Hopeless Mets Fan

Omar and Cashman

2008-10-02T10:05:00.000-04:00

As silly as it sounds giving Omar 4 more years, it’s insane to give even 1 more year to Cashman. Just look at all the major pitching decisions that he’s screwed up on. Kevin Brown, Jared Wright, Kie Egowa, Carl Pavano, Randy Johnson, Rodger Clemens last year, Latroy Hawkins, Kyle Fansworth, Hidei Arabu, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, ECT, ECT, ECT. The list is long and full of mistakes. The Yankees haven’t been to the series in 5 years, and haven’t won it since 2000. Does that partial list of pitching bust sound like it deserves a 3 year contract? What a joke. I guess Hank doesn't have the stones of his father. If his father was still in control, I doubt Cashman would even have been offered a contract as a buss boy in the new Yankee stadium.

Santana shows his Toughness to all

2008-10-02T10:03:00.000-04:00

With the information about Santana’s knee surgery, that makes his month of September all the more impressive. It has been reported by Johan’s agent that Santana hurt the knee early in the month and refused to let the team know about the severity of the pain. With all that going on, he was voted the pitcher of the month in case you didn’t know. He was 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA in September.

Johan also had the best ERA in MLB [2.53] , pitched the most innings in the NL with a career high 234 1/3 , tied for most starts [34], and was third with 3 complete games, and pitched 2 shutouts. With a little more support earlier in the season, Johan’s 16-7 record could have easily been 22-7. Not too bad for a pitcher that Cashman didn’t want. How many wins did Hughes and Kennedy have? If the Yankees had traded for Johan, they’d be playing October baseball. I personally am glad that Cashman is so inept at judging pitching talent. Just think were the Mets would be without Johan in the rotation.

Post-Season Tidbits

2008-10-01T06:59:00.000-04:00

John Maine had his shoulder surgery yesterday and should be set for Spring training. The doctors removed a lesion from his shoulder socket that was causing the pain. For him to pitch 140 innings last year with that bad shoulder says a lot about his toughness and willpower. That’s something more players on the Mets could use.

There is talk about the Mets maybe signing Derek Lowe if Oliver Perez isn’t brought back. What do you think of that possibility? He’d definitely be an up grade from Pedro. John Niese figures to be the 5th starter next season. Maybe Parnell can go to the pen and be a force there.

There is more and more talk in NY about not bringing Delgado back. I’d rather have Teixera than Carlos. He’s younger, hits for a much better average, and still hits HRs and drives in runs. But, somehow I doubt Omar has the will to let Carlos go.

There is also talk of bringing in Jason Varitek to provide some fire and leadership on the team. His best years are behind him, but I think he could be good in NY. Orlando Hudson and Pat Burrell are also being talked about. Pat “the Bat’ could play left field and weaken the Phillies in one fell swoop. Hudson would provide offense from the 2nd base position not seen since Edgardo Alfonzo was there. All these moves sound good, they just need to be done. Does Omar have the vision to do these things, or will he allow another disappointing season to happen in ’09? Time will tell.

I'm Not Alone in My Opinions

2008-09-30T12:22:00.001-04:00

I watched the afternoon SNY shows and it’s amazing to hear that I’m not alone in my thoughts about the Mets roster. More than one said that Delgado should not be resigned. Everyone agreed that Joe Smith and Brian Stokes were the only relief pitchers that were deserving of return. And everyone questioned the 4 year extension for Omar.

The reason given for not bringing back Delgado was his age, the likelihood that his production will slide, and the fact that he is NOT THE LEADER needed in the clubhouse. Until he leaves, the ability of David Wright and Jose’ Reyes to become the leaders of this team will never happen. Delgado was ruler of the clubhouse during the last 2 rancid seasons and shouldn’t be allowed a third chance. His production wouldn’t be that hard to replace, and his influence is not the type needed on the team. Remember, Delgado is the same player at one time wouldn’t stand during the Pledge of Allegiance and turned his back of the singing of God Bless America.

I'd get Matt Holiday for left field, put Nick Evans on 1st base, or get Mark Tiexara to play there. Send Murphy to winter ball to learn 2nd base, and then the Mets might have a chance to change their September luck. I'd also look at gettting C.C. and K-Rod. Money shouldn't be an issue, and it's time to stop acting like 2nd class sitizens of NYC.

Painful Season Finally Ends

2008-09-28T20:00:00.003-04:00

This weekend turned out about how I figured it would. When the Mets lost the 10 inning game to the Cubs I knew the season was over, it was just a matter of when and how.

Friday, Mike Pelfrey did his best against a team that has owned him this season, but once again the Mets offense went to sleep. As much as the bull-pen is to blame for all the losses they caused this year, the offense was delinquent in their duties too. How many times have we all seen runners stranded in scoring position? How many times have the Mets not scored a run after the 5th inning? How many times have the Mets hitters made lousy pitchers look like Cy Young winners? When will the hitters learn to hit breaking pitches? All too often this season the Mets never seemed to have the killer instinct to finish teams off. They never made it a habit to bury teams early and often. They would get out to an early lead, and then coast. The other teams would chip away, and before you knew it, it was a 1 run game and the bull-pen suffered for it.

Saturday, Johan showed once again why he's the best pitcher in baseball bar none. To come back on 3 days rest and throw a 3 hit shut-out when the team needed the win is the stuff Aces are made for. While watching the game, I thought back to the last Saturday of 2007 and it was Deja Vue all over. John Maine, with his team in the same situation, struck out 14 and took a no-hitter into the 9th inning. Unlike Johan, John had 10 runs to work with. If not for Santana's super human effort, the Mets would have ended their season on Saturday not Sunday. The Mets once again failed to score any runs to allow you to relax while watching. The bull-pen gets plenty of blame for the season's failures, but if the Mets had just scored a few more runs in a few more games, October baseball would have been guaranteed weeks ago.

Sunday, Oliver Perez at least pitched well enough to give the Mets a chance. On short rest he went 5+ innings and only gave up 2 runs. Smith shut down the Fish in the 6th, Stokes pitched the 7th and was rescued by another patented Chavez catch in left-field. You could almost see the eerie similarities to game 7 in the 2006 NLCS. The team was charged up, and Chavez was leading off the bottom of the inning. Then just like in '06, the air left the stadium in an instant. Instead of Heilman sucking the life out of Shea, it was a left hander. In the top of the 8th, Scott Schoeneweis did what he does almost as well as Heilman. He served up the winning HR and got booed as he dragged his butt of the field. Ayala then comes in and serves up HR #2 in the inning. By that time it didn't matter. The Mets were dead men walking and they went out with a whimper in the 9th. The game lost in the 10th inning to the Cubs earlier in the week killed them. That loss took out their heart and threw it to the ground. Just like an deer that's been shot thru the heart, it just took a little while to realize they were dead.

I said back in August when Billy Wagner got hurt that the Mets were going to have a hard time making it to October without him. Stokes, Smith, Ayala, and Figueroa did their best, but in the end it wasn't enough. Too often Heilman, Schoeneweis, Feliciano and Sanchez shot the team in the chest and in the end The Mets could overcome all the obstacles. Let's hope that Omar doesn't burden the fans with another version of the "07 or "08 team. Drastic changes need to be made and had better be made before spring training begins.

The 2009 Mets

2008-09-26T10:04:00.001-04:00

In between cat naps on the couch I did manage to see most of the Mets game. A few things have become clear during this tortuous month of September. If the Mets don’t make the playoffs, the locker room needs a big makeover. Ever cense Cliff Floyd’s departure there hasn’t been a vocal veteran in the club house to shake up the players when needed. That means certain people need to go somewhere else.

As good as Delgado has been, he needs to go. He’s part of the leadership problem in the Clubhouse. Pedro, Heilman, Feliciano, Schoeneweis, Sanchez, Castro, Anderson, and Castillo all need to go too. Murphy should be the starting left fielder. Evans or Mark Texiera should be playing first. Robinson Cancel should be the back-up catcher, Argenis Reyes or someone else should be at second base. Santana, Pelfrey, Niese, Maine, and Parnell should be the starting 5 unless the Mets go after C.C. Sabathia. K-Rod should be closing, and Kunz should be setting up in the 8th inning. Smith, Stokes, Ayala, Muniz, Figgy should be in the pen. If the Mets can pick up a good left handed pitcher for the pen, then that would be helpfull. But this 2008 bull-pen crew can not be allowed in Citi-Field next year.

It may sound drastic, but I see no other way to take the rancid taste of 2007's defeat and the disappointments of 2008 from following the Mets into Citi-Field next year.

Mets afraid of Success

2008-09-25T06:56:00.002-04:00

Watching the Mets these last few weeks is like watching a loved one slowly pass away. There is no other way to describe what is going on. They seem like they don’t want to play in October, and they seem afraid of success. All year long they have failed to do what is needed to win games, and now when wins are needed more than ever, they continue to spit the bit. The Mets have been terrible all year on there are runners in scoring position, and now when all that was needed was one hit, they fail once again to do the simplest things. Why can Daniel Murphy get a critical hit in the 9th inning, and then no one else can even hit the ball? All the Mets needed was a fly ball, and they win the game. But, that was impossible. David strikes out, Beltran and Delgado walk, Church hits a weak ground ball, and then Castro strikes out on three pitches. Thanks for the effort Ramon. The game was over there. What happened in the 10th inning didn’t matter.

When the Mets needed Ollie the most, he couldn’t throw strikes. He walked 5 batters and couldn’t get out of the 5th inning. Those walks ended up scoring, and the Perez blew an early 5-1 lead. On a night when Phillie was getting shelled, Ollie came up small. On a night when the Brewers were winning, Sanchez once again allowed anyone on base to score, and the season took another step towards the abyss. Such is the life a Mets fan.

Some thoughts on Niese

2008-09-24T10:07:00.000-04:00

I have nothing against John Niese. The Mets once again are doing like last year. I can only suspect that there is a culture in MLB that treats Rookie players like disposable pieces to a larger puzzle.
In John’s 1st start, he didn’t pitch for 9 days, and got shelled by the Brewers. His 2nd start, he went on normal rest and shut down the Braves. Monday, he once again got shelled, and he was pitching on 9 days rest. He also had Schneider catching last night and in his first game. Robinson Cancel, who caught him in AAA, caught him in the game against the Braves. See a pattern here? Last year they sat on Humber until the last week, and he gets shelled. They’re doing the same thing with John. They’re not giving him the best chance to succeed, only a chance to fail. The Brewers and Cubs absolutely own left – handed pitchers this year. So why would the Mets start John against them? Why not flip him and Pelfrey in the rotation so Mike gets the Cubs, and John got the Braves Sunday? I guess that makes too much sense. I wonder if Willie has a voodoo doll of Jerry Manuel hiding somewhere.

Johan Proves He's the Best Pitcher in Baseball.

2008-09-24T06:58:00.000-04:00

I hope the Yankee fans were watching the Lefthanded pitching master on the mound at Shea stadium last night. In a game that the Mets could not afford to lose, Johan showed why he’s the best pitcher in baseball. 8 innings, 2 walks, 2 runs, and 10 strikeouts and a hit that brings back visions of the black cat in 1969. Santana who has not lost a game since June, is now working on a streak of 16 consecutive games without a loss. I bet Hank and Hal wish he was in pinstripes instead of the two brittle youngsters they bet their season on.

Offensively, Jose’ and David both got off the snide and drove in the deciding runs in two different bases loaded situations. David drove in the tying runs with a 2 run single in the 5th, and Jose’ cleared the bases in the sixth with his 19th triple. Jose’s triple was also his 200th hit. Only Lance Johnson has more hits [221] in a season for the Mets. David’s hit drove in his 122nd RBI and now he stands only 2 behind the club record set by Mike Piazza in 1999. With 5 more games to go, David could set the record with room to spare.

Maybe there is a chance for redemption yet. If Ollie can be on point this evening, and the Braves treat the Phillies like the Mets, the Mets may even catch them for the division title.

Changes in the works

2008-09-23T21:22:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone. If you haven't noticed a few things have changed. Guinness, the founder of this blog has decided to leave for varying reason. Among them is work and family. I hope he keeps visiting and keeping us abreast of the newest Mets fan.

I want to thank Guinness for asking me to join him here and I've had fun doing this. It does tend to be time consuming on occasion, but I've enjoyed writing down what ever is on my mind regarding the Mets. Instead of shutting down the blog, Guinness has allowed me to take over ownership of the site. I'll do my best to continue to comment on the Mets' season as it winds down and look forward to all the comments and discussion that we have had. I've added a few new features to the site and hope they are of interest to the guests on the site. I hope to soon have a new banner posted, and will look to keep up with the season's twists and turns.

Santana Holds the Line

2008-09-19T06:56:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was asking for some Divine intervention, and I think it happened. The Brewers blow a 4 run lead in the 9th with 2 outs, and Ben Sheets may be done for the year. If the Mets can figure out a way to win in Atlanta, maybe they can get to October baseball afterall. With Ryan Church coming around at the plate, and David looking for redemption, maybe the Mets can win more than 1 game in Hotlanta.

Santana pitched like an ACE, and the Heiman Syndrome didn’t come into play last night. NY circles say that Heilman has pitched his way out of NY, and will see nothing but Mop Up duty at best. If, and that’s a big if, the Mets make the playoffs, Heilman could be left off the playoff roster. During the game Gary Cohan and Ron Darling mentioned that the Mets may try to trade for the Royals closer in the off-season. I say that’s a perfect place for Aaron. He can start there, and never be heard from again in NY.

The offense came from 2 former Nats and it couldn't have been better timing. Schneider and Church both delivered key hits and acounted for 4 for the 7 RBI in the game. Brian's 2 HR were the first 2 HR game for his since 2003, and Church seems to have found his stroke again. With David struggling at the plate, Ryan's bat is sorely needed. Maybe a change of venue will wake David's bat up. The Mets can't afford to lose another 2 or 3 games to Atlanta this weekend. Lets hope the Mets bury Hampton early and often, and that Heilman doesn't even pick up a baseball.

Knight stems the tide

2008-09-19T06:56:00.001-04:00

It’s nice to see that the Carlos brothers have decided to show up and ride to the rescue. With an unproven pitcher on the mound the Mets needed to score early and often. The Carlos brothers hit 3 HRs and drove in 5 of the 9 runs last night to provide the cushion.

Brandon Knight did all anyone could ask of him. 5 innings and only 2 runs allowed. But with the Bull-pen situation, no lead is too big heading into the later innings. Once again the Heilman syndrome struck the pen. As soon as he started warming up, things got sticky. Rincon gives up a run, Stokes does his Heilman impersonation by giving up a 2 run HR, Heilman comes in and doesn’t retire a batter, Schoeneweis and Smith bail Aaron out, Feliciano allows 2 unearned runs to score in the 9th, and Ayala comes in and slams the door with a strikeout. It was just your typical bull-pen session for the Mets. It’s a wonder I haven’t taken up drinking yet. At least the Mets won. A loss would have put them behind the Phillies by 1.5 games and the brewers by .5 games. With Johan going tonight, the Mets need to win again and try to gain some separation from the Brewers, and put the pressure on the Phillies. Time to breakout the aspirin and Rolaids for this night’s game and to hope for divine intervention.

It's Hard to be a Mets Fan

2008-09-17T07:01:00.001-04:00

I’ve been a Mets fan since the late 70’s and things never seem to change. The Mets constantly build up your hopes and then yank the rug out from underneath your feet. They in many ways seem to have an allergic reaction to success. As soon as they have things going in the right direction, something always seems to cause trouble. The Mets have been a lousy team against any pitcher who can throw breaking pitches for strikes, and that hasn’t changed since ’05. Now once again when they need to win games in September, they can’t hit anything out of the infield. They often have trouble hitting anything at all. If they think teams like the Nationals and Braves are going to groove fastballs for them, they are once again sadly mistaken.

Besides not being able to hit breaking pitches to save their season, the Mets are also missing something else. They don’t have a Ray Knight or Keith Hernandez type of player in the dugout. They haven’t had that type of player since Cliff Floyd left the team after 2006. The Mets need a veteran player who’s well respected and outspoken. And where is Cliff playing this year? Tampa. And what have the Rays done this year? They’ve won games and refuse to listen to all the “Experts” that said they’ll fade and not be a factor. Beltran and Delgado are too timid and won’t get in someone’s face to wake them out of their daze, and David isn’t that veteran yet. This September malaise will never completely go away unless there is that respected veteran to kick people in the butt when needed. Jerry has done wonders, but the players need one of their own to step up and be a vocal leader too.

As bad as the loss was last night, the roof hasn’t hit the floor yet. Now the Mets put the ball in Brandon Knight’s untested hand, and will rely on Evans and Murphy to cover left field for the rest of the season. Tatis separated his shoulder, and is done for the year. Tatis has been struggling at the plate, but he’s come thru in numerous games this year and pulled the Mets out of the fire more than once.

Yesterday I mentioned how there always seems to be a no name player that steps up and hurts the Mets, well Willie Harris is that player on the Nats. Once again he cost the Mets a win with his game saving grab of David Wright’s line drive. Too bad he couldn’t take a night off. Maybe the Mets would game if he wasn’t out in left field catching everything hit there.

Same old Story

2008-09-16T12:08:00.000-04:00

Well, what can be said about last night’s game? Pedro pitched well enough until the 6th inning, but the bats once again went on vacation.

Since 2006 I’ve been railing about the Mets inability to score runs against a pitcher that can throw breaking pitches for strikes. Just picture Carlos Beltran standing there at the plate watching Wainwright’s curveball end the Mets season in ’06. Lannon pitched last night like he did earlier this year against the Mets. In that game, he went 7+ innings, and struck out 11 Mets. Sound familiar? If the Mets’ hitters weren’t swinging and missing at pitches off the plate, they were swinging at pitches that bounced behind the plate. Jose’ is once again in his annual September daze, David struckout with the bases loaded again, and the Carlos Brothers are MIA again.

The only saving grace is the fact that the Mets are in the wildcard chase with Phillie, and the self-destructing Brewers who fired their manager Ned Yost. With 6 more games on this road trip, the Mets don’t figure to go winless before they return to Shea. The fans are just left to wondering where the Mets will be when they make their last stand at Shea.

Nightmare Comes True

2008-09-15T10:02:00.000-04:00

Well, the nightmare came true this weekend. The Brewers rolled over and got trashed by the Phillies, and the Braves continue to make life miserable for the Mets. The Braves have tortured and bludgeoned the Mets for 17 years, and nothing has changed. They get good pitching from recycled pitchers, little known players come up big in the late innings, and Chipper puts another knife in the Mets’ back. Now with the lead down to 1 game, the Mets get to go on a 7 game road trip to Washington and Atlanta. Not my idea of fun. Then they face the Cubbies and Fish, and very possibly their Waterloo too. Is there anyone out there that doesn’t think K-Rod would be worth the $15 Million next year? That was the 27th blown save of the Mets this year. Just imagine where the Mets would be in the standings if they had only blown 8-10 of those games.

The only positive things to happen all weekend was the stellar pitching of Jonathan Niese, and the torrid hitting of David Wright. Niese proved he belongs in the Majors with his 8 innings, 6 hits, 7 strikeouts, 2 walks, and NO RUNS ALLOWED. He’s only 21, and he looked like a seasoned vet on the mound. David is on a tear and has raised his average 10 points this week, hit his 31st HR, and now has 114 RBI. I’m sure he would rather have 2 more wins, but he’s surging at the right time, and his bat will be needed if the Mets have any chance of making the playoffs.

The Helter Skelter Mets Strike Again

2008-09-14T08:39:00.006-04:00

This week has been typical of the Mets' season. They have the Nationals in Shea for a 2 games series that turns into a shootout, then the Braves come to visit, and they can't hardly score a run for Santana.

Last year the Nationals were directly responsible for the Mets sitting home last October and they tried their best to repeat that feat this week. When ever the worst team in the division comes into your house and they are allowed to score 18 runs in 2 games, you know there are ghosts coming to play. Unlike last year, the Mets never gave up and continued to fight for every run needed to win. Delgado had another monster series, David got back on track, Beltran seemed to wake up, and the relief pitchers held the line. Ollie was god awful, and Big Pelf didn't have his head in the game. Thank God for Joe Smith, Brian Stokes, Nelson Figueroa, and Luis Ayala. Smith picked up both wins and Ayala continues to rack up saves. With the News of Billy Wagner's need for surgery, the season now rides on Luis' right arm to close out games. Lets all wish Luis luck and hope his ride to glory continues until November.

After surviving the shootout with Washington, the Mets welcomed Atlanta to Shea for the last time. With a a little help from the Brewers, the Mets were hoping to add another game or two to their 3 game lead in the standings. With Santana pitching the opening game , and Chipper not playing, things were looking good for the Mets. Well the rain came and washed those ideas away and Johan once again fell victim to the Braves. In the 1st game of Saturday's double-header Johan struggled but only gave up 2 runs over 7+ innings. The Mets stranded numerous runners and failed to take advantage of multiple bases loaded situations. The Braves rallied for 3 runs in the 8th inning, and the Mets lose another one to the Braves in September. That certainly does seem to be the trend for the Mets over the years. Santana is now 0-3 with another no decision against the Braves.

With Santana losing the opening game there had to be enormous pressure on Johnathan Niese making his first start in Shea. But the young 21 year old lefty was up to the challenge. He threw 8 innings, struck out 7, walked 2, and only gave up 6 hits while winning his first game in the Major Leagues. He spotted his fastball well and had the Braves baffled by his curve all night long. David continued his resurgence by hitting a deep HR to right center field, Beltran had 3 hits and a HR, and Jose' even got in the HR act. The offense scored a few runs early for John and then he took care of business. With his performance last night, there is no doubt he'll get the ball next week when Jerry needs a win. If Niese continues to pitch like last night, I see little reason to spend $15 Million on Ollie next year. The Mets could have a rotation of Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Niese, and either Parnell or a free-agent. C.C. Sabathia would be nice, but I doubt if the Wilpon's will drop another $140 Million on another pitcher this winter. I don't have any problems with spending the money needed to get C.C. It's time the Mets stop acting like they're from Florida, and start acting like they're from New York.

Today, the Mets need to finish the Braves and put some more pressure on the Phillies. While the Mets played their double header last night, the Phillies play theirs today. If the Mets can win again today, the Phillies will be feeling the heat as the season flutters away. 15 games to go, and the Mets are holding on. If the Brewers ever decide to put up a fight and show some pride, maybe the Mets can leave NY with a 4 game lead.

The Mets Survive the Weekend, but Wagner's Elbow Doesn't

2008-09-08T19:45:00.003-04:00

What everyone was fearing would happen has happened. Wagner's elbow is history and so is his Mets career. With the required 12+ months to recover from "Tommy John" surgery, the is little chance of Billy ever pitching for the Mets again. His contract is up after 2009, and the Mets will have K-Rod in the pen next April. With Kunz as the possible set-up man, and Billy's desire to close games, the Mets don't figure into his future. It's too bad that Billy's Mets career had to end like this. He was always a gamer and fighter that never ducked the consequences of his failures, and didn't boast when he succeeded.

While Billy was testing his failed elbow, the Mets managed to win a game this weekend against the Phillies. Big Pelf did his best, but Meyers was just a bit better. The Mets' bats once again went to sleep and hardly managed a hit against Meyers. He threw his nasty curve for strikes the whole game, and we all know how the Mets hit curveballs. Just picture Beltran in the 9th inning of game 7 of the '06 NLCS and you get the idea. Why the Mets continue to show the inability to hit good breaking pitches is beyond me. Too bad Doc Gooden is pissed at the Mets, he'd make a great BP pitcher for them.

If Friday wasn't bad enough, in Sunday's afternoon game Jamie Moyer once again baffled the Mets and showed that a 82 MPH fastball works if you put it in the right place. Too bad Pedro wasn't paying attention. For the 3rd consecutive start, Pedro was shelled. The longer this goes on the less likely he comes back in any fashion next year. Unless Pedro takes a lesson from Moose, and learns to pitch to location and movement, he's done in this league. No longer can Pedro just go about his business and get outs. He's not even the pitcher he was in '05 much less '99. It's almost to the point of replacing Pedro with Parnell in the rotation. He certainly couldn't do any worse. Although Pedro gave 6 runs in only 4 innings, the offense never showed any signs of life until the 8th inning. 3 straight extra base hits scored the 2 runs, but by then it was too late.

Sunday's night game was the Carlos and Johan show. Delgado provided the offense, and Johan kept the Phillies in check. Santana continues to prove why he's the best pitcher in baseball. He hasn't lost a game since June, and is pitching into the 7th inning more time than not. His second half record during his career is something few pitchers in history have had. In 119 games, he's 55-17 with a 2.75 ERA. That's a .7635 winning percentage !!! He has proven this season why Cashman made the biggest mistake in the history of the Yankees by not trading for him this off-season. How Cashman could even think that Hughes and Kennedy were worth keeping over trading for Johan, baffles everyone in baseball.

What can be said about Carlos Delgado? I and many others wanted him off the team in April and May, now he may be the league MVP. Who would have thought that Carlos had the same reaction and feelings about Witless Willie as I did. If I had to work for Willie I probably would have slit my wrists, Carlos just hated playing baseball for him. As soon as Willie was canned, Carlos came to life. If not for his improved play, the Mets would have a hard time beating the Marlins in the standings, much less leading the standings. Without Carlos, the Mets are probably below .500 and talking like the Yankees are. You know, talking about injuries, being big players in the free-agent market this winter, making changes to the line-up, ect. All the things teams say when they have no hopes for the rest of the season.

Now the Mets spend the next 12 games playing the Nats and the Braves while the Phillies have the Brewers and Fish on their menu. I hope the Mets don't take any of these upcoming games for granted. Last year the Nats helped ruin the Mets season and the Braves have no warm fuzzy feelings for the Mets either. If the Mets can win 8-10 of these upcoming games, they should be able to gain a few games on the Phillies. A cushion of 3-4 games would be nice heading into the 4 games with the Cubs, and 3 games with the Fish to end the season. Last year the Fish buried the Mets' in the last game, and would love to do it this year too. With Wagner gone, Stokes and Ayala will really be tested and be the anchors of the pen. With some help from Smith and Figgy, maybe the pen can make all Mets' fans proud and bring another banner to the new ball park next year.

Mets Keep Rolling

2008-09-03T19:16:00.003-04:00

Heading into this road trip there was more than a little worry in my mind. With 9 games against Philly, Florida, and the Brewers, it would be a true test of a shaky pen and sporadic offense. Any concerns I and others may have had turned out to be unfounded. With some luck and a better effort from the pen, the Mets could have won all 8 games on this road trip.

The Mets split 2 games in the band box that Philly calls home. Behind good starting pitching, timely hitting, and a few good innings from the pen, they survived Howard, Utley, and company. I cringe every time the Mets head to Philly because Howard, Werth, and Burrell always seem to make things difficult. Just when you think things are safe, they score multiple runs in rapid fashion to make things close. If not for a bull-pen meltdown and Pedro's struggles in the 5th inning, the Mets might have swept the Phillies.

The same thing happened in Miami. Big Pelf faced his demons and stared them down. Unfortunately, he also was the victim of a leaky bull-pen and didn't get his well earned victory. Winning 2 out of 3 in Miami against that powerful team is always welcome. The Marlins are one of the teams that the Mets faltered against last year and couldn't beat them when the season depended on it. Every time the Mets beat the Fish, they seem to get a little bit of payback from them. Now when the Fish need to beat the Mets to stay in the chase, they are losing and watching their post-season hopes disappear little by little.

All year long we as Mets fans have been subjected to the backhanded comments of being in the NL East. All anyone has talked about this year is the Cubs and the Brewers. Well, that argument just lost it's merit. After this afternoon's drubbing, the Mets have no worries about the Brewers. The Mets started 3 left-handed pitchers against the best hitting team in the NL against left-handed pitchers. The Brewers were 35-14 against lefties after last night's game. But the Mets managed to sweep the Brew Crew while starting a rookie pitcher, and having a sporadic offense in the middle innings again. The difference in this series is the Bull-pen. The pen has worked like 15.2 innings without giving up a run. Figgy and Stokes are the middle inning stoppers in the pen. They get both left and right hitting batters out, and they have the mix of pitches and arm strength to go multiple innings if needed. Joe Smith is lights out lately, and even Feliciano is getting people out with minimum effort. Jerry has found a couple of people he can rely on, and he's using them to great effect. The gem of the pen is Ayala. For the cost of A. Hernandez, the Mets have their reserve closer. Ayala has earned 5 saves and doesn't seemed to get rattled when things get sticky. It's nice to know that he'll be there to help Billy finish the season and give him a rest when needed. I don't ever want to see Heilman or Schoeneweis closing games ever again.

One big difference between this team and the '07 team is the never say die fighting attitude they have. Earlier this year under Witless Willie they would never have fought back from early deficits to win games. Now, they find ways win games even when they are down to their last strike. Jerry Manual deserves much of the credit for that change of attitude. His managerial skills and personal relationships with the players has them fighting for every win, and doing what ever is needed to win them. The young blood that has come up this year is also to blame for this new attitude. Murphy, Evans, Argenis Reyes, and Stokes have all played with passion and energy that was sorely missing last year. With the September call-ups, Figgy, Niese, Parnell, Muniz, Knight, Rincon, and company get their chance to add to the energy that is infecting the team. I doubt Willie would have Evans and Murphy playing more than a game or two a week, and Ayala would never be closing. Heilman would be doing that, and Willie wouldn't even blink when calling the pen. Jerry rewards effort and results. If a player does good, he plays. If the players fails, he sits. That's the way it should have been last year, and the 1st few months this year. That's why Willie is unemployed, and Jerry is going to get an extension. That's also why the Mets are winning, and not thinking of Champagne yet.

The Cardiac Mets Continue to Win

2008-08-30T18:10:00.002-04:00

I don't know about any of you out there, but I don't know if I'm going to make it to the end of September. The Mets continue to give me and others a daily stress test as they manage to win games in nail biting fashion.

Against the Phillies earlier this week they seemed to have a win in the bag for Pedro. Winning 7-0 in the 3rd inning and cruising thru the game, who would have thought that the game would do a 180 and become a loss. Pedro gave up 1 run at first, then the roof fell in on him in the 5th. He gives up 2 homeruns and before you know it it's a 7-5 game. The Mets hitters went to sleep, the Phillies tied the game because of another bull-pen fiasco and they lose in 13 innings. Where have we seen that play out before?

The next night the Mets had Santana pitching and things weren't much better. Johan didn't have his shutdown stuff but kept the Mets in the game. He left trailing 3-1 but was bailed out by Delgado. Carlos hit 2 solo HRs to tie the game. In the 8th inning Mighty Murphy hit a ball into the right field corner of "Lights Out" Lidge to score the go ahead run. The Mets then scored two insurance runs and Ayala closed out the game. If not for Stokes bailing out Johan, and Smith and Feliciano holding the lead, it could have been a disaster. The Mets would have been 1.5 games behind Phillie, not .5 games ahead.

The Phillies have been losing to the Cubs as the Mets watch their lead grow in the division. Friday's game was another cardiac event. After trailing most of the game, the Mets actually got some production from Beltran. At one time in the 9th inning, the Mets were down to their last strike before the rally started. Castillo got a hit, David walked, and Delgado was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tailing 2-1 in the 9th inning, Beltran hits the 1st pitch thrown from Gregg, and hits a grandslam to put the Mets ahead 5-2. Then the fun started again. Ayala comes into close the game, and needless to say it was nerve racking to say the least. Why is it always so hard to get the last out in an inning or game? Ayala got the job done [he later complained of a sore groin] but it was interesting and he owes the save to Murphy in left field. On a drive by Canto down the line, Murphy used his 3rd base skills to keep the tying run from scoring. He hustled to cut off the ball and threw it on the run [as he was headed towards the foul line] to Jose' and held the runner at 3rd base. He leaped and threw the ball all in one motion just as if he was throwing a ball from 3rd to 1st base. It probably saved the game.

All these cardiac events wouldn't be needed if the team could score a few more runs in the middle innings. They score with regularity in the 1st inning or 2 but then the bats go silent all too frequently. If the Starters can continue to go deeper into games, it will make life easier on all of us. But, the hitters need to score more runs. Nobody is doing the job very well in the middle innings, and it's not a new situation. All year long the Mets have been stranding runners in scoring position. Of the 30 HRs hit by Delgado, only 1 has come after the 7th inning. David, Beltran, Easley, Tatis, have all left runners on the bases and it's got to change.

The Mets and Big Pelf need to take care of the Fish tonight. The Phillies are beating the Cubs and the Fish have hopes of staying in the race. A win tonight will get the monkey off Mike's back and keep the Phillies 2 game behind the Mets. With the Brewers coming up Monday, the Mets need all the cushion they can get.

Mets in Troubling Times

2008-08-25T21:11:00.003-04:00

Hello again everyone. I have one question to ask all of you before we get into the baseball chatter. Where the heck is Guinness hiding? He hasn't posted here in over a week and I'm starting to worry. It's not like him to miss chances to send digs, jabs and backhanded comments my way. LOL.

Ok, now on to the business of the Mets. Unless you have all been hiding it's been kind of a mixed bag around Shea lately. I'll deal with the bad first and then hope to end on a positive note if possible. LOL.

The bad can be summed up in three phrases. God awful bull-pen, lousy situational hitting, injuries that could change the season.

I called into the SNY show "Loudmouths" today and actually got on the air. Now seeing that the outrageous tends to get on the air, and the sane don't, I stated what I've felt for awhile and I'm sure others have too. I told them that if I never saw Heilman, Sanchez, or Feliciano in a Mets uniform again it wouldn't hurt my feelings. I ment it then and I mean it now. They suck, and can't be relied on. If it's not one of them screwing up, it's the other. The only way to solve it it to get rid of them. Send them to AAA, trade them, do something besides take away wins in NY. I told Schein and Carlon I wanted Neise, Parnell, Figgy, and Kunz in NY. Neise would fill Maine's spot in the rotation, Parnell and Figgy could pitch out of the pen, and Kunz could team with Wagner and Ayala to close games out. Of coarse they went crazy, but them did agree Neise and Kunz should be called up.

The hitting at times is also God Awful. The Mets had longs streaks of hitless innings against the Astros, including ones of 20 batters, 15 batters, and 13 batters without a hit of any kind. It's hard enough to beat bad teams hitting like that but it's damned near impossible to beat any decent team when not hitting for those prolonged stretches. This isn't something new either. The Mets despite scoring the most runs in MLB in the 1st inning, and being one of the highest scoring teams in MLB, have been doing this all season. Beltran will never be the player he should be. He seems entirely too meek and too entirely happy to be a .270 hitter for his career. Delgado is streaky to say the least. Just when you think he should have a day off, he goes 5-5 or drives in 6 runs like tonight. Jose' and David are also streaky, but in different ways. David may not look like he's doing much at times, but he's hitting over .290, and has 99RBI with an OBP of over .380. His problem is that sometimes all too frequently he doesn't get that hit in the middle innings to drive in some insurance runs. Reyes before tonight was hitting .188 this home stand. He takes too many pitches down the middle and swings at pitches near his eyes. Sometimes I wonder if he's concentrating as well as he should at the plate.

The injury news just keeps coming and doesn't seem to stop. The latest news is that John Maine is back on the DL and probably won't see the mound again this season. As I've been saying for some time in John's defense, he's been pitching hurt for most of the season. I know from personal experience with bone spurs, that they don't form overnight. I'll guarantee that John left spring training with them and that they caused his rotator cuff strain. John's a tough pitcher and is never one to complain, and I bet he changed something in his delivery because of the bone spur and that caused his rotator cuff issue. I now how much Guinness and others love to bash John, but this latest news goes to my point about him playing hurt, and not being destined for the pen due to lack of talent. If you believe as I and others do, the return of Castillo from the DL is not welcome news. He may be healthier now, but he did nothing in this game to prove he deserves to play over Easley or A. Reyes. Some old Castillo. Trying to bunt in the 1st inning, striking out, and not making a difference at the plate or in the field.

The positive can be summed up in 3 words. Defense, Starting pitching.

Pelfrey and the rest of the starting staff have been great. Big Pelf tonight became the 1st pitcher since Brett Saberhagen [13 yrs ago] to pitch back to back complete game wins. Santana and Pedro are pitching great and Johan is continuing his habit of being lights out in the second half. Pedro is pitching deeper into games and has dropped his ERA almost 2 runs this month. Ollie is also doing his best to keep the Mets in games and rarely shows the helter-skelter pitcher he was early this season. Maine had even managed to pitch 10 innings without giving up a run before Saturday's game. Even with a compromised Maine the Mets have the best staff in the NL if not all MLB. They'll need to be on the top of their game in the coming weeks. With the Phillies, Marlins, Brewers, and Cubs all in the Mets future it's not going to get easier. With the pen collapsing every other game, If I was a starter, I wouldn't come out of the game unless my arm was falling off. Ollie said so much today. I read a quote from him saying that the starters are going to have to throw 150 pitches if they want to win games.

The other thing that's been stellar is the defense. I believe the Mets have now gone 30 games and only committed 4 errors in that stretch. David Wright is headed for his 2nd Gold Glove award. He only has 13 errors and is looking more and more like a Robin Ventura clone at 3rd base. He makes the barehanded plays with boring regularity and gobbles up everything else. His throws are better and rarely does Delgado need to move off the bag anymore. Reyes also is headed for his 1st Gold Glove. Ever since Castillo went away, Jose' has shined in the field. Whether it was Castillo causing the problems, or the fact that Jose' got to play with his friend Argenis, who knows. But the fact is that Jose' has stepped it up and deserves the Gold Glove for his work in the field this year. Delgado is playing a more effective in the field, and the kids Evans and Murphy are holding their own in left field too.

So, there is reason for hope this upcoming week or so. If the Mets can get some better hitting in the middle innings, and keep the pen playing cards we may all be better off. The Mets didn't get any help from the club managed by "The Greatest Manager Ever", so now they face the Phillies with only a half game lead. Time for the Mets to man up and put the Phillies down these to games, and to break their necks. Don't let them have a hope and beat them until they are nothing but a stain on the stadium grass. No more messing around, time to show the Phillies who's division this is.

Big Pelf Becomes a Stud

2008-08-22T06:36:00.000-04:00

I've been watching the braves series with great interest due to the teams past historys. All too often the Mets dreams of titles and post-season glory have been dashed by the Braves. Not this year though. The Braves are a shadow of their former selves, and Jerry's kids are playing the best baseball of the season.

The biggest reason for the Mets lastest success is the starting pitching. They are the best rotation in MLB and Big Pelf is a major reason why. When the team is devoid of a closer the Starters have to take the ball and shut down the opposition. Big Pelf won his team leading 12th game Wednesday and threw his 1st complete game of his career. Not bad for someone that all the experts said was a 2nd tier pitcher at best. And to think that if Mike hadn't been so bad last year, the twins would have him now. The Mets offered him to the twins for Johan, but the Twinkies said no thanks. Remember also that Omar and Witless Willie insisted that Hernandez was their starting pitcher. The only reason Mike was starting the season in AAA was because on El Duque's bunyon. Thank God for old tired pitchers. LOL. I shudder to think what this season would be like with El Duque in the rotation, and not Big Pelf.

I've always like young talent over old worn out talent, and the Mets are winning this year because of their young talent. Big Pelf, Maine, Perez, Johan, Murphy, the Reyes brothers, David, Evans, and Smith are all under 30 and winning games for the Mets. The 6'7" Pelfrey stands above them all and shows why he will be a star in the league for years to come.

Rumblings in NY

2008-08-20T03:56:00.003-04:00

This last week has seen the Mets go 6-1 on a road trip thru Washington and Pittsburgh, but not all is well in Mudville.

Yesterday afternoon we all have heard the news of what could be the torpedo that sinks the Mets season. Billy Wagner's elbow is swollen and he's been shut down indefinitely. The MRI Tuesday didn't reveal any damage it the elbow, but it's so swollen they may not get a good reading of the situation. For all the Billy Haters out there, you've been getting a small dose of what the bull-pen is like without him there closing games, and now you're going to get a much bigger dose of it. After watching another Sanchez meltdown Monday, nobody can have any faith in Duaner.

Also Monday we all have heard from the Horses mouth himself, that John is pitching hurt and has been for awhile. Every time he goes to the mound he has pain in his shoulder. They doubt it will get better this year but it isn't getting worse. Despite the pain he pitched well enough to keep the Mets in the game, but the pen gave up 5 runs in the loss to the Pirates. He pitched 5 innings and gave up no runs and only 2 hits. You could tell he was hurting because his velocity was only hitting 88-90 on his fastball. John also said that he's going to be limited to 5 innings no matter how many pitches he throws.

With the 6-1 road trip there are other issues of worry too. The offense is struggling to score runs and it can be laid at the feet of a few people. Carlos Delgado is back to his old ways, and Tatis and Beltran are struggling too. Delgado's average has fallen 20 points in just 2 weeks, and Beltran doesn't do much at the plate. Tatis is slumping and his average is down under .300, and Easley has grounded into 4 inning killing double plays in just 2 games [Sunday and Monday]. With the shaky pen and the uncertain return of Billy, the offense needs to score early and often. If the Mets are winning games by 3 or more runs going into the late innings, it makes it easier for the pen to no implode.

One group that can't be blamed for the Mets scoring troubles are the youngsters. Murphy continues to hit over .400, Evans is a doubles machine and gets better every game, and Argenis Reyes gets on base and to every ball hit anywhere near him. Where would the Mets be without the B-Mets carrying a large load the last Month? Third place? Second place? certainly not in 1st. They continue to prove they belong and deserve every compliment they get.

The starting pitching has been stellar even with John's bum shoulder. They are the best rotation in baseball now and always give the Mets a chance to win the games. But, the pitchers need runs too. They also need a pen they can rely on and someone to close the games out. Ayala pitched well in a tough spot last night and Maybe Heilman can keep his head on straight for the next few weeks and act as a de-facto closer. Until Billy returns things will be interesting and fans will continue to consider Rolaids a food group.

Mets Continue Battering Oppostion

2008-08-17T19:07:00.004-04:00

Since Monday's bull-pen meltdown in Shea by the Mets, they have proceeded to beat the Nats 3 straight and stand one one away from beating the Pirates 4 straight. They've done all this with great starting pitching, stellar defense, and timely hitting.

The bull-pen continues to be an adventure and will be so for awhile longer. Billy isn't ready to return and the Mets traded for Ayala. Granted he came cheaply enough [Anderson Hernandez], but he's 1-8 with an ERA over 5.70. Is this really the answer to the bull-pen question? It's bad enough that the Mets have a pen full of headcases and tired arms, why bring in another one? I guess we'll have to see if he can help, or if he hurts. Leave it to Omar to bring in another one of his former players off the scrap heap for reclamation.

The defense continues to shine during this winning streak. Although there was an error in today's game the Mets have been catching and stopping every ball hit their way lately. The Reyes boys are in a league of their own. Since Jerry's hiring Jose's defense has been exponentially better and he could win the gold glove this year. Argenis Reyes is also sparkling in the field. He has the range and glove that has been sorely lacking earlier this year. He hasn't committed and error yet, and has even saved a game or two with his glove and mobility. Beltran continues to catch anything hit in the outfield, and even the B-Mets tandem of Murphy and Evans have been doing steady work in left.

The offense is the offense we as fans expected this spring when the season started. Wright and Jose' are doing their best to split the MVP vote, and the kids produce on a regular basis. A. Reyes is always in the middle of things [.280 ave.], Murphy continues to hit[.415], drive in runs[9 RBI in 41 ABs] and draw walks [8], and Evans is becoming a steady player. Castro when healthy continues to hit, and Schneider is turning on baseballs once again. Tatis is surprising no one anymore. He continues to hover around .300 and has 38 RBI in only 216 ABs. If he played the whole year, he be on pace to drive in over 80 runs. Not bad for someone who hadn't played in '04-'05. He has so many 2 strike big hits I shudder to think where the Mets would be without him. Delgado has settled down some since July, but he is no longer the automatic out he was for almost a year. Beltran has put up decent numbers but isn't the player he should be. All too often he fails to drive in runs when needed and seems to be content to hit around .270 for his career.

With all the issues with the offense, the team still finds ways to score. They have scored first in 19 of their last 21 games on the road. They did it today again. The biggest concern is their inability to consistently add on runs in the late innings. They are being outscored by over 80 runs in the 8th inning on. Without the extra runs, the pen has a habit of coughing up the lead if care isn't taken. Jerry has tried to mix and match the relievers and somehow is keeping things together. With Ryan Church's rehab going well in New Orleans, maybe his impending return will help solve some of those issues with runs and the pen.

Overall it's been a good week to be a Mets Fan. The Phillies and Marlins are starting to sink in the standings, and the Mets have a different hero every night. With another week or two of baseball like this, the division could be close to being settled. As the Mets beat up on the weaker teams, the Fish and Phillies play the better teams in the league and fall farther behind the Mets. Don't you like the schedule now? LOL.

Has Jerry Seen the Light?

2008-08-11T19:14:00.003-04:00

While at work today I listened as the Mets took care of business as they should. They jumped out to an early lead on the strength of David's bat and good pitching from Pedro. Then every Mets fan's nightmare once again was replayed. The starter left with a lead, the Pen did it's usual worst, and the Mets once again lose to a sub .500 team.

Once again Feliciano, Heilman, Schoeneweis can't throw strikes and give away the game. The only target they seem capable of hitting is the batter. Both Heilman and Feliciano hit batters and they gave up critical runs and lost the game. Scotty boy then comes in to try to clean up Heilman's mess, and gives up a bases loaded hit that scores 2 runs and seals the defeat. I'm so sick of seeing the same old bullshit pitchers doing the same old shit I've had it. If it was up to me, Heilman, Feliciano, Schoeneweis, Sanchez, would never see another game in a Mets uniform. Send them to the minors, trade them, or release them. They all suck and have proven scores of times that they can't do the job of getting outs when needed.

I think Jerry has finally had it too. In his post-game news conference he said changes will be made and things can not continue as they have been. When asked if he had confidence in the bull-pen, he said he had confidence in the team. Not exactly an ringing endorsement about the pen. I do believe we will finally see Eddie Kunz closing games after today. A reporter asked Jerry if today's game means he will now look to Eddie to close games. Jerry said he'd seriously have to consider it. He said he didn't want to but he may not have any other choice. Eddie has pitched pretty well in his limited innings here in NY. He gave up a HR in his 2nd game and had a run score on a wild pitch the other day. Personally, I don't call it a wild pitch when the ball hits the pocket of the catcher's mitt, but isn't caught. I call that a passed ball. Either way Eddie certainly can't do any worse than the current bums trying to close games and get late inning outs.

If Eddie does indeed start closing games until Billy's return, he needs an entry song. Billy uses "Enter the Sandman", so Eddie needs a nasty song to enter the stadium to and to get the fans pumped up. I've been a Heavy Metal fan as long as I've been following music and I have a great song for Eddie to use. "You've got Another Thing Coming" by Judas Priest would be a 100% kick ass song for a big hard throwing closer to enter to. Check it out.

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/judas+priest/youve+got+another+thing+comin_20076024.html

I've seen Priest in concert twice and this song is an absolute head banging, fist pumping, get you charged up song and I can't think of anything better for Eddie to enter to. What do you out there think? Wouldn't you love to be in Shea when this song blast thru the P.A. system and Eddie does his Wild Thing Strut out to the mound? Lets here your thoughts and suggestions.

Mighty Murphy Muscles the Mets Past Marlins

2008-08-10T08:17:00.004-04:00

Friday morning, in an e-mail to the Local sports talk radio program, I said all Murphy needed was a HR to finish off his week and get the Mets going against the Fish. Well, he was a day late but he delivered none the less. Get out the cape and paint a big red "S" on his chest because Daniel Murphy is turning into "Superman" at the plate.

With a shaky bull-pen and spot starts by retread pitchers, the Mets knew they would need to score runs this weekend to put some distance between them and the Fish in the standings. The Wizard of Ollie cast a spell over the Marlins on Friday night and David Wright provided all the offense needed. His 2 run HR in his 1st AB set the tone and allowed Ollie to do his thing. Murphy continued to hit the ball and Heilman did the unthinkable. A perfect 6 out save to seal the win.

If anyone out there is still wishing for the days of Willie and Rickey you need professional help. Dan Warthen has been a blessing to this team and has Big Pelf's endorsement. I read an article earlier this week that had Big Pelf basically blasting Rickey for trying to make every one of the pitchers the same. What kind of pitching coach tells a pitcher to "never throw that pitch again"? Mike says Dan uses the pitchers abilities to the utmost and doesn't dismiss comments or suggestions from the pitchers. Who are the 2 biggest surprises this season in the rotation? Big Pelf and Ollie. Both pitchers were stifled and belittled by Rickey's comments to them. Since the firing they both have become dominating on the mound and someone to count on in the big game. It's amazing what a little confidence and encouragement will do for a player.

In last night's game the team was counting on Brian Stokes to give them a chance and he did just that. He pitched well and showed surprising velocity on his fastball. I saw 98 MPH on a few pitches and consistently saw 92-95 MPH. He had a very good slider and spotted it well most of the night. His only mistakes were leaving 2 pitches in the wrong spots for 2 very dangerous hitters. Those pitches were promptly parked over the fences and ended Brian's night after 5.3 innings. Then the hero came to the rescue.

Daniel Murphy is that hero. Called off the bench to pinch-hit with the Mets clinging to a 5-4 lead and one runner on base, he did as all "Super Heroes" do. Once Murphy was announced as the hitter, the Fish brought in Pinto the left-hander to face the rookie. Well the rookie continued to add to his growing legend. After working the count, Mighty Murphy blasted an opposite field 2 run HR to give the Mets the lead for good. He hit the back wall hard enough to have the ball bounce back into the field and now has another souvenir for the trophy case. The fans at Shea have fallen in love with the Young slugger and cheered for his appearance on the dugout steps. With some encouraging from Castro, Mighty Murphy stepped out of the dugout and tipped his helmet to the crowd as they roared their approval. Daniel [I like that name] continues to show a calm demeanor and maturity at the plate as his .500 average will attest to. If he continues to hit like he has, the Mets could have a star player for years to come.

The Carlos brothers even got in the HR act. Delgado hit a mammoth shot that cleared the bull-pen and Beltran hit one to the apple in center field. That was the first HR for Beltran in 82 ABs!!! He also had a 2 run double in the first. If Beltran can ever get to being a steady hitter in the line-up, it sure would make winning games a lot easier. His bat has been sorely missing all too often this year and that has been the source of many sleepless nights for Mets fans.

Today Big Pelf goes to the mound looking for the sweep of the Fish and his 11th win. Who would have thought in spring training that Big Pelf would be the team leader in wins and the most reliable starter in July and August. With a strong outing from Mike and some more support from Mighty Murphy the sweep is within reach and first place will soon be home to the Mets once again. I love the fact that the Mets are winning on the bat and arms of young hungry players. I hope Omar is paying attention. The future is now for the Mets and it rest with the youngsters, not old brittle players with fat contracts.