Weekly Occassional Observations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?????????????????????????????

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

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!

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

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...

This is Starting to Become Irritating

After taking 3 of 4 from the Team to Beat on, the Mets went west for 3 against the Rockies. Now, someone who shall remain named Ed warned that just because we were going to hitters parks did not mean we were going to be the only beneficiaries. I was worried about going into the bandboxes with our set of Fly-ball pitchers. I am not an "I told you so" type of guy, but I was right. Not in Philly of course, but in Colorado.

Of course the fact that Ollie had to go on the DL didn't help matters since Vargas had to get the call. He showed why he needs a tad more time in NOLA. If you all remember his start against the Cubs, he did well for a while until the 5th when he got lit up. Well, this time he didn't wait that long. The Mets took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Vargas gave up 4 in the bottom of the first, on his way to allowing 9 in 3 1/3 innings along with 11 hits. Yeah, there were a lot of dinks and dunks, but as Keith said repeatedly, he just didn't have any velocity when he tried to go inside. Kaz Matsui had 5 hits for pete's sake.

Last night say El Duque throw another stinker. The problem is that the high altitude messes with breaking stuff. El Duque relies on breaking stuff. It was a formula for horror. It started off well for the boys as Wright went yard in the first for a 3-0 lead. Alas, El Duque couldn't hold it as he was batted around for 6 runs in 4 innings. The pen was awful, again, allowing another 11 runs in 4 innings, with Mota and The Show leading the charge as usual and even Pedro Dos giving up 3 runs. Only Heilman was able to pitch a full inning unscathed.

So the Rockies swept us, a few weeks after sweeping the Yanks, becoming the first team since the days of the Dodgers and Giants to sweep two NY teams in the same season. Crap.

Before the game last night, Vargas was sent down and Sandy Alomar Jr. was called up to be the 3rd string catcher in case PLD loses his appeal, and to keep Franco company on the bench. This call up probably allows Willie to use Castro as a PH as well since he would have another catcher in case something happened to PLD, like another temper tantrum.

The bats are quiet with the exception of DW and well, no one really. Beltran has done nothing since Philly. Green is still on the DL for as well as he is hitting. Delgado has a couple of good games and then goes quiet again. The pen has been terrible, with the exception of Pedro Dos and Wagner. Joe Smith has come back to earth, Mota is still in Spring Training. Heilman is giving up way too many HR's. The Show, well, he allowed a run on the road finally, so there goes that idea. What does Omar do now?

I do not want a big trade. I want Pelfrey, Humber, Milledge, et al to stay. Perhaps get another arm for the pen. ALou may be back by the end of the month. The starting pitching has been fine for the most part, I am not panicking over that group. Plus, we had some good news about Pedro, as he is ahead of schedule, throwing a 50 pitch simulated game the other day. He will now shut down for a week, and when he returns, will throw another simulated game, then, assuming all is well, will start rehab appearances. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

On to Houston. We will see Maine, Pelfrey, Glavine and Dave Williams against Jennings, Rodriguez, Woody Williams and Oswalt. The first three Houston starters have combined for a record of 10-20, so we will probably lose to all of them. Oswalt is 7-5, but is still fantastic. Oh, Peter Angelos, how I hate you.

Perhaps, the 17-7 blowout will cause some guys to take a long look in the mirror today. I've said that too many times this year. Maybe this time it works. The lead is now 3.

Just One Year of Love...

Is better than a lifetime of annoying the hell out of my wife. (The title of today's blog is from a Queen song off of the CD "A Kind of Magic". ) I started this blog so as to not annoy her with my incessant chatter about my sports teams. I had found an outlet for the Mets over on Metsgeek, but needed more.

My loves (besides the wife and kids of course) are the Mets and the Islanders and the Jets. My Jets made me happy this past season, exceeding expectations. The Mets last season made it to the NLCS. I still refuse to discuss how that ended. So far this season, they are within about 2 games of last years pace (48-34 last year, 46-35 this season), though the lead is 4 this year as opposed to 10.5 last year. Considering the injuries and the awful start to the month of June, the fact that they are still in 1st speaks well of the team, and ill of the other teams in the division, who also had awful June performances (well, the Phillies did OK at least till this past weekend.)
All in all, I have faith that the Mets will continue to lead the division, and will exceed last year's performance at the end of the year.

My first day last year, I blogged about the Islanders and the changes they had gone through. In fact, it was in my first posting over at the old address. At that time, they had just hired Ted Nolan as coach, and had named Neil Smith GM. I liked the former, not so much the latter. SMith of course lasted 40 days, and was replaced by Garth Snow. Smith made a couple of signings before he left, and Snow added a few people as well, including Ryan Smyth in a deadline beating deal for two prospects and this year's first round draft choice. Last season's #1 pick, Kyle Okposo, was a fantastic pick by all measures, but he will spend another year in college.

So a year later the team is in a bigger mess than it was. Gone are Smyth, Blake, Kozlov, Poti. Gone too is Yashin, though that was addition by subtraction. In excess of 100 goals has walked out the door. Offense is going to be in short supply. Defense is going to be poor. Rick DiPietro may regret signing a 15 year contract by the time December rolls around.

Despite making competitive offers, Garth Snow has been unable to attract any big name players to join the team so far this FA period. Why do players not want to come to LI? We know money isn't the issue, as Charles Wang is not exactly shy when it comes to writing fat checks (see Yashin, Alexei and DiPietro, Rick). Nolan is a good coach. DiPietro is a damn good goalie. Yashin is gone (this fact cannot be repeated enough). Mike Milbury is gone (another fact that cannot be repeated enough). A good player can get paid and can be part of a revival. So why not?

This morning in Newsday Garth Snow blamed the arena. I can't say I totally agree with him on this. Now, I do agree that the time has come for Nassau County to get their thumbs out of their asses and let Wang do the renovations he has been trying to get done for years. The county has been dragging their feet on the application process for years now. Enough is enough. The arena has been there, so the process should be a lot smoother. The county is messed up, and this is hurting the team. By dragging their feet on this, they are hampering Wang's ability to make money. A renovation will allow him to improve the atmosphere in the arena, and make it more fan friendly. It will increase the # of seats, will will allow more revenue. Wang has lost millions since he purchased the team. If he can get the renovations done, he may be able to turn a profit. Fans may be more willing to come to the arena. Other events could be held (perhaps more NCAA sub-regionals?) The county spent millions on a pool for some athletic event that has turned into a white elephant. Here they have an opportunity to improve the Coliseum, in the heart of the County. Make it a destination place again.

Of course, it all hinges on the ability to put a good team on the ice. You do that, and players will want to come. Fans will want to attend games. If Snow can groom the youngsters in the minors and make good picks in the draft, if Okposo can continue to blossom, if he can attract some players, the team can win. Once they win, the fans will come back. They always do. Look at the early 90's when they had a couple of good seasons. Look at the early 2000's when they made the playoffs. The fans came and the place rocked. But they need a reason to come. They want to see a good team. I fear that this season we will not have one. I forsee the #1 overall pick being up for grabs at the end of the season. Perhaps they can get an impact player like a Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin. There is some talent on the team now. Hunter is good. Satan hopefully will be consistent. Sillinger is a gamer. We all know how good DiPietro can be. Let's hope Nolan can get them to overachieve this year.

And lets hope the Nassau County Government gets off their asses and give Wang the approvals he needs to fix the Coliseum.

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I've enjoyed blogging this past year. I want to thank those who come and visit, whether they leave comments or not. I'm not a stats guy, I am simply a fan. I love the Mets, I love the Jets and Islanders. I just try to blog from my heart, to give my thoughts, a simple fan perspective, on how things are going. I hope you enjoy it. And I hope to do it for years to come.