A NEW YORK METS FAN BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Derek Lowe

2009-01-03T09:01:00.003-05:00

A Turning Point? It Just May Be

2008-05-29T11:44:00.003-04:00

The Mets defeated the Marlins last night at Shea Stadium in 12 innings by the score of 7-6. What was special about this game wasn't the fact that they won, but the way that they played. Willie played what the papers are dubbing "the super subs" and it paid off for the second night in a row. It is not that I normally would like a team to have Damion Easley batting 5th and Fernando Tatis batting 6th and playing right field, but it is the energy and leadership that these subs seem to bring that has made me believe again. These players play the game the right way and it seems to be contagious. All of a sudden the last couple of nights the bullpen has pitched better, the team is playing great defense and the offense is getting the hits they need to win the game. More importantly it seems as if the team is finally starting to believe in itself. Based on post game remarks by many different players you could tell this was the case.

Endy Chavez on the win “The ambiance over here is changing, it’s more positive. I know we have good talent down here and we just have to work hard and show it on the field.”

Reyes on the win: “It is big, because we win the series too. To come through like that, to win that game, it’s huge for us. Tomorrow, we come with a different energy to the game…Hopefully we can continue to play like this against the Dodgers.”

Lastly, Wagner on the win: “I mean, there was a different feeling about how we were playing. The whole game, even when we were down, we were like, you know, there’s a different feeling here. And you can tell, guys were doing a lot of things, you were getting a lot of aggressive play.”

Its not the win that has people so excited, it is the manner that it happened and the way the players feel that have people feeling like this could be the start of something.

WHAT'S UP WITH METS FANS?

2008-04-28T08:42:00.003-04:00

I woke up this morning embarrassed. What is with all of the negativity in Metsville these days? Why all the booing? What crime did Carlos Delgado commit against us that has caused all of this venom. I get frustrated with him and his fading ability...but the dude plays a game......Have we become Phillie's fans? Or worse?

There are so many positives right now, and a few things that need to be fixed.

The positives:

Nelson Figueroa. He's been a godsend. A guy who came out of no where....Pitched 280 innings in 2007, and knows how to PITCH. Anybody booing yesterday notice that the number 5 starter is 2-1 and is consistently getting into the 6th inning? And beat John Smoltz

Duaner Sanchez. He looks to be back.

Ryan Church. The guy is a baseball player. Quite a catch he made against the Braves.

Luis Castillo. Had a good series against the Braves and is swinging the bat pretty well in the 2 hole.

Billy Wagner. Right now, he's un-hittable

Johan Santana. As good as advertised.....He really mowed down the Phillies last Friday night.

While all you knuckleheads are booing, think about this. The METS took two out of three in Philadelphia, and just took two out of the from the Braves. Getting swept in Wrigley Field didn't bother me (getting pounded 7-1- and 8-1 was hard to watch) as much as that 10-5 debacle in Washington the other night.

My point is that the METS are playing very well against the teams they have to beat.

Things that need to be fixed

Jose Reyes need more patience at the plate

Brian Schneider needs to recover quickly....he's an above average catcher and the staff need him.

Aaron Heilman has to regain his command.

Carlos Beltran need his left handed stroke back.

The METS are last in MLB in home runs? An April aberration, I hope so.

METS fans need to sit back, enjoy the game, relax and start cheering again

LOOKING GOOD

2008-04-21T09:29:00.004-04:00

Things seem to be coming together. When Jose Reyes gets on base, and with David Wright locked in at the plate, Carlos Beltran quietly beginning to swing the bat well, the New York METS resemble the the team we fans expected. As I read other blogs (many often negative), there seems to be a grudging admittance that he Church-Schneider deal was one of Omar's better moves as GM.

I don't mean to nit pick, but I liked Ryan Church batting 2nd and Castillo batting 8th. I hope Willie reconsiders his move and returns Church to he two hole.

Zambrano-Maine tonight, if Maine can kep the ball down. the METS should be in good shape.

Is all the talk about the Phillies having the METS number (and being in their heads) finally over? Santana and Perez shut the Phillies down and really set the tone for the series. Is Chase Utley officially a Mets killer?

If I'm worried, it's the bullpen. Particularly Aaron Heilman.

Should Moises Alou sit or start over Angel Pagan when he is ready to play? My vote is to let Pagan continue to play.

Enough of these national games. Kenny Albert, Joe Morgan. I prefer Ron, Keith and Gary, on MLB Extra's

MID APRIL OBSERVATIONS

2008-04-15T19:45:00.007-04:00

I've gotten a number of emails from readers, who like me, follow the New York METS from our homes away from New York. We have the advantage of watching the Mets without all of the negativity swirling around them in New York. A special thanks to Justin, a Mets fan from the Midwest.

Moving Ryan Church up in the order and dropping Castillo to to eight hole looks like a good move. Pagan, Church and Schneider are looking like good off season pickups.

What was the point of Mets fans booing Santana last Saturday? I felt embarrassed by it

Ted Berg's comments on SNY TV make sense to me

“I think the real problem starts in the media. Local columnists love a good bugaboo, and this year, they’re treated to the supposed hangover from the Great Collapse of 2007… Fans read and hear about the carryover effect of 2007 and boo when they think they see it playing out in front of their eyes. It’s their prerogative and as an avowed booer myself, I’m hardly one to judge. But it seems senseless to boo a team so early in the season, with so little evidence to back it up.”

I agree, I have stopped reading the Post and Daily News...I'm interested in reading about game summaries and a breakdown of strategy, not 2007.

Based on the way Lastings Milledge played Jose Reyes's double, he's probably better suited go play one of the corner outfield positions. (OK, one play is a small sample, I admit it).

Is David Wright David Letterman's favorite player?

I still think Johan Santana will win 18 games in 2008.

Mike Pelfrey in my opinion, will be a key to this season. Watching him tonight, he is really throwing well. The Mets need him to go out and give them six quality innings every time he takes the ball. He threw the ball well against the Phillies last week and again tonight against the Nats.

Looks like Jose Reyes needed a couple of days off. Single, Double and Triple in 3 AB's.

Mets need to improve on getting runners from 3rd. with less than two outs. Too many wasted scoring opportunities. Maybe some more production from Beltran and Deldado

Nelson Figueroa

2008-04-12T11:05:00.002-04:00

Being that I'm a Brooklyn born New Yorks Mets fan, living in eastern Massachusetts, ( 5 miles from Brandeis University), it was like being in a sports candy store.

With a flick of my clicker, I had the METS- Brewers, Red Sox-Stinkees, and the RANGERS-Devils.

Most surprising to me was Figueroa's performance. Great command of the strike zone, and he was pitching with a plan. He was economical, and didn't seem intimidated by Fielder or Braun. getting six innings from your emergency # 5 starter is a pleasant bonus. Hey Omar, this looks like a good move.

David Wright has been playing solid baseball, even though he's not hitting. Two stolen bases on Thursday night (even with a "o-for"), two hits last night. Pagan and Church continue to play well.

As a team, they've adapted well (so far) to the ball not carrying and their lack of power hasn't hurt them. Playing .750 baseball at Shea (winning 3 out of 4) is a huge improvement over 2007. Lets hope it continues.

Johan Santana vs Ben Sheets is an early season treat for me. Santana's Shea debut should be exciting.

PELFREY GIVES THE METS A BOOST

2008-04-10T08:24:00.008-04:00

A much needed win. Both in the standings and for the mental health for New York METS fans everywhere. Some observations;

The ball isn't carrying very well at Shea . The ball that Carlos Beltran hit in the 1st inning just hung up and died.

Mike Pelfrey threw well. I was impressed when he challenged Ryan Howard in the first inning. Went right after him, no nibbling on the corners. In the second inning, he kept his composure after the Jose Reyes misplay of the 5-4-3 ground ball.

Angel Pagan hit well in the two hole. Maybe when Luis Castillo comes back, Manager Willie Randolph will leave Pagan hitting second.

Was that ball David Wright hit past Chase Utley in the first inning, an error or a base hit?

Last night proved how valuable Jimmy Rollins is. Phillies were a different team without him.

Pedro Feliciano was effective, it was good to see him in the game.

Number 5 starter, who gets the ball?

OPENING DAY

2008-04-08T08:17:00.007-04:00

The 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday was a bitter pill to swallow, but it is still early April. So the New York Mets return home after a 2-3 road trip. The highlight (or low light) was another terrific outing by Johan Santana that ended in a bitter defeat.

So bring on the Philadelphia Phillies and the start of the last season of baseball at Shea Stadium. I've been reading about erasing the stench of 2007 and the chance that these two teams might brawl. I think they'll play 19 terrific baseball games in 2008 and this series will supply enough drama and close games to satisfy any real baseball fan.

The biggest problem the 2007 Mets had was that they were barely a .500 team in Flushing. What wins titles is dominating at home and playing .500 or better on the road. Another way of looking at it is that even lousy teams win 60-65 games, and great teams will loose 60-65 games. It's what you do in the remaining 40 games that really matters. Last year, when it counted, the Mets made too many blunders during those key 40 games and it cost them.

With Citi Field practically leaning against the center field wall at Shea, I wonder if balls hit to Center will die an earlier death than normal, or travel further ??

JOHAN SANTANA vs JOHN SMOLTZ

2008-04-06T13:10:00.028-04:00

Johan Santana vs John Smoltz. Thanks to Bobby Cox and Willie Randolph for making this happen.

Another good match up today is Josh Beckett against Roy Halladay. I'll be watching both but commenting on the New York Mets vs Atlanta Braves

No.....the game is on Sport South.....

Smoltz , throwing well in the 1st......considering he's coming off a stint on the DL..... Hitting mid 90's on gun. Getting squeezed a bit by the ump.

Johan Santana throwing well today... A gets a lucky two bagger..... Wasted opportunity for the Mets. Wright was fooled badly by that Smoltz slider.

Nice fielding play by Santana saves a run....You can't get beaten by Yunel Escobar. Ever!

Smoltz is is still throwing well.......Bad play by Delgado getting doubled off....

Jose Reyes should have made the play on Franceour's flyball. But a 5-4-3 double play gets the Mets out of more trouble. Smoltz still throwing well after 75 pitches.

Blaine Boyer throws a good 6th for the Braves ( you can't have 2 called third strikes against a guy with 13.50 ERA). Santana throwing well through six.

Another wasted opportunity in the 8th

Aaron Heilman can't give up the gopher ball to Teixiera...

The Mets wasted a great outing by Johan Santana. Every game against the Braves is a big game, every loss stings. The Mets have to hit better in the clutch. Delgado getting doubled off first, David Wright striking out with a runner on 3rd, Angel Pagan flying out with a runner on 3rd.
Reyes never got on base.........It'll be a long airplane ride to New York.

Will Pedro or Hampton Make More Starts This Season?

2008-04-04T13:38:00.006-04:00

Both Pedro Martinez and Mike Hampton went down with injuries in their first starts of the 2008 season. Pedro left with a mild hamstring strain, while Hampton went down with a pectoral injury. One could argue that if Pedro makes more starts the Mets will be more successful than the Braves and if Hampton makes more starts the Braves will be more successful. Lets take a look at each pitcher's injury history:

Mike Hampton:

August 19th 2005 Suffers an Elbow injury and Has to have Tommy John Surgery which sidelines him until April of 2007

March 7th 2007: Suffers a torn oblique muscle and needs and is expected to be out until May

April 8th 2007: Suffers another injury to his elbow and it is announced
that he will have another procedure done that will keep him out all of the 2007 season

November 7th 2007: Suffers a hamstring injury while fielding a comebacker in a
Mexican League game

March 7th 2007: Leaves a spring start due to a mild strain of his groin muscle.

April 3rd 2007: Suffers a pectoral injury and is placed on the 15 day DL

Pedro Martinez

July 2001: Pedro is put on the DL with a rotator Cuff Injury

March 2006: Dealing with pain in his toe and tries out different shoes to avoid DL time

May 2006: Injures hip in a game in Arizona

September 2006: MRI reveals he has a torn
Calf

October 2006: Another MRI reveals that he has torn his rotator cuff and misses most of 2007

April 2008: Suffers a mild strain to his hip and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks

After looking at both pitchers' injury history, I would put my money on Pedro. The fact of the matter is that Hampton has not pitched since 2005 and Pedro was very effective for the Mets down the stretch in 2007 albeit their historic collapse. The Mets will have to weather the storm until Pedro is better.

ON TO 'HOT LANTA

2008-04-03T05:44:00.002-04:00

Has it been 35 years? Gil Hodges died on April 2, 1973. RIP to great man..........

Impressions from game #3.

Nice play by Ryan Church in the corner throwing out Hanley Ramirez. (Hanley wasn't running hard out of the box)

Carlos Delgado gets his first 2008 RBI

And Church get his first Mets HR

Oliver Perez is throwing well, good sequence against Hanley Ramirez in the 5th

Andrew Miller has a live arm......too many three ball counts

Carlos Beltran seems to be in mid season form. He crushed two balls last night....and got screwed on the HR/Double

Scary double play in the 4th, Ollie almost got Castillo killed. Nice relay to first to get Cantu

David Wright is swinging the bat well. The home run was crushed...

Luis Castillo CAN'T throw that ball away.........

Pitching well, making contact, hitting with power, Beltran had 3 doubles, Wright a double a single and 3 run homer, Church a homer and a single, Reyes a 2 RBI double, Castillo 2 hits....

Bullpen continues to dominate, bottom of the order is producing, Ollie was solid..........now off to Atlanta

Larrrrrrry, Larrrrry !!!!

Farewell, Bob Lobel , it was time to retire your act. To those of you who do not know Bob, a local Boston sports reporter.....a smug homer, although he did ask the tough questions.............hates the Mets and Jets........

GAME # 2- EXTRA INNINGS BUMMER

2008-04-02T08:15:00.003-04:00

Impressions from game #2.

So much for Santana Mania.......

The Florida Marlins are a dying franchise

New York Mets fans (you know who you are) should take a chill pill........

VandenHurk was pretty wild, I'd like to see some more patience at the plate

Pedro Martinez was hanging too many pitches in the strike zone......

Carlos Delgado finally gets a hit

Bottom of the lineup is producing some runs.....The Brian Schneider- Ryan Church for Milledge deal looks good (two starters, including a catcher)

Sac bunt and 2 Sac flies get the Mets back into the game

Pedro tweaks his hammy.........

David Wright almost wins it in the ninth.....

The bullpen has been lights out, (except for Matt Wise)

Please, Jim Larranaga, make up your mind and come north the Rhode Island

OPENING DAY IMPRESSIONS

2008-03-31T19:21:00.002-04:00

New York Mets Opening Day Musings- NY Mets 7, Florida Marlins 2

Castillo has to score on Beltran's bloop double. There were 2 outs.....

Boy is Johan Santana throwing well.... and he can field his position

Carlos Beltran, two doubles.......I'm relieved.........

Nice rip by Angel Pagan and Ryan Church....bottom of the order comes through

David Wright, hitting in the clutch

Mets don't look very sharp, kind of ragged. Santana is laboring a bit in the 5th, (error and wild pitch) but is still throwing quite well. His changeup is his out pitch. Hanley Ramirez doesn't have a chance against Santana.

Santana throws 7 innings, 8 k's, two walks......he's lived up to the hype

Hanley Ramirez can play shortstop

Why Matt Wise in the 8th? Scott Schoeneweis faces one batter (good managing, Willie) Jorge Sosa to face Willingham (righty-righty), to get out of the inning unscathed.

Reyes laying down a sacrifice bunt in the ninth, with a four run lead........good move, the Marlins infield throws it around and Marlon Anderson scores, 7-2 lead.

Aaron Heilman mopping up in the ninth.

Excellent effort ! Timely hitting, great pitching, bullpen did its job! Also, Washington Nationals 11, Philadelphia Phillies 6

OPENING DAY!

2008-03-31T09:20:00.002-04:00

I've read in couple of places that New York Mets manager Willie Randolph is on the hot seat, (along with GM Omar Minaya). Message to the Wilpon's, please leave your baseball people alone and pay attention to the business side of the franchise

I loved watching the NY Mets play in the Civil Rights Game last Saturday. (always nice to beat Ozzie Guillen).

-Are the New York Mets vulnerable to left handed pitching?. They have three lefty hitters already in the Nos.5-8 slots in the batting order (Delgado, Church and Schneider). This is the impact of the injury to Moises Alou .

-Carlos Beltran can still turn on a fastball when he is hitting left handed

-John Maine looked good on Saturday, even in the downpour in the first inning. Oh yeah, Joe Morgan was terrible....

- A big woops for Joe, Odalis Perez is the Mets # 3 starter?

-Duaner Sanchez on the DL? Should we be concerned?

-Congratulations to Willie Randolph. He was beeming with pride when catching the first pitch from Martin Luther King's son, Martin.

-Enough of this collapse talk, please. I love this team.....Johan Santana gets the ball at 4:10 pm this afternoon in Miami. Lets Go Mets!

- I'm getting tired of all the whining about the Boston Red Sox having to go to Japan to start the season. (Not the players, but Jerry Remy, Dan Shaughnessy, etc, etc.) Suck it up, fella's

Happy Spring! Opening day is today!!!!

CAN WE START THE REAL GAMES NOW?

2008-03-21T12:07:00.003-04:00

Things to ponder

-Are the New York Mets vulnerable to left handed pitching?. They have three lefty hitters already in the Nos.5-8 slots in the batting order (Delgado, Church and Schneider). This is the impact of the injury to Moises Alou .

-John Maine has been lights out this Spring.

-Big Start for Pedro Martinez today. Can he repeat last Saturday's performance of four scoreless inning today?

-Duaner Sanchez threw fastballs and change-ups in one inning against the Orioles touching 91 mph on the scout's guns.

-Congratulations to Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkalis and the rest of the Boston Red Sox for standing up to both MLB and the MLBPA when they discovered the royal screwing that the coaches and other team personnel were getting over the trip to Japan. And BOO to the Oakland Athletics for just standing pat on the issue

Happy Spring! Opening day is just 9 days away!

WHAT'S UP WITH THIS?

2008-03-19T14:02:00.004-04:00

Normally, my focus is on the New York Mets. But this is a black eye on MLB. Shame on you Bud, for sticking it to the little guy!

From Boston. com

Boston Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell confirmed to the Boston Globe's Jackie MacMullan that the team voted unanimously this morning not to make the scheduled trip to Japan or play its final spring training game against Toronto this afternoon unless the coaches, training staff, and equipment staff were going to be compensated for making the trip to Japan.

''When we voted to go to Japan, that was not a unanimous vote,'' said Lowell, "but we did what our team wanted us to do for Major League Baseball. They promised us the moon and the stars, and then when we committed, they started pulling back. It's not just the coaches, it's the staff, the trainers, a lot of people are affected by this.

"I'm so super proud of this team. When we put it to a vote it was unanimous, we're all in agreement that we're not going to put up with this.''

Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona and his players were extremely irked after learning the team's coaches were not going to get the $40,000 stipend they assumed they'd be getting for making the trip to Japan (players will also receive a payment). Francona had informed the coaches they'd be getting the stipend.

However, the Red Sox manager was told by members of the Oakland A's coaching staff that they were not being paid. Francona had thought it was unusual that one team's staff would be paid and the other not. So he checked into it and found he and his coaches were getting nothing.

The Boston Red Sox are scheduled to leave Fort Myers after today's Grapefruit League finale against the Blue Jays (12:05 p.m.), but now it appears both the game and the flight are somewhat in question.

"That's one of the things we've been talking about," David Ortiz said of the potential Japan boycott. "It's really [expletive] up."

The scene here in Florida is an odd one, for sure. There have been conversations going on about the issue among the Boston Red Sox staff, including one between Lowell and Francona and between Lowell and Theo Epstein. Meanwhile, there are a couple hundred suitcases outside the locker room being tagged and weighed for the trip to Japan.

Francona said he doesn't care about himself but that in some cases the $40,000 represents some two-fifths of a coach's salary. The Boston Red Sox are scheduled to face the Oakland Athletics in two season-opening games in Tokyo on March 25 and 26.

TIME TO ORDER THE MLB PACKAGE

2008-03-18T12:27:00.005-04:00

Opeinng day is less than two weeks away and I guess I should go to RCN and get the MLB package added to my digital tier. (MY wife will be thrilled, at least she'll know what my son's are up to on a hot summers night). Now, some news from Mets Camp

Positives

Pedro Martinez was light out on Sunday! Ramon Castro on Pedro....."He's [throwing] harder than the last two years," ....."His changeup's still the same, nasty. . . . Cutter, the same. His velocity's harder. Location was great. Different Pedro."

The Starting Rotation, Martinez, Santana, Maine and Perez may be the best starting four in the National League. (Including the Braves and Dodgers). If El Duque/ Pelfrey can win 12 decisions between the two of them, I love their chances in the division.

David Wright/Jose Reyes, both have played under the radar this spring but are healthy and still a couple of years away from their prime.

Luis Castillo, even with surgically repaired knees, a major upgrade from last season.

Ryan Church, an upgrade over Shawn Green.

Angel Pagan, I hope his Spring performance carries over to the regular season. Nice Alou insurance.

Negatives:

Carlos Beltran's knees.

Carlos Delgado, can he bounce back?

Duaner Sanchez, anything left? Will he ever be healthy?

Moises Alou, will he stay head of Father Time?

Billy Wagner, I don't care what his stats say, he scares me

Other Musings, people who have to just SHUT UP!

Paul Lo Duca

The Philadelphia Phillies

Chipper Jones (I'm mentioning him out of habit)

Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, Larry Lucchino, Jerry Remy and Michael Kay, I don't give a crap what you have to say

Happy B'day, Maury and Pix

SPRING TRAINING KEEPS CHUGGING ALONG

2008-03-16T13:54:00.001-04:00

I took a couple of day off and watched Eliot Spitzer crash and burn and watch everyone obsess over the side show, the Mets continue to roll along in the Spring

Should Aaron Heilman start? No, leave him in the pen. They need a 1-2-3 guy for the eight inning and a gateway to Billy Wagner.

Johan Santana looks as good as advertised. The deal has left the Mets one corner outfielder short. I've seen Carlos Gomez 3 times already this spring on NESN. The kid has a cannon for an arm and I can see why the Twins wanted him. I see alot of American League Baseball living in Boston and I'll be paying attention to him. Who is out there to replace him? Stay tuned.

John Maine is having a great spring. Hasn't given up an earned run in 10 innings, and has an ERA of 2.63.

Carlos Beltran played Center Field yesterday and went 2-3. Good to see.

Willie Randolph on Jose Reyes (Sunday Boston Globe; 3-16-08)

Question, have we seen the best of Jose Reyes?

:"There's way more, way more. He's still a baby. There's a lot of guys that have talent, but there's a difference in having talent and having mature talent, and what he went through last year was part of the maturation period, the growing. He just got into a funk at the wrong time. Now, that could have happened midseason, it could have happened early season. He went through a confidence blow at a time when we needed him the most. He still doesn't understand the concept of what winning baseball is all about. Like Derek Jeter. Derek Jeter understands, but it took him a while, too. Jose Reyes is no different; he's going to be a phenomenal player for a long time.

Rumors and Other Things of Interest

2008-03-12T09:58:00.004-04:00

Several media outlets are reporting talks between the Mets and Red Sox about a Angel Pagan, Coco Crisp trade. Theo Epstein denies the talks.

Joel Sherman (NY Post) writes that the Mets have chatted with the Blue Jays about OF's Shannon Stewart and Reed Johnson. I like the idea of Reed Johnson as he can play all three outfield positions. With Carlos Beltran's knees an early season (maybe longer) concern, he'd be a good addition. Not sure I want Stewart.

Pedro had a 59 pitch simulated outing and threw pain free (always good news!) His comments afterwards...

“I think the stamina’s there, the strength is there to go over four innings…I got a little more than 55 pitches and still felt pretty good…Today, I just felt like I was starting to warm up. I’m thinking, if it was a real game and I felt so good, it would have been the same. The key is just to feel healthy, and I really felt that today. I feel like I’m really, really healthy… " (from METSBLOG)

Looks like Angel Pagan (if not traded) will head north when camp breaks. (18 Spring Training hits, including a HR today .....please save a couple for Shea Stadium, Angel)

We'll get our first look at Luis Castillo at 2nd this afternoon. Little has been written about this move, but i feel much better now hat I know that 2nd will no longer be a revolving door. I like his speed, his bat and his defense. I think Castillo will be one of the keys to the season.

Scott Schoeneweis is rumored to be on the trading block. I know he wasn't a fan favorite and could not get outs at Shea, but he pitched pretty well on the road last year. I hope they get something of value for him...we'll see.

You heard it hear....Pedro, Ollie, Johan and Johnny mine will win 65 games between the four of them.

Johan Was Nasty

2008-03-11T09:36:00.005-04:00

Johan was very impressive yesterday. He had both the fastball and change up working. He was tying right handed hitters up with a pitch on the hands, just above the knees. Impossible to hit. The Youkalis and Veritek strikeouts were nasty.

Joel Sherman (NY Post) should lighten up a bit on Willie Randolph. He's now comparing him to Tom Coughlin. I love Willie's retort.

"I grew up here. I know what time it is."

Lighten up, Joel. Go over the Yankeeville and interview Billy Crystal.

The news out of Florida that is being ignored is how well the Mets starters are pitching. What a difference it is having a bona fide ace at the top of the rotation.

RED SOX NATION INVADES PORT ST LUCIE

2008-03-10T09:16:00.007-04:00

Things are beginning to look up for the Mets and their injured players. The two Carlos's (Delgado and Beltran), may see some action today against the Boston Red Sawx (sorry couldn't help myself). Ryan Church played yesterday and was 2 for 2 and reported no side effects from his concussion. By the way, Tyler Kapner of the New York Times writes an interesting piece; For Church, Concussion Reveals Baseball’s Hazards. The story reveals a player with some heart ( a brother serving in Iraq) and the scary side effects of brain injuries. I'm glad he's my right fielder. Every team need character guys, and could be one.

Willie Randolph continues to be impressed with Angel Pagan. Burt Hubbuch wrote in today's New York Post;

Outfield hopeful Angel Pagan legged a blooper into a double in the second inning while raising his spring average to .429.
"That's why I love this kid," Randolph said. "Average isn't going to make this club, plays like that will."

He also noted about the today's exhibition game against the Sawx:

The bulk of the crowd no doubt will be red-clad Red Sox fans, thousands of whom have followed the defending champions around Florida like cultists since the first of Boston's two recent World Series titles in 2004. Just yesterday, the Red Sox helped the Dodgers draw the largest crowd - 9,293 - in the 60-year history of Dodgertown.

The Red Sox also have a track record of helping fill Tradition Field. A visit by Boston last spring attracted 7,325 fans, which set the Mets' existing record.

No doubt, many will be pseudo baseball fans, or as we call 'em up here in Massachusetts, PINK HATS.

Boston sports fans are notorious BAND WAGON JUMPERS. How is that for stirring the pot?

Wallace Matthews, What Is Your Problem?

2008-03-07T09:29:00.003-05:00

Spring Training is dragging on, with meaningless games and a chance for minor leaguers to show the big club that they can play. Fernando Martinez seems to be the real deal, although he fields fly balls as if they are live hand grenades. Pay attention to Angel Pagan, who'll be your starting left fielder on Opening Day and into early May. After all, Moises Alou will be 42 soon, and will heal slowly.

So the Sports writers must be pretty bored. Prime example, Wallace Matthews of Newsday. Why the hair across your ass about Mets?

Your March 4 column "Underachieving Mets Aren't Boasting Anymore, got my attention;

How about this little ditty;

"Last year, the Mets were so confident about assuming their rightful place atop the baseball world, they adopted the marketing slogan Your Season Has Come."

"The slogan was presumptuous at best, arrogant and irritating at worst. And by the time the 2007 Mets completed the most ignominious regular-season collapse in the history of sports, it had become an embarrassment"

HMMM, I wasn't irritated and didn't really pay attention. OK, they blew a 7 game lead with two weeks left in the season and rolled over at the end and died. Why are you reminding me of this? Arrogant, irritating? So what is your point? They folded, I remember.......

And;

"because right now, it is tough to read how good this Mets team is going to be"........."Aside from Santana, Jose Reyes and David Wright"

So we are supposed to despair over 20 wins, 100 runs scored and .320/30 HR's/110-120 RBI's ?

"the roster is aging and lacks depth. Have we seen the best of Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Moises Alou, Pedro Martinez and Billy Wagner? Probably so, and it hasn't been good enough."

Wallace, where have you been? Why are you dogging Carlos Beltran? If you haven't noticed, he's hit 70 HR's the last two years, driven in 200 plus runs and has won a Gold Glove. He's 30......Wallace, he's 30!!!!! Entering his prime. Jealous of his paycheck?? Pedro and Wagner will be fine.......

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

Last time I looked, it's early March.......boondoggle? Hey Wallace, what's your agenda?

"Can the addition of Santana, who can help out only once every five days, really cure all that ailed the 2007 Mets, the failures of heart and discipline and character?"

Lack of character, heart and discipline. Pretty serious accusations.........

Like I said, March is a pretty boring time in Baseball

Injury Concerns? Lets Get Them Out of The Way Now

2008-03-05T16:35:00.005-05:00

Since the last time I posted, there have been some strange injuries that have occurred. El Duque and Moises Alou are having their normal spring injuries that seem to occur every year. Alou was sent back to New York to have an MRI on an apparent mild strain of his groin. El Duque is having problems with the foot that gave him problems towards the end of last year. El Duque doesn't concern me as much because I truly believe that Pelfrey will be the 5th starter at some point during the season anyways. For all we know after last season, Alou's MRI is probably just precautionary. Last season he went down for what was supposed to be a month and ended up being a good part of the season. Delgado is an injury that has me a little bit concerned, but I feel as though it was once again precautionary. He explained that he experienced a little bit of pain here and there during the offseason with his hip. If there is some sort of an injury there, we want to make sure we get it taken care of right now. The other players that went through surgery in the offseason seem to be on track (Beltran, Castillo, Endy). Ryan Church and Marlon Anderson may have won the award for the strangest injury of the offseason. They collided going after a blooper in the outfield and both have yet to return. Once again as the motif of this thread suggests, lets get these injuries over with now!

I Can't Wait For March 31st

2008-03-04T13:20:00.003-05:00

It’s been an a couple of boring days since the last time I posted. A lot of Mets player are getting hurt (see Ryan Church) or are recovering from from off season surgery (Beltran and Castillo) and El Duque's bunions are barking.

The events of spring training thus far have been Pedro (we celebrate bullpen sessions?) and Johan getting loose aganst the Cardinals and giving up Home Run to Albert Puljos. Yawwwwwwn!!

I guess Mike Pelfrey will probably cost El Duque his roster spot and the focus for the next couple of weeks is stretching the pitchers out, sorting out the Bullpen and getting the regulars (Carlos Delgado) healthy and getting some timing at the plate.

March is a good sports month, just not a good baseball month. The College B'Ball Tournament, Hockey East and the end of the NHL regular season will keep me occupied, but I can't wait for March 31, and Opening Day in Miami.

Well, at least we have Hank Steinbrenner and his circus over in the Bronx to keep us entertained. What a bozo!

Can You tell I'm bored?

Santana's Debut

2008-03-01T13:11:00.002-05:00

After watching the Mets first home spring training game and Johan Santana's first ever start (Spring or regular season) as a met, I came away with a few impressions of the team and of Santana.

#1 Santana
His stat line didn't look good, but according to Santana he was just getting a feel for the hitters and using mostly his fastball. The Cardinal's hitters were aggressive and took advantage of first pitch fastballs by Santana. Overall not much to be worried about here.

#2 Mets Offense
David Wright and Jose Reyes appear to be in regular season form. Carlos Delgado looked good as well, but apparently was sent back to NY for an MRI on his hip. He played most of the game and I didn't see anything that looked to be alarming about him physically so I would say its not much to be worried about with a month left to go in the spring.

#3 Bullpen arms in particular Duaner Sanchez
Aaron Heilman looked sharp in getting the heart of the Cardinals lineup out that included Troy Glaus and Albert Pujols. Billy Wagner was hitting low to mid 90's on the gun in his one inning of work, which to me means that he will add even a couple of mph's to his fast ball come March 31st. Duaner Sanchez was a real question coming into the game after he had been pushed back due to soreness. He said before the game that he was going to take a little off his fast ball and it showed with the bomb that Albert Pujols hit off of him. After the home run, it was smooth sailing as he got a strike out and a double play ball. None of the pitchers trying to make the team gave up a run. That is always an encouraging sign, but they also have the most lose by having a rough outing.

Message to Hank....This is NOT Yankee Country.

2008-03-01T08:34:00.003-05:00

Perusing the papers this morning, with an eye on New York/ Boston doings, Dan Shaughnessy writes an interesting (to me , anyway) piece on the Steinbrenners. For those of you not familiar with his work, Shaughnessy coined the phrase "The Curse" and has been right in the middle of the Sox/Yankee rivalry. And belueve me, he's no friend of Red Sox management (particulary Theo Epstein).

He writes"

Which brings us to Hank Steinbrenner, son of Czar George, and apparently a rightful heir to Blusterdom.

Here's what Hammerin' Hank says at the end of a lengthy profile that will run in tomorrow's New York Times Magazine:

"Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of [expletive] that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans. Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets. You'll see Yankees hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."

Wow. Welcome back to the fight, Mr. Steinbrenner. This is reminiscent of the good old days when your dad regularly lobbed verbal grenades at the feet of Boston baseball fans.

Red Sox owner John Henry, responding by e-mail to Steinbrenner's comment, wrote: "A wise man once said, 'Don't poke the bear!' "

And Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino - no stranger to pie tossing with the Yankees - cackled when he heard the statement.

"I don't deny there are Yankee fans everywhere," said Lucchino. "But it's blind of him not to see the phenomenon that is Red Sox Nation. I expect he will become more aware of the passion and breadth of Red Sox Nation as long as he is actively involved in baseball. I do appreciate that he has picked up on the Star Wars metaphor, though. He said he was happy to be Darth Vader and we are happy to be the Rebel Alliance."

Red Sox-Yankees Star Wars started when the Yankees stole Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras out from under the Sox' noses in Nicaragua in December 2002. Theo Epstein, who had been Boston general manager for only a month, allegedly trashed his room at Hotel Campo Real when the Sox lost Contreras.

"The Evil Empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America," said Lucchino, when contacted by the Times.

Lucchino's comment was the Red Sox-Yankees equivalent of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and triggered a double-barreled return blast from George Steinbrenner. Things stayed that way for several years and at one point, commissioner Bud Selig asked the boys to knock it off. Sadly, Yankee resistance dwindled as Steinbrenner grew old and the Yankees' championship drought stretched into its seventh autumn.

The Boss's son got off to a rocking start a few weeks ago when he came to the defense of HGH-using Andy Pettitte, telling the New York Post, "I don't think they would want to be hollering too loud at Andy up in Fenway. They [the Red Sox] had plenty of players doing that stuff, too. It's just that those players weren't mentioned in the Mitchell Report. That's my biggest problem with the Mitchell Report . . . "

Hank's not-so-thinly-veiled remark is a broadside at the SS Red Sox, which still features the name of former Senator George Mitchell on the company masthead. Mitchell is listed as "director" of the Red Sox. His is the sixth name from the top, directly below Lucchino's. It's a hideous conflict, recklessly allowed by Mitchell, the Sox, and Selig. Hank, God bless him, wasn't afraid to call the Sox on it.

Lucchino was not amused when reminded of Hank's steroid scandal salvo.

"I don't think there's any point to be made reacting to comments of the Yankees that I thought were gratuitous and reckless accusations," said Lucchino.

In our quest for fairness, we checked with Vince Doria, ESPN's senior vice president and director of news, and asked what he thought about Hank's accusation that the all-sports network is populated by Red Sox fans.

Doria, who served as sports editor of the Globe for 10 years, said, "My e-mail from viewers indicates that a lot of people out there think we favor the Yankees over the Red Sox. I'd say beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Lucchino and Steinbrenner, a couple of beauties. Which brings me to the Mets. Where do they fit in all of this? Well, they are the wild card. They were second in the National League in road attendance in 2007 (behind the Cubs). The Rex Sox/Yankees were one two in the American league in Attendance. Message to Hank....This is NOT Yankee Country.

Mets fans are a pretty formidable bunch. I've seen the METS on the road a number of times and Mets fans were loud and numerous in numbers. Message to Hank....This is NOT Yankee Country.

Thank you Fred Wilpon for rising above the nonsense. No METS Nation or Evil empire, no Star Wars analogies. Just old fashioned National league hardball, without the hype.

Message to Hank....This is NOT Yankee Country.

Around the Papers 2/28/08 Edition

2008-02-28T12:09:00.002-05:00

At the Post John Maine laughs at the fake story of him as a cross dresser this off season.

John Maine wasn't mad that a cross-dressing impostor tried to sully his good name last November. If anything, the Mets New York Mets ' young right-hander was flattered.
"I thought it was kind of great, actually," Maine said yesterday. "I mean, of all the people on the team, this guy picked me to impersonate. Maybe that means my name is getting out there."

Former Met Shawn Green has officially retired.

At the Times, Mike Pelfrey hopes that he made a good first impression with his strong outing yesterday.

“I think the chances of the whole staff going the whole year without something happening is slim,” Pelfrey said. “If I don’t get out of spring training, then sometime during the year, I’ll get my opportunity. I look at it as, there’s no way I can be mad. They’ve given me opportunities. I just haven’t taken advantage of them."

At Newsday, David Lennon reminds us that Pelfrey is still the sixth man.

Lastly, Matthew Artus tells us how a writer from Forbes Magazine reminds Mets fans not to put all their eggs in one basket with Santana

In Search of the Next Joba

2008-02-27T12:26:00.002-05:00

In a report for the Daily News by John Harper there is a buzz among baseball teams as to who is going to be the next Joba Chamberlain. Every team hopes that they can have the great single A pitcher who makes the successful leap to the majors. The Mets believe that Eddie Kunz could (with the emphasis on the could) be their version of Joba.

"That's why I'm here," he (Kunz) said. "I'm going to challenge every hitter I face and try to win a job with the Mets."

One thing I have been critical about with the Mets over the last couple years is the way they handle the promotions of their young players. I really felt that Milledge and Pelfrey were rushed to the majors. Kunz should be given the time to work on his pitches in the minors before he becomes a major league pitcher.

I also feel as though too much pressure is being put on him. He shouldn't feel as though he needs to be Joba Chamberlain. How about making his own name for himself.

Hail to the Victors

2008-02-27T12:12:00.003-05:00

The New York Daily News reports today that Aaron Heilman and Fred Wilpon had a running bet going into the spring training game against The University of Michigan yesterday. Wilpon is an alum of Michigan and Heilman spent his college days at Notre Dame. The bet was that no Mets pitcher would give up a run against Fred Wilpon's alma mata. However, Heilman surrendered a two out RBI single in his one inning of work. As to when the performance will happen:

"It would have to be at least tomorrow," Heilman said about the timetable for his singing performance, "because I don't even know the words."

This should be funny to hear about. Hopefully one of the papers runs a story about how it goes.

Kudos to Omar

2008-02-27T11:52:00.004-05:00

The front page of the NYPOST today ran a story that said that the mets were interested in Brian Mcnamee t0 fill an opening on the team's staff. Manny Acta had left for Washington and there was an 0pening for batting practice pitcher and help in the bullpen. Rick Down, the Mets former hitting coach, was the one who brought the idea to Willie Randolph and Randolph relayed the idea to Omar Minaya.

"I went to Willie and Willie went to Omar, and it was nixed," Down said yesterday by phone. "I think it was nixed because of the Tampa incident. There really wasn't much further discussion on it. The Mets didn't want adverse publicity and in retrospect they were right."

Minaya reported that he looked into the request, but didn't feel like Mcnamee was a good fit. Although Minaya denies it, there was an incident involving Mcnamee and a girl in Tampa Bay where Mcnamee was a suspect in a rape case.

"I was told he could throw batting practice, catch and help in the bullpen," Minaya said. "He was identified as [Andy] Pettitte's and Clemens' guy. And I am always leery of bringing in specialist guys to work with a whole team."

Wow you want to talk about dodging a bullet. It already made me uncomfortable that Paul Loduca was around the young players in the clubhouse, but to bring the biggest name in the steroid ring into the club house would have been a major mistake. Good job Omar, people talk about the mistakes you made last off season by trading Brian Banister, Heath Bell, and Matt Lindstrom, but I think for the long term future of the club this was one wise decision.

More Pedro Martinez

2008-02-27T07:28:00.004-05:00

Quotes from Pedro Martinez, a Spring Training quote machine. Still has a little bit of the diva in him, some wisdom and respect for his surroundings

On a possible contract extension

"[The Mets] have my respect whether they offer me anything or not. Or if I have to go somewhere else," Martínez said. "They will know they want to do it and they will know when they want to do it. I'm going to go fishing after the season and I'm not going to be sitting by the phone."

On his health:

“Right now my health is exactly where I’d like it to be all year. That’s how good I feel. If I’m this way all year, you’re gonna see lots of smiles and you’re gonna have a lot of fun with the things that I’ll probably be able to do.”

Pitching teammate Johan Santana:

“We actually met a long time ago. Minnesota and Boston shared the same town in spring training. I remember exchanging a lot with Santana,a especially with my arrival to Boston. Santana was a young kid, a young rookie, he asked me a couple of questions about the change-up and right now I’d say that’s probably the best change-up you can find out there. I’m glad I was able to talk to him back then and keep the closeness with each-other. It’s not only because Santana is so good as a player, but because he’s such a great human being.”

On not being the ace of the staff:

“To be honest, I’ll talk to you from my heart like I always do. I’ll tell you there was a time when I first came up and it didn’t matter who was in front of me, when I was given the ball and called ‘the guy,’ ‘the headliner,’ or whatever you guys wanted to call me. I was that guy and never stopped to look back about what other guys felt and I don’t expect Johan to do anything like that either. I expect him to come and perform and do what he’s got to do like he always does. I wish him the best and I wish I could help him ease into it even more. I don’t really care what spot I’m on, I believe my spot will be the headline for me. He’s gonna be the headliner on the first day and I’m gonna be the headliner on the second day…

“So, it makes no difference to me when I pitch, today or tomorrow. I’m a professional, I understand what I have to do. I’m so thankful that we have someone like Johan, that could probably be in my spot today or in anybody’s spot.”

Enough of the talk, lets play some Baseball!

The above quotes come from interviews Pedro had with Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe and Tom MacDonald of NY1

Willie Randolph

2008-02-26T15:22:00.002-05:00

Below is a video of Willie Randolph discussing with SNY's Kevin Burkhardt about the first week of camp.

2008-02-26T15:03:00.002-05:00

The Mets and University of Michigan tied today 4-4. Aaron Heilman and Jason Vargas each gave up a run. David Wright hit a two run homer. Michael Abreu hit a 2 out two run homer to have the game end in a tie. The home run was first ruled a double, but after arguing from Willie Randolph it was changed to a home run ending the game in a tie. Here is the box score from the game.

Univ. of Michigan AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Christian, SS 5 0 2 0 0 0 1 .400
Mahler, 2B 5 1 2 1 0 2 3 .400
Putnam, DH 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
Fellows, LF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-Recknagel, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Urban, LF-CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
VanBuskirk, LF-1B 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 .500
Abraham, 3B-P 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 .500
Cislo, CF-3B 4 0 0 1 0 1 2 .000
Berset, C 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000
a-Kalczynski, PH-C 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
Dufek, 1B-P 3 1 2 0 0 0 2 .667
Kittle, LF 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
LaMarre, RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .250
Totals 37 4 11 4 1 7 14

a-Struck out for Berset in the 7th. b-Grounded out for Fellows in the 8th.

BATTING
2B: Dufek (1, Heilman), VanBuskirk (1, Wagner).
3B: Abraham (1, Vargas).
HR: VanBuskirk (1, 8th inning off Cullen, 1 on, 2 out).
TB: Christian 2; Mahler 2; VanBuskirk 6; Abraham 4; Dufek 3; LaMarre.
RBI: Cislo (1), Mahler (1), VanBuskirk 2 (2).
2-out RBI: Mahler; VanBuskirk 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Dufek; Putnam; Mahler.
GIDP: LaMarre.
Team LOB: 7.

BASERUNNING
SB: Christian (1, 2nd base off Field/Molina).

FIELDING
DP: (Christian-Mahler-Dufek).

NY Mets AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Reyes, SS 2 1 1 0 0 0 3 .500
Hernandez, A, SS 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
Clark, CF 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .000
Wright, 3B 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 .500
Machado, 3B 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 .000
Delgado, 1B 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000
1-Abreu, PR-1B 3 1 2 2 0 1 1 .667
Alou, LF 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Pagan, LF 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .333
Church, RF 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000
Martinez, F, RF 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 .500
Gotay, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 .250
Schneider, C 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000
2-Molina, PR-C 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .000
Anderson, DH 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 .000
a-Saenz, PH-DH 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
Totals 33 4 7 4 7 6 22

a-Flied out for Anderson in the 8th.
1-Ran for Delgado in the 3rd. 2-Ran for Schneider in the 4th.

BATTING
2B: Reyes (1, Katzman), Abreu (1, Gerbe), Pagan (1, Dufek).
HR: Wright (1, 1st inning off Katzman, 1 on, 1 out), Abreu (1, 9th inning off Abraham, 1 on, 2 out).
TB: Reyes 2; Wright 4; Abreu 6; Pagan 2; Martinez, F; Gotay.
RBI: Wright 2 (2), Abreu 2 (2).
2-out RBI: Abreu 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Clark 2; Hernandez, A; Pagan; Anderson; Saenz.
GIDP: Alou.
Team LOB: 10.

BASERUNNING
SB: Church (1, 2nd base off Fetter/Berset).

FIELDING
DP: (Abreu-Hernandez, A-Abreu).

Univ. of Michigan IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Katzman 2.0 3 2 2 1 2 1 9.00
Powers 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
Fetter 1.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.00
Gerbe 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Burgoon 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Dufek 1.2 1 0 0 2 3 0 0.00
Abraham 1.1 1 2 2 1 1 1 13.50

NY Mets IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Vargas 2.0 1 1 1 0 2 0 4.50
Heilman 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 9.00
Wagner 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
Field 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Rincon 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
Figueroa 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
Cullen 1.0 3 2 2 0 0 1 18.00
Kunz 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00

HBP: Schneider (by Katzman).
Ground outs-fly outs: Katzman 1-3, Powers 3-0, Fetter 2-1, Gerbe 2-1, Burgoon 1-2, Dufek 2-0, Abraham 1-2, Vargas 3-1, Heilman 2-0, Wagner 3-0, Field 1-2, Rincon 2-0, Figueroa 2-0, Cullen 2-1, Kunz 0-1.
Batters faced: Katzman 11, Powers 3, Fetter 5, Gerbe 4, Burgoon 4, Dufek 8, Abraham 6, Vargas 7, Heilman 5, Wagner 5, Field 4, Rincon 3, Figueroa 3, Cullen 6, Kunz 5.
Inherited runners-scored: Abraham 2-0.
Umpires: HP: Perry Barber. 1B: Mona Osborne. 2B: Theresa Fairlady. 3B: Ila Valcarcel.
Weather: 75 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 1 mph, Varies.

Sanchez, Padilla Off to Good Starts

2008-02-26T14:44:00.003-05:00

Today's Ny Daily News reports on yesterday's intra squad scrimmage. Duaner Sanchez and Juan Padilla both threw solid scoreless innings. Padilla spoke about his outing:

"I'll take that any day when you go out there and throw eight pitches, seven strikes," Padilla said. "That's more than you can expect in your first time in a game in a year."

Duaner Sanchez spoke about his outing:

"In a big way, this was a relief," Sanchez said. "It's been so long, I didn't even know how to step on the mound."

Sanchez did give up a couple of weak singles but retired three out of his next four teammates.
Sanchez's change up was said to be very good.

"For him it's a very good pitch," Martinez said.

As has been mentioned time and again, Sanchez is a very important part of this year's team. If he is back that could help the team out a lot. Padilla was very effective for the 2005 team, but he has a longer road back then Sanchez.

Why I'm A METS Fan

2008-02-25T11:24:00.002-05:00

As I've written, I'm a METS fan who has abandoned the Metro NYC area for New England. The reasons were for quality of life, but that doesn't mean I left my love for the New York METS behind. NEVER!

Being a baseball fan in Boston has taken on an obnoxious tone. The Sox are everywhere and dissing the National League is the in thing. Callers (and some radio hosts at WEEI AM) refer to the Senior Circuit as "Triple A" baseball. They think we METS fans are just Yankee fans in hiding. Kind of insulting.

For years, I watched the METS on cable on WWOR, and struggle to follow them by reading box scores in the Boston Globe (part owner of the Red Sox). Sometimes, you can't even find a single paragraph game summary

I recently found a blog, Take the 7 Train

http://mvn.com/mlb-mets/

written by a young woman named Jessica Bader. I find it well written and I want to borrow one of her themes, Why I Love The Mets.

THEY ARE NOT THE YANKEES The Steinbrenners are boorish and terrible for the game. Although the steroid disgrace has touched the METS, the Yankees 4 straight Titles seem a bit tarnished, don't they. Does Roger throwing a bat at Mike Piazza strike you as steroid rage?? HMMMMM?

THEY PLAY IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE Continuing the 125+ year tradition of National League baseball in New York, from CHRISTY MATHEWSON, JOHN MCGRAW, CARL HUBBELL, PEE WEE REESE, DUKE SNIDER, JACKIE ROBINSON, WILLIE MAYS, GIL HODGES, SANDY KOUFAX, ROY CAMPANELLA, BOOBY THOMPSON, TOM SEAVER, JERRY KOOSMAN, DOC GOODEN, DARRYL STRAWBERRY, MIKE PIAZZA, PEDRO MARTINEZ , DAVID WRIGHT, CARLOS BELTRAN, JOSE REYES.

THEY PLAY IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE I saw Roberto Clemente, Henry Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Frank Robinson, Juan Marichal, Lou Brock (Jerry Grote owned him), Bob Gibson, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Willie Stargell, Mike Schmidt, Tony Gwynn, Fernando Valenzuela. I stopped at 1990 because I've been a full time fan, but on TV and the radio since then.

THEY PLAY THE BRAVES AND PHILLIES A dead rivalry, and new one that is blossoming

THEY ARE NOT THE RED SOX METS baseball is still baseball, not some packaged product. The fan still matters.....

Rotation Set Up

2008-02-24T13:32:00.004-05:00

Thanks to MetsBlog.com the Mets have announced their first rotation of the spring training schedule....

Monday (intrasquad game):

Joselo Diaz, Robert Parnell, Jon Niese, Adam Bostick, Joe Smith, Ruddy Lugo, Steve Register, Juan Padilla, Duaner Sanchez, Ivan Maldonado and Andy Cavazos.

Tuesday (vs. U of Michigan):

Jason Vargas, Eddie Kunz, Billy Wagner, Aaron Heilman, Ricardo Rincon, Carlos Muniz, Nelson Figueroa, Nate Field and Ryan Cullen.

Wednesday (at Tigers):

Mike Pelfrey, Matt Wise, Pedro Feliciano, Jorge Sosa, Brian Stokes and Willie Collazo.

Thursday (at Cardinals):

John Maine, Duaner Sanchez, Scott Schoeneweis, Joe Smith, Ruddy Lugo, Steve Register and Juan Padilla.

Friday (vs. Cardinals):

Johan Santana, Billy Wagner, Aaron Heilman, Ricardo Rincon, Carlos Muniz, Nelson Figueroa and Eddie Kunz.

Obviously the big game on that slate is Friday's game where Santana makes his mets debut. However, I am most interested in Monday's game. It will be Duaner Sanchez's first innings since the cab accident in July of 2006. He is going to be a very important part of the bullpen and I would argue that if he is back to anywhere close to where he was in 2006 the Mets will have no problems with their bullpen. In fact, these games will give us a good sense of what the bullpen will look like with many of the pitchers expected to be a part of the pen are scheduled to throw innings.

The Sunday Sports pages

2008-02-24T10:32:00.005-05:00

This early in Spring Training, as the regular players start arriving at camp, players and industry insiders make some interesting interesting observations. Even though I live in Boston ( no National League East coverage), it is a baseball hotbed and it is officially baseball season. I love reading the Sunday papers and today they were chock full of some NL EAST STUFF. Here are some of the more interesting tidbits .

Pedro Martinez on Curt Schilling

It wasn't quite as smooth an existence when Schilling brought his monster ego to the Red Sox in 2004, and Martinez hints at a strain between them that may or may not have contributed to Martinez's willingness to leave as a free agent after a championship season."I never had an incident with Schilling," Martinez said. "At the end of the year, he said a couple of things he shouldn't have said, talking about (workout) routines and work habits. That's not the area you talk with me, not when it comes to work

- John Harper, New York Daily News, 2-24-08

Pedro on Sandy Koufax

"Sandy's words were the first words I heard in Dodgertown ,Martinez recalled of his spring training days at Vero Beach. "The things he talked about stuck in my mind - about perseverance and being persistent and following your dreams and don't let it go ever."

-Adam Rubin, New York Daily News, 2-24-08

More Pedro on Sandy Koufax

It wasn't he reached Double-A ball in San Antonio that a teammate, Rafael Bournigal, gave him a book detailing the numbers those great men achieved. That's when Pedro first began to understand the depths of the Koufax legend. And later, when his prime-career numbers started to dovetail almost perfectly with Koufax's, it all but humbled him."I am not in with him," Martinez said. "It is an honor to be compared to a man like that, but I don't think so."

-Mike Vacarro, New York Post, 2-24-08

Gregg Maddux on the Atlanta Braves

There's also a thing about that clubhouse now, where Glavine, Smoltz, Chipper Jones, Mark Teixeira, and Jeff Francoeur all believe they're going to surprise anyone who thinks the Mets or Phillies have the division locked down . . .

Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe, 2-24-08

Teixeira is a fine player, and these stats, courtesy of Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, don't tell a complete story, but it's interesting nonetheless that when Teixeira has been out of the lineup, his teams do better than when he plays. The Rangers went 52-43 when Teixeira was on the DL in 2004 and 2007 and 342-373 with him. The Braves were 29-27 after he got there and 55-51 without him.

Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe, 2-24-08

Tom Gordon on the Mets acquisition of Johan Santana

"Santana is the best pitcher I've seen in the game, and they have reason to be excited. But look around this team. We're shooting for the stars here. We've got the offense, the pitching, and I think we're going to be quite a team. By the time we've played 162 games, you're going to be saying good things about the Phillies."

Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe, 2-24-08

Well, enough of the talk, let the games begin!

Rick Peterson on SNY

2008-02-22T19:38:00.004-05:00

Found this interesting clip in a segment on SNY with Rick Peterson. He talks about different percentages with different counts and throwing the ball in different areas. It gives the average fan a look into the head of the pitching coach.

Edited 2/26/2008: Note that the Rick Peterson video can now be seen at http://youtube.com/watch?v=goEdV17fdDE. We were experiencing some bandwidth problems with the video and it is no use to carry a broken link.

Around the rest of the Papers

2008-02-22T15:50:00.006-05:00

The Daily News looks at how Billy Wagner has kept his form over the off season. Ben Shpigel does a nice story on New York Mets 2007 first round draft pick Eddie Kunz in the NY Times and how he's adapting to camp. Tim Marchman at The New York Sun takes a look at the Mets compared to the rest of the National League.

Tensions begin to heat up

2008-02-22T14:33:00.010-05:00

An article in the NYPOST
had Pedro's follow up comments to what has been said between the Mets and the Phillies.

"I don't believe there's a reason to be fighting, but we're over here," Pedro told The Post yesterday. "Basically, if [they're] going to have to brawl or whatever, we're over here. We'll wait."

Jeez Pedro way to add fuel to the fire

The Post goes on to site a Jayson Stark interview on Philadelphia radio where he talks about the possibility of a brawl between the two teams this season

"There were guys in the [Phillies] locker room the other day suggesting there will be a brawl - b-r-a-w-l," Stark told Philadelphia radio station WPEN this week.

I honestly think that this rivalry will provide us with many classic moments this year and I can't wait. The scary part is that the media seems to be completely forgeting about the Braves and that's what could eventually spark them to be in right in the thick of this.

Lets Look at The Phillies

2008-02-22T07:40:00.004-05:00

A reader took me to task about some omissions from one of my previous posts. They point out that I neglected to mention Edgar Renteria, Will Ohmann, Geoff Jenkins and Kris Benson.

It's no secret that I'm a Mets fan and am writing from that perspective. They blew a 7 game lead to the Phillies and it was tough to watch. With all due respect to the Braves, lets look at the Phillie's off season moves.

I have already noted the defection of Aaron Rowand to the Giants. (another example of choosing money over remaining in a good baseball market). Who is the replacement. So Taguchi is the only Center Fielder listed on the Phillies roster. He's a Punch and Judy hitter and will be a drop off from Rowand.

Goeff Jenkins was s good signing, if he has anything left in the tank. Good career averages and largely overlooked because he's played in Milwaukee. (.277 career .avg, OBP of .347, 92 RBI's a year). Will he platoon with Pat Burrell? Or Maybe share Right Field with Shane Victorino? From where I sit, it is a break even, at best.

Kris Benson. When healthy, a number 3 or 4 starter. Rotator cuff injuries take more than a year to heal. My hunch is that he'll spend a good part of the year in Triple A trying to get it back.

As a Mets fan, I fear (respect is a better word) Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Adam Eaton, Flash Gordon and Pat Burrell.

Pretty good team. I think it will take 95 wins to conquer the East. Johan Santana may be the piece that gets the New York Mets there. The Philadelphia Phillies are good, the Mets are better.

Looking at What Our Top Competition in The East Has Done This Offseason

2008-02-20T18:40:00.009-05:00

Now that the players are in Florida getting ready for another season, I thought it'd be a good idea to preview the other teams in the NL East. It seems it will be a three team battle between the Braves, Phillies and Mets. For much of the 2007 season it was this way and due to the various additions that each team has made it seems as though it will remain that way this year.

Defending Champion Philadelphia Phillies:

Additions:

Pedro Feliz: On January 31st, the Phillies filled their hole at 3rd base which used to be occupied by Abraham Nunez. Considering the fact that Nunez hit .234 with an OBP of .318 and a slugging percentage of .282, he should be considered an upgrade. However the question remains how much of an upgrade? Feliz was no super star last season. He hit .257 with an OBP of .290 and a slugging percentage of .418. If one thing's for sure Feliz will be able to add some power to the Phillies line up. Feliz has hit over 20 homeruns the last 4 seasons and driven in atleast 70 in that span.

Brad Lidge: This had to be one of the more intriguing signings of the offseason. Lidge is just a few years off being one of the more dominating closers in the game. We all remember the devestating home run that he gave up to Albert Pujols in the 2005 playoffs and he has not been the same pitcher since. In 2006, he had a very high ERA of 5.28 and gave up 10 Home Runs in 75 innings pitched. 2007 treated Lidge better when he brought his ERA down to 3.36, but he still gave up 9 Home Runs in 67 innings and his strike outs were down. It is going to be interesting to see if Lidge is able to handle the pressure of Philadelphia and if he can be trusted in big game situations in the band box Citizens Bank Park.

It is thought that the Phillies made the deal for two reasons. One would be what has been discuessed previously in that Brad Lidge will be their closer. Secondly, the move allows the Phillies to move former closer Brett Myers into the starting rotation. Whether this move to the rotation will work for Myers is still up in the air.

Losses:

Aaron Rowand: Aaron Rowand could be a big loss for the Phillies. He was a great clubhouse presence for that young team and someone else will now have to pick up his slack. He was also known for his fearless defense, which replacement Shane Victorino should be an adequette replacement for. Offensively he is going to leave a hole in the Phillies lineup. For most of the 2007 season, Rowand was hitting behind Ryan Howard in the lineup. As Pat Burrell began to find his swing again, Rowand was relegated to the 6th spot. However, I always felt that Rowand turned the Phillies lineup from a very good line up to a great line up.

Atlanta Braves

Additions:

Tom Glavine: Glavine is a familiar name to us Mets fans. It has been a long love-hate relationship between Glavine and the Mets. Glavine traveled home this offseason and took a one year 8 million dollar contract with the Braves. However, there are stats that prove that Glavine isn't the same Glavine the Braves had in the 90's. For one, he's 42 years old and not getting a day younger. Secondly, when the mets needed him the most last year he wasn't able to come through. I am not only talking about his last appearance in which he didn't last an inning and gave up 7 runs, but during the two months the Mets needed him the most he didn't come through. It is easy to see that the Mets two worst months of the season were in June and September. The Mets were eaten up by the American League last season and were not able to close out the division in September. One may ask what was the supposed ace's ERA during these two months? The answer would 5.83 and 6.10 respectively.

Mark Kotsay: Kotsay will take the place of former Brave favorite Andruw Jones in centerfield. Kotsay is known to be a tough player, but he has also been injury prone. He was only able to play 56 games last season because of a back injury and posted a .214 batting average. His injuries will be something to keep an eye on. Although Kotsay has been a solid defender throughout his career, he will be replacing the best defensive centerfielder in the last 30 years.

Losses:

Andruw Jones: Andruw Jones was able to secure a new contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason. The Braves may find that they will have trouble replacing Andruw's production offensively and defensively. Although he had a terrible year in almost every category at the plate last season, he has provided the Braves with many season of great offensive production. He is also a much more feared hitter than Mark Kotsay will ever be.

Synopsis:
After taking a look at now the Mets Phillies and Braves, it seems as though I was correct in saying that it will be a close race. However, if I were to pick the standings now I would say it would go Mets, Braves, Phillies. Sure the Phillies are the defending champs, but I don't see how they've done enough to add to their starting rotation. I can't imagine a team winning the division without pitching like the Phillies did for a second year in a row. The two tandems of Santana, Martinez and Maine/Perez for the Mets and Smoltz, Hudson and Glavine for the Braves are still better than Hamels, Myers and whoever else the Phillies throw out as their third starter.

Go With The Youth or Trade The Prospects for the Big Fish

2008-02-19T19:11:00.004-05:00

When the last post ended with the Mets as a better team than the Red Sox or the Yankees I got to thinking whether or not its a good idea to go with youth or trade the youth for that great player that can help your team now. This was a big topic this offseason as the Mets, Red Sox and Yankees were all involved in the Johan Santana sweep stakes (which we're all ecstatic to see Santana in the blue and Orange). Here are what are perceived as the pros and cons in a situation

Pros for the Mets:
No one can deny that adding a player such as in this case Johan Santana can give a team that swagger it needs to be the best. Now that Santana is a Met the press won't be all over a team that had the major collapse that the Mets did last fall. The other obvious pro in this deal is that the Mets didn't give up as much as many thought it would take to get Santana. They did not give up their crown jewl Fernando Martinez and were able to keep their best pitching prospect in Mike Pelfrey. Santana immediately makes the Mets on paper better than the Braves and Phillies.

Pros for the Yankees:
The Yankees have spent a lot of money since their last titles in the beginning of the decade on high profile players. This spending has produced success, but hasn't given them the type of success that they're used to. Brian Cashman decided to develop Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes with the hope that one of them can turn into an elite pitcher

Pros for the Red Sox:
The Red Sox already have one of the best rotations in baseball. They also have the luxury of having a pitcher that can be mentioned in the same conversation of Santana in Josh Beckett. Keeping players such as Jacoby Ellsbury and Jon Lester will only continue to bring success to a team that has had a great decade.

Cons for the Mets:
This is possibly the toughest section. There are very few bad parts of the trade the Mets made. Carlos Gomez could turn out to be a nice player, but he needs to develop the offensive part of his game if he is going to become the star some of us thought he may when he came up with the Mets. Deolis Guerra has a lot of upside, but he is still in Single A. Phil Humber and Kevin Mulvey could turn out to be solid pitchers one day, but it is hard to see them as anything other than solid to back of the rotation starters.

Cons for the Yankees:
It is one thing to hold on to young players. It is a whole different thing to not give up young players who haven't accomplished anything for the most impressive pitcher of the past decade. If Phil Hughes is mediocre or even only pretty good, The Yankees and their fans are going to think what if?

Cons for the Red Sox
The Red Sox also had the opportunity to have one of the best pitchers in the game. However, as stated above, they already have one of the better pitchers in the game on their staff. That being said, having a staff with two of the best pitchers in the game under 30 could have given The Red Sox a dynasty.

If there is one thing that is clear, all teams seem to have benefited from this trade. However, the Mets will be trotting out the best pitcher of the decade when April first comes.

For Fans Of The New York Mets, The Future Is Bright

2008-02-18T15:00:00.010-05:00

Taking a breather from from the 36 days of interminable Boston Red Sox coverage on NESN, (too much RemDog, where is Ron Darling when I need him?) I have some time to ponder the current state of the of my beloved New York Mets.

Unlike the current Owners of the Red Sox, who have given their loyal fans a royal screwing (new ballpark ticket prices while continuing to play in that overpriced sewer known as Fenway Park) Fred Wilpon have done Mets fans everywhere an enormous favor by investing $800,000,000 in private funds to build CITI Field. Finally, a comfortable, pleasant place to see the Mets play. I'll miss Shea Stadium, but it is time to say farewell.

Also, under the talented rule of Omar Minaya, the Mets have the most competitive (and talented) team of my lifetime.

Catcher, Brian Schneider- This is addition by subtraction. Paul Lo Duca caused alot of distractions during his two year tenure, and now its clear the manager Willie Randolph isn't shedding any tears at his departure. Schneider has pretty good numbers for a number 1 catcher. Averages 100 games a season, a fielding pct. of .993 and a batting avg. of .252. And he can throw out base runners.

3rd Base, David Wright- The best 3rd sacker in the history of the franchise

Shortstop, Jose Reyes- The most exciting player in baseball. Showing Ricky Henderson the door is addition by subtraction

2nd Base, Luis Castillo- A good off season signing, will end the revolving door at 2nd and help stabilize the top of the order

1st Base, Carlos Delgado- Should have at least on more productive year left in the tank.

Right Field, Ryan Church- There has been a lot of debate about the merits of this move, but Ryan has some interesting career stats; .271 career avg, .348 OBP, and a SLG% of .462. Not bad for a throw in. The lefty/righty batting avg may be a problem.

Center Field, Carlos Beltran- The best centerfielder in franchise history. He's proven to me that he's a gamer, plays hurt, well on the road and does not make excuses. Very under appreciated.

Left Field, Moises Alou- Still a productive hitter who carried (along with David Wright) the Mets during the September collapse.

Rotation

Johan Santana- another in a long line of great number one starters

Pedro Martinez- enough said, pitching for a contract

Oliver Perez- I'll take another 15 wins

John Maine-, If he can keep his focus, he's good for another 15

El Duque- Keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully, he'll make 2o starts

Bullpen

An area of concern. If the starters can consistently go 6 or pitch into the 7th, the pen will be fine. Jorge Sosa, Pedro Feliciano, Aaron Heilman , Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner are all proven winners. I will admit that his part of the team concerns me a bit has the potential of being a pretty formidable staff.

Spot starter and bench. Signing Endy was a huge off season move. The rest is a crapshoot

Manager

I'm glad Willie Randolph is back

Time will tell. One things for sure, the Mets have a better team than the Boston Red Sox and The New York Yankees.