Good Riddance Mr. Brave, It's been 6 years years of torture.

Good Riddance Tom Glavine. I've never had faith in you and you proved me right once again. In 1/3 rd of an inning you proved where your allegiance lies. It's in Atlanta and not NY. When the team needed you the most, you threw batting practice to the Marlins and ended the Mets season. I hope you're packing your bags now and sneaking out of NY. Because of your lack of effort, any chance the Mets had of winning the game disappeared. I hope you enjoy your winter in Atlanta because if you ever decide to come to NY again it may get ugly in a hurry. Young pitchers are expected to get nervous and fail at times during the season. But it's the young pitchers who proved their worth and saved the day when needed. You only proved how overvalued your diminished skills are and how little worth you have to a playoff hopeful team. All we as fans have ever heard about you is how you're a crafty veteran and a stopper. Well, you stopped all hopes the Mets had in winning, and I wish you nothing but pain and suffering as long as you pitch. Retire now, because if you come back to NY in a Brave uniform, you won't like what you see. Omar is a fool if he even thinks of hiring you for next season. If he tries, he'll be hung in effigy by the fans and Shea will be an empty stadium next year.

John Maine pitches the game of the decade

This game showed the whole world what John Maine is capable of. It also showed why I've liked him since the first time I saw him pitch. He has no fear and is capable of completely shutting down a team. He's an ACE in the making. This is the most dominate and complete pitching performance I've seen this decade. NOBODY has thrown a better game while wearing a Mets uniform since at least 1999.

When the Mets were at the lowest point of their season and everything was going wrong, John Maine picked them up. He put them on his back, and carried the team and it's fans to a better place. He showed everyone out there in Mets land that all is not lost. There is still hope, and they'll live to fight another day. In one stirring and dominating pitching performance, he awoke the sobbing fans and gave them reason to wipe away the tears and cheer again. The Fans needed this game as much as the team did.

John threw 115 pitches thru 7 & 2/3rds innings. Struck out 14, walked 2 and only gave up 1 hit. At one point he struck out 7 IN A ROW !! The 14 strikeouts is the highest # since Al Lighter struck out 15 in 1999. The Marlins never had a chance. They were swinging thru his fastball all day and couldn't find his slider or change-up either. He was hitting 91-95 mph all day. He finishes the season now with 15 wins, 180 strike outs in 191 innings. His ERA is now 3.91. I think that is a hell of a fine season for John's 1st full year. With a little help from the bullpen, he could have won 3-4 more games. I look forward to seeing him mature into a star pitcher.

Offensively, not much went wrong except Josie Reyes. He once again failed to run to 1st base on a chopper hit by home plate. The SNY crew ran a text question and asked if Josie should be benched because of that, and 80% said yes. I agree. I hope someone grabs him and gives him a good talking to. It's lazy play like that that has the team where it is now. And I believe Willie hasn't done enough to discourage that kind of lazy effort. David Wright now has 195 hits for the season. So there is still a remote chance for a 200 hit season. It means the Mets will need another 20 hit game to give David a chance. I don't believe a Monday game will count as a regular season game.

Tomorrow's game worries me. Glavine hasn't pitched well, and he needs to throw strikes and keep the ball inside the park. I find little comfort in the fact that the Mets fans are relying on a "Braves" pitcher to win a game to get to the postseason. I say "Braves" pitcher because Atlanta and John Smoltz have already said they want Tom there next year. I say goodbye and good riddance.

3 Games to go and Ricky joins Willie on the curb

Where do I start? I've been screaming for months that there are major issues with this team. Witless Willie just last night admitted that the Mets have a Mental problem. Willie, it's a little late to just be noticing that the Mets have Mental issues. And some of them reside between your's and Ricky's ears.

I've been saying since June, that they lacked a killer instinct..... That they played as if they're owed a trip to the Series......That they need a kick in the a-s.....That Willie needed to wake them up and play with a sense of urgency. Now it's too late to matter. The Phillies are like sharks in the water, and they smell blood.

Everybody keeps making comparisons between the Mets of 2007 and the Cardinals of 2006. All the talking heads say that the Cards lost all these games and still got in the playoffs, and that the Mets can do the same. There is a comparison to make with the 2006 Cardinals, but it involves the 2007 Phillies. Here are my thoughts on those two teams.

1-Both teams were racked by injuries all season and given up on by all the "experts".
2-Both teams had a bunch of overachieving misfits getting the hits and making plays when needed.
3-Neither teams pitching staffs were rated very high. They both had 1 Ace and not much else. But what they had came to play everyday, and left everything on the mound.
4-Both teams had suspect bullpens that shut down everyone when needed.
5-They had strong vocal leaders on the team, and in the dugout.
6-They didn't take any game for granted. They played like every game was their last game.

Do you see the difference between the 2007 Mets and the 2006 Cards and 2007 Phillies? The Mets have none of the above and that's why they can't succeed this year. The 2007 Mets have never gone on a prolonged winning streak at any point this season. That shows a lack of focus and killer instinct. When they should have been burying the competition all year, they tread water and said "we just need to turn the page". Well, the last page is about to turn on the 2007 season and it's not the ending that should have been.

4 More to go before Willie's out the door.

I must say something about Humber's pitching tonight. I think he pitched well. He was put in a very difficult spot and gave the Mets a chance. He gave up the 1 home run and walked a few batters too. But, he left with the lead after 4 1/3 innings. I think he got tired as his pitch count up. He basically hadn't pitched in a month. I think he has a future on the team.

The pen blew it again. Joe Smith, who was so good before Willie sent him to AAA, gave up the 2 runners that Humber left on base. Then Feliciano gave up 2 more. Lately those 2 are as bad as Mota. Where was Muniz? Where was Collazo? I don't get it. Why have these people in NY if they don't get used? Schoenewies, and Heilman pitched well , and El Duque even pitched a good inning. I think he may be of use these next few game coming out of the pen. Wagner put the knife in the Mets heart in the 9th. He gives up 2 more runs and the Mets died there.

Beltran hit 2 home runs tonight. Alou' extended his hitting streak to 30, and also hit a home run. David Wright extended his hitting streak to 13, but hit into another DP. That's 3 in the last 2 days.

I can hardly watch these games anymore. Why anyone would want the Mets to make the playoffs now, I don't know. The sooner they go home the sooner the trash can be taken to the curb.

I did hear on piece of good news this evening. The BRAVES want Tom Glavine back in Atlanta next year. Hooray !!!!!! Now we can work on getting Peavy or Santana in NY.

What do all of you think about Glavine's pending departure to Atlanta? Who would you like to see replace him in the rotation? Let us know.

Where have we seen this before?

The Mets just continue to find ways to drive their fans crazy. I know more than a few friends that have given up on watching them. This past month is why it's so hard to be a Mets fan. They have all the talent needed to be successful, but they always find ways to fail.

Josie Reyes is Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde. He's been sleeping in the field all game, but he's managed to hit 2 home runs and drive in 4. His lack of effort cost 2 runs in this game. He also nearly got picked off 1st base too.

David Wright has been stellar in the field, but has hit into 2 Double Plays. Go figure. Gotay proved his worth by driving a long double into the gap to score Green. Green also had a multi-hit game. I sure would like to see him in NY next year. And Lo Duca was on base 3 times tonight. He started the 9th inning rally. Alou' hitting streak continues, and he cleared the bases in the 9th. Driving in 3 runs in the rally.

Glavine was his usual shelf. Throwing balls off the plate and getting hammered when he threw over the plate. He's been in the league for 21 years, and when his team needed him the most he failed miserably. He gave up 3 home runs and 6 runs total. Including ANOTHER 3 RUN HOMERUN TO KEARNS !!!!!

Willie took a chance on the rookie pitcher Muniz, and he showed promise. He worked a good inning and then came out for a second inning. He ended up walking a couple of hitters, but he showed poise and didn't seemed rattled. Willie then lifted him for Sosa. Sosa gives up a few hits and 2 more runs scored. Sele pitched OK but ended up giving up the runs that mattered.

The Mets rallied and scored 6 runs in the 9th, but the mistakes and mental errors were too much to overcome. They once again let the worst offense in MLB score 10 runs on them.

If there was anything good to be said it's this. Muniz shows promise. He could be in the mix next year. Secondly, the Mets didn't roll over in the 9th. Too bad they played so bad earlier in the game. If not for sloppy fielding and the sleepwalking by Reyes, they could have won. As I asked in the beginning, "Where have we seen this before?".

What we have here is a FAILURE TO LEARN from past Mistakes

I'll try to keep this simple and not get too crazy. The Mets don't seem to learn their lessons very well. All you have to do is review my "7 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT" to see where they are failing this year.

example of not following rule#1 - Pelfrey didn't bring his "A" game. He walked too many batters and fell apart quickly after a long 4th inning.

example of not following rule #2 - Why was Belliard and Kearns given anything to hit? They killed the Mets in D.C. I don't care if they are hit by pitches or walked, they should never see a good pitch to hit.

example of not following rule #3 - Pelfrey didn't carry his weight. He allowed the Nats to bury the Mets early, and it was all downhill from there.

example of not following rule # 4 - Witless Willie brought Mota into the game when it was still within reach. With the Mets behind by 4 runs, Mota comes in and gives up 3 more runs. Game over at that point.

example of not following rule #5 - Belliard should never see a pitch to hit. He always come to play, and always hurts the Mets. He's the Nats version on Burrell or Chipper.

Sounds pretty simple doesn't it? So why does Witless Willie not have some kind of similar game plan in order? I guess it just shows his lack of managerial talent.

There were a couple of good things tonight. Alou' extended his hitting streak, but didn't drive in any runs. That hurt the team. Another good thing is David Wright had 3 more hits. That's 187 for the season. 6 games left, and 13 hits to go for a historic achievement. 200 hits for a Mets 3rd basemen. David had little chance to drive in any runs. It seems there was hardly ever anyone in scoring position when he came up. Lo Duca, Gomez and Beltran all drove in runs. Beltran now leads the team with 106 RBI, Pauly now has 21 RBI for the month, and Gomez got a hit to go along with his SF.

Here's to hoping Glavine remembers how to throw strikes and get hitters out. If he can't win tomorrow, the season will rest on the Rookie Flamethrower Phillip Humber. How ironic that the Mets season could be determined by a pitcher that Witless Willie tried to lose in the bowels of Shea Stadium.

Never a dull Moment

Guinness, whether you like it or not, John will be a starter in the post season. He deserves it, and El Duque can't be trusted to stay healthy. And what game were you watching? Maine struck out 9, and only walked 2 batters. His fastball was in the mid 90's all day. How is that struggling? At one time he struck out 5 in a row!!! You also forget that the #1 hitter is Rameriz [.333 ave, 203 hits,45 doubles, 28 hr, .565 slg], the #2 hitter is Uggla [.246 ave, 150 hits, 47 doubles, 30 hr,.481 slg], and the #3 hitter is Hermida [.283 ave, 113 hits, 28 doubles, 17 hrs, .486 slg. in only 116 games]. They put Reyes' and Castillo's number to shame. Only David Wright's numbers are better than any of theirs. I wish the Mets #1 and #2 hitters had those numbers.

The only problem with Maine is Willie's lack of consistency. In John's last game, Witless Willie didn't pull him soon enough, and in this game Willie might have pulled John too soon. I wish he left John in for another batter or 2 to see if John could get out of the 6th inning. But, if things had gone badly, then I'd be yelling at Willie for not taking him out. John's pitch count was over 100 and Willie thought it was better to get him out while John was still in the mix for a win. Remember, the game was tied at 2 when he left. John is still working on his secondary pitches. They are much better now than earlier in the year, but he still lacks the confidence in them to use them as put away pitches. This means he throws more fastballs when he gets behind, and good hitters can hit fastballs. That's why John gets high pitch counts so quickly. I saw at least 3 Marlins have 8-10 pitch at bats. This is only John's 1st full year in the big league. He'll get more work on his slider [a new pitch this spring], and do some more with his change-up [another new pitch]. With Pedro around him for a full season, he'll soon master both. But I guess you'd rather pin your postseason hopes on an old brittle pitcher who can't be counted on after August.

David Wright now has 184 hits and 105 RBI. He's now tied with Beltran for the club lead in RBI. His throw to 1st base that Guinness thinks should have been an error, wouldn't have got the runner out. His wide throw arrived after the runner [Rameriz] and Delgado threw Rameriz out at 2nd. So things worked out fine. David saves more runs than he ever cost, so I'm not going to beat him up about it. He's 24 years old and has carried this team all year. He's done the interviews and handled all the tough questions when others in the locker room have disappeared. Nothing he ever does in the field will ever matter to me. Because of all that he is burdened with, due to the lack of leadership on that team, I'll never doubt his effort. He is the leader, so he deserves some slack from unappreciative fans.

Beltran is still sore and Castillo needs a rest. Neither is getting anything done at the plate, and you have to wonder if their knees are bothering them in the field too. Delgado had a 3 run home run to put the Mets ahead, and Lo Duca had a 2 run home run to tie the game earlier. I believe that is now 21 RBI this month for Pauly. That's called clutch hitting.

The pen's performance today proves my point in some respects. Willie has overused certain pitchers. Heilman didn't need to pitch yesterday, but he did. So Willie brings him back again today, and Aaron couldn't find the strike zone. He threw 28 pitches, and only 12 were strikes. But Mota with some rest, pitched well. Joe Smith had a clean inning and got the win. He only needed 12 pitches to get out of the 10th. Then Willie brings in Sele for the 11th and gets 2 outs on 3 pitches. Wagner showed some gas today, but one fastball hit Uggla's bat and ended up way back in the bleachers in left field. You know Uggla, the terrible #2 hitter in the Marlin's order. I guess in Guinness's world, Wagner shouldn't even be on the post-season roster. How could Wagner give up a home run to the #2 hitter in the Marlin's line-up? I guess that means Maine should be the new closer for the Mets, and Wagner can head for the AAA team. Maine didn't give up any home runs, and he had to pitch to Uggla 3 times. He struck him out in the 1st, gave up a double in the 3rd, and got Dan to foul out in the 5th. Maine only gave up 4 hits to the #1-3 hitters on the Marlins while pitching to them thru the 5th inning. If the offense had come awake sooner, John could have won his 15th game.

But the important thing is that the Mets won, and the Phillies lost. So the Mets are inching away from that historic collapse that we all feared was coming. It also means that Witless Willie may survive the off season too. It's funny though, David wright drove in the winning run on a Hit & run Play. Something Willie rarely calls for. It makes you wonder if Willie is finally starting to learn NL style baseball.

And Guinness, at least I try to come up with a headline that describes my blog entry. " The Mets win a Series !!! The Mets win a Series !!!" sounds like "The Giants win the Pennant, The Giants win the Pennant". lol

All Hail The Wizard of Ollie !!!

Oliver Perez was awesome!! Way to go Ollie!! I've like Maine and Perez since I 1st saw them last year. I love their attitudes and grit. Before this year started I predicted that Maine and Perez would win 15 games each. I also believed Perez would have an ERA around 3.75 and strikeout around 200 batters. Well he won't strike out 200 but his ERA now stands at 3.32. He's got 170 strikeouts in 173.1 innings. If he hadn't missed those 2 starts after the All-Star game, he'd be pushing 195 innings and 190 strikeouts by the end of the year. If the pen had done a better job this season, and the hitting was up to last season's standards, Ollie could easily have 17-19 wins this year. Great job by a special pitcher in a pressure situation. Sometime in the future I do believe he could be the 1st Mets pitcher to throw a no-hitter. His stuff is that nasty. I'm sure glad the Pirates decided to get rid of him.

Because Ollie threw 8 awesome innings [8 strikeouts and NO WALKS] the pen got a rest today. I still don't get Witless Willie's thought process. The Mets have a 5 run lead and Heilman comes into pitch. Why? That's a perfect time to rest Aaron and give some young arms a few pitches in the big leagues. The bull pen is over flowing with young rested arms, but the Witless Wonder still uses Heilman. It would have been a perfect time to see what Carlos Muniz could do. In 58 2/3 innings between New Orleans and Double-A Binghamton, Muniz allowed 43 hits and 16 earned runs. He struck out 62, walked 17 and recorded 23 saves. Sounds like someone the Mets can use, don't you think?

David Wright continues to punish baseballs and bases. He had 3 more hits and stole 2 more bases. He now has a .320 average, 182 hits, 40 doubles, 30 home runs, 104 RBI, 106 runs, 90 walks, 33 stolen bases [and only caught 5 times], an .414 OBP, and a .552 slugging %. He has an outside chance at getting 200 hits this year. 8 games left to get 18 hits. That would be unheard of for a Mets 3rd baseman. Looks like an MVP type season to me. Unfortunately, he had another throwing error. He always seems to have more problems with routine throws than the difficult ones. He made a great play on Cabrerra well behind 3rd base and in foul ground, and threw him out by 1/2 a foot at 1st. But he threw wide after making another great stop on a hot smash by the bag.

Reyes continues to struggle at the plate. He only got 1 hit and looks lost when hitting. Alou' extended his hitting streak, and now is tied with David for the longest in club history. Castillo is hurting. He can hardly get out of the batter's box and should rest tomorrow. Gotay is playing well in the field, and Castillo needs to rest his battered foot and knee. Beltran should have sat. He only had on hit, but struck out twice and couldn't cover any ground in the field. I think he cost Perez two hits today because he could get two bloop hits. I know I rag on him about being a baby, but his defense and lack of production at the plate tell me he needs to rest his knee for a game. Castro had the big hit. A 3 run bomb into the vacant seats in left field. Too bad he's so bad behind the plate. It will be interesting to see if Omar resigns him as the back-up next year.

Well, here's to hoping John Maine can follow Ollie's effort with one of his own. John needs to get things going before the season ends. I want him to get that 15th win and solidify his spot in the rotation for the post season [if the Mets hold on] and next years roster.

A long night in Miami

I'm late on posting this but I'm blaming the rain last night. I had to watch a rebroadcast of the game before typing away here.

I'm not going to beat Willie up on last night's game. Mota had a few days off and the pen is wasted. I didn't see him pitch, but it appears that he did ok. Schoenewies got the save and seemed to have a fighting attitude about him last night. I think he understood that someone in the pen needed to step up and slam the door. The pitching of Mota and Scott gave the pen a rest and allowed Heilman to get ready for this long stretch. The Mets have NO DAYS OFF until the end of the season, so getting Aaron some rest was needed. He may be doing the closing for the next few games.

Pedro Martinez was good. I saw 93 on 1 pitch, and he was battling a strike zone the size of a postage stamp. He was giving the Ump dirty looks all night. Pedro's curve was great and he had good movement on all of his pitches. He got hurt with hits and runs because of the tiny strike zone.

I don't know what's going on with Feliciano. He's been very erratic lately. I think Willie needs to sit him for a few games. Use some of the call-ups instead and give Feliciano a rest. I hope Wagner gets his back straightened out. I know how much that can bother you. You hardly can turn your head or walk around without being in pain.

Gomez had another base running blunder. He must be listening to or watching Reyes. You can't be thrown out at 3rd base. I'm surprised Willie didn't go over and get in his face. Oh Yeah, that's right, Willie doesn't do that.

Lo Duca is on fire. If he keeps playing like this down the stretch, it'll be hard for Omar to not offer him a contract this off season. Oh Yeah, silly me. Omar wants to pay Posada or Pudge $8-10 million/ yr and get some more old Hispanic players on the team. Maybe Omar will realize that $3-4 million /yr for Pauly is better money spent. The money saved by resigning Pauly and not signing Glavine could be used to get a Stud Ace on the staff. Somebody like Santana or Peavy. We as fans can only hope.

Does Willie have a brain?

That's 6 loses now. 6 to go before Willie is shown the door.

Trying to figure out Witless Willie's thought processes would drive anyone to drinking. He goes into last night's game knowing that Wagner may not be available to pitch because of back spasms. He got the news in the 6th inning that Billy wasn't available to pitch at all. So what does Witless Willie do? He sends his best pitcher, the only proven closer besides Billy, out to pitch the wrong inning!! That makes sense only to Witless Willie. Heilman is the only other pitcher on the staff that can close games and he pitches in the 8th? That leaves Sosa to pitch the 9th. He gives up the tying runs in the 9th and the winning runs in the 10th. I guess Willie wants Sosa's arm to fall off. Keep it up Willie, and you'll make all of our wishes come true. That wish being you out of Shea.

As bad as the pitching was, the fielding was worse. David Wright throws a ball wide of 1st, that was originally ruled an error. It could have been the 2nd out in the 9th inning. Although I believe Conine could have come off the bag earlier and tagged the runner out, it got worse from there. Chavez, the all mighty super fielder, quit on a lazy pop fly in the 9th inning that fell in for a hit. He was running all out towards the foul line in left, and then pulled up as the ball dropped in about 6' from him. If he continued to run all out, he makes that catch easily. Then, in the 10th he screwed up again. With Ramirez on 1st, Uggla hits a ball up against the fence in left field. Instead of playing the ball off the wall, like you do at Fenway, Endy tries to catch it. The ball hit about 12' up the wall !!!! The ball bounces off the wall, rolls away from Endy, and Beltran makes a weak throw into home as the winning run scores. If Endy had played the ball off the wall, instead of trying to catch it, he could have thrown the ball in to 3rd base and kept the runner from scoring. This team just continues to find ways to lose games.

The only thing that went well was the hitting. Wright had 3 more hits. Alou' extended his hitting streak to 24 games. Lo Duca started the 9th inning rally with a long double. Anderson hits a base clearing double in the 9th. And Beltran finally got a hit in the 9th inning to drive in Marlon. Too bad he didn't get some hits earlier in the game when it was needed also. Beltran still can't hit a 12-6 breaking ball though.

Reyes is useless at the plate. Gotay continues to struggle from the right side. but, he did play 2nd base well last night. Milledge showed him lack of maturity again. He gets thrown out and now faces a suspension along with Anderson. Green will not be playing Saturday due to a religious holiday. And Wagner may not be ready to pitch again this weekend. Looks like at least 2 more loses coming up before the Mets get back to Shea. Isn't it nice to be a Mets fan?

Time to take a breath

It's nice to see the Mets still know how to win. It was a mixed bag of emotions for me tonight.

The good feelings were felt for Mike Pelfrey's performance, Shawn Green's hot bat, David Wright's continued tear, and Alou' s and Lo Duca's leadership.

Pelfrey came up big tonight and proved that he deserves to be on the team. I see no reason why he shouldn't be considered for the postseason roster, if the Mets hold on to their lead. He could be a force coming out of the pen this post season. Better him than Mota.

Shawn Green was huge this series. He was 7 for 9 with 2 home runs. He's been hitting up a storm the last few weeks and should be considered for a contract next year. He plays 1st base well and could be a valuable safety net for Milledge and Delgado.

David Wright is the man. He truly is the leader on this team. For someone so young he always seems cool under pressure. He now has over 100 RBI for the 3rd consecutive season. And he's only 24.

Kudos to Alou' and Lo Duca. Alou' now owns a 23 game hitting streak. He also played tonight with a sore Quad and showed leadership in doing so. If only Beltran would do the same when he's hurt. Lo Duca is hitting and driving in runs at a critical time of the season. For all the talk about how his season has been, he's leading by example when needed. He's speaking out in the locker room, hitting the ball and driving in runs when the team needs him the most.

The bad feelings include the 3 errors by the three most important players on the team. Beltran was sleeping in the field again. Reyes made a stupid throw after making a great play in the hole. He should have just eaten that ball. And David had another throwing error too. All season long, when he has a throwing error it's a throw that Yao Ming wouldn't be able to catch.

I also have to give kudos to Willie. I beat on him a lot, but he didn't do bad tonight. Maybe he's starting to listen a little bit. Mota stayed away. Heilman took care of the 8th. Sosa got Pelfrey out of a jam in the 6th, and pitched well in the 7th too. Wagner, after sitting for 5 days, finished the game and looked good in a non save situation. Those tend to be rough for Billy. But overall the pen did it's job.

Here's hoping the Mets keep on track and don't slip back into the abyss that is trying to swallow their season.

5 Down, 7 to go. Then Willie hits the door.

Well, that's 5 loses in a row. I figure 7 more loses and Willie's out the door. I don't want the Mets to lose, but I'm willing to sacrifice this season if it gets Willie out of Shea. I don't know if I can go thru another season like this one.

I'm no fan of Joe Torre, but he does one thing that I like. He won't let a starter bury the team. He doesn't care if it's the 2nd inning or the 4th inning. If the starter's in trouble, he pulls him and takes his chances with the pen. Now I understand this can burn up the arms in the bullpen if done too often. But at this time of the year, drastic measures are needed to save the season. As soon as Belliard came to bat for the 3rd time with two runners on, that's when Maine should have been pulled. I like John a lot, but he wasn't getting the job done and the game needed to be won. But, Willie doesn't seem to be able to think on his feet. So he left Maine in, and the ball went out. At the very least, Maine should have intentionally walked him. Belliard is now hitting .700 against Maine !!! That's where Humber could have been used if Willie would only use him. But, Willie said that Humber doesn't figure into ANY PITCHING SITUATIONS AT ALL THIS YEAR !! Why? What did he do? Is Willie that stupid? Humber pitched well when he was used.

There were some good things that happened. They scored 8 runs and didn't give up. Green continues to drive the ball. He had 3 hits again tonight, including a long HR to centerfield. I really think the Mets need to keep him for next year. He plays well at first, and would give a reason to the new Manager to rest Delgado. Lo Duca had 2 RBI and a couple of hits too. David had a couple of hits and a RBI also.

Don't be counting on El Duque to pitch for the rest of the season. If, and that's a big if, the Mets make to post season, he needs to go to the pen. That's if he even gets healthy. Alou' hurt his leg again. Let's hope he can play this weekend. Now the Mets hopes rest on the young arm of Mike Pelfrey. He's pitched well the last two starts. Let's hope he continues to win games.

Time to Grow a set OMAR !!!

I said in a Newsday blog earlier today that the Mets would lose this game. I also talked about a NY Post article that was titled "Willie on the Grill". It basically said that "upper Management" could be looking to make changes if the World Series wasn't won, or at least reached. As bad as this sounds, if losing the division and missing the playoffs gets Witless Willie out of NY, here's hoping for a 12 game losing streak.

As soon as I saw Brian Low-Rents was starting, I knew the game was lost. He can't pitch and has no business being in the rotation. In a game that the Mets absolutely needed to win, Witless Willie starts a pitcher who can't keep the opposing team off the board. Pelfrey should have started this game.

The bleeding needed to be stopped. But in the words of Willie "the Phillies aren't in our heads", "we're still in 1st place". Well Willie, not for long. The Phillies are winning, and the Mets are getting smoked. There is no reason why Pelfrey couldn't have pitched tonight, and then Brian Low-rents pitch Wednesday. Hell, forget Pedro's extra rest. I'd have him pitch Wednesday. Willie once again is blowing this season away. The best team has to be put on the field EVERY NIGHT!!! That includes the pitchers !!!!!! And Brian Low-Rents doesn't qualify. And Earlier today, Willie said Humber hasn't an option in any situation. I guess he'd rather give the ball to Low-Rents and Sosa.

Omar needs to grab Willie and tell him the situation, because Willie doesn't seem to grasp the gravity of this trend. Omar needs to put him in his place and tell him his job is on the line. This team has heard laughing and joking before this game, and didn't seemed worried after last night's game. It's the Manager's job to kick some ass and tell people to shape up or there will be changes made. But I bet Willie still doesn't have a locker room trashing after this game. David Wright seems to be the only person on the whole team that actually cares about winning these games.

Where is the Heart? Not in Willie's chest.

I'm totally disgusted with this team. The Mets need to get rid of Witless Willie ASAP. He has such a lazy, It doesn't matter, I don't care, attitude that it's now effecting the team.

I listened to his post slaughter press conference and couldn't believe what I heard. He said these games don't matter, "I don't believe the Phillies are in our heads", "Mota pitched well", "we'll just go win the next 10 out of 12 games", "yesterday's lost didn't effect us". Talk about clueless and witless. It's no wonder the Mets can't beat the Phillies. It doesn't sound like he cares at all about preparing this team to play them. THAT'S THE MANAGER'S JOB !!! To prepare the team. When asked if he was or did talk to the players after the game he said " There's no need to do that" What a idiot. I'd be trashing that locker room and telling them that any more games like that is going to get people benched and or demoted.

About the only thing good in this game was David Wright hit his 30th home run. He now joins HoJo and Straw as the only Mets to be in the 30-30 club. As usual, it was a drive into the opposite field bullpen. I believe that's 14 opposite field dingers for David.

Another good thing to see was Joe Smith in a game again. He hit Rowland, but struck out the last 2 batters of the inning. He got cheers when he left the field. That's because he actually got the batters out, and didn't give up any runs. I hope he gets more time the next 3 weeks. I'd like to see him on the postseason roster. But, Willie already has a spot reserved for Mota there.

Can someone explain to me why Brian Low-Rents is starting tomorrow? Why not Humber? We already know Low-Rents can't get anyone out and gives up 5-6 runs/game. Pelfrey is starting Wednesday. Why not start Pelfrey tomorrow, and then Maine can pitch the Wednesday game on normal rest? I guess that only makes sense to me, and not the Witless Wonder Willie. We as fans might as well figure tomorrow's game as a loss too. It will take a miracle for Low-Rents to win.

This whole El Duque foot problem settles the rotation issues. If, and that's a big if, the Mets win the division, El Duque should be in the pen. He once again is breaking down at the end of the season. With him, Humber, Sosa, Schoeneweis, Feliciano, Wagner, Smith, and Heilman they will have all the pitchers needed in the pen. Mota should be sent packing ASAP. Maybe he and Willie can go for a cab ride around D.C. before the game tomorrow. Somehow I think that's the only way we'll get rid of them.

The Mets do the Talking, but the Phillies do the Walking

Where do I start? I guess I'll start by asking some questions. Maybe someone out there has a few answers. Because I don't know what the hell is going on the NY.

1- Who were the players in the Mets clubhouse that were bragging about how they were going to be giving the Phillies some payback? I know Willie and he's clueless mouth had said something about owing them.

2- Has Beltran forgotten how to play the outfield? His play has been anything but Gold Glove caliber. He down right SUCKS !! I'd rather have Shawn Green playing center field.

3- Is Josie Reyes f--king stupid? What was he thinking stealing 3rd with 2 on and 2 outs? I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Reyes sucks at stealing bases. He's getting thrown out 20% of the time. And when he gets thrown out, it's at the worse times. Someone with his speed should never get thrown out more than 10-12% of the time. the only reason he's stolen 78 bases is because he tries so often. If his success right was higher, say 85%, everybody would be better off. Wright hasn't been thrown out yet, and Beltran is at 92% FOR HIS CAREER !!!!

4- Does Witless Willie know how to vary his game plan at all? He brings the same pitchers into the game in the same situations all the time. What's wrong with using Humber? Why has Schoeneweis gone 11 days between Appearances ? He pitched great and isn't even used much. Any job Feliciano can do, Scott can do. Mota is lost. He needs to go for a cab ride somewhere, but Willie still brings him out.

5- What's it going to take for someone to hit a F-c-ing CURVEBALL !!! I was told that MLB players can hit curveballs? Must be the Mets have a bunch of MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS on the team! It's disgusting how inept this team is at hitting breaking pitches. If someone has a good Slider or a curve, the Mets are done. And why is everyone swinging at pitches above the belt? Is it because nobody can see anything below the waist? They certainly can't hit anything below it.

6- This Umpiring crew should be fined and suspended. I've never seen such lousy plate awareness by them. They are calling strikes that are in the opposite batters box !!! Then, if a Mets player so much as utters a peep, they get tossed. I really wish Willie would show some spine and get in their faces. He can't keep tucking his tail and playing referee. Get in the umps face and go off on him like Billy Martin used to, and Pinella still does. That would go a long way to kick starting some attitude into the team. Besides, if Willie gets suspended, then we can see how some of the other pitchers do on the mound.

Here's hoping the Wizard of Ollie brings the gas and burns the Phillies to the ground. He needs to go 8 innings and give the ball to Wagner. That's the only way I see the Mets winning tomorrow. Guinness, have some Vodka for me. I need a drink.

Phillies throw Mets a curve

Is there ANYONE on the Mets besides David Wright who can hit a curve?

Let's discuss what went right for the Mets in this game.

1--David Wright hit his 29th home run off Jamie Moyer on a CURVE BALL!!!!!!!!! David Wright makes a stunning play on a bunt pop-up, and doubles off the runner on 1st.

2--Alou' singles to drive in the 2nd and last run of the Mets. He also makes a great catch against the fence to rob a hit and possible home run.

3-- Wagner brought the gas and strikes out the side in the 9th. I think everyone can breath easier now. It appears Billy has righted his ship.

4-- Willie doesn't bring in Mota after Glavine throws a good game. Willie decided to have Pedro come in, and he gets out of the jam in the 8th.

Now that's discuss what wen wrong tonight.

1-- The Ump had a terrible strike zone. I thought Reyes was going to get thrown out. But Lo Duca did get thrown out in the 9th.

2-- Beltran is helpless against the curve ball. Once again he strikes out with the bases loaded. at least he swung the bat this time. For the life of me, I don't understand why he doesn't show any ability to hit a curve. Hojo should have him swinging at nothing but 12-6 curves during batting practice.

3--Reyes still hasn't woke up yet. He's still sleeping in the field and at the plate. He was arguing with the Ump earlier in the game, and was lucky he didn't get tossed.

4-- Conine can't hit anything.

5-- The Mets insist on throwing to Utley, Howard, Rollins, and Burrell. If one doesn't kill you, the others will cripple you. The Mets have not followed rule #2 of my "7 rules of engagement". When will they learn?

6-- The Mets continue to find ways of making soft tossing marginal pitchers look like Cy Young. In Moyer's 3 previous games his ERA was well over 8.00!!!!!!!!!!

7-- Witless Willie seems to think this is May and not September. Hey Witless Willie, Why have September call ups if you're not going to use them? Has Pelfrey's arm fallen off? What happened to Humber? Did he have a dinner date and wasn't available? Why not use them in the 10th inning? Either one can go multiple innings and need to be tested. Now is the time to find out if either of them can be used this post season. Someone needs to take Mota's spot. Mota can't be trusted and the team needs options for the stretch.

8-- Sloppy fielding all around. DiFelice missing the pop-up. Heilman throwing the ball into center. Reyes not making a better attempt to catch it. The list never seems to end.

As can be seen, more went wrong than went right. And usually that means a defeat. Especially since the Phillies always seem to be beating on the Mets. So much for giving the Phillies some payback.

Mota and Heilman blow Maine's Effort

I hate Mota. John Maine once again put the Braves in their place, and Mota and Heilman blow it. I wouldn't miss either of them if they left the team in the off season. What Witless Willie was thinking when he brought Mota in with the bases loaded? Only Willie knows.

On a night when John Maine's future on the post season roster was being discussed & debated, he came thru in a big way. If not for another Beltran-Reyes sleepwalking effort in the field, he would have gone 7 innings and pitched a shutout. But a bloop hit doesn't get caught, and John loses his concentration which leads to walking in a run. He should have been out of the inning with 16 pitches thrown, and ends up throwing 34 pitches or so. That cost him an inning and a run.

Reyes regressed at the plate again. He has to keep hi swing level and stop swinging at pitches around his eyes. Gotay had a rough time also at the plate. But he made a great play by going deep into the hole and throwing out the runner. Anderson hit a bomb and Alou' extended his hitting streak to 17 games.

By beating the Braves and the Phillies getting blitzed by the Rockies, the division is now over. It would take a historic collapse for the Mets to lose the division now. My biggest disappointment is the lack of success the Bullpen has been having holding leads all year. Maine should have 17-19 wins this year. Perez should have 16-18wins. Glavine should have 16+ wins. And El Duque should have 13-15 wins also. And he's missed about 3 weeks of the season so far. That would be quite a record for a team where the starting pitching was said to be the weak link this season. Too bad the pen couldn't hold up their end of the deal.

The Future of the Mets pitching staff

This is going to be a different type of blog entry this time. I have a question for any and all Mets fans out there that visit this blog. The question has 2 parts. I'll give you my views, and then you tell me yours.

Part 1.- Who do you want on the post season pitching roster. Consider all the needs and the players.

Part 2.- Who do you want on the pitching staff for opening day next year. Consider all current Mets players in NY or any Mets farm team. And, also consider any possible trades and free agents on the market. Remember there can only be 12 pitchers total.

Here's my part 1 answer. Starting pitchers - Pedro [if healthy], Perez, Maine, Glavine.

bull pen pitchers - Wagner, El Duque, Pelfrey, Heilman, Feliciano,
Mota, Schoenenweis, Humber

Here's my part 2 answer. Starting pitchers - Pedro, Maine, Perez, Johan Santana, Pelfrey

Bull pen pitchers - El Duque [long man, spot starter]
- Billy Wagner -closer
- Mota {unfortunately under contract}
- Scott Schoenenweis
- Pedro Feliciano
- Dwaner Sanchez
- Joe Smith

If someone would take Mota, I'd have no problem with Humber replacing him. Heilman I believe is a free agent after this year. He wants to be a starter, so I think he'll walk to another team. If Sanchez doesn't come back, I'd fill his spot with Humber.

This subject always seems to bring up a lot of discussion when on TV or in print. I would love to hear what everyone out there thinks. Maybe the Mets brass will learn something from all of us. lol.

Duque' lays an egg

Well, there certainly wasn't much good that can be taken from El Duque's game last night. If anything It raises more questions for me that it answers. I must say that I got a little tired of the SNY crew making excuses for Duque last night. His whole demeanor on the mound bothered me. He seemed unable to adapt or work his way thru the line-up last night. The home plate ump wasn't giving him the calls he wanted and Duque' couldn't get anything but his fastball over. Why shouldn't some questions be raised about his postseason role after last night's egg? I thought veteran pitchers were supposed to be smart, and know how to get batters out even on off nights? Last night's egg proves to me that Duque' is not a lock for the post season rotation. If Maine and Perez continue to pitch well, they should be starting and Duque' should come out of the pen.

One of the few bright spots last night was the hitting of Wright, Reyes, Lo Duca, and Alou'. All 4 continue to deliver and Reyes seems to be listening to HoJo. He was swinging level and driving the ball. He also laid off the high pitches. Pauly continues his barrage and now has 12 RBI in his last 8 games I believe. I was hoping Wright's double would be a home run, but he came up a few feet short.

I also was happy to see Pelfrey and Humber in the Game last night. Pelfrey got through with only 1 run in 2 innings, and Humber pitched a perfect 9th. I think both are good canidates for the pen this post season. Sele' is out, and I don't trust Mota.

I was a little puzzled too as to why Conine was playing. Maybe Willie wanted to rest Green because they face Glavine today. The Mets will need to bring the big bats out to beat Smoltz again. I doubt he's going to go quietly into the night. Hopefully Maine brings that killer attitude he had in Atlanta, and not the lost attitude he had in Cincy. He's pitching for his playoff roster spot. Unfortunately Willie and Omar have decided that either Maine or Perez are going to the pen. So Ollie and John need to make the case that they belong starting, not El Dudque.

Ollie bought the gas and roasted the Braves !

Ollie was on fire tonight. He was consistently throwing in the mid 90's and had the slider too. He only walked a few, and had the shutout going until McCann turned on a high & tight hard one. Good pitch, better hit. I do believe Perez became only the 2nd Mets pitcher to beat a team 4 times in one year. Something stirred Ollie to pick it up a notch tonight. Was it Pedro? Or the possibility of him not making the post season rotation.

David Wright is THE MAN once again. When everyone else was beating Hudson's pitches into the dirt, he sent one on a line into the bleachers for 2 more RBI. He now leads the club with 95 RBI. He even stole another base to give him 31. David is doing everything possible to become the 1st Met to win the MVP. It seems every time his teams needs the big hit, he delivers. As funny as this may seem, I was sitting on the couch with all my fingers crossed hoping David would hit that home run. I kept saying to the TV "park one in the Bleachers David". I laughed and yelled when it happened. lol

Reyes is still lost, but he did manage to get on base twice. He scored both times and stole his 75th base. Maybe he's starting to come around.

Wagner came in and got a 1-2-3 inning and seems to be back in the grove. Heilman also pitched well and kept the Braves under wraps. He needed that. The Braves have a history of burning him. So this should do wonders for his confidence.

Omar better get Lo Duca signed pretty soon. He helped straighten out Wagner's problem, and comes out to the mound and settles the young pitchers when needed. He is really showing his worth to this staff the last month or so.

Pedro returns to Shea in style!

What a game by Pedro. He hit 92 mph and threw 92 pitches while winning his homecoming. He threw strikes and mixed his pitches well. He appears to still be working on the curve, but the Change-Up was nasty. Hopefully he comes thru this outing in good shape and can take the ball against the Phillies. The Mets owe them a good butt kicking and I'm sure Pedro wants a piece of them.

Offensively, things were so-so. Anytime you can score 4 runs against Ozwalt, it can't be too bad of a day. I was worried when I saw David Wright was sitting today. He has been by far the hottest hitter down the stretch for the Mets. But Beltran had 2 RBI and Alou' hit a bomb into the bleachers. Green is continuing to hit and Castillo managed to hobble around for a double. Reyes is lost. He needs to sit or something. He's so messed up I worry that he'll not get straightened out by the end of the season. Gotay went 0-4, but has shown to be a good fielding utility player. He made a great stop and throw in the 9th, that even earned Maz's praises. Not bad for someone who never started at 3rd before. I bet it even impressed you Guinness. I sure hope they don't lose him.

Now on to the Braves. I hope David continues his march toward the 30-30 club and the Mets continue to bury Atlanta. Perez goes for his 4th win against the Braves and El Duque' makes his return too. Here's to a continued hot streak and the end of the NL East race.

What do all of you think about Gotay? What about Pedro's pitching? When do you think David joins the 30-30 club? Will Perez become only the 2nd Met to beat a team 4 times in 1 year? Will the Mets sweep Atlanta again? Let us know.

Mets doing some homestyle cooking

Glavine threw a gem of a game today. Heilman came in and struck out the side after allowing one of Tom's runners to score. But that was it for Houston's runs.

Reyes continues to struggle at the plate. He looks completely lost and clueless. He needs to sit tomorrow and get some rest before the Braves come to town. David continues his march to the 30-30 club. He hit a high fastball to right field and inches closer to history. With 27 home runs so far, it looks like David will join HoJo and Straw as the only 30-30 hitters in Mets history.

It's still troubling to see the Mets struggle at the plate against a pitcher who throws a 12-6 curve. Beltran is helpless if he's thrown that pitch. He needs some serious batting practice on curves. Until he can prove to hit that pitch, all Mets fans will remember him standing with bat on his shoulder as Wainwright ended the season. Woody Williams is OK as a pitcher, but a good pitcher would be very hard to beat if they have a good curve. And in the Playoffs, the Mets won't be facing any "Woody Williams" on the mound.

I also want to give a shout out to Wagner. He looked much better today. Must be Lo Duca's advise is working. He noticed that Billy wasn't using his legs enough. Now Billy seems to be driving towards the plate with his legs better, and he's striking out guys and getting ground balls. That's good to see. The Mets need him in top form heading into the stretch run. And Billy needs to know he's still the man when the 9th inning come around.

Hammer Time

Last nights game was fun to watch in may ways.

I think Pelfery is finally starting to understand what is needed from him to be a MLB pitcher. He no longer seems like a deer in the headlights while pitching. He's getting aggressive and throwing strikes. He's allowing his fielders to make plays and trusting them to do it. He throws inside often enough to keep the hitters nervous and is mixing up his pitches. I saw 82 mph sliders and 96 mph fastballs thrown to the same batter. That's good to see.

The offense is showing signs also of a "killer instinct". It seems like everyone was contributing the the effort. Reyes even managed to get a hit. It's still troubling to see him hit so many pop-ups and lazy fly balls. Conine and Lo Duca had good hits and Milledge hit a 3 run line drive home run. Maybe he's coming around now too.

Guinness's favorite player even got in the game. Wright got a rest and Gotay came into play 3rd base. I truly believe he should be groomed as the next super-utility player of the Mets. He's played 2nd, SS, and 3rd base in the last week. I believe he could also handle 1st with no problems. He even got a run scoring double when he came to bat. Omar said in an interview that Rubin had been a big surprise this year. Hopefully the Mets decide to keep him around.

Castillo worries me. His knees are bothering him an awful lot lately. You can see it when he runs around the bases and swings at the plate. If the Mets plan on resigning him this off season, they better make sure his knees are 100% healthy before they drop a big contract in his lap. There better be incentives in it for games played, at bats, hits, ect. I dread the thought of giving him 20 million over 3-4 years and having him spend more time on the DL than the field.

Today Glavine goes to the mound. I hope the Mets don't decide to make Woody Williams look like another Cy Young winner today. He beat them in earlier this year, and made the Mets look silly. David Wright knows that its time to end this playoff race, I just hope the rest of the Mets know as well.

I want more

After this last road trip I'm left wanting more from the Mets. What could have been a disaster after the Philadelphia massacre turned out as a so-so road trip. I keep wanting and waiting for the Mets to show a killer instinct. After reading the NY Post today, I wonder if the Players and Management aren't getting weary of Willies lack of motivational abilities. The post reports that players are questioning Willie's decisions and moves. And Management is not ruling out personnel changes if the World Series isn't won. And I'm told be people that know me that everybody loves Willie. I guess that myth has been dispelled. These are some things I'd like to see in the next few weeks. I'd like to see the Mets play Green more at 1st than Conine. I think he's better at 1st and has shown some life in his bat lately. Keep the hotter bat in the line-up Willie. I also want to see more of Humber out of the pen. The team needs to see what he can do before the playoffs. He could be a secret weapon coming out of the pen. Heilman and Mota are well known around the league. Their habits are known, but Humber's are not. With his 97 mph fastball, he could be effective getting that big bat out. I also want to see David get to 30 home runs. That's a milestone worth pursuing. I also want Beltran to wake up and play like an All-Star. ALL THE TIME!!! No more sleepwalking allowed. I also want Perez and Maine to turn it up a notch. They need to buckle down and start attacking the plate and the hitters. They seem to be getting sloppy around the plate, and it's costing them. People are losing confidence in their abilities to win games and keep people off base. Time to show us all that Bull Dog mentality that we saw last fall. We want the 2 pitchers that saved the Mets last post season. Not the pitchers that were given away by their former teams.

Guinness's jinx

Thanks for jinxing the Mets Guinness. Why did you even have to mention a sweep? John hasn't pitched well at all. But, the way the Mets are sleepwalking thru this game it doesn't matter. Beltran is sleeping in the field and on the bases, and the Team once again isn't hitting. Haven't they ever seen a curve ball before? I knew as soon as the Reds pitcher started throwing curves, the Mets were sunk. I'm so sick of see this team make Journeyman pitchers look like Cy Young winners. Willie didn't do John any favors by playing so many bench players, but I doubt it would matter today. If only the Mets could follow my 7 rules, games like this wouldn't happen. Guinness can you pass the Rolaids?

It's Italiano Night tonight !!!

What a night for Captain Red A-s!!!! 2 home runs and 7 RBI. I'm glad to see Lo Duca having a big night. All too often he seems to be the victim of bad luck. Yesterday he scorched the ball every time up, and got nothing for it.

Two of Guinness's favorite players have also been getting on base. Green has 3 hits and 2 RBI and Gotay has 3 walks and 1 hit too. Not bad for players that Willie seems to ignore too often. It's good to see them get a chance to contribute to this stretch run of the Mets. I believe both will be very important in the weeks to come. Both have even played a good game in the field.

Good Golly Ollie. What happened? You were going so well and then started to get flustered. Delgado should have caught the ball from Pauly, and then everything went south. That is one aspect of Perez that I hope Pedro M. can help him with. He seems to let misplays and errors bother him on the mound. If he can just keep his focus when things go awry, he'll become so much tougher on the mound.

This could soon be the 1st 5 game winning streak of the season. It's good to see the Mets following my "7 rules .." If only they could manage to do all 7 in one game, I'd sleep alot easier. They sometimes try my Patience.

The "7 Rules of Engagement" -generic version

1- The starting pitchers need to bring their "A" games everynight. It's up to the starters to keep the hitters under control, and hope the Calvary [the bats] decide to ride to the rescue. 2- Don't give the the big bats ANYTHING to hit!!!! Every team has dangerous hitters that need to be carefully pitched to. 3- Pelfrey, Humber need to carry their weight. They can't allow the opposing teams to get easy runs and bury the Mets early in the game. 4- Mota, Heilman, Feliciano, Wagner, Sosa, and Scott Schwienwiess need to be used correctly. That means only as needed and not an out more. That might mean only one inning, or one out. Willie has done his best to burn up this pen this year and now it's all messed up. 5- Be carefull pitching to the one special player on each team. He can quickly turning into a Met killer too. 6- When or if the Mets get an opposing pitcher reeling, they need to BURY HIM!!!! Don't let up. Don't be swinging for the fences when a base hit will do. Too often the Mets [Reyes, Delgadud, Alou', ect.] swing at the first pitch and pop up or fly out. Too many rallys are being killed by hitting weak fly balls. 7- Play Attention!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm tired of see Mets players do stupid things on the bases [Reyes, Milledge, Delgadud ] and in the field. There is no room for error this season. The Mets will need every base runner they can get. I hope Willie puts copies of these "rules" where ever the team can see them. What does everyone out there think? Do you have any suggestions for the "7 Rules of Engagement"?

Another Willie blunder averted

I just read on NEWSDAY.COM that the witless wonder wanted to give Alou' a day off Monday. Is Willie really that F-c-ing stupid? Why would he even think of sitting Alou' against Harang? Alou' entering the game was killing Harang's pitching. He had hit 4 or 5 home runs in only 15 at bats!!!! I believe he is also hitting .389 over his last 10 games. So why wouldn't Willie sit him, it follows his pattern of stupidity. Thank god that Alou' told Willie to take a hike. He said " If Pedro's pitching, I want to play,". Good thing he did play. He got things going and kept the pressure on Harang.

I think Witless Willie needs to do some more homework before he pulls hot hitters out of the line-up. But that would mean he'd have to act like a real manager. The next thing that will happen is the Witless Willie will sit David Wright and continue to play Josie Reyes.

A mostly complete game

The Mets played well for the most part today. They seem to be following my "7 Rules of Engagment".

The one spot they seem to be lacking is staying alert in the field. Josie and Castillo both were sleeping on the play that Beltran got the error. Luckily, it didn't cost more runs. The Mets kept the pressure on the opposing pitcher, and made the most of their hits and walks.

Pedro hit 90+ a few times and showed that he may be a force to recon with this next month. As good as this game was, it could have been better offensively. If Delgado and Alou' were to flip in the order, there would be 2-3 more runs on the board. It may not have mattered today, but it could be the difference in future games.

So Guinness, what about sitting Josie Reyes and having Gotay play a few games at shortstop? I think it needs to be done so Josie is fresh for the stretch drive.

Time for Josie Reyes to ride some Pine

Reyes once again fails to get a hit. Take a seat Josie and watch the Hitting Machine named Wright. I also see 2 of Guinness' favorite players got hits and drove in runs. Shawn Green and Rubin Gotay. Way to go guys! Maybe Gotay can play a few games a shortstop while Josie rides the bench? It least he would get the hits and score some runs.

Delgadud continues to flail at the plate. Another example of Witless Willie's brillant managing.

Jose' is playing like Josie

Jose' needs to sit. I'm sick of his pop-ups and lazy play in the field. He just cost Pedro, and he's been playing like he's sleep walking. Time to rise some pine Jose'

David Wright For MVP!!!!!!

He is THE STUD on the Mets team. With a flick of the bat he clubs a ball down the tunnel behind the right field fence to plate 2 runs. He now has 26 homeruns and 91RBI. I smell 30-30 by the time this week ends.

Once again Witless Willie has f-cked up the order by moving Delgadud up to 5th [he did that yesterday]. Ever since that move, he's stuck out 4 times and has not gotten a hit. Smart move Witless one. If Alou was hitting 5th today, the Mets would have 2 more runs. Alou' now has hit a double. Great move batting Delgadud 5th Willie!!!!!!!

Pedro is looking pretty good. He's hit 89 on the gun and has good movement. As long as he comes out of this game in good shape, I'll be happy.

Pedro returns to Glory

As Pedro returns to the mound, I only have a few wishes.

1- That Pedro comes out of this game healthy and ready for another start.
2- The Mets players basically follow my "7 Rules of Engagement". The players of the other teams may change, but the principles stay the same.
3- Score some runs early to take the pressure of Pedro and the pen.
4 - win the game somehow. Harang is a top notch pitcher, so winning won't be easy. The Reds are also playing much better the last few weeks.

Am I asking too much for today's game? Let me know.

Mets sweep Braves to the curb

Guinness, You sound like you got a little excited today. I want to say it's about time Glavine decided to beat the Braves and Smoltz. I was getting tired of watching him throw batting practice to his old buddys. I must say though, that even my father was complaining about how Glavine was pitching to start the game.

Here's my thoughts of this game and weekend.
1- I never claimed to be a great speller. I sometimes type too fast and hit the wrong keys. So give me a break Guinness. LOL
2- Delgado cost Wagner that run in the 9th. Why was he playing 15 feet off the line in the 9th Inning? I thought the standard defense late in games was to play the line. Just like David did in the 8th that saved a double. If Delgado is within 5 feet of the line, that hit is no worse than a single, and probably an out.
3- Just because you say the Mets only followed 3 of my rules doesn't mean they're not valid. I say they followed more like 5 of the 7. It just means the Mets were lucky. Francouer, Chipper, and Andrew Jones have a history of hurting the Mets. No matter how bad they are hitting, they always seem to get big hits. The pitchers did a good job keeping them off balance and working to their weaknesses.
4- Willie surprised me by playing his "A" line up. My Father and me were expecting him to play at least 3 bench players today. Maybe Omar told him that beating the Braves IS IMPORTANT!!!
5- I think Willie did ok with the pen. But I think he could have let Glavine go a little longer. Willie wasn't going to bring Wagner into yesterday's game because it wasn't a save situation for him. Twice the weekend the Mets scored runs in the 9th inning. That took Billy out of the equation.
6- My faith was restored in the ability of the Mets to show some toughness. I was worried that they'd come into this series hanging their heads. But I think the Great pitching of John Maine gave them some hope. From the 1st inning Friday when John set the Braves down in order, it was onward and upward from there. Now lets hope Pedro brings some magic with him to Cincy.

And I still say my "7 rules of engagement" should be the guide to winning baseball. The Mets would never lose because of them, but they can and could lose when they don't follow them.

What do all of you think? Are my "7 Rules of Engagement" good guide lines to winning baseball?

The rules for Victory

Guinness,
Here are the rules again. Tell me which ones the Mets shouldn't follow. The rules should apply to EVERY GAME EVERY DAY!! That's what a manager is for. Somehow I doubt Witless Willie has these hanging anywhere in the dugout or club house.

2- Don't give the Jones duo ANYTHING to hit!!!! They have killed the Mets nearly as often as Pat Burrell has. And we all know how that worked out this week.

3- Pelfrey and Humber need to carry their weight this weekend. They can't allow the Braves to get easy runs and bury the Mets early in the game.

4- Mota, Heilman, Feliciano, Wagner, Sosa, and Scott Schoeneweis need to be used correctly. That means only as needed and not an out more. That might mean only one inning, or one out. Willie has done his best to burn up this pen this year and now it's all messed up.

5- Be careful pitching to Francouer. He's quickly turning into a Met killer too. He's no easy out anymore.

6- When or if the Mets get a Braves' pitcher reeling, they need to BURY HIM!!!! Don't let up. Don't be swinging for the fences when a base hit will do. Too often the Mets [Reyes, Delgadud, Alou', ect.] swing at the first pitch and pop up or fly out. Too many rallies are being killed by hitting weak fly balls.

7- Play Attention!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm tired of see Mets players do stupid things on the bases [Reyes, Milledge, Delgadud ] and in the field. There is no room for error this weekend. The Mets will need every base runner they can get.

Substitute a few names here and there and they should be taken as gospel. Rule #7 is the only one they seem to have problems with. Both Reyes and Gotay got picked off 2nd base. That can't be allowed. Those to base runners could have been needed. Luckly they didn't matter.

Pelfrey delivers !!!!!!!

First thing I have to say, is Congratulation Mike Pelfrey. Way to go!!!!! 6 innings, 1 hit ,1 earned run, 3 walks , and 7 strikeouts!!!! All on 99 pitches. Not Bad Mike.

I had said that the short rest would be good for Pelfrey. I wonder I Pedro helped him at all before the game. Mike is going to be an important part of this team next year. So Guinness, Say you're sorry. You didn't have any faith in Mike and wanted Humber to pitch instead. Come on, admit it. You were wrong and I was right. I was right and Guinness was wrong. yeah yeah yeah!!!

Beltran was hot with the bat again, and Delgado is actually starting to pull his weight. I just hope Witless Willie leaves him in the 6 hole. The team has a better balance with Delgado hitting 6th. I see Guinness's favorite player even had a hit. No Not Castillo. Rubin Gotay !!! LOL. I guess that was hard for you to see also Guinness. LOL

The Mets seem to be following my 7 rules as stated Friday night before the game. If they continue to follow them could we all dare to dream of a sweep in Atlanta? I'm hoping and praying that Tom Glavine follows the example set by the 2 Young Gunslingers this series. Throw strikes, get ahead in the count, mix up the pitches. Maybe Tommy should talk to Pedro too.