month plus, and lost it’s closer in Wagner for nearly 2 months. The fact they finished where they did shows me the team gave it’s all. Now, his comments about stats and grit give pause, but I think we all know managers use stats; they just don’t use them as the sole reason for making a decision. A good manager blends stats and gut. Jerry seems to do this well for the most part.

As for the rest of the coaches, I could NOT care less if any of them are back.

Tony B – I hope you get the job in Seattle.

Fielders

David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran have to come back. A trade of any one of these players would be the stupidest move in Mets history. I don’t give a rat’s ass if David had a poor final weekend. The dude had a great month overall. Jose did better than September 2007, and had many games during the season where he was the team’s best player. Beltran is Beltran. The dude just plays, day in, day out, hurt or not. The next person who calls him a pussy is going to get a beating. He’s the best CF in baseball.

Daniel Murphy needs to be back. I don’t expect him to hit like he did last year. I do expect him to be a good ballplayer. Let him play left field if they decide 2nd is not going to work out. He has great plate discipline (though he needs to work on sliders in). Plus, he’s gritty, which everyone tells us this team lacks.
Brian Schneider can come back so long as he promises to be the defensive catcher we were told he was.

Fernando Tatis can come back as a 4th outfielder and bat off the bench. So long as he signs cheap in terms of $ and years.

Ryan Church should be back. I don’t think he will be as good as he was the first half, or as bad as he was towards the end of the season. Hopefully, an off-season of rest will help heal his hip. Now, if someone offers a nice return, I can live with his being dealt, but then Omar would need to find a RF. That will not be easy.

Endy – sorry, this team cannot have your bat on the bench, unless it is as the 5th OF.

Marlon Anderson – make him a coach. Just do not let him have a spot on the roster. Dude is done.

Luis Castillo – GONE. For the love of all that is good and holy, please get rid of him.

Damion Easley – gone. Not good off the bench. Not good as a starter. He could be a good 25th man, but nothing more.

Ramon Castro – gone. Dude cannot stay healthy.

Argenis Reyes – gone. Dude cannot hit.

Nick Evans – AA or AAA. First guy called up in case of injury to an OF.

Carlos Delgado – This is a toughie. I would like him back. I do not think he can hit like he did the 2nd half, but if he puts up similar #’s, that will be sufficient. The problem is that he is probably the most marketable trade chip. Even with only 1 year left, an AL team may take the chance, allowing him to play 1st and DH. The question is what is the return? With nobody in the system ready to take over and replace his production, I think he will be back. Unless they sign Teixeira, which is a longshot.

Pitchers

Johan is going nowhere. Neither is Pelfrey. Same for Maine (and I mean this in terms of staying with the team AND in the rotation. You do not rob Peter to pay Paul. Moving him to closer means you need another starter.

I’d like Ollie to come back. I like his stuff. I think he is a guy who can be a very good #3 starter. The problem will be what he costs, so I am prepared to see him go.

As for the bullpen, I am torn here. Let’s list them out.

Heilman – his value among Mets fans is at an all time low. His value among other teams is the same. For some reason, he got away from his change-up, which hurt him against lefties. I predict he will be back, and if he has a good spring, will make the team. I see him with the Mets until the Trade Deadline at least.

Parnell – keep him in the pen.

Smith – keeper. Had a nice year overall.

Stokes – keep him. Live arm. Potential 8th inning guy.

Pedro Dos – buh-bye.

Sh!tScho – As unpopular as this will make me, I want him back. He has 1 year left on the deal. He is a LOOGY. But I want a collar around Jerry that will zap him if he so much as THINKS Scho should face a righty.

Al Reyes – keeper. 8th inning guy. I like his desire to challenge guys. I just don’t like him as closer.

Figeroa – gone

Brandon Knight – gone

Pedro – Thank you, but no.

NotSoClean Sanchez – Gone. I’m sorry, but I don’t buy that a full season under his belt will help. The dude was awful at the end of the year. You would think that if there was going to be improvement with work, we would have seen it in September.

So endeth The List. At some point, I will give my take on potential targets, either through trade or Free Agency. There are some holes to fill. Let’s hope Omar fills them wisely.

Goodbye Shea Stadium, and Thanks

2008-10-06T09:43:00.000-04:00

So, we say goodbye to Shea Stadium. No playoffs this year. A season that started with high hopes ended with a last day loss for the second year in a row. I don’t want to talk about the season yet, I will do that another day. Today, I want to talk about what Shea meant to me.

Growing up, Shea meant a chance to spend time with my dad. You see, growing up, things were tough. Dad worked 6 days a week, and there were many years where he worked a night job as well. So time with Dad was at a premium. Once spring came, hope of being able to go to Shea with him, to tailgate and take in a game grew. Now, Ed was a wee lad, so tailgating meant a sandwich, hot pretzel and soda, but all the same, it was fun, because I got Dad for a few hours.

The games all blend together, but what I remember is the feeling when we would get there and walk in. Dad buying a program, and the two of us keeping score. Walking out of the tunnel and seeing the field in front of me, watching batting practice, watching the guys stretch. As a young kid, seeing that field as we walked in was amazing. To this day, I get that same feeling of anticipation. The early years of my going to games were of course not as much fun, as it was the late 70’s, and the Mets, well, they stunk. But as the 70’s turned to the 80’s, hope began to grow.

Keith joined the team. And Gary. Doc and Straw came up. And a couple of times a year, Dad would get tickets from vendors at work and we would make the trek from Eastern Long Island to Shea on a Sunday. Take in the view, and watch our guys mature from perennial losers to winners. All along, Dad would teach me about the game. How pitchers would change things up. How fielders had to watch the ball off the bats, and account for the wind, or just the angle. I recall a time where some guy near us was blasting Straw for a misplay on a hard liner. Dad explained to me, loud enough for the fan to hear, how a ball off the bat of a lefty hit to right field was hard to track because of the pull and angle and so forth. The little things you can see live, but maybe not on TV.

Dad taught me many things, from how to keep score, to how to watch, to how not to boo your team. Even when things were bad we never booed. We saw the lows and the highs (an NLCS game against the Astros in 1986). And we enjoyed every minute.

Time has gone on. Dad and I don’t get to go to games too often. The last time we went was a few years back, me, my younger brother and Dad. This time, my brother and I took him. It was like old times. A little tailgate before (and this time, a beer was allowed). Then, a program, pretzel, hot dogs and watching our Mets play. The next time we go will not be at Shea, and that will be fine with me, since it will be time with Dad again. In a few years, once my kids are a little older, I will take them. And show them what Dad showed me.

Many will recall specific games or sights from Shea. What I will recall is a few hours a couple of times a year with Dad. Time well spent.

Thank you Shea Stadium. Thank you Mets. And thank you Dad.

Too Soon

2008-09-30T09:45:00.001-04:00

I'm not quite sure what to say.

I mean, they were 7.5 games back, and left for dead.

They come back and miss the playoffs by 1 game. Again.

Word leaks of an Omar extension.

Too many thoughts going through my head right now. I need to collect them.

I'll have a "Good Bye to Shea" post soon.

Then a season recap once I can put coherant thoughts on paper. I don't want to overreact like some of the twits in the media are (Wright needs a shrink, Jose needs to go, blah blah blah).

Nothing to Fear but the LOLpen itself

2008-09-22T09:05:00.002-04:00

This is just getting silly. Dear Jerry, I like you man, but if you even THINK about bringing ShitScho in to face a righty, or Heilman in at all, I'm gonna lose it.

This theory that ShitScho can get out righties has been proven false more often than Ben Affleck has been proven to be a shitty actor. The dud CANNOT get out righties. CAN NOT! Please, for the love of all that is good and holy (and my blood pressure), resist the urge.

As for Aaron, he got a key out Saturday, but was back to crap yesterday. I like Aaron, I think he has talent, but for some reason, be it his knee, his confidence, or perhaps his lack of a contribution to the Notre Dame athletic department (thereby incurring the wrath of Jesus), the dude cannot get outs with regularity. He needs to be chained to the bench. He may only pitch in a game that is completely out of hand, like a 20-1 Mets lead, with 2 outs in the 9th. And even then, I want someone warming up and ready.

The bottom line is that there is no one in the pen who can get batters out from both sides of the plate. They are a bunch of specialists. The only guy who has is Parnell, but he has pitched all of 2 innings. Jerry, use him. Please.

We can go on and on about who would be the 4th starter in the playoffs, considering Pedro is no longer Pedro. But the fact of the matter is that if the LOLpen keeps this up, it won't matter, because the team will not make it.

Now, the simple fact that they are even in the race at this point is unbelievable. The team was 7 games out in June, and has played excellent baseball since then. We have seen Mike Pelfrey mature before our eyes (at what cost though, since he has blown through his innings limit). We have seen Wright continue to be Wright (though he has had some slumps at inopportune times). We've seen Beltran be Beltran. We've seen Delgado reborn.

Considering the litany of injuries the team has faced this year, it is shocking that they are in the mix. Of course, the talking morons at ESPN forget the list. Let's review

Alou
Church
Maine
Wagner
Pedro
Castillo

And that is just among the regulars. Pagan, Tatis, Easley have all missed time. Let me ask, what team has lost a 15 game winner, a closer, and a pitcher like Pedro for significant time and yet has led the WC with 7 games to go, and was 1 back in the loss column? I know expectations were high coming into the season, but it is like everyone forgets the truly poor first half the team had. Overlooked is how the Phillies failed to put away the Mets.

7 games. Three Teams enter, two teams leave. Mets, Phils and Brewers.

Now is the time for the starters to pitch into the 8th allowing 2 runs. Time for the pen to revert to June form. And for the bats to score 10 runs a game, just to be safe.

We've seen a lot of ups and downs this year. Now is the time for the fans to hold on. Remember what Tug said

YOU.GOTTA.BELIEVE!

We are Mets fans, this is the price we pay. Hang in there. Up the medication. Whatever you gotta do. If you are going to a game this week, SUPPORT the team. No booing. When alive with playoff fever, Shea Stadium is a 10th man. Bring it to life. WILL this team to victory. Do not allow Sunday to be the last game to be played at the ballpark.

Those at home, root for the team. Do not allow the negativity to overwhelm you. Be it on TV, radio, online, support the team. It's not easy. But it never has been.

After last year, good things are due to happen. Let them happen this week.

LGM!

Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Week to Quit Sniffing Glue...

2008-09-15T11:22:00.002-04:00

Better call the doc and get the blood pressure medication upped.

You know, I don't get that annoyed when we lose to the likes of the Marlins or Nationals. I just figure, "well, shit happens". But to lose 2 of 3 to the fucking Braves? To let Larry Jones win his last game at Shea? Sonuvabitch.

Johan goes 7 and pitches well, and the lolpen coughs it up on Saturday. Thankfully, Jonathan Niese showed a lot of improvement from his last start, shutting down the Braves over 8 (Um, Jerry, give the boy another start).

Yesterday, Ollie rebounds from a poor outing against the Nationals to leave with a 4-2 lead. And the lolpen once again craps the bed. I blame myself. I picked up Stokes and Ayala in a misguided attempt to make it to the finals in fantasy baseball. I jinxed them. (And of course, I drop Street for Stokes, the day he gets a Win, which would have tied me in Wins for the week, and I would have won and made the finals. Instead, I tie for the week and lose the tiebreaker, ERA. Dammit).

David tried to win this one himself, two more homers in a 4-5 day. Delgado went 3-5 but was not driven in . The lineup just dropped the damn ball. They had Campillo on the ropes, and let him out.

But I am not going to blame the lineup. They had a 2 run lead. Joe Smith bailed out Shit-Sho in the 8th. Then, Ayala thought he was a National again, giving up hits to Casey Kotchman and Kelly fraking Johnson, followed by a home run by Greg Norton, he of the 261 avg and 805 OPS. The rest was anticlimactic.

Meanwhile, the Brewers continue to choke on a sausage, dropping 4 to the Philth. Ned Yost is toast my friends.

The Philth are off today, and travel to Atlanta for 3 against the Braves, who they have owned this year (10-2 so far, with 6 left). I hope Larry shows up, along with the rest of them. Then the Philth have 3 at Florida, then return home for 3 against the Braves and 3 against the Nationals.

The Mets meanwhile travel to DC for 4 against the Nationals, then to Atlanta for 3. They wrap it up with 4 at Shea against the Cubs and 3 against the Marlins.

The lead is 1 (2 in the loss column). There are 14 games left. The mantra remains the same.

Just.Win.Series.

A sweep against the Nationals would be nice though.

LGM!

How About that Grit?

2008-09-10T14:53:00.002-04:00

Bad Ollie returns. The pen, in the form of Figgy and Knight, breaks the recent strong run by the relief corp. The Nats look primed to repeat last September. Except this year, Carlos Delgado doesn't suck.

The boys jumped out to a 2-0 lead, thanks to a 2 run double by Easley in the bottom of the second. Ollie gave it back in the top of the third, allowing Cristian Guzman to go yard.

In the bottom of the third, Church and Delgado (bomb #1) made it 5 - 2 Mets. Ollie gave it back, and Figgy allowed 2 inherited runners to score, and it was 7-5.

Bottom 4, Church drove in a run with a groundout. DW got a hit with RISP, and it was tied.

Top 5, Brandon Knight walked the leadoff guy, Willie Harris, allowed a single to Pete Orr, moving Harris to third, and Anderson (IPOR no more?) Hernandez drove in Harris with a ground out. 8-7 Nats.

Bottom 6, and Dos Carlos' said "Get on my back guys". Church singled. DW popped out. Beltran hit a nice deep shot to left center, and it was 9-8 Mets. Delgado followed with a bomb into the bullpen, and it was 10-8. That would be the final.

Kudos to Joe Smith, who went 1.2, Sho, who finished the 7th, Stokes for a hitless 8th, and Ayala, with a trouble free 9th. The key pen guys got it done. Unlike last year.

This is not 2007 anymore my friends. This team plays hard all 9. Delgado is locked in. Beltran is as well. DW shows signs of stirring. Reyes went 2-4, keeping up his season long strong showing (300 avg, 183 hits, 359 opb, 478 slg is damn good people.) The bit guys, Easley, Tatis, are contributing. Church seems to be good. The starting pitching, save for Ollie last night, has been solid for over a month. And the pen is doing it's job as well.

They came back multiple times last night. They've done it alot of late. Yet all I hear about is the Philth's grit and heart. Methinks the Mets have a ton of grit and heart as well. But we won't hear about it, since the Mets got Santana and were supposed to win. Never mind that Pedro missed time, and Church, and Alou, and now Wagner. That is all conveniently forgotten at ESPN and elsewhere. This team has overcome numerous injuries, slumps and Willie to be 2.5 games up. They were 7.5 games down June 13. That's quite a turnaround. They control their own destiny. How did team grit lose that lead?

Meanwhile, the Marlins hang on in Fla. to beat the Philth. The lead is 2.5, 3 in the loss column over the Philth.

This 12 game stretch for the Mets is key. Nats, Braves, Nats and Braves again before the Cubs come to town. An 8-4 record is a must.

For those watching the scoreboard, the Philth have Marlins, Brewers, Braves and Marlins again over the same stretch. It will be interesting to see how the Brewers do against Moyer and Hamels. They've owned lefties (those not on the Mets at least) this year.

Tonight, Pelfrey vs. Odalis Perez.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!!!

Thanks Manny, Lastings et al

2008-09-04T09:15:00.003-04:00

Last year, as we Mets fans know all too well, part of the problem was the Mets inability to beat the Washington Nationals in September. The Mets went 1-5 down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Philth went 4-3. That right there kids was the season.

This year, perhaps the worm has turned. The Nationals just took 2 of 3 from the Philth, while the Mets went to Milwaukee and swept the Wild Card leading Brewers. So the lead, which was 1, is now back to 3. Perhaps Manny is helping the Mets after hurting them last year? Maybe one of his buddies in the front office called and said, "how's about a little something for the effort?"

In any event, we enter the final 3 games of the season series with the Phillies with a chance to stretch the lead. At worst, they will be tied. At best, a 6 game lead with 19 games to play. I'm calling for the Mets to win 2. Sunday Night's game on ESPN should be a good one, Johan vs Hamels. Hamels will be pitching instead of Kyle Kendrick.

The series in Milwaukee was impressive on a number of levels, despite the protestations of Bruce Murray on SNY last night (the Mets are simply playing well now, Delgado could fall apart, blah blah blah. Dude must be angling for an ESPN gig.) The Brewers absolutely DESTROY lefties. They were 31-13 coming into the series against southpaws. The Mets started Johan, Niese and Ollie. Three wins. Johan held them to 2 runs over 6 innings, and one of those scored on a balk. Niese was, well, not good (butterflies in his first start, give him another against a weaker team next time, mmkay?) But the bats responded and won it in 10. Yesterday, they jumped all over Dave Bush in the first, scoring 6 (Welcome Back Ryan Church, and who the hell is it that has taken over Brian Schneider?). Ollie walked 5, but was able to maintain focus and pitch out of jams. The final, 9-2, and it wasn't even that close. As Jerry said, maybe the lefties in the Central aren't quite as good as the lefties in the East.

The team is firing on all cylinders right now. The starters have been great, 11-1 with a 3.25 ERA in the last 20 games. Beltran, Reyes, and Delgado have been amazing. Daniel Murphy is making a name for himself. David Wright is slumping a tad, but perhaps the off day today will jump start him. As for the LOLPEN (hat-tip to a Metsgeek poster for coming up with that one), well, it is unscored upon in the last 15 1/3 innings going back to Saturday. Nice work by the maligned pen. Of course, they need to continue this, as there is much in the way of bad memories among the faithful.

22 games left. The 3 in Philly, then 2 in Washington, 3 vs Atlanta, 4 in Washington, 3 in Atlanta, 4 vs the Cubs and the final 3 vs the Marlins, as we prepare for the final days of games at Shea. After last year, many are loathe to make predictions of a division title. Others are predicting that the Phils will still win it, as shown in this quote from a recent Jayson Stark Rumbling & Grumblings ~~Philles taint licking~~ column:

“One part of it, obviously, is the difference in bullpens,” one scout said. “But the other part of it is heart. I love the Phillies’ grit. And now that [Jimmy] Rollins is hitting again, they’re the team to beat again.”

I guess numerous comebacks in late innings for the Mets are not from grit. And where was that grit against the Nationals? As for bullpens, well, guess who blew the game last night for the Phillies?

Whereas a few months ago, we thought 9/28 would be the last game played there, now we have hope that the game will be the last Regular Season Game, with Playoff Games to follow.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Tanned, Rested and Ready

2008-09-02T09:16:00.004-04:00

After a week of rest and relaxation at the beach, Ed is back for the stretch drive. A few things to opine on.

1. Jimmy Rollins continues to bitch about the Mets celebrations. Note to Jimmy, worry a tad more about your own team and your travels. And Cody Ross needs to drink a tall glass of STFU as well. Next time Cody, move off the plate you little bitch.

2. Ned Yost and the Brewers bitch about official scoring. Melvin wants 2 writers to work with the official scorers to make calls. Writers who give us great results in MVP and CY Young votes determining hits/errors? That'll work. Little less whining, little more thinking about pulling CC from games where you lead 7-2.

3. ESPN continues to chirp about the Phillies grit. Grit means shit when you lose 7-4 to the Nats.

4. Writers writing about how the Mets played poorly against the Brewers. Of course, the fact that they have come from behind for their last 4 wins means nothing. If the Philth had done that, the raves about the Phillies "grit" would be non-stop.

5. I love the back and forth the NY papers have about the Yankees. Dead one day, alive the next. Guys, they are 7 back and have to pass 2 teams to sniff the WC. Sidney Ponson is a key member of the staff. Can we move on please?

6. Umpires need to move the fuck out of the way on plays at the plate.

7. Philly fans complained about Sheets leaving after 5 yesterday. I didn't hear any Mets fans bitching about Zambrano not starting on Sunday.

8. I send apologies to Carlos Delgado again. Dude is on fire.

9. Dear David Wright, please start getting more hits with RISP? kthksbye.

10. Dear Jerry Manuel. You have extra arms in the pen now. Please use them.

11. Aaron Heilman - throw fucking strikes.

12. Rest of Mets bullpen - throw fucking strikes.

13. Welcome back Ryan Church. Stay healthy.

14. Thank you Lastings Milledge. Do that today and tomorrow as well.

15. Why do I think if Obama had a 17 yr old daughter who was pregnant we would be hearing from the right about how the fact she is pregnant is due to liberals not believing in God? And that if only abstinence was taught she would not be pregnant?

16. If anyone other than Cliff Lee wins AL Cy Young, the voters need to be smacked. Hard.

Onto the Mets

Nice comeback yesterday. I like how this team is responding late. Two more against the Brewers, then home for 3 against the Philth. Let's take 1 more against the Brewers, then, sweep the Phillies. There is no better way to shut up the talking heads on ESPN than to beat on the Phillies. Last year will be the big story all month until the Mets make it something else. This is the week to start.

On the surface, the schedule after this week looks easy. But we thought the same last year. Of late though, the Mets have done well against the likes of the Nats, Braves and Marlins. Here is what is left

9/2 - 9/3 - @ Brewers (2)
9/4 - off day
9/5 - 9/7 - Philth (3)
9/9 - 9/10 - Nats (2)
9/11 - off day
9/12 - 9/14 - Braves (3)
9/15 - 9/18 - @ Nats (4)
9/19 - 9/21 - @ Braves (3)
9/22 - 9/25 - Cubs (4)
9/26 - 9/28 Marlins (3)

24 games left. Two game lead. 77-61 is the record. A long way from May and June.

Last year at this time the record was 76-60. Interesting no?

Of course, they played very well early last year, and slumped late. This year, so far the reverse has been true. On June 2, the record was 28-28, 4.5 games back. Since then, they have played .598 baseball.

Lets keep up the pace.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Sweeps are Fun

2008-08-22T09:36:00.004-04:00

Even moreso when they involve sweeping the Braves. And it gets even better when Larry Jones makes numerous errors and fails in the clutch. Given all of the beatings the Braves administered to the Mets over the years, it is time for things to even up. This week was a start.

Three game sweep. Late inning comebacks in two games. Hits to drive in RISP with 2 outs. Good and great starting pitching. All the elements of a WINNING team were there. Even good work from the pen. Ah, the joy of winning 3, seeing the Phillies lose to the Nationals and the Marlins lose to the Giants. Joy.

Pedro may no be the Pedro of the past, but damn, he still knows how to PITCH. He's not gonna blow the ball by anyone, but he is wicked smart. He knows how to keep guys off balance and how to control the game. He went 7 plus last night, which gave the pen more rest, as Jerry only had to use Pedro Dos and Ayala (who has been good his first two outings). Assuming a playoff birth, Jerry is going to have a tough decision to make when it comes to the rotation (assuming also that everyone continues to pitch as they have lately).

Carlos Delgado went 5-5* last night. Drove in 3 runs, including the winner as Omar Infante fielded Delgado's liner in the 9th like he was having a flashback to the Ayala fastball from Tuesday. Wright, who otherwise was probably going to be doubled off second, scored the winning run. DW went 3-4. So the 3 and 5 guys went 8-9, nice.

Yes, this has been a soft part of the schedule. Yes, they should dominate these teams. But, they had not been doing that this year. They had played poorly against the Braves, lost stupidly to the Pirates and Nationals. They got swept in Houston and San Diego. Finally this team is taking advantage of the week. Now, they need to keep it up as the Astros come to town for 4 this weekend. The Phillies meanwhile play the Dodgers. Houston has been hot since the ASB, so this will not be easy. Hopefully the recent trend of strong outings from the starters, timely hitting and good bullpen work continue for the next week. After Houston, the Mets go to Philly Tuesday and Wednesday. A little more breathing room before then would be nice, don'tchathink?

Ed will be away in Bethany Beach, Delaware starting tomorrow for a week. I will return rested and ready for the stretch drive.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Let the Beating Continue Please

2008-08-15T14:57:00.003-04:00

The sweep of the Nationals is complete. The first sweep on the road this year. Ollie gets the "W". Smith, Duaner and Aaron finished it up. The bats actually tacked on insurance runs for a change late in the game. All around, a nice effort.

The first three innings saw no runs scored, as Balestar kept the bats off balance, no hitting them through 3. In the fourth, Argenis Reyes singled, DW doubled and Delgado drove in a run with a grounder, moving DW to third. Beltran followed with a sacrifice fly, and it was 2-0. In the fifth, Tatis walked and Brian Schneider hit a homer to deep left center, his first since May 14, against the same Nationals. In the sixth, Delgado hit a laser to left for another homer, and it was 5-0.

Ollie cruised until the 7th. Kearns led off with a bloop single. Aaron Boone grounded out, then Ollie walked Nieves. Pete Orr, former Brave, hitting all of .197 then triple to right center, and it was 5-2. Bonifacio followed with a bunt that Delgado tried to grab and tag, but wound up missing, and it was 5-3. Joe Smith came in to get Belliard to fly out.

In the eighth, Smith got the first out, then walked the next two hitters, bringing in Duaner, who got Boone to strike out and Nieves to ground out. The ninth was looming. Who would close? Kunz? Heilman? Jerry?

Thankfully, it did not matter as the boys pushed 4 across, thanks to the Nationals playing like, well, the Nationals. Murphy led off with a single. Tatis doubled, Schneider k'd. Easley pinch hit and singled, driving in 2. Jose then singled. Argenis lined out to third. DW then hit a grounder to Belliard, playing shortstop due to Guzman being out with an injury. Belliard booted it, and the bases were loaded. Delgado followed with a grounder past first, but right into the shift, a seemingly easy third out. Except Bonifacio threw it wide of the pitcher going to cover first. Two more scored, and it was 9-3. Heilman proof, as Aaron (booed even in DC) got three outs.

Meanwhile, the Cards beat the Marlins, and the Dodgers swept the Philth, so first place belongs to the Mets again. Let's keep it until the end of the season now, shall we?

On to Pittsburgh for a 4 game set. Alex at Metsgeek has the Pittsburgh pitcher review

To my friends heading to Pittsburgh - Vaya Con Dios mi amigos.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Mike and the Mad Dog

2008-08-15T14:30:00.004-04:00

So, despite protests that it was not going to happen, last night, WFAN announced that Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo (aka The Screaming Ninny here at Nice Level Swing) is leaving the "Mike and the Mad Dog Show".

Good.

Now, maybe people will wise up, not listen to His Pompous-ass, and he will leave to.

Which will lead to much rejoicing.

Vindication for Neil Best in Newsday who has been all over this for weeks.

Check Up

2008-08-14T11:15:00.003-04:00

Let's see. When we last left off, the Mets were 2 games out. Since then, they have moved into a tie for first. How did this happen you may ask?

1. The Mets finally remembered that they are supposed to beat on teams like the Nationals.
2. The Phillies Pen finally realized that it is time to regress to the mean.

The record against Washington coming into this game - 4 wins, 5 losses. Not exactly a stellar showing against the basement dwellers. And how can we forget the end of last season, when they went 1-5 in the last six, including losses of 12-4 and 13-4, blown leads, and a 10-9 loss made to look that close by 6 runs in the 9th. One more win against them and the Mets tie for the division. This is a team that for some reason appears to have the Mets number. Is it Manny Acta trying to show he should be the manager? Is it the Nationals players deciding to show up against the big bad Mets? Or is it the Mets just not getting up for the series, thinking the Nats will lie down?

In any event, Tuesday saw the Mets win 4-3 thatnks to a hit batter with the bases loaded (and yes Manny, the ball did hit Easley, balls don't change direction like that on their own you know.) Johan got the win, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks.

Last night, John Maine returned from the DL, which of course meant we would all be worried about
1. His arm falling off
2. How the bullpen would pitch

Thankfully, Maine's arm was fine, as he went 5 allowing no runs on 1 hit with 4 walks. As for the bullpen, Brian Stokes came in and pitched the final 4, strangely earning a save even though the Mets were up 10-0 when he came in. Weird rule.

The offense showed up against an inferior team. It allowed Jerry to pull Dos Carlos' early, getting them some rest. Jose has 2 hits and 2 runs scored. DW had a hit, 2 walks, 2 runs. Tatis had a HR. And Daniel Murphy went 3-6 with a HR, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. The only Mets non-pitchers who did not get a hit were Delgado (who walked 3 times) and Schneider (****ing Shocker). Schneider did have 3 walks though, so he had that going for him. Maine got an RBI by walking with the bases loaded. Even Stokes had a hit.

Murphy is continuing to impress. The guy seems to have 7 pitch at-bats every time up. He works a pitcher, something the other guys do not do enough of. He fights until he gets his pitch. The youngster does not look overmatched. He continues to show impressive power to the opposite field, as his home run last night went to left center, about 380 ft to the fence in Nationals Park. And the ball cleared the fence by a nice margin. He'll continue to "platoon" with Nick Evans, but he is making it hard for Jerry to do that. Jerry said that since he is an RBI guy, he will bat low in the order when Argenis Reyes is in the lineup, but should bat 2nd when Ryan Church comes back. That will be nice, seeing him feast on fastballs behind Jose.

Stokes looked good. Granted, the Nats, well, suck, but he still looked sharp. The fastball was popping, and his control was good. He gave the rest of the pen a night off, which is nice. A long man not named Carlos Muniz is what this team has needed. Hopefully Stokes can keep it up.

Tonight, Ollie vs. Balester. The Philth remain in LA. Let's get another W tonight, shall we?

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Shit-Scho and the Craptastic Pen

2008-08-12T08:56:00.005-04:00

It's all the rage to bash Aaron Heilman for yesterday's debacle. I do not come here to do that. The entire pen is to blame here, with the exception of Duaner. Joe Smith has been the suck of late. Pedro Dos, ditto. Scott (Shit-Scho) Schoeneweis sucks as well. And all 12 of you who read this know how I feel about Carlos Muniz and Eddie Kunz.

The problem my friends is that this pen has too many specialists. I do not mean they all specialize in sucking. I mean we have too many guys who are only ROOGY's or LOOGY's. Smith is only effective against righties. Aaron is better against righties this year as well (odd, since he used to do well against lefties as well). Dos and Shit-Scho against lefties. That leaves Duaner (when he can pitch) and Billy as effective against both sides. This leads Jerry to have to play match game, with disastrous results.

If we remember last year, the pen had similar issues, which were exacerbated by starters who could only go 5 innings. Little changed, with the exception of Mota being gone and Duaner being here. The same guys are doing the same things this year. The issue for the next couple of weeks is what to do until Billy comes back?

Simple, name Kunz the damn closer. Will it work? Who knows, but nothing else is with any consistency. Aaron did well Friday and Saturday, but crapped the bed yesterday. Shit-Scho should NEVER FACE RIGHTIES JERRY (did you not sit next to Willie last year and learn this lesson? WTF?) Smith looks dead. Sanchez is inconsistent with his velocity. Pedro Dos is a LOOGY right now. That leaves Kunz.

Now, the idea has been floated of moving Maine or Perez to the pen. This is a bad idea on so many levels it makes me question the intelligence of the local media for writing it, or, if they got it based on conversations with Mets officials, makes me question their smarts. I'll start with Ollie, who has only been the best pitcher of late. So move him to the pen, and who starts? Stokes? Please. Nice story the other night, but let's be real here. As for Maine, the guy has a bad shoulder, so let's make him pitch multiple times a week, oh, and have a shorter window in which to warm up. Yeah, that'll work real well.

If they want to change something, send Muniz down and call up Niese or Parnell. Oh, that's right, they don't want to start Niese's arbitration clock. Bullshit. This team prints fucking money. They spend it on shit like Show, Mota, Castillo, but are worried about having to spend it on Niese? Please. I am so sick and fucking tired of the money argument from this team.

Omar I am sure tried to make a trade, but he refused t0 give up young arms and/or bats to do so. Good. He gets killed (rightly in some cases) for trading away Bell, Lindstrom et al, but now he should trade Niese or Fernando! for a bullpen arm? We rue the day Kazmir was traded for Zambrano, yet want Omar to make a similar mistake? (Yes, I know Niese is not as highy touted, but the analogy still fits, it is all about the future. Remember, Pedro and Ollie are FA at season's end.)

So, here is Ed's plan.

Kunz - Closer
Niese/Parnell - set up
Sanchez - set up
Heilman - set up
Smith - ROOGY/mop up
Dos/Shit-Scho - LOOGY
Stokes - long man/set up
Muniz - gone

This team is adverse to using youngsters until their hand is forced (see Gomez, Carlos; Murphy, Daniel; Evans, Nick). In most cases, those worked out. Why not try it with a young arm. Last year in September, Humber sat on his ass for most of the month while the pen imploded. Then, he started, but could last only 4 innings since he was so out of a rhythm. Do not fall into the same trap.

These next 7 games are a chance to feast. Washington for 3, Pitt for 4. The Philth and Marlins have tougher weeks. We can take over first. If the pen is fixed.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Get Ready for Your Close-Up Eddie...

2008-08-06T13:18:00.004-04:00

So, the Aaron Heilman Experiment lasted all of one game. We hope. Given the state of the rest of the pen, it is time for Jerry to stop the Willie-like aversion to using youth out of the bullpen, and let Eddie Kunz close.

I like Aaron. I've supported him over the years. He's blown games, and also come into sticky situations and gotten the job done. But somewhere between the spring, when Billy said Aaron had the stuff and mentality to close and, oh, say April, something went wrong. The change-up that used to beffuddle lefties disappeared. He started to right the ship shortly after The Jacket was fired, even throwing some effective sliders (a pitch Rick had him eschew). However, that did not last long and Aaron of late has fallen back to his pre-June funk. If Jerry so much as looks at Aaron in a tight game in the late innings, he could join Aaron as a target in the eyes of the fans.

One thing though. When Aaron came into the game last night, he was booed. Now, I know Aaron has done poorly, but sweet jeebus people, the dude is being called on to close out a game. How about a little fucking support? How about instead of booing him before he throws a damn pitch, you clap for him, get behind him. You know, build up his confidence? As savvy as NY fans are supposed to be, we get this wrong too often. I'm not saying you should not boo if he sucks, but at least give him a chance. Who knows, maybe a show of support from the fans may have helped. (well, that and some help from the defense.)

I'm off the soapbox now.

Basically the pen looks like this

LOOGY - Show, Pedro Dos
ROOGY - Smith
CRAPPY - Lugo
UBERCRAPPY - Muniz, Heilman
Unknown - Kunz

Smith is having a hard time against lefties. Pedro Dos (before last night) was having trouble keeping inherited runners from scoring. Show should not face a righty unless there is a 10 run lead.
Muniz sucks. Lugo is not much better. These guys are mop-up guys, nothing more. Lugo will be the long man per Jerry.

That leaves Kunz. Now, I'm not saying the guy is gonna come out and be dominant. He may blow up. But you know what? The dude has closed, in college (where he led his team to the College World Series), in AA and AAA this year. He knows what is needed. Is he untested at the ML level? Sure. But guess what? He's the best option at this point.

There is no time to mess around here. The deficit is 2 games. Billy is out for 2 weeks. We cannot continue blowing games late, or using 3 guys to pitch the ninth. Give Eddie the damn ball and see what he can do. He's got a good sinker, something that will work in his favor. He throws hard. He misses bats. He's not gonna come in and strike out the side, but who cares? The job is to get 3 outs without allowing the other team to erase the lead. That's it. The rest of the guys have not shown the ability to do so.

Let Eddie try.

--------------------------

Onto last nights game. The hitting star was Fernando Tatis, who erased two Padre leads, first with a solo shot to the picnic area, and later with a 3-run shot that he waved fair in the leftfield loge. (The morons at Baseball Tonight killed him for his celebration. Note to morons, please review tape of Fisk, Carlton in 1975 WS. or any home run by Sammy Sosa. In other words, have a tall glass of STFU.) Supporting roles were played by Daniel (don’t call him Dan) Murphy, who had an RBI and went 1 for 2 with 2 walks, Delgado who had 2 walks and 2 runs scored, Beltran who went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, including the 6th run, scoring on a double by Nick Evans and a mistake prone relay by the Padres.

On the mound, Pelfrey went 6 2/3, allowing 9 hits, 2 runs on 2 homers, a walk and 3 k’s. He did well, and got himself out of trouble. Pedro Dos pitched 1 1/3 scoreless, stranding an inherited runner in the 7th. We’ll skip over Heilman and talk about Smith who retired the only batter he faced, and Show, who did likewise, though the out was hard hit to center.

I’m liking what I see from Murphy. He has a real good eye, and his hit was a great piece of hitting, driving a low pitch to deep left center for a double driving in Argenis Reyes. He might not be a true left fielder, but his bat should keep him in the lineup. See, youth can work from time to time.

On the injury front, we all know Billy is on the DL now. Hopefully the rest will heal his forearm, and he will be able to close once he comes back without making everyone reach for the Tums.

Maine is progressing well. He is due to throw a simulated game Friday and is on track to return from the DL next week. (My fantasy team is thankful for this).

Luis Castillo is playing rehab games. :shudder:

Ryan Church took BP yesterday after not having done so for a couple of games. Not a lot of details on what is happening. Some days he feels 100%, others, only 90% or so per reports. I’m not counting on having him back anytime soon.

Tonight, Pedro vs. Cha Seung Baek, who faced the Mets in June in a game they lost 2-1. He went 6, allowing 7 hits and 1 run, 2 BB and 2 K. He got 11 ground ball outs. Hopefully, the Mets fare better against him this time. As for Pedro, hopefully he can give the team some length, like 7 full innings. And hopefully the bats score enough to make the question of who will close moot.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Name the Players

2008-08-05T10:01:00.003-04:00

A lot has been made about the Mets organizational depth (or lack thereof). Many complained that the Mets have depleted their farm. Others complained that they should have depleted it more at the recent Non-Waiver trade deadline. The feeling is that the Mets have traded away too much lately, and that had they not, they would be in a better place, since they would have depth. Such depth would have been used to fill in some holes on the team this year according to that theory.

So lets play a game. See if you can name the 4 players below:

Player 1 (ML) - .256 AVG, .288 OBP, .351 SLG%, 639 OPS 21 steals, 10 caught stealing

Player 2 (AAA) - 6-7 5.38 ERA 1.59 WHIP 4.04 BB/9 6.73 K/9

Player 3 (AAA) - 4-8 3.87 ERA 1.35 WHIP 2.92 BB/9 7.22 K/9

Player 4 (FSL) - 10-5 4.56 ERA 1.42 WHIP 4.04 BB9 4.82 K/9

Would you want any of those players playing for the Mets right now? Or would you rather have someone like this

Player 5 - 9-7 2.93 ERA 1.19 WHIP 2.38 BB/9 7.62 K/9

Did you guess yet?

Player 5 is Johan. Players 1 - 4 are Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. Now, tell me something, would you want Gomez playing the outfield on the Mets right now? Or Humber or Mulvey in the rotation or pen? Guerra is obviously some ways away from being ML ready.

It makes me laugh when people first bemoan the lack of depth and say that the Santana trade was a mistake. How exactly is that possible? Santana may not be the Best Pitcher in Baseball, but he gives the team a chance to win every time out. So you think Humber or Mulvey could do that? When Gomez got off to a hot start, people raved. Now however, people see what many Mets fans saw last year, a guy who is not ready for Prime Time. The Twins rushed him, possibly to justify the Santana trade, but rushed him nonetheless. Humber and Mulvey are not lighting it up in AAA either.

Many laughed at the Twins, saying the package was bad. They point to the package the Yankees had allegedly offered as better. Really? Kennedy has done nothing and got hurt. Hughes has been hurt all year. Melky Cabrera sports a 654 OPS. Is that package really all that much better?
The media likes to say that Omar was able to do this trade because the Yankees would not give in. Well, maybe the Twins thought the Mets package was better? Or maybe Omar was smart, putting out his highly rated guys and staying in the mix. In any event, he turned 4 guys who would not be able to help the Mets this year into a guy who will now and for years to come.

As for the present farm, there are some bright spots. Fernando! has looked good (when not hurt of course, what is it with Mets OF's getting hurt anyway?) Daniel Murphy has raked this year, earning a call up. Nick Evans did well in AA, Mike Carp has bounced back. Wilmer Flores, all of 17, has been hitting everything in sight, playing with guys 2 or more years older than he.

Yes, the Mets have erred in not going over slot. The early returns on Ike Davis are not promising (I'm not gonna worry yet. Let's give him some time shall we?) Brad Holt on the other hand is throwing nicely. Let's give the low level guys some time to grow. In a couple of years, they may surprise us.

In the meantime, the big club needs to start a winning streak tonight. Go Big Pelf!

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Um, What Happened to the Bats?

2008-08-04T10:11:00.003-04:00

Swept by the Astros? Swept?

WTF?

A 7-3 loss Friday night, when the offense left 7 on base. Pedro pitched well for his first start after his latest long layoff. Yes, Heilman gave up the grand slam to break the 3-3 tie, but really, when you pound out 10 hits and get 2 walks, you should score more than 3 runs. They loaded the bases in the 7th with no outs, and came away with NOTHING. Endy struck out, DW grounded out, and Delgado flew out. That's what cost them the game.

Saturday, a 5-4 loss in 10, Heilman got the loss again (note, I dropped him from my fantasy team that morning, so I can't be blamed). Mets got 8 hits, Houston made 2 errors, and they left 8 runners on base. Danny Murphy made his debut, singled his first time up and scored. He also made a nice catch and throw double play later in the game. Nice debut, he did not look overmatched at all. Very smooth swing. You might even say Nice and Level. The pen choked this one away as well, as BMBB blew a 2 run lead in the 9th. Billy apparently was fighting some forearm stiffness, and will go for an MRI tomorrow (he cannot go today due to family obligations). I don't wanna sound the alarm here, but Billy had forearm issues 8 yrs ago that required tendon surgery. He claims the pain is different, but given the luck this team has had with injuries this year, I'm not buying it yet. Aaron took the loss as noted, allowing a walk and a hit, and Pedro Dos allowed the inherited runner to score. Ramon Castro was hurt on a play at the plate as the Astros scored 2 runs on the same play at the plate, shades of the NLDS from 2006 against the Dodgers.

Yesterday, no runs. Nada, zip, zilch, against Randy Wolf. Eleven left on base yesterday, 9 hits and 4 walks. Wright had a poor trip, going 3-22. Beltran was moved up to the #2 spot, and went 2-5. Delgado went 3-4. Beltran and Cancel were thrown out trying to steal 3rd. Nick Evans went 0-4, but feeling the heat in the field from Murphy's fine play Saturday, threw out two runners at second who were trying to stretch singles to doubles.

Now, I know July was incredibly hot, but the bats need to step it up, given the issues with the pen and the rotation. Maine is now on the DL. Wagner could be heading there. Sanchez has no zip. Heilman, well, he's just flat out struggling right now. Pedro is still a worry with his control issues. Eddie Kunz was called up, and he could be the closer while BMBB is out. I like guys named Eddie :)

Beltran needs to get going. I know his overall numbers are there, but we need him to go on one of his 2 week long tears where he OPS' 1.123. DW needs to get right. Reyes needs to wreak havoc on the bases. With the bottom of the lineup being a mish-mosh of Murphy, Evan, Schneider and Cancel, the top 6 need to get the job done.

The August Schedule has opportunities
3 vs Padres
3 vs Marlins
1 vs Pirates (make-up)
3 @ Nationals
4 @ Pirates
3 vs Braves
4 vs Astros
2 @ Philth
3 @ Marlins

Dregs and divisional opponents.
26 games left in the month. They are 0-3 so far. A final record for August of 19-10 should allow the team to keep up with Philly and the Marlins before September starts. September will not be easy.

3 @ Brewers
3 vs Philth
2 vs Nationals
3 vs Braves
4 @ Nationals
3 @ Braves
4 vs Cubs
3 vs Marlins.

A lot of games against playoff teams, or at least teams fighting for the playoffs. The Braves are a nemesis. The Nats always play the Mets tough. No walks in the park there.

The time to take, yet another, stand is now. 19-7 for the rest of the month is not easy, but needed.

Just.Win.Series. (a couple of sweeps would be nice though)

LGM!

Bring Me the Shoe of Carlos Muniz

2008-07-29T09:19:00.003-04:00

So I can Milbury him.

(For those who don't get this reference, Mike Milbury, while a player for the Bruins, was involved in an altercation in the stands at MSG. He beat a patron over the head with the dude's own shoe).

I want this guy off the team. Now. I know, he didn't cost them the game (Brian Schneider is apparently allergic to baseballs), but he is of no help to this team if he can't get through an inning. He is supposed to be the "long" man. Well, he ain't. He stinks. His run at the start of the year looked nice, but he is very hittable.

I would have preferred Willie Collazo last night. You know, the guy they called up because the pen was spent Saturday. Well, poor Willie is sitting on his ass out there. It's like last year, when Randolph wouldn't use him (or other young guys). If they don't think he can help, then why the hell is he here?

Of more immediate concern is John Maine's shoulder. He felt tightness prior to last night, which explains why Jerry was so quick to pull him in the 5th. One pitch too late alas (not blaming Jerry, just saying). Keep your fingers crossed that this is a minor thing. He will have an MRI in NY today.

The offense was dead last night. Jose did nothing, DW ditto. Tatis and Easley were the only guys who hit Nolasco, and nobody hit the Marlins pen. Everyone on the Marlins hit the Mets pen though. Joe Smith gave up a hard hit double to left, then a flipping baltimore chop up the middle driving in the tying run. It got worse from there, as Joe was removed for Sho, who showed again that he can't pitch to multiple righties. Looks like Jerry was reading from the book of Willie in the 8th.

It is one game, and the hope is that the boys follow the pattern and bounce back to win the next two. I think they will. I just hope the pen isn't overworked the next two games.

Friday, Pedro comes back, but will be limited to 80 pitches. Which means the pen is going to have to go long. Aaron, I hope you are ready baby. Methinks you might be the first arm out, so long as Jerry doesn't need you to do so today or tomorrow. Ollie tonight and Big Pelf tomorrow. Let's hope they continue their excellent runs. Even with the off day Thursday, I worry about the pen Friday with Pedro being so limited.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Isn't This a Lot More Fun?

2008-07-28T09:17:00.002-04:00

Another series, another win. This time, the Cardinals were the victims. Another excellent outing by Pelfrey on Friday, a good comeback on Saturday (though a loss notnetheless) and a, should I say DOMINANT outing by Johan yesterday.

Let's start with Friday. Mike Pelfrey has been amazing. The turnaround from early this year, much less last season has been outstanding. The interesting thing to read was the response to a question about why he had stopped throwing his curveball, which was supposed to be an OK pitch when he was drafted. Peterson apparently told Big Pelf to stop throwing it after a side session where he threw 20 curves, and only hit the strike zone with one. So instead of working on it, he had Pelf scrap it for a slider, which he also had trouble with. I loved Petersen, but this is one of those things that makes Ed go hmmm. In any event, Warthen has him throwing it, as well as the slider, and it has enabled Pelf to mature before our very eyes. Another strong outing, 7 innings, 7 hits, 1 run and 5 k's. Nice. The bats supported him , beating up on Mitchell Boggs for the second time this year, though this time he only gave up 6 runs, not 10, so he's got that going for him at least. Delgado went yard, and Argenis Reyes hit his first major league home run. Only Beltran failed to get a hit.

Saturday, Brandon Knight got the call in place of Pedro (my condolences to the Martinez family on the passing of Pedro's dad). The first inning went poorly, as he got smacked around for 4 runs. But the boys came back, and even took a 5-4 lead on a Jose HR (no finger in the air this time, then again, this wasn't the Phillies). Alas, the pen leaked in the 6th, as Muniz (who I do not like), Pedro Dos (who is scaring me a bit) and Smith allowed the Cards to score 4 runs. Jerry over managed a tad to me, but what was done was done. In the bottom of the sixth, former Yankee Ron Villone came in for the Cards, allowed a walk to DW and then a bomb to Delgado, his second of the game. It stayed 8-7 until the bottom of the ninth, when Fernando Tatis hit a homer just over the glove of Rick Ankiel. The good vibes were flowing. The bats stayed silent after that though, as they blew several chances against the Card pen, who liked to walk guys with frequency. The pen was depleted, and Aaron Heilman was needed to go 3 innings, which led to an Albert Pujols bomb in the top of the 14th. Aaron had done well until then, so I can't kill him. He is not stretched out (to all who call for him to start, this is an example of why it cannot happen right away). So, resiliancy, but no win.

Yesterday, Johan was the man. Complete game, 1 run on 6 hits 1 walk and 6 k's. He saved the pen, which is good with the trip to Florida for 3 starting tonight. The bats kept the beat going, as Wright, Tatis and Castro hit homers. Tatis and Jose each had 2 doubles as well. Everybody had a hit, including Johan (who had 2).

There are a number of things that have led to the improved play. The starting pitching has been stellar. The pen for the most part has been good, but the resurgence of Carlos Delgado is the key IMNSHO. This guy was being killed by EVERYONE, including me. I say mea culpa, and I know many other bloggers and fans feel the same way. Though I am sure there are some who continue to think this is a fluke, and that he will come back to earth. He now has 67 RBI with 22 hr and an OPS of 840. His July 3's are flat out sick

386 avg, 480 obp, 771 slg, 1.251 OPS. 8 home runs, 21 rbi.

July still has 4 days left. Now, his July and September last year were good, but not close to this. August 2006 was the last time he hit like this. If he keeps it up, man, things are gonna continue to be fun in Queens.

The schedule over the next couple of weeks looks like this

7/28 - 7/30 - @ Marlins
8/1 - 8/3 - @ Astros
8/5 - 8/7 - Padres
8/8 - 8/10 - Marlins
8/11 - Pittsburgh (make up)
8/12 - 8/14 - @ Washington
8/15 - 8/18 - @ Pittsburgh
8/19 - 8/21 - Atlanta

This is a prime chance to put some distance between the Mets and Marlins. As for the Philth, well, let's not worry about them (though they do have the Marlins Cards, Pirates, Dodgers, Padres and Nats on the schedule). Take care of ourselves.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Which Team Has Heart?

2008-07-24T20:43:00.003-04:00

I'm sitting here watching this afternoon's game on the SNY Encore. I just saw Jayson Werth go yard. A month ago, I, and every other Met fan would have gone into panic mode, awaiting the inevitable Ollie implosion. Today, that did not happen. THAT, my friends, is a sign of a good team. That is the sign of a team that has basically said "Screw it, we're gonna win" before and during every game.

Oh, the Philth had their fun on Tuesday, smacking the bullpen around. The media had their fun questioning the Mets leadership, and talking about how the Philth just don't quit, and how they have such great leaders in Jimmy Rollins. The Philth had fun showboating at second base after a double (Rollins), and standing on home plate for 3 seconds after scoring (Victorino). The media, Philth and their phucking philth phans expected the Mets to roll over after that.

They were wrong.

Last night, Maine pitched well, and the Mets got a timely go-ahead 3 run homer from Jose, who trotted quickly around the bases, while raising his index finger in the air. Now, this act offended the Philth Phans, and their broadcasters, even Skip Bayless from ESPN (well, to be fair, Skip is kind of a moron). How dare Jose celebrate hitting a 3 run homer that broke a 3-3 tie. He should be classy like Rollins and Victorino. Oh, wait.

Let me tell you something. I am sick and damn tired of the media and opposing teams bitching about Jose, but overlooking, or even celebrating, the antics of other players. No one says boo about Victorino, who couldn't hold Jose's fucking jock, or Rollins, or Manny hi-fiving a fan DURING A PLAY for pete's sake. But Jose holds up a finger and it is like he murdered someone. STFU Skip Bayless, and the rest of the ESPN assholes, and Tom McCarthy and other out of town announcers.

As for the Phillies, don't some into our house and stand on home plate and mock Jose and the other Latin players and then turn around and bitch about Jose's trot. Oh, and Jimmy, next time, try to show up on time for the game. I think it is lovely how you drive yourself to the game while the rest off your teammates take the bus. I hope ESPN mentions this just once. That will probably be more than it will actually happen. Now, if a Met did that, it would be on "the crawl" for the next week, and would be the top story for every edition of SportsCenter. But since it is Jimmy, who ESPN loves nearly as much as Derek Jeter, nothing will be said. (side note, do you think ESPN suits would just cream themselves if Rollins was to somehow become a Yankee? Of course, he would have to play 2nd, since Jeter would not move for him.) The reigning MVP was benched today because he was late. Again, imagine if that was anyone on the Mets.

Today, Ollie pitched his ass off. Twelve k's, including Utley and Howard multiple times each. He went 7 2/3. He left with the Bases Loaded with Philth, and in came Aaron. I liked this move. Jerry showed Aaron he had faith in him in a tough spot against the Phils, a team that, well, Aaron doesn't exactly have a good track record against. Aaron got the last out. Mission Completed. Wags pitched a strong 9th, which was nice, especially given the quick turn around from last nights game.

The offensive hero today was Carlos Delgado, who drove in the winning run in the 8th with an 3 run opposite field double. I admit, I was down on Carlos, but the man has been on fire since June, and even hotter in July. So hot that he was moved back to cleanup last night and today. The bats overall were quiet against 85 year old Jamie Moyer, but at the end of the day, they won, and are in first alone by 1 game.

A team that had it's heart questioned showed it is strong.

The team that is supposed to be all heart has its leader show up late to the game today and get benched.

Has the tide turned? It's early still, but the signs are promising.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Tonight, the Rest of the Season Begins

2008-07-22T13:00:00.003-04:00

Color me Captain Obvious. Of course the rest of the season begins. It begins every game. Anyhow...

Three against the Philth starting tonight. Johan, Maine and Ollie for the good guys. Blanton, Myers and Moyer for the Philth. After this, 5 games remain between the two teams. It is time for a statement from the Mets. Two of three is the minimum. A sweep would be beautiful.

After floundering for the better part of the first half of the season, the Mets have gotten on a roll. The Phils on the other hand did not take the opportunity to run away from the Mets or even the Marlins during a first couple of months where they played well. The Philth received good starting pitching for the most part, good hitting, and very good work from their pen. Of late however, the pen has started to leak, the hitting has slowed, and the starters, well, they just traded for 5-12 Joe Blanton, so that speaks for itself.

Myers is fresh off a rehab stint in the minors, after performing to the tune of a 3-9 5.84 era 1.56 WHIP. This after moving back to the rotation following the aquisition of Brad Lidge in the off season. Myers was supposed to solidify the Philth staff, but has failed to do so. We shall see if a stint in the minors has helped.

Moyer is 45 and is 9-6 with a 3.90 era and 1.36 WHIP. He is 1-1 vs the Mets this year, with a 3.83 ERA and 1.3 ish WHIP. He is positively Glavinesque at this point, he throws slop, which of course means the Mets struggle against him.

Tonight, Joe Blanton, the "innings eater" who has been linked to the Mets seemingly forever, makes his first start for the Philth. It will be interesting to see the approach the Mets hitters take. He is not overpowering. Shea may be a pitchers park, but it is no Oakland Coliseum, with its vast stretches of foul territory.

Last season, the Phils won the final 8 against the Mets. This year, the Mets own a 7-3 edge. Time to make that edge a bit larger. The Mets taking two of three will mean a 1 game lead. That's not enough. I want a 3 game lead for the Mets once the series is over. The Philth are having some internal troubles, Cholly is upset about situational hitting, Burrel is upset over being lifted late in games. Rollins may be playing hurt. Feast on them Mets. Beat them down. Take this opportunity by the throat and grab it. As PLD said in 2006 - Bury Them. Or at least throw a few shovel fulls of dirt on them.

________________________________

Mets Worries

Well, Angel Pagan and Moises are done for the year. El Duque may be as well. Pedro has a groin issue. Castillo is still aching. Church is an unknown. Easley has leg pain, and Endy causes Mets fans pains when they watch him swing for the fences every at-bat. The walking wounded are increasing in numbers. I was already ruling out El Duque and Angel. I had hoped Alou could come back, but torn hammies are bad. Castillo could be back next week, or later, who knows. Same for Church. He was to be re-evaluated this week. Figure a couple of weeks for him once he is cleared to resume baseball activities.

And now Billy has pain in his upper back/arm/shoulder and went for an MRI. No word on if he is available for this series. Fine. The bats simply need to explode and win each game by 5. Let Billy have a few days of rest. I for one have concerns about Dirty or Heilman in the closer role, so lets not try them out, OK?

Just.Win.Series.

LGM

And the Winning Continues

2008-07-18T10:20:00.002-04:00

"Holy hell, we're relevant again!"

Rickey Henderson

Yes we are Rickey. Yes we are indeed.

Win #10 in a row. Tied for first. What was once a 7.5 game deficit back on June 18 is now gone. Little Jerry looks smarter with each passing day. The air smells cleaner, flowers perk up. Life is good.

Even the news that El Duque had more foot pain, Angel Pagan left his rehab start with shoulder pain, and Pedro got a cortisone shot cannot wipe the smiles off the faces of Mets fans this morning. I dare to say that even a classic Wally Matthews Mets blasting column, or a Marty Noble mailbag of asshattery could not do so.

It wasn't pretty, not by a long shot. Johan gave up 5 in the 4th, erasing a 2-0 lead that Carlos Delgado provided with a homer that left the GAB. After the Mets took a 6-5 lead, Heilman loaded the bases with 2 outs, then Show proceeded to give up a bases clearing double to Valentin. It looked bleak, especially since SNY showed the following graphic:

Reds are 34-1 when leading after 7 innings

Not getting a warm fuzzy though I did hold out hope that the graphic jinx would work.

Francisco Cordero did have 4 blown saves entering the game, but had taken a loss only once. It was 8-6 going into the 9th, after the Mets went quietly in the 7th and 8th. Jose led off and struck out. A. Reyes followed with a single. DW followed with a wall scraper of a homer to the opposite field, tie ballgame. The wife was sleeping, so Ed simply raised his arms and left them like that as Beltran singled. Ed's arms got tired, so he put them down, only to raise them again as Easley singled, moving Beltran to third. Delgado followed with a single, 9-8 Mets, Easley moved to third. Fernando Tatis followed with a single, dring in Easley (3 rbi night for Tatis, as he also had a 2-run HR). Cordero was then pulled, and Bray got the last two outs.

Billy (thankfully) pitched a 1-2-3 9th, and it was over.

Now, I'm not gonna kill Santana for one bad start. What I do worry about is his inability to hold leads. This has happened a few times so far. I chalk last night up to the long layoff, especially cinsidering he only pitched 5 innings last time out due to a rain delay. I just hope that he can stop that habit. He has done better with giving up the long ball of late (though he gave up 2 in a row last night to Dunn and Encarnacion). I think many fans just expected him to be a shut down guy, and we are not seeing that consistently.

Three more against the Reds, then an off day Monday. Tuesday the Philth come to town for three games. Let's be a game or two up prior to that shall we?

One last thing, Joe Blanton? Really? Good luck with that Philly.

Just.Win.Series

LGM!

9

2008-07-14T10:24:00.003-04:00

So the 18 game stretch comes to a close. The record 13-5. The 9 game winning streak of course made that all possible.

The bats have been great of course. Beltran hit another one out last night. Delgado too. Both Carlos' have heated up at the right time. Reyes got many props from the ESPN booth last night. Joe Morgan basically told everyone to leave Jose the hell alone. Thanks Joe. (Of course, this was followed by 5 minutes of slobbering all over Yankee Stadium and the Yanks, ugh).

But the story this week has to be the pitching. The pen has been awesome. Heilman, save for his outing in Philly has been great. Joe Smith has gotten the job done. They came in for Pedro Saturday and pitched 5 scoreless and hitless innings. The pen hasn't been scored on since Philly. Even Wagner has looked good. And the starters, oh my, the starters.

Tuesday - Pelfrey 7 shutout innings, 3 hits, no walks
Wednesday - Santana 5 shutout innings, 3 hits 3 walks (left due to rain, FU Joe and Evan)
Thursday - Maine 4 2/3 innings, 3 runs 3 hits.
Friday - Ollie 6 innings, 2 hits 1 run
Saturday - Pedro 5 innings 1 hit 3 walks no runs
Sunday - Pelfrey 8 shutout innings, 6 hits, no walks.

That's dominance people. I don't care how bad the Giants and Rockies are. Giving up 3 hits or fewer in 4 straight games, 4 shutouts in 6 games is pure domination.

Mike Pelfrey is on fire right now. Did he basically say "Fuck the Jacket, I'm gonna do what works for me"? Who knows. Whatever he did, he has won 6 straight starts, and has been increasingly dominant in doing so. Run support is nice, but it is also nice that he hasn't needed it his last 2 starts, heck, in his last 7 he has given up more than 1 run twice, 4 runs against the Yankees and 6 against the Angels. Last night, 6 of 24 outs where hit into the air. there were 14 groundball outs, and 4 k's. He got 3 double plays. Now, some might say, "well, if not for those, he might not have been as dominant". That misses the point. When he needed the big out, he got it.

We are seeing him start to reach the potential the Mets saw when they drafted him so high. Yes, it would be nice if he could get a consistent off-speed pitch, but you know what, his 4-seamer and 2-seamer are working now. He is sprinkling in curves and sliders to keep hitters honest. That is the mark of a smart pitcher.

We enter the break with our team 1/2 game out. The bats are clicking. The arms are throwing well. Church could be back next week. So may Pagan. It would be nice is Omar could get a LF, but if the guys keep playing like this, and Church really is healthy, then there is no need. Of course, that is a lot to count on, so I expect Omar will try to get someone for OF depth. Just so long as Fernando! and Niese are not touched in a trade, I will be happy.

On July 4th, the Mets were 5.5 back of the Phillies. Things turn quickly. We saw that last year.

Don't let up now.

Just.Win.Series.

LGM!

Attention NY Media

2008-07-09T10:16:00.004-04:00

You would think from the back pages today that the Yankees moved to within 1.5 games of first place. You would think that they got a dominating performance from a 24 year old pitcher who many had bashed as overrated. You would think that they were the team that has won 4 in a row. About the only thing the Yankees did that the Mets did last night was beat up on a heralded young pitcher.

Every paper had back-page main stories about the Yankees win over the Rays last night. Guess what though? The Yanks are still 7.5 games back, and 4.5 games behind in the Wild Card. They still have serious pitching issues, and they still have serious injury issues. Add to that the level of competition in the AL East, not to mention the WC, and they have a very tough road to travel.

Sal Marciano started off his sports report on the CW 11 last night with "Overrated? Let's see what Jeter did tonight." Wow, Derek got a "clutch" 2 run double. Of course, it came in the third inning. And he made a "patented" leap and throw to record an out at 2nd late in the game. I will admit the throw was nice, but since when did a 3rd inning hit become "clutch"? If that was clutch, then Beltran's 3-run homer in the 1st inning was as well right?

I am so sick and tired of the pro-Yankee slant in this town. Jeter was voted as most overrated by his PEERS. Yet the media circles the wagons around the golden child. Meanwhile, his stats are nothing special, and despite the play last night, his range at shortstop is mediocre at best. But the propaganda keeps coming.

/End Anti-NY Media rant

_______________________________________

Meanwhile, much to the consternation of Chris "Screaming Ninny" Russo, the Mets smacked Tim Lincecum around last night to the tune of 4 runs, 9 hits, and 2 walks in 6 innings. Every ball seemed to be hit hard. Beltran took him deep in the first, Delgado in the 6th. Lincecum had given up all of 5 hr's this year. Poor Chris, his boy let him down.

Meanwhile, Mike Pelfrey continued to grow. Last night he went 7 scoreless, giving up 3 hits, with 5 k's and NO walks. He won his 5th consecutive start, and dominated. He was pumping fastballs, threw a few sliders that looked quite nice, and even unleashed a couple of curveballs (you know, that near plus pitch from college that Hardwood Floors had him junk). This was possibly his best outing of his career. Schoeneweis pitched a hitless 8th, and Joe Smith a hitless 9th.

The offense continues to click, 14 hits last night to go with 7 runs. Tatis also homered. Jose had his 4th straight multiple hit game (I wonder if Delcos thinks he needs to be benched, or if the loudmouths think he should still be traded?) Beltran (that softy) finished 3-4 with 4 rbi, Delgado had 2 hits. Argenis Reyes collected his first major league hit (congrats kid), and later scored, and got a loud ovation from the crowd, as well as a hug from Jose after Jose scored later in the inning.

The bad news? Ryan Church was put back on the DL. Is it a migraine? Is it PCS? Who knows. I'm not a doctor, then again, neither is the media, but they claim to know what is right. The Mets made a smart decision to DL him again. How long will he be out? We don't know. It could be he comes back after the 15 days. He could be out the rest of the year. The important thing is to let him rest. It saddens me, as I have (as many others have) seen too many careers of NY Sports stars cut short due to PCS. Al Toon. Wayne Chrebet. Pat LaFontaine. Brett Lindros. Eric Lindros. The brain is something doctors don;t have all the answers to. Some guys bounce back right away, others take longer. Hopefully Ryan is able to come back.

The one thing I do not want to see or hear is anyone saying "well, this makes the Milledge deal that much worse." We know this will happen. And it will still be bullshit. Nobody could have know this would happen. But there will still be those who hated the trade who will use this as a way to justify bashing Omar.

Tonight, Johan vs. Sanchez. Johan (and the Mets) have not won in his last 6 starts. A win tonight makes it a 5 game winning streak. The last time they won 5 in a row was April 14 - 19. Three against the Nationals, two against the Philth.

Lets make it 9 in a row going into the break. I'm greedy. But greed, for lack of a better word, is good.

Just
Win
Series

LGM

New Math and a Pulse Check

2008-07-08T11:12:00.003-04:00

First, the "20 game stretch" should be 18. Ed was apparently using the new math. The pulse check is now 7-5, as the Mets took 3 of 4 from the Philth. It wasn't easy, and it sure wasn't pretty, but they got it done.

This series was key. We are in July now. A move needs to be made. A statement sent as it were. Well, taking 3 of 4 sends a message. The message is "don't get cocky Philth". What was once a 6.5 game lead for the Phils on June 15th, is now all of 2.5 games, and the Mets are only 2 back in the loss column.

A loss in game 1 had me on edge. Santana pitched well again, but Dirty lost the game. Saturday, Maine started and left with pain in his left elbow. Church left with dizziness. The Mets lost leads of 3-0 and 4-3, yet scored 3 in the 8th and 3 more in the 9th to win. A previously strong Philly bullpen was abused. JC Romero was victim #1, Flash Gordon was #2, and Rudy Seanez was #3. The Mets pounded out 14 hits, whilst the Philth got all of 4.

Sunday Beltran staked the Mets to a 2-0 lead, but Big Mouth Billy Bass blew it for Oliver Perez, allowing a 2-run shot to Jayson Werth. Perez pitched well for the 2nd straight start. Ollie went 7, allowing 4 hits, 2 walks with 6 k's and no runs. Dirty, Pedro Dos, Heilman all pitched 1/3 of an inning. Then BMBB did an Ollie impression and blew it. Ollie to his credit said nada about it. Schoeneweis pitched 2/3 scorelss, and Joe Smith pitched 2 1/3 scoreless to get the win, as Fernando Tatis hit a 2-run homer to nearly the same spot as Werth off Chad Durbin. Surprisingly, this team that lacks "fire" didn't cave after the Werth homer. (that's sarcasm folks.)

Last night, Pedro pitched well for 5 1/3. The bats finally beat the snot out of Adam Eaton, touching him for 8 runs on 10 hits in 2 2/3. Wright had a homer and a double. Delgado went 2-5 and looked good doing so. Easley is making us all forget Castillo, as he went 3-5. Only Brian Schneider failed to get a hit, as even Pedro got a single to drive in the 10th and eventual winning run.

It was 10-2 when Pedro left the game. Tony Armas relieved and gave up 3 in 1 1/3 innings. One of those runs should be charged to the umps, as they absolutely BLEW a call, giving Howard a homer when in reality it should have been a double as a fan reached out over the fence to touch a ball. Heilman struck out 4, but allowed a 2-run shot to Jenkins, making it 10-7 after 8.

In came Billy for the 9th. Victorino doubled. BMBB then walked Bruntlett (who had replaced Utley earlier). He then struck out Howard and got Burrell to fly out to left. Pedro Feliz followed with a seeing eye single up the middle that drove in two. The second scored when Beltran threw to 3rd, and Wright went for a snap tag and the ball got by him. Bad throw (should have gone to 2nd Carlos), and bad play by Wright (he should have worried about the ball, not the runner there). So now it is 10-9, and Jayson Werth was at the plate. I think Billy just wanted redemption, so he allowed a couple of hits. He got Werth to fly out to right.

So, not pretty, but you know what? Who cares. They went into Philly and won one game after blowing a lead in the 9th, another after blowing 2 leads, and then won last night. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how they did it. Just that they did.

San Fran tonight. Lincecum vs. Pelfrey. Lincecum is damn good. Should be a good game.

Just
Win
Series

LGM

Oh, and before I go. Back when I took my hiatus, I heard from some Philth fans.

PHILLIES OWN UR STUPID ASS U UGLY MOTHA FUCKA U AINT NEVA GETTIN 1st placeTHE PHILLIES WILL WIPE THE FLOOR WITH UR USELESS ASS TEAM SO GO FcuK YOURSELF U FcukIN WORTHLESS BLOGGER!!! PHILLIES IN 08

- anonymous

You kiss your mom/sister with that mouth? I particularly loved the "worthless bloggr". If I'm so worthless, why did you respond?

Congratulations on recognizing your mediocrity and pulling the plug on your blog. Your blog will not be missed and neither will your team as it fades into oblivion.

- I love the Phillies

Oh, I am mediocre, not argument there. I may not have been missed. But I did not fade into oblivion. And neither have the Mets.

Considering the Phils only won last year because of a stretch of extremely shitty baseball not seen since, well, April of 2007 by the Phils, the Phans would be wise to not count their chickens before they hatch.

"Objects in mirror are closer than they appear" - Doc on Metsgeek.

Pulse Check

2008-07-02T13:11:00.003-04:00

So, we are 6 games into the 20 game stretch. The record 3-3. My hope was that the Mets would go 14-6 during the stretch. Four against the Yanks (2-2), Four against the Cardinals (1-1 so far, 2 left), Four against the Philth, then 3 against the Giants and Rockies.

Very little in the way of wiggle room in order to hit the goal. They can only lose 1 game against the Philth, and one each against the Giants and Rockies. That of course assumes they win the next two against the Cards.

Speaking of the Cardinals, tonight, Pedro goes for the Mets, while the Cards send Joel Pineiro to the hill. Ugh. Pineiro is the type of guy who gives the Mets bats fits. See last year. Tomorrow, Pelfrey vs. Boggs, a rookie who the Mets have never faced. Of course.

Against the Phillies, the Mets will toss Santana, Maine, Ollie and Pedro. The Philly rotation is not yet set, as Hamels may pitch Thursday. Not sure what they are thinking, but we shall see.

Last night, Tony Armas jr. went 6, allowing 4 runs. By no means is he a "savior". He is what he is, a fill in guy. The double header last Friday caused the need, otherwise the Mets would have had to throw guys on short rest. He did what they mets needed, keeping them in the game. Luckily, the offense had one of its periodic games that makes you wonder WTF happens all the other games.

Seven runs, 14 hits. Endy had 2 hits, DW had 3, including a long home run. Church continued to rake, and even Delgado had 3 hits (2 doubles), while Castro (starting in place of Schneider) had 2 with 3 RBI's.

After Armas, Heilman, Pedro Dos (1 pitch, one batter retired), Dirty and Wags finished it up. Nice all around effort, both on the mound and at the plate.

Consistency is needed from the bats. They cannot afford to be up and down. It's nice to score runs in bunches, but not if the next game is flat. Hopefully, the return of Church (especially to the #5 spot) will help.

This weekend is HUGE. If the Mets can be 3 out going in, and can take 3, the lead will shrink. They can also possibly get into the Phillies heads. The Mets are 4-2 so far against the Phils. They need to improve on that and make some noise.

Injury Report

Moises Alou had 3 hits while playing left for St. Lucie last night. One hit was a home run. Jerry thinks he may be ready to come back this weekend. IF he does, and IF he is able to stay healthy, the lineup will be scary. Big If's right there of course. Remember though, Moises just flat out rakes. He is one of those pure hitters who can roll out of bed and go 2-5. His return will be a tremendous help.

El Duque is apparently throwing off a mound, has adjusted his delivery to alleviate stress on his foot, and could make a rehab start next week. Sure, when have we heard that before. Frankly, who does he replace, even if he is healthy? Pelfrey, who has improved? Ollie? Well, maybe Ollie, if Sunday was an aberration. I'm not holding my breath on either Duque or Moises. Though I think Moises is the better bet to come back. How long he will last is another question.

"Gangsta Ollie"

2008-06-30T08:56:00.002-04:00

So, we wind up with a split of the weekend set against the Yanks. A rout in the opener Friday, thanks to Delgado was followed by an ass-whooping in the nightcap, and a squeaker of a loss Saturday. So, Mets fans could be forgiven if they were worried going into yesterday's game, with Ollie facing Rasner. Before we get to that, lets go over some things from the other 3 games.

The opener Friday was nice to see, since the Mets actually battered a pitcher they had never seen before (Giese). Everyone hit. Wright had a strong game, going 4-5. Beltran went yard. Jose had a hit and 2 walks. Castillo had 2 hits, 3 walks and scored 5 runs. The hero from the bats was Delgado. Carlos went 3-5 with 9 RBI, a double and two homers, one the first Grand Slam by a Met since 2006 (and boy, did he CRUSH that ball). Only Marlon Anderson from the regulars failed to get a hit, though he did walk.

From the mound, Pelfrey did not make it easy, but he sucked it up and pitched tough when he had to. He struck out 3 in the first, though he did give up a run. Very few balls were hit hard off of him. He hurt himself with 4 walks, and with an error (though Tatis was charged with it, he should have held the ball). Castillo also made an error. Pedro Dos pitched an inning and allowed a HR to A-Rod. Heilman pitched a scoreless 7th, and Muniz allowed a run in 2 innings of mop-up duty.

In the nightcap, Sidney Ponson owned them. Ponson went 6, giving up 5 hits. The Yanks pen shut them down from there. Pedro was, well, awful. It is thought he was tipping his pitches, particularly his change-up. Hopefully he can fix that, because this team needs a good Pedro if they are going to make any noise. Schoenweis gave up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning, with Joe Smith and Wagner finishing it up. Anemic output from the lineup, what, were they all tired out having scored 15 in the day game?

Saturday was a nailbiter, as Johan faced Dandy Andy, the bestest most honest HGH user in baseball. Johan was a tough luck loser again, 6 innings, 4 hits, 4 bb's, 8 k's and 3 runs. Pedro Dos and Dirty finished it up. Johan was a bit perturbed with the Ump, and also seemed a bit annoyed at lack of support from the lineup (you would think he was used to it from his Twins days). It sucks, but he was right, this team should score more than 2 runs (Castro and Wright went yard).

So, the stage was set for Ollie. Which one would we get. Much like Two-Face, you never know which Ollie you are gonna get. Of course, since he was facing the Yanks, we got Good Ollie, or as Jerry called him after the game "Gansta Ollie". Seven innings of 1 run ball. Eight strikouts, including A-Rod with a runner on second. They key, NO WALKS. That is huge for Ollie. He didn't even get flustered by a Reyes error (though Jose did, and threw a fit on the field. I know you were upset Jose, but dude, keep it in the locker room, mkay? You are just feeding the media trolls who think you are out of control, excellent hitting stats aside). Was it the new motion? Maybe. But let's see Ollie put together a few dominant starts like this before we proclaim him fixed. Though maybe he likes Tuscany Tile better than Hardwood floors and ketchup on his ice cream.

The offense didn't do much against Rasner, but it did enough. Delgado continued his beating of the Yanks with another long homer. Reyes went 2-4 with a walk and a run scored. Endy went 3-4 with a run scored. Not a lot, but enough.

Tonight they start a 4 game set against the Cardinals in Stl. Alex Nelson at Metsgeek has the analysis of the opposing starters. The Mets will have Maine, TBN, Pedro and Pelfrey. Four tough games against the Wild Card leading Cardinals. Just.Win.Series. guys.

LGM

OK Guys, Time to Put up or Shut Up

2008-06-26T10:12:00.003-04:00

We've heard a lot this year from various players about how they need to play consistently good baseball. We haven't had that "we're gonna win" feeling here since early last year. Well, now is the time to do it. Put up or shut up time is here. Let's take a look at the schedule shall we?:

Friday - Sunday - Yanks (4)

Mon 6/30 - Thursday 7/3 - @ Cardinals (4)

Friday 7/4 - Monday 7/7 - @ Philth (4)

Tuesday 7/8 - Thursday 7/10 - Giants (3)

Friday 7/11 - Sunday 7/13 - Rockies (3)

The Yanks are hot right now. The Cardinals are in first. The Philth, well, they are the "Team to Beat". Then dregs in the form of Giants and Rockies.

20 games. This is the time to make a damn statement. The time for this team to say, "enough with the suck, it's time to kick some ass". The time to get uniforms dirty (I'm looking at you ~~Dorn~~Delgado. I want someone to go Jake Taylor on his ass and say "I don't know what happened to you. But if you ever, ever tank another play like you did today, I'm gonna cut your nuts off and stuff em down your fucking throat! ") Beltran, forget the steals %, run. Castillo, wake the fuck up in the field. If you can't play, tell Jerry. You ain't helping if you can't move. Time for DW to be the DW of late last year and start hitting consistently and with power.

Jose has been pulling his weight, and then some over the past 2 months or so. Beltran has his moments, as does DW. But they need to be more frequent. Beltran spoke about being the team to beat. Well, so far, he hasn't held up his end of the bargain. he's got all the talent in the world. I'll give him a little bit of a pass, considering he had knee surgery, but the time to put up has come.

Considering the bottom of the lineup is a black hole of suck, the top of the order needs to do their damn job. Wright and Beltran need to drive in runs. Delgado needs to as well. Hopefully Church can come back and pick up where he left off. They need to compensate for the likes of Endy, Schneider and whoever else needs to play left any given day with Alou out.

From the pitching side, Santana has been good, and I expect him to improve as we hit the second half. Yeah, giving up a grand slam to the opposing pitcher sucks, but the numbers are still there. With some offense, he would have a couple of more wins and less losses. The ERA is good, the peripherals are good. Maine pitched well last night for the most part. He needs to continue. Pelfrey has seemingly turned a corner. Pedro should improve as he regains his control (remember, this is almost like ST for him). Ollie on the other hand needs to get fixed. Boras better call him up and remind him he is "pissing away a fortune" as was said during his start the other night. He faces the Yanks Sunday, a team he usually does well against. He needs to do it then, and for the rest of the year.

The pen is improving as of late. Scho has been good as a LOOGY. Wagner has gotten past his bad week. Heilman has had a very good June (though he needs to do it against the likes of the Yanks or Philth to regain the trust of many). Dirty was dialing it up a bit last night, so maybe he is getting past whatever fears he had about his shoulder (or maybe his arm strength is back). Pedro Dos needs to stop walking guys. And Joe Smith has done well as a ROOGY. Carlos Muniz is here for the weekend, but will probably be sent back to NOLA as the Mets need a starter July 1 (probably Tony Armas Jr., who has done quite well in NOLA so far). Keep up the good guys.

20 games. Under .500 is not an option. 10-10 is not an option. Something like 14-6 will go a long way towards starting to build their confidence, rebuild that of the fans, and put a scare into the opposition.

They should be embarrassed with how they have played to date. Forget the injury excuses. It is time to put up or shut up.

Just.Win.Series. (though a few sweeps would be nice)

LGM

Certainly a Lot of Fertililzer Last Night

2008-06-25T08:50:00.003-04:00

Ed made the trek to Shea last night, arriving a tad late. I hoped that would mean I would miss the "bad Ollie", since it was already 3-0 Mariners at 7:30. I was wrong.

The boos rained down last night, leading to fertile ground for growth. Of course, all that grew was the Mariners runs total. Ollie was awful. Vargas was bad (and was DFA'd at the end of the game, welcome back Carlos Muniz). The offense was putrid (which was to be expected, considering DW was sitting this one out, Delgado stinks, and the rest of the lineup save for Reyes and Beltran is not so good). Heck, Tatis had 3 hits, as did Schneider, and Marlon had 2. That was it folks.

The highlight of the night was Jerry Manuel getting run. You've all either read the stories, or saw it on TV (or in-house), but let me tell you, it was a sight. Rungee no doubt baited Beltran. Jerry did the smart thing coming out to protect Carlos, knowing that if he got tossed, things would go from bad to worse. Rungee decided he would bump Manuel, who went nuts. After Jerry got run, Beltran got fired up and went nuts on Rungee. I will be shocked if Carlos isn't suspended (he does NOT deserve it), but not shocked if Rungee isn't. I'm sorry, an ump should not initiate contact with a manager or player. If a manager does that, he gets suspended. Rungee has no fucking business doing that, and he should be banned from umping tonight. His strike zone was for shit last night, low pitch after low pitch was called a strike. It was like he thought T** G****** was on the mound (circa 2000 G******, not the most recent incarnation). Good for Jerry trying to protect his guy, and good for Carlos for calling Rungee on what he did. The good news was that Marlon Anderson was not put in center to replace Beltran, Send 'Em Sandy put him in left, moved Trot to right and Endy to center. Trot did show off an arm on a couple of plays.

After the game, Jerry said:

"It could mean some tough decisions," Manuel said. "Could be lineup changes, could be rotation changes, could be all types of changes. We have to do what we have to do to get this team on track. We have such great fans and they're just waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for us to do well."

Now, that's nice Jerry, but what are you going to do? Half the team is hurt or sucking. Who replaces Delgado? Who replaces Ollie? Castillo? There is little in the minors that is ready (Sorry folks, Mike Carp is not ready, and Anderson Hernandez (called IPOR for a reason) is not an option).

I've been a big supporter of Ollie, but he has something seriously wrong. Is it stuff or mechanics, I don't know. But this team cannot afford to have him blow up like this. Billy Wagner was wrong to voice his displeasure a few weeks ago in the press, but he was right. Ollie needs to do better. Hell, they all need to do better.

We can hope that the day of rest for DW helps him find his swing against righties (do yourself a favor, don't look at the splits. You will get sick). We can hope that Church comes back healthy, same for Alou. But the bottom line is that this team has many issues that need to be fixed. It wasn't all on Willie.

I hope Omar is able to pull something out of his hat. Jerry showed fire last night, but it didn't do squat.

No series win. Tonight, a face saving game.

Still, I gotta say it:

LGM

On Fertilizer and Birdcage Lining

2008-06-23T10:05:00.003-04:00

So the Post had a front page story today that Jerry Manuel called Mets fans "shit". Of course, this is a complete twisting of the words. What Jerry said is this:

“I’m going to say this, and I hope you all don’t take it wrong, I know you’re going to run out of here with something crazy on this: It’s very, very fertile ground for growth at Shea Stadium. It’s fertile ground for a team’s growth and development. Sometimes, fertile ground has fertilizer. But, fertilizer is a good thing. It’s a good thing. You get the greatest results, you get the most beautiful plants, when you put it in that type of fertile soil. That’s what we have the opportunity to do. Don’t take that wrong, because I know what you’re going to do with it.”

On the heels of last weeks' "I'll cut him" comment, Jerry is showing he has a way with words. You can go two ways with this. One, Jerry is out of his freaking mind. Two, Jerry is showing that he is human and is trying to take heat off the players. I have no problem with the above comment. Frankly, too many fans were booing for stupid ass reasons (booing Johan his first start anyone?) Support your damn team. If you boo, Jerry may cut your ass.

Seeing how his words get twisted, does make one think maybe Willie was a tad smarter than we gave him credit for. Willie was probably worried the media would twist his words. (Of course, the one time he did speak at length, he fucked up by the numebrs, see O'Conner, Ian story). The Post of course is leading the charge at this point. You know that if the team goes on a losing streak, they will be all over Jerry.

In any event, the Mets have won 6 of 10. Beltran and Reyes had very good weeks (interesting since both were "linked" as Willie haters). The starters for the most part have been good. The pen has gotten the job done. And thanks you California Angels for smacking the Philth around this weekend (yes, Ed knows they are not the California Angels, but this is my blog, and I shall call them whatever the heck I want.)

Jerry so far is making all the right moves and saying (mostly) all the right things. The seeds for a turnaround were planted a couple of weeks ago. The fertilizer has been added. Perhaps Jerry was a dash of Miracle-Gro.

The team does need more consistency out of DW. His hitting against righties, who he has owned in the past, is down a lot this year. He is a key part of the lineup (master of the obvious, I know). With Delgado still scuffling, it is imperative that DW drive guys in and get on base, so teams have to pitch to Beltran (for results of this, see LONG home run Beltran smacked yesterday).

Of course, a healthy Ryan Church will help. He is supposed to play for Brooklyn this week, and possibly return for the Yankee series this weekend.

Tonight, the Mariners come to town. King Felix vs. Johan. That's quite a nice match-up. Tomorrow, we have Ollie facing R.A. Dickey (Ed will be in the house for that one). Wednesday, Maine vs. Bedard. Alex Nelson over at Metsgeek has a scouting report on the opposing pitchers.

It is vital that they take 2 of 3 from the Mariners. This is the type of team they need to beat up on. Just Win Series guys.

LGM

Ed Hates "Los Mets" Bulls**t

2008-06-19T21:40:00.003-04:00

Ed returned today from a business trip to Boston. After my flight landed at LGA a little after 6 this evening, two gentlemen began discussing an upcoming Yankee game that they were attending. One of the gentlemen made a comment about the lack of intelligence on the part of Mets fans. Ed turned and gave him a relatively nasty look, but then smiled. The gentleman was probably about 50.

The gentleman then then began to discuss how the Yanks will rehire Willie. I said "do it, then the Wilpon's won't have to pay him". He then said they handled it wrong and disrespected him. My response "Well, they learned from the Yankees, and how they fired Billy, and Dick, and Yogi, and Billy, and Billy again..." He chuckled. The gentleman then said:

"The thing is Willie wasn't the problem. It was Minaya, signing all those latin players."

Ed was not happy. Ed said "That's kinda overblown". The gentleman then said "Well, he signed Alou, Pedro...". I cut him off and said "And Wagner, LoDuca, Schneider, Shoeneweis, Wise. Like I said, overblown." At that point, we deplaned.

This type of veiled racist bullshit pisses me off to no end. Mad Dog has done it. Some writers (I'm looking at you Larry Brooks) have made allusions to it. And the fans at many websites do it. Does Omar have a problem signing players he has past experience with (i.e., the Expos curse)? Yes. But to make comments about how the Mets have signed "too many latinos" IN PUBLIC is the height of stupidity. Funny how that gentleman said that Mets fans were stupid.

IMNSHO Omar obtains who he THINKS is the best available player. That might be Carlos Beltran. Or is might be Billy Wagner. It might be Carlos Delgado. Or it might be Paul LoDuca. The fact that there are people who drop to the "Los Mets" thing causes me to worry about this country. I don't give a crap if the player is white, black or latino. I care if the player is good. Bottom line, end of story.

The goal of a GM is to obtain the best available player. We may quibble with who Omar views as best available, but the fact of the matter is this team is a hell of a lot better than it was before he got here. Anyone really want to go back to 2004? Or 2003 or 2002?

I didn't think so.

Just
Win
Series

LGM

Ed Likes Comebacks

2008-06-19T08:52:00.002-04:00

First, you might notice the new name. Ed decided to do away with any Jets and Islanders blogging for the most part (though if the Isles draft a goalie with their first round pick this weekend, I may change my mind), so I needed to change the name. What better name than Keith's favorite saying "Nice Level Swing"? That's what I strive for here, a nice level swing at a good post. Sadly, my average is in Endy territory.

So, last night, game 2 of the Manuel Era. Perez vs. Garland. Jose was in the lineup, so apparently Jerry wasn't too pissed about the temper tantrum Tuesday. Delgado was moved to DH (showcase for an AL team?). Marlon played first.

Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Jose led off with a single (Jerry then yelled from the dugout "Are you all right?" Somehow, I don't see Willie making that joke.). He then stole second, went to third on a throwing error, and scored on a DW groundout. Top third, Jose decides to give the Angels catcher a break and hits a triple. Marlon drove him in with a Sac Fly. In the 4th, Delgado Del-Got-One, and it was 3-0.

The Angels scored one in the bottom of the 4th. In the 5th, they took a 4-3 lead, though DW made a nice play to save another run, and then Torii Hunter got caught sleeping trying to go to second, and got caught in a rundown (nice heads up by El Cabesa Grande to throw to 2nd). Things looked dark for Jerry's Kids, as they did nothing in the 6 - 8th. In the ninth, Francisco Rodriguez, who had not blown a save since April 7th came on to pitch. Castro led off with a pop out. Jose singled. Tatis struck out. F-Rod then uncorked a wild pitch, moving Jose to 2nd with DW at the plate. David has struggled in late games. The Mets struggle with RISP, much less RISP with 2 outs. So of course, DW laces a slider into left, tying the game.

Dirty pitched a scoreless ninth, and we go to extras with the black hole that is the lower half of the lineup due to hit. Delgado grounded out. Nixon struck out. Damion Easley followed with a homer to left, and the Mets led 5-4. Bill came in for a 1-2-3 10th, and the Mets move on to Colorado winners of 2 straight series, and a win against a team that had been 201-2 when leading after 8 innings since 2006. That HAS to be a confidence boost for this team.

Sadly, Ed was not able to see the game as he is out of town, so I cannot say how the players look. But to my eyes on Metsgeek, the team seems looser and having more fun. Heck, they are even hazing Joe Smith by making him wear a "Hello Kitty" backpack on his pre-game walks from the dugout to the pen. Good stuff there.

Is this a turning point? I don't know, the time machine is broken. But I will say this, the team had shown some signs of life lately under Willie. Perhaps they had already started to turn the corner. Maybe the change from automatic to Manuel is going to shift them into the next gear.

I hope so.

Just
Win
Series

LGM

Change? What Change?

2008-06-18T09:04:00.002-04:00

So, game 1 of the Jerry Manuel Era is in the books. A loss. Like you were surprised?

Look, you had Tatis and Chavez in the lineup. Jose lasted all of 1 at-bat before Jerry pulled him (we will get to that a bit later). They were facing Lackey, who certainly isn't one (He's got a 1.73 ERA for a reason). Add to that the turmoil of the day, and you had a recipe for a loss.

Before I get to other things, let's talk about Jose. Apparently, after singling to lead off the game (Positive Impact from Jerry no doubt!), he began to rub his leg. The crack medical staff and Jerry went out to check on him. Jose said he was OK. The trainers probably said the same. Jerry, relying on past experience with the training staff, (see Church, Ryan), pulled Jose quicker than Heilman blows a game (BURN!). Jose apparently did not like this, and let Jerry know it by throwing his helmet and pulling out his jersey. Now, there could be a few reasons for his reaction:

1. Jose was upset that he was hurt.
2. Jose wants to win, and knew that given the lineup out there, his being pulled wasn't going to help.
3. Jose is a petulant child who showed up his manager.

Of course, Gary Cohen opted for #3. Because those who get paid to do play-by-play know more. I'm getting a little sick and damn tired of the constant bullshit about Jose being a knucklehead. From Mike Celzic at MSNBC, to John Delcos, to countless others, this is the shit being fed to fans, and a good portion of the fanbase is eating it up, despite the fact it is shit. If David Wright did the same thing, they would all be praising his "hard nosed approach". Jose does it, and is a baby. Enough. He is back to nearly being where he was in 2006. Look at the stats guys. He's having a better year than the reigning MVP, Jimmy Rollins (who it should be noted, was pulled from a game for lack of hustle, though I didn't see ESPN talking about that too much).

End Jose Rant.

Now, as for the team, it is quite simple. These guys need to know that they cost a good man his job. Willie wasn't the best manager, but he was a good man, and their shitty play cost him. They need to now put up or shut up. If anyone had a problem with Willie, well, he is gone, as is your lame ass excuse. Lift up your skirts, show a little sack, and win some fucking ballgames. Delgado, dive for a ball more than once a month. Beltran, lets try upping that SLG%, shall we? DW, lets take a day off and get back to driving the ball. Wags, STFU and do your damn job.

6.5 games back with 3.5 months left is not a lot. There is a lot of talent there. Show it. Just win series.

Oh, one last thing, Tony Bernazard needs to be fired. Now. For him to tell players what Willie said about them in Front Office meetings is the lowest of the low. I could NOT care less (that's for you Dep) if Jose loves him, or Beltran does. If he undermined Willie, who's to say who won't undermine Jerry, or whoever manages the team next year.

OK, I lied, one more last thing - Bobby Valentine is not walking through that door fans. Put it out of your mind. He gets paid a fortune and is treated like a king in Japan. Why would he come back to the shitshow that is the NY Mets organization at this point? Unless they gave him GM and Managerial duties. Which would SUCK.

Ed's Back. And Ed is PISSED

2008-06-17T09:15:00.006-04:00

You can't kill me. I'm like Michael Meyers.

Oh, I'm not saying I'm gonna post every day. It might be weekly or less. But when shit pops, I gotta vent. What better day than today. The day Son of Fred (SoF) reared his head. It seems SoF is giving SoG (Hank S)a run for "Biggest Silver Spoon Idiot" in NY baseball ownership (neither of course can hold a candle to Dolan).

But first, some housekeeping. To those who came and wished me well, many thanks. Mike, I love your blog, and miss you over on Metsgeek. Rickey, I love your blog as well. Coop, ditto. Danny, you are the man.

As for the Philth fans, well, what can I say, your team did win the division last year. Kudos. Of course, they then reverted to mediocrity in the playoffs. Maybe Chase ran out of grease for his hair? How's J-Roll doing so far this year? Nice to see the reiging MVP pulled out of a game for lack of hustle. I wonder where Ryan Howard will be traded to, since the Philth ain't gonna pay him. Enjoy the ride so far this year. Remember, it ain't over till game 162.

On to more important stuff. Last night, the Mets, after smacking around the Angels, fired Willie, The Jacket and Tom Nieto. This after making them all fly west. Apparently, the decision was made yesterday morning, but in typical Mets fashion, they waited until the dead of night to pull the trigger. It's like Bob Irsay took over (if you need the reference for that, look up the Baltimore Colts) for the day.

Now, I'm not saying Willie didn't deserve to be fired. I frankly don't care. I do think the way this was handled was bush league, as per usual with the Wiplons. Yes, they spend money, but they have a penchant for idiocy. They listen to players (see Franco, John and Leiter, Al) about rookies. They leak like the levees in New Orleans. They come up with idiotic marketing ideas (You're Season has Come anyone?) Now, they force Omar's hand into firing Willie. I have little doubt that Omar wanted to wait until the off-day, but the constant stream of bullshit coming out of the owners box made him make the move now.

Willie wasn't perfect, and probably should have been let go after last season. But they made a decision to keep him. Now, after putting him on basically a day-to-day notice, they fire him in the dead of night, after a fucking win. Against a top AL team. Nice.

As for The Jacket, I'm torn. I think he has done good work, but it may be that he can't get through to some of the guys he has to work with. He did help a few, but he made some changes that left many scratching their heads (Pelfrey to give up the curve, Heilman to change his arm angle.). In any event, it seems the fans who say "fire" demanded a sacrifice, and they got their wish.

Tom Nieto, well, I have no idea why he was fired and Send-em Sandy Alomar was kept around. I did some research and found the following things he did wrong:

1. Drank jobu’s rum

2. Kept hanging around DW at clubs scaring away the girls.

3. Made jokes about Pedro’s little friend (the dwarf you perverts)

4. Kept yelling “neener neener” at the opposing pitcher.

5. Told Willie to ph Cliff Floyd. Last night.

6. Helped Jose choreograph his dances.

7. Was in the recording studio with Lastings Milledge

So, we get Jerry Manuel, who is 500-471 as a manager. He won one division title. This is the man who is to lead the Mets to victory.

I am happy for Ken Oberkfell to get the bench coaching job. Though we are not sure if that is his role, since it was not defined in the press release. Surprise.

The media are already having a field day with this. The Wiplon's are getting slammed left and right. It will be "interesting" to hear Fatso and Ninny on WFAN this afternoon. The "fans" are appeased. The question is, does this translate to WINS? Will this make Big Mouth Billy Bass STFU and close games? Will it make Delgado hit for power? Will it make Alou and El Duque healthy? Will DW be able to hit righties?

Time will tell. In the meantime:

Just
Fucking
Win

Closing Time

2008-05-09T12:33:00.003-04:00

For those of you who continue to come here and wonder "Where is Ed", well, Ed started a new job in January, which has led to limited time to blog.

In addition to not having the time, I just don't have the drive to post anymore. I would either be killing the guys or praising them, just like the many other Mets centric blogs out there. Most of those are a heck of a lot better than this one.

As a result, I've decided to drain the BOG. It was fun while it lasted, and I thank everyone who stopped by to read my thoughts on the Mets, and to a lesser extent, the Jets and Islanders.

I'll be around on Metsgeek of course. And I still read Metstradmus, Toasted Joe and Faith & Fear among others.

Thanks again. And

Let's
Go
Mets!

An Open Letter to Wally Matthews

2008-04-24T08:12:00.003-04:00

Dear Wally,

Have you lost what's left of your mind?

Once again you waste resources with a crappy column bashing the Mets. This time, you decided to attack Jose Reyes, asking if he wants to be Derek Jeter or Rey Ordonez. You see Jeter as a "winner" and Ordonez as a "loser". Now, I (and most Mets fans) would agree with you on Rey-Rey, but as for Jeter, we got a problem.

Exactly what has Jeter won in the past 7 seasons? Nothing. No rings. No championships. He "led" his team to losses to the Diamondbacks and the Marlins in the World Series. He "led" them to the biggest choke in baseball history in 2004. He "led" them to a first round loss last season.

I don't want Reyes to be Jeter, someone who as Captain should have put aside his ego and not been an ass toward Alex Rodriguez, simply because Alex has significantly more talent than Jeter. Someone who as Captain bent over when Roger Clemens was signed, and then resigned, despite having been thrown at by Clemens in the past. Someone who as Captain has had teammates traded who he did not get along with.

The fact is that since other key cogs of the winning Yankee teams of the late 1990's left (O'Neill, Bernie, etc), Jeter has not been able to seal the deal. So tell me Wally, if Jeter gets so much credit for all the winning then, why does he not get the balme now for the losing? If he was such a great player, he would be able to lead the Yankees to victory every year, no?

Has Reyes struggled a tad at the start of this season, yes. As has pretty much every other hitter on the Mets. Reyes' April 2007 was fantastic, but no one in their right mind would expect him to be able to do that all the time. Oh wait, we are talking about you. For example, lets take the past two games in Chicago. David Wright failed to get a hit. Carlos Beltran was awful. So it is not all on Reyes. Even when he does get on base, the team is failing to drive him in.

You note the Mets record last April was 13-6. Right now they stand at 11-9. So tell me, what is the difference? Two games, when there are still a few games left in the month? Tell me, did Jeter share in the blame last season when the Yankees got off to a 9 - 14 April? That included a 7 game losing streak, where the Yanks lost 4 to the Red Sox. Doesn't the #2 hitter share blame, especially one who is the Captain, and is synonomous with "winning"?

You note stats for Reyes, yet an in-depth look, or at least a modicum of intelligence would show reasons behind his slow start. One is the presence of Luis Castillo in the #2 spot. Luis has been a black hole this year. Why would a pitcher want to challenge Reyes when they know they have a good shot at getting Castillo out on one of his patented 24 hop grounders to short? So they give him nothing to hit. Jose meanwhile, realizing he needs to get on base is swinging, and failing. It is little coincidence that he started to hit better when Castillo was dropped in the order and Ryan Church was moved to the #2 spot.

Perhaps Jose was pressing since you and your fellow writers spent the winter bashing him for his slump in September. And for "firing up" the Marlins on the next to last day of the season (which reminds me, if they were so annoyed, why did they not show more fight during THAT game?) The bashing of his "silly handshakes" caused him to bottle up his emotions. It is little coincidence that once Beltran told him to have fun that he started to play better. I like players who enjoy the game much more than guys who just seem to go through the motions. Show some energy, show some flair. I prefer my manager let my players be themselves and not make stupid rules like "No Candy" like Joe Girardi.

I do not deny that Reyes has gotten off to a slow start. At least you have the common sense to note that the season is young, as is Reyes. However, you once again show a lack of knowledge when you write an article trying to tie a Met to a Yankee. Let Jose be the best player he can be, without trying to compare him to some overrated egomaniac in the Bronx.

Eagerly awaiting your firing,

Ed in Westchester

Ah, a Beating

2008-04-03T09:18:00.002-04:00

One day after the Mets lost Pedro to a hammy injury, they sent Ollie Perez to the mound. Of course, for many, the worry is what Ollie will we get, the control artist with the great slider and fastball, or the Ollie that walks the park and comes unglued after a miscue. Last night, we got the good Ollie.

He went 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, no runs an had 8 k's. The Marlins looked helpless against him (then again, this is the Marlins). Nelson Figeroa followed with a scoreless inning. Pedro Dos and Wags finished it up.

On offense, well, for lack of a better phrase, they beat the snot out of the Marlins pitchers. Lefty Andrew Miller started and got pasted. His line 4.1 ip, 8 hits, 5 runs, 6 k's and a hr allowed (to Ryan Church, who we all know can't hit lefties. Ooops.) He was followed by Matt Lindstrom, who did well in 2/3 of an inning. Lee Gardner was the next victim, allowing 5 runs in one inning, including David Wright's first HR in Dolphins Stadium after over 120 at-bats. Taylor Tankersley gave up a run, and Kevin Gregg gave up 2. Final line for the Mets offense:

13 runs
17 hits
4 walks
2 Home Runs
6 k's

Not a bad nights work. Beltran had 3 doubles, one of which was actually a home run that was called a homer, until the umps conferenced and somehow decided it hit a padded wall and flew about 40 ft in the air. Sorry guys, it hit the railing.
Wright went 3-5 with 3rbi and the homer and a double, missing the cycle by a triple. Jose went 1-3 with a walk and 2 rbi. Delgado went 2-5 with a ribbie. Pagan went 2-4, scored 2 runs and had a walk and an rbi. Church went 3-5, and Schneider went 1-2 with 2 walks.

The early returns (SMALL SAMPLE ALERT) are that the bottom of the lineup might not be the black hole we all thought it would be. Delgado still looks a little slow, but he has had some walks, and had a couple of singles. Let's make some more progress Carlos.

The top of the order is looking good. Jose is having good at-bats. Castillo as well. Wright and Beltran have been raking. Every Beltran hit has been a double this year (417 avg and 833 slg%).

So, on the day Pedro was put on the DL, and is expected to miss 6 weeks, the team came together and put in a complete performance. They travel to Atlanta today, and start a 3 game set against the Braves tomorrow night. Here are the match-ups:

Fri - Maine vs. Hudson
Sat - Pelfrey vs Glavine (on FOX)
Sun - Santana vs Smoltz (making his first start of the year after some shoulder soreness late in the spring put him on the DL).

I'm interested in all the matchups, but Saturday is a big test. Glavine is the type of junkballing lefty who gives the Mets fits. Pelfrey will be making his first start, and needs to pitch well to help allay internal and external (fans) fears about what will happen with Pedro and El Duque on the shelf.

PANIC! At the Ballpark

2008-04-02T09:26:00.002-04:00

Oh boy. Losing your #2 starter in the 4th inning of his first start of the year is not fun. Especially when you already have another pitcher on the DL (El Duque), and he is being replaced by your former first round pick (Pelfrey, aka Tongue). Is it time to Panic? Well, based on all the newspaper reports and Buster Olney, yes. Based on my gut, no.

Why not Ed you ask? Why shouldn't we panic? Pedro heard a pop. He's 36. Pelfrey has done nothing, we have no idea what El Duque is going to be able to give us. We have no depth in AAA or hell, even AA. If ever there was a time to panic, it is now.

Well, it's quite simple. We still have, in Johan, Ollie and John, 3 starters who can each win at minimum 15 games (and odds are, each will go over). El Duque will come back shortly, and be able to fill the void. Pelfrey is another question. If we get the Pelfrey from the end of last season, we will be fine. If we get the early 2007 Pelfrey, well, then we got problems.

Let's go into the wayback machine to 2006. Does everyone remember how many starters we used that year? Pedro missed time. Trachsel missed time. Lima got starts. Alay Soler. Bannister got a few. J(G)eremi(y, e, what way is he spelling it now?) got starts. It was a veritable cornucopia of arms. And some of them sucked.

So that's part one of why I say it is NOT time to panic. We've been here before, and muddled through.

So what's the second reason. It's quite simple. BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG PEDRO IS GOING TO BE OUT! The results of the MRI aren't in. Hell, he hasn't even taken it yet. Until we know the severity of the injury, it is silly to get worked up. Let the media panic. Let Buster Olney act like an ass on BBT. For all we know, he tweaked it and he will miss the month of April, or 4 starts. Fine. Will it suck, sure. But then we still have May - September. Add to that, we have an even more rested Pedor for that stretch and then the playoffs.

Now, if it is a major injury, feel free to Panic. I probably will. But you know what? There is still enough talent on this team to be able to overcome the injury. It is time for Mike Pelfrey to put up or shut up. He had a chance this spring, he had the #5 spot by the short hairs, and he punted. Well Mike, you have another shot. Show everyone why you were drafted so high.

Last thing on Pedro, if I'm him, I want Willie changing the rotation so he no longer has to pitch in that park. He has awful luck there the past couple of seasons. First the hip, now this.

Last night was a loss. The good, well, they came back from 4 runs down to force extras. Pagan had a key hit. Schneider went 3-4. Church had a hit. Only Beltran failed to get a hit. Sho had to face a righty, yet got him out (someone please tell Willie that this does not prove Sho can get them out regularly). Willie then pulled Sho in favor of Joe Smith, who completed the inning and looked like the Joe Smith from early last year. Sosa did a good job replacing Pedro. Heilman was great again, for two innings.

The bad, well, Matt Wise giving up a 1st career homer to a 6' 170 lb shortstop. With two outs. Not good.

Tonight, Ollie takes the hill against Andrew Miller. Let's go Ollie!

This Week in Wally's World

2008-04-01T10:49:00.002-04:00

Opening Day. A new season begins. A time to think good thoughts, to enjoy seeing Santana shut down the Marlins, Jose get on base, Wright clear the loaded bases with a double. To forget last year. Except, that is, if you are Wally Matthews.

Who better to piss on the parade the next morning after a resounding win? Who better to bring up the end of last season? Who else but Wally would try to compare Johan's win to Tom Glavine's win in the opener last year?

I know, I know, the collapse is going to be the story, at least in the early going. But why today? Why after seeing a truly dominant performance in all areas of the game does Wally feel the need to rehash all that happened at the end of last season? (Oh, and Wally, do us a favor and look at the Mets record. While they blew the lead at the end, they played 500 ball basically from June on forward, so the collapse was a long one).

"Don't Celebrate Yet, Mets Fans" was the headline. The funny thing is this, the second paragraph in the story

The Mets beat the Marlins, 7-2, yesterday behind a gem of an Opening Day outing by Santana, and you could almost see the headline writers trotting out the cliches in 130-point type, about PAYBACK and VENGEANCE, about "Wiping the Slate Clean" and "Evening the Score."

Meanwhile, I'm sure there were a number of Mets fans wondering what cliches Wally would spill out. He didn't disappoint, that's for sure.

And of course, Wally followed Vic Zeigel of the Daily News in pointing out a pointless miscue by Luis Castillo:

Yesterday, Santana came as advertised, but there were other signs that this club is not completely over the bugaboos that brought it down last year, notably a first-inning brain freeze by Luis Castillo, who somehow stopped running on a wind-blown, two-out pop fly by Carlos Beltran that dropped in. Castillo should have easily scored the first run of the game but was forced to hold at third.

Both conveniently forgot two things. One, that Castillo is still recovering from off-season knee surgery (which every media person in New York had written about ad-nauseum this spring). Two, that Castillo also bunted for a single and then stole second base. Did he make a mistake? Sure. But it is possible that he forgot how many outs there were, and it is also possible that Sandy Alomar had given him the stop sign. But why let other possibilities get in the way of stirring the pot? Why let that stop Wally from once again writing a Mets bashing article?

He then proceeded to talk about how winning the first game means nothing, and brought up a couple of teams that lost the first game and wound up winning the division. And of course, one team mentioned was the 1998 Yankees, because what would a column in Wally's World be without a mention of his favorite team? Of course, Wally forgot to mention another Mets team that won their opener, the 1986 World Champions.

Then again, why would I expect Wally to bring up something that would blow away his theory?

2008 - A New Beginning.?.?

2008-03-31T21:34:00.004-04:00

Game 1 is in the books. What looked to be a little worrisome, considering Mark Hendrickson is a lefty junkballer (you know, the guys who give the Mets fits) turned out to be a nice all-around performance as the Mets started off with a 7-2 victory over the Marlins. Contributions from many of the new guys, from Angel Pagan, to Ryan Church, to Johan Santana. The old guard helped out as well, with Jose, David and Beltran contributing. Ah, I love DVR.

Johan went 7, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and 8 k's. Matt Wise started the 8th, and allowed a couple of hits surrounding an out. Willie had the quick hook with a 4 run lead, and brought in Scot Schoenweis to face a lefty, who he retired. The next batter was Josh Willingham, a righty. Last year, Sho would have stayed in. This year, Willie stunned all of the Mets fan base into complete silence by actually doing what the book says and pulling Sho in favor of a righty (Jorge Sosa) to face the righty Willingham. Let's hope Willie follows "The Book" more than "The Gut" the rest of the year. Sosa got the last out on a nasty slider. Heilman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, with 2 k's. He looked real good, throwing nice change-ups and a few bb-type fastballs. Frankly, the only pitcher who didn't look that good was Wise, but he seemed to be thisclose on a few of his pitches, and the 2nd hit was an infield single that was only a hit to due Amezega having a great jump off first, barely beating Reyes' throw.

The lineup did well overall. A couple of RISP left hanging ealry, but then came the 6 run 4th inning, capped by a DW bases loaded clearing double to drive in the final 3 runs. Beltran led off with a raked double to left. Delgado walked, Pagan doubled, driving in Beltran. Church followed with a single, moving Pagan to third. Schneider hit a liner to first that Jacobs snared, but Church beat him back to the bag. Johan k'd, but Jose singled to drive in Pagan. Castillo followed with a walk, and DW finished Hendrickson off.

A good start. Delgado, though hitless, did look better. The walk was nice to see, and he did look to be trying to go to left against the shift. Jose had 2 hits, but was caught stealing (on a bad call from what I saw). Castillo had the first SB of the season, along with a hit and 2 walks. Well rounded offensive attack.

Tomorrow, Pedro vs. VandenHurk.

2008 Preview Time!

2008-03-30T11:54:00.005-04:00

The season begins today for the Braves and Nationals. Tomorrow, the Mets open in Florida against the Marlins, then move on to Atlanta for 3, before coming home and welcoming the Phils for the Home Opener on April 8.

Now, most of the previews we've read talked about "The Collapse" and how it was Willie's fault, or Jose's fault or some combination of the two. The result of that is the perception that the team lacks "chemistry". Now, I don't downplay the need for some cohesion, but frankly, the players can hate each other so long as they get it done on the field. Most of the "experts" are picking the Mets to finish behind the Braves (the chic pick for most) and the Phils. Good. Let them underestimate our team.

I'm not going to sit here and waste my time poking holes in the theory that the Braves have the best starting pitching in the NL East (we all know that Hampton is no given, and, well, Tommy is bound to cause some Braves fans to feel devastated). And yes, the Phils have a nice lineup, but their pitching is possibly the most suspect in the National League. The Nationals may be improved. The Marlins, notsomuch.

The Mets are not perfect. There are still questions in the pen (Stokes over Register? Sho against righties? Joe Smith? Dirty's arm?). The 5th starter is a huge question (will Duque be able to be there all year, and if not, can Pelfrey improve enough to take over?) But for the most part the rotation is solid (Santana, Pedro, Perez and Maine is quite an impressive 1-4. I don't know why the experts cannot see this). Wagner is still a top tier closer. Heilman has accepted his role and looked fantastic this spring.

Folks, the question is really the lineup. 1-4 is fine. Once we get to #5, that's when questions start. Alou is already on the DL. How many more games will he miss once he comes back? Can Delgado rebound? Can Church hit lefties? Can Schneider hit, period? I'm not worried about Reyes, he will be fine. Castillo will do his job as well. Wright will have an MVP season, but split votes with Jose and Beltran, allowing some other player to win.

I think Delgado will be better than last season. I think he has healed up. I think his missing time this spring hurt him. He had a good second half, after a poor first half, which was encouraging. Hopefully he can rebound this year and put up 25-30 and hit 285. He's had good and bad games this spring. Let's hope the good outweigh the bad once the season starts.

I have concerns about the bench. Now, we know what we get with Endy. Angel Pagan is on the team as well apparently. Angle had good minor league numbers, but notheing special in the bigs when he's had a chance. He also "Pagan'd" a few balls in the outfield this spring. He will be playing left until Alou returns. Also on the bench are pinch-hitting specialist Marlon Anderson (I swear, if Willie puts him in center this year, I'm taking a drive to Flushing), Ramon Castro (unless his hammy forces him to the DL, then Casanova will be the 2nd string catcher), and Damien Easley.

Notice the absence of Ruben Gotay, who was claimed on waivers by the Braves last week). Now, I don't think Gotay is going to be a star, but I do wish we had someone in his 20's who could hit (that's right Anderson Hernandez, HIT) who could play if Castillo's knees begin to bother him. Now, we have Easley, or Hernandez (who will be in NOLA). Not good. Gotay was waived to allow for either Fernando Tatis or Brady Clark to make the team. Both suck. Both are right handed batters, something that is needed on the bench. Tatis allegdly can play multiple positions. Clark is a natual outfielder. I don't want either, but will settle for Clark over Tatis. Alas, as noted, they both suck. I'm not devastated over Gotay being claimed, I think Omar took a calculated gamble, and lost. But it does suck a bit.

So what do I think is gonna happen? Do I see another Division Title, or another miss? I'm not sure. I think the talent is there to quite frankly run away with the division. The pitching is the strongest in the NL. The lineup is strong. The pen is improved from last year. I just have questions about Willie and his ability to put guys in situations where they can succeed. I hope that last year taught him a lesson. Starting tomorrow, we will start to learn for sure if it did.

Prediction - 95-67. Win division by 12 games over Braves. NL representative in the World Series. That's all you get for now.

It's Fantasy Draft Time!

2008-03-23T20:32:00.002-04:00

For only the third time, Ed is taking part in a fantasy baseball league. It's a 12 team head to head money league, using the following categories:

Hitters - Runs, HR, RBI, SB, BB, K, AVG, SLG%
Pitchers - W, Saves, H, K's, ERA, WHIP

The first year I was in the league (2006), I was able to snag DW and Jose, along with a few other guys. Alas, I finished out of the money, in 9th. Last year, I was injury riddled, and finished in 11th. This year, I must redeem myself.

Below is my team, in order the players were drafted. I drafted in the 5th slot. Comments follow each name:

Reyes (Do I really need to justify this? DW went 1st overall.)
Beltran (The man will hit 40 hr's and drive in over 100. Book it)
Granderson (some steals, some SLG. And now he breaks his hand. Shit)
Helton (consistent avg, walks and rbi's. Possibly early, but needed a 1st baseman)
Verlander (my ace.)
Markakis (O's are gonna suck, but Nick can flat out rake. I wish he was in Queens)
McCann (I hated to do it, but he's a top catcher)
Orlando Hudson (early, but was worried about losing 2nd base)
Carmona (my #2, starters look pretty good so far)
Francoeur (Frenchy can hit. my utility guy)
Beltre (needed a 3rd baseman, best one left on the board)
Maine (I love this pick. He's gonna win at least 18)
Rafael Soriano (probable Braves closer. I needed a closer.)
Tim Hudson (It killed me, but I needed a good starter, and there weren't a lot of options left)
Heilman (my set up guy. I like this pick.)
Geovany Soto (back up catcher. Possible trade bait)
Oliver Perez (not a bad pick for round 17. I hope he matches last year. I had him then.)
Ryan Garko (Lister on Metsgeek loves Garko. I hope he is right about him)
Ty Wiggington (I always seem to have infield injuries. Ty covers everything but SS)
Joaquin Benoit (relief pitcher, possible Rangers closer)
Jamie Walker (relief pitcher, possible O's closer)

Well, that's it. I'm not so happy with all the Braves, but at least no Yankees. And I have more Mets than Braves. Once again, I cross my fingers.

At least I didn't pick El Duque or Pelfrey this year.

This Week in Wally's World

2008-03-11T11:27:00.002-04:00

This week, Wally tells us the Mets are crazy to even consider signing Barry Bonds. He is appalled that they would even consider signing Bonds.

Of course, Wally conveniently forgets that this is the Wilpons we are talking about. Does he seriously think Fred would sign Barry? This is a man who traded Carl Everett after some abuse allegations were raised. This is the man who got rid of Bret "Bleach Boy" Saberhagen. The man who had Milledge traded. They let PLD go for pete's sake. The Wiplon's are nothing if not concerned about portraying a positive image these days. Gone are the days of the 86 team. Oh, they may have some fun guys like Pedro, but that is the exception.

What Wally wanted was for the Mets to say "NO WAY" when the question was raised about Bonds. Now, I want no part of Barry, but of course they are going to think about it. Every available player should be considered. At the end of the day though, the odds of Barry playing for the Mets are about as long as Fred inviting Wally into the owners box for every game this season.

And why wouldn't they sign Barry? I mean, he is an OBP and hitting machine. Well, frankly, so they wouldn't have to read stories by every NY area writer like the one Wally wrote. The Mets were tied to every story relating to steroids and HGH thanks to Radomski. Does Wally really think Fred wants the added attentionof signing a guy who is under federal indictment?

But Wally, in his own world, wants things done his way. No one should think, let alone act, in a way that would go against the principles of Wally's World. To even think about signing Bonds is anthema to all that he believes in. Of course, what Wally believes in is building a team the Yankee way. No HGH or steroids there, right Wally?

I wonder, where is Wally's article telling the Yankees to cut Andy (the bestest, most honest cheater in all of baseball) Pettitte. You know, a guy who ADMITTED using HGH? Oh, Wally ripped Andy. But did he tell the Yankees to cut him? Is he railing about Jason Giambi still wearing the hallowed Yankee uni?

Nope, instead Wally is taking a simple "we looked at Barry" comment and using it to craft yet another Mets bashing article. Which is nice, because it gives all Mets fans another chance to see him for the Assclown he is, and me more material to write about. So thanks Wally!

In Wally's World, you can do nothing right if you are the New York Mets. In Wally's World, everything they do should be thought of in terms of WWWMD? (What Would Wally Matthews Do?)

I can tell you what Ed would do if he ran Newsday. See if you can guess.

****************************

In other news, the walking wounded are slowly making their return. Church, Easley, 'Stache, Endy, Dos Carlos' and Dirty all played over the past few days. This of course was a week after the sturm und drang from the local media about the myriad injuries on the team and how it meant they were screwed this coming season. As it stands now, only Moises is not expected to be ready for March 31. El Duque could also miss that date. In my mind, I would rather get the injuries out of the way now, when there is little pressure to play through them. Get healthy now. Play later. The games don't count at this point.

*****************************
As for the Islanders, well, what can I say. The season looked good at the start, but lack of offense killed them. Memo to Garth, please find a scorer. kthnksbye

As for the Jets, well, they've spent the GDP of a small country this offseason. Will it matter? We shall see. I'm reserving judgement. Should be an interesting draft. Wonder if they will take Darren (Daddy) McFadden.

Introducing a New Feature - "This Week in Wally's World"

2008-03-04T10:47:00.003-05:00

Since I've been posting, Wally Matthews at Newsday has been the target of some barbs, primarily due to his anti-Mets slant. It seems every wekk Wally gets his panties in a bunch over the Mets, and proceeds to write some drivel. Until now, I have only picked here and there to opine, and had even stopped posting about him because his writing is such repetative tripe (Mets suck, they do nothing right, the poor junkyard guys).

Starting today, and continuing for as long as Wally continues his attacks on my favorite Sports team, I will post a response to Wally's crap. The comments will be there for you to either agree, or tell me I'm as stupid as Wally (which, let's be serious here, is highly impossible).

Onto the fun.

In this weeks version of Wally's World, Wally has written a column mocking the Mets lack of a slogan this year, after last years admittedly asinine "Your Season Has Come" (seriously, it is a good thing there is no slogan, the team has had crap out there for years. There is no need for it, just play the fraking games).

He proceeds to list several suggestions:

"This Time We Mean It."
"One Year Older. One Year Wiser. One Win Better?"
"Missed It By That Much ... "

and so on. He even caps it with a Green Day title "Wake Me Up When September Ends."

So, in the spirit of Wally's column, I have come up with a few slogans for him to use on his columns.

"American Idiot"
"Same Shit, Different Week"

Feel free to add some more in the comments.

Now, Wally a few years ago did show some sack. Back when some asshat gossip writer at the Post "outed" Mike Piazza, Wally, who worked there at the time, wrote a column blasting the guy. The Post didn't run it, and Wally took his pen and went home. Good for him. Since then however, it seems Wally has written a column a week abusing the Mets. Oh, he will occassionaly bash the team in the Bronx, but it is rare, and usually innocuous.

The best is how Wally always manages to put in a little pro-yankee stuff in the column. This week it was

"It wasn't like the Yankees, who had to scrap and scramble to make the playoffs, only to come up empty in the first round."

I'm sorry, they had to scrap? They spent $200 million on payroll. They should have walked away with the AL and won the WS. I mean, he bashes the Mets for spending and coming up short. Should the Mets use the Yanks of the past 7 season (no WS wins, one HUGE CHOKE in the ALCS) as a model?

You see Wally, if you want to use the Yanks as the benchmark, at least be consistent. You cannot bash the Mets like this

So far, this incarnation of the Mets, this $145-million boondoggle, hasn't been nearly as good as it was supposed to be,

And yet use the Yankees as the benchmark, when they outspent EVERY OTHER TEAM.

Did the Mets underacheive last year? Sure. Do fans remember that? Sure. Did the team improve over the offseason? Damn right. They added Santana, added Wise to the pen, got rid of Mota. Oh, and Pedro is now 15 months removed from surgery and is looking for a new deal. There is one rule that Wally is forgetting:

Never Underestimate Pedro

The man is motivated. A motivated Pedro is damn good.

Jose Reyes is focused. David Wright is going to get better. Oh, and despite your writing that Carlos Beltran is among the aging portion of the roster at not yet 31 years old, he had a damn fine season last year. Perhaps you should look at more than batting average, and notice that he was among the best on the team in August and September. He is only starting to enter his prime.

So, as we wrap this week, a recap of Wally's column.

"The Mets stink. blah blah blah. Yankees are good. Blah blah blah. The Mets stink"

That's Wally's World.

Feel free to post some comments.

The Return of the Observations

2008-02-20T09:44:00.001-05:00

I’ll be typing some of these with my eyes closed. Helps the muscle memory. See if you can figure out which one’s.

1. So Hillary lost two more races last night. Bill’s depressed, because to save money, Hill is firing more interns. (my apologies, but I've got to use the easy ones from time to time)

2. McCain has basically sewn up the Republican nomination, leading to the possibility that Rush and Ann will jump off a bridge.

3. Andy Pettitte, the bestest, nicest, most honest cheater in baseball arrived in Yankee camp Monday and had an hour long press conference. He said he was sorry, felt badly and that he wanted to move on. The NY media of course proceeded to carry him out of the meeting on their shoulders.

4. The Islanders lost another defenseman to injury, making the count 4. No word on whether Ted Nolan is calling Denis Potvin to see if he can play.

5. Lindsay Lohan posed nude. Like Marilyn Monroe did shortly before her death. Was this really smart LiLo? On second thought, I forgot, we are talking about Lohan here.

6. Bill Belichek claims Matt Walsh, who was his videographer is a liar. Scott Pioli claims Walsh was fired for taping conversations. Walsh says, “that’s not true, I have the tapes to prove it.”

7. Last week, Roger Clemens appeared before a House panel investigating Steroids in baseball. We haven't heard that much talk about buttocks in the House since the Clinton andminstration.

8. I swear, I half expected Suzan Waldman to show up at the hearing and scream “of all the dramatic things, Roger Clemens is really showing how bad a guy MacNamee is.

9. Loved the semantic debate over whether MacNamee is a drug dealer. He is of course. I’m just thankful Chris Shays pointed it out. Next for Shays is to figure out if someone who drives a taxi for a living is a hack or livery driver.

10. Chris (Screaming Ninny) Russo and Mike (His Pompousness) Francessa both want to drive Shays out of office. Now, I know the two have a large following, but really, how many are smart enough to vote?

11. Nice prank the Phils pulled on Kyle Kendrick, making him think he’d been traded to a Japanese team. Of course, the Phils don’t get the real issue, which is that Kyle is so stupid he didn’t realize it was not possible. Hell, even the Screaming Ninny knows that. I think.

12. Carlos Beltran has named the Mets the team to beat, and said “Tell Jimmy Rollins”. Jimmy of course was too busy counting his WS share to respond. Oh, wait…

13. Hank Steinbrenner says that Joe Girardi is like Billy Martin, only without the baggage. Well, that, and the track record of being a good manager. But besides that…

14. After the hearing ended, Rep. Waxman said he was sorry that the hearings had been held, but that Clemens wanted to have his chance to speak. Clemens’ lawyer claims Waxman is misremembering the conversation.

15. Castro has resigned as President of Cuba, ceding power to his brother Raul. That makes two old decrepit dictators who are senile who have abdicated their rule. Wonder if Raul will make as many stupid comments and Hank S.

16. Jason Kidd has finally been traded to Dallas. In return, the Nets get a bunch of guys who suck, $3 million, two draft picks, and the carcass of Keith Van Horn.

17. Hank S went off the other day saying football has a big drug problem and should be investigated like baseball. The NFL responded by saying they have testing, and the program works. Yep, it’s a real deterrent, which is why they keep suspending guys who use drugs.

18. The sad thing is that I agree with Hank. Excuse me while I go break my fingers with a hammer.

19. This morning, Joel Sherman in the Post wrote that he wanted to be mad at Andy, but he’s just such a nice guy that he can’t stay angry. I half expected Joel to write “I tried to be mad, but when he looked into my eyes and spoke, he had me at “Hello””.

20. Fernando Martinez (THM The Hitting Machine) stated he will be in NY playing by the end of the season. I’m waiting for Billy to hang the “Know your role rook” sign this morning.

21. Careful THM, the NY media doesn’t like brash young men who seem too arrogant. See Milledge, Lastings.

22. As camp opens for the Mets, the big concern is not how healthy Pedro is, or how Johan will fit in. No. The big concern is with Carlos Gomez being traded, who is going to help Jose choreograph his dugout celebrations?

23. Remember everyone, think about the children. Don't let them grow up to be steroid users. Or blowhard congresspeople.

That’s all for this time folks. Ed will be taking a vacation next week. I’ll say hi to Mickey for you. And if I happen to see Steve Phillips at EPSN the Weekend, I’ll ask him how he has fooled ESPN into thinking he knows baseball.

Hope Blooms

2008-02-14T09:06:00.001-05:00

February 14. Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget to tell the one you love how much they mean to you.

But the bigger thing happening today is Pitchers and Catchers reporting to Spring Training. Fans across the country are excited (well, maybe not Pirates fans). Mets fans of course have much to look forward to. Hope blooms today.

Several players came early. Johan (do I need to type his last name people?) showed up yesterday and threw for 15 minutes on flat ground with The Jacket, then spoke to him for a while afterwards. Dirty Sanchez was there, saying he hasn’t been in this good a shape since he was 19. Reports are that he is bouncing back from throwing sessions very well. David Wright came early, because, well, he’s David Wright. Aaron Heilman will be happy, as he has a parking spot this year. Pedro isn’t there early, but, he is Pedro, so I think he is already in shape and raring to go.

As fans, this is a happy day. We can begin to put last year behind us. We can start to erase the bad memories (I shall not speak of them here today). We can think about how nice it will be to have Heilman in the 7th, Dirty in the 8th, and Wags in the 9th. We can dream about Johan pitching a dazzler, followed by Pedro doing the same. Add to that the talents of Maine, Perez and El Duque. What a rotation. The kind that brings hope to fans everywhere.

Spring is a time when we start to think about how good things can be. We see low level prospects get hyped up (see Petit, Yusmeiro), and dream of how they will look at ~~Shea~~ Citifield. A pitcher comes out of nowhere to make the pen. An infielder flashes some leather and the bat. We start to think about the smell of the grass, the apple popping up after Beltran hits one out. The sounds of Keith (“Nice Level Swing”) and Ronny and Gary on SNY. Baseball in HD. Updates from Eddie C on the FAN. Howie making the call on the FAN.

Guys have now had the offseason to rest. Some, like Castillo and Beltran, had some surgery. Others, like Delgado, got to rest. The spring is the time where we think guys who slumped a bit last year will rebound. We push aside all thoughts of decline, regression. It is a time of hope. Hope that injuries are behind players. Hope that guys will be able to turn on a fastball. Hope that sinkers sink, and command is there. Hope that we won’t have to dip too far into AAA for help. Hope that new additions blend in seamlessly, and that those who left won’t come back to haunt us.

Hope that this year is better than the last. Hope that we can say goodbye to Shea with a big old party in late October. And christen Citifield with a couple of new banners.

Nice Job Elijah!

2008-02-04T09:06:00.000-05:00

Oh, I am a Jets fan, make no mistake about it. But it was very nice watching the Giants beat the Patriots last night. The wife is a Giants fan, and frankly, I don't hate them anyway (unlike the Yanks and Rangers). So, kudos to the Giants.

Eli made one of the best plays I have ever seen escaping from that sack on 3 and 5, then making that pass to Tyree (who made the other best play I've ever seen) for the first down. Then, the pass to Plaxico, what a thing of beauty. The look of dejection on the faces of the Patriots was a sight to behold.

So, a tip of the cap, and the drinking of copious amounts of beer to the Giants.

Of course, they now have the bullseye on their backs.

Sorry Tiki (he-he).

“Will he make the other team lose?”

2008-02-01T19:33:00.000-05:00

The title comes courtesy of my 7 year old daughter.

Yes honey. He will.

For the next 7 years.

'Tis a good day to be a Mets fan.

Hopefully, it will be a good day for the next seven years.

Good job by Omar here.

Good job by the Wilpons', paying $21.5 million on average.

Good job by Johan, who apparently said "I want to be a Met".

Welcome Johan. Welcome.

I leave you with this fans, our rotation next year:

Johan
Pedro
Maine
Ollie
EL Duque

Looks pretty good, don'tcha think?

As lefties in the NL East start to have nightmares.

Mets fans get to have sweet dreams.

BEER TIME ALL!!!!!!!!!!!

Oye Como Va

2008-01-29T19:20:00.000-05:00

Johan is a Met!

gigitty giggitty!

After all the talk about how the Red Sox or Yankees were going to get him.

After all the talk about how the Mets prospects weren't good enough to get the deal done.

After all the talk about how the Mets were going to go into next season having done nothing to improve.

Omar tells the Twins - "This is my deal. Take it or leave it", and Bill Smith says "OK."

The price? Humber (basically Major League Ready). Gomez (needs a year in AAA). Mulvey (one full pro season so far.) Guerra (huge upside, but still under 20 and in low A).

Now, before we all fret about the prospects, remember, the Mets have a 1st rounder and 2 sandwich picks (thank you Atlanta!) in the draft this year, so that will help (assuming Omar is really going to ignore the slotting system).

The bottom line is this. Humber isn't Santana. Mulvey is probably a back end guy. Guerra has a lot of upside, but is what, 4 or 5 years away? As for Gomez, I wasn't overly impressed last year. I know he was rushed, but he is going to need a lot of seasoning.

Omar was able to hold onto the jewel, Fernando Martinez. He is probably at least a year awy, if not two. Fine, we can sign a stop gap next offseason if need be. His upside is a lot higher than Gomez.

The time for complaining about this offseason is done. The Mets, with one trade have dramatically altered the landscape of the NL East. The team is stronger. Look at this rotation

Santana
Martinez
Maine
Perez
Hernandez

This gives Pelfrey time in AAA to work on being consistent. Then he can take over for Hernandez when he needs a rest.

Time to rejoice all. Enjoy it. Wilpon better open the wallet. You have a network, and a new ballpark opening in 2009.

And the best pitcher in baseball. Think of the jersey sales.

Oh baby!

8 Random Facts about Ed...

2008-01-27T17:10:00.000-05:00

is 8 more than you really wanted to know. You can blame Toasty Joe for this pain.

1. Ed's "dream car" is a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda.

2. When younger, Ed disliked chinese food. Now, he eats it way too often.

3. Ed is happy Jackie Hyland is back doing the news in NY. He was sad when she left the CW11.

4. Ed is able to quote lines from way too many bad movies.

5. Ed has never seen Field of Dreams start to finish in one sitting.

6. Ed finally read Moneyball this past summer. (bonus fact - Ed thinks Billy Beane comes across as an arrogant jerk).

7. Ed thinks Mike Milbury knows how to draft talent. It's TRADING that gets him into trouble.

8. Ed's first time on an airplane was on his honeymoon. In Greece.

God, I hate these things.

Anyhow, one week left until the Super Bowl. One more week of everyone trying to figure out if Brady is really hurt. One more week of Ed laughing at how much energy is being expended on that wild goose chase. If Brady did sprain his ankle, the best thing would be this week off. Let's not get excited until say next Friday if he isn't practicing.

Knowing that asshole Belichicken, it could all be a ploy anyway.

I the pundits would just up and admit they don't have a fracking clue where Santana is going or what the offers are. The same stories every week. Cripes, I felt like what the Post and Journal News had today was nearly word for word the same. Yes, we all know the Mets could use Santana. Yes, we know the Yanks and Sox have good deals offered. Yes, we know the Twins would like to deal him before Spring Training. Guess what, we also know that the writers and talking heads are just spewing the same crap day after day, just changing the words around a bit. Enough. Omar made his offer, it is up to the Twins to piss or get off the pot.

Good Luck tonight to Ricky DiPietro. Show everyone Milbury was right drafting you #1 overall.

Has it Been That Long?

2008-01-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize it had been over a month since I last bored anyone. I have been inundated with emails (OK, 1 email) from readers wondering where I've been. They (he) wants to read what I think of the various goings on. So, he goes.

FIrst, I've started a new job, so time will be limited in terms of posting, for a while. Plus, there isn't a whole lot going on these days anyway (the hot stove is at a cool place right now). I'm not one of those guys who bitches after every guy signs elsewhere. I trust Omar to make smart decisions. He re-signed Heilman for $1.2 million. Good deal. Aaron is one of the top set-up guys in the game. Plus, you never know, we may need him to start. OK, that's a reach.

Now, we are left with Church, Chavez, Perez and a couple of others to sign before arbitration. Signing Ollie to a 2 or 3 year deal is a must. I knwo Boras is his agent, but Ollie ain't got a lot to back himself up right now. He is going to need at least 2 more years of solid pitching to get PAID. et 'er done Omar. The others shouldn't be too hard, and the distance in dollars isn't that great.

Enough baseball for now. Congratulations to the New York Giants on reaching the Super Bowl. Can they win? Who knows. They've got as good a chance as anyone. The Pats are good, but they can be had. If the Chargers were healthy, they could have caused Tom and his mates a bit more trouble. So long as the Giants can get healthy, and not take stupid penalties (SAM MADISON!), they could shock the Pats. So long as it doesn't come down to a field goal try that is (am I the only Jets fan who had visions of Doug Brien yesterday?) It would be especially sweet for the Pats season to end in a Super Bowl loss. The benefit to me is that the wife wants to watch the game, so I shall be having a few friends over for some wings, chili and other fine foodstuffs. And beer. Lots of beer.

On the ice, the Islanders have been up and down. As it stands, they are in the top 8. As expected, scoring goals has been an issue. The goals for is among the bottom of the league. In net, Rick DiPietro has been fantastic. He was named as the back-up for the All-Star game. Do others have better stats? Sure, but no other goalie is as relyed upon as Ricky. Remember, this team is going to score an average of 2.5 goals a night. They need a goalie who is going to keep the opposition below that. RIcky has done that for the most part. He is making that 15 year contract look like a smart deal by Wang. He has won 5 times against the Devils this yea, and has won 3 against the Rangers, even the two losses were close. He is going to be a very good goalie for a very long time. And soon, we will see Kyle Okposo on the wing. I can't wait for that.

That's all for today.

Next time, my thoughts on Santana. Should he have recorded "Smooth" with Rob Thomas or not.

Wally Apparently Won't Be Happy Until The Mets are Remade in His Image

2007-12-03T09:06:00.000-05:00

Hot on the heels of his leading role in running Lastings Milledge out of town, our generations Dick Young, Wally Matthews, has turned his sights on that other malcontent, Jose Reyes. Now, I try not to read Wally, since most of what he writes is simple ass-hatterey, but in this case, I made an exception. I should not have, as my blood boiled.

Now, I hate the Milledge trade. I think it was short-sighted. I think ITAM (as he was named on Metsgeek), is going to be a very special player. I am not going to rant about it for years, because frankly, nothing will change. I wish him luck in Washington, where Manny Acta knows he is getting a good ball player. For those who think "Well, Omar filled two holes" actually, he only needed to fill one big one, PITCHING. I was fine with Milledge in right next year. I was fine with Castro/Estrada behind the plate. Schneider may call a great game, and Church seems to be a nice player, though at 29, he has probably hit his ceiling. I will not boo either of these guys, they are Mets. I also don't think Milledge was going to be the final piece of the puzzle. Had he been dealt for pitching, no problem. But to get back a catcher who can't hit, and a RF with less upside, that bothers me. And we all know why Milledge is gone. The media reminded us of his "shortcomings" every chance they got.

We've all read of the problems he had in high school. We all know about the hi-5's, the missed bus, the note hung on his locker. The rap record (which was amplified by the whole Don Imus thing). But you know what, the guy came to play. He wanted to succeed. He wanted to show everyone that he could play. And he did well in limited time, thanks to injuries. Are we to expect every player to come up and hit 320 right away? If so, then we will never see another youngster stay a Met. David Wright did it, but he is a special player. Others take time. LIke Mike Piazza. Like Daryl Strawberry. Like Jose Reyes.

You remember when Jose came up. Many fans were up in arms that Willie had him hit leadoff. "He can't do it, his OBP is too low". He kept getting hurt. But the team showed patience, and he blossomed, having a fantastic 2006 season. Then came last year. And now comes the blame game, with Wally leading the charge.

Here is what Wally wrote yesterday:

Of all the assets Lastings Milledge brought to the Mets, none will be missed nearly as much as his speed. I refer not to his time in the 90-foot dash but to the amazing speed with which his status plummeted from Untouchable to Undesirable. In a little under seven months, L Millz went from the kind of precious property with whom the Mets would not have parted in exchange for Alex Rodriguez, Josh Beckett and a vial of Tom Seaver's DNA thrown in, to a guy they couldn't wait to ship off for the equivalent of a sack of baseballs, a smear of eyeblack and a pine-tar rag.Now that's some kind of hustle.

Wally of course forgets that he wrote numerous stories beating on this kid. He also leaves out the decent stats Milledge put up in his time as a Met.

He followed with this:

There's a lesson to be learned in the fate of Milledge and it has nothing to do with hip-hop lyrics, high-fiving fans or wearing a cross the size of St. Patrick's Cathedral to the plate in your first major-league at-bat.It has everything to do with misjudging assets, overplaying hands and waiting a little too long to pull triggers. And it has a lot to do with Jose Reyes.

Yeah, the lesson is that some members of the media will continue to beat on you no matter what you do on the field if you offend their tender sensibilities.

But Wally did say one nice thing about Milledge:

Now don't get me wrong, Milledge isn't a bad player or a bad kid. In fact, I found him to be invariably polite and cordial in the clubhouse

But had to get in the jab

unlike many of the teammates who openly despised him.

Aw, Wally liked the kid. Yet that didn't stop him from leading the charge against him.

Now, here is where he gets on Jose

Two years ago, Reyes seemed deserving of the franchise player tag. He embodied everything the Mets were looking for - youth, talent and enthusiasm. He brought a joy to his day's work that too many major-leaguers no longer seem able to conjure up. If ever there were a guy to build a team around, it was Reyes.

After last year, however, I'm not so sure. In the second half of last season, when the Mets needed Reyes' talent, he struggled. When they needed his speed, he loafed. When they needed his enthusiasm, he pouted. All of the attributes that had made him an Untouchable were canceled out by his immaturity.

See, I don't mind if Jose wasn't smiling. He was pissed they were losing. If he was smiling, people would be all over him for that. Now, Wally gets on him for not smiling.

David Wright had an awful April. Yet, I did not see anyone saying he should be traded.

Reyes had a poor couple of months, yet Wally and others are saying he should go.

Tell me something Wally, if Reyes goes, who plays Shortstop? Anderson Hernandez, aka IPOR (In Play Out Recorded)? Who leads off? Carlos Gomez, who barely hit last year, and who has no spot since Ryan Church is now in Right Field.

Johan Santana is a great pitcher, but, as his record last year shows, even great pitchers will struggle if they do not have a good team around them. Trading Reyes for him removes Gold Glove caliber defense at short, a leadoff hitter, and a guy who has the talent to win multiple MVP's.

Am I happy he slumped? Am I happy he didn't run out a couple of balls? Hell no. But if he were to be traded, I would stop being a Mets fan. You do not trade 24 year old STARS, and that is what he is, a STAR because they slumped. You do not trade a STAR when you do not have a replacement for him.

Heck, there are no guarantees David Wright can improve on his last season (one in which he should have finished a hell of a lot higher in the MVP vote for by the way), so should the Mets trade him?

Wally, a writer can be short sighted and come up with asinine trade proposals. Thankfully, GM's don't listen to all of them. If Minnesota likes Reyes so much, then maybe Omar is right to not trade him. Minnesota has done a great job grooming young talent. Take a look at their roster sometime. Sadly, the Mets don't have the patience of the Twins. And much of that is due to a press that likes to harp on bullshit.

Wally likes to beat on the Mets. He had a column on Thanksgiving talking about how he had the column with the most negative responses in 2006 until that other asshat Jim Bambauch bitching about Al Arbour coaching the Islanders. The guy gets off on pissing on the Mets.

Maybe I need to take Wally with a grain of salt. Maybe I should look at him like what he really is, comedy, and laugh at the crap he spews.

We Don't Have Guillermo Mota to Kick Around Anymore

2007-11-21T09:19:00.000-05:00

Three Cheers for Omar!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Hip Hip Hooray!

The cleansing has begun. First, Tom Glavine took his ball (and diminished skills) back to Atlanta. The stench of game 162 went with him. Yesterday, a day that shall live in the hearts and minds of Mets fans forever, Mota was traded for catcher Johnny Estrada. So, in return for an ex-roider, Omar got a potential tag-team partner for Ramon Castro. Add to that the fact that the Brewers will pick up the entire $3.2 million tab for Mota for next season, and it is a win-win.
The best part was this quote from Brewers GM Bob Melvin:

"Mota showed that he was a guy who could pitch multiple innings last year"

Reading that got me to thinking that maybe Omar also sent along some of Willie's post-game comments in the trade as well, since I recall Willie and Omar saying similar things about Mota last year. Of course, what Melvin doesn't realize is that while Mota can pitch 2 innings, they will inevitably be accompanied with a line like this:

2 ip, 5 runs, 5 earned, 6 hits, 3 bb, 3 k's

So, unless the Brewers are planning on scoring 10 runs in games Mota pitches, he ain't gonna help them much. Unless they just plan on losing. A lot.

The initial joy was seeing Mota go. The fact that a catcher (albiet one who has a low OBP, with decent power and decent avg) was able to be brought in was the cherry on top. Reports today say that Omar did this trade in the hope of possibly driving down the cost of better catching options (Ramon Hernandez, Kenji Johjima, Bengie Molina) who may be available via trade. Estrada is arbitration eligible, and could get anywhere from $3.5 - $5 million. If Omar is able to swing a deal, he could just non-tender Estada. Of course, this means giving away Mota for nothing. In my mind, no problem. So long as he is not on the roster.

I wasn't worried that Mota would be in the pen next season. I figured he would come to camp and one of two things would happen:

1. He would suck, and Omar would see this and cut his ass.
2. He would pitch well, allowing Omar to trade him to some unlucky bastard, who would then have to suffer through Mota next year.

Instead, Omar was able to give us reason for thanks tomorrow. Omar's reputation took a hit after last year. Many of his trades did not work out. Some started to not give him the benefit of the doubt. I admit, my faith wavered. But it has been reborn.

Omar still has work to do. The pen needs to be re-tooled. A back-up first baseman would be nice (not Marlon Anderson, a guy who can actually play first. Oh, speaking of Marlon, Willie, I better not see his ass in Center next year, OK?) I don't see a trade for an ace, though you never know. I just hope Milledge is not part of a deal, since that opens another hole to fill.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving. If you are travelling, be safe.

The Voters, They Be Crazy

2007-11-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

The NL MVP Voting results were announced today. Jimmy Rollins wins. David Wright finishes 4th. Let's take a looksee at some stats, shall we?

Jimmy Rollins - MVP
AVG... HR... RBI... OBP... SLG%... Steals... Doubles... OPS... Runs
296,... 30, ... 94,... 344,.... 531, .... 41, .... .. 38, .... 875,... 139

David Wright – 4th in Voting
AVG... HR RBI OBP SLG% Steals Doubles OPS Runs
325 ... 30 107 ...416 ...546 .... 34 . ...42 .. ...962... 113

(please ignore the dots, I can't figure out how to post a table)

Can somebody please explain this to me? How does Rollins win the award despite being behind Wright in nearly every category? Of course he had more runs, he was a leadoff hitter. He had more steals, fine. He had more hits, fine. He also had 49 walks to 94 for Wright.

It all boils down to what seems to be Jimmy talking smack before the season about how the Phillies were the team to beat. Yes, they won the division, but that was more due to the Mets sucking for the last month than anything the Phillies did.

Let’s look at September for a second (AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS):
Rollins – 298, 333, 542, 875 (this following an August of 296, 371, 487, 858)
Wright – 352, 432, 602, 1.034 (this following an August of 394, 516, 657, 1.173)

The ONLY month Rollins outperformed Wright was April (they were close in July.) So tell me, during the stretch, who was more valuable? Wright was hurt by the Mets pitching staff suddenly morphing into a bunch of Jose Lima clones.

And Philly fans, don’t pull out the “well, we made the playoffs” argument. That’s bullshit. Ryan Howard won it the year before over Pujols, whose team made the playoffs.

Jimmy Rollins had a nice season. Yet, it is not even as good as the 2006 season Jose Reyes put up, and Reyes finished 7th in the voting that year.

Matt Holliday put up some sick numbers, but people take Coors Field into account in discounting his stats. Fine, I have no problem with that. But they fails to do the same for Rollins when it comes to his splits, where Rollins only improves his OBP on the road, and everything else is better in the bandbox that is CBP.

So the lesson apparently is this, Wright must make a comment about how the Mets are the team to beat, then put up sub-par numbers compared to everyone else. So long as the Mets win the division and Wright flaps his gums, he should win the MVP.

What Did the Media Expect Him to Say?

2007-10-24T12:15:00.000-04:00

Now, to be clear, I have no love for the Yankees. I do enjoy when things go wrong. I get great joy out of hearing Giuliani get eviscerated by the media for rooting for the Sox (note to Rudy, when you are a fan, you never, repeat NEVER root for your fiercest rival, unless they are playing the other team in our city, and even then, you need to think it over very carefully (I sat out the Braves/Yanks World Series). There is no "I am an AL guy". Rooting for the Sox is like a Giants fan rooting for the Cowboys, an Islander fan rooting for the Rangers, or a Mets fan rooting for the Phillies or Braves. It is not done.) Now, I am enjoying all of the reports about the Yankees manager search, and how the press is working themselves into a lather over what Girardi, Mattingly and today, Pena, have/will said/say.

Today, all the headlines were of Mattingly saying "I can do it". Well of course that is what he said? Did these nimrods really think Donnie as going to walk into the meeting with George and the Spawn (Hank and Hal) and say "I don't think I can manage this team? What idiot walks into a job interview and says they can't do the job? Seriously? This was the shock of the day?

The best part is that everyone with half a brain knows that Donnie is getting the job. No matter how ill George is, he is still "The Boss", and he will get his way. Shit, if he could, he would dig up Martin and name him manager. The Spawn can crow all they want about how they are "in charge", but until George passes, he has the final say. Mattingly was a good soldier for George, he was a bright light when the team was down in the dumps, and missed out on getting his ring when he retired after 1995. He came back after pleas from George. You think George is going to change his addled mind now? No chance in hell.

The whole process is a sham. Pena is being interviewed so the Yanks follow the edict from MLB about interviewing minority candidates. He has little in the way of Yankee ties. Girardi won rings, and Mattingly played his whole career in the Bronx. Pena had little shot going in. Too bad really, because he did a fine job with the Royals, a crappy situation, and would do well with the Yankees.

What really irks me, and should piss off Selig as well, is that the Yanks are doing all this during the World Series, when all organization moves are supposed to be quiet, so as to not distract from the Series. Once again though, George bends Selig over and does what he wants, and Selig says nothing besides "thank you George, may I have another?" We are about to see the Rockies, who are a great story right now, face the Sox, who toppled the Yankees in the regular season. There is the Rockies feel good story, and the star power of the Sox. We have the Rockies, who have some good young players who have gotten insanely hot for the last month, facing a juggernaut in the Sox. Yet all the media in NY (and ESPN as well, with their wall to wall coverage of the Torre saga DURING THE FRAKING ALCS) are talking about is the Yankees managerial search. Stories about what each guy said, how the Spawn feel about each guy. In other words, Yankee media comination during a time that should be spent covering the World Series. And MLB wonders why ratings are down. Tell your TV partners to forget about the Yankees and concentrate on the playoffs. Talk about the Rockies, and how they are giving a full share to the family of their AAA first base coach who died after being struck in the neck with a ball. Talk about how good Beckett is, and how good Tulowitski is (we can stop with the "Mets should have kept Matsui stuff though). This is a time MLB can have new stars put in the spotlight. Instead, all we get though is coverage of Torre checking his mail, and how Mattingly says he can do the job.

The Spawn will have to wait a while before they can name their manager. Of course, they will be able to frak things up royally with player moves and the like. I see the Yankees reverting to the late 80's, early 90's, with bombast from the front office and lots of losses. And this brings a smile to my face.

So Much Crap, So Little Space

2007-10-22T08:59:00.000-04:00

Where to begin? I have thoughts on a lot of items today, the Mets, the Yankees, the Jets, the Islanders and other stuff. Hmmmmmm.

Let's start with the Jets. Ugh. That about sums it up. Chad comes out firing, giving a large F U to critics by throwing a ball 50 yards in the air to Coles for a touchdown. Of course, his arm was then done for the day, so they didn't attempt anything tha long again. Smart gameplanning there Brian Scott. For all the tooth gnashing over Chad, maybe someone ought to think about BS. Some might say too bad the Dolphins didn't hire him after last year.

Once again, they get away from the running game. It must be nice to be Thomas Jones, making millions to run 12 times. Jesus guys, can you give him 20 rushes at least? Might have helped control the damn game and kept the awful defense off the field.

Speaking of the defense(less), fandom to Eric, it is time to scrap the travesty of a 3-4 alignment and go to a 4-3. Vilma and Robertson are not built for a 3-4. You are not getting any pressure on the QB. Smell that Eric? It's not lasagna from Vesuvio. It's stink emitted by your defense.

So next week, Chad will be the back-up and Kellen Clemens will start. What will the excuse be that fans and critics will use when Clemens can't get it done either?

Islanders -

If I told you they would be 5-3 after 8 games, would you take it? I would have. Pleasant surprise so far on the Island. Bill Guerin has 4 goals in his last two games. Comrie got off the schneid against the Devils (Poor Brent, they are in deep poop right now). The defense has been good, with Campoli showing that his rookie year of 2 years ago wasn't the fluke, last year was. Bryan Berard is playing very well, and the special teams are doing very well. Ricky has been good when he has had to be. Now, they get a week off. A week. What the hell is wrong with the schedule makers? They played 5 games in 7 nights recently, now they get 6 days off? Un-balanced schedule + stupidity.

Mets

Nothing to report here, except some are calling for Torre to join the organization, either as bench coach (and I made this joke on Metsgeek last week), or on SNY. The thought is that he can be ready to replace Willie if need be. Yeah, that'll work. Bring in Torre and Willie will be running scared all year. Plus, who do you think Willie learned his Proven Veteran® theory from? It is a recipe for disaster. No thanks.

Yankees

Loving the turmoil in the Bronx. They tried to give Torre a performance incentive laden contract in the hopes he would reject it and that the kool-aid drinkers would bash Torre. Of course, that is what happened. I like how Yankee fans say "well, he hasn't won anything in 7 years". If that is the feeling, well, what about these guys:

Jeter
Rivera
Posada
Pettitte

If they all get passes for what they did, why not Joe? Is it Joe's fault that Damon throws like my 7 year old daughter? Is it his fault Giambalco can't play any position other than DH, along with 3 other guys? That Matsui keep getting hurt? That A-Rod can't handle the pressure of the playoffs? That 19 game winner Wang blew it in two playoff starts? That Clemens sucks?

Nope. But that is what the "braintrust" thinks. It is quite breathtaking to watch Hank turn into George and belittle Torre. I wonder how many free agents are going to want to play in the Bronx? Oh, I know they can offer a lot of money, but one day, a player is going to stand up and say "you know what, I don't care about the money, I am not going to work for a bunch of incompetents." Will Johan Santana really want to play there next year? Time will tell I suppose.

As for the next manager, it could be Girardi, Mattingly or Pena. Now, we all know the Yankees are going to interview all 3 of them, because they have to follow the guidelines in regards to interviewing minority candidates. But we also know George has his heart set on Mattingly. The process is a farce.

Other Stuff -

I love reading on various web-sites that Red Sox fans are the new Yankee fans. Sorry, I don't buy it. They won 1 World Series. For the most part, the Sox fans I know are not obnoxious pricks like a lot of Yankee fans I know. Of course, there are exceptions, and there are surely a number of "Mass-holes". But they have a long way to go to reach Yankee-Hole levels. Part of the problem is the internet, where you have Simmons crowing about the Sox and Patriots, and fans of other teams project that upon non-media related fans. Is Simmons right to crow? Sure. He is a fan, he should be happy about the Sox. Of course it is fair for people to think he is a twit for crowing in every column he writes. I do not agree that people paint all Sox fans with the same brush. Again, I am sure there are a number of twits in the Sox fan-base, but to me it reeks of jealousy over the fact the Sox won. Now that they are going to face the Rockies with a 2nd WS on the line, this perception will only grow. I guess we will have to see who Jesus loves more, the Rockies, or the Mass-Holes.

Patriots fans on the other hand are Mass-holes. Every last one of them. :)

That's all for today folks. Depending on what breaking news happens, I may post later this week. Since we are not in the Hot-stove yet, I won't be posting every day. Once it starts, I will be a tad more regular.

Sadly, It is Time For Chad to No Longer Hang

2007-10-15T09:50:00.000-04:00

It pained me to write that heading (partly because it is awful). Seriously. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Chad. The guy plays his heart out every week. He took them to within Doug Brien's faulty leg of the AFC Championship Game with a shoulder that made Pedro Martinez's look healthy. He came back from 2 shoulder surgeries to lead them to the playoffs last year despite a running game that misfired more then the Mets offense the last week of the season. However, with each passing week is is becoming clearer that Chad just is not going to be able to succeed in this offense.

It has taken me a while to see this. Like all the players I have looked up to in all of the sports I follow, there comes a time when you realize that your favorite player is no longer getting it done and the time has come to move on. With the Mets, it was Mike Piazza. With the Islanders, Alexei Yashin. With the Jets, it was Marvin Jones and Mo Lewis. Now, I am seeing it with Chad. The guy just can't throw a ball more than 10 yards to scare a defense. Even with a strong running game, they are going to collpase on the wide-outs. They will let them go long, stacking the box, since they know Chad ain't throwing it deep.

I tried to rationalize this with the usual excuses. Paul Hackett has taken over Brian Schottenheimer's mind. Herm Edwards is haunting them. Bill Belicheck sent tapes to all the other teams. Sadly, none of those are the reasons. Quite simply, Chad is not a starter. Sure, he is a leader, and guys will run through walls for him, as will he. Sure he can hit the quick slant. But the guy throws as hard as Tom Glavine, and we all know what happened to Tom in the last game of the season. The same is happening to Chad.

There is just one problem. His replacement, Kellen Clemens. How the hell am I, as a Mets fan, supposed to root for a guy with the last name Clemens? Not only that, his first name starts with a "K", just like Roider does with his kids.

Seriously now, the concern with Kellen is that he has little experience. I know he looked good inthe 4th quarter a few weeks ago, but he also looked like crap the first 3 quarters. Teams are going to blitz like crazy to get in his head. They are going to dare him to beat them more than once until he makes them honest. Can he do it? I know he has a strong arm, but so did Browning Nagle, and we all remember how that turned out (shudder). Where is his head? It is funny, because in training camp, the media kept talking about how poorly he was doing, until he did well in a couple of pre-season games against the scrubs. This is the same media that chastised Mangini last pre-season for making Chad wait out a "competition" before he was named starter.

The calls for Chad's head began a few weeks ago, and figure to grow louder after yesterday. Will Mangini make the move? Hard to tell. However, it is time to do so.

Weekly Occassional Observations

2007-10-11T12:57:00.000-04:00

1. So, the Yankees went down in flames again. Problem is, this time Yankee fans can't blame A-Rod.

2. Britney lost custody of her kids. She ~~celebrated~~ drowned her sorrows in bottles of vodka.

3. The Braves are announcing that GM John Schuerholz is resigning. The Braves are kind of thankful, since now they can release his minor league for life son.

4. Rudy Giuiliani is trying to get conservatives to back him by bashing Hillary Clinton. Problem is, he is still Rudy Giuiliani.

5. Michael Vick has been ordered to repay $20 million in bonus money to the Falcons. Vick is upset saying "How am I supposed to repay it, all my dogs are gone?"

6. I am shocked, shocked I say that Reggie Bush allegedly received $280k in benefits while at USC. I would have put the money at $500k.

7. Allan Houston is returning to the Knicks. Just what they need, another over the hill shooting guard.

8. Don Imus is returning to the NY airwaves in December. Just in time for the holidays. I wonder what special programming he will unveil for Hanukah and Kwanzaa?

9. ESPN will air the first 2 rounds of the Master starting next year. Great, another sporting event ruined.

10. Just wondering, do the Yanks think it was $22 million well spent on the Depleted Rocket?

11. Pamela Anderson Lee Rock whatever the hell her name is got married recently to the guy who did a porn tape with Paris Hilton. She is also pregnant with his child. I guess once you have Hepatitis C, herpes is the least of your problems.

12. This just in, Britney did not show for a court appearance today. I expect wall to wall coverage of this on all the cable news channels for the next week.

13. Former President Jimmy Carter has called VP Cheney a "disaster". Pot, meet kettle.

14. Speaking of disasters, Meet the Mets!

15. All those Yankee fans who sent that lovely "Mets Fans Conversion Letter" email must be feeling a tad stupid right now eh?

16. Isles 2, Rangers 1. Combined goals this season for Chris Drury and Scott Gomez - 1. Combined Points - 3. Combined Salary - about $14 million. Yep, good contracts.

17. Al Gore has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Odd, I thought Al invented it?

18. Let's get something clear, Joe Torre's contract EXPIRED. He is not being "fired" if he does not return as manager, he is simply not being re-signed. This is basic stuff that seems to have escaped the minds of 98.26% of the NY and National media.

19. Tony LaRussa is being linked to the Yankee job. Oh, please make this happen. He'd be the perfect 21st Century Billy Martin.

20. The family of deceased Notre Dame football star George Gipp had his body exhumed this week. Word is the Republican Party wants to do the same with Ronald Reagan.

21. Vinny Testaverde has signed with the Carolina Panthers. Shit, there goes the Jets shot at the #1 overall pick.

22. Someone explain to me why after their god-awful showing against the Bills for heaven's sake, we are supposed to think the Cowboys stand a chance against the Patriots?

Ed Tries to Fix The Mets

2007-10-10T08:47:00.000-04:00

It's been nearly two weeks since the end came. Ten days since Tom Glavine and the boys shit the bed against the Marlins and allowed the Phillies to win the NL East and get blasted by the Colorado Rockies. Ten days in which I have thought about "what's next?" How do we fix this team?

People elsewhere have opined on the idea. John Delcos in the Journal News had a 10 step program. Bloggers and commentators elsewhere have chimed in. I've posted here and there, but have not posted my definitive ideas. Some of what I have read I agree with, and I will note that below. Some of what I have read has made me quite angry (trade Jose Reyes? Are you F'in kidding me?)

So, without further ado, let's begin. Today I will go over the roster and say who stays and who goes.

Sticking like the final out in 1986:

David Wright
Jose Reyes
Carlos Beltran

Those three are the cornerstones for this franchise. A 24 yr old 3rd baseman who continues to amaze, a 30 yr old center fielder who plays his ass off even when hurt, and a 24 yr old catalyst who, despite some thoughts, will not be traded simply because you cannot get equal value for him. The key for next year, rest, and fewer attempted steals, please. Of course, this would require the Mets obtain a SS to back him up. Perhaps Anderson Hernandez? I doubt it, he can't hit. David Eckstein? Well, the scrappy quotient would go up. Problem is, David will probably want to play every day.

Beyond that we have the following:

Pedro - like there is any question about this.

John Maine - ONLY goes if part of a deal for Santana. Otherwise, John will be here for a long time.

Oliver Perez - Same as Maine. If he can get his head in the game full time, he can win 20 easy.

Billy Wagner - um, are we forgetting how lights out he was until he had back problems? Do we think closers grow on trees? Please see our recent history with closers, not exactly Goose Gossage in there.

Scott Schoeneweis - No chance he is bought out, and no one is going to trade for him. So long as Willie uses him as a LOOGY, he will be fine.

Pedro Dos - the man was great until overuse wore him down. He goes nowhere.

El Duque - he has another year left on his deal. He is great when healthy. Put him on the DL for 15 days every other month to rest him.

Moises Alou - The man can flat out RAKE. If only he could play 120 games. A $7.5 million option makes this a no-brainer.

Carlos Delgado - Um, $16 million contract makes him the Mets Giambi, without the HGH. Hopefully he will be healthy next year and can put up 2006 numbers. A back-up plan is essential.

Hanging on like Endy's Catch

Jorge Sosa - Free Agent. Also was good until Willie burned him out. I like him in the pen.

Paul Lo Duca - Free Agent. He could be back, but it is tenuous. If Omar can't find a replacement cheap, PLD will be back. I don't see teams beating a path to his door with 3 year deals.

Luis Castillo - I liked what he did in the #2 spot. If Jose can continue to get on base, the speed with Castillo is dangerous. Please have your knees MRI'd and scoped if necessary. Grass field may help his legs. The guy played hard until the end, and you could see the pain etched on his face.

Gone Like a ~~Aaron Sele~~ Batting Practice Fastball

Guillermo Mota - Do I really need to explain this?

Aaron Sele - see Mota.

Brian Lawrence - Free Agent. He should have to pay to get work.

David Newhan - name 1 thing he did to help this team this year. Go ahead, I dare you.

Shawn Green - Free Agent. I like Shawn, I really do. He plays hard, he has a sweet swing, and played pretty good first base. But we already have a lefty bat who can't hit lefties at first. Wants to play every day. I will not make the Israeli Baseball League joke.

Ben Johnson - let's just forget the Heath Bell trade, shall we.

Tom Glavine - I respect his career. I do not respect his craptacular outings at the end of the season and the repeated slurping of the Braves. Time to go Tom, and don't let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya.

Jeff Conine - well, he already said he was done, so I won't pile on much. Too bad he didn't realize he was done before last season. Everyone else did.

I Hope They Stay, but...

Lastings Milledge - I fear Omar is going to be told to trade him. He will come back to haunt us for years if this happens. Put him in right, bat him 7th and leave him alone.

Carlos Gomez - Trade bait. Good field, can't hit. Could be great, could be Jason Tyner.

Aaron Heilman - I like Aaron, I think he is a good arm in the pen. All guys have bad outings. He just gets crapped on by fans more than most. Some team will see him as a starter. Good for us, not for them. I see him as a closer. I would love it if it were here after Wagner is done. But he is probably the best trade chip.

Jose Valentin - Free Agent. Did real well in 2006. Injuries killed him this year. Sadly, he will probably not be back. Depends on what happens with Castillo and others. Odds are against his returning.

Endy Chavez (Thanks for the reminder Fakehead) - Arb Eligible. Endy is a nice bench player and a great 4th outfielder. Probably one of the best fielding centerfielders in the game. Problem is, Endy is exposed with continuos playing time. Here, he is a good fit to fillin for Alou once or twice a week, and even Beltran 2X a month (this is a must, as Carlos needs to stay fresh). Other teams might like him, so Omar may get offers, or might be willing to include him in a deal. I hope not, but you never know.

Philip Humber/Mike Pelfrey - I'm not willing to give up on Pelfrey yet. The guy missed a lot of time thanks to Boras being an ass in negotiations. I would love it if the Mets would be like other teams and let their young arms learn MLB in the pen. As for Humber, that hammer curve and fastball would look real nice in the 6th or 7th inning. Also missed time with his TJ surgery. I throw out his start the last week of the season since Willie blew it by not using him in blowouts to keep him fresh. I see one of them as the 5th starter and the other in the pen. I could also see one of them go in a trade. I hope not.

Bring Em Back

Marlon Anderson - Free Agent. Good bat off the bench. If Willie asks you to play center, please pull out tape of last time he tried it. Thanks.

Ramon Castro - good #2 catcher with pop. Please drop 20 pounds, it will help your back.

Damion Easley - good bench guy. Can fill in at 2nd. Maybe SS ocassionally.

Ruben Gotay - I like his potential. Could platoon with Castillo, which would probably eliminate Easley.

Coaches
Willie is back, we know this, and anyone who thought otherwise does not know the Wilpons. As for his coaches, this will be interesting.

Rickey - Rickey thinks he was fine. Ed thinks that Rickey was a detriment to the team. Ed thinks Rickey told Jose to run too much, and Ed thinks this was a factor in Jose's slump. Ed thinks that the Mets should give Rickey a nice parting gift of a folding table, chairs and 25 decks of cards.

The Jacket - Really, is there a better option out there? "Dep" over on Metsgeek put it best, even Rumpelstiltskin couldn't make gold from shit. Rick had a lot of shit to work with.

HoJo - Hitting Coach. RISP numbers improved. David Wright improved. Even Delgado showed signs. Only negative was Reyes trying to hit everything in the air. I think he stays in some capacity. May be replaced as hitting coach by Rudy Jaramillo (Rangers)

Sandy Alomar Sr. - 3rd base coach. Designated punch taker for Reyes. Needs to learn the STOP sign.

Jerry Manuel - Bench coach. I have no problem with his return.

Guy Conti - He's Pedro's guy. He ain't going anywhere.

Tom Nieto - Catching instructor. This is the Mets, not the Yankees. He's safe.

In the coming months, I will opine on Free Agents, trade possibilities and youth from the minors. Feel free to comment.

Media Bias, But What Else is New

2007-10-09T09:34:00.000-04:00

Below is from Peter Abraham in the Westchester County Journal News from Sunday October 7th:

...The Next order of business is to remind Jose Reyes and David Wright that they haven't been elected to the Hall of Fame quite yet. Reyes should have been an MVP candidate this season but his biggest contribution to the team was inventing new handshakes. The New Derek Jeter will be the new Royce Clayton if he keeps sliding like he did in September.
Wright, while certainly an earnest young man, would be wise to cut back his personal appearances and focus more on the 75 errors he has made in 541 games or the 381 strikeouts. The Mets ask too much of him.

Well Peter, I grant you that Reyes slumped horribly in September, but to say his biggest contribution was "inventing new handshakes" is to ignore the fact that from April to August he was a huge reason why the team was able to maintain its hold on first. Anyone who watched the Mets knows that for most of the season Jose was getting on base just as much as in 2006, but it was the middle of the lineup that was failing to drive him in. I do agree that something was bothering him, and it needs to be fixed, but before we start killing the kid, let's give him a chance to rebound, shall we? And the last time I checked, the media were the ones who crowned him the New Derek Jeter. But keep on coming with the venom Peter, it suits you.

As for Wright, let's look at the final line:
AVG .325 HR 30 RBI 107 OBP .416 SLG .546 OPS .962 Stolen Bases 34

But you are right Peter, it is quite obvious that the personal appearances are getting in the way of David being a good ballplayer. Considering his awful April, those numbers are pretty damn good.

Now, I grant you that David's fielding could use some work. His strikeouts are a tad high. Then again, he is 24, and not even close to entering his prime.

Let us take a look at what Mr. Wright did in August and September.

August
Avg - .394
OBP - .516
SLG - .657
OPS - 1.173

September
Avg - .352
OBP - .432
SLG - .602
OPS - 1.034

Post All Star Break
Avg - .364
OBP - .465
SLG - .596
OPS - 1.061

Yep Peter, you are right, the personal appearances definitely took a toll as the season went on. Putz.

Odd that no one says a damn thing about Jeter making too many commercials. I wonder if that is the reason The Captain hit .167 in the ALDS.

I am sick and tired of this same old BS being thrown out about Wright doing too much outside the lines. The numbers do not support the theory. This is a guy who works hard, takes extra practice and has improved. He is far from the reason why the team failed to make the playoffs.

As for HoF talk, that is on the media, who likes to start the little debates over the best SS or 3rd baseman in NY. None of the Mets do this. It is guys like Abraham, looking to generate talk or readers, who do this stuff. Since Abraham writes for The Journal News, and he likes to incite stuff each week in his Sunday "Around Baseball" blurb. Every week there was a little slam against the Mets in his power rankings. Every weeks there was slurping of the Yankees. Of course, he is the Yankee beat writer, so I gather he watched all of 6 Mets games this year.

I look forward to next season. I look forward to David continuing to improve, and Jose bouncing back. I do not look forward to more BS from Peter Abraham.

I hope someone prints this out and gives it to David and Jose. I mean, after all, words can fire players up right? That's what the media said after the 2nd game against the Marlins.

T-2 - Nolan Redux

2007-10-05T11:05:00.000-04:00

Season 2 of the Ted Nolan regime begins this evening with a game versus the team that eliminated the Isles from the playoffs last year, the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo (part of a home and home with the Isles opener Saturday). So, what can we expect from Ted's boys this year?

Last year the Islanders had the element of surprise in their favor. Nobody (even I) expected much. All the experts picked them to finish last. And why not? Nolan hadn't coached in the NHL in years. There was turmoil in the front office. Yashin was still here, there was youth on defense, questions about DiPietro, and little scoring. Somehow, mostly through hard work most nights, the Isles made the playoffs as the 8th seed. Scoring came from Blake (gone now) Yashin early in the season, Sillinger proved to be a wise pickup as he chipped in. The team actually had 5 players score 20 goals, and Yashin had 18 while missing 24 games. The defense proved capable. DiPietro played very well, finishing in the top 10 in GAA and SV%. They actually were contending for a higher seed until DiPietro suffered a concussion, leaving the final games in the hands of Wade Dubielewicz (and if you think I typed that from memory, you are wrong), who played very well the last week, allowing the team to sneak in.

However, this offseason saw more change. Blake, Tom Poti, Sean Hill, Ryan Smyth (mid-season acquisition), and Voctor Kozlov all left for greener pastures. Yashin was bought out. All told, nearly 100 goals were removed from the offense. The defense was hurt by the loss of Poti, who did quite well, surprising me and others. The big question as we enter the season is who is going to score?

Give Garth Snow credit. He tried to go after some of the big names, but many signed ridiculous contracts elsewhere. Instead, he went more towards youth with a chance to blossom and dependable veterans. Let's take a look at who was added:

Bill Guerin - Named the Captain of the team. This is a smart move as Bill is widely respected. He scored 36 goals for San Jose and St. Louis last year. He was quiet in the playoffs however. Is he going to replace Blakes 40? Nope. But he will replace Yashin's output, and bring a better leader to the ice. No nights off from Billy.

Mike Comrie - Center for the #1 line. 27 years old. Garth got him cheap, and he was a kind of package with Guerin. 20 goals last year. There are some questions about whether he is a top #1 center. You know what, I don't care. He is the #1 here, and I think in the right system, he can thrive. He's on a 1 year deal, so he has a lot to play for.

Ruslan Fedotenko - LW for #1 line. Signed away from Tampa Bay. Scored 26 goals two years ago, only 12 last year. Good skater, should mesh well with Comrie and Guerin.

Josef Vasicek - Center. Wild Card. Scored 19 goals in 2004 in 82 games, but played only 23 and 25 the last two years for the Hurricanes (he also played 38 for the Predators last year). Talent is there. If he lives up to it, this could be a very wise signing by Snow. If not, well, he could be Oleg Kvasha. Let's hope not.

Andy Sutton - Defense. Replaces Sean Hill, who took his steroids and went to Minnesota. Tough player. Not a points guy, a stay at home crease clearer, which is vital if the Isles are to keep DiPietro from getting hit by punks like Sean Avery.

Also added to the mix for this year are Jon Sim (last seen in Atlanta), as well as Sean Bergenheim, who will get his shot in the NHL after missing last year in a stupid holdout. Bryan Berard may also be signed to help on the power play.

Overall, the defense is not going to be all that much better than last year, though Sutton will be an upgrade over Hill, and having Bergeron around for the whole year should help on the power play. They need Gervais and Campoli to continue to improve, both are still young and have good potential. Hopefully this is the year Radek Martinek can be healthy for the entire season. He has a lot of talent and could blossom.

Offense is going to be tough. There are no big scorers. This team is going to have to capitalize on mistakes by other teams and take advantage of the power play. Special teams hurt them last year, as the Power Play was poor and the penalty killing was abysmal. Improvement on both is key. Trent Hunter needs to get back to his form of 2 years ago. Hopefully he can. The guy is a prototypical power forward and has a good shot. How he works with Vasicek is key. Berard could help the PP, as teams would not be able to key on Bergeron, who has a hellaciously hard shot.

The key of course on the ice is DiPietro. If healthy, he can be a top 5 goalie. So long as the defense can keep the crease clear, he should stay healthy. He had minor surgery on his hip in the offseason, and has looked good. Dubie won't play more than 15 games, tops. He needs to keep the team in those games. Rick needs to work on his risk taking. He needs to pick his spots to roam better. He is like another defenseman, so long as he is smart about it.

The key overall though is Nolan. Can he get this group to gel? There are a lot of new faces. The loss of Yashin and Blake is seen as addition by subtraction in terms of the team ethic, but they did lose a lot of offense when they left. I am not going to cry over the loss of Smyth, he wasn't here long, and the guys given up are not top flight prosepcts. Guerin will make an excellent Captain, and will make sure the youngsters show up to play every night. Those few youngsters there are of course. Nolan can be a little Willie Randolph-ish when it comes to using Proven Veterans © (thanks Metsgeek Geeks). Jeff Tambellini should be on this team over Andy Hilbert. I think we will see Jeff here soon. Campoli and Gervais will see reduced time in favor of Witt and Sutton. He relies on his vets. Hopefully they are up to the task, and hopefully the youngsters take advantage of the opportunities they get and force him to play them more.

So, what does my crystal ball say? Nothing, I threw it away after it failed me with the Mets.

What does my gut tell me? This team will fight to the end and barely miss the playoffs.

One last thing. I am very disappointed to see Chris Simon back. His actions last year were despicable. He needs to make sure he does nothing stupid this year. I will support the team, as I am a fan, but I wish he was not here.

Ridiculousness

2007-10-02T09:01:00.000-04:00

You know, I know the collapse was hard to take as a fan, I'm with you. I know it was awful what we witnessed over the past 2 weeks. I get it. But for the love of Pete, sit back before you spout ridiculous trade proposals, OK?

It is bad enough when the airheads on WFAN start talking about "Milledge gone, Beltran should be traded" (Mr. Russo, Beltran has a FULL NTC you tool. It was what tipped the scales in our favor over Houston you dolt. Now go enjoy Barry Zito in the playoffs. Wait, what's that?) We are used to this. It is not unusual for the lunatic fringe of fans to call up and agree with pap like this, since there is always a section of the fan base that can't help but take everything Fatso and Fruit Loops say as gospel. Like the story that Luis Castillo was the reason behind Reyes' slump. Castillo was apparently a bad influence on Jose. Really? The same guy who was loved in Minnesota? Who was looked up to by all his teammates suddenly was able to make Jose sulk? Now, it is possible I guess. However, if I am a betting man, I put my money on Rickey being the bad influence. But I have no proof of that, so take it with a grain of salt.

Besides the airheads on WFAN, we have fans coming up with brilliant ideas. I happened to turn on ESPN Radio last night on the way home from the gym ('cause Ed is nothing if not healthy) to get the score of the Padres/Rockies game. Instead, I hear Brandon Tierney talking to a caller who was saying the Mets should trade Jose Reyes. Yes, Reyes. It seems that since he had such an awful month, it is time to forget 2006 and move him for help. Let's take a close look at what this would mean.

As this season ends, the Mets are faced with openings at the following positions:

Catcher
Right Field
Second Base
Starting Pitching
Bullpen

So, it would be smart to create another hole by trading Reyes. Now, I know we would get back a nice package, probably filling a couple of those holes. One proposal was to trade him to the Dodgers for Billingsley and Loney. OK, tell me something. We are supposed to trade a 24 yr old leadoff hitting shortstop for a pitcher with 237 career major league innings and a 1st baseman who will sit since Delgado can't be traded due to his contract? Who plays shortstop then? Who leads off? Plus, you still have the other holes to fill.

As I said at the top, I understand the pain. Frankly, this hurts so much more than last year to me, since it took longer. The loss in the NLCS was quick, and frankly, given the injuries, it was somewhat expected. This year, being in first alone since the middle of May until Friday was long and painful. Changes do need to be made, and I think they will be. But lets keep the trade ideas somewhat sane OK?

And let's remember one more thing. There was another NY player who slumped in 2006 and the fan base wanted him traded. He wound up with a damn good 2007. I'm not saying Jose will put up those numbers, but lets give him another chance, shall we?

A couple of other things are burning me right now, mostly from the media.

1. Omar not giving Willie a blanket vote of confidence. Look, Omar needs to talk to the Wilpons. This is pretty simple. I don't care how much autonomy Omar has, at the end of the day, if the Wilpons want Willie gone, he will go. Omar isn't stupid, he is not going to make a promise only to have Jeff and Fred say "Nope, fire his ass".

2. Rick Down revisionist history. I get the Rick was a hard worker. I also know that before he was fired, the team was AWFUL with runners in scoring position, and had horrible game plans when it came to hitting. I also know the RISP #'s went up when HoJo took over. I also know that Down would have early success in his past jobs, only to falter after a couple of years. Pity the media doesn't see this.

3. Leave Lastings Milledge alone. So he did a little celebration with Reyes the other day after his second home run. Big Fat Hairy Deal. Reyes does it, and no one says boo. Milledge does it, and he is a punk. You know what, I like it. I like the fire, something that many fans were saying there wasn't enough of over the last month of the season. I've seen Delgado do the dances with Jose as well, you wanna call him out as well? Frankly, if it was me, I would have done the same damn thing. The kid was suspended (rightfully so) for 3 games, but then Willie continued to pinch hit the likes of David Newhan even after he was back. The kid gets a start and goes off. Good for him. Next year, I want him in right every damn day.

4. Willie's demeanor. It's funny, everyone wanted Torre to go off on his players. He didn't (at least publicly). What happened? They made the WC. Everyone wanted Willie to go off. He didn't. Should he have? Would it have mattered? We will never know. It shows that sometimes the media and fans aren't right when it comes to what has to be done.

Over the coming weeks, I will have posts about possible rosters, who should stay and who should go. I'll have something about Willie as well. I think he will be back. And he should be.

As far as the other two teams I follow, the Jets and Islanders, frankly, the Mets have had all my attention. In the case of the Jets, that is a good thing, as things look real bad. As for the Isles, I will have a preview up later this week.

It's Over

2007-10-01T09:07:00.000-04:00

Mike said...
They didn't hear your prayers, Ed.There are no baseball gods. The baseball gods are dead.

Mike is right of course. I spent the better part of yesterday and last night trying to come up with something witty to say. As per usual, I found nothing.

What is funny about this? What is funny about a team blowing a 7 game lead? With going 5-12 over the end of the season, including 1-5 against the dregs of the NL East? Nothing. Nada. Zip.

A beat-down delivered on Saturday, where we came thisclose to getting our first no-no is followed up with a beating received. Poor starting pitching again. Listless bats, again. Hey, at least the pen did a good job yesterday right?

So the calls for head begin. Willie, Rick, Rickey, and the rest are on notice perhaps. Will the Wilpons' fire Willie? I don't see it happening, the backlash would be huge in some quarters. Did he preside over the collapse? Yeppers, but there is plenty of blame to go around, in the dugout and the front office.

The coming weeks will be telling. Omar needs to get to work now and figure out who stays and who goes. Blogdom will do the same, I'll have something this week. I can't do it right now because I am angry and typing while angry is not the best way to write clearly and wisely. It would be real easy for me to say "Go away Glavine, and take Mota and Sho and Green with you." That may very well still be what I write, but I want rational analysis behind it, not just "Well, Glavine sucked Sunday, and Mota all year". Well, the Mota part will be rational at least.

So we begin winter sports. At least I have the Jets.

Oh wait...

At least I have the Islanders...

Oh wait...

It's gonna be a long long winter.

April can't get here soon enough.

A Plea to the Baseball Gods

2007-09-26T09:13:00.000-04:00

Dear Baseball Gods -

I know that in recent years you have answered the please of fans of losing franchises in Boston and Chicago, so I figured it was time for a fan of the NL franchise in NY to make his plea. I speak of course of the New York Mets, a team who, despite a rabid and loyal fanbase, has won but 2 World Championships since it's founding in 1962.

Surely given all that we have suffered over the years it is our turn. Heck, given what we have had to go through THIS year, it is our turn. I shall now make our case.

I reach back not to the early 1960's, as that was a time when the team had to lose in order to make the win in 1969 all the more special. You even threw in a wonderful run in 1973, albeit one that came up short, to keep those fans who started in the 1962 season happy. I will even forgo Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi. No, instead I go to the late 1970's a time when the owners and GM tried to destroy the team and its fans by trading Tom Seaver to the Reds. A dark pall was cast over the team, not to be removed until 1985 with the arrival of Doc and Darryl. 1986 was a nice gift, but we paid a price with Doc falling victim to drugs, and Darryl as well. Was this in response to allowing us to win at the expense of the Red Sox?

In 1988, you would not allow Bobby Ojeda to hire a gardener, ruining a wonderful season. Then came the early 1990's, with "men" like Eddie Murray and Vince Coleman and Bret Saberhagen and Bobby Bonilla (who for some reason you required we take back a second time, and then have to pay him till my 7 year old is in college in order to remove him from our midst at last). Hopes would be raised with the coming of "Generation K", but you saw fit to have one guy (Wilson) blow out his arm, another (Pulsipher) be afraid, and the last (Izzy) be traded and turn into a pretty darn good closer. We would trade Melvin Mora for Mike Bordick. We would trade Kazmir for Zambrano (of course we have been repaid with Omar and his team for that, we are sort of even here).

We would be saddled with Steve Phillips as GM, and then have to listen to him bash the team in the years after he was fired, from his perch at ESPN. We would have in-fighting between Doubleday and Wilpon. We would have to endure Kenny Rogers walking in a run against the Braves. We would have to endure Adam Wainwright, Scott Spezio, Yadier Molina and the gloating of Joe Buck and Tim MaCarver (I leave out Joe Morgan because all fans have to suffer him equally).

We time and again have to see other teams bring up rookie starters or has-beens or never-wases to face us and have them pitch very well, while our team sends out the likes of Lima Time! and Aaron Sele and Chan Ho Park to be decimated. "Five-Tool" prospects have been broken (Alex Escobar). Stars have been imported to help, and have failed (Alomar, Vaughn, Appier).

We have to read the slings and arrows from the likes of Wally Matthews and the other purveyors of crap that dot the NY print media. We have to listen to Mike Francessa rave about his favorite team and gloat over our failings. The chuckles on BBTN over the teams struggles. The Braves winning the division year after year and beating us along the way. Larry Jones naming his child "Shea".

We have suffered enough. Here is my plea. Tonight, Philip Humber makes his first Major League start. It is a tough situation for him, the middle of a pennant race, a 2 game lead, and a team that has not been playing well behind him, facing a team that has treated out pitching staff like a bunch of Lima's. I ask that you allow him to pitch well and allow him to win, as you have allowed other young starters to do against us. Further, I ask that you allow this team to end it's 21 year World Series victory drought. Last year was a tease, an awful one at that. This year we have suffered more, a big lead has shrunk. Stalwarts in the rotation have not done well. Injuries have hit the entire outfield, second base, catcher, first base, the bullpen. Make the suffering we as fans have had to endure worth it. Allow Humber to win, allow the team to win the division, and let them win the World Series. Make the suffering be worth it. Allow my 7 year old daughter to see something now that I was unable to see until I was 17, a Mets World Series win. Let my Dad and The Boy and my sister and Mom see another win. Let MetsGeek poster "86Forever" have the option to change his name to "2007Forever". Let all the Geeks and Mets fans all over have a World Series win. End our suffering. Hear my plea, please.

Warmest Regards,

Ed in Westchester

WTF?????????????????????????????

2007-09-18T09:06:00.000-04:00

Seriously, WTF?

What has happened to the Mets team that we saw just one week ago?

Errors left and right. Guys shying away from throws (I'm talking to you Jose Jose Jose). Pitchers pitching who have no damn business starting games in a pennant race (I'm talking to you Brian Lawrence). Relievers pitching who just flat out suck (too many names to list here).

It's one thing to get beaten by a good team. It is another thing entirely to make the types of errors, both physical and mental that we have seen over the past 4 games.

Friday night Jamie Moyer (!) holds the team to 4 hits in 8 innings. Glavine pitched well, save for one mistake. Then, Aaron Heilman throws the ball to 2nd on a bunt, and Reyes makes a poor stab at catching it (the blame goes to both guys here). Again, bunts by the Phillies hurt the Mets (think back to Billy's meltdown at CBP last month). Saturday the pen coughs up the game. Sunday was a team effort of suckitude. But it was the Phillies, who at least have a lot of talent. What was the excuse for last night?

The Nationals hang a 12 spot against the Mets. The Nationals, who didn't have a 300 hitter in the lineup, who are LAST in the MAJORS in HR's and runs scored. I was in the car driving to the gym when Brian Lawrence showed why he sucks, coughing up a 4 run lead in the space of 6 batters. Then, Aaron Sele and Scot Schoeneweis continue to suck. Tell me something, why the hell is Philip Humber here? Why is it that pretty much every other team in a playoff hunt is willing to use a high ceiling rookie over a POS Veteran as a starter, but we get Lawrence over Humber? If they are worried about his arm, then shut him down, don't even have him here. All you are doing is adding to his service time clock. Other teams use rookies out of the pen to success, yet Willie says he doesn't want to throw Humber into that role. Fine. Then START HIM.

I'm a Big Willie guy. Liked the hiring. Like the level headedness. But the time for niceties is OVER. Some of these guys are not playing to their potential. Reyes looks lost. PLD stinks. Beltran has had a bad stretch, which must mean he is only at 85.478329%. Alou and Wright are the only two guys playing consistently good ball (yes, I know DW made an error last night.)

Willie needs to blow some steam. If not him, then someone else, like Wright. He has been talking about wanting to be more of a leader, then do it. Call the guys out. Enough of this BS.

Time to win some games and finish this damn thing.

On Vacation

2007-08-17T17:03:00.000-04:00

Yes, it is time for Ed to take a break (yes, he knows he hasn't been posting a lot). Time to get away from work for a little while.
So, starting Monday Aug. 20, Ed is out for two weeks.
He may post here next week.
The following week he will be in Emerald Isle, NC. He will check here in case any comments are left.
He may also pop onto Metsgeek.
I will have a column on F.U. on Tuesday Aug. 21, but not the next two weeks following.

Let's hope for a nice winning stretch while I am gone.

51 Games Left

2007-08-07T08:31:00.000-04:00

The title says it all. There are 51 games left starting tonight. It's actually quite simple. The Mets need to simply win at the same pace they have been all season, 57%, and go 29-22 the rest of the way. The final record would then be 92-60. In order to beat the Mets, the Braves (with 50 games left) would have to go 34-16 (play .680 ball), while the Phillies (51 left) would have to go 35-16 (play .686 ball). Neither team has done that this year. And neither has show the ability to do so.

The Mets have 9 games (3 sets of 3 games) left with Atlanta and 7 (a 4 game set and 3 game set) left with the Phillies. Obviously, series wins over each of these teams is vital. It starts tonight with 3 at Shea against the Braves. The pitching match-ups are as follows:

Perez v Carlyle
El Duque v Smoltz
Maine v Hudson

To date, the Braves hold a 6-3 edge on the Mets, with Perez winning all 3 games. El Duque faced them once, with an ND, and Maine has actually never faced the Braves. Of course Carlyle being a scrub will work against us, a classic SUCK ME pitcher. Smoltz is hittable against the Mets, but they never seem to get the "big" hit against him. Hudson is having a very good season to date. For a detailed look at the Braves pitchers, visit Metsgeek.

Following this series, the Mets have the following schedule

Florida (3)
@ Pittsburgh (3)
@ Washington (3)
San Diego (3)
LA Dodgers (3)
@ Philly (4)
@ Atlanta (3) 8/31 and 9/1, 9/2
@ Cincinnati (3)
Houston (3)
Atlanta (3)
Philly (3)
@ Washington (3)
@ Florida (4)
Washington (3)
St. Louis (1 rainout make-up)
Florida (3)

The time is now to send a message. Taking 2 of 3 is a must against Atlanta. The Braves then face the Phillies this weekend, so taking 2 of 3 against Florida is also important. The Phillies have Florida the next 3 days, so they could sneak a tad closer. One thing is for certain, the Mets will remain in 1st after the Braves series, no matter what happens.

The bats are warming up. Wright and Delgado are hitting. Castillo seems to be settling in. Shawn Green has hit the Braves well this year (of course, his fielding leaves something to be desired). PLD has as well. Jose Reyes is hitting, Milledge is providing a spark in the #8 spot. For all the wishing that Lastings would hit #2, he is doing a good job hitting 8th, he creates excitement, and is able to be on base when Reyes comes to the plate. He lengthens the lineup there, and for a team that needs to be creative to score runs, he adds that dimension. Willie gets panned for hitting him so low, but it is paying off, and at the end of the day, that is what matters. We may not like the "gut", but we need to realize that it is right many times.

The key this week is going to be the pen, and defense. Heilman needs to have a strong series, he has taken two of the losses against the Braves, both in games the Mets were leading. Pedro Dos needs to get back on track. On the defense, Green needs to tighten it up, and guys need to make the basic plays.

The Mets control their own destiny for the most part. Frankly, this team has the talent to play much better than .568 ball the rest of the way. They played .600 ball for April, and were at .654 at the end of May. Do that the rest of the way, and the job for the Braves and Phillies becomes nearly impossible. The Mets would finish with 96 wins if they play .654 the rest of the way, just shy of last years 97 wins. Get it done. Starting tonight.

Congrats Tommy, F U Wally

2007-08-06T09:24:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the latest 300 game winner, Tom Glavine. A nicely pitched game by him last night, on the heels of his last start which was also a nice job by him. Don't look now, but Mr. Glavine has done a pretty good job of late (let's forget the Dodgers start in LA, shall we?)

Tommy helped himself early. Following a walk to Milledge, Lastings stole second (apparently against the wishes of Willie, I gotta think Rickey sent him). Glavine then singled to center, and Lastings scored, thanks to Angel Pagan losing the handle on the ball. Milledge wound up 3-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored hitting 8th. I'll have a tad more about his lineup place in my F.U Column tomorrow. Luis Castillo also had a nice night, going 4-5 with 2 runs. Delgado went 2-4 scored a run and drove in 4 (he seems to be warming up just in time.) All in all, the lineup got the job done, despite 15 LOB.

The pen, nearly notsomuch. Mota entered for Tommy inthe 7th and gave up a hit to the only batter he faced. Pedro Dos got an out, but allowed a hit driving in a run. Heilman finished the 7th, inducing a fly to center. New bullpen component Jorge Sosa pitched a scoreless 8th, and Wags finished it up in a non-save situation, as Willie's gut told him to make damn sure Tommy got the win.

So, you would think we could celebrate Tom's accomplishment, and put aside any snarkiness about how Brave he is. Nope, thanks to Wally (I Hate the Mets) Matthews. Now, you all know I hate Wally, and I typically do not read his crap anymore, since all it does is annoy me. I also like to joke about Tommy and the Braves. However, there comes a time when you put that aside when a goal is met, and this is one of those times. Wally plays armchair psychologist and writes a column about how Glavine would have preferred to win #300 as a Brave. Is he right? Maybe. Then again, he might be wrong. Considering how Atlanta told him to go away twice, it is possible Tommy is not that upset to have not won it as a Brave. I also do see how he could be somewhat saddened, after all, he did come up in their system, and players do have attachments to their original team when they play there for a long time. Look at it this way, if Derek Jeter ever leaves the Yankees, and hits # 3000 as a member of another team, he may wish he was still a Yankee at the time. But my point is this, the day after the milestone, put the thoughts away. Don't write a story about it. Let the guy enjoy his moment. As for the fans who Wally is so sure still haven't embraced Glavine, sure, there is a subset that harbors ill will for his having beaten us so many times over the years. But even that subset cheered his accomplishment, because at the end of the day, he is a Met. He is one of our guys, and we cheer our guys. There was a nice contingent of Mets fans in Chicago last night, including several bloggers IIRC. Mostly they went to watch their team, but I'm pretty sure they cheered their pitcher, Tom Glavine, as he won #300. Sadly, Matthews would prefer to stir the pot, again, and look for headlines.

I'm saddened that Newsday continues to allow this hack to write hit pieces on my team. I expect that from the News and the Post, noted Yankee propaganda outlets. Newsday is usually a Metscentric paper. Yet it allows Matthews to continue with his drivel. I don't know who pissed in his corn flakes, but it is a tired act. One that I hope will be shut down. Maybe when the Mets win the World Series this year, behind a win from Glavine, Wally will write a story about how Glavine wishes he could have won it as a Brave.

In closing, F U Wally. You are dead to me.

And Congrats to Tom Glavine, a Met.

I'm Still Around

2007-08-02T20:38:00.000-04:00

I've been neglecting the BOG for a while now. Things have been a little hectic at work and at home for one. Also, the play of this team of late hasn't exactly inspired me to write a lot of positive stuff.

The one thing I didn't want to do was to turn this into a place where I would just bitch and moan all the time. I'm not saying I won't be critical, but to write the same stuff every day about this guy sucking in the field (I'm looking at you Shawn Green), or this guy not hitting (Shawn, a two time winner, also PLD of late, Delgado until last month), or this reliever throwing batting practice (Pick One) or Willie's Gut driving fans mad (not me, for IGIT! In Gut I Trust) gets boring for me as the writer, and for all 7 (is it that high?) of you who stop by and read my ramblings.

In any event, time to catch up on the events of the past week. Let's see, we took 2 of 3 from the Pirates, with Perez the loser in the lone loss. We then split a 4 game set with Manny Acta's Nationals over the weekend, where on Saturday night we had Willie losing count of who he had available. This week, we travelled to Milwaukee, with a heartbreaking loss on Tuesday in a game Tom Glavine pitched well enough to win #300, if not for Mota blowing it. The good news was that the boys rebounded, winning 8-5 yesterday (despite Perez having a bad first couple of innings) and 12-4 today (Brian Lawrence pitching OK in a spot start. Please have him go back to NOZ tonight.) David Wright had a nice game, going 4-5 with a HR. Easley had an Inside the Park HR, and Reyes went deep as well. Every starter had at least one hit. Except for new second-baseman Luis Castillo, who went 0-6.

Which brings me to trades made and not made. First, I am not bothered by the Castillo deal. For one, he cost nothing. Second, I like Gotay, he's a nice hitter, but he is not a good fielder. He has had at least 1 game losing error (the Dodgers series) and a few other miscues as well. It's not his range that is a problem, its on the DP turn. Castillo may not have great range, but he is a heck of a lot better turning 2. I know, he lacks the SLG% Gotay has, but in the playoffs, you need defense. You and I both know that if we went into the playoffs with Gotay at 2nd, and he lost a game on an error, Omar would be eviscerated for not trading for a new 2nd baseman.

As for trades not made, well, I hoped for some bullpen help, but the cost for a Cordero from the Nationals of Humber PLUS another player was too damn high. Frankly, Humber alone is too high for a set-up guy who's peripherals are not even close to say Aaron Heilman. Who knows, maybe Omar can pull of a waiver deal. Mota bounced back well last night, and Sosa has done well in the pen this week. Heilman is having his typical 2nd half resurgence. Wagner is Wagner. Just use The Show as a LOOGY, and use Pedro Dos as needed, and we will be fine. Who knows, maybe Joe Smith returns to April form.

As for deals other teams made, well, the Phillies added Kyle Lohse, who strikes fear into the hearts of the fans of the team he pitches for and no one else. They also added Tadahito Iguchi, to replace the injured Chase Utley. They also lost Victorino and Bourn to injuries. They are battling, I give them that.

The Braves of course made the big splash, adding Mark Teixeira and Octavio Dotel (let us not forget the other old friend, Royce Ring) by trading away half their farm team and one of their starters in Kyle Davies. Yes, the lineup is formidable, but their starting rotation isn't very deep and Smoltz has seen some skipped starts due to shoulder issues. They are getting career #'s out of a couple of guys. Let's see if that lasts.

The Yankees at least got their 3rd baseman for next year in Wilson Betemit in exchange for Scott Proctor. (End obligatory Yankee bash).

This weekend the Mets visit the Cubs, then it is home for 3 against the Braves. The Braves are in Colorado. The lead is 3.5 entering today. I would like to see that at 4.5 before Tuesday. Please?

Media Rants, But Still Pleased

2007-07-25T08:44:00.000-04:00

"It is hard to find any fault with the Mets after they pounded out 13 hits last night. Then again, it is hard to say all is right with the Mets because they played a team that is 41-57."

- Mark Herrmann, today's Newsday

OK Mark, I'll buy that. But tell me something, where is the same language when it comes to the team that is 7.5 games behind the Red Sox, and has been feasting on the likes of Tampa Bay (38-61) and Kansas City (43-55)? The team that has major bullpen issues? The team that stil trots Kei Igawa out there every fifth day? They win and it's all roses, they are back, and they are going to overtake the Red Sox and win the division. The Mets though are scrutinized, and a win is minimized because it came against a 41-57 team. Let's see some consistency. Oh, and why is the first place team in NY relegated to the middle of the sports section, with the Yanks getting the prime spot just inside the back page, and then 2 pages of coverage of the NBA fiasco? Why the hell is the first place team not in the prime spot? The bias is astounding.

It's utter bullshit. I'm not saying the Mets don't have some concerns. We don't know if Alou will play. We don't know what we will get from Pedro. There are outfield depth concerns. Still, the press keeps trotting out the same stupid trade ideas, like trading Lastings Milledge for Jermaine Dye, saying they need outfield help, but ignoring the fact that if the depth is so short, why the hell would Omar trade Milledge?

They come back from a trip where they took 4 of 7 against the elite of the NL West, and yet they are still spit on. They win a well played game last night, and they are questioned. John Maine again pitches very well, going 7 innings, allowing 2 runs, 1 BB with 7 K's, raising his record to 11-5 with a 3.04 ERA, yet that is hardly the story. He even hits a 2 run home run. Lastings Milledge goes 3-3 with a Home Run and 3 RBI and 2 Runs Scored, yet we get a side piece about how he might have been a tad exuberant after Maine hit his FIRST CAREER Home Run. Good for Lastings, he was happy for a teammate. He swung his arm a tad, big deal. If the Pirates were pissed, they got their revenge when he got plunked the next time up. Then Lastings got his when he went yard. Newsday of course put in a blurb about this, trying to make an issue about it, but Pirates manager Jim Tracy declined to "get into that". Alas, everything Lastings does is going to be scrutinized, probably to his detriment. The kid is exuberant, that is part of his way of playing. Cut that out, and you may harm him. Leave him the hell alone. I half expect to see a story about how he didn't lift the seat sometime next week.

Speaking of cranky old men, Keith, I love you, but STFU about the dugout celebrations. You sound like the old man yelling "hey you kids, get off of my lawn". I wonder, did Keith used to bitch to his teammates in the 80's when they gave curtain calls? As noted last night by Danny on Metsgeek, some of those guys were going halfway out to the first base line to take their bows. You've made your point Keith, hundreds of times. Let it slide.

All in all, a good night for the Mets. Good pitching (well, except for Mota). Good hitting (only Wright was hitless, but he did have a Sac Fly). Against a tough pitcher in Snell, who lasted all of 4 innings. Two more against the Pirates, then the Nationals come to town. I would love to go 5-2 on this homestand.

Now if only the Giants could win a game against the Braves, I could be really happy.

In other news, the Mets signed Eddie Kunz, their first pick in this year's draft. He will go to St. Lucie, and probably go up to Brooklyn before the end of the season. He will be used in the bullpen.

Prior to the game, Rick DiPietro took batting practice, which is nice since he is recovering from hip surgery, so he must be progressing. He also gave Tom Glavine an Islanders jersey with #47 on it. No word on if Glavine asked if he could have an Atlanta Thrashers jersey instead.

Be back tomorrow.

The (not so) Weekly Observations/Rants

2007-07-24T08:46:00.000-04:00

1. So, despite all the claims in the media last week that something must be amiss, Pedro Martinez returned from his home in the DR and threw a simulated game. Since he had not returned after 10 days, the press thought he must be injured and ran with it. I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for any of them to say "Oops, I guess I was wrong."

2. Michael Vick is under indictment for various charges related to dog-fighting. If found guilty, I say they lock him up with a few of the dogs he didn't slam to the ground until they died. Maybe strap his ass into the rape chair too, just for shits and giggles.

3. The Islanders resigned Chris Simon, who still has 5 games left on his 25 game suspension for trying to take the head off of Ryan Hollweg. Yeah, he's a good guy to have on the team.

4. The Isles also announced that Al Arbour will coach for 1 game on November 3, bringing his total games coached to 1,500. I have nothing snarky to say here.

5. Michael Chertoff, head of Homeland Security, said recently he has a "gut feeling" Al Queda may attack the US this summer. Michael, the only "gut" I want to hear from is that of Willie Randolph, OK? Take some Zantac and your gut will feel better. If you are that concerned, well, PROTECT THIS COUNTRY!

6. The Mets called up Anderson Hernandez following the injury to Jose Valentin. Seems the Mets felt, after the release of Julio Franco, they were missing a guy who could barely hit 190.

7. Someone explain to me why it wwas bad for Lastings Milledge to hi-5 fans after a game tying home run (off of Armando Benitez no less), but when Shelly Duncan hits a home run in a game the Yankees are leading by a tounchdown, it is OK for him to give a curtain call? Oh, that's right, Duncan is a Yankee, and they are all class all the time. That and of course he isn't "gangsta".

8. Barry Bonds is now 3 away from breaking Hank Aaron's record. Of course, even if he doesn't break it, Barry will hold the all time record for "Most Home Runs hit by a guy using the Cream and the Clear". So he's got that going for him.

9. Roger Clemens won his 351st game last night, beating the Royals. I'm sorry, do the Royals still count as a Major League team?

10. Drew Carey is set to replace Bob Barker as host of "The Price is Right". Apparently, after Rosie turned them down, they went with the next available out of work "comedian".

11. Alexi Yashin has decided to return to Russia to play hockey after no NHL team met his asking price. I'm thinking Carol Alt ain't gonna be happy about spending winters in Minsk.

12. David Beckham has joined the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. And that is about how much time I spend caring about Soccer.

13. The last Harry Potter book was released and sold quite well. I just couldn't get over the fact that Voldermort was exposed as the man behind the Yankees all this time.

14. Gary Sheffield, still a nimrod.

15. A spokesman for the German Protestant Church has called Tom Cruise the "Goebbels of Scientology". Well, I guess a German would know all about that eh? Here's a tip, when Cruise oversees the attempted extermination of a race of peoples, then you can bleat. Until then, STFU.

16. Sergio Garcia chokes like Armando Benitez facing the Braves. And those pants, for the love of Pete, get this guy on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" quick.

17. Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is under suspicion for betting on NBA games, including games in which he was working. Reached for comment, Pete Rose said "I'll give you 10-1 that he goes away for 5 years."

18. Certain fat over-rated pompous asses (AKA, Mike Francessa) are saying the NBA issue is worse than the Vick issue. Yeah, I can see how betting on games where nobody faced any physical harm can be worse than a man who had dogs fight each other to the death, had dogs killed who didn't measure up to standards, and owned a dog "rape chair". Sure, they are very equal.

19. Lindsay Lohan's boyfriend has dumped her since she is too "boring" now that she is out of re-hab. What, does the booze monitoring ankle bracelt she has taken to wearing interfere with fun in the bedroom?

20. Starbucks is raising prices by 9 cents. So, already overpriced awful coffee becomes more expensive.

21. Another year, another Tour de France leader being accused of doping.

22. So the Yanks have won a few games of late, beating the Tampa Rays and the Royals. Let me know when they beat a good team, OK?

Home Cooking Time

2007-07-23T09:04:00.000-04:00

The trip that was supposed to see the Mets fall out of first has ended, with the Mets holding a bigger lead (3.5 games) than they had when they departed (2.5 games) thanks to the Braves pulling their best Sergio Garcia impression last night against the Cardinals. Now, they return home for 7 games, 3 against the Pirates Tuesday - Thursday, and 4 against Manny Acta and the Nationals Friday, 2 Saturday and Sunday. At the same time the Braves visit San Fran (where Barroid will hope to hit at least 3 home runs) and then Arizona. The Phillies have 3 vs the Nationals and 3 versus the Pirates.

This is a week where the Mets can start to put some distance between themselves and the Braves. This is the week, coming on the heels of a nice 3 out of 4 vs the Dodgers where they can keep the pedal to the metal. Moises Alou returns tomorrow possibly (we shall see if the weather in NY has any impact. I'm thinking he isn't going to play on a wet field). Dos Carlos' are starting to hit. David Wright has begun to deliver in clutch situations again. Lastings Milledge doesn't have a high average, but he seems to be involved in a lot of Mets scoring plays. Jose Reyes had a good day yesterday, with a couple of extra-base hits. Resiliency is starting to creep back. The comeback yesterday. The survival of Glavine's start the other night. Even Saturday they tried to fight back. The bats are waking up, scoring 28 runs in the series against the Dodgers, who have a pretty good pitching staff.

But now, it is time to focus on the upcoming opponent. The Pirates are not good. They have some pitching talent, in Snell and Gorzelanny. Overall though, this team should not be able to hang with the Mets. Taking 2 of 3 is a must here. The Big 3 are going, Maine, Glavine and Perez. Then comes the weekend set against the Nationals, Sosa Friday, El Duque and possibly Pelfrey on Saturday and Maine on Sunday. Again, a series win is vital.

We stand about a week away from the non-waiver trading deadline. Omar and Willie need to decide what move(s), if any, are needed to get this team prepared for the post-season. Putting a little more distance between us and the Braves will allow Omar to deal from a position of strength, as opposed to weakness. For my part, I am hoping for nothing more than a bullpen tweak. The bench was helped with the addition of Marlon Anderson, who can play the infield and outfield and will not eat all the egg whites (or suck for that matter). The return of Alou helps here as well, as Milledge, when he doesn't start, can be a PH, the same goes for Alou or Green when Milledge starts. The starters are fine, you only need 3 in the playoffs, Maine, Perez and Glavine, so no need to import talent there (unless of course you can get a real difference maker, but the day of those deals are past).

Enjoy the day off today boys, for tomorrow, it is time.

On The Road Again

2007-07-16T09:16:00.000-04:00

Nice weekend eh? Take 3 of 4, although we did lose a game in the standings to the Braves (I'm waiting for McDowell to pull a WWE turn and take out Bobby Cox and Tim Hudson). The pen has been doing much better, giving up 1 run (Mike Pelfrey) in the last 30 some odd innings. Wagner got 3 saves in the series, and did well. Pedro Dos continued his fine pitching, Aaron Heilman has seemingly turned a corner. The pen is settling in. Some of the guys think it is because they now have set roles. If that is the case, good. We need the pen to return to the dominance of last year. I want teams to fear having to re-take a lead against the relievers. I want the starters to continue to pitch well. But the key of course is the lineup (same refrain we've all been preaching for weeks now.)

Lastings Milledge may not be the final answer, but he has done his part. First game back, he shows some hustle, scoring the eventual winning run from first on a single. Game 2, he hits a home run. Saturday, another hit. Yesterday, a 2 RBI double, and a nice recovery on a fly ball in right to make a catch. Since his return, he is hitting 267 with 5 RBI, a 313 OBP, 533 SLG and 846 OPS. Not bad for the #8 hitter eh?

But we need more. We need Wright, who has raised his average, to go on one of his blistering tears. We need Delgado to continue to improve. We need Reyes to start hitting balls in the gap. Gotay has done well in the #2 spot (sorry 'Stache). But the key folks is Beltran. He is the guy we need to get going. He can carry this team. He did it last year, but we have yet to see it this year.

July has not been kind to Carlos. He is hitting 133, with a 273 OBP, 311 SLG and 584 OPS. He has 2 HR, 6 RBI and 13 K's. That is not getting it done. I love Beltran, I think he has all the talent in the world, but he is not showing it. Hopefully, the road trip will get him going, as he has historically hit better on the road since becoming a Met than he does at Shea. This 7 game stretch against the Padres and Dodgers is the place to start. The Braves are 1.5 games back and playing well (and playing the Reds and Cardinals this week, not good for us). It is time for Carlos to go on one of his otherworldly type stretches where he hits everything thrown at him. Take this team on your back Carlos, lead us with the bat. Back on the road, hopefully, for a better trip than last time.

************************
Of course I would be remiss if I didn't discuss last weeks news. Now, I admit I was a Julio Franco supporter, but of late, my faith waned. I was not upset to see him go. I wish him luck, so long as it is on an AL team, or an NL team where he can help, not hurt us.

As for Rick Down, I wanted him gone last year, so I am not upset about his dismissal. Of course, now the media is worried their is a rift between Omar and Willie, since Down was Willie's guy. Guess what? Omar is the boss. Boss and employee don't always see eye to eye. Omar wanted to make a change, Willie may not have liked it, but he accepted it, and will move on. Instead of worrying about how this will affect their relationship, realize this is normal in business, and move on.

L Millz is Coming Y'all!

2007-07-10T21:03:00.001-04:00

Hide the women and children.

I joke, I kid. I'm looking forward to Lastings being back, for a LOT of reasons. First, he's a hell of a lot better than Ricky Ledee. Second, it's another bat with some pop in the lineup. Now, he isn't going to hit 20 HR's, but he is going to get his share of extra-base hits. With the lower third of our batting order (Green, Valentin) struggling, this is a good thing. He had 3 homers in his rehab stint in Binghamton, including 2 on Monday, and hit well over 400. Nice. He's in Brooklyn today and tomorrow, to get some more at-bats.

Odds are he will be here on Thursday as the Mets take on the Reds in a 4 game set. Hopefully, starting in left field, and hopefully, batting second. Why second you ask, and not 7th or 8th? Because PLD is not getting it done in the #2 spot, and the thought of Valentin or Easley hitting there makes me ill. The other options would be Wright or Beltran, but Wright is doing well in the #5 spot, and well, we know Willie ain't moving Beltran. Is Lastings the perfect answer? No. But he's the best one we have right now in my eyes.

Plus, he's gonna bring some exuberance with him. He's an excitable guy, and he wants to succeed. He's gotta know the fans will be on him if he does poorly, or says or does anything dumb. I'm sure he knows Willie and the boys will be on him too. It's time for him to prove that "he got his grown man on" and show those skills we've been hearing about.

Also returning this weekend should be Oliver Perez. He threw a rehab game yesterday, and reports had him feeling fine. He went 4 innings with 7 k's and reported no pain in his lower back. I don't need to explain how vital to the rotation he is.

Moises Alou is in St Lucie to rehab his quad. This is good news. Hopefully all goes well and we can get him back in early August. Then, we can have him in left, in a sorta platoon with Milledge perhaps. Once he returns, he's gonna need days off of course. Around that time we may see Endy Chavez, another left field option. Who knows, if Green keeps faltering, then perhaps Milledge can play some right field. The good news, no regular season games in Boston.

Then, in the middle of August, Pedro.

It's all falling into place fans. We jumped out to the early lead. Then, the injuries and awful play hit. Yet, the lead is still there. Now, the wounded are returning. Just in time for the stretch run. Buckle up, the second half of the season is about to begin.

A Good Day All Around

2007-07-06T11:03:00.000-04:00

I am happy this morning, as I expect most Mets and Islander fans are.

First the Mets. For once, a complete team game. Willie had a pre-game meeting prior to taking on the Astros. The boys responded with a 6-2 win. John Maine gave an FU to those who did not vote for him by going 7 + and allowing 2 runs (thanks in part to Joe Smith.) Maine struck out the side in the first inning after the Mets put 2 on the board, and finished with 9 K's. Smith Pedro Dos and Wagner finished it up.

The bats were nice. Jose Jose Jose led off with a triple and scored on a single by # 2 hitter Ricky Ledee (!?!?). Ledee then scored on a 2-out single by Carlos Delgado (4-4 with a walk, now 13-31 of late). The Mets scored 4 of their runs with 2 outs, a nice change of pace from the anemic RISP hitting of, oh, pretty much the entire damn season. Carlos Beltran added a late solo home run in the 9th to provide the final margin.

Before the game PLD dropped his appeal and sat out last night and will sit tonight as well. Ramon Castro did well in his place with 3 hits and 2 RBI's. As for why Ricky Ledee was playing, much less batting second, well, the missing PLD is part of the #2 spot, and the other reason is that Carlos Gomez went on the DL with a broken hamate bone in his hand which was removed during surgery yesterday. Gomez will be out 6-8 weeks. Lastings Milledge, see you after the ASB. The hamate bone is useless, so the removal should not impact him. How do I know this you may ask? Well, Ed knows a lot of useless crap.

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My happiness was completed when the Islanders announced 2 signings yesterday. First, Bill Guerin was signed for 2 years. Now, the money may be a tad high, but who hasn't signed a player for mad cash this offseason (I'm looking at you woodman, sweetlew and other Ranger fans). Guerin is 36, but scored that many goals last year. He is a legitimate #1 wing, plus he brings veteran presence to the locker room. I see him wearing at least an "A", if not the "C".
The other signing was 26 yr old Mike Comrie, who has bounced around a bit but has legitimate #1 talent. Only a 1 yr deal, so this is a test of the youngster. If he starts out hot, I would hope Garth is able to lock him up, since there are no #1 centers in the system right now.

Does this guarantee a playoff spot? No, of course not. But it does show players will sign here. A veteran like Guerin can only help in that regard. Newsday reported Bill and Mike talked about joining the Isles as they negotiated with Garth. They knew each other from their Edmonton Oiler days. Nice little package deal. Good job Garth. Now, about that defense...