Random thoughts on the spring so far.

It's good to have a new season at the ready. After last year's terrible failure, and the signing of Santana, I look forward to the future with great anticipation.

First lets talk about the Pitching.

The pitching seems to be shaking out as we all hoped it would.
Santana has brought a new attitude to the team, and I think it will go a long why to preventing any more lazy play in the field.
Sanchez is in top shape and already appears to be in mid season form. From all accounts he's blowing the ball past the hitters and smoking Schneider's mitt with his heat. He will be almost as important as Johan in turning the teams fortunes around.
Pedro is also looking good and talking as if he's back in 1998, not 2008. If his arm is truly healthy for the 1st time in 10 years, I look for him to have a stunning return to glory. He has a fire in his belly and the attitude to boot.
John Maine is also impressing in live BP. He faced the "A" list [Beltran,Reyes, Delgado, Castillo] and made them look silly from all accounts. I look for John to take another step forward this year. With Pedro and Johan around, I believe he will pitch over 200 innings, strikeout over 200 and lower his ERA by about .5 runs. I've always been a Maine Fan, and I hope he gets to 20 wins this year.
Wagner is talking about making a few changes this year, and I believe it will help him in September. He's talking about using a change-up this year, and asking to only pitch in save situations. I think that's smart. If Willie will keep him out of useless innings and games, Billy should be healthier come crunch time.
Oliver Perez worries me. He was the 1st Mets player to go to arbitration since 1992, and he won his case. He'll now make over $6.5 million and be looking for more this off season. With Boras as his agent, I hold little hope of the Mets resigning him next year. Pitching for a big contract may make Ollie unhittable this year, or make him crash and burn. The Mets were trying to talk contract extension, but Boras would have none of that. I don't believe the Mets are willing to pay $10-13 million per year for Ollie. And I bet that's where Scott is looking.

Now about the hitters.

David Wright reported early as usual. He was there before pitchers and catchers were due. His off season workouts appear to have him ready to continue his improvement this year. He's been working extra hard on improving his fielding and throws. If he continues to improve, as he has done in the previous years, he could be a serious MVP threat this year.
Carlos Beltran has done a Jimmy Rollins this year. When I heard of his boast, I was a little upset. I didn't see where he should be doing any bragging when he's one of the mice that like to hide in the shadows of the clubhouse. If this is a sign of him becoming more of a leader on the team, then I'm all for it. But, if he slinks back into the shadows and doesn't become a leader on the field, then I have no use for his boast.
Carlos Delgado finally reported and appears to be in top shape. He's lost weight and is itching to return to his past form. I still don't like him because of his disrespect to the flag of this country, but the Mets will need him to be more productive this year. He can't continue to hit weak ground balls and strike out when men are on base. His failure at the plate last year had as much to do with the Mets collapse as the pitching did.
Jose' Reyes is talking too this spring. He says he's going to stop all the dancing and showboating BS and worry about his production this year. Too many times it seemed last year, that he was more worried about his hand slapping routines than running out plays. He needs to grow up and play the game the way it's needed. That means no standing at home plate, no loafing to 1st base, paying attention in the field, and attempting to steal fewer bases. He needs to increase his %, and not worry about getting 80 steals. I believe all the steal attempts wore Jose down last year.
Alou' reported to camp the latest of all the starters. I'd think that because of his injury history, that he'd want to get there early. He is talking about playing for 2-3 more years now. I wonder where he'll play? How can the Mets think of keeping him after this year, when he can't play even 2/3rds of a season? Does anyone really think he'll play for less money and except a platoon role in Left Field in 2009? With Fernando Martinez in the waiting, why keep Alou'?


Well that's enough for now. What do you all think out there. Am I off base, or do you agree with my thoughts.

Johan Santana gets a taste of the Media

Today Johan Santana met the NY media. With over 200 people in attendance, I imagine it was quite a sight for him. He handled it well and seemed at ease with all the questions and pictures. I've seen him pitch a few times, and knew of his achievments, but had never seen him conduct himself at any kind of press conference. I think he'll do fine this year with the media. I don't see him as someone who will avoid the questions and slink out of the locker room after the game.

I TiVo'd the press conference and noticed a few interesting things. The first thing I noticed was that David Wright was the only player there. He seemed genuinely excited and happy at the thought of Johan pitching for the Mets. Santana was asked who he talked to after the trade and I found his answer very telling. He 1st spoke to Jose Reyes. He said Jose was excited about him coming to the Mets, and that he and Jose are friends. I hope he can help keep Jose focused this year. He also talked to Castillo. He is good friends with Castillo and seems to have made his choice of the Mets based on Castillo's recommendation. They had frequent talks about what it was like to play NL baseball, when they both played for the Twins. David Wright made a call to Johan also. He congratulated Johan and welcomed him to the Mets. David once again is showing that he is the leader of the Mets and the face of the Franchise. What I was wondering is where were the mice of the club? Johan didn't say anything about Beltran or Delgado calling him. He also didn't mention Alou' or Willie. I find that a very telling thing that major players on the team, who have a habit of disappearing from the locker room, can't take 5 minutes to call Santana. He's the most important person on that team this year, and the mice ignore him.

I've also been reading all the NY papers and seeing what kind of feelings there are out there about the signing of Johan. Most Mets fans seem to agree that this was a great signing. 6 years for $137+ million with an option for a 7th year doesn't seem to matter much. There are a few who whine about giving up 3 unproven pitchers and Gomez, but I believe they're wrong. Most of the negative comments come from Yankee fans. They seem to think that Johan is in the same league as Pavano, Brown, Johnson, Jarad Wright, and the rest of the failed Yankee pitchers. Sounds like sour grapes to me. None of the players traded for Johan would make a difference in the Mets future. Santana already has. The Mets go from a good team in the NL, to the best team in the NL. And regardless of what Guinness says, I don't see anyone in the NL with a better starting pitching staff. The only question mark on the Mets staff is where and how often El' Duque pitches. It's not a stretch to see Johan, Pedro, Maine, and Perez all get 15-20 wins this year. Who else in the NL, or AL for that matter, can say that? Arizona has Webb and Haren. Phillie has Hamels. The Yankees have who again? Oh Yea, they have Wang. LOL. The Sox have Beckett, Schilling, Dice K, and Buckholtz. They're about the only team that might get 15-20 wins from their 1-4 starters.

I really can't wait for the season to start. My father is even excited about this year. He's never been to Shea Stadium, and now he wants to go see Santana pitch this year. Maybe I'll even get to meet Guinness there.

JOHAN SANTANA IS COMING TO SHEA !!!!!!!!

THANK YOU OMAR!!!!! YOU'VE ANSWERED THE FANS PRAYERS. Pending a contract agreement and physical, Johan is going to be wearing orange and blue this year.

Since last summer I've been pushing for this trade to get done. I was hoping it would happen sooner than this, but better late than never. This will be a history changing trade for the Mets. No more will fans talk about trading Nolan Ryan, or Tom Seaver. And Scott Kasmir will soon fade from the conversation too. Omar with this one trade has now put the Mets and their fans on the doorstep of Destiny.

Santana is the missing piece to the Mets World Series title hopes. With a rotation of Santana, Pedro, Perez, Maine, and either Hernandez or Pelfrey, the Mets have the best rotation in the NL and I'd say all of baseball. Coming from the AL, Johan will benefit by pitching in Shea and against the weaker NL line-ups. He should lower his ERA by at least half a run, and add about 30-40 more strikeouts to his yearly average. I see no reason why he doesn't win 20 games this year, and compete for a Cy Young. The Mets now have a legitimate 20 game winner [Santana], a returning Cy Young winner [Pedro], and 2 youngsters [Maine, Perez] who won 15 games last year and should get to the 17-19 win area this year. I think this puts the Mets in the 100 win area now. And they still have three 1st round picks in the up coming amateur draft. None of the players traded for Santana is going to make a difference for the Mets in the near future. Johan will have an immediate and long term positive effect on this team. That's something that could never be said about anyone the Mets had in the farm system.

Now all Omar has to do is get Johan signed, and watch the city turn into a sea of Orange and Blue. Now is not the time to be cheap, but no need to be stupid either. I believe a 5 year extension at $22-24 Million per season with an option for a 6th and/or 7th season should do it. I've heard that Johan wants a 6-7 year deal, but I think that will have to be done thru options. He has the same agent as Jose' Reyes, and the Mets have a good relationship with him. I think Johan will enjoy this city and soon will be the King of NYC. Between David Wright, Johan Santana, and Jose' Reyes, the Mets have the 3 biggest stars in the City and will for many years to come.

So Guinness, are you ready to admit that I was Right? I can show you an e-mail I wrote last summer that says the Mets will have Santana in Shea stadium in 2008. I guaranteed it. Now all I need is for Santana to bring 3 World Series titles in the next 5-7 years, and both parts of my prediction will come true. LET'S GO METS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sleepwalking at Shea

Well here it is about 3 weeks till spring training starts and we as fans get the 2007 Mets part 2. Omar is so pathetic and spineless it's comical. He walks around the baseball world with his chest puffed out proclaiming his brilliance and does nothing but sign old washed up, has been players once again this off season.

Instead of being daring, Omar is cowardly. Instead of making franchise altering decisions, he stays the coarse. Instead of getting a younger, healthier, more athletic team, Omar signs over-aged marginal players who show no likelihood of changing the Mets future. So I hold out little hope for the Mets to get the Titles and Rings we as fans desire and cherish.

Here are some of the player changes we can see this year. They traded Milledge for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. They traded Mota to the Brewers for Johnny Estrada, a catcher they didn't need or offer a contract to. They signed Matt Wise for the pen. They signed Rincon [who hasn't pitched in 2 years] to a minor league contract. They traded for Angel Pagan for the outfield. They resigned Damion Easley. They resigned Luis "Bad knees" Castillo for 4 years. Brought Marlon Anderson back for 2 more years. Agreed to a 1 year contract with Heilman. Signed "Hammy" Chavez for 2 years. Signed "Arthritic" Castro for 2 more years. And picked up "part-time"Alou's option for this year. Not a lot has changed personal wise from last year, so why would we expect a different result? Once again I can see post-season disappointment in all of our futures.

Some of these player actions are good, but hardly exciting. Matt Wise should help in the pen, but is he a season changing pitcher? Sanchez is due back, and Juan Padilla is coming to camp too. Heilman is here for another year, and things don't really change from there. There are 7 relief spots and more pitchers than spots. And now "Omar the Courageous" is talking about bringing in Livan Hernandez. Just what the Mets need. Another worn out, over paid Hernandez brother on the team. For $9+ Million and a 1st round draft pick, the Mets will get a .500 pitcher with an ERA around 5.00. I'd rather save the money and draft pick and take my chances with Pelfrey as the 5th starter. I guess Omar is into a rut in NY. He never seems to look at anyone who hasn't played for him somewhere else. Livan's only good feature is that he pitches alot of innings. In the games I've seen him pitch, that seems to happen because of the lousy teams he pitches for. He usually gives up 4-5 runs in the 1st 3 innings, and then gets left in the game because the teams don't want to burn up the pen while losing a game. Good teams don't tend to leave bad pitchers in games when they believe the game is still winnable. Does anyone really believe Witless Willie is going to allow Livan to pitch 8 innings and give up 6+ runs while doing it? Livan will be out of the game by the 5th inning and once again the pen will pitch the last 4 innings.

The Mets could own NYC and the Tri-state area for years to come if "Omar the Courageous" would do one simple trade. GET JOHAN SANTANA IN THE ORANGE AND BLUE !!!!!! He will do more to win the city and numerous titles in the next 5-7 years than anybody in the Mets farm system. F. Martinez is at least 2-3 years away, Gomez is still too raw and unproven, Humber and Mulvey have no place in Shea, and Pelfrey is barely holding on. Prospects are just that prospects. The Mets have a history of over hyping their minor league talent, and getting nothing in return. Wright and Reyes are the only 2 players in the last 10 years that have lived up to their hype. Remember Wilson, Izzy, Pulsifer, Tyner, Jacobs, Jefferies, Agbyani, A.Hernandez, ect. How many of them made a difference?

So, do you want to "wait until next year" again? Or would you rather play for the present and win while there is still some life on the Mets old worn out players? Without Santana, the Mets don't win a title this year, or in the near future. With him, they win at least 3 titles in the next 5-7 years. That's my prediction, what about yours?

Hello from the great white north

Below is a question I asked Marty Noble about the Mets last year. I was glad to see he agreed in some respects, but he did slam me a little bit too. The Mets have many issues to address this off season, and Omar and Witless Willie have been sitting on their hands. I disagree with Mr. Noble in the sense that there were things Willie could have done. He never gave a sense of urgency at any time last year. I fail to see where Willie did any motivating of his players at any time. He let things go and the Mets had no direction or focus last season. If that happens again this year, the Mets will be home watching TV in October again. "I enjoyed your article on the Mets' 2007 season. I, for one, was screaming to the heavens way back in June that problems existed with the Mets. They lacked the killer instinct needed to bury teams. I place that blame solely on manager Willie Randolph. He continually brushed off any suggestions of trouble with the team's play. He made questionable pitching decisions and played people -- Carlos Delgado, Johnson, et al -- who should have been sitting. He lacked the spine to stand up for or to his players and it showed on the field. Jose Reyes never should have been allowed to play when he loafed in the field or at the plate. It's pretty sad when the catcher argues about bad calls more than the manager. And now that vocal leader is gone, and Randolph and GM Omar Minaya continue to ignore the problems."-- Daniel S., Melrose, N.Y. "Before anything else, I must ask, who is the Johnson you mentioned, Ben? He played in nine games, he had 27 at-bats. Is this a big issue? Johnson's brief tour with the Mets overlapped with the absences of Moises Alou, Carlos Beltran, Chavez and even Jose Valentin, who could have played some outfield had he been available. Lastings Milledge was assigned to the disabled list in the Minor Leagues at the same time. Somebody had to play, and if you're upset that Johnson was the choice, your problem is with Minaya, who provides the talent Randolph uses. As for Delgado, it's easy to say he should have been benched. He admitted last week he had a poor season. But two things: He did drive in 85 runs. And who would you have started at first base if Delgado had been eliminated? No one else was going to produce even at the diminished rate he established last summer. As far as Randolph's spine, I believe it was quite functional. His response to Reyes not running that night in Houston was immediate and measured. Neither you nor I know what happened behind closed doors. If Randolph had come down harder on Reyes, he stood the chance of losing his leadoff man and shortstop. To me, that's where Delgado fell short. Players respect his achievement and standing in the game. He has influence, but he is reluctant to exercise it. Chances are he would have had greater effect on Reyes than anyone else in the clubhouse except Valentin. Alou has comparable influence, but players relatively new to a team and assigned to the disabled list are not likely to assume that responsibility. Randolph challenges umpires when he feels the need to. Not everyone is Bobby Cox. And if Lo Duca was working the umpire, why should the manager? Which brings us to the absence of Lo Duca and the resulting void that exists. Without him and Valentin, I sense the team is lacking an element, a degree of intensity. Where have you gone, Wally Backman? Lo Duca provided that. Players recognized it, and even those who weren't particularly close to him acknowledged the effect of his fire. Without Lo Duca, Valentin and Tom Glavine, the intensity level may be dangerously low in 2008 despite the spoken resolve about making amends for last season and no matter how much David Wright tries to enhance the team energy. In that regard, you have reason to be concerned. But again, Randolph can do little to address the situation. He doesn't bring in the talent or the personality. I thought the signing of free agent David Eckstein to play second base might have helped, but he evidently overpriced himself. That the Mets pursued Eckstein suggests they are aware of the intensity issue." - Marty Noble

Omar's missing the boat

Could someone out there explain to me why Omar would be interested in Freddie Garcia? Could someone explain to me why I read headlines that the Twins are talking to the Yankees about Santana? I've come to the conclusion that Omar really is the Village Idiot. Garcia is damaged goods with a bad work history. He's overweight and underachieving as a pitcher. He had rotators cuff and Librium surgery in August. Why people would expect him to be healthy in June of '08 is curious. Pedro worked his butt off, and it took him until September to get back to NY. And Pedro wasn't 30 pounds overweight. The Mets need an Ace that can lead them from day one, not July 1. And Garcia is no ACE. It's just another example of Omar wasting time and money on over hyped, damaged, over the hill, underachieving, has been players. And why isn't Omar camped out at the Metrodome talking to the Twins? Once again the Yankees are stealing the headlines and players from the Mets. When will the Wilpons decide to start fighting back against the Evil Empire of the Steinbrenners? The city is there for the taking. The Wilpons just need to get someone to actually do something to make the team better. Omar seems to have lost his nerve for doing what's needed to change the complexion of NY baseball. If Santana is allowed to go to the Yankees without making a serious offer, Omar should be fired and sent back to the minors to learn his job. He certainly doesn't deserve to move into Citi-Field.

A Sad Off Season so Far

Well, At least Mota won't be around next year for Witless Willie to use in critical games next year. I was so angry last year when I had to hear the Witless one say Mota's "One of My Guys", "I'm still going to give him the ball", " He'll have to straighten things out on the mound", "I still have confidence in him". Does anyone remember hearing those words of wisdom from the Witless Wonder?

Omar continues to import players that are on the downhill side of their careers. One positive thing about this trade is that Mota is gone. We still have a Brave in the clubhouse, and Lo Duca is out of luck. I guess he should have decked Willie last year when they got in that argument. What did he have to lose? I would have paid to see the highlights of that fight. He should have known [ as I stated all year], that he wasn't coming back in 2008. Witless Willie and Omar the Idiot did everything possible in 2007 to ruin Paul's season.

They would have signed a light hitting, sore armed catcher if not for the up roar from the media and fans. I don't buy the chatter about Torrealba's MRI causing the collapse of deal. Omar knew he had a bad arm, and offered Yorvit stupid money anyway. Just to get rid of Paul. If Estrada was on the trade market, why wasn't he talked about earlier? I can't believe the Brewers are that desperate for Mota.

Another benefit of the Estrada trade is the fact that the Mets still have their chips available for a trade of an ACE pitcher. And JOE BLANTON ISN'T THAT ACE !!!!!!!! Omar needs to get Santana or Peavy. No other pitchers will do !!!!!!! He owes it to all the fans who suffered thru last season , to make the trade needed to get either of them. If it means trading Jose' Reyes to get Johan Santana, IT HAS TO BE DONE. I don't want to hear about trading a everyday player to get a pitcher. Santana is no ordinary pitcher, and pitchers win titles, not short stops. There are other SS to be had this year or next. Santana type pitchers only come around once every decade. The Mets can't afford to wait another decade for the next Santana.

Omar needs to do something bold and different this year. If he wishes to continue working in the Mets organization, he needs a title in the showcase this season. I doubt his ego would survive if the Mets failed to get their rings this year. He's lauded and praised for his baseball wisdom, and knack of getting the players needed to win. Well Omar, time to put up or ship out. And take the Witless Wonder with you.