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.

Wright and the Rookies Salvage the Day

2008-08-07T16:45:00.003-04:00

Today listening to the game I was smiling while the Binghamton Boys proved they belong in NY and help to reinforce my trust in them. I've been a big proponent of getting the youngsters into the games and they've responded in Spades.

Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans were the stars today. They appear to continue the tradition of mid-season call-ups that have produced David Wright, Jose' Reyes and John Maine. [Granted Maine didn't come thru the system, but his call-up in July of '06 was a major factor in reaching the NLCS Game 7.]

Murphy is a hitting machine. He finished his 1st week in NY hitting .467. With his plate discipline and cool demeanor I see great things in his future. He hits the ball to all fields, works the pitcher, and never seems overwhelmed. His gap to gap power is sorely needed in the line-up and could be a difference maker in games to come. He continues to cover the field well and is no worse than Alou' in that regard. His speed isn't his strong suit, but he's no Ramon Castro on the bases either.

Nick Evans is not the power hitter that Murphy is capable of being but he too is producing in the field and at the plate. Today he made a critical play in the field to end the 8th inning and he drove in 2 runs with a Sac Fly and a single. It's too bad that the veterans on the Mets can't take a lesson from the kids. When all that's needed is a fly ball or a single to score a run, the Vets swing too hard, pop-up bunts, strike-out, or hit into Double plays.

Argenis Reyes didn't hit the ball out of the infield today, but he turned in sparkling plays in the field that help contain the Padres and limit the damage that could have been done. He has twice the range of Castillo, and never seems overwhelmed by the spotlight. As a bonus, he's hitting over .400 as a pinch hitter.

The efforts of the rookies were nearly wasted by the pen once again. Santana deserved the win but Scott Schoeneweis did his Heilman imitation by serving up another HR. Feliciano and Smith did well in limiting the bases loaded no out jam in the 8th inning. Why Kunz wasn't brought in to face the music in the 9th I don't know. What could he have done worse than Scott? Eddie hadn't given up a HR in over 4 years until last night. What were the chances of him doing that 2 nights in a row? I'd take Eddie over anyone else in that pen right now.

After Scotty boy tried to waste away another game it was left to the hitters to save the day. Chavez got a single, Reyes popped up a bunt to Bell, A. Reyes makes out #2 and then David came to the plate. After having a difficult series on the bases and not hitting the ball very well the last week or so, David went 3-5 with a walk off 2 run HR. He took a low outside slider and parked it over the fence in left field. Believe it or not, that was the first walk off HR of David's career in baseball not just MLB.

The offense was disappointing this series but managed to win 2 of 3 from the lowly Padres. Now they face the Marlins and need to play better than the last time they went "fishing". If Murphy and Evans continue to improve, and the Carlos brothers can get off the snide, the Mets could draw closer to the division lead before the weekend is over. All Murphy needs now is a HR to go with his doubles, triple, and singles this week. I'm hoping he hits one out to set the tone and get the Mets jumping on the Fish.

Season on the Brink

2008-08-05T19:17:00.003-04:00

If you've been living under a rock the last week or so, there are major issues at a critical time for the Mets. These issues could very well determine the outcome of the Mets season.

The most critical injury is to Billy Wagner. Regardless of what all the Billy haters out there think, he's the most important player on the Mets and his absence for the next 2 weeks could sink the Mets. I shudder to think of "Grandslam" Heilman or "The Nibbler" Sanchez as the closer until Billy's return. It takes a certain mentality to be a closer, and they don't have it. What's equally troubling is the fact that Jerry Manuel has mentioned a "closer by committee" plan of action. I feel the closer duties should go to the only guy on the staff who's a proven closer. Eddie Kunz is that man. All 6'6" 265 pounds of him says closer. On the pre-game show Lee Mazzilli said Kunz can't close because there are other guys in the pen who've been there longer. That's Bull. That's why Lee isn't being employed as a manager now. The best guy for the job should be doing the job, not the guy that's been there the longest!!!! Kunz has been a closer for years and he's built for the job. He could be the Mets version of Joba Chamberlain. There's a saying you may have heard of, "young, dumb, and full of ___." What that means is that someone is too young to be scared or to know any better. Give Kunz the ball and watch the batters fall.

The other injuries to Maine, Castro, Anderson, and Church are also troubling but to different degrees. Maine's absence puts even more strain on a shaky pen. Castro's sore ankle in itself isn't a big deal, but knowing Castro's injury history and his habit of healing slowly, it could be a factor too. Anderson was struggling all season and it made you wonder if his hamstring tendon ever healed correctly. Church is the wild card. With his concussion, and the general lack of rehabilitation protocol in baseball, you just don't know when he'll return. That's a shame too. His bat is sorely needed and he played the outfield with great skill. If he can return soon, he just may be the offensive spark the team needs for the stretch run through September.

With all the injuries this is the time we as fans need the young kids to step it up and prove that they belong. Omar wouldn't trade them for other players before the trade deadline so it's imperative that they contribute to the team. Murphy is proving to be a budding hitter and can even make a play or two in the field. He, Evans, Kunz, Pelfrey, Reyes and Wright are the future and the present and will be tested in the weeks to come. Lets all say a prayer before bed and maybe the sun will come up and shine on the Mets.

The Roadtrip From Hell

2008-08-04T22:13:00.001-04:00

Lets see if this sound familiar. 6 games ago the Mets were in 1st place and they were headed for Florida and then Houston. Six games later the Mets are 3 games back, and in 3rd place. Where have he seen this before? It seems like every season the Mets have to suffer the same old story.

If being in third place because of a 4 game losing streak wasn't bad enough, the injuries to critical people are starting to pile up. John Maine goes on the DL to heal his shoulder and free up a spot in the bull-pen. And why you ask is an extra arm in the pen needed? Because nobody in the pen can be trusted to close games except for Billy, AND HE'S HURT !!!!! So with Wagner's injury, the Mets wouldn't have a closer if Eddie Kunz hadn't been called up. Placing John Maine on the DL was more about getting a closer [Kunz] to NY than resting John. The Mets season could very well be resting on the broad 21 year old shoulders of Eddie. If Wagner goes on the DL, the Mets and we fans will be looking to Kunz and his strong right arm to save the season. His 96 MPH sinking fastball will come in handy and his closer's mentality is sorely missing from anyone else in the bull-pen. Sanchez and Heilman are headcases, and Schoeneweis and Feliciano are reverting to their helter-skelter selves.

As good as Reyes hit in Houston, that series proved who was the most valuable member of the Mets. That person is David Wright. Since his latest slump, the Mets have had problems scoring runs even when Delgado is hitting. I've said it before and I'll say it again. When David hits, the Mets win games. When he doesn't hit, they struggle to score. The starting pitchers are doing their jobs, but the Mets are not scoring when needed. All the SNY "Daily News Live" crew can't understand why the Mets lost in Houston with Reyes getting 11 hits there. It's simple, Reyes getting on base means nothing if David isn't hitting. Guinness and others worship at the alter of Jose', but David is the more important player. The stats prove it out. David hits well over .300 when the Mets win, and under .200 when they lose. Without David hitting the ball, Reyes gets stuck on base looking for a hit from someone. How many times on this road trip did the Mets leave the bases loaded and not score ANY RUNS !!!!! 5 times? 6 times? More than 6? A hit in any of those instances would have turned losses into wins.

If there is anything to be hopeful for it's the play of the youngsters. Evans and Murphy will share duties in left field. Both did a good job in Houston with that weird wacky wall in left field. Murphy had an outfield assist in Saturday's game, and Evans threw out 2 runners at 2nd base in Sunday's game. With Kunz in the pen and Neise maybe getting the start Friday or Saturday, we should be getting a good look at the future of the team. With any luck, they can shine a little light on a gloomy situation in NY.

POST DRAFT THOUGHTS

2008-08-01T12:02:00.000-04:00

I unlike most Mets fans am glad that Omar didn’t make any trades before the non-waiver deadline. All too often Omar overpays for marginal players. If the Mets need bull-pen help, call up Eddie Kunz. He’s the closer to be, and the time under Billy’s arm will do him good for next year when he’s the 8th inning set-up man and 2010 when he’s closing. If they need a starter, call up Neise. Neise in his 1st game in AAA pitched 7 innings and gave up only 1 run. If a Bat is needed, call up Murphy or Carp. Both are hitting over .300 and play the infield or outfield.

If the Mets are looking for an experienced Major League pitcher, Freddie Garcia is a free-agent and pitching this week for a job. He’s healthy now and won’t cost the Mets half the farm system to sign. It’s become evident that other MLB Gm’s don’t like to deal with Omar unless they have no choice. This is evident in the double standard of players needed. The Redsox gave away 2 bum players to get Jason Bay, and the Mets were being asked to trade major players. So in light of the price needed by the Mets to get anyone, I’ll take my chances on the kids in AA and AAA.

What do you all think? Should Omar have signed someone? If so who, and at what price?

Fish Fry Mets

2008-07-31T04:26:00.002-04:00

What started out as a possible chance to put some distance between the Mets and their division rivals has done just the opposite. The Mets lost 2-3 in Miami and are now a half game behind the Phillies with the Marlins close behind.

The Wizard of Ollie did his job Tuesday while Delgado continues to punish baseballs and drive in runs. Ollie went 6.2 innings and allowed only the 1 run on a night where he didn't have his best outing. He worked thru the night and gave the bull-pen a 1 run lead to hold and protect. Heilman stepped it up and allowed nothing and handed the ball the Billy the Kid. Wagner proceeded to set the fish down 1-2-3 while striking out 2 of the 3 hitters he faced. I guess Guinness and others will allow Billy to keep his job for another day or two.

Beltran had an RBI and David drove in his 83rd run in the 1st inning. Nick Evans had 2 hits and scored two runs, and Delgado drove his 23rd HR over the right-center field fence in the 8th inning to extend the lead to 4-1. Delgado should be player of the month after the July he's had. I doubt even Guinness figured he'd have this kind of month.

Last nights game had Big Pelf going to the mound and hoping to keep his dominance over the last month intact. No such luck. Mike was hammered early and often by the fish. I didn't like the game plan that Schneider had Mike working to. The Marlins are a free swinging HR hitting team. That to me would mean they would be all over Mike's fastballs unless Mike mixed it up some. But, Brian had him throwing mostly fastballs and the Mets paid for it. With a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the 4th it looked like a pitchers duel was in the works. But, the baseballs started flying all over the field and off the walls with regularity against Mike. 2 triples and 4 doubles later, the Fish had 5 runs on the board and the Mets were cooked. Muniz came in and pitched well in the 5th and 6th innings, but the Fish added 2 more runs against Joe Smith and put the game out of reach. Easley hit a 3 run pinch-hit HR to get the Mets to 5-4 but they couldn't get to the Marlins before the last out was recorded. With the tying runs on base, Reyes flied out and the game was over. So the Mets continued to fight back, but ultimately they fell short.

Now they have an off day and Pedro pitches in Houston on Friday. He'll be on a pitch count so he needs to be conservative with his pitches. If he runs a lot of deep counts, he'll never get out of the 4th inning. That could mean a long night for the pen and the fans in Houston. If Pedro pitches ok, there will be no need to pitch Maine on Sunday, and risk injuring his shoulder again. With 10 days off, John should be able to rest his arm and come out slinging with no problems.

Maine Leaves Hurt, and Bull-Pen Blows Up

2008-07-29T04:38:00.006-04:00

What started out as a good outing soon left a bad taste in my mouth. John Maine was pitching a good game and breezed through the 1st 4 innings, then something happened in the 5th inning.

Before recording the 1st out of the inning, all hell broke lose with the trainers and coaching staff running out to the mound and surrounding John. They all were worried about something. After throwing a couple of pitches to the catcher, they left and John went back to pitching. He threw one pitch, and the baseball was promptly parked in the seats in right field. After Nolasco's long fly ball to Chavez, that was the end of John's night. Come to find out later, John has had a stiff shoulder for a few weeks now. Dan Warthen and Jerry were worried about John hurting something else because he started changing his delivery during the game. They don't seem to think there is anything major going on, they were just being careful. Somehow I bet Guinness is jumping up and down celebrating this latest set back for John. He's bound and determined to make John a reliever and I'm sure he'll say this proves something. The only thing it proves to me is that John isn't a wimp, and wanted to pitch and stay in the game because he knew it was important. John has proven to have a bulldog personality and sometimes that isn't good for him. I heard that he was barking at Warthen about being pulled. I like that fight in players, but sometimes it's better to error on the side of caution.

If that wasn't bad enough, the bull-pen blew up again. Muniz did ok but surrendered the lead and left after 1.2 innings and a tied game. Pedro got out of the 6th inning, Sanchez made it thru the 7th inning, then Smith and Schoeneweis promptly gave up 5 runs in the 8th and the game was over. The Mets never threatened to score any runs and the Marlins pen held the lead. Now the Mets are only .5 games ahead of the Phillies, and 1 game ahead of the Fish.

Ollie goes tonight and hopes to stop the bleeding and extend the Mets lead in the division. No one ever said beating the Marlins would be easy, but it needs to be done. They may have great HR hitting abilities, but the Mets should be able to exploit their pitching. If the Mets bull-pen doesn't improve, it will be the Mets pitching that gets exploited not the Marlins.

Mets Pluck Cardinals

2008-07-28T03:22:00.004-04:00

In between thunderstorms and hail this weekend I actually managed to watch/listen to the Mets play the Cardinals. While Saturday's lose was disappointing, the fight and tenacity of the Mets was good to see. Sunday's game just reaffirmed that they are not the team of Witless Willie.

All too often during the dark days of Willies tenure, the Mets would just roll over and die if they fell behind early in a game. They did anything but that Saturday. After Knight's rough 1st inning, the Mets settled into a 14 inning slug fest. Tatis had another late inning home run to tie the score, and Delgado had two home runs earlier in the game. Jose' had his 12th home run of the year also and everybody seemed into the game. The rally caps were out in force all night and things just didn't work out as hoped. Heilman working in his 3rd inning of relief left a pitch over the middle of the plate, and Phat Albert parked it in the bleachers. Heilman was the last pitcher in the pen, and Perez would have come into the game if it went any longer. Even in the lose there were good things about this game that bode well for the future of this team. They never gave up, and the team really seems to be jelling as a whole. They are well on their way to becoming the best team in the NL.

In Sunday's game it was the Johan Santana show. On a day when a classic Ace pitching display was needed, Johan didn't let the team down. He pitched like an ACE and never let the Cardinals into the game. Tatis, Castro, and David once again went deep into the bleachers. David now has 82 RBI and is third in the league. Beltran made a great catch in center field to rob a HR and even had an RBI and hit. The Mets never trailed and never allowed the Redbirds to even think they had a chance. Johan knew the pen was spent and he needed to deep into the game. He pitched the first complete game for the Mets since 2006 and only gave up 6 hits. His lone mistake was giving up a home run to Phat Albert. The man can plain hit the ball. The fans were chanting Johan's name during the 8th and 9th inning and gave him a stand ovation as he left the field. He tipped his cap and the crowd roared it's approval. This was the kind of game so many fans hoped for when Santana was traded to the Mets. The dominating pitching that only an ACE can deliver. With an extra day of rest before his next start, Johan should be ready to continue his 2nd half surge and push the Mets to another Division title.

Now the Mets head for Florida and their second home. The Mets own the Marlins in Florida and hope to continue to trend towards total domination of the division. A sweep would be nice, but may not be possible with all the HR bats in the Marlins line-up. Here's to another successful road trip and a larger lead in the standings.

Jerry's Miracle Mets Reclaim Division Lead

2008-07-24T20:05:00.002-04:00

Back in May this very same team was left for dead. Since the firing of Witless Willie this team is playing with confidence and purpose. The players may be the same, but the results are completely different. What Jerry Manuel has managed to do in a little over a month is a miracle. If anyone out there needed any more proof that Willie Randolph wasn't the man for this job, they must be related to Willie.

In today's game the Wizard of Ollie showed up and cast a spell over the Phillies for 7.2 innings. His only walk was an intentional one to Burrell in the 8th, and he struck out 12. Ollie is focused and pitching like a man possessed. Dan Warthen deserves loads of credit for not trying to stifle Ollie's personality. Dan listened to Ollie and worked with him to channel his energy in one direction towards the plate. The result is a confident and dominating pitcher on the mound.

Jerry and Dan have also worked on the pen and on Mike Pelfrey to improve their efforts. Tuesday's meltdown not withstanding, the pen has pitched well except for Pedro Feliciano. The defined roles seem to be agreeing with everyone but Pedro, and that may make him expendable for a trade.

The biggest change the last month or so is in Delgado. He's hitting over .400 for the month and has fought his way back to the 4th spot. It's clearly evident that Carlos had issues with Willie, or vise verse. During the whole Willie death watch Carlos was strangely silent in his support of Willie. If Carlos giving up on Willie and tuning him out helped to lead to Willie's firing, then we all owe Carlos a thank you. Working with HoJo, Carlos is becoming the power hitter the Mets have needed for months now. He's laying off the inside pitches and using all areas of the field. Today's game winning hit was a line drive into the left field corner that scored the deciding 2 runs. Beltran is not a clean-up/power hitter, and seems overwhelmed at the plate at times. There is something really wrong with a clean-up hitter that lays down bunts instead of swinging away. When Ryan comes back, I wouldn't be surprised to see Beltran hitting in the 6th hole. It seemed to help Delgado, maybe it will help Beltran.

Now the Cardinals come to town and they have to face the Big Pelf. Mike has been great the last month or so and needs to come up big in this game. I look forward to seeing Mike shatter lots of Maple bats and keep the heat on the Phillies. Who pitches Saturday is a bigger question. The last I heard is that Brandon Knight [who's on the Olympic team] would be called up. He's 5-1 with and ERA of 1.60. Other possible pitchers are Neise from AA and Stokes from AAA. From what I hear, Knight [who was in the Yankee system] is tearing up the AAA circuit. Wouldn't it be nice to see him pitch a shutout for 7-8 innings and rub it in the Yankees faces?

Billy The Kid Comes Thru For Maine and the Mets

2008-07-23T22:02:00.002-04:00

Not that I like to gloat or anything, but the end of this game is what should have happened last night. Billy is worth every penny paid to him, and tonight he proved it. What was an impossible job for Sanchez and Feliciano last night, was a walk in the park for Wagner. Closing games out is as much a mental job, as a physical job. Billy proves time and again that he's the warrior that's needed in the closer's job, not Sanchez or Pedro.

My Maine man John came thru like he's known to do. He's the stopper on the team and needed a good game after struggling the last 4 starts. John is 6-1 this year after Mets loses, and the team is 7-2 when he starts after a team loss. He's also the only Mets pitcher to be undefeated in his 1st 9 starts against the Phillies. He's 5-0 with an ERA under 2.40 in his starts against the Phillies. Not a bad record for someone that "doesn't have an out pitch". He attacked the strike zone, went 7 strong innings, and left with the lead thanks to a long homerun from Jose' in the 6th. John is such a perfectionist that he's often too hard on himself while pitching. He looked much more relaxed on the mound and never seemed to get frustrated with his pitching. Ron Darling commented during the game that John is very much like he was when he came into the league. Ron was often told that he was too hard on himself. If John can be a pitcher like Darling was for the Mets, I think we'll all be happy with that.

The offense did enough but still has a habit of leaving runners on base. Jose' had the deciding HR, Delgado was on base 4 times, David walked twice and singled while scoring 2 runs, and Easley had a couple of hits too. Why Marlon Anderson continues to start in left field is beyond me. He's helpless at the plate and left men on base all night. Schneider got off the skids too with 2 hard hits, and kept every pitch in front of him. I really look forward to the return of Ryan Church. He's so important to this offense. With his big bat, the Mets should be able to add another run or 2 to their average during August and September.

Schoeneweis and Smith picked up the 8th inning and did it in convincing fashion. They seem to be the most reliable relievers now. Feliciano's head is messed up. He's doing now what Heilman did in May and June. He looks like a deer in the headlights when he's out on the mound. Sanchez is the biggest puzzle. For a few games he'll look good, then he'll look god awful the next few. I hope the Wizard of Ollie shows up tomorrow, and not Ollie the fool. The Mets need 7 strong innings from Ollie and then hope that someone doesn't blow-up the game in the 8th. If Billy can go again tomorrow, the Mets have a good chance to win the series and send Philly home in second place.

I Hope All the Billy Wagner Haters are Happy Now

2008-07-22T22:30:00.004-04:00

Well, what can I say about this game? For all the grief and complaining about Billy Wagner, I guarantee that he saves this game and the Mets are in 1st place. So for all the people out there that hate Billy and think he's no better than Armando Benitez, shut the f_ck up and be careful what you wish for.

As I've said on this blog and on other blog's, Sanchez is not fit to be the closer. That was proven tonight beyond a shadow of doubt. He's not the same pitcher he was in '06, and he's been spotty at best this year. I've also said that I don't trust Feliciano and shudder when ever he comes into the game. If I was Santana, I wouldn't come out of the game unless I couldn't throw the ball at all. The pen has now blown 3 wins for him and he could have won this game. The problem is that everyone is worried about the $137 million dollar arm. I don't think 105 pitches was too many heading into the 9th inning, but then again I didn't see Johan fighting very hard to go back out.

I've also said time and again that Jose' Reyes is not the Messiah that Guinness and others proclaim him to be. Another lousy night at the plate, another costly mental error in the field, and Jimmy Rollins standing at 2nd base after driving in 2 more runs in the 9th inning. The difference between a good player and a great player is what they do when the chips are down. Rollins is a great player, Jose' is a good player. Rollins can draw to an inside straight, and all Jose' can do is draw a pair of deuces.

Some Mets fans are always clamoring for Chavez should start more games. Well, the bloom and petals fell off that rose and turned to fertilizer. He made three costly base running blunders, and then allowed Taguchi's routine fly ball to go over his head in the 9th inning to score the winning runs. He didn't run to 3rd base on an easy triple, and then he was thrown out at the plate twice, WITH NO OUTS !!!! I don't know who the bigger goat is this game. Chavez, Sanchez, or Feliciano?

The bottom line here is that you should be careful what you wish for. Too many people bash Billy Wagner and praise Sanchez and Chavez. After this game we all know who's the most valuable player on this team is. It's not Jose', Sanchez, or Chavez. It's Billy "The KID" Wagner. With him the Mets win games, without him they lose big leads in the 9th inning and look like the team from last September.

Guinness and Others on Suicide Watch

2008-07-22T14:38:00.003-04:00

Just kiding folks. But you'd have to wonder about it going into the series with Philly and the news that Billy Wagner's arm is fine. In case you haven't heard, there is nothing really wrong with Billy's shoulder. He just has been experiencing spasms the last few days. He's listed as day to day. that means if the game is on the line, "Enter the Sandman" will be blasting from the Shea Stadium Speakers. Judging by the comments posted on various blogs and Newspapers' web pages, there must have been great cheering when Billy was scheduled for an MRI. Guinness and others want him traded or worse. There was even chatter about wanting to bring Benitez back to close games. I don't know why Guinness and others are so down on Billy. A lifetime BA of under .200 and 350+ saves should have people glad to have Wagner in the Orange and Blue. The are very few closer in the game better than Billy. But, somehow I bet all the Billy haters wouldn't be happy unless Wagner struck out every batter faced all year long, or had to have his arm amputated.

Mets Win Ugly Split in Cincy

2008-07-20T20:04:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I wonder if I can stand watching the Mets. They're doing there best to make me an old man with their sloppy play and helter-skelter hitting. Somehow they managed to win the last game of this series with poor pitching from Pelfrey and many missed chances at the plate. I hope they get their act together before Tuesday, because Phillie is coming and the division lead is at stake.

I've used this format before and I'll use it again here. For you reading pleasure this evening, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" of Saturday's and Sunday's games

The Good
The hitting for the most part was good. Saturday's game they left the bases loaded more than once and got nothing for it. Maybe someday Beltran will learn to hit a curveball, and David will stop letting inside strikes go past him. But, Delgado continues his Resurrection and has his average up around .260. Argenis Reyes is hitting over .300, and continues to find himself in the middle of rallies. I like the kid. He's quick as hell in the field and can hit the ball too. Jose' finally got off the snide and had a very good day at the plate Sunday. He did manage to commit his 13th error on another ball thru his legs, but at least he didn't throw his glove on the ground again. David had 3 hits Saturday including a monster HR, but only managed a SF Sunday to go with 2 walks and 1 hit.

The Bad
The pitching was terrible at times these two games.
The Wizard of Ollie went on vacation and Ollie the Fool showed up instead. After 2 very good outings Ollie had to screw around on the mound Saturday. He was throwing side-armed, hesitating his delivery to the plate, and falling off top 3rd base in a sloppy fashion. The results were as to be expected. Plenty of walks and no consistency.
Heilman and Feliciano were shaky at best. They gave up critical hits and couldn't throw strikes this weekend. I used to trust Pedro, now I don't. He never seems to have an easy inning and has problems throwing strikes.

The Ugly
The situational hitting was terrible. Too often men are left stranded in scoring position because hitters don't swing at strikes, or do swing at balls. Someone needs to throw breaking pitches to the hitters during DP. If the Mets face a good breaking ball pitcher, they have issues with scoring runs. Can't the starting pitchers throw to hitters when they're doing their bull-pen work? It sure would seem to help both parties with hitting and throwing breaking pitches. Endy Chavez is now being exposed at the plate. He has trouble hitting the ball for power, or even making contact at all lately. He has cost the Mets numerous runs this weekend with his lack of hitting ability.
The fielding was awful too. Tatis don't make a catch in right field last night that cost Heilman, Jose' had another ball go through his legs that could have cost Pelfrey, and Anderson couldn't catch a routine fly ball in left field today that did cost Pelfrey. Why is Anderson even playing? Evans is a better fielder, and hits as well as Marlon. Give the kid the ABs and sit Marlon on the bench where he does the most good.

The Mets now head home in 1st place and ready themselves for the Fighting Phillies. Santana and Ollie will be going against Howard and Utley to decide the division. The Mets have done well against Phillie so far this year, but need to win this series in Shea. 2-3 would give them sole possession of 1st place, but the Mets should go for the sweep. Sweep the Phillies, and send them a message that this isn't '07 and the Mets will not roll over and give the division away this year. Time to get on another roll and put the Phillies behind them and then give the Redbirds a good beating too.

All Good Things Must End

2008-07-19T13:23:00.002-04:00

I know we all would like the Mets to run off win after win, but you had to figure this would be the game they'd lose. Arroyo is death to the Mets and Maine has been struggling. That combination didn't bode well for the Mets.

John Maine has been struggling with his control the last few games, so everybody was hoping the break would help sort out that issue. John pitched much better yesterday, but still ended up losing. His pitch count was lower and his control was better. After getting thru the 1st 4 innings with about 60 pitches thrown, everything fell apart in the 5th. A couple of walks and a bunch of dink and dunk hits and before you know it, there are 5 runs across the plate. I swear John must have a Black Cat following him around this year. If David makes a stop on a short hop chopper at 3rd, Maine gets out of the inning leading 2-1. With no chance to get the speedy Keppinger, David tried to get the short hop and step on 3rd base for the last out of the inning. Instead, the ball glanced off his glove and everybody was safe.

John wasn't the only pitcher having problems on the Mets. I believe the Mets had 7 walks and the Reds had 4 more walks last night. When the umps have a tight strike zone, it really hurts Heilman, Smith, and Maine. They have so much lateral movement on their pitches that they tend to get balls called because of it. If hitters are not swinging, they're walking.

Even with the problems of Maine and the pen, the Mets could have won the game if they could hit a curveball. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the opposing pitcher can throw breaking pitches for strikes, the Mets have a hard time scoring. Arroyo sucks this year, but the Mets make him look like Seaver. I think he's beat the Mets 4 straight times. Why can't someone throw breaking pitches to the hitters during batting practice? Is Doc Gooden Available?

Tonight Ollie goes to the mound and hopes to start a new winning streak for the Mets. If the Bats get out of their slumber, there could be plenty of runs crossing the plate tonight. No one ever said the Reds couldn't hit, but the Mets should win 3-4 of these games. Here's hoping the Wizard shows up today, not Ollie the Fool.

Eight is not Enough

2008-07-12T20:19:00.003-04:00

Today's game at Shea was one of great anticipation for me. After the last seven games I can't help but worry that the dream would end. The Mets have been pitching and playing like a team possessed. Every game they play you have to wonder if they can get to the break in first place.

Pedro came into this game with 2 bad starts and 1 pretty good one. So I wondered which one would show up to pitch today. The good Pedro showed up, but he left after only 4 innings. I heard conflicting information during the broadcast. I heard a groin problem, and a stiff shoulder. Lets just hope that the rest over the break will get things back to normal for Pedro.

Where Pedro left off Muniz took over. I really like Carlos. He attacks the hitters and has good location and movement on his pitches. He worked 2 great innings and won his first game in the big leagues. I'm glad to see him pitch so well in his new roll as the "Long Man" out of the pen. Too bad El Duque will probably end up replacing him on the team in a month or so. I really don't want to see Hernandez back in NY. It's time to move on to the future and not continue to live on past reputations.

Schoeneweis, Heilman, and Wagner pitched the last 3 innings and they extended the bull-pen's streak of scoreless innings to 18.1 innings. The Mets also set a MLB record with 5 consecutive games of 3 hits or less allowed. Jerry's and Dan Warthen's pitching philosophy seems to be reaping the rewards of success. With the defined pitching roles and some confidence from the manager, the pitchers have responded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. It makes you wonder why Peterson and Witless Willie lasted as long as they did.

I don't know about any of you out there, but I'm getting tired of all the talking heads in the Media saying that Jerry isn't the reason for this turn around of the Mets. I couldn't disagree more. I've seen almost every game that Witless Willie has managed since 2005 and Willie doesn't know how to manage a club. Jerry has changed the way of thinking on the Mets and made baseball fun again in NY. Willie was so uptight and condescending that it's a wonder he wasn't decked by someone during his tenure. Jerry and the players are not going to come flat out and say that Willie was lost as a manager, but you can tell from their comments that they're glad Witless Willie is gone. As I and Guinness have been saying for years, there was a reason why Willie interviewed for 12 jobs before Omar hired him. Now all the baseball world can see what Mets fans have known for years. Willie is not suited for the manager's job in the Big Leagues. If he wants to manage, go to the minors and learn the job like everyone else does. Then again, Willie and his ego wouldn't do that because it would be "beneath" him. I hope he enjoys his forced retirement.

I look forward to seeing Big Pelf continue to dominate hitters and win his 8th game. Here's hoping the Big Blue Wrecking Crew shows up and pummels the Rockies into little pebbles.

Mets Getting on a Roll as All-Star Break Looms

2008-07-12T08:12:00.007-04:00

During last night's game, the Big Blue Wrecking Crew took a night off, but the Wizard and Easley were more than enough for the Rockies. Ollie used his fastball to cast a spell over the Rockies hitters and Damion's big stick blasted a 3-2 pitch over the centerfield wall to give the Mets the win. For the 7th consecutive game the Mets were the winners and they continue to pressure Phillie for the division lead.

Ollie had the fastball hopping and he looked very strong all night. He managed to stay out of trouble for the most part even with 6 walks issued. Maybe it's the Rockies who have something to do with the walks and not John and Ollie. The Rockies don't have a bunch of free swingers on their team and John and Ollie both relay on hitter chasing pitches that are off the plate. Ollie's one mistake was leaving a slider up over the plate that soon left the park. Heilman came into rescue Ollie and scared the bejeebers out of all of us before striking out the last two hitters of the inning. Sanchez continued the trend of scaring the fans and Billy had a dominate 9th inning. He struck out 2 and had the fastball hitting 97. It's good to see Billy getting his game together before he travels to Yankee Stadium next week.

A day after losing out on the last-chance Internet vote, David Wright was selected by Clint Hurdle to fill the roster spot on the NL team vacated by Soriano's injury. I'm glad to see David get on the squad and have a chance to represent the Mets on the field. Maybe he can be the hero and win the game for the NL this year. Since he's a reserve player, he'll most likely be playing in the later innings. Wouldn't it be great to see him come to the plate in the 8th or 9th inning and drive a RBI double into the gap to score the winning run? Or how about a Homerun into Monument park? That would be a fitting finish to the night.

It would have been nice to see some more players from the Mets on the team, but I feel the poor start to the season hurt the chances of that happening. Witless Willie ran the players and the team into the ground trying to save his job and everyone's stats suffered because of it. The fans , including myself, were so pis ed off at the players and the team, that I think it affected the voting. It's only been in the last few weeks that I've felt better about this team, and I'm sure that was a widespread feeling among Mets fans. I believe that attitude is what hurt the chances of Mets players getting to the All-Star Game. Jose' has improved his game and could have joined the team, but there are so many talented SS on winning teams, that someone had to be left home. Santana could have been chosen too, but once again there are so many very good pitchers in the league that his 7-7 record despite a sub 3 ERA hurt him.

Now Pedro will head to the mound this afternoon and hope to continue the winning streak. He looked much better in his last start and should be able to handle the Rockies. He's learning how to pitch all over again, and seems to be getting into a better frame of mind. His arm is strong and his fastball looks like the one from 1997, but his location is off just a touch.

Lets hope the bats come alive again and give Pedro 5-6 runs early in the game. I'd like nothing better than a 9 game winning streak going into the break.

The Big Blue Wrecking Crew Sweeps the Giants out of Shea

2008-07-10T19:50:00.005-04:00

What a difference a month makes. Who would have thought that the Mets, the same team that collapsed last summer and started so badly this year, would be within 1.5 games of leading the division by the All-Star Break? With the injuries and turmoil of this year, the Mets have spent more time looking like the "Bad News Bears" than division contenders. But that has all changed now. Now they play with a killer instinct and seem to be finding a way to win consistently, not sporadically.

In case you haven't heard, the Mets will no longer have to wait around for Alou' to "ride to the rescue". While playing in a rehab game, he torn his hamstring and will need surgery. I don't wish any bad luck or injury to any player on the Mets, but I couldn't be happier when I heard the news. Now the Mets and Omar can move on and do what's needed for the future of this club. Alou' should have never been resigned for this year, and the Mets wasted the off season thinking that he'd play 100 games for them this year. Omar and Witless Willie must have been doing some magic mushrooms when they made that decision. Now they can bring up Carp, Murphy, or F. Martinez to fill that roll if they can't or won't make a trade.

In today's game the Mets continued to get major production from a "bench" player. It seems that everyday there is someone else stepping up and delivering the big hit and setting the tone. Today Tatis had 2 doubles to the wall, and a long homerun into the bleachers. He ended his day with 4 RBI and a .500 average [for the season] with runners in scoring position. It's amazing what a little hunger for success can do for a player. Tatis literally had to beg for a job, and now he's making Omar look like a genius. Maybe some of the other players on the team will take a few lessons for Tatis.

Although David lost out on the All-Star balloting, [he may still make the team if Hurdle picks him to replace Soriano], he had 2 doubles, 2 walks, and scored twice. It was nice to see Argenis Reyes playing second. He made a great play behind 2nd base and played flawlessly in the field. He also had another hit today. If I was Castillo, I'd be worried about my future with the Mets. Nobody but Guinness and Omar thinks Castillo's signing was a good thing, and A. Reyes may give management reason to rethink Castillo's contract. Nick Evans also had a hit and played well in the field. I like the young kids playing and hope they get more chances in the future.

About the only thing that went wrong today was Maine's pitching. Regardless of what Guinness says, how can you not have an "out" pitch if you strikeout 8 hitters in 5 innings? From what I saw, there were alot of swings and misses on fastballs today. What did John in was the walks. He had 5, and they came in long ABs. Mazzilli mentioned after the game that he believes John's left arm issue did affect him today. I think so too. It looked like John was flying open and trying to avoid hurting the left forearm again. I think some rest and a talk with Dan Warthen will straighten him out before his next start. He still has 8 wins and is on pace to duplicate last year's win and strikeout totals. After last season's 2nd half troubles, I have to believe John will work on some things over the off-days of the break and come out ready to roll thru the league.

If you haven't noticed, the Mets have won 6 games in a row. That hasn't happened since August of '06. All too often I and others would scream and complain about Witless Willie's idiotic comments about the teams play and effort. I think we can all agree that Jerry is proving how stupid Willie was as a manager. Jerry won't come right out and say it, but you can tell that he knows more about baseball and the motivation of players than Witless Willie could ever know. With basically the same team of players, Jerry has changed the energy and focus of the team. They play hard, they don't give up, they fight till the last out, and they're all smiles and jokes in the dugout. Jerry handles the media better and doesn't act offended when someone asks him a question. He jokes around with the players and media and the team is responding to his reward system. It's so nice to see someone as the manager of the Mets that "Gets It". Willie might be a good man, but he's a lousy manager. That, has been proven in a short time by "Jerry the Jester".

What do you all think about the job Jerry has done? What about the Alou' injury? How should the Mets handle the outfield spot vacated by Alou'? Tell us your thoughts.

Mets Becoming the Big Blue Wrecking Crew

2008-07-08T21:22:00.003-04:00

In the last week the Mets have been destroying the opposing pitchers and punishing baseballs all over the country. Even in games they've lost, they are hitting the ball and scoring runs. All too often under Witless Willie that wasn't the case. Willie failed to inspire or motivate the players and the results were all too evident on the field. It's taken Jerry a few weeks to get the team thinking and playing as he wants them, but the results can't be denied.

Since the Cardinal series [9 games] the Mets have scored 58 runs. That's an average of 6.5 runs per game. If you go back to the Yankee series in June, they've averaged 6 runs per game. They are scoring early and often, have been hitting double digits for hits [14.5 hits the last 4 games], and getting 2 out hits with regularity. These are all things that make winning games easy and frequent. All of this is happening without Alou' [at all] and Church [sparingly] in the order. Tatis, Easley, Chavez, and Castro are contributing with the bat and the glove. They've all had multiple hit games and driving in runs.

Since Castillo went on the DL, Easley has been playing 2nd and delivering hits and driving in runs. He now has 22 RBI in only 166 ABs. Chavez has raised his average to .269 [from a sub .200 ave.] and been playing the outfield on a daily basis. I know Guinness is in love with Castillo, but the Mets are a better team without him in the line-up. The combination of Easley-Chavez is better offensively than Castillo - Chavez. Without Castillo making outs in the 2 hole, Chavez is batting there and seeing better pitches than when in the 8 hole. That has allowed him to raise his average and productivity. As a result, the line-up is delivering runs by the bunches and winning games. Easley is more of an infielder than outfielder, so if Castillo is playing, Easley is sitting. That doesn't help the team at the plate or in the field. I don't know if it's just coincidence or not, but Reyes has also been better in the field since Castillo has gone on the DL. He's ranging farther in the field and making no errors. Very interesting to say the least. Maybe Castillo is contributing to Reyes' fielding issues? Jerry has said more than once that he wants Castillo to be a leader to Jose', but Luis hasn't seen fit to take on that role. Maybe Easley is that leader that Jose' needs in order to keep focused on the field.

As hard as it is for me to admit it, it appears that Delgado has had a large serving of humble pie served to him by HoJo. He's finally listening to HoJo and changing his approach at the plate. He no longer pulls off the pitches like he did earlier in the season, and he's laying off the pitches he can't hit. He still doesn't hit for an average anything close to respectable, but he's hitting the ball and driving balls over the fence. David Wright continues to inch his average towards .300, and is the RBI guy on the team. He is 2nd in the league in RBI and has 17 HR too. 90 games into the season, he's on a pace to drive in 126 runs this year out of the 3 hole. Beltran, when not throwing teammates under the bus, is starting to hit once again. It would only make the Mets all the more dangerous if he could keep hitting, and not fall into those 2-30 slumps he's so noted for. Just imagine his offensive numbers if he could actually hit close to .300 instead of .270. The rest of the team has been doing so much hitting, that Reyes is getting lost in the shuffle. His average is now around .300 and he's getting on base. I'm wondering if the increased offensive threat in the 2 hole is causing the pitchers to throw Jose' more pitches that he can handle? He certainly seems to be getting more pitches over the fat part of the plate to hit.

With the good starting pitching and effective relief pitching, the Mets could be in 1st place by the ALL-STAR break. Before Jerry Manuel took over as manager, I had little hope for a successful season. Now Jerry's kids are playing like the team we wished for, and there seems to be no end in sight. Here's hoping for a continued dominance at the plate and in the field for the rest of the week. Wouldn't it be nice to see a 9 game winning streak at the break, and the Mets 2-3 games up on the Phillies?

Don't forget to go on-line and vote for David Wright for the All-Star game. He's the only position player the Mets have a chance to get into the game. Let's all show our Support for David and vote as many times as possible.

Mets Offense Continues Torrid Stretch

2008-07-06T07:04:00.002-04:00

Except for Santana's start Friday, the offense of the Mets has really come alive in the last week. They pounded out 9 runs on 14 hits and almost look like the team we all hoped for coming into this spring.

If anything can be said about Jerry Manuel's managing, it's the improved mind set at the plate that's most noticeable. No longer do the Mets seem to quit once they fall behind or lose a lead. They continue to get hits, draw walks and score runs. They show grit and toughness while never appearing to give up. All too often this year the Mets would fall behind and never mount any type of threat or comeback in games. Jerry has seemed to change that mindset and the results have been noticeable. The Mets are hitting double digits in hits and have scored numerous runs in the last week. Everyone seems to be contributing except Beltran. Easley, Reyes. Wright. Castro, Church, and Delgado have all had multiple hit games this past week. Jerry is true to his word about rewarding success. Schneider hasn't been hitting, so he's been sitting. There is even talk of moving Beltran into the 2 hole to get him out of the funk he's been in all season. That would move David or Ryan into the clean-up spot, and have the other in the 3 hole. Easley has been everything Castillo hasn't been, healthy and productive in the field and at the plate.

Although the offense is becoming the force that it should have been, there hasn't been the consistent winning that should follow the hitting. Santana appears snake bit. His last 6 starts he's only gotten 12 runs in support of his efforts. If the Mets can get the offense to show up EVERYDAY of EVERY INNING, maybe they can put some pressure on the Phillies. The Mets need to get a winning streak going and get some momentum for the second half of the season. As of today they stand 4.5 games behind Phillie. If they can win the next 2 games they'll be breathing down the Phillies neck and give them something to think about over the break. After Phillie the Mets have the Giants and the Rockies. They should be able to win 4 out of those 6 games and maybe sweep both of them.

The pitching has been very good if not problematic. The starters have done their jobs and have been keeping the runs allowed to a minimum. The bull-pen has been good, great, or maddening depending on the pitcher and the situation. Heilman throws one pitch last night and strikes out Howard, but gave up critical hits against St. Louis. Smith and Feliciano have been mostly good, but have had their bad moments too. The 8-7 lose to the Cardinals should have been a win, but the bull-pen failed. Muniz has had his shutdown innings, but gave up the walk-off hit Wednesday. One thing that has continued is the practice of waiting on the mound for the reliever to come into the game. I like the starter handing the ball off to the reliever. It's a way of keeping everyone on the same page and it's like passing the baton in a track meet. It helps to build team work and unity. Two things every team needs to be successful.

If the Mets can keep Ollie focused today and get 7 strong innings from him, it will go a long way to calming all our nerves. Ollie has great stuff, but seems to never know what he's doing from one pitch to the next. The new pitching coach Dan Warthen has started working more with Ollie and has some results to show for it. Perez isn't flying out all over the mound and his velocity has back were it should be. If Perez pitches today like he did against the Yankees, it could be a long day for the Phillies.

Mets Mount a Comeback to Back Armas in Win

2008-07-02T04:14:00.005-04:00

Last night the Mets did something that doesn't happen often this year. They rallied from 2 runs down to win a road game. All too often this year the Mets lose on the road, and once they get behind, they rarely mount any comebacks. What was the trademark of the '06 team, becomes an impossible task for the '08 team. Last night they fell behind in the 1st inning, but chipped away at the lead until finally taking it in the 5th.

When the Mets called up Armas, you had to be left wondering what you'd get from someone claimed off the scrap heap of pitching this Spring. He ditched his splitter after serving up Ankiel's homerun and went to his slider and fastball. Tony mixed them up just enough to keep the Redbirds off balance and kept the Mets close. After a rocky 1st inning, Armas settled into a rhythm and the Mets bats woke up. Castro and Wright lead the bats with help from Delgado and "The Minister of Offense" Church. Ryan seems to have picked up where he left off. Ryan, David, Ramon, and Carlos all had doubles and David crushed a pitch into the Mets bull-pen for his team leading 16th HR. David now has his average up to .288, his OBP stands at .382, and has 65 RBI. He's on pace to set career highs for HRs and RBI this year, and maybe threaten the team record for RBI this season. With Chipper's injury, David may even get into the All-Star Game as a reserve.

This team has been so helter-skelter this season it's hard to get too excited by one win. Between Jose' throwing temper tantrums and making errors, Delgado's prolonged disappearance from the offense, Beltran's continued inability to hit anything with a bend on it, David's struggles at the plate, and Ryan's head injuries, you never know what team is going to show up. If Ryan stays healthy the rest of the season, David will have someone in the line-up that has proven a consistent threat to baseballs. Ever since Ryan's injury there really hasn't been anyone behind David that the opposing pitchers fear. If Manual would move Ryan to the 4 spot, the Mets could have a fearsome hitting combo that could reak havoc on opposing pitchers. Beltran may even preform better once he's not under the pressure of batting clean-up. It seems to work for Delgado. When ever he bats 6th, he seems to consistently have better games. As far as Castro playing last night, I loved it. Schneider isn't hitting worth a damned, and I hate his defense and pitch calling. I'm still at a loss to see where he's so great behind the plate. I feel that many of the Mets pitching woes are related to his lack of results behind the plate. He's done nothing to impress me this season. Unless constantly dropping balls, failing to block pitches, and never showing any agility impresses you.

So here's looking forward to more games like last night. Steady pitching, timely hitting, solid defense, and a little luck will go along way towards righting this drifting ship called the Mets. Lets hope Jerry Manuel keeps firm hand on the rudder and points the team towards the division lead.

The Mets Waste a Golden Opportunity

2008-06-29T07:56:00.002-04:00

After Friday afternoon's thumping of the Yankees, the Mets failed to take advantage of the situation. They could have buried the evil empire and really thrown Hank into a tizzy, but Pedro couldn't get anyone out, and Santana wouldn't throw strikes.

In the Friday afternoon game Wright had 4 hits and 3RBI, Beltran had 3 RBI and Delgado had an out of body experience and had 9 RBI. In doing so, he broke Dave Kingman's club record of 8 RBI in a game. Pelfrey pitched ok but labored all day, and was lucky to get to thru the 5th inning. He worked out of jams all day, and showed his continued maturity on the mound. He is quickly turning into one of the more reliable starts for the Mets. The Yankees have a lot of left handed bats in their line-up and Pelfrey has trouble with lefties. I believe lefties are hitting over .350 and Big Pelf, so for him to survive and beat the Yankees is a good sign.

Unfortunately, Pedro needs to learn how to pitch again. For someone who's a future HOL pitcher, how can he do something as stupid as tip his pitches to the Yankees. No wonder they're his "Daddy". I have no problem with Pedro going out in the 6th inning, the game already was lost at that point. The 4 hour emotional marathon from earlier in the day seemed to have drained all the energy and fight out of the Mets. Delgado came back to earth and Beltran is sliding again into one of his slumps. Can someone throw batting practice to him and only throw breaking pitches? The man can't hit anything but fastballs.

In Saturday's game, once again the Mets bats were sleeping at the plate. I wonder if Johan was calling himself out of his pitching yesterday? In his last start, he took a backhanded swipe at David Wright because of an error by David. He said "we can make routine plays". Well Johan, don't walk people and they won't score any runs. 2 of the 3 Yankee runs were due to JOHAN WALKING THEM. I bet David didn't have any comments like " If we throw strikes we would have won this game". I thought Johan's comments in his last start were uncalled for, and now the shoe is on his foot. Besides Castro and David, were wasn't a whole lot of offense. Beltran struck out 4 times and Delgado was back to his normal self. Hitting weak grounders to 1st base and striking out of pitches off the plate. I found it curious that Castro was catching for the second game in a row. Was Schneider hurt, or does Johan not like Brian behind the plate? I'm certainly not impressed with Schneider behind the plate. I fail to see where he's a defensive improvement over Lo Duca. The only thing he does better is throw out base runners. He calls a lousy game, can't catch the ball, can't block anything in the dirt, and shows little ability to get to anything off the plate. I think we all can see why the Nationals traded him with Ryan Church. It almost seems like they wanted him gone anyway possible.

Today may bring a dramatic change to the Mets offense. Ryan Church, "The Minister of Offense" is scheduled to return to the line-up today. I think he should slide into the 4 spot and move Beltran down to 5th and Delgado the 6th. He was by far the most consistent bat in the line-up before he got hurt. With Ryan behind him, David should start to see better pitches and continue to raise his average and RBI totals. Beltran is not a clean-up hitter, and he's not the consistent threat needed in the 4th spot. He's too streaky and goes into prolonged slumps too often. With Ryan covering David's back, the Mets could have a NY version of Manny and Poppy. If one doesn't kill you, the other will.

Gary Cooper finds his Posse'

2008-06-25T22:22:00.004-04:00

Earlier today I wondered if anyone would show up to support John in his game tonight. After last night's meltdown, I wondered what team would show up at the park. A team with something to prove, or the same old cowardly underachieving spoiled brats. As it turned out there was no need to worry.

David Wright came out smoking and John didn't allow the Mariner's off the ground. In the 1st inning, Jose' scored a Reyes run and David deposited a change-up into the left field bleachers. The Mets added 2 more runs in the 2nd inning on David's 2nd home run, and 4 more runs in the 3rd inning on the strength of Jose's 9th home run. Batista couldn't throw strikes, and when he did, Jose and David parked his pitches in the seats. The Mets continue to go into voids when it comes to hitting in the middle innings. After the 3rd inning, the bats went to sleep. With the pick-up of Phillips, Delgado playing full-time may soon be coming to an end. Maybe getting him a day or two off a week will wake his bat up. He's looked horrible for the last week.

During the game Keith and Gary talked to HoJo about the hitting and he had some interesting things to say. He and Jerry are trying to fix Delgado and others, but it's an uphill battle. He didn't come out and say as much, but you could hear the frustration in his voice. It sounded like they've been trying to get Carlos to correct his swing, but Carlos isn't following their game plan when he gets in the box. I guess you really can't teach an old dog new tricks. The old dog Delgado is going to play himself into a platoon situation if he doesn't wise up soon. If there is one thing we as fans has seen from Jerry so far is that he rewards success, and sits failure. Now with Phillips in the mix, he has someone to replace Carlos at 1st if Carlos doesn't hit. Phillips isn't a slugger, but he's a hell of a lot better around the bag than Carlos. That alone will save runs, and make the team better able to win games.

So once again John came up big when the team needed him the most. He now leads the team in wins, and has a chance of getting 10 wins before the break. If he can get into the 7th inning more frequently, he stands a good chance of winning 18+ games this season and solidifying his spot as the #2 starter on the team.

Jerry Leads Mets out of Storm

2008-06-21T07:08:00.002-04:00

Since Witless Willie's firing, I've been watching the Mets and playing attention to how Jerry Manuel conducts himself on the field and with the media. One thing is readily apparent to me. Jerry is no Willie Randolph. Jerry's at ease with the media and answers all their questions and explains his baseball philosophy to all who ask. He doesn't act insulted, and seems to understand what's needed from him. He's always smiling and is never at a loss for a joke or laugh. I think when the manager is at ease, the team seems to be at ease. That alone should win more games for the Mets this year.

All too often Willie seemed offended by reporter's questions about anything. He had the attitude of "how dare you question my decisions and choices". Jerry has shown none of that attitude and the team has responded so far. One of the players, I think it was Wright, mentioned all the things Jerry has become involved in since his elevation to manager. He's in the hitting meetings, the pitching meetings, he throws batting practice, and he's involved in the clubhouse. Evidently the Witless Wonder thought it was beneath him to be involved in these meetings and duties. I thought all these things were duties of the manager and coaches? If Willie had been doing these things, I doubt Jerry's involvement would have been mentioned. Jerry has also let the players know that results are what counts, not contracts. By sitting Castillo last night, he rewarded Easley for a good game, and set the future tone of this team. Play hard, play focused, have good results, and you'll play for him. If not, take a seat.

Jerry's involvement in these areas seems to be paying off. Players seem more focused and are having fun again. They don't seem to be just going through the motions. When they get behind in a game, they don't resign themselves to losing. Jose' seems to have found that "father figure" he so desperately needs. For all his years in the league, Jose' doesn't seem to be a very mature person between the ears. He needs someone to explain things to him in a certain way that isn't heavy handed, but is fair. I believe Jerry is doing that with the Jose' and other team members. When Jerry sat Jose' with the tight hammy, he let Jose' and the other players know that he's in charge, not the players. Jerry explained to Jose' that the team needs him healthy and thriving to be successful, and Jose' understood. Willie was great for saying things, but never followed through with them. David, Jose', and Beltran will be resting this year whether they want to or not. Jose' doesn't have the body to be effective for 160+ games a year. He needs rest and needs to understand that it's for the teams benefit as well as his.

Those ideas were on display in Denver last night. After John gave up the 2 runs in the 1st inning, he settled down and the bats went to work on Cook. The whole line-up contributed hits and the defense was superb once again. Jerry had the team take early batting practice, but it wasn't as long as normal. It seems to have been effective last night. Easley had 2 hits, Delgado hit a homer to the opposite field, Nixon crushed a homer against the 2nd tier facade, and even Maine had a hit. Every starter had at least 1 hit and they buried Cook under 5 runs in the 2nd inning. Chavez and Nixon made great catches, and the defense was stellar again.

If the Mets keep playing this focused fun style of baseball, they may win the division after all. While under the Cloud of Witless Willie's managing, I wrote them off due to their heartless, lifeless play. In a few short days Jerry Manuel has lifted that cloud and has started leading this team to a better outcome for the season. I'll say it now, that if the Mets win the division or even get to the playoffs, Jerry deserves a contract. I wouldn't go crazy with 4-5 years, but a 2 year contract with options would be well deserved. After the destruction of this teams confidence and soul by Witless Willie, Jerry has begun to repair the damage and show the way to the bright future we all expected this spring.

My Impressions of Jerry Manuel

2008-06-17T20:50:00.002-04:00

I was fortunate to be home in time today to hear the Press conference with Omar and Manuel this afternoon. Omar explained his reasoning for the timing of the firing, and take it for what it's worth, he was troubled in making the decision. He said that he didn't want to wait any longer because it was becoming a huge distraction, and he didn't want Willie hearing it from a reporter. So be it. Believe him or not, he did what was needed. Get a manager and new coaches to change the way of thinking in the clubhouse.

Jerry spoke after Omar had said some interesting things. Tell me if any of these things expressed by Jerry sound familiar.

1- "Just because a guy bats 4th one day, doesn't mean he'll bat 4th the next day."

2- "I would have reminded the team about last year, and used that as a springboard to motivate the team."

3- "I want our young pitchers to go longer in the games. I don't think 120-130 pitches is too many pitches. I want our starters to go 7-8 innings. We have young strong pitchers here. We don't want them getting hurt, but we shouldn't be looking at pitch counts so much." {or something to that effect}

4- "I think we need to define the 6-7 inning reliever's roles." All too often, they didn't know their responsibility's.

5- "I want to rest our star players. That means Wright, Reyes, Beltran will be rested." David came to Jerry today, and said he wanted to play today. Jerry told him " Your DHing tonight".

6- "I poured my heart and soul out to Willie about game situations. But it's his decision weather to use that advice or not"

7- "I'm a very good communicator. I can relate and get my point across to the players" This statement was confirmed by Jerry former boss with the WhiteSox. He said that Jerry is very good at making the verbal connections to each individual player. He knows what to say to get the most out of each player. Jerry knows what buttons to push to get the most from the players.

8- "I believe the #2 hole should be more of a run producing spot. We should have more pop in that spot."

9- "I don't believe in stealing a base just to steal a base. If it's beneficial to the team and the offense, then we should steal. But there is a time and a place to steal bases."

I don't know about any of you out there, but that sure sounds like a night and day difference from Willie. It doesn't sound like there will be anything taken for granted, and nobody should be getting too comfortable on the team. From what Jerry was saying, it sounded like Beltran had better start delivering, or he won't be hitting 4th. I also believe Castillo's days as the #2 hitter are over. Beltran, David, Ryan, ect could be seeing time in that spot. Sounds like my train of thought a few weeks ago when I was arguing that the team was better served with Ryan in the 2 hole, and not Castillo. Why should the 2 hole be an automatic out? I think I may get to like Jerry. He may not be a fire breathing Pinella type, but he definitely isn't a Witless Willie type.

The Sun has finally set For Willie Randolph

2008-06-17T06:31:00.000-04:00

Early this morning my wishes were finally granted. Omar grew a spine and fired Witless Willie, Tom Nieto the 1st base coach, and Rick Peterson. Will this make a difference this year and wake this team up? Who knows, but the job wasn't getting done and something had to change.

Since last summer I've been calling for Witless Willie's head and Omar finally came to the realization that A change needed to be done. This team wasn't playing to it's potential, and Willie wasn't using all the weapon's at his disposal. Willie didn't manage with agressive style of baseball, he and Peterson worried too much about pitch counts, the fielding and baserunning was horrid this year, and there was no improvement seen. Jose' Reyes and others had tuned out Willie since last year, and Jose's problems with Willie were on full display on the field, on the bases, and at the plate. Manual may not be a fire breathing Pinella type of manager, but I bet he's more aggressive with the game, and the Umps. Oberkfell will be groomed for the manager's job if Manuel fails, and Warthen will try to repair the bull-pen before to melts down again.

Things couldn't get any worse than they were going, and now maybe things will get better. I doubt Manuel will just go thru the motions and except this season as lost. Maybe he can refocus this team and get them playing respectable baseball.

What do you all think about the firing? Will things improve? Or is this season already lost?

Mets Continue Slide Towards Obscurity

2008-06-12T17:37:00.003-04:00

As I posted earlier this week, the Mets are done for this year. They have no heart. They have no pride. They have no stones. Worst of all, they have Owners who are asleep at the wheel, and a GM that must be on drugs. There is no other explanation for the continued failures to realize all the problems that exist with this team.

I'm fuming because of the utter lack of courage from the Wilpon's to do what's needed to wake this team up. FIRE OMAR THIS WEEK. The Wilpon's need to relive 2000. They cleaned house, and the Mets with Bobby Valentin went to the series that year. Willie has no spine and no brain for this job. The only reason he's still there is because Omar likes him. Since Omar won't fire Willie, the Wilpon's need to fire Omar and allow the new GM to hire his own manager. Omar has done once again what he did in Montreal. He's emptied the farm system of any players of any value, and continues to sign old worn out players for stupid money and long contracts. Just look at what he did to the Expos and now to the Mets. The Nationals/ Expos are still trying to recover from his "WONDERFUL BASEBALL INSIGHTS AND TRADES". In the upcoming ALL-STAR game, the rosters of the teams will be full of players traded away by OMAR when he was with Montreal and NY. I don't care that he's brought in Maine, Santana, Wagner, Pedro, Beltran, ect. He's also brought Alou', Castillo, Hernandez, Delgado, Wise, Mota, Vargus, Johnson, Eli Morrero, Adkins, Sosa, ect., ect., while dealing Banister, Nady, Bell, Jacobs, Linstrom, ect., ect., and not signing Lo Duca, Eickstien, Colon, ect., ect. I read today that he even managed to waste the three 1st round draft picks in this years draft. Where are the power hitting outfielders? The power Pitchers? The power hitting second basemen? They got drafted by other teams, and the Mets have more of the same old average at best players drafted. So once again the Mets will need to sign free-agents for stupid money and lose more draft picks because Omar is the Village Idiot. Once Omar is gone Willie's and Tony B.'s .safety net will be gone, and then they'll either straighten up or be fired too. No one as any grounds for defending Omar. He's a used car salesman at best. He takes in old players, cleans them up, and tries to sell them as great guys with low miles.

The players have no heart and pride either. How can they allow runners to continually be stranded in scoring position? Can any of them hit a curve ball? Can any of them catch a ball? Why do they continue just go through the motions and not hustle for every ball and every play? They don't care about winning and appear to care more about collecting their fat paychecks. If this team continues to play like this, Citi-Field will be an easy ticket to buy next year. As bad as the Mets played in the late 70's and the early 90's, you expected that lousy play from those lousy teams. This team has too much talent to play this bad. they need a major attitude adjustment. Releasing a player or two would send a tidal wave through the clubhouse. Alou' needs to go. He can't stay healthy, and he's a drain on the team. They keep waiting for him to save them, but he can't get out of bed without hurting himself. Delgado also needs to go contract or not. He can't field his position, and he sucks at the plate. Bring up Carp and Murphy to replace the both of them. They play the outfield and 1st base, and are tearing up the minors. Time to see if they can play full time next year, or if the Mets need to try for Tiexeria and Holliday.

I'm done for now. I have to stop before I destroy my computer. I'm so disgusted, that it's hard to find anything to look forward to in the near future. Someone getting cut, or fired might turn things around for me, but I doubt it will happen. It makes too much sense, and the Wilpon's don't do anything that makes sense. We all know why Citi-field only seats 45,000 now. The Wilpon's figure the team will never be good enough for an extended period of time to sell out a 58,000 seat stadium like Shea. 15,000 fans looks a lot better in a small stadium, then in a large stadium.

Pelfrey Continues Journey Towards Stardome

2008-06-12T06:36:00.000-04:00

As I had written before on this Blog, I believe Mike has finally turned the corner towards stardome. No longer is he the timid, scared, wide eyed youngster with the strong right arm. Now he's the determined warrior named Big Pelf that challenges hitters and shows no fear on the mound.

If last night hasn't convinced people out there in the Mets nation about Pelfrey's talent, nothing will. Using mostly fastballs with a few change-ups and sliders, Big Pelf matched Brandon Webb pitch for pitch and kept the Snakes off the board until Wagner's meltdown in the 9th. He was ahead in the counts all night, and moved the pitches thoughout the strikezone. Hitting as high as 96mph with the heat and then dropping 82 mph change-ups, he looked like a 25 year old right-handed Santana. He struck out 8 and only walked 2 while surrending 5 hits. Mike has been lights out his last 3 starts, and showing his ability to pitch with anyone in the game. Webb is now, what Mike should become in the near future. An innings eating monster that shatters bats and breaks the will of teams that face him. The only thing keeping him from winning games is a failing bull-pen, and a pathetic offense.

On a sour note, Alou' is once again going for an MRI on his calf. Does anyone out there really think he should even be on the team at this stage? Cut him loose, and find someone to replace him full-time in the field. Aguila is a start, but how about carp or Murphy? They can also rest Delgado at first when not playing left-field. I say good ridence Alou', don't let the door hit you in the butt as you hobble out of Shea and into retirement.

West Coast Trip Ends Mets' Hopes for Postseason

2008-06-09T04:44:00.004-04:00

Think I'm jumping the gun a little? I don't. Have you looked at the standings lately? With Phillie surging ahead and a 2-5 record against two of the worst teams in the NL, I'd say I'm correct. Unless the Wilpon's do what should have been done weeks ago, this season is history. Until Witless Willie and Omar the Village Idiot are fired, there is little hope of the Mets even finishing with a winning record.

Back in late April-early May, I was screaming that the Mets needed to wake up and play like there was no tomorrow. Everyone on TV, Radio, in the papers, on the blogs, said "it's early, no one's doing any better". Guess what. Howard and Rollins are starting to hit, and Utley hasn't stopped hitting, and the Mets are falling faster and further in the standings. They now sit 7.5 games out of 1st place, and have little chance to catch the Phillies without some drastic changes.

First thing that needs to be done is fire Omar. He built this old, brittle, lazy, team and cost the Mets numerous 1st round draft picks by signing worthless free-agents. He's also stuck by Witless Willie Randumb when he should have been fired last year. I swear the only reason Willie is still in NY is because firing him would prove that Omar was wrong to hire him. Omar never likes to admit his mistakes, and firing Witless Willie would be admitting to a huge mistake in 2005.

Once Omar is gone, then the New GM can hire a manager that actually knows the game of baseball. If Bobby Valentin won't come back as a manager, how about as a GM? He knows baseball talent as well as anyone, and he wouldn't hire a spineless wimp for a manager. He also wouldn't go around the MLB and bring in all his favorite worn out buddies to play critical positions on the team. Alou' is no more than a bench player at this stage of his career. Only Omar and Witless Willie think of him as an everyday player. I bet Bobby V. also wouldn't be jerking Ryan Church in and out of the line-up. Ryan should have been on the DL from day one, and certainly shouldn't be making any cross-country trips. It's just another example of Omar and Willie being clueless. Instead of sitting Ryan and getting him healthy, they continue to hinder his recovery and cost the Mets one of their biggest offensive weapons.

When a new GM and Manager get put into place they can start getting rid of the dead weight on the team. New players from the minors need to come up and get a taste and a try out. Send Heilman to AAA and bring Muniz back. Get rid of Castillo, bench Alou', dump Anderson, bring up Carp or Murphy, platoon Schneider and Delgado, and get Nady back in NY. Those are just a few things that can be done. For all the lack of hitting and defense at second base, why not bring up someone from the minors who can actually get to a ball or two?

No matter what happens the rest of the year, the season is probably already lost. Unless drastic changes are made this week, nothing is going to get this team to 1st place. Granted, Omar getting fired and changing the players on the field probably won't happen, but something needs to be done. Willie has done nothing to deserve he continued employment, and he's the easiest to replace at this time. Once he's gone, then the next steps can be taken to fix the Mets. Until the first step is taken, nothing will change and the Mets will continue to be the laughing stock of the league. I wonder if Beltran wishes to retract his boast yet?

Has Pelfrey Started his Rise Towards Stardom?

2008-06-06T18:19:00.005-04:00

That's a question that should be on the mind of all Mets Fans these days. Despite Mike's record, he's become a different pitcher in recent starts. Against the Dodgers, he went 7 innings and only allowed 2 runs while retiring the last 12 batters he faced. Last night against the Padre's, he went 6 innings, threw a career high 112 pitches, and only allowed 1 run. While working in and out of jams, he never seemed rattled.

One of the hardest things for young inexperienced pitchers to learn is how to stay in the game when things get sticky. All too often young pitchers have a habit of digging themselves into a deeper hole. They lack the confidence and mental toughness to settle down and make their pitches. They get that "deer in the headlights" look about them. Mike was no different earlier this year. Young pitchers start gripping the ball harder, muscling up, trying to get too fine with their pitches, and trying to throw the best breaking ball ever thrown.

Mike has seemed to finally realized that his stuff is good, and to trust it and his defenders. He seems to have learned that not every pitch has to be perfect, or thrown 96MPH. Earlier this year he had a no-hitter going into the 7th inning against the Nationals, and his last 2 starts he's only allowed 3 runs. He was asked during the Dodgers' game by Schneider why he wasn't throwing the ball 95+mph. Mike told Brian he wanted to dial it back a bit so he could control his pitches better. That right there shows that he gets it. If he had been given some run support, his record could very well be 5-4, not 2-6. The light has gone on in Mike's head and he's taken the first steps towards stardom. He may never be a 200 game winner, or the ACE of the staff, but he could be a consistent 13-17 game winner in the future. He has the arm, and the build to be a durable starter for years to come.

People tend to forget that Mike had very few innings in MLB coming into 2007. If I'm not mistaken, I believe he only had about 150 innings in the minors before making the team last year. Growing pains are to be expected, but progress has been visible. It has come and gone in fleeting glimpses over the last year or so, but they are becoming more common than not. Now those glimmering hints of big league bravado and talent are growing with every start. Mike seems like a nice guy with a good and humble attitude. I hope he continues to improve, and shows all his fans the true talent that resides inside that strong right arm and the desire that beats in that kingsized heart.

Maine Shows Maturity in Mets Win

2008-06-04T21:20:00.004-04:00

John Maine's afternoon pitching performance wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to earn him his 6th win and to send the Mets into San Diego on a winning note. In windy, cool conditions Maine overcame Delgado's lazy play and another error from Reyes to pitch 6 innings of 2 run baseball. Delgado failed to follow a foul ball to the dugout and extended the inning, and Jose's error cost him a run. Reyes made up for his error with his 8th homerun of the season. It was a long high shot into the right centerfield seats and plated 2 runs.

John was getting his fastball to 95-96 mph and his change-up was working at 82-83 mph. That's a pretty good differential that should serve John well if he can consistently throw it for strikes. I don't think Jose's error rattled John, I think the cold conditions just made it hard to grip the breaking pitches. His wild pitch came on a hard slider in the dirt. He said in the post game interview that he had problems with his grip. When pitchers can't grip a ball well, they tend to overthrow it and try to snap the pitch off. Quite frequently this causes the pitches to bounce in the dirt and get past the catcher.

Unlike last year, John has learned how to pitch his way thru bad innings and bad situations. It's not too often that John gets himself into an inning that he can't get out of. He may give up runs, but he never seems to lose his cool and bury the team or himself. Unlike Ollie, John will make the pitches needed to end the inning. That is the biggest improvement from last year with John. He's becoming more of a pitcher, and less of a thrower. Perez hasn't seem to grasp that concept yet, and it will cost him millions of dollars. Every time Ollie has an outing like Monday, he and Boras lose another Million off Ollie's next contract. Every time John has a game like today, he gets one step closer to getting the contract that a #2 starter like John deserves. Make no mistake about it, Johan and John are the top 2 starters on this team. [SNY had this interesting fact during the game today. John Maine is the #1 starter in METS HISTORY going by team winning percentage. Comparing pitchers with at least 50 starts, The Mets have won almost 65% of John's starts. That's better than Seaver, Gooden, Darling, Koosman, and anybody else].Pedro is too brittle and Pelfrey isn't in the conversation yet. Until Pedro stays healthy and starts piling up the victories, he's #3 in the rotation. I really think that before the season is over, the Wilpon's and Omar will offer John a multi-year contract. He's not due one for a few more years, but I believe he's going to be treated like Wright and Reyes were. I say a 5 year $50-60 Million would be about right. John's certainly worth more than Perez, and talk has Perez wanting a 5 year $50 million deal. With the way Ollie is pitching, the only contract he'll be getting is a yearly contract from Seattle, Texas, or Baltimore. All teams desperate for pitching and in smaller markets.

As you all know, I've been a big supporter of John's since he was called up in July of '06. I really enjoy watching him grow as a pitcher and learning how to be a dominating starter the Mets so dearly need. I really think we as fans will see John and Johan be 2 of the most dominating starters in MLB for many years to come. If Pelfrey learns to be a steady #3 starter, the Mets could have their own 21st century version of Gooden, Darling, and Fernandez.

What do you all think? Will Santana and Maine be the cornerstones of the pitching for years to come? Will Big Pelf be part of the equation too? Will Ollie get any kind of contract offer from the Mets? Will John get his money before the year ends?

The Return of the "Minister of Offense"

2008-06-02T04:20:00.002-04:00

In my visit to Shea Stadium Saturday I saw Ryan Church running though some drills on the field, and hoped to see him play that day. Well, it didn't happen Saturday, but Ryan returned to the line-up Sunday with a bang, a boom and a bloop. He made his return to the line-up and didn't skip a beat. He had a double, single, and 2 run homerun as he helped the Mets put some power into the offense.

All year this team has suffered from a wimpy offense. Pelfrey was the latest to suffer from no run support. If the offense from last nights game could be relied upon to make an appearance every night, the Mets would soon be headed for the top of the standings. But all too often Beltran has been MIA this season. Saturday I wanted him to blast 2 monster homeruns off the scoreboard. Well, I got one Saturday, and one last night. Although the one Sunday wasn't as far up the scoreboard, it still hit it. Delgado was been a shell of his reputation since the fall of '06, but Beltran is the one really hurting the team this season. A clean-up hitter's job is to drive in runs, not just get on base. Hopefully Beltran gets on a long tear and starts doing what we all know he's capable of. This team needs those 35 homeruns and 100+ RBI from him. In all respects, Ryan should be batting clean-up and Beltran 5th. Ryan has been the steadiest hitter all season, and has the power to drive runs in consistently.

Lost in the Mets early season power outage is the fact that David Wright is on a pace to hit 33 homeruns and drive in over 120 RBI. Both would be career highs, and his early season production is surprising considering the lack of protection in the line-up for him. With the return of Ryan and the hopeful resurgence of Beltran, David should continue to see his production increase. His Average is climbing towards .300, and he's looking more comfortable at the plate too. On the afternoon SNY show ,"LoudMouths", Chris Carlon had a surprising stat. Everyone always says that "as Reyes goes, so goes the Mets", but they're wrong. Carlon showed the stats for the 1st 52 games this year, and David is the force that makes the Mets successful, not Jose'. In the 26 wins for the Mets, David hit .380. In the 26 loses, he hit .117. Bottom line, if David isn't hitting and driving in runs, it doesn't matter what Jose' does, the Mets lose.

If Reyes and Castillo continue to get on base, the 3-5 hitters should be feasting on the opposing pitchers on a regular basis. Alou', if he ever returns, and Delgado should be 6th and 7th in the order. They can't be relied upon to stay healthy or produce when needed, so they don't deserve to hit higher than that. If the 1-5 positions can be kept intact, the Mets run production should become more consistent from game to game. And that is something that hasn't happened often enough this year.

Santana won his 100th game last night, but I was having Deja Vu' from Saturday's game. Just like Pelfrey on Saturday, Johan allowed a hit to Pierre and he quickly scored. And just like Saturday, Johan settled down and the Dodgers were losers in the end. The major difference was the offense gave Johan runs, and left Pelfrey hanging in the breeze. Starting Pitching so far this season is not the reason for the Mets troubles. As long as Heilman stays out of games, the bull-pen is doing it's job too. LOL.

What do all of you out there think? Should Ryan be batting Clean-up? Should David be hitting Clean-up? Will this power surge continue, or are we just being set up again for heartbreak?

I'm hoping for a successful road trip and the Phillies doing some stumbling in the standings. With any luck, maybe the Mets can move up in the standing this week.

Random Thoughts on a Trip to Shea

2008-06-01T11:15:00.003-04:00

As you've seen I was at the game yesterday in Shea Stadium. As I hoped, the game had a good ending and the bad weather stayed away. We arrived about 1.5 hours before the game and I got a chance to check a few things out.

While waiting for the game to start, I got a chance to see Ryan Church going thru some drills under the watchful eye of Jerry Manuel and one of the trainers. He was simulating a plate appearance, running to first base, taking a lead off first, and then running to 3rd base. He also did the same drill but simulating a double, and then going home on a hit. I was hoping to see him play, but I have a feeling he's going to be in the line-up for Sunday's game. Ryan was also in the field shagging throws from the trainer as he ran away from Jerry and the Trainer. It looked like a drill from a football practice. Ryan was simulating going back on fly balls as they head for the wall. He seemed to handle everything fine.

As much as Shea Stadium means to so many people, it is a cramped environment. The Stadium is smaller than it appears on TV, and the seat have little room between them. It's hard to get out of your seat and get to the aisle without feeling like you may go for a fly. LOL. Getting out of the stadium requires you to file out and down narrow corridors no wider than 20'. While everything moved along at a decent pace, stopping in the line of traffic wasn't a good idea. If you wanted a souvenirs or something else on the way out, it was a chore to get to where you needed to go. Maybe it's just me, but I can see were Citi-Field will be much more fan friendly before, during, and after the game.

Of course when you go to a game you have to eat some food and have a drink or two. Hotdogs at $4.75-$5.00, sausage and peppers sandwiches for $7.50 and Bud Light in a Shea Stadium bottle for $8.00 were all on the menu. The beer was for my Dad, but I had both the hotdogs and sausage. Both were good, if not a little pricey. I'm used to getting 2 dogs for $1.50 around here, and Sausage and peppers goes for $5.00 at the fair. But everyone was nice and the food tasted good.

All and all it was a good day. I wish I could go back down to the Yankee- Mets game on the 28th of June. But My brother from Ohio is coming into town that weekend, so I guess I'll have to wait for a game next year in Citi-Field to see the Mets pummel the Yankees.

A Great Ending to a Great day at Shea Stadium.

2008-06-01T00:31:00.012-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, [5/31], I had the pleasure of attending my first Mets game. The weather was our major concern as my Father and I traveled from Albany to the Big City with a bus load of very enthusiastic fans. The weather turned out perfect and the day was perfect. No rain, a slight breeze and comfortable temps. Manoj, the trip director, did a great job and every one had a great time. Except for one gentleman name John, who was leery of the heights, everyone was excited and yelling for all 9 innings. John and his son watched the game from different areas and levels and had a great time roaming the stadium. Our seats were in the upper deck between the Dodger dugout and home plate. The view was grand and everything was easy to see. I took plenty of pictures and was to the point of losing my voice by the end of the game.

Here's one of David as he was hitting the double off Broxton in the 8th inning.

Here's Beltran as he drills his 2 run home run off the scoreboard to get the Mets even.Here's Sanchez on the mound mowing down the Dodgers. We has impressive with his velocity and control. He only needed a few pitches to get the Dodgers out of the 8th inning.And What would any Mets victory be without the blaring of Metallica's "Sandman" as Wagner runs in from the bullpen and takes the mound.
Here's a few pictures of Billy doing what Billy does best. Blowing 95+ MPH fastballs past hitters and making them look silly. He was throwing the hitters some sliders to keep them honest, and killing them with his fastball.

And Finally Billy throws the last pitch of the game, and the Mets come from behind victory is complete.

The most disturbing thing of the day was the wasted effort of Mike Pelfrey. He pitched his butt off today, and got nothing but a no-decision for his efforts. The Mets have had a nasty habit of stranding runners in scoring position. All too often that is the main reason for Mets loses this season. The pitching has been better than expected, but Pelfrey proved today that even 2 runs is some times too many runs to to give up if the starters are expecting to win games.

Now we go into the last game of the series hoping Santana will get some run support and keep the ball in the park on Sunday night. I doubt anyone on the Mets is looking forward to playing a long game Sunday night. Thanks to ESPN, the Mets get to play at 8pm, and then board a flight to San Fransisco to face the Giants. Thanks MLB for once again giving the Mets the short end of the stick.

The Mets Show Some Life and Beat Torre's Crew

2008-05-30T04:29:00.004-04:00

It's amazing what a little job insecurity will do for a team. Willie starts sitting veteran players and the bench shows them the way to win games. Since the 2nd game against the Marlins the Mets have shown some life and have carried it over to the Dodger series.

Carlos Delgado was given a seat by Willie the teams attitude has changed on a dime. No longer do they just go through the motions. They're focused and hustling every inning, and making plays that could decide games. Delgado has been the worst offender over the last year and he's actually looking like he's worried about playing time. He had a great stop on a hot smash down the line that required him to drive straight out and then get the out at first. He also caught a line drive in another inning and made a great attempt to double of the runner at 1st base. He and the runner both drove headfirst back to the bag, but Delgado came up a few inches short of making the great play. But, the effort was there, and that alone is something new. All too often Carlos' fielding has hurt the Mets this year, and last night he was not a liability in the field. I still think he should sit at least twice a week. The rest and time to worry about his playing time seems to do well for him.

The Mets have always had their way with Brad Penny, and last night was no different. Penny is David Wright's Bi-ch!!! David has something like a .575 career average against Penny and pummeled him again last night. David had 2 home runs and drove in 4. He now has 11 HR and 40 RBI as his average continues to climb towards .300. Reyes and Castillo are also showing life at the plate. Luis is actually hitting the ball out of the infield on a regular basis, and Reyes is getting on base too. Everyone seems to have a reinvigorated attitude at the plate, and the Mets are scoring runs again. I hope the trend continues this weekend. I'm making my first trip ever to Shea Saturday, and would love to see Big Pelf get some run support to help end his losing streak.

I still believe the Wilpon's had a few choice words about Willie's lack of managerial ingenuity. Or maybe Willie is finally realizing that his job is in real jeopardy, and he better start putting the best team on the field, and not cover for the veterans who are not producing. Ever since that meeting Willie has shown the willingness to shake up the line-up and to use the pen in a diffent way. I also think that Willie's a little P.Oed at Delgado. Carlos didn't exactly give Willie a ringing endorsement when asked, and then Willie starts sitting him. What ever the real reason, Willie needs to do things like that more often. There is no reason to not play a right-handed line-up against left-handed pitchers. Easley and Castro can cover for Delgado and Schneider with little problem, and they should be used. Beltran is another that needs a day off. His production at the plate is dreadful, and Chavez can cover center field for a game or 2. The object is to win games, not stroke egos.

John Maine goes tonight against a young hard throwing left handed pitcher. He throws a 95 MPH fastball, and a good curve ball. Lets all hope he decides to throw the fastball more than the curve tonight. We all know the Mets can't hit a good curve ball. John beat the Dodgers quite easily last time out, going into the 9th inning, so I'm hoping for a repeat from him tonight. As long as the defense stay sharp and the team continues to put the bat on the ball, he stands a good chance of getting his 6th victory this season.

Willie learning how to Manage?

2008-05-28T04:05:00.002-04:00

Before last night's game I was amazed to see the line-up posted by Willie. It also surprised just about everyone in the SNY pregame show too. Could the Wilpon's have given him some lessons on being a manager in their 3 hour meeting?

A common complaint about Willie by his critics and myself is his lack of ingenuity, and his refusal to put the best team on the field everyday. Putting the best team on field means sitting Delgado against left-handed pitching, and sitting Schneider when he's slumping.

Earlier yesterday I had mentioned to the local sports talk radio program that Delgado should sit and Easley should play first base against left-handed pitchers. I'm starting to believe in miracles. I wouldn't necessarily play Evans at 1st base just because it's his normal postion. With Alou' being out for how knows how long, I think it's better to get Evans comfortable in the outfield. He knows his way around 1st base but needs to get familiar in left field. He sometimes looks awkward, but he's shown good range and a nose for the ball while playing in left field. He has enough to worry about at the plate, he doesn't need to keep moving back and forth between positions. besides, Carp and Murphy are heavy hitters at 1st base, so they may get a look sooner than later in NY.

Castro and Tatis had good games in Colorado, and they provided pop to the order last night. The righty hitting line-up should be used more often against left-handed pitching. Other mangers do it, so why not Willie? The strategy has proven it's value over the years, so it always amazed me that Willie would be so reluctant to do it. Castro when healthy has always been able to hit, and I do recall the Mets wanting him to catch more games this year. Schneider and Delgado should be platooned on a regular basis. Neither has proven the ability to be consistently effective against lefties. Maybe Willie is desperate to save his job, so he's willing to do things differently to get the team winning. With Marlon Anderson's hammy being torn, I don't see him back in NY for awhile so Tatis and Evans are here for awhile.

Reyes is the most troublesome. He doesn't seem to stay focused and seems to be another Ollie Perez type of mind-set. I think he's very weak mentally and has shown no ability to learn from his previous errors. One inning he's great, and the next he's got his head up his butt. I was in the minority last year when I said to trade Reyes straight up for Santana. With all the outfield issues, and the thin pitching reserves in the minors, can anyone say that that would have been a bad trade as of now? Considering the year Gomez is having and the continued regression of Jose', that trade makes even more sense now than during the winter. Pouting underachieving short stops are easy to replace. Until Reyes gets his head out of his a-s, that's all he'll be. An over hyped, underachieving, mentally weak, little baby.

It's amazing what a little fear for your job will do to your outlook in life. Willie is acting and doing things differently, and the Mets won a game. If this trend continues, the Mets fans may need to get used to the idea of Willie being around through the length of his contract. Why do I now have heartburn after saying that?

Nick Evans Kicks the Mets Offense into Gear

2008-05-24T21:20:00.002-04:00

You may have wondered, as I did, who the heck is Nick Evans? Well, he's the young [22] 1st baseman/3rd baseman/ outfielder that was hustled onto a flight from AA Binghamton to Denver. He proved his worth at the plate and in the field with 3 doubles, 2 RBI, and 6 putouts in his MLB debut'.

When I commented on last night's game I said that there may be a silver lining to the Anderson injury. I said that maybe Omar would call up a young hustler who wanted to prove he belonged, and Evans did his best to make that point. The first time up, he drilled a double in the corner of right field and didn't stop there. He had 3 doubles [all to right field] and played a good defense in left field. He hustled around the bases and didn't seem nervous at all. These are the kinds of players Omar should be stocking the team with. Not the old broken down players he's so in love with. Maybe we'll get to see Evans play some 1st base against left-handed pitchers, and give Delgado a few days off here and there.

Beltran cleared the bases in the 1st inning with a double in the gap, and the Mets didn't stop scoring. David and Delgado both had solo home runs, Castro had 3 hits, Castillo and Reyes pulled a double steal, and the defense was good today. Vargus did great today on the mound. Going on 3 days rest, he looked like the second coming of Ron Darling. He walked only 1 and gave up only 4 hits thru 7 innings. I had my doubts about him pitching on short rest, but he proved he was up to the challenge. If he continues to pitch like that, he'll have a future with the Mets.

Overall the Mets played the way we all hoped they'd play since opening day. They hustled, hit with runners on base, pitched deep into the game, and kept adding runs on during the game. Now it's up to John Maine to finish this trip with a nice tidy outing. 7+ innings and 2 runs or less would be nice. If the offense gets going, and the pitching comes thru, it will make for a much happier flight back to Queens. Winning 2 games in Denver may keep the fans a bay for a day or two, and allow the team to think about filleting the Fish, and not about Willie's job status.

Rockies continue the Mets' Slide

2008-05-24T07:55:00.004-04:00

Coming into this weekend series the Mets have been playing stupid lazy baseball, and nothing changed tonight. The Met continue to lose, Omar is in town to "support" Willie and Perez once again comes out the goat.

The talk of the day and for the week, has been the chances of Willie surviving as the manager of the Mets. Well Perez certainly didn't do him any favors. Perez couldn't find the strike zone all night. He gave up 2 quick runs in the first, then Mets than scratch out a run to get closer, and later get back to back home runs from Delgado and Tatis to take the lead. Then Ollie gives the lead right back in the bottom of the 6th inning. He managed to get through 5 innings with 102 pitches, but Willie in another sterling example of his great managing, brings Ollie back out for the 6th inning after the Mets went ahead in the game. Perez then walks the first 2 batters in the bottom of the 6th, and Willie pulls him. Smith comes in, gets one out on a bunt, but the next batter singles, and plates only the 2nd and 3rd inherited runners of the year to score off Joe.

After getting ahead 5-4, Willie brings Billy in to close out the game. Wagner then did what he hasn't done all year. He allowed an earned run and blew the save. Holliday hit a low fastball over the left center field fence and on to extra innings they go. In the 10th inning Reyes gets a hustle double, but then gets picked off 2nd base. Just another bone headed play by Jose' that never seem to end this year. The game ended up going to the 13th inning, and then every one's favorite reliever does what he does best. Heilman comes in, can't throw strikes, and allows the winning run to score on Holliday's single to right field. Game over, and Willie's job security slips a little further.

It's hard to find anything good in this game. Anderson pulled his hammy, Church is still dizzy, Heilman can't get anyone out, Jose' still does stupid things, Perez is doing his Jeckle and Hyde best, and the Mets slide continues with the 5th lose in a row. The only thing positive about the night, is the fact they didn't roll over and die once they fell behind.

Maybe Anderson's injury has a silver lining to it. This gives the Mets a chance to call up a young hitter like Carp or someone else. If they're a right handed bat, and can play 1st base, Delgado can sit against lefty pitchers. I really think Carlos should be platooned at 1st. As bad as he is this year, he's horrid against left-handed pitching. Besides, the Mets need to audition some players for next year. Carlos won't be back, and Teixiera will be very expensive and highly sought after by the Yankees. Maybe a young hungry player can instill some life in this team and get the ship headed up in the standings, not down.

Today the Mets try to stop the slide with Vargus going on 3 days rest. Somehow that doesn't sound like a recipe for success, but who knows. If the Mets lose 2 of these games this weekend, Willie may not make it the end of the month. With the Marlins tearing up teams and the Dodgers coming to Shea the games are not getting any easier. With every lose, Willie gets one step closer to the door.

I Should Have Gone to Sleep

2008-05-23T04:02:00.003-04:00

Well I managed to stay awake for the whole game last night, but I should have gone to bed. It was the same old tired act. No hitting, shoddy defense, and wasted pitching. So the Braves swept the Mets to the trash and Willie's days in NY come closer to an end.

Yesterday before the game I watched the different SNY shows that come on starting at 5 p.m. They had some different takes on the state of the Mets, but everyone seemed to agree that Willie's days were numbered. People like to mention that Willie is only playing the hand he's been dealt, but it's how you play those cards that makes the difference. All too often the Mets players seem too comfortable with their jobs and their place on the team. Willie seems unable or unwilling to shake them up and make them worry about playing time. Somehow I doubt the new manager will have the same problems. Here are few examples of what I think could be done to shake them out of their naps.

Castillo rides the pine for a week or more. Until he can start earning his pay of the field, he might as well earn his pay on the bench. In the last 2 games, he's cost the Mets 4 runs because of his bone headed plays in the field. Last night, with men on base and 2 outs he makes a diving grab in the hole. Instead of throwing to Santana covering 1st base to get the last out, he throws home while sitting on his butt. Teixiera scores and the Mets start their slide. In Wednesday's game he was lazy in his play of a ball into the hole, and didn't get the ball to 1st in time for the last out. That allowed the Braves to score 3 runs in that inning when Big Pelf should have been out of the inning.

Schneider needs a seat on the pine too. For someone who has the reputation as a great defensive catcher, he sucks. Every time Santana pitches, Schneider screws the pooch. He couldn't make a routine play on a cropper in front of the plate, and can't catch any pitch unless it's right at him. If the pitch is not where he's expecting it, the pitch goes to the backstop. The Mets have 22 wild pitches so far this year, and I bet half of them should have been caught by Schneider. I can't believe all the talking heads extolling his talents behind the plate. Haven't they been watching the same games as me? For all of Lo Duca's faults, he never had so many pitches get past him when he played for the Mets. Now that Casanova is back with the team, he should start and Brian should see how a real catcher goes about his job.

Delgado needs to be platooned. With Tatis and Easley on the team, they should be getting playing time against left handed pitchers. Delgado hasn't done anything this year to deserve a full time spot in the line-up. He's hitting .220 and strikes out all too often. He needs to know that just because he's making $16 Million and has 400+ homeruns in his career, that he's not going to play every day. Maybe it's time to bring Carp up and have him show Carlos what a 1st baseman's job is all about. All Mets fans have to do is watch Teixiera play, and you'll know what the Mets are missing in Carlos. Speed, range in the field, ability to hit, and hustle 100% of the time.

Reyes needs some time off too. His play has gotten better, but I think he can use a day off here and there. Call it a mental health day. He needs to be able to sit down and relax once in awhile and not see it as punishment. I think he puts too much pressure on himself at times and that causes his focus to drift and his bat to disappear. If the Mets can't find a way to get Valentin to NY as a coach or assistant to Reyes, they need someone to fill that role. And the Carlos brothers don't make the grade as leaders or mentors.

David Wright also needs a day off here and there. He's carrying the weight of this team on his shoulders and could use a break from the rigors of the game. Maybe Ryan can help him with bearing the mantel of leadership, but he's so new to the team that he may not want to step into the spotlight and take on that responsibility. David can't do it alone, and Ryan has proven to be the hard nosed hustling player the Mets need more of. Last night the SNY booth was talking about leadership on the team and they all said David is too young for that role. For some reason they think someone think Delgado should be the leader. Why is a lazy, overpaid, mouse of a person the one to lead? Just because he is 36 and has over 440 home runs doesn't make him a leader. What someone does on and off the field is what makes him a leader. The only leading done by Carlos is being the first one out of the club house and in his car after a game.

Another thing that could be done is institute a system for rewarding or penalizing players based on their efforts and results on the field. Collect money thru fines for lousy play or lazy play, and then use that pot of cash to reward the players who excel and hustle the most at the end of each week. And make the fines have some hurt to them. I say half a game check should be about right, or at least 25% of a game check. The young players who don't make alot of money would get a chance to fatten their wallets, and the old lazy players would lighten theirs if they play like fools. It probably isn't possible, but it would definitely shake them awake when they start losing $100,000 for playing with their heads up you know where.

What do you all think? Should a reward/penalty plan be drawn up? Should certain players get a seat on the bench for awhile or a game? Lets hear your suggestions.

I guess I'm not so Stupid After All

2008-05-22T14:37:00.001-04:00

Just a quick thing here. Last night while watching the game I heard the SNY crew bring up something I've been preaching about for months. Gary and Keith said that the absence of JOSE' VALENTIN has been hurting Reyes' production and focus. I almost fell off the couch when I heard that brought up. I've been saying for months now that Valentin was a mentor and father figure to Jose', and that Jose' has been sliding ever since Valentin broke his leg. Look it up. Valentin gets hurt in June, and Jose' goes in the tank for the rest of the year. The Mets need to find a way to get Valentin in NY as a coach or special assistant to Reyes. I firmly believe that if Valentin was in NY, Reyes would be tearing up the baseball and the base paths. Get it done Omar !!!!

The Mets solve my Sleeping Problems

2008-05-22T06:43:00.001-04:00

I wish I had some positive things to comment on, but not much is going right in the Mets club house. They are so boring to watch and repeat the same mistakes over and over again. They make it quite easy to fall sleep watching the games. And that's a good thing for me.

When the game started, I was hoping Big Pelf could keep on the roll that's seen him go long in to games. No such luck. He couldn't find the plate, and was constantly behind in the count. With left handed batters hitting around .375 off him, you had to know it would be a long night for him. The defense was sub-par at best. Chavez was constantly out of position, and Castillo couldn't get to any ball that wasn't hit directly to him. If Castillo had made the play in the 3rd inning, Pelfrey gets out of that inning without giving up 3 more runs. Lazy play cost this game.

On another note, Willie has done his best to apologize for his remarks the other day. He says now that he thought the conversation was off the record, and that he didn't mean to bring the "Race Card" into play. Well, that's fine and dandy, but it shows very poor judgement on his part and shows his true feelings. I don't know which of his comments mad me the maddest. The one about there being no Mets fans before he was hired, or the fact that he believes the critics are on his case because he's Black. Either way Willie has ruined his future in NY and will not make the All-Star game if the Mets keep playing like this.

The way the Mets are playing, I can see them winning no more than 4 games the rest of this month. That will force the Wilpon's hand and cost Willie his job. Who do you think gets hired to finish the season? Manual?

Randolph Shows his True Colors and Proves he's the Problem, not the Solution to the Mets' Season of Despair

2008-05-20T19:29:00.006-04:00

In case you have been sleeping all day, Racist Willie was doing his best at damage control all day today. The article in the Bergen Record has caused a firestorm in the NY Media and fans. When will this all come to an end? When the Wilpon's fire Willie.

On the Wheel House [ a SNY afternoon sports talk program] today, the comments of Willie were front and center in the discussions. No one on the show , Scotty Ferrall, Brandon Tierney, or host Brian Custer [who's Black] could defend Willie's comments about the fan's views and media coverage of Willie. For Willie to blame his managerial troubles on his race was BS. It's quite simple, win games and the fans won't be angry. Willie trying to say that it was a tongue -n- cheek comment about race really set off Tierney. This whole incident only proves once again that Willie isn't capable of managing this team. He's arrogant, condescending, thin skinned, and looks for preferential treatment because he's Black.

The Wheel House also has a MLB insider who's name is Jon Heyman. He also writes for Sports Illustrated. He has an article coming out in SI where he talks to Willie one on one about some different things. He said something today that all Mets fans might be glad to hear. According to him, Willie and Omar received a phone call from Jeff Wilpon last Thursday. Jeff told them " You better get things straightened out in a hurry". That sounds to me like some one's job will soon be coming to an end. Will it be Omar and Randolph, or just Willie? Gauging the reaction to Witless Willie's comments in the Record, my money is on Randolph getting fired sooner than later. Every time Willie opens his mouth, he drives another nail in his coffin, and the coffin is running out of space.

With Willie's true feelings now coming to light in the Media, it's no wonder there's trouble in the Mets club house. If you were Reyes, would you listen to someone who thinks that everyone is out to get him because he's Black? Would you want to invest your heart and soul into a man that looks to make excuses and enemies with the fans? Would anyone in that locker room take advise from a man who blames his problems on his skin color? If the Wilpon's want to put the focus back on winning baseball and not on a crybaby manager, they need to fire Willie ASAP.

Today's game is a perfect example of why Willie needs to go. Instead of thinking about tonight's game plan and worrying about the Braves, he spent all day backtracking and covering his ass. The players had to be distracted too by all the controversy. Why would anyone think that this is a good environment for winning baseball? The focus of the teams efforts should be on winning games, not answering questions about their manager's warped view on NY fans and media. Instead of building on a good weekend ,beating the snot out of the Skankees, that karma was flushed down the toilet like last night's dinner. Until Willie is gone, winning baseball will always be second to the circus that follows Willie's mouth.

Sterling Mets contact info

2008-05-20T06:55:00.001-04:00

Here is some info for anyone wishing to contact the Mets front office about the racist comments made by Willie Randolph. Flood their fax and phone lines with comments and demand that the Wilpon's fire Willie's ass imediately.

Sterling Mets LP
123-01 Roosevelt Ave.
Flushing, NY 11368-1699
NY Tel. 718-507-6387
Fax 718-507-6395

Randolph Calls Mets Fans Racists !!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-19T19:30:00.004-04:00

Willie Randolph has now added another reason for all Mets fans to hate him and want his butt fired. Today in the Bergen Record,[ http://www.northjersey.com/sports/Angry_Randolph_attacks_critics_who_hurt_me_to_my_core.html ]

Willie says NY fans are racist towards him and any other Black coach or manager in the City. It's time for the Wilpon's to fire his a$s and get someone in the clubhouse who deserves the job. He also says that SNY does it's best to paint him in a bad light. I personally think Keith, Gary, Ron, Maz, and everyone else doing anything with the games, goes out of their way not to criticize Witless Willie. So I don't know what altered reality Willie's living in but it sounds like a Racist one to me.

If anyone is a racist, it's Willie. If he thinks the fans are mad at him because he's Black, he's even dumber than we thought. He sounds more and more like someone who wants to be treated differently just because he's a minority. I don't care if the manager is green with yellow polka dots. As long as he coaches well and wins games I don't care, and I doubt any Mets fans would care either. But when I read the comments Willie was quoted as saying, I started fuming. When you add that to how he acts towards the media and towards any criticism, it all makes sense now. He thinks fans and media are questioning him because he's Black, and not because they have issues with his decisions.

He says Herm Edwards was a good coach because the Jets won a few playoff games. He thinks Isiah was treated unfairly too. Isiah, the same coach that ruined the CBA, and the Knicks. The same coach that lost a multi-million dollar sexual harassment lawsuit. Willie needs professional help with his Psychiatric condition that is causing him to twist reality to suit his own views. It's no wonder the Mets have clubhouse issues. With a Racist like Willie running it, how could problems be addressed with any sort of authority. Who in that locker room is going to listen to someone like Willie? I wouldn't. Not if those types of racist views towards the fans are known. I guess by Willie's view point, only Whites are Mets fans. Because how could a Black fan have racist views about a Black manager or coach in NYC?

This latest pearl of wisdom of Randolph is the last straw. The Wilpon's must demand his resignation and issue a public apology to all the fans that follow any NYC team. For a manager in the City to have the points of view expressed by Racist Willie is unacceptable. He needs to go and he needs to go now.

Willie gets a Reprieve for the Day

2008-05-18T05:31:00.002-04:00

I listened to most of the game yesterday and was not feeling too good by the end on the 2nd inning. Pettitte was striking everyone out and the Mets were falling behind in a hurry. Good thing it was the Yankees they were playing, because they're about the only team worse than the Mets now.

The game didn't start out well, but the end result was a win. I have mixed feelings about the win though. Santana gave up 3 home runs, but did pitch into the 8th inning. He had some innings where he only threw 6 pitches for 3 outs, so he was conservative with them when needed. But 3 home runs is way too many to be giving up. The only thing I can say is that the extra rest isn't doing him any favors. I've heard that extra rest hurts Johan's effectiveness, and that seems to be holding true this year. Every time he has an extra day or two of rest, he struggles with his control. Reyes looked terrible at the plate today. The best swing was the single up the middle. He was swinging at pitches all over the place, and is looking more like the rookie Reyes than a 4 year vet. Delgado continues to look bad at the plate, and Easley struck out all day long. The Mets hitters have all been striking out way too often this year, and that is hurting the offense. Isn't there anyone that can throw breaking pitches in batting practice? The team as a whole never seems to be able to consistently hit a breaking pitch. If the opposing pitcher has a curve, slider, or splitter that they can throw anytime in the count for strikes, them Mets struggle.

The other reason for having mixed feeling about the game is because of Willie. The victory over the Yankees just prolongs our suffering. The more wins this team manages over the rest of the month, the more likely that we'll be stuck with Witless Willie as a manager. As bad as it sounds, we need the team to lose games if we ever have a hope of the Wilpon's removing Randumb from the team. This team will just continue to break our hearts and scuffle along as long as Willie is the manager.

The Mets may win today, but they have a terrible schedule for the rest of the month. Atlanta, Colorado, Florida, L.A.,all wait for the Mets. The Braves have only lost a handful of games at home, and the Rockies are always tough at Home. It's quite possible for the Mets to win only 5 games the rest of the month. If they have another bad home stand or road trip the end could be in site for Witless Willie. His firing is long overdue, but somehow I bet he survives the year. Especially since he's been named to the All-Star coaching staff. Is he going to be Hurdles' personal towel boy? That's all he's qualified to do right now.

Willie's days are Numbered

2008-05-15T19:08:00.002-04:00

I was working during the game this afternoon, and couldn't believe what I was hearing. Pelfrey was pitching like Tom Seaver and the bats were not hitting a lick. The offense once again went on vacation during Big Pelf's start and wasted his excellent effort.

After listening in disbelief to the Mets make another awful pitcher [11.5 ERA] look like Cy Young I couldn't wait to see what the guys on SNY's afternoon shows had to say about another pathetic game by the Mets. I heard NO ONE on Daily News Live, The Wheelhouse, or Loud Mouths say anything good about this home stand or game. They were all livid with the lack of effort and results in these games. The only one who hasn't outraged was Frank Iriso, and even he said this home stand was bad. For the first time all spring, I also heard the beat writers and hosts on these shows say what Guinness and myself have been saying for months. They said that Witless Willie is a major reason for the team's issues. Chris Carlon of Loud Mouths was to the point of having a coronary over Willie's explanation about using Heilman last night. Adam Schien said "you worry about winning the game your playing, not the next game" And NO ONE ON ANY OF THE SHOWS said that Heilman should be used in that situation. It seems more and more people are coming around to the opinion that I and Guinness have been touting. Can the Wilpon's be far behind? They didn't want Willie back this year, and I can't believe they'll sit by and allow this season to go down the drain after last years collapse.

What was also interesting is what happened after the game in the clubhouse. Billy Wagner went off again, and NOT ONE MEDIA PERSONALITY disagreed with him. Here is what he said to the best of my recollection. " Why is all the media here asking the closer about today's game? I didn't even play. Why don't you ask them over there? [pointing to the other side of the locker room] Oh, that's right, they're not there. That figures." He was talking about all the Latin mice on the team. Billy is 1000% correct. Where is Beltran, Delgado, Castillo, Reyes, Castro, and company? Beltran answered a few questions then left, and Reyes did his usual incoherent 2 sentence answers that never change from day to day. There are major issues inside that clubhouse and Willie has no control or respect from the players. When asked, they all spout the company line, but you know the answers are hollow. There is no way that Willie can be in control of that team if there is this kind of infighting going on. His passive approach isn't working, and Wagner is doing and saying more than Willie ever has. Too bad the Mets didn't have 24 other Billy Wagners on the team. Maybe they'd win more than 50% of the games played. Everyone on the shows when asked said that Witless Willie's game time strategy today was stupid, and is a common problem with him. Sounds like one of mine and Guinness's recurring observations doesn't it? Maybe Guinness could be the GM, and Me the Manager. We certainly couldn't do any worse than Omar and Willie.

I don't even no what to expect this weekend. On paper we have the better chance of winning the weekend than the Yankees do. But on paper, the Mets should be blowing away the NL East too. The Yankees are as messed up as the Mets, but it's due more to injuries than effort. The way this season is going, the Yankees will sweep the Mets and go on a winning streak to win the AL EAST. All the while Willie will be saying "it's early in the season", "He's one of my guys", "I'll still keep using him" as he stand on the street corner trying to get a Taxi to pick him up.

Heilman Performs a Heimlich Maneuver on Mets

2008-05-14T22:43:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I was wondering how Vargus would pitch. I should have been worried about Witless Willie doing something to lose the game. In an effort to continue his win 1 game lose 1 strategy, Willie brings Heimlich Heilman into a close game. Omar got rid of one cancer on the team, time to cut the next piece lose. Aaron needs to go bye bye. As long as he's there, the Mets will continue to lose games because Willie refuses to use anyone else. I hear the Mets are trying to trade Sosa. Package Heimlich Heilman with him and maybe the Mets can get a couple of tickets to a post season game.

The Mets are now going into tomorrows game with the very real possibility of losing 3 out of 4 games to the last place Nationals. Teams that hope to win in October don't lose to last place teams. Vargus did all we could have hoped for. 6+ innings and only 2 runs should be enough to win the game. But the offense went to sleep once again. They continue to just scuffle along and show no heart or killer instinct.

I have a feeling that this problem will not end until there is a major shake-up in the management department. Willie is the deserving candidate after once again having no idea how to win games that need to be won. I heard his post-game comments and they made no sense. He said Scott wasn't feeling well, and wasn't available to pitch. Because of this he brought Aaron in and wanted him to pitch 2 innings because of the day game tomorrow. He didn't want to burn out the pen going into tomorrows' game? How about winning this game before you worry about the next game? He needs to get a clue. The only concern he should have is winning the game they are playing, not the game that will come. Joe Smith ended up pitching 1.2 innings and Feliciano pitched 9th. If Scott doesn't pitch tonight, he can pitch tomorrow and still give the team an inning or two if needed. This game is exactly why people hate Willie's management decisions. He's a mental midget, and has no clue on how to win on a consistent basis.

Tomorrow's game now hinges on the right arm of Big Pelf. If the offense decides to show up, and Mike can pick up where he left off in his last game, maybe the Mets can win the game. Winning 4 out of 7 on this home stand is bad enough, going 3-4 will have the boo birds swarming thru Shea like a angry swarm of Killer Bees. They'll be looking for someone to attack, and it may not be limited to Heimlich Heilman. It could soon be Willie who's the target of boos echoing through Shea Stadium.

Maine and Church Deliver on the Fans Prayers

2008-05-13T22:51:00.003-04:00

Before this game started, I would bet Mets fans were praying that last night's game was not going to be repeated. With the Young Gunslinger throwing bullets and Ryan swinging the lumber, they made sure there would be no repeat of last night.

John Maine just continues to improve as the season progresses. For the 7th time in a row, he gave up less than 2 earned runs. He set the tone of the game with his 1st pitch of the game. He drilled Lopez in the thigh, sending a message to the Nats. The message was, John's no pansy, and wouldn't stand for the bush-league clapping of game 1. The Mets are now 6-2 in John's starts after a loss. That sounds like John is turning into a stopper. His ERA is now 2.81 and dropping. He threw 109 pitches in six innings, and 79 were strikes. That's a great ratio. I do recall someone saying John should be a relief pitcher. I wonder if that train of thought still exists. If not for the 2 errors, he would have gone 7 innings. Those errors cost John another 10-15 pitches. I doubt anyone out there is calling John a mediocre pitcher anymore.

Ryan Church has earned a nick name from me. As I often refer to Maine as "Gary Cooper" because of his quite demeanor and deadly results, I've decided that Ryan should be called "The Minister of Offense" He continues to pound the ball and drive in runs. He had a home run, single, and a double. He drove in 4 runs and now leads the team in HR and has 30 RBI. His .324 ave. and .561 slugging is also leading the team. I said it last week, and I'll say it again. Ryan is going to be a left handed version of David. Those 2 hitters will have stats so similar it will be amazing.

It continues to be a problem for the Mets scoring runs when there are runners in scoring position. They can get away with it against bad teams, but it will continue to cost them wins when playing good teams. With 14 hits and 2 walks they should score more runs. At least they kept scoring runs. They scored runs in 4 innings and gave John the support he deserved. Too often pitcher do their job, but the hitters leave them hanging with a loss or no decision.

Tomorrow we all get to see Clardio Vargus pitch for the 1st time. Let's all hope that he isn't the second coming of Jose' Lima. I'm sure the "Minister of Offense" will do his job, but the defense needs to play sharper and eliminate the errors. Now is not the time to let up, now is the time to break the Nats neck and put them down.

Omar does the Fans Proud.

2008-05-13T19:18:00.002-04:00

I didn't think it would happen, but Sosa has been sent packing. Omar did the right thing. I know I've been critical of him at times, but he made the right move. Sosa was hurting the team and has personally cost the Mets at lest 4 wins this year. Regardless of his $2 million contract, Sosa has the man that needed to leave the team, not Joe Smith. Joe has done nothing but excel this year and he's earned his spot in the pen. After striking out the side last night and only allowing 1 inherited runner to score all year, how could Omar send Joe to AAA?

As far as the other moves, I have mixed feelings. I like Nelson, but he was regressing and he kind of lost his spot after his comments last night. Pagan on the DL was a good move. The bench is too thin to have someone who can't play the field right now. Tatis is another Marlon Anderson type, but with more power. He can play the infield and outfield. And He gives Willie a right handed bat for 1st base. So maybe Delgado can get some days off and stay healthy. Wise had to come up, or the Mets would lose him too. We'll see how he fills Sosa's spot as long relief. Vargus, I don't know. I know he was in the big leagues and is a proven pitcher, but I'd like to see a young gun come up from AAA to get the start this week. He should get a couple of starts, but when Pedro gets healthy, who knows if he'll be around.

Overall, Omar did some good today. Now we just have to wait and see how it all shakes out.

The Mets Add Another Nail to Willie's Coffin

2008-05-13T04:27:00.005-04:00

What started last September is continuing this spring. The Mets have a nasty habit of playing down to the competition. When they should beat teams like the Nationals and add them to a list of destroyed opponents, they reverse the roles and play as if they're the worse of the two teams. Sadly, the Mets may be the worse team in the league.

Granted, the records say otherwise, but The Mets are not as good as the rest of the teams in their division. Nobody expects the Marlins or Nationals to win many games, and the Phillies and Braves are always in the mix, but no one expected the Mets to play like they have this year. With all the "talent" on this team, and the historic collapse last year, everyone expected the Mets to come out this season and prove a point. They were supposed to prove that they were an elite team and that last year was a fluke. They were supposed to come out with a different attitude and demeanor. Well, the only thing that's changed from last year is the calender. It's a different year, but it's the same old uninspired, underachieving, overpaid, over hyped team as last year. They continue to play listless baseball and show no signs of caring about anything other than their paychecks.

Since May 9th, they have played 2 of the worst teams in League, and have a 2-2 record. In the 2 loses, the Mets have given up 17 runs and lost games to starting pitchers with a combined 1-7 record. Does that sound like a Championship caliber team to you? To me it sounds like the choke is still on. The Mets continue to play the "Willie Way". Win one game, lose one game. Why is it that the Marlins, a team with a $20 million pay role can win 7 games in a row, but the Mets can't win more than 2 or 3 in a row? Why do the Marlins have the best record in baseball, and the Mets hover around the .500 mark? The difference is in the attitude of the players and the management. The Phillies are the same way. They have less talent and a lower payroll, but seem to always play with fire and passion. The Mets, well they go through the motions and expect teams to roll over for them. They show no pride or passion in their play, and seem more worried about what's for dinner than what the score is.

Most of these problems I lay at the feet of Management. Omar and Willie are both to blame. Omar gets the blame for signing passive, mute, mice for players. He's also responsible for signing old worn out has beens to long term and/or big money contracts. If everyone stays healthy and motivated, that problem can be minimized. The problem is they can't stay healthy, and they all have fat bank accounts to retire on. The Yankees suffer the same fate this year. Too many people collecting a check instead of earning it. Willie's blame comes in the management of this team. Just because a guy earns millions shouldn't guarantee his spot in the line-up. If a player isn't delivering, he should be sitting. That's something that Willie has never been known for. How many times have we all heard these words of wisdom come from Willie's mouth? "He's one of my guys", "I have faith in him", "He'll work it out", "I'll keep giving him the ball". Why does it always seem that as soon as a guy gets his fat contract, he stops producing? Sosa, Mota, Reyes, Castro, Pedro, Alou', Heilman, Perez, Hernandez, Castillo, and Anderson are a few recent examples. When all of them were playing for a contract, they were great. They get their contracts, and it's been downhill ever since. In baseball, as you all know, the contracts are guaranteed. So no matter what happens, the player has their money regardless of their effort or results.

One of the ongoing discussions this week is what to do with the bull pen. Wise needs to be activated, and the Mets have a crowded pen. So who's the guy on the short end of the stick? Joe Smith. The same guy that has allowed 1 inherited runner to score all season, is going to be sent to New Orleans sometime this week. The same pitcher that struck out the side last night, will be watching the Yankee series this weekend from AAA, instead of playing in it. Meanwhile, the pitcher that gave up 4 runs in 1 inning last night and has an ERA of 7.06 while be staying with the Mets. You know why? Because he's making $2 million a year, and has no options to allow his return to AAA. The Mets would have to put him on waivers and hope he clears before sending him to AAA. That in it's self is why this team is failing. They continue to play people who don't produce. Winning the game should be the top priority, not stroking someones ego or adding to their bank account.

Until Mets Ownership and Management starts caring more about winning games, this season will never be the season we Mets fans had hoped for.

Perez Shows Some Pride and the Offense Comes along for the Ride

2008-05-11T20:09:00.006-04:00

It was with great trepidation that I awaited Ollie's start today. With his helter skelter pitching the last month and the offense not playing up to it's talent, I had no idea which team would show up to play today. Luckily the team came to play.

Ollie was very good for most of the game. He mixed his pitches up and had the fastball working today. He only gave up 1 hit thru the 1st 5 innings and seemed to be focused and on a mission. But, then Ollie does what Ollie does. He lost focus and soon had given up 3 runs and allowed the Reds to sniff another melt down from Ollie. But he managed to get thru 6 innings with the lead and got his 3rd win of the season. He stuck out 8, hit 1 batter, and walked another 4. Typical Ollie outing. But this time he kept it from spiraling out of control and the Mets won the game.

The offense did it's best to keep Ollie ahead in the game. They gave him 3 early runs and that appeared to help Ollie. Beltran had 2 hits and 3 RBI and continues to wake up from his long slumber at the plate. Church and Beltran went deep in the 5th inning for 2 more runs, which Ollie surrendered back in the top of the 6th inning. That was the 7th home run for Ryan, and he now leads the team. Reyes and Castillo had multiple hits, and David Delgado and Easley all had a hit too. Castillo left the game because he hurt his Quad, probably running around the bases. It's not something he's done much of this year. So add a bad leg to go with his bad Knee, and the brilliance of Omar's 4 year contract comes into better focus. Another fat contract for one of Omar's broken down buddies. If this game proved one thing, it's that the Mets have issues with Breaking ball pitchers. Cuerto was getting his fastball pounded, but Arroyo was lights out with his curve last night. Can Doc be hired to throw batting practice?

The defense was good too. Church had a nice day catching everything hit his way. He even caught a fly ball in the corner as be bounced off the wall. Reyes and Beltran were on their game and Delgado and David stayed out of trouble. Schneider still can't catch, but none of his drops and misses made a diffence. Maybe he'll get the hang of actually catching the ball sometime this year.

Now on to the Nationals. The Mets need to sweep them and set the tone for the Yankees this weekend. The Mets need to get on a role and get the team focused on catching the Marlins and gaining the lead in the NL East. Here's hoping for a hot week and a long winning streak to end next week after the Mets leave the Yankees bleeding and battered.

The Mets do Their Jeckle and Hyde Best

2008-05-11T09:43:00.001-04:00

Is there anyone else out there that has noticed this Mets teams' nasty habit of allowing bad teams to hang around in games? Is there anyone else out there that thinks the Reds scoring 6 runs in the 1st game is what allowed them to score 7 and win in the night-cap? Teams the Mets should pummel into dust, are allowed to gain confidence and win games. This is a common theme for over a year now and it needs to stop.

As nice as the opening win was and with all the positive signs from struggling hitters, there were storm clouds building as the game went on. The Carlos brothers have been showing signs of life and Beltran had 5 RBI. Delgado was hitting in the 7th hole and had a good game. As much as I dislike the man personally, his bat is needed in this line-up as long as he produces. David got off the snide and there was plenty of hitting all around. About the only one who didn't hit was Jose' and Castillo. The Mets scored numerous runs in numerous innings and managed to win the game. The storm clouds came in the form of allowing the Reds to score 6 runs. Why even allow them to score more than a run or two? The Mets can't seem to slam the door in teams' faces and knock them out. Bad teams, that play the Mets, have the habit of climbing back into the game and getting some hope of a win. And that cost the Mets the game in the night cap.

Pelfrey did all he could be expected to do. After a rough 1st inning, he settled down and pitched well for the next 5 innings. The hitters failed to produce and the pitching in relief has bad.

Before the game even started, I told my father that Witless Willie would have all the bench players in the 2nd game. He laughed and said "I Believe it". Well, all 4 of the bench players went 0-12, with just 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Way to go Witless Willie!! Willie seems content to win one lose one as his career comes to an end. That type of game philosophy will cost Randumb his job before too long. It's unacceptable , but normal for the Mets, to only get 4 hits off a pitcher that came into the game 1-4 with an ERA over 8.00. When the heck is someone in the front office going to explain to Willie that these games can not be lost !!! That means putting the BEST TEAM on the field every game!!! Rollins is back in Phillie, and the Mets had better start worrying. If they couldn't pass the Phillies in the standings without Rollings playing, what's going to happen now? Will the Mets be fighting the Nationals to stay out of the basement?

I give up trying to figure out Willie's dumb-a_sed pitching moves. Heilman can't throw strikes and pitches in the 1st game, so why bring him back for the 2nd game. Sanchez is regressing, and Sosa is scary. But Willie continues to use them and I'm about to take up drinking again. I wish someone in the pen beside Wagner actually cared about how they pitched. Aaron shows as much emotion and Al Gore. Sanchez seems to be afraid to throw his fastball. Without the fastball, everything else becomes easier to hit. Sosa is a mystery. He seems to have no confidence on the mound, and just seems to go thru the motions and hope for the best. None of this is a recipe for a successful bull-pen.

Meanwhile Joe Smith has allowed only 1 inherited runner to score all year, and he doesn't get used yesterday. He'll also probably be handed a plane ticket to New Orleans this evening. That's just wrong. The Mets should designate Sosa for assignment, and take their chances. There's plenty of arms in AAA to fill the need if it arises, but Smith needs to stay in NY. But Joe isn't one of Willies' "guys" so I don't see him working to keep Joe in NY.

I'm hoping that a miracle happens today and that Ollie wins a game and the Mets bury the Reds early. If Ollie struggles the Mets are doomed. Because that means we'll be seeing Heilman and Sosa for multiple innings and that's a scary thought. I want Ollie to go 8 innings and give the Ball to Joe Smith for the 9th. It would be a nice way for Joe to say goodbye to NY instead of sitting in the pen when the game comes to an end.

Dodgers Battered and Beaten by Maine's Wrecking Crew

2008-05-07T20:21:00.005-04:00

I was working when the game started and I listen with great interest as the Mets showed some life and attitude. What happened after last night's game is any one's guess, but maybe there is some pride in this team after all.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I absolutely love John Maine as a pitcher. He's been a favorite of mine since his call up in '06. He has a powerful arm and a brain to match. He is constantly learning how to pitch and never seems content to be average. I see a lot of Josh Beckett in him. He wants to shut the other team down and beat them to a pulp. It hasn't always worked out for John, but he never quits and never surrenders. And those traits are evident this year. While in earlier starts he hasn't had his best stuff, he worked his way thru the problems and gave his team a chance to win. Today, he was smoking and the Dodgers never had a chance.

John didn't strikeout a lot of hitters, but they were pounding the ball into the dirt and couldn't get anything going until the 9th inning. His fastball was constantly hitting 93-95 MPH and topped out at 97!!! His change-up has nasty and dropping across the plate at 78-82 MPH. He worked quickly and threw strikes. His pitch count was only in the low 80's in the 8th inning, and came out for the 9th. Then things got sticky. He allowed a bloop double to Andrew Jones, walked 1 and had another hitter give him a long at bat that turned into a RBI single. Once the 1st run scored, Willie pulled him after 117 pitches. John even managed to drive in 2 runs with a single to center. So not a bad day at all for John.

The offense finally played like we all hoped they would. They got 2 out hits and hit with runners in scoring position. Once they got Brad Penny reeling, they didn't let up. They kept their foot on his throat and scored 10 runs on him. That's what they needed last night, but failed to do. They need to be like sharks in the water. Once there's blood flowing, attack over and over. Don't allow other teams to hang around. Bury them and their hopes of victory as fast as possible. Ryan Church just continues to get better and better. He had 3 hits today and 1 was another long home run. I said earlier this month that I envision him as a left handed version of David Wright. Well so far he's proving me right. Castillo, Pagan, Casanova, Anderson and David had RBI hits also. Reyes went 0-3 with 2 walks, and Beltran mangled 3 balls and got 1 hit. Most importantly, Castillo, Wright, and Maine all got 2 out RBI hits. Those have been very rare for the Mets this year.

Overall is was a complete game. Great starting pitching that went deep into the game. Timely hitting with runners in scoring position and 2 outs. And good solid fielding. These things are the foundation of success on the field, and something that needs to happen more often.

Hell is on the Way

2008-05-07T06:35:00.000-04:00

It's hard for me to see much of these games out in L.A., but that may be a blessing. The same issues Guinness and I constantly harp on are continuing to happen. No life, no emotion and no results.

Once again the burden falls on the Young Gunslinger John Maine. He comes into this game with the impossible job of stopping the bleeding and salvage one of these games. Without some more effort at the plate, it may be an impossible job. None of the hitters can get a hit when needed, and very few can even get on base. This team is headed for disaster when they return to NYC. If they thought Shea was chilly and rough before, wait until they losing games to the Reds.

The Mets since last May have exactly a .500 record, and I don't see thing improving with the present management in place. I was reading an article in a NYC paper and the author was talking about the managements' problems. From his reporting, he says that the Wilpon's have given opmar 1 month to right the ship. If after that month, the Mets are still playing .500 baseball and falling in the standings, choices will be made. Omar will have to decide if the Mets can will with Witless Willie as manager. If he sticks with Willie, and the Mets fail this year, Omar and Willie will both be fired. The reporter has sources inside the Mets front office. So maybe there is some truth to this rumor. I've been saying that I'd be willing to have the Mets be in the cellar by June 1 if it means Willie getting fired. The way the Mets are playing that could soon be the situation. They are now in 4th place, just a couple games ahead of the Nats.

Today's game is an early start so I should be able to see most of it. Here's hoping "Gary Cooper" can once again face down the bad guys and save the team from destuction. John is needed more than ever today, and I hope he's up to the task.

The Duel of Aces turns on an Error

2008-05-04T20:46:00.004-04:00

This game was billed as a Duel of ACES and it certainly lived up to it. Both Haren and Santana gave up very little and the Bull-pens decided the game. This time the Mets came out on top.

Last year I used a Movie title as a theme for my post game comments. I think I'll use it here too.

The Good

Marlon Anderson, David Wright, and Jose' Reyes provided the hits that made the difference. Jose' had a critical SacFly in the 9th inning, and David crushed a ball into the seat in right center field. He just missed a home run in the 1st inning when he drove a ball to the wall in center. Carlos had another hit and scored a run on Jose's SacFly. Beltran managed a hit and scored on Anderson's single to take the lead. The Mets went into the 9th inning tied and managed to score three runs to seal the win. They took advantage of an error by Jackson to kick open the door and score the deciding runs. All too often the Mets have been on the wrong side of that situation this year.
The defense was also good when it was needed. Church made a great throw from the left field foul area to nail a runner at third. It was his 4th assist this year, and shows how strong that arm is. It turned out to be the game saving play. Without his strong accurate throw, the D-Backs have the go ahead run on 3rd base with no outs. Because of it, they have one out and never showed any life after that. Plays like that are becoming common with Ryan, and prove the value of the Milledge trade. Reyes made some great plays too, and was robbed of a PO on a blown call at 1st base. Castillo was clean in the field and had a busy day throwing to first base.

The Bad

The umpires were terrible. They missed a call at 1st base, and clearly blew a call at second base early in the game. Ojeda was out stretching a hit into a double, but the ump blew it. The strike zone didn't seem very consistent either. The pitchers were rolling the dice when they threw pitches on the corners. Sometimes they were strikes, sometimes not.

The defense has bad too. Feliciano throw away a ball that could have been a disaster. If not for Ryan's great arm and hustle, the D-Backs would have had a runner on third in the 8th inning. At that time the game was in the balance, and who knows how the Mets would have responded if the D-Backs took the lead there.

Castillo and Ryan were hitless and Beltran continues to struggle. Delgado is becoming a better hitter lately than Beltran. THAT'S SCARY!!! Schneider was also hitless although he did have a critical sac bunt in the 9th.

The UGLY

Schneider's defense sucks. I've never seen such a lousy catcher behind the plate. He had the reputation of being this great defensive catcher when he was acquired in the Milledge trade. Doesn't he know how to block any balls in the dirt? Does he know how to CATCH THE BALL!!! I've lost count on how many times this year balls have popped out of his glove. Santana was charged with 3 wild pitches today. That has never happened before in his career. If Schneider could actually do his job, none of them would have happened. Casanova and Molina put Brian to shame behind the plate. They catch and block everything. They can even hit the ball. If I had a say in it, Brian would be the backup catcher to Raul. Brian has done nothing to impress me this year. The game announcers try to pass it off as his lack of playing time this year. And who's fault is that? If he STAYED HEALTHY, he'd be playing more. Why don't Molina, Casanova, or Castro have these catching problems? Is it maybe because they CAN MOVE AROUND BEHIND THE PLATE and catch the ball? As bad as Lo Duca was claimed to be behind the plate, he looks like Johnny Bench compared to Brian. Everything Brian has been dropping and missing, Pauly caught or blocked. Doing that alone saves runs.

Now onto L.A. and a date with the Dodgers. The Mets website says Figueroa is pitching but I heard something about Ollie pitching Monday. I hope it's Nelson that faces the Dodgers 1st. It's alot easier to win the series when you win the 1st game. I doubt I'm alone in these feelings, but I don't trust Ollie to keep his head on straight. I bet people on the Mets feel the same about Ollie. If he has another Meltdown like he did against the Pirates, it could get real ugly in NY when he returns.

The Desert Snakes bite the Mets in the Butt

2008-05-03T20:26:00.003-04:00

What an aggravating game to watch. Pelfrey couldn't throw a strike, Heilman hits 2 batters, and Sanchez does his imitation of Perez. On a day when the Mets score 4 runs off Webb, none of the pitchers came to play.

The Mets scored their runs from the least likely sources. Raul Casanova had a RBI single and Carlos Delgado hit a three run home run in the 6th inning. The Mets only had 6 hits and that doesn't usually bode well for winning games. Webb had the Mets beating his sinker into the ground all day long and they never took advantage of the few base runners allowed. Church was in the 2 hole again and had 2 hits off Webb. But Reyes was swinging at pitches in the dirt and never got on base. David went hitless, and Alou' sat out the game. Why, after waiting over a month for him to return, is he already sitting out a day game? If there was a bright spot with the offense it was the fact that Carlos Beltran got a hit, and Delgado managed to hit a home run. I guess the sun even shines on their butts once in awhile. That could be all the hits they see for the week. Maybe it's a sign of them waking up. Lets all hope so. It sure would be easier to win some games if they could consistantly hit the ball.

Once again the Pitching was terrible. Pelfrey couldn't get ahead in the counts and didn't have the means to get out of trouble. Unlike Maine, he lacks the ability to strike hitters out. When balls are put in play, they tend to find holes. Sosa came into the game to start the 6th inning and managed to get out of the inning without doing anymore damage to his ego. Heilman got the 7th, and then things got scary. He gets 2 quick outs, walks the next batter, and then HITS the NEXT 2 BATTERS to load the bases. AHHHHHHH !!!! Somehow he managed to gather himself and strikeout the next hitter. Disaster was adverted, until the 8th inning. Sanchez who has been great all year, blew up the game. He walked 1 and gave up 4 hits and allowed 5 runs in only 1/3rd of an inning. Any chance of getting a victory went up in smoke. Willie called Schoeneweis in to close the inning out. Augie Ojeda then ripped a double into the right field corner and scored the final 2 runs of the inning. But the damage was done and there was no coming back today. Who would have thought that Hudson's replacement would drive in 6 runs and single handily kill the Mets? I guess he had his 15 minutes of fame today.

Well one more game to go and we'll be treated to quite the pitching match-up. Dan Haren goes for the D-Backs against Johan Santana. During the winter the Mets tried to trade for Haren but managed to get Santana instead. I'd rather have Johan than Haren, but now we get to see which trade was better. The sad part is that both could have been on the staff if Omar had made a certain trade. Early in '07 I believe Billy Bean called Omar about trading Haren for Heilman and another player. Omar sad no thanks, and we are left to wonder what might have been. Imagine this rotation. Santana, Haren, Maine as the top 3 starters for years to come.

Ryan brings Wright and Reyes to Church in the Desert

2008-05-03T09:04:00.003-04:00

It's amazing what a little desert air will do for the bats. Willie moves Church to the 2 hole, Reyes hits the 1st pitch of the game for a triple, and David starts hitting the ball again. Can the Mets stay in Phoenix for a few weeks?

While watching Mets Pregame Live, I heard Ryan would be batting second in the line-up. Everyone on the show that was asked said the move made sense, and Ryan proved me and all those people right. Now if Willie could only see the light, and leave Church there, this offense may show some more consistent life. But in his post game remarks, Willie said Ryan didn't make a difference hitting in the 2 hole. He said the offense got going because Jose' got on base. He also said that Castillo was his 2 hitter, and that he knows his "guys better than anyone else in the world". Will you get a clue Willie. It's no wonder this team has under performed for over a year. I guess the 3 RBI that Church had didn't count? I guess the fact that the Mets scored early and often didn't have anything to do with Ryan's bat either? I guess the fact that Jose' hits .500 and Ryan hits .400 when they bat 1-2 in the order doesn't matter. I guess the 6 wins the Mets have when Ryan bats 2nd don't matter either. Let's just give them back. It's attitudes and ignorance like Willie's that is holding this team down. I know Ryan isn't the prototypical 2 hole hitter, but IT WORKS !!! With Ryan there, the top 3 hitters had 9 of the 12 hits by the Mets and drove in 5 of the 7 runs. So leave him there until things don't work. Why does Willie insist on not placing the best team on the field everyday? Putting the best team on the field also means placing them in the line-up where the team benefits most. The Mets benefit the most when Ryan is hitting 2nd, not 5th or lower. With Alou' in the line-up, are you going to bat Ryan 6th or 7th instead of 2nd? That's crazy thinking, and only Witless Willie or Guinness would consider it.

Enough of my ranting about batting orders, how about the fielding ? Reyes was great and made some super plays and throws tonight. His flat out diving grab was what we all hope to see from him in the field. That play doesn't get made if he's daydreaming in the field. And how about the catch by David? Running full speed into the outfield down the foul line, he dives and makes an over the shoulder catch in the dirt to end an inning !!!! That's why he won the Gold Glove last year. He has a knack for making catches that don't seem possible. But David was the victim of a hot smash off his glove they ruled an error earlier. He got an error there, but Hudson muffs a routine ground ball and doesn't get one? Granted Alou's ball was hit hard at Hudson, but David's play was much tougher to make and he gets charged anyway.

How about the pitching!!! John did what Ollie couldn't do. He found away to get thru 6 innings without having his best stuff. He struck out 6, walked 2 and for the 5th game in a row allowed only 2 runs. Not too bad for someone who had to use his breaking pitches more than normal. He actually got 3 strikeouts on his CHANGE-UP. And he was throwing his SLIDER for strike too. He used those pitches to set up his fastball in the 5th and 6th innings. His ERA is down to 3.48 and John is maturing with every start. It takes a PITCHER to know how to adjust during the game. Anyone can throw a baseball, but not everyone is a pitcher. Ollie should take a lesson or 2 from Maine before his next start and maybe he'll last more than 1.2 innings. The relievers were also on point this game. Joe Smith pitched 1.2 innings and looked good. Feliciano came in to close the 8th out, and Sanchez was dominate in the 9th striking out 2 hitters. That's what the Mets need from the pen. Good consistent pitching and no messing around.

It was a nice game to watch overall. The Mets played focused baseball and continued their dominance in the desert. Lets hope this is a sign of things to come, and the Mets can start burying teams early and often in games.

A Possible Road Trip to Hell?

2008-05-02T20:48:00.004-04:00

Tonight starts a road trip that could possibly save the Mets, or bury them. They go into Arizona and play the Hottest team in MLB. The Diamondbacks have their 3 best pitchers going against the Mets. They send Haren, Webb, and Owings against Maine, Pelfrey, and Santana. The three Dback starters have a combined 14-1 record. Owings is also a hitting fool. He's so good with a bat, they use him as a pinch hitter!!!!!

At least there are a few things in the Mets favor. The Mets have a history of beating up on the Dbacks. Alou' is returning to the line-up tonight. Lets hope he provides a kick in the butt to the offense this trip. Here's to hoping he also stays healthy. Lastly, Webb doesn't have very good luck against the Mets. He's 1-4 when facing them.

Monday doesn't get any better. Torre' has the Dodgers on a 6 game winning streak. So either they'll be ready to lose when the Mets visit them, or they'll be starting a new streak against the Mets. Lets hope the Mets start them on a losing streak, not a winning streak.

If the Mets don't have success on this trip [3-3, or 4-2] I hope they can endure some more heat from the fans. We as fans are losing patience with the teams lazy attitude and Witless Willie's denials of existing problems. It's time to man up and prove to fans around the world that they belong in the elite teams of MLB. Baseball played at a .500 rate won't cut it, and that's what they've been playing since last June.

Grades for the Month of April

2008-05-01T19:45:00.003-04:00

I thought since it was an off night that I'd try to rate some aspects of the Mets play this past month. I'll also try to give a rating to some of the players too. I try not to get to involved with my reasons, but just give a quick overview. I would really like some feed back about the players I mention, or about a player you think deserves mentioning.

I'll start with the brightest aspect of the Mets team so far. The starting pitching has been better than expected and was had far fewer surprises than last year.

Johan has been very good, but not the shutdown pitcher we had hoped for, YET. He's given the team quality starts and has pitched deeper into games than anyone else. Once the weather warms up, I believe so will Santana. He's given up a few home runs, but is walking fewer hitters and striking out his share. His record is 3-2, but could be 5-1. He left one game with the lead, and got no run support in a game against the Braves. He gave up 1 run and got the loss. Johan's ERA is at 3.12, so I except it to fall some more in the near future. I give Johan a "B+".

John Maine has gotten better as the season as progressed. His 1st game was bad, but he's pitched well enough to merit our trust. His 2-2 record is a bit deceiving. He's pitched well enough to be 4-1. He left games with the lead, only to have the bull-pen blow it for him, or not get any run support. His walks are really the only major issue. He seems to be the victim of a shrinking strike zone, but he's adjusting ok. If he can get into the 7th inning he should get more chances for the win. His ERA is down to 3.58, so he's headed in the right direction. I give John a "B".

Oliver Perez is up to his old tricks. He's great for a couple of innings, and then it all falls apart for him. He seem to be easily distracted and unable to pick up the team when something goes wrong. Even in his 1st 2 victories, he couldn't get out of the 6th inning. His walks come by the basketful and he can't seem to stop them. Once the walks start, they only stop when Ollie is removed from the game. His ERA started out in the 2s, but has now ballooned to 4.03. Ollie also has 21 walks in 29 innings. Not very good. Oliver gets a "C-" from me.

Mike Pelfrey is a small surprise this spring. The last few weeks of spring training he struggled and only won a spot in the rotation when Grandpa Hernandez could pitch. He started out good but has had difficulties his last few games. He's 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA. He has 10 strikeouts and 10 walks to go with 29 hits in 22 innings. Not very good. But it is an improvement from last year when he started 0-7. I give Mike a "C" .

Nelson Figueroa is the biggest surprise this spring. He's been very good [2-1, and 4.08 era]and never really seems to get rattled. Which begs this question. Why didn't anyone sign him to a contract before the Mets? With pitching so hard to find, I don't know why Nelson would be struggling to find a job in MLB. He throws numerous pitches for strikes, has a fastball between 86-90 MPH, and gives you innings. In his Mets debut, he retired the first 14 batters to face him. He came into Ollie's meltdown game on 2 days rest, and pitched well for 3 innings. Too bad Ollie didn't pitch like Nelson. Because of his surprise showing this spring, I give Nelson a "B" for his efforts.

Now for the Hitting. This is a troubling aspect for the Mets. Too few people are hitting, and when they do hit, it's at the wrong time. The offense is continuing to play without any energy or passion. And few players are earning their pay.

Ryan Church is more than anyone could have hoped for. He's crushing left handed pitching, driving in runs, scoring runs, and playing a great outfield. All that was heard from too many fans was how bad of a trade this was. Nobody liked trading Milledge [I thought it was a good trade] and everyone was saying how Ryan couldn't hit left handed pitchers. Well so much for them. He goes about his business like a professional, plays hard everyday, and has more good days than bad. Who could ask for more? I give him an "A" for his efforts.

David Wright has been great, and not so great. He's in a little funk now, but has shown some life in the last few games. He's the leader in most offensive stats on the team. At one time this season he was hitting .345 and was leading the league in RBI. His swoon at the plate has brought his average down to .281, but that should start climbing above .300 very soon. His 5 errors are not very good, but no one ever said David was perfect in the field. 3rd base is called the "HOT CORNER" for a reason. Balls hit there are moving at warp speed. I give David a "B-" so far this year. I expect better from him, so his grade will suffer for now.

Jose' Reyes is lost. His average is at .250 and not getting any better. His OBP is .307. The only everyday player lower is Delgado at .297. Even Santana has a higher OBP [.313]. He only has 6 steals and 9 walks. the worst part of it is the fact that he's not getting any better. He has a good game or two, and then does nothing for the next 3-4 games. Jose's fielding hasn't been the greatest either. He has 5 errors, and has been out of position many times this spring. He seems to be daydreaming in the field and at the plate. Until he gets his head on straight, the season will be rough for him and the Mets. He gets a "C-" from me so far.

Carlos Delgado can be summed up in a few words. He's done in NY. His fielding is costing the Mets runs, and his lack of a bat is causing too many outs. His average is at .198 and his OBP at .297. He has 20 strikeouts, 19 hits, and only 12 RBI. He refuses to admit he has problems, and does nothing to correct them. To make matters worse, Willie loves him. I doubt Carlos even matches his paltry stats from last year. He gets an "F" for the season so far.

Carlos Beltran is MIA this spring. Where is the hitter that had 5 doubles in his 1st 6 ABs? Carlos is hitting .212 with 21 strikeouts and only 19 hits. Beltran and Delgado truly are the Carlos brothers. Their stats are so alike, it's scary. They are the major reason why the Mets offense is so anemic. Until he wakes up at the plate, David will continue to see a stead diet of sliders and curveballs on the outside corner of the plate. Pitchers no longer fear the Carlos brothers. Until that happens, the offense will sputter. Carlos also gets a "F" for his lack of results.

As bad as the offense has been, Heilman and Sosa have been worse. They have single handily cost the Mets at least 5 wins this season. They have given up 3 GRANDSLAMS in APRIL alone. They can't get anyone out, and don't seem to remember how to pitch. All Aaron wants to throw is his change-up. And all Sosa wants to throw is his slider. When you only throw 1 pitch, it doesn't take long for hitters to pound the baseball. If it was possible to give them something lower than a "F", I would.

Trouble in the Land of Ollie

2008-04-30T21:21:00.003-04:00

I was hoping I was wrong, but my concerns for Ollie seem to be coming true. Earlier this year I worried about Ollie's mental state. As stated in my Feb. 23rd blog entry, I was concerned which Perez would show up this season. Since he won that big arbitration case and is pitching for a contract next year, I worried how he'd handle the stress of the season. So far, not good at all.

Perez seems to be a headcase. For someone who has such great pitching talent, he has the attention span of a fly. He frequently seems unable to throw strikes or to get out of tough innings. When he's pitching OK, he'll be great one batter, and awful the next. How do you walk 5 batters in 1 2/3 innings? How can you not come out fired up when facing your old team? The same team that begged the Mets to take you in a trade. I'd like Perez to be pitching for the Mets next year, but when he melts down for no reason it makes me wonder if he's worth the money and risk next year.

The only reason the hitters and the lack of offense isn't the top headline is because of Ollie's meltdown. One of my common gripes is how the Mets hitters make journeyman pitchers look like Cy Young winners. It seemed like every inning the Mets would have someone on base due to a walk. But only Ryan Church was able to drive in a run. And Delgado is the only other batter to get a hit. It's all the more evidence that there are issues with this team that Witless Willie can't seem to recognize. Here's what I think the batting order should look like when Alou' returns this weekend.

1- Reyes
2- Church
3- Wright
4- Beltran
5- Alou'
6- Delgado
7-Castillo
8- Schneider/Casanova/ Molina
9- pitchers

When Church was batting 2nd, the Mets won 5 out of 6 games and scored runs early and often. When Alou' returns there will be a Rt. handed bat to cover Beltran, and the line-up will stay balanced and productive. Even though Castillo is starting to hit again, he lacks the power to drive in runs early in games. The Mets need to score runs early so that pitchers doesn't feel as if they need to throw a shutout to win.

The defense today was terrible. It once again shows that there is a lack of focus on this team. Perez didn't help with his pitching, but the fielders messed up routine plays. Has Pagan forgotten how to catch a ball? I thought Castillo was a Gold Glove fielder? He can't even shovel a ball 10 feet to Reyes for a double play. Perez probably had the fielders asleep because of his lack of control, but they need to show some life in the field. And where was Willie in the dugout? Why wasn't he kicking them in the butts and telling them to wake up?

I know people think I'm crazy, but alot of these infield errors and such started happening when Valentin broke his leg last year. He was a mentor and father figure to Reyes. Ever since Jose' got hurt there isn't that older, respected, trusted, tough, hard nosed player there to keep Reyes on the straight and narrow. Castillo has never been a leader, and he seems lazy in the field at times. I don't think he's a good influence on Jose' and I think he's got something to do with Jose' lack of results the last few months.

I believe if Valentin was at least in the dugout, Reyes would be a better player at the plate and in the field. Valentin wouldn't allow him to lose focus, and would never allow him to just go thru the motions. Beltran and Delgado don't have the stature of Valentin. He's old school and tough. Just what Reyes needs by his side now. Maybe Valentin could come back as some sort of a coach or special assistant. I think Reyes would benefit from his presents greatly.

A Few Words of Praise for Ryan Church

2008-04-30T12:04:00.000-04:00

I wanted to take a few moments here to say thank you to Ryan Church. Because he played for the Nationals, I had very little knowledge of his talents. All I can say is thankyou Washington.

If Schneider never plays as well as his history says he should, the Milledge trade was worth it. Ryan Church himself was worth the price of Lastings. He's been nothing but great in the field and at the Plate. He has great speed in the field and a cannon for an arm. He covers ground with ease and always seems to get to balls. At the plate he's showing that he can be a RBI force in that line-up. He's hit where ever Willie's put him, and he's crushing left handed pitching. He's hitting .353 and slugging at a .559 clip against southpaws. He also has a .421 OBP angainst them. I thought he couldn't hit left-handed pitching? I guess HoJo knows more about hitting than Lenny Harris does. Ryan said he never got any hitting instruction in Washington, and that HoJo has helped him level his swing and see the ball better. I see Ryan becoming a left handed version of Wright. Someone who will hit for average, drive in runs, get you 25-30 homeruns a year, and 40+ doubles. He seems comfortable in NY and has a knack for the big hit.

So here's to Ryan. I hope he stays around for many years to come, and has a great year in the Orange and Blue. The Mets need a young healthy hitter to compliment David and Beltran, and Ryan may just be that player.

What do all of you think about Ryan? Does anyone still miss Milledge? I don't, do you?

The Mets Scalp the Braves this Weekend

2008-04-27T17:01:00.004-04:00

In my last post I stated my concerns with the Mets ability to beat the Braves. As luck would have it the Mets finally managed to beat Smoltz and Hudson and win 2out of the three games this weekend.

Friday's game was a joke. The rookie pitcher of the Braves walked in 3 runs and still managed to beat the Mets. Pelfrey didn't do himself any favors either. I don't understand Mike. Some games he's great mixing his pitches and keeping them low in the zone. Other games he can't find the plate and everything is up in the zone.

David can't get out of his slump, Castillo showed no signs of life at the plate, Beltran continues to struggle too. The only hits came from Casanova and Anderson. All in All a pretty sad night when the Mets allow a struggling pitcher to limit them to only 2 hits.

Saturday's game was a little better. John Maine pitched well, although he developed a cramp in his pitching hand after 5 innings. He struck out 7, walked 3 , and only allowed 2 runs. He complained that his hand cramped up from having to rub up the balls so often. John said that they were slippery all day. After John left the game, Heilman starts the 6th inning and then things get interesting. He gets 2 quick outs, and then can't get the last one. He walked one batter, allows a couple of hits, and a run to score. It was Deja Vue' all over again. Aaron did manage to get out of the inning, and the rest of the pen kept the Braves from scoring anymore runs. Wagner did his usual. 3 batters up, three outs made. Billy truly is the "SANDMAN" this year, and everyone should enjoy his work. Who would have thought that going to a full wind-up would help him so much. I've seen him hit 99 MPH this year, and he's over 95 frequently.

The offense decided to wake up and score a few runs too. David came out of his slump with 2 hits, Delgado had an RBI, Beltran and Church also had hits and drove in runs. Ryan has been just spectacular at the plate and the field this year. I bet no one is complaining about Milledge now. What was troubling was the fact that all the Mets scoring came in the 3rd inning. That is a common problem this year. They score some runs, and then forget to add more to the board in later innings. Thankfully Hudson had a short day, and the Mets got to him early.

Sunday's game was another chance for the Mets to finally put a kink in Smoltz' armour. He's been off the charts this year. Coming into this game he hadn't given up more than 1 run in a game this year, and had an ERA of .78!!!! And he's almost 41? Why couldn't Glavine pitch like that when he was with the Mets? Figueroa pitched well today. Although he seemed to be troubled by the mound conditions, he kept the Braves off balance enough to get the win.

David has a real problem with Smoltz. He can't hit John and looks bad doing it. But thankfully Delgado and Casanova were hitting Smoltz. They both hit home runs off John and staked Figueroa to a lead. Delgado then hit a 2nd home run in the 7th inning to extend the lead. Castillo had 3 hits today and may be coming out of his funk. What was nice to see today was the fact that the Mets continued to add runs during the game. All too often that hasn't happened this season. Maybe this will help turn the season around for Carlos and Luis. It makes it very difficult to win games when they're automatic outs.

Next up are the Pirates. Maybe Omar will take this opportunity to talk up a trade for Nady. With Alou's messed up ankle, who knows what if anything the Mets will get from him this year. Yes folks that's right, Alou' has a messed up ankle that may be broken. He had an CT scan and it shows what could be a broken bone in his ankle. He showed up to the park in Port. St. Lucie with a swollen ankle. What was he doing to hurt that? Walking down the hall? It's time to call it quits with Alou'. Mets fans can't sit and wait for him to decide to get healthy. If his body is so fragile, how long can he stay healthy if he ever does get to NY?

What do you think? Should the Mets send Alou' packing and find another bat for the order now? Or should we hope and pray that he somehow gets healthy and stays healthy for the rest of the year?

Nationals slam Mets with Heilman's Help

2008-04-25T04:00:00.005-04:00

What started out as a good game quickly turned into a rancid pitching display by the Mets. I'm glad I was drifting in and out of sleep while watching this game tonight. Not seeing Heilman serve up the 3rd Grand slam surrendered by the Mets bull-pen made for a better nights sleep.

What is up with Heilman and Sosa? They absolutely suck this year. They've always had their bad games, but this is getting ridiculous. In all of MBL only 4 Grand slams have been hit this year. The Gopher Ball Bothers have given up 3 of the 4 !! Heilman needs to go. I've now come to believe that his personal feud with Omar and Willie is being brought to the mound. He wants to start, they won't let him, so I believe he's doing his best to force a trade. How else can his continued failures be explained? Unless he's hurt, I can't think of any other reason. Sosa, is a mystery. He seems to fall in love with his slider, and won't throw anything else. The hitters sit there waiting for on to drift over the plate, and then hammer it.

Perez did his normal Dr. Jeckle , Mr. Hyde routine. I don't understand what his problem is. He's like a little kid at times. Someone who gets bored with what's going on, and loses interest in the game. For the 1st 4 innings, he was good. He was fighting the strike zone, but was getting the hitters out. Then in the 5th, he does his Heilman imitation. He can't find the plate and gives up hits that cost him runs. Still, he left the game with the score tied, before Aaron came in and served up desert to the Nats. Willie and Omar need to do something to keep Ollie head on straight. He can be so overpowering, and so awful all in the same inning. Sometimes I wonder about Ollie's attention span. And it's times like last night's game that you have to wonder if he's worth investing $60-70 million into for the next 5 years.

The hitters didn't do us any favors last night either. Why do they always seem to let bad teams hang around? David is slumping, and Jose' is reverting back to his rookie year. All too often he's swinging at bad pitches and not getting into a hitters count. David I believe is the key to this offense. When he doesn't hit, the Mets don't win. Jose' is important too, but without David's power bat driving the ball, everyone else is being pitched around. As of last night, Ryan Church is the most consistent bat in the line-up. And he can't do it alone. Willie started on the right path by moving Delgado down the order, but more needs to be done to improve the offense. Beltran needs to hit better, David needs to get out of his slump, Jose' need to be more patient at the plate, and Castillo needs to get the ball out of the infield consistently.

The Braves are coming to Shea tonight, and I'm worried about this weekend. Chipper has been on fire, and he has a way of killing the Mets. With the Mets offense sputtering, the pitching will have to carry the team this weekend. The starters have been doing their jobs, but Willie's buddies in the pen have made life tough lately. As long Heilman and Sosa stay out of the games, the Mets stand a chance of winning. If they come into games, all bets are off.

Has Willie seen the Light?

2008-04-23T22:30:00.002-04:00

I don't know if Willie has seen the light, or he's feeling some heat on his butt. What ever the reason, he did some good things with this team tonight. Maybe he had a visit from Omar or Fred, or maybe he talked to HoJo about putting some pressure on the Mets hitters. What ever the reason, the Mets showed some life tonight.

The Mets seemed more aggressive on the bases, and more patient at the plate. Pagan was doing his best imitation of Jose'. Ryan was moved to the 5th spot in the order. He continues to produce big hits and drive in runs. SNY ran a poll during the game about who should hit 2nd in the order, Castillo or Church. Ryan got 81% of the vote. I think the poll results are a huge stamp of approval for someone that too many fans were saying was no good. Ryan is a good hitter that will prove his worth to this team. Beltran came out of his slump and even Castillo and Delgado got on base. Santana is turning into a secret weapon at the plate. He had 2 doubles and never looks over matched at the plate. I believe he'd be valuable as a pinch hitter if needed. He certainly can handle the bat.

Johan was also very good on the mound. He went 7 innings and only gave up 2 runs. His fastball was hitting between 90-95 MPH [so much for losing velocity], his change-up was as low as 76 MPH, and his slider was in the low 80's. Everything was working, and most hitters didn't have a chance. I also couldn't believe what I saw as the 7th inning was coming to an end. Sanchez was warming up in the pen, and no Heilman or Sosa in sight. Hooray !!!!!!!!! Sanchez was lights out. He belongs in the 8th inning. His fastball was hitting 93 and his change-up was dropping off the table.

Heilman's head is messed up, and he's overused. He should never see the 8th inning unless the Mets are up by 5+ runs. I really don't think Aaron's heart is in the job. He wants to start, and that won't happen in NY. So find a trading partner for a right-handed 1st baseman/outfielder and get him. Can we all say NADY? Pittsburgh needs pitching, so make a trade. X man will come cheaper than Tex and he's liked by the fans and the players.

Overall it was a good night for the Mets. They hit and ran all over the Nationals, pitched well, added runs on the board late in the game, and showed life at the plate and in the field. Now if they could do the same this weekend against the Braves, life would be good in NY.

Will the Wilpons Rescue the Mets Season?

2008-04-22T20:12:00.004-04:00

After seeing the way Witless Willie is managing to ruin this season I have to ask these questions. Does Willie have any clue how wrong he is? Will Fred and Jeff Wilpon intervene and tell him to do something about Delgado? Will Omar admit that Delgado is done as a player, and order Willie to do something? Somehow I feel Willie's firing is the only thing that will solve the issues the team has.

In the post game interview, Willie didn't look too good. He looked like he knew there were problems and that he's going to have to make some hard choices. I believe he knows there are major issues with Delgado. Willie's problem is that he painted himself into a corner with all of his praising of Delgado this spring. He knows that to remove Carlos from the line-up, or to platoon him, or to bench him, would be an admission of failure on his part. And we all know how much willie like to admit he was wrong.

Delgado just doesn't get it. He's no good anymore, and he doesn't seem to care about it either. Has anyone ever heard of him asking for help from HoJo? Has he ever thought that he might need to change his bat, or change his stance at the plate or take a little extra batting practice off a live arm, not a coach? He's living in the past. Pitchers don't fear him anymore, and if Willie doesn't realize that he's a dumb as a box of rocks.

During spring training Fred Wilpon said he expects to play deep into the post-season. If that's going to happen, Willie had better start using the players he has correctly, or Fred will fire him sooner than later. Here are some things that need changing ASAP.

1st- Sanchez pitches the 8th inning, not Heilman or Sosa.

2nd- Delgado gets benched or platooned at first base. Have Clark or Easley play 1st base against left handed pitchers. If Castillo isn't playing 2nd, Clark plays 1st and Easley plays 2nd base.

3rd- Castillo stays out of the #2 spot in the batting order. Ryan Church has proven his ability to hit left and right handed pitching. He's also proven to be a guy who can drive Jose' in or get on base for David Wright. When he batted 2nd, the Mets went on a 5 game winning streak and scored runs in the 1st inning. As soon as he has removed from that spot in the order, the Mets went on their current losing streak.

4th- No more automatic days off for players. All too often Witless Willie puts out a line-up with 5-6 bench players in critical games. Either that or he removes hot hitters from the line-up in critical games. There was no reason to sit Church today. By sitting Church, Willie played Pagan in Rt. Field and Clark in left field. Pagan has played all season in left, so why sit Ryan and have Angel play right field? It only made sense to the Witless Wonder.

If anyone else has any ideas as to how to fix this situation with the Mets, I'm willing to listen. I'm getting so discouraged with Willie's lack of improvement, that I really doubt the Mets will even be in 3rd place by the end of this month. But, as I said before, if the Mets failure on the field gets Fred to fire Willie, I'm willing to deal with the Mets being in last place come June 1st.

How about you out there? Would you be willing to see the Mets fall into last place if it means getting Willie out of the Orange and Blue?

Maine Pitches Well, but the Offense is AWOL

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

I went into last nights game hoping o see some life in the Mets offense. I was disappointed to say the least. Willie's stupidity continues to hurt this team, and the only fix is to fire Witless Willie.

In the games where Ryan Church has hit 2nd, the Mets have scored early and often. Everybody I saw on TV and in print said Ryan should stay in the 2 hole. Even Lee Mazilli said before the game, "I'd continue riding the wave". Ever since Castillo has moved back into the 2 spot, the Mets have lost games. And the Carlos Brothers are lost. Delgadud needs to sit. Put Easley at 1st base and send Delgadud to AAA to learn how to hit again. And Guinness says he's one of the best hitters on the Mets? Maybe for the 1st few games, but he's no f__king good. Everyone I heard yesterday was saying that Alou' should move to 1st when he comes back, and Carlos should sit. Alou' certainly can't do any worse than Carlos at 1st base. Maybe Alou' would stay healthy if he didn't crash into walls and drive for balls in the outfield. Either way, Delgado can no longer be considered a full time player.

The Pitching was mixed at best. John struggled, but definately did his job. He only walked 2 and gave up 2 runs in 6 innings. He pitched much better than his previous starts. The walks were really hurting him before. Sanchez pitched the 7th inning, and looked good doing it. He hardly gives the batters a chance to get any hits. His fastball hit 93MPH and his change-up was working well. The 8th inning, was a nightmare. Heilman couldn't get anyone out when needed, and gave up 2 runs. The Sosa comes in and does his impression on Aaron. With 2 on and 2 outs, he serves up a gopher ball for another 3 runs. Can we possibly talk some team into doing a trade for these 2 bums? Can we trade them to someone for a 1st basemen who can hit and field his postion?

There is a pattern developing for the last 2 seasons, and it's not getting better. All too often only 1-2 players are doing the hitting. It's hard to win games when the other 6 hitters are standing around waiting for something to happen. Beltran is lost, Castillo is done, Delgado is finished, and Jose' is up and down too often. It's time to get someone in the manager's office that will keep these guys focused, and prepared. Willie has never shown that ability, and needs to go.

Big Pelf struggles, Utley crushes, Willie tinkers, and the Mets lose in Philly

2008-04-21T06:39:00.003-04:00

Before this weekend,who would have thought a sweep in Philly was even a possibility? Well, If not for Willie's tinkering, and Pelfrey struggling, it could have happened.

Mike has been great this spring, but he's still learning how to pitch in the big leagues. There are times when he can dominate, and time when he's terrible. Last night was kind of a so-so night. Mike struggled with control, and had his fastball up in the zone more often than not. When you play a team as powerful as the Phillies, that can be trouble. Utley picked up the slack of Rollins' absence and single handily beat the Mets last night. On a windy night in that bandbox of a park, he planted 2 homeruns for a total of 4 RBI into the seats. And then Feliz finished the job with a pinch hit home run off Feliciano. That's 2 games in a row that Pedro has struggled. Is He hanging out with Heilman for dinner? Joe Smith shut the Phillies down, but the damage was already done.

As for Willie's tinkering, he put Castillo back in the 2 hole. After 5 straight games of the Mets scoring in the 1st inning when Church was in the 2 hole, Willie puts his buddy Castillo back there last night. Then the Mets fail to score in the 1st inning, and Castillo can't even bunt when needed in the 9th inning. Way to screw the pouch Willie. Even with Castillo's almost automatic out, the Mets had a chance to tie the game or take the lead in the 9th inning. Only a great stop by Bruntlett on Beltran's smash up the middle stopped the Mets Rally and ended the game.

David Wright is getting downright scary at the plate. He got hits in his 1st six at bats this weekend, and got 2 more hits last night. He's absolutely crushing baseballs and wearing out the opposing pitchers. Last year he could barely smell an RBI in April, and this year he already has 19 and counting. He's not human. Someone check to see if the is a big S on his tee shirt. He's hitting .359 and has 10 doubles. 15 of his 23 hits this month are extra base hits. Too bad the Carlos brothers are missing all the fun on the base paths. If they ever decide to join the party, the Mets could realy start putting the division in the rearveiw mirror.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Maine and the rest of the team can do against the Cubs. They have a good team and will prove to be tough to beat. Some even have the Cubs going to the Series. So it's time for the Mets to put that thought to rest and sweep the Cubs to the curb tonight and tomorrow.

Ollie does just Enough and Heilman doesn't blow it.

2008-04-19T19:38:00.006-04:00

Going into today's game I was wondering which Ollie was going to show up. After his last game against the Brewers, I was worried that this would be a slug fest in Philly. Citizens Bank Park plays so small I always fear for the worse and hope for the best when Ollie pitches there. But today he was OK. He didn't give up a run, struck out 7, but walked 5. So the walks ran up his pitch count, and ended his day early.

But then things got a little weird with the pitchers. Willie did his usual head scratching changes and it almost bit him in the butt. He bring Sanchez into the 6th inning with two outs. Then brings Schoeneweis in to start the 7th and he promptly gives up a home run to Utley, a left handed batter. I thought no left handed hitters hit home runs off Scott? Then Smith comes in for the 8th, followed by Feliciano, and Heilman. Pedro couldn't throw a strike, and Joe also walked one batter.That left 2 one and 1 out for Aaron. As usual Heilman brings the gas to heat up the situation. He walks the bases full, gives up a bloop single that Pagan misread, and then strikes out the next to batters. I was hoping thing wouldn't be a repeat of the previous night. In the 9th, Wagner came in a slammed to door shut for the save. Billy has retired every batter he's faced this year except a walk to Utley in the last series. Way to go Billy.

What can I say about the hitters. David Wright is not human. He's a one man wrecking crew so far this year. He has 19 RBI and a .344 average. Ryan Church is really impressing too. He's also hitting .344 , 10 RBI, and a .408 OBP, and is proving every game why he needs to stay in the 2 hole. With him there, Jose' is scoring, and David is driving in runs by the bunches. It does the Mets no good when David comes to bat with nobody on base. The 1-3 hitters today had 6 of the 9 hits, scored 3 of the 4 runs, and had all the RBI. On the bad side of things, the Carlos brothers are really disappointing so far this year. Neither one has a hit in Philly. Beltran is now hitting .241 and Delgado is hitting .213. They have 25 strikeouts and only 15 RBI between them. And to think there is over $32 million being spent on their salaries. It's time for them to start earning their paychecks I'd say.

Tomorrow night it's Big Pelf's turn at the Phillies. It's an 8 P.M. game on ESPN. I hate it when ESPN does the games. Joe Morgan stinks and Jon Miller is barely tolerable. Morgan makes so many mistakes during the broadcast it's laughable. At least Perez pitched today, so we won't have to hear Morgan call him Odalis Perez all night. LOL. Unfortunately, it seems like every time the Mets play on a Sunday night, they lose. Hopefully that trend will stop, and Big Pelf keeps the Phillies reeling.

Santana wins in Phillie Dispite Heilman's Best Efforts

2008-04-18T22:01:00.002-04:00

I enjoyed this game from the 1st pitch Santana threw. He was everything an Ace should be. Johan went into the Lion's den and came out with Hamel's hide as his trophy. He was throwing strikes to both sides of the plate, mixing in his slider with the change-up and fastball. He pitched into the 8th, and left with 2 on and none out. That's when things got predictable.

Witless Willie did it again. Two on none out and he brings in Heilman? I was screaming at the TV. Before he threw his 1st pitch, I said to myself, "watch him give up a home run". And what did he do? Inside corner change-up promptly parked into the seat for three runs. I swear, Heilman does this crap intentionally. I think he's trying to get himself traded out of town. And where was Sanchez? What about Feliciano? How about Smith? Anyone but Aaron in the 8th inning in Phillie please. I wonder how Willies "guts" felt after that shot by Dobbs?

Earlier today I read Adam Rubin's blog article about the up coming game in Phillie. there was a quote in there from Hamels saying that he needed to be careful about pitching to Reyes and the Carlos brothers. I said that if I was Hamels, I'd worry more about David, Ryan, and Angel. Guess he should have read my comments. David had 4 hits and drove in 2 runs. Ryan had 2 hits and scored 3 times, and Pagan had 2 hits and 1 RBI. And Castillo? He was 0-4. Are you starting to agree that Ryan is better in the 2 hole Guinness? Without Ryan's 3 runs, the Mets lose.

David Wright loves Phillie pitching, and Hamels is overrated in my view. I've rarely been impressed with his efforts against the Mets. If Hamels was smart, he'd also start worrying about Ryan too. Church continues to prove that he's the bat needed in the 2 hole to keep the offense humming. Ever since he's started in the 2nd spot, the Mets have been more consistent in scoring runs. And I have to give Delgado his just due. Even though he didn't get a hit, 2 of his outs drove in 2 runs. So while he continues to struggle at the plate and in the field [1 error tonight], he at least contributed to the win. I also want to give a pat on the back to Jose'. After a hard slide into 2nd base in which his head was hammered by Utley's knee, he stayed in and never complained about it. In fact he insisted on staying in. That's the hard nosed baseball this team needs to play.

Overall it was a good night for the Mets. They needed to win this game and set the tone for the weekend. Without Rollins or Victorino in the line-up, the Mets had to win. Tomorrow is Ollie's turn to go. Hopefully he pitches better this weekend, then he did against the Brewers. The Mets have to keep the Phillies down, and step on their throats until they stop breathing.

Mets win a pitching duel in Queens

2008-04-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

If pitching is your thing, than last night's game was your kind of entertainment. Lannan and Figueroa were great. They were sending batters one after another to the dugout shaking their heads.

Nelson continues to pitch well. Once again he had a large group of friends and family there in Wagner's pivate box cheering his every pitch. It's so nice to see someone so grounded get his chance in the spotlight. Nelson is a asset to this team and is doing his best to stay in NY. He's pitching so well, I don't know how you send him to AAA.

The bull-pen was also off the charts last night. Smith came in a shut the Nats down, and no one else got close to scoring for the next 7 innings. Smith has really stepped it up the year. His pitches are nasty!!! He's hitting 90 MPH again and his slider is so filthy it's a wonder anyone can even hit him.

The hitters were another story. The game started out great, but then kind of fizzled from there. Jose' gets on base, and Ryan crushes a ball to deep left center field and scores Jose'. I'm thinking great. That proves my point about having Church or Pagan hit in the 2 hole. But, no one else could push any more runs across. Castillo, David, Beltran, and Delgadud all had chances. And then in the 8th inning, Carlos went from Dud to Stud. He drove in the tying run and got Nelson off the hook. After that the game evolved into a chess match, and the Nats blinked first. I fell asleep around the 10th inning, but heard that the Nat's pitcher threw a 48' slider that allowed Damion to score. Any way needed to win a game is fine with me.

The real stars of this game was the pitching. For all the grief they get at times, they sure have been light out lately. Could it be the Sanchez factor? I can't wait to see what happens this weekend. Jimmy isn't playing until at least Saturday, so it's time for the Mets to get some revenge in Phillie.

Maine does enough while the Offense finds it's Stride

2008-04-17T04:06:00.002-04:00

This was a good game last night and it's encouraging to see progress in the Mets game. They are hitting the ball better and are getting more innings from their starters, and the bull-pen is carrying it's weight too. These things are needed if the club is to succeed this year.

John Maine got his 1st win tonight and pitched into the 7th inning. Although I was yelling at the TV in the 1st inning, John settled down and pitched well enough to settle me down. I wish SNY would show more overhead shots of home plate. It would help with my blood pressure if I could see if the Umps were squeezing the pitchers or not. Maybe it's just the angle from the center field camera, but it looks like the umps are squeezing John this year. It seems that pitches over the corners are being called balls instead of strikes. And you can see John getting annoyed at times last night. Whether that was at himself or the Umps, I don't know. His fastball was working in the mid 90's and his change-up and slider were there too. He got hurt with his change-up on the homeruns and that's a common thing. Just ask Johan what happens to change-ups left over the plate. As he gets better control of it, I think he'll be even tougher to hit.

The offense has finally shown signs of waking up. Granted it's playing the Nationals, but improvement is still there. Ryan Church continues to hit left-handed pitching and Jose seems to be coming around at the plate. The home run by Church was CRUSHED. It hit of the billboard in the back of the bull-pen. I think with Church in the 2 hole the Mets are improving their offense. As long as he continues to hit, Jose' is going to see better pitches. With Ryan's power bat behind Jose', he's more likely to get strikes to hit. No one wants to walk Jose' when it could mean a quick 2 runs scored. Jose' hit his 1st homerun, and it may have been due to Ryan being behind him in the order. Castillo is also showing signs of life at the plate. I believe that the 8th spot is working well for him. He's more inclined to swing the bat, and he cleared the pitchers spot 3 times last night. That's a huge offensive benefit. If the Mets can lead off the next inning with Jose' and not the pitcher, it allows more run scoring opportunities to occur. Besides, it's hard to get out of a hitting slump if you're always looking to bunt. And Castillo needs to hit for the Mets to have success. Castillo told Willie that he needs 1-2 days off a week because of his knees. And we have him for 4 more years? Lord help us. And Delgado is lost again. He was 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. He's now batting .245 He now has 11 strikeouts and only 5 RBI. And Guinness thinks he's one of the best players on the team? I'm glad we don't have more players like him.

Defensively, the team is going well. They are taking care of the ball and not causing the pitchers to work out of jams that should be outs. Too often this year innings have been prolonged by errors. David continues to work on his throwing and Jose' is keeping things simple in the field. Sometimes he gets too fancy, and loses the ball around 2nd base. Any ball hit to the outfield is almost an automatic out. Ryan and Carlos are so smooth and comfortable in the field. And Ryan has a cannon for an arm. I doubt there will be many runners testing his arm this year. Pagan is also doing well in the field. He gets to ball quickly, and knows his way around the corners of Shea. Too bad Witless Willie is sending him to the bench when Alou' returns.

Here's hoping the Figueroa fairly tale continues tonight. Nelson pitched very well his last time out, and has shown he's a valuable asset to the team. I hope he goes 7 innings again and the Mets swat the Nats back to DC.

Big Pelf has the Wright Stuff

2008-04-16T06:34:00.001-04:00

I was worried coming into this game that Mike would have a relapse to the pitcher that couldn't find the plate. Well, I had no need to worry. the Big Pelf was great. With a renewed Reyes and a scolding Wright hitting the ball, he had all the support he needed.

Pelfrey throw to both sides of the plate and mixed in enough sliders and change-ups to keep the hitters honest. He's even become someone who can miss a bat or two when needed. He was breaking bats and had the hitters pounding the ball into the ground all night. His fastball was hitting 94 all night, and had the slider nipping the corners.

David Wright needs to hire Letterman as his batting practice pitcher. The day after appearing on his show, David drove in 5 runs and was punishing the ball. He started the game out by hitting a 2 run homer in the first, and then added a couple of doubles later in the game. And if not for a great stop by Zimmerman, he could have had another hit.

Jose' was also great last night. I think the days off did more to clear his head than heal his hamstring. Before he sat a few games, he looked lost at the plate and totally confused. Last night he was focused and driving the ball. The double he drove into the left-center field gap was a rocket. I hope he decides to sit more often this year to help keep his head clear. I think he overthinks things when he struggles at the plate. A day off once a week would do good for Him I believe.

And Wiliie actually did something to improve the offense. He moved Castillo down in the order, and moved Church to the #2 hole. Now I wouldn't have picked Church at first, but it did break up the left-handed tilt at the lower part of the order. Ryan did well there, and Castillo did better in the 8th spot. His ability to get on base helped clear the pitchers spot, and made the Nats pay more attention to the hitters ahead of him.

And lastly, Sanchez is back. He looked sharp, and was on the verge of tears when he finished the game. His fastball and change-up were well spotted and had the proper velocity. 75-78 on the change-up and 88-91 on the fastball. Here's to seeing him straightening out the back end of the pen.

John Maine goes for the Mets tonight. Lets hope the young gunslinger brings the "A" game and shuts down the Nats for the second night in a row. I want 8 innings and 10+ strikeouts and less than 2 runs.

Why I'm so Worried about this Season

2008-04-14T20:23:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone. I hope you are all staying away from the bridges and tall buildings so far this season. I know it's still early, and we tend to take things too seriously, but there is reason to worry in the world of the Mets. I was so optimistic before this season started, but they haven't learned a thing from last year.

There seems to be too little outrage and distress coming from the players on the Mets team. We as fans continue to hear the same old lines we heard last year. "We're not worried", "It's a long Season", "We'll just turn the page", etc, etc, etc. Is anyone else out there getting tired of the lack of hustle and heart on this team? In case the players haven't noticed, these games count in the standings too. At a time when no one else in the Division is tearing it up, the Mets should be putting some distance between them and the rest of the teams. Instead they seem content to just go thru the motions again just like last year. I read a lot of NY papers, I watch a lot of baseball discussion programs, and my local Sports Talk Radio program has numerous national baseball writers on all week. So I get to read and hear a lot of opinions on the Mets. And there are some disturbing things being said by players and media people.

Here is an excerpt from a NY Post article by Kevin Kernan.

"After the pathetic 9-7 loss to the Brewers at Shea Stadium yesterday, Carlos Delgado was asked if he was disappointed, disgusted or angry. It was a simple question after the most sloppy of games.
Delgado shot back a quizzical look and asked, "About what?"
About the way the game went, Carlos. About another giveaway: This time the Mets squandered a 6-2 lead. About the fact the Mets are off to a 5-6 start. Remember all the tough off season talk about the Mets learning their lesson from the Great Collapse of 2007.
Forget it. Right now, the Mets as a team haven't learned a thing. Delgado, who flied to right with the bases loaded to end the eighth and made an error, said, "We didn't play good."
The problems run deeper than that. If the manager is angry, shouldn't the players be angry, too."

And from the same article here's something about Witless Willie.

" Of course the next step is for the manager to make it clear to his players that this type of performance is not acceptable. Randolph hasn't gone there yet, but he should.
Asked if he addressed the team as a group before coming to his post game press conference, Randolph said, "There's no reason for that. We're (11) games into the season."
At what point should he make it known to his players that he is disgusted with such a performance? "It's not all about that," Randolph said. "We've got a lot of baseball to play."

Sounds like Willie's answers to last years questions doesn't it? Today on "The Wheel House" [a new SNY program] Omar's sanity was openly questioned. Imagine, the GM of the organization that owns SNY being called out on air. Brandon Tierney said Omar's sanity has to be questioned for signing Castillo to a 4 four year contract. And I agree. I didn't like it this winter, and I like the signing even less now. He can't run, he can't hit, and he can barely field his position anymore. He's hurting the team more than he ever helps it.

On Daily News Live, Joe Benigno and Chris Cotter are constantly calling out the players and Manager of the Mets for their lack of urgency and commitment to improving their play. And Wallace Mathews had a great article on the Mets lack of ranting and raving about their loses on the Newsday.com website. Here is some of the finer points of his article.

"They are defiantly lackadaisical, willfully indifferent, blissfully unconcerned. It's only 11 games into the season, they say. Plenty of baseball left to play. It all comes down to a temporary lack of execution. A momentary loss of focus. Don't worry, the Mets insist. We'll be fine.Sure they will. Their money is guaranteed, their futures are secure, their afternoons and evenings are spent playing baseball, not forced to sit and watch a grotesque approximation of it, like the 50,000-plus who shivered and suffered through yesterday's dreadful 9-7 loss to the Brewers."

"What is needed, however, is a stern talking-to, if not a full-blown tantrum, from someone who gets enough respect in the clubhouse that the 25 individuals who barely interact within it will actually stand still for a moment and listen."
"But there is no one in the Mets' clubhouse - not the manager, not the general manager, not the third baseman who acts as if he really wants to win, not the first baseman who acts as if he really doesn't care - to deliver that talk, to throw that tantrum, to grab 25 fat cats by the lapels and scream some sense into their faces before it is too late to do any good. This is an army without a general, a ship without a captain, a room without a pulse.You can start with Willie Randolph and work your way on down the line. "

I think Wallace has hit the nail squarely on the head. And I agree with him 110%. And I hear more and more of this kind of thinking. Can we all be wrong about what we as fans see?

As I see it, there is a lot that needs to change in the Mets organization. The first thing that's needed is to fire Willie. Mine and Guinness' opinions on Willie are well known. He's clueless and Witless when it comes to managing a team. The second thing needed is to stop signing old worn out players to long term big money contracts. Alou', Hernandez, Castillo, Pedro, Delgado, and Castro are overpaid and under preforming. They can't stay healthy, and don't produce enough when they are healthy. The third thing needed is to build from within the system and with YOUNG free-agents. Sign players like Mark Teixara, not Carlos Delgado and Castillo. But, that won't happen until the Wilpons and Omar admit they have a problem in the clubhouse. And so far I haven't seen Omar admitting he was wrong about anything yet.

The Wizard of Ollie left his Magic Wand at Home.

2008-04-13T17:16:00.002-04:00

There wasn't much that Ollie did right today. A wild pitch, a home run in the first inning, and six runs in four innings. If he thinks Willie criticized his last effort on the mound, wait until this critique.

The stat line for this game will be very deceiving if you didn't see or hear the game. There were a lot of hits, and a lot of walks dished out by the pitchers on both teams today. But the Brewers turned 5 straight double plays and erased all the threats generated by the Mets. The Mets had the lead early in the game, but errors and bad pitching by Perez gave it all back. And then when ever the Mets threatened, the Brewers would slam the door. At least 1 of the DP was called wrong, but what else would you expect from the umps if you're a Mets fan. The umps always seem to find a way to screw the Mets. Timely hitting is something the Mets have struggled with for 2 years now. I keep hoping that someone will wake them up.

Castillo actually hit the ball out of the infield today. And it has a hit too!!! Imagine that. I disagree with Guinness 110% about Castillo. Where is it written that the #2 hitter has to be useless as a RBI threat? What good does it do to have an automatic out at the top of the line-up? He can hardly run to 1st base, but he insist on bunting all the time whether there is someone on base or not. Wouldn't all Mets fans rather have Jose' be driven in and scoring runs, then just moving 90' at a time? Why would Pagan driving in Jose' from the 2 hole be bad? Castillo would be a better fit lower in the order. If He was hitting 8th, he'd be more likely to get on base for the pitcher to move him into scoring position. The Reyes is coming to the plate with someone to drive home. It makes since only to Witless Willie and Guinness I guess. More and more people in the media and baseball world are questioning his spot in the batting order. Can myself and all of the others be wrong? Maybe but I don't think so.

I want to ask a question here. I thought Schneider was a A+ defensive catcher? EVERYBODY raved about his defense. But I see nothing to brag about. He constantly drops balls, doesn't block pitches, doesn't throw out many runners, and allows every pitch in the dirt to go skipping by him. What the heck is going on? As bad as people claim Lo Duca was behind the plate, I never saw so many pitches getting lost and dropped. Even the TV broadcast team [Cohan and Darling] were commenting on his inability to CATCH THE BALL!!! That's the job. That's why they're called CATCHERS. And Brian isn't doing a lot of catching lately.

I read the article on SNY about Willie's by the book managing style, and it couldn't be more on target. This team is playing baseball in a lackluster way and doesn't seem to get any better. If something doesn't change soon, how long will the Witless Wonder be employed? Here's hoping that the Mets don't allow the Nationals off the mat this week. Let's all hope Pelfrey, Maine, and Figueroa can do what Santana and Perez couldn't. Shut down a struggling team and sweep the 3 game series.

Santana Anna Winds where Blowing Today

2008-04-12T23:28:00.003-04:00

Well, I guess there is a reason the Brewers are the best hitting team in the league. They crush baseballs if they're not put exactly where needed. Johan pitched OK, but the balls where flying for both sides today. He just came out on the short end of the ledger today.

Delgado hit a ball off the top of the wall in right center field. David Wright almost hit one over the bleachers, and the Brewers put 3 in the seats today. So I guess you can say the wind was blowing out and adding some distance to the balls. I saw numerous balls hit to the warning track for both sides and both Sheets and Santana were giving up runs. The Mets got to Ben for 2 runs early but then He set the next 18 batters down in order. The Mets only managed 5 hits today. So the issues with runs will continue until they decide to hit the baseball where there isn't a fielder. Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, and Schneider had the only hits today.

Reyes didn't play and probably won't until at least Tuesday. I saw his interview after Friday's game and I noticed something. You know when you ask someone a question and they really don't want to answer it? Well Jose' gave me the impression that he wasn't telling us the truth. I wonder if he was looking for a reason to get himself out of the line-up for a few days? He hasn't been the same since last August, and he looks like he's not into the game anymore. He looks like he'd rather be somewhere else besides a baseball field.

David Wright had a sacrifice fly along with his home run, but had 2 errors to round out his day. The first was on a throw, and the second went between his legs. Normally he makes that play. It was a smash, but looked like it took a weird hop up.

Castillo returned to the line-up and did his normal offensive output, Not much of anything [0-3 with 1 walk]. The SNY broadcast had a viewer poll asking who should hit in the #2 hole, Pagan or Castillo. Guess who won by a landslide. Pagan. 73% wanted his bat in the second spot. Now who else said that in a previous posting here? Why I did. LOL. I guess some of my ideas are not so dumb after all.

There was some good news today though. Muniz was brought in to start the 8th inning, and also pitched the 9th. He gave up 1 hit and struck out 1 batter. He threw 20 pitches in the 2 innings, and looked good doing it. I know Willie only had him in there because everyone else in the pen has been getting used on multiple nights. But, hopefully Muniz is showing Willie that he has skills that are worth using. He's now pitched 4 innings this spring and hasn't given up a run. Too bad some of the other relievers weren't as good as he's been. I hope his streak continues.

Now the weekend's fate rest with the Wizard of Ollie. He better go 7-8 innings, strike out 8-10 batters, and not walk anyone. And he better do it on 100 pitches or less. Otherwise Witless Willie will find more faults with his game. Ollie pitched well last time out, but Willie did nothing but complain about his effort.

Hometown Kid makes Good in Debut

2008-04-12T07:12:00.002-04:00

I'm glad to see Nelson Figueroa have such a great game. The Mets were in need of a good pitching performance and a good story too. This season has been so full of heartache and disappointment so far, that seeing Nelson complete his dream was a nice way to start this weekend series.

Yesterday there was alot of talk and worry about Figueroa starting this game. I commented on more than 1 web page that he's not a bad pitcher. I'd seen him pitch in spring training and he seemed to have good stuff. And he showcased that stuff last night. His fastball was between 86-88 most of the night. His curve ball is nasty and made more than a few Brewers look silly. And his slider was thrown to both sides of the plate with ease. I think everyone out there can agree that Nelson is no Brian Low-Rents or Jose Lima. In case people are not aware of it, Nelson has done everything needed to get back to the Major Leagues. He was drafted by the Mets in '95, got traded to Arizona, and sometime after that had shoulder surgery. He pitched in Mexico, Taiwan, The Dominican Republic, and finally picked up again by the Mets this spring. He's paid his dues, and took advantage of his opportunity.

It was nice to see the bats come alive with runners in scoring position last night. David had 2 hits and Pagan continues to hit the ball. Yesterday afternoon on Daily News Live, Joe Benigno said what I've been saying for a few days now. Move Castillo down the line-up and have Pagan hit in the 2 hole. Pagan drives the ball and can bunt. Castillo's bad knees and weak bat hurt the Mets when he's hitting in the #2 hole. Neither he nor I care about Castillo being the prototypical #2 hitter. He hurts the offense in that spot. It's no coincidence that the Mets started scoring runs when Castillo got sore. It does the Mets no good to have an automatic out in the 2 hole. It does more for the team to have someone there that can drive in Jose, not just move him over to 2nd base. Willie's by the book managing and line-up moves are hurting this team. This team should score at least 5 runs every game. And that hasn't been happening since Castillo's arrival.

Another question I've been asking and now others are too is what to do with Pagan when Alou' claims to be healthy. Do you sit Pagan and start Alou' again in left field? Do you take the hottest bat out of the order to start a brittle and slow outfielder who can't stay in the line-up? Considering the fact that Alou' is a sneeze away from the DL, I say park his butt on the bench. Use him 1-2 games a week and as a pinch hitter. Maybe he'll manage to stay healthy enough to finish the season then. Unless something major happens this season, Pagan has to be the left fielder next year. Unless F. Martinez explodes thru the system, Pagan is the starting left fielder next year.

All in all it was a good night. Pagan continues to impress, David is hitting the ball again, Jose' gets to sit for a game or two [and hopefully refocus himself], and Castillo wasn't making outs. And most of all Figueroa proved that the Mets do have talented pitching waiting to step up and fill the needs of the team. Here's hoping for another strong outing from Santana and some runs to support him.

Maine's effort wasted, but Mets manage a win

2008-04-11T04:29:00.002-04:00

I was hoping for a better night from the Mets, but they won the game and the series despite Heilman's worst efforts. At least the Mets have maybe eased their concerns about beating the Phillies. And they did it in extra innings with a little help from the Umps.

John Maine pitched pretty well last night. He didn't strikeout a lot of hitters, but he was effective none the less. He made it thru 6 innings, but ran into trouble in the 7th. Feliz hit an slider into the loge in left field that wasn't inside enough, and then walked the next batter. He was much better in his location, and had only thrown about 85 pitches thru 6 innings. Too bad Heilman came in and blew the lead once again in the 8th inning. Does he know how to throw anything but a change-up? Jenkins was getting on his change-up and Aaron continued to throw it. And what happens, Jenkins hits the ball and there goes the win for John.

There were some good things going on last night. Pagan and Church continue to rack the ball. Pagan still frustrates me in the field at times, but he's continuing to produce at the plate. Church drove in the 1st 2 runs last night, and continues to play very well in the field. HoJo's attention to Ryan seems to be paying off. Ryan is hitting the ball up the middle and to left field too. Before this season, he had the reputation of being more of a pull hitter who couldn't hit left-handed pitching. I think those problems are disappearing quickly.

Jose' still worries me. He seems lost at the plate, and his attention is sometimes lacking in the field. He made a stupid error in Wednesday's game, and continues to hit the ball into the air. My father and I had a heated discussion about Jose' before the game. He says Willie ruined him when he sat him last year. He also says HoJo has ruined him at the plate. I disagree. I think the problem is more than that. All his problems started around the time Castillo arrived. Once Valentin wasn't around to focus Jose' and keep him on the straight and narrow, Jose' started his decline. It may just be coincidence, but it's there for everyone to see. Once Valentin broke his leg last year, Jose' started his slide. And he hasn't got out of it yet. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Jose' needs someone he respects and looks up to as a mentor on the team. This is where Valentin was helpful. I wish the Mets could get him to NY somehow this spring. I'd even bring him up to replace Clark if it would help out Reyes. Valentin can play the outfield, and has power from both sides of the plate. He could be so much help getting Jose' back into the game.

What do you think? Am I wrong about Reyes'? Do you think it's just a coincidence, or is the absence of Valentin a reason for Jose's troubles the last 4 months of baseball [3 months last year, and this month]?