Optimistic Mets Fan

Shealogy

2009-02-19T12:45:00.001-05:00

It's over. Shea Stadium is officially demolished. We all want to equate the stadium to an old friend, maybe one that had seen better days, one that would be sorely missed. To me, the most chilling moment was that last game, that last walk out. All the pictures, all the drive-bys, all the reports since then have felt empty because without baseball Shea was just a building.

Shea Stadium died five months ago. That's when it contracted that terminal illness that we all knew would take her life within months. Yesterday it finally happened; Shea Stadium took it's last breath. To me, it was a relief. Finally she'd been put out of her misery, having her innards photographed and displayed for everyone to see, her illness discussed across the world.

I ask that you remember her as she was in her glory days, and not in her sickness. Don't remember the final tumble of those ramps, or the demolition of the scoreboard. Remember the fans rushing the field after that first championship, even if you weren't there. Remember Ventura's Grand Single, Pratt's home run, the glove that never came down, Seaver, Strawberry, That amazing June comeback against the Braves in the 8^th, or whatever your favorite moments were.

She's in a better place now, in our minds, on our blogs, on our highlight reels. Take a month, or 53 days, to mourn. A new friend waits on the horizon. One you don't quite know yet, one you've only exchanged the briefest of words with. You may be skeptical you can ever get along, or that you'll ever love again, but you will. It has tough foundations to fill, but rumor is it's up to the task.

Still Cheating

2009-02-08T16:19:00.002-05:00

The baseball players that decided to cheat, especially the ones that cheated this century, are unlikely to have stopped cheating because of testing. In past decades these things were almost universally, if secretly, accepted in baseball so It's harder to be annoyed at any one guy. Everyone was cheating to get that edge. But as Balco happened, as we started to talk about making baseball clean, many people continued to cheat. The guys that have been caught, A-Rod among them, aren't likely to have stopped because of the 2004 testing policy, especially considering how weak the original penalty was. More likely these guys, used to taking something undetectable that gave them a boost, simply switched to something else undetectable. Many of them are wealthy and have access to many trainers and resources that can provide these things. So even when A-Rod tries to tell us, as guys like Pettite have told us in the past, that it was a momentary mistake, they only did it once, they're clean now, it's hard for me to believe. I'm sure most of them switched to HGH or something else that is undetectable in today's drug tests.

New site

2009-01-30T22:57:00.002-05:00

New link. see above.

http://optimisticmetsfan.ceetar.com

I totally butchered the template for the blog in doing this, so I'll have to mess with that.

I also somehow lost part of my blog list..I don't know If I saved that anywhere. If I missed/lost your blog, it wasn't intentional. (except in one case) Contact me and I'll add it back.

Coming Soon!

2009-01-22T18:16:00.001-05:00

Coming Soon on Optimistic Mets Fan:

I've got a fair selection of topics slated once Spring Training starts and we can start to smell Opening Day:

My yearly baseball wagers.

My fantasy teams, and what types of leagues I'm going to join. Hopefully a nice rotisserie league.

The Second Annual Letters to the NL East where I address all five teams in the division, and the Yankees.

Thoughts and observations on my first ever trip to Spring Training. I'm going to see Three Mets Games, against the Marlins, Nats, and Tigers, as well as the Twins versus the Pirates.

While I'm down in Florida, I'm going to be catching a game of the World Baseball Classic.

And that's just some of the thrilling prose I'll have for you over the next two months or so..before we can get down to some serious April baseball.

Fantasy Baseball

2009-01-15T18:41:00.001-05:00

I've just started reading Fantasyland. If you don't know, it's about about Wall Street Journal Writer Sam Walker's entrance into one of the most prestigious rotisserie fantasy baseball leagues. Even thought I'm not a stathead, and cringe at the idea of spending hours and hours poring over minute details about minor leagues, I'm finding the book entertaining.

So entertaining in fact, that I want to join a rotisserie league this year. Usually I play in 3-6 different free Yahoo leagues, as well as a salary cap league on Sporting News. That one isn't quite rotisserie though, because anybody can buy the same players. I'm researching the 'better' rotisserie leagues out there to try to find one to join, but suggestions are always welcome.

We Don't Need More Offense

2009-01-12T18:32:00.000-05:00

There seems to be a desperate need among some fans for the Mets to upgrade their offense. Some people are overly freaked out to the point (not that it takes much for some) of screaming and yelling about the Wilpons and/or Minaya and the inevitable 'please spend like the Yankees' pleas.

They're off-target. The offense we have is fine. The one area I'd like to see improved is the bench, and this isn't something you sign Manny Ramirez for. I'd be reluctant to sign an outfielder if it limits Murphy's playing time, and I think Castillo is going to have a more than acceptable year. Even without those two positions, which was basically where the Mets were last year, they scored the second most runs in the National League (ahead of Philadelphia). Some of it was bad situational stuff, which you have to pin on both HoJo, and Manuel's lineup and pinch hitting selections. Hopefully both of these get better, but one of the things that definitely will help is the better bullpen. For two years now, repeated blown saves have overshadowed the offense. The Mets weren't flat in 2007, the bullpen just gave back the lead too often. The Mets weren't unable to get a big hit in 2008, the big hits just were just obscured by the bullpen giving the lead back, or making the game so out of reach that the big hit that was needed was a 6-run home run.

The Mets will seem to hit better in 2009 even if the lineup stays the same. The Mets will be more capable of winning that 3-2 game, and suddenly their offense will be plenty.

Wheels Coming Off

2009-01-06T06:51:00.003-05:00

J.C. Romero suspended

The magic that culminated in a 2008 Phillies championship is starting to crumble. It was an odd culmination of player resurgence, finding the hot relievers, and just plain luck that got the Phillies to where they were. Maybe this is the first sign that the magic was a one year thing, and they'll soon be back in third place where they belong.

Orioles Fan

2008-12-16T10:08:00.003-05:00

Mistaken for an Orioles fan.

I don’t really care what the Mets color scheme is, what uniforms they wear, or what symbols they use. The Citi Field logo isn’t great, but I just don’t care. Some fans dislike that the Mets every incorporated black into their apparel. I personally don’t care, although I like sticking to the history of the blue and orange from the Dodgers and Giants. Tangently, I really thought the All-Star jerseys worn in San Francisco in 2007 should’ve been Black for the AL and Orange for the NL, rather than the other way around. It was just a passing thought though.

However, I do like variety. I was annoyed that the Diamondbacks ditched the purple. I actually like some of the older 80s style flashy uniforms. I dislike teams looking the same, everyone wearing the same grays and whites and pinstripes.

The other day I was out at a restaurant, wearing a black and orange Mets shirt that I’d gotten cheap somewhere. One of the servers came over to me and said “Nice shirt”, and happened to start talking baseball. He mentioned some third base prospect I’d never heard of, and since I don’t follow prospects or hot stove too closely, I figured he meant 2B, and it was some guy the Mets were looking at as a possible Castillo replacement. I gave a suitably vague answer, and he walked away, but I still felt confused. Then it dawned on me that he didn’t actually see the front of my shirt, merely the colors, and I (which he came over and verified later) correctly assumed that he mistook me for an Orioles fan.

Must be sad times in Baltimore if the most exciting thing to look forward to is a 3B prospect.

RyanHoward-Rod

2008-12-09T21:53:00.002-05:00

I like my title, shame you won't see that on the back pages of the Post.

K-Rod.

Pretty much the best closer in the game. At least arguably. Definitely the bets Free Agent relief pitcher on the market, and as much as I'm reluctant to always try to 'buy' the best team, this was the right move. I'm not nearly as excited about it as I was Santana, but I'm fully of the mind that if Wagner doesn't get hurt, the Mets win the division, and probably the Phillies don't win the Series.

Omar filled the biggest hole with the biggest plug. We still need a a bunch of relievers, but I don't think they need to be big name guys. Pull in a bunch of guys from the minors, waivers, other teams, rule-5, wherever, and see who can thrive in this system with these coaches and players.

The last two starters should be the next priority. I wouldn't be against Pedro/Ollie. Not both, but one of them. Perez is probably the better option, but his consistency is infuriating and overly taxing on the bullpen's piece of mind. I don't trust Niese to step in and be a reliable 5^th starter. I think they should assume he'll be the guy that'll get called up when they need a 6^th, or a fill in guy when someone needs to skip a start. I'm not overly concerned with who it is, but It'd be nice to have another big innings guys so the bullpens innings can be kept down.

How many more days?

2008-11-30T17:32:00.003-05:00

Watched some football today. Giants look good.

I miss baseball.

Baseball.

Spring Training Yet?

Speaking of which, I got my letter for renewal of season plans. Thinking about whether I should get a 15 game package, or just try to get 15 games on my own. Of course, I can have 3 extra seats, so if anyone out there wants to join me/us..

Banner

2008-11-13T08:09:00.003-05:00

I hate the offseason. Not just because there's not baseball, but because all there is is rumor. Rumors the Mets will get this player, or that player, or talk to this player, or this player wants this money, this many years...yawn. It's all useless conjecture. I'd rather just read the news as it happens, not try to guess at it. Otherwise I'd be a weatherman. (*snicker*).

It's a minor thing, but I'm debating when I should change the top rail image on the blog. Right now it's a random picture of the banners that were in right field. But Shea is no longer the home of the Mets. Should I post a picture of Citi from the outside, or wait until the first and post a picture from the game? Decisions decisions..

Jets At Shea

2008-11-01T10:22:00.001-04:00

The elusive picture of Shea for the Jets. Notice how the field level is rotated. This picture is from 1964.

Losingest Team in MLB

2008-10-31T07:51:00.002-04:00

The Phillies are one of the oldest baseball teams, and have lost the most games. They found lightning in a bottle in their bullpen this year, and the teams they faced, which weren't the top teams in the game, were unable to exploit their weaknesses. They played a strong September and October, much like the Rockies last year, or the Cardinals the year before. They won. It sucks. I take solace in that they only get one title a century, and they've used up this one's only eight years in.

My money's on 20,000 losses before the third championship.

However, from a rivalry standpoint, this just amps it up. Despise years and chances, both teams have two. Phillies fans aren't going to discard their hatred for us, and we know they only come out when they're winning. But now we've grown an intense dislike for them too. This could get interesting. Or the Phillies could pack it in and place fourth next year, and the rivalry, like the Phillies themselves, will be a flash in the pan.

Bounty

2008-10-25T12:52:00.001-04:00

The stupid "The division hates the Mets" story got me thinking. Metstradamus joked about the Mets putting bounties on other players. Fine, do it. Not real bounties, but something team building and fun. Whoever has the best game against the Phillies in a series gets to set the radio/tv for a week. A pitcher who gets Hanley out the most gets to pick where they eat dinner next.

This all probably stems from the general disconnect players and fans have. While there is often a jealousy of New York money and success and popularity, it’s rarely the other way around. What does Hanley Ramirez have for the Mets to hate? We’re trying to get them to feel our hatred.

We seem to have criticized the Mets for acting like they deserved the division in ’07. Well, they did deserve the division, and I think they should continue to act like that. The Mets should walk into opposing stadiums like they own the place. Walk into ’09 like they own the division.

This would be great:

Wright: “The division is ours this year.”

Reporter: “But aren’t the Phillies the defending division champs? Don’t you have to go through them?”

Wright: “Even bad teams get lucky sometimes. The Phillies..who’s on that team? Cole..somebody or another right? Bring it on.”

Crossword

2008-10-24T07:08:00.002-04:00

It's the off season(except for two teams..damn them), and as I hate rumors, I haven't been posting much.

I noticed this in today's AMNY crossword puzzle, and while it's true in a past tense sense, it's a little outdated now.

65 Across: Shea Player.

It's obviously Met (Although Jet would also work, since both teams used to play there, and neither do now), but right now the Mets don't have a home. They're still on the moving truck between them.

Postseason baseball

2008-10-17T07:46:00.003-04:00

Last year I got right into the postseason, and the Phillies being pummeled didn't hurt. It was like I was so expectant of the season not being over. This year I was just so disappointed and disillusioned that I haven't been into it. Sox looked good last night, but I'm still pulling for the Rays I think. (I like to compare them to the '69 Mets, but last night certainly reminded me of the '08 Mets. Both teams blew it after Kazmir left! haha..that was..bad)

Islanders don't look great, but I'm thinking there might be some fun there. I caught opening night at the Prudential Center against the Devils, they lost, but I had fun.

I'm going to be in Buffalo this weekend, I wonder if I should pick up a Bisons shirt or something.

Jets at Shea

2008-10-06T16:43:00.001-04:00

I know I saw a picture at one point, but I can't find any on the internet at the moment.

Does anyone out there have a good picture of the field level rotated out to accommodate the Jets?

First Offseason Move

2008-10-03T23:09:00.004-04:00

Well, Omar's poised to make his first mistake of the off season. Hopefully it's his only mistake. I have confidence he'll do what's needed to improve this team, without caving to what whiny fans think is the best course of action. However, keeping Manuel who failed as a bench coach, failed as an interim manager, and may have even failed as a leader in the clubhouse and managed a team that was succeeding and cruising, even without Billy Wagner, and managed to have them crash and burn again.

Luckily managers don't have that big an impact, and if you give anybody the right players they can't succeed. If the bullpen did, or will, pitch well enough that Manuel doesn't have to constantly tamper with it, he won't be able to screw it up. Maybe if he resides over a spring training for real, he won't treat next September like one.

Omar's decisions can only get better from here.

Better Luck Next Year

2008-09-29T12:14:00.003-04:00

This doesn't hurt as much, but it still sucks. These players are too good to be this bad. MVP candidates, Cy Young candidate, Gold Gloves, probably some Silver Sluggers..with players this good you can't be this bad. The injuries to Wagner and Maine hurt, sure, but it's something deeper. The bullpen had streaks here and there, so they definitely showed talent, even if it was rare. I don't discredit Omar, he did a lot to shake things up from last year, but many of them failed, but plenty succeeded also.

So what's left? Management. We all credit Warthon with Perez and Pelfrey turning around, but Pelfrey had already shown flashes. Did Warthon speed that up? maybe. Allowing Perez to be Perez was certainly helpful at first, but yesterday he pitched like April, excellent until the 6th inning. The offense continually put pressure on the bullpen because they wouldn't score more runs, and then the bullpen continually put pressure on the offense because they couldn't put up zeros. For such great players they struggled with situational hitting, except for some streaks and some guys like Castillo who had good numbers in key situations. The batters often failed to hit the ball on the ground, or get a sac fly, or go the other way, or not swing for the fences, while the pitchers often failed to be able to induce a groundball, or throw a pitch that won't be hit out. The manager and coaches are the people most responsible for creating these game plans, and they haven't worked. Maybe part of it is the calling of the game. Could Schneider be responsible? Was he even calling all the pitches? Was his almost-platoon status inhibiting his authority to call pitches and be respected by the pitchers? Who knows, but something is wrong with the fundamentals, and I think Jerry Manuel is doing more harm than good.

The farewell ceremony was touching and nice at least. That's two stadiums I've closed out in two years now.

All or Nothing

2008-09-28T07:58:00.005-04:00

Shea was great on Saturday. And hopefully it'll be great on Sunday. Hopefully this isn't actually the last game. Either way I'm going to take 6 zillion pictures. It's going to be insane, and we won't know the final of the Brewers game until the middle of the Shea Goodbye ceremony, which will make it all the more nerve wracking.

What Johan did was amazing. Oliver Perez never moved from his spot leaning on the railing in the front of the dug out, and was one of the first out to congratulate him. Here's hoping he was taking notes.

All...or nothing.

2008-09-26T16:15:00.004-04:00

This team is very all or nothing this year. It feels that way sometimes in games, and now the whole season is at that point. The whole relationship with the fans is at that point too. Win, and everythings golden. lose, and the floodgates will have opened.

This season has the potential to be great, to create two or three or more all-time Mets favorites, ones that might even surpass guys like Keith Hernandez and Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry.

It could also tumble down, and have fans calling for these guys heads. Even the 'franchise' ones. This weekend will start to tell the story, and hopefully it's only the beginning of the story.

Smart At-Bats

2008-09-25T12:46:00.001-04:00

I only want to talk about one specific at-bat here. It happened in the 9th inning, while Ryan Church was at bat. I was watching the defense and I saw before the final pitch that the second baseman and shortstop had moved in dramatically, to the front edge of the dirt. I was curious why, but then I realized. They were setting up Church for a ground ball with the bases load. Sure enough, ground ball, fielded, throw home for the force. Couldn't someone in the dugout, or Church himself, seen this and adjusted accordingly? I'm not a baseball player but that made me see the Mets as overmatched.

Bad all Around

2008-09-25T08:08:00.003-04:00

That game was miserable. Manuel's managing of it no better than the situational hitting. The crowd felt alive, energetic, excited..it was almost a borderline playoff feel. Until Sanchez let up the tying hits.

How can Manuel be so inconsistent? How can he use reliever after reliever when someone is in trouble in earlier innings, but leaves Ayala in there for two? Shouldn't he have gone somewhere else, or at least pulled him after the first hit, if not the second? Why did he pinch hit for Schneider, but leave Argenis in to bat when he already got his hit for the month? And then pull Argenis after the inning anyway!

Good Bye and Good Riddence

2008-09-21T22:19:00.001-04:00

The Mets game was a disaster, all across the board. Managing, situational hitting, bullpen.. So while we still have a lead in the wild card and a more than adequate chance to make the division title ours, I’m going to talk about something else.

It’s hard to be a baseball fan without at least a little respect for Yankee Stadium (not necessarily the Yankees themselves). The Stadium has been around for roughly 86 years, and housed some of the earlier stages of baseballs history. If there is a baseball ‘god’, it’s Babe Ruth, who made the first marks at the Stadium. So my gut reaction is that they shouldn’t be demolishing something full of so much baseball lore.

The Mets fan and Yankees hater side of me enjoys that they’re knocking down something so historic. You could argue that the Curse of the Bambino that supposedly stopped the Red Sox from winning was actually reversed when the Yankees went through the process of starting to dismantle the Bambino’s house. The Red Sox won twice, and the Yankees have gradually gotten worse and worse, until this season when they will miss the playoffs entirely. Going into the final game ever at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees number for elimination is 1. This means that if they lose, not only will it be the final regular season game in the building, but also clinches that it will be the last game, period. They’re currently up 5-3 in the 5^th, but we’ll see how it turns out.

Physically, Yankee stadium isn’t very nice. The concourses, specifically on the ground floor, are tight and feel cave like. The seats aren’t great, and the upper deck is tall and steep. The entire place feels old, because it _is_ old. Besides the ‘magic’ behind the historical place, I’m glad they’re knocking it down. As a baseball fan in New York, I do occasionally find myself at the place, whether randomly or for a Subway Series game, and my priorities when visiting are my own comfort and enjoyment. I already have to deal with Yankee fans when I’m there, so why add in small concourses, ancient bathrooms, long lines, broken seats and all the other things wrong with the place?

Babe Ruth may miss the place, but I won’t. May the Yankees live to regret this decision and be doomed to decades of failure.

Back to the Mets, I’m sick and tired of Mets fans acting like Luis Castillo is beating up babies and stabbing nuns in the clubhouse. To me it seems like he plays at least as hard as anyone, and he certainly gets on base more than Argenis Reyes, and more than Easley. I don’t think the 7^th spot in the lineup is the best location for him, but that’s Manuel’s lineup, not Castillo’s. The guy might not have the range he used to, but he’s certainly not stationary. If the Mets were pounding in runs, specifically in clutch spots, then maybe you live with a defensive Argenis a little more often. Right now though, they need both Castillo’s OBP, and his average with runners in scoring position.

Division Title is Brewing

2008-09-20T13:28:00.002-04:00

Regardless of the struggles for the division, the Brewers inability to win games has put up a safety net for the Mets. They own a substantial lead over the wild card challengers in Milwaukee, so that even were they to lose the division they’d likely make the playoffs. However, with a Mets win last night, and a Phillies loss, the Mets are now one loss ahead for the division. That’s really two, because if they were to end tied, the Mets as winners of the season series would get the division, and the Phillies the Wild Card.

There are nine games left, which is also the magic number to clinch the division outright. Seven is the magic number to clinch the postseason altogether. Both are doable. This team looks good right now; finding ways to win, capitalizing on errors, and not letting their own errors hurt them.

86 wins in the book, with nine to play. Chances are they don’t win every one of them, but end up with a comfortable 90-92. Which is where they’d have been last year if their collapse had been mini instead of total. Time to finish it out, put the Phillies away, and win this division. Leave the final weekend at Shea for Shea, not trying to make the playoffs.

Argenis Reyes really should just told he can come back next year. His spot in the lineup should just read ‘out’. I know Castillo has been slow returning from the DL, but so has Church, and we’re not killing him. Castillo is better than Argenis, and a hurt Castillo is better than a hurt Easley, and I don’t think Castillo’s that hurt. Maybe he’s lost a step here and there, but he still can run the bases, still can draw the walk, still gets on base. If he can get on base, and Wright, Beltran and Delgado can hit, then everythings peachy. Argenis Reyes however, hasn’t had a hit in over a month spanning 12 games. He’s had one walk in that span. Castillo accomplished both last night.

Magic Number Mojo

2008-09-15T18:05:00.002-04:00

Obviously baseball is a very superstitious sport. That doesn't mean jinxes are real, or that some things don't have to happen the way they do. There are some things you just can't wait until the last minute to plan for. The playoffs are one of them. Many Mets fans out there don't want anyone mentioning the magic number for instance, but if these fans got their way the Mets would wake up on October First having made the playoffs, but having even more issues.

A. They already sent the groundscrew home for the winter, so the field isn't ready, the grass isn't cut, the trap hasn't protected the field, (They're knocking it all down anyway right?), and the lines aren't drawn.

b. No one's showing up to see them play, since they never printed or sold the tickets.

c. The vendors and ushers aren't there to escort anyone to their seats or sell them hot dogs. There aren't any hot dogs anyway, since they didn't reorder from Aramark past September 28th. (Would anyone be surprised if the concessions are out of virtually everything that day, clinched or not?)

d. In fact, the wrecking ball is already dismantling Shea, because everyone told them to assume the season was over October first until told otherwise. Can't play at Yankee Stadium, since that's meeting the same fate.

e. If they did manage to play, it wouldn't be on the radio. Fox has the tv covered, but Howie Rose is already in Uniondale and Wayne Hagin went home.

f. Mr. Met is off doing weddings and other apperances, unable to man the Pepsi Party Patrol Cannon.

In all, the number (and not just on Metsblog) has been posted before. '06 as well as '07. Would Glavine and Mota have pitched better if the number wasn't up there? no. Even without it on the main page, it'd be mentioned in every thread. Everytime you look at the standings and the Phillies score, you're thinking "how many more Mets wins and Phillies loses before we're in?". So posting it is merely giving us the info we want, which is what the blog is for. I'm too lazy to come up with a proper auto-updating widget (and don't know javascript well enough) to put up the Magic Number, but it stands at 13 with I believe 26 games left.

Can't win them all

2008-09-15T10:51:00.000-04:00

Wow. Bummer of a weekend. It turns out this team is roughly the same team as last year. I’d originally thought the bullpen was better, but without Wagner, it just isn’t. The bigger deal is that the Brewers seem to be freefalling again, like last year. It’s shocking that the Phillies beat them in 4 games, but the Mets at least still have a two game in the loss lead. One of those games is to night.

I’m still not worried, this has been the trend for most of the season. They’d get a little good run going, and the Phillies would struggle a bit. Then it’d reverse, and the Phillies would catch back up. But each cycle of this, the Mets seemed to gain a little bit of ground. In July and early August, the Mets would get to a game or two lead, and lose it again. Now they’re getting a three of four game lead, and letting it dwindle down to one or two. I still think it’s likely the Mets win by four, and I think it’s entirely probable that the Phillies lose 3 games this week. If the Mets can lose less than that, or go 5-2, next week they’ll be a solid three games up with a week to play.

The biggest problem is still that the bullpen is unsettled. Last year at this time, we didn’t know who to go with when. Maybe because they were all struggling or hurt. This year it appears to be the same story. For the most part guys like Ayala and Stokes have been solid since coming here, but is that something that’s going to be the norm? Or are they going to be tired out from being the go-to guys, and by the final weekend, we won’t know who to call on in a tight spot?

The Mets have had plenty of opportunity to put this division away. There have been a game here and there that they just let get away, gave up early, or couldn’t shut the door on. They could easily be in a position that the Phillies wouldn’t even be sending out ticketing emails about coming to see their playoff push.

However, it is what it is. Let’s see the Mets end this this week, play TWO games better than the Phillies, and enter the final week four games up. The Cubs have a magic number of seven, and likely will be using those four games against the Mets for rest and setting up for the playoffs. Just like it’s been each of the last three seasons, the division is there for the Mets taking.

Citi Field: Home of the Mets, and only the Mets.

2008-09-09T22:58:00.001-04:00

News today confirms what has probably been the plan all along. A shiny new Home Run Apple at the Citi. This is just as it should be, I don’t understand those that want the same old decrepit apple from Shea. It’s worn out and needs to be replaced anyway. Moving it would be as silly as taking the seats from Shea to put in Citi Field.

A lot of stuff about Citi Field hasn’t been decided or released yet. There will be plenty of Shea mementos, and plenty of references to the Mets, despite what some people like to think. For example, the neon guys from the outside of Shea will be featured in one of the clubhouses somewhere, and while we can’t see them, they’ll be there. I’m sure other things will as well. Citi Field is not some Dodger tribute either. The façade of the rotunda will resemble Ebbett’s Field, which I think is a nice touch for the part of the stadium that will be named one of the few baseball players that actually transcends the sport. There are a couple of names for landings and areas that are tributes to old Dodgers and Giants, and you might say it’s a bit too much, and maybe it is. However, there will be plenty of Mets stuff all around, as well as any new memories and additions that happen will likely to Mets related. These Dodger/Giant references are merely the way to recognize and remember the past that led to the creation of the Mets. It’s a way for Mets fans and the next generation to not forget the roots of the team, while we move into a new state of the art facility designed specifically for the New York Mets. Next summer, when the Mets are making memories and leaving their mark all over the place, no one will be thinking about the Dodgers.

Another misconception is that the average fan is being priced out of Citi Field. This is just people overreacting to little snippets of news and expectation. The facts are that there will be plenty of affordable seating at the Citi, and the concessions are likely to be on par with Shea, just with more options and better quality. I’ve heard from a variety of season ticket holders, and while the top prices for the very best seats are obscene, some people are actually paying less than they are this year. There are definitely reasonable priced tickets, and it will be possible for everyone to see a game at the Field next year. I believe the cheapest ticket is going to be $12, compared to $5 this year. There will probably be the occasional special and discount too. And this doesn’t include the Standing Room Only tickets, which they haven’t discussed yet.

Of course, there are some things about the new stadium that aren’t perfect. Despite the ‘good views everywhere’ philosophy, I don’t like the limited seating. Financially I understand why it was done; it would probably take decades to replace the cost of building those extra 10k charging what they’d be worth. While more legroom and closer seats is important, those next 10 thousand people that get left out of the big game would rather be inside than out. However, the Mets rarely average more than the capacity of Citi Field, and the only reason they did this year is because it’s the last year at Shea.

All in all, I’m looking forward to Citi Field a lot. Shea Stadium has a lot of memories, but just like everyone eventually moves out of their first apartment that was falling apart but fun nonetheless, it’s time for the Mets and the fans to move to a better home.

Best Season Ever?

2008-09-04T10:30:00.002-04:00

Greg over at Faith and Fear likes to go on about the ‘almost’ seasons like ’97; years that express the Mets rebirth from the basement into a competitor. These are usually seasons that have little or no possibility of horrific disappointment because you expect nothing and know it’d be a crazy long shot for anything magical to happen.

No one is looking at 2007 with anything but disgust; At least not on this end of the Jersey Turnpike. There was very little ‘good’ to take out of last year. Even something that might have been something, Glavine’s 300^th win, was forever marred by..well you know. I’m sure there were some fun and memorable moments from 2007, but I find myself at a mental block whenever thoughts stray to that year.

2008 will be better, because it’s not like those other years where we expected nothing and got something. Not because it can’t possibly be worse. In a way it combines that magical trait of moving from nowhere to somewhere with the expectation of something exceptional. Much like ’83 or ’96 were worthless years leading into something bigger, ’07 will be the same way. The difference with 2008 is that it’s not coming off an era of irrelevance. Disregarding all the Shea Goodbye and other off the field stuff, 2008 is a recovery year but not just one where we look at the team and enjoy watching them because there is hope and good baseball for once. 2008 has endless possibilities all the way to the end, but even if it were to end as horrifically as any other season there is still that ‘97/’05 quality to it that will keep it in our minds.

For us younger fans (And by that I mean under 30 or so, which is a sad statement in it of itself), I imagine this is how it felt to watch Gooden in 1984. Pelfrey has blossomed into something every team dreams of, a home grown Ace. Even if he might never be the Ace on the Mets because we already have one, even If the Mets never win another game this year, there is something rather exciting coming out of 2008 that makes most of us rather giddy. Can you imagine what the future holds with a 1-2 punch of Santana and Pelfrey? How about how solid Daniel Murphy looks at the plate, coming seemingly out of nowhere? And of course I don’t need to express how wonderful it is to have two franchise ‘veterans’ in Wright and Reyes continue to shine. They hopefully haven’t even reached their prime yet, and they already hold places in the Mets record books that will have them mentioned for decades to come. These are only some of the moments that make 2008 already memorable. From as simple as sweeping the Yankees in the final Subway Series at Yankee Stadium to the possibility of winning it all, 2008 has something for every Mets fan to remember fondly.

Where will this chapter of Mets history take us? That’s yet to be determined, but it’s safe to say that the season will be full of successes no matter how it ends. Step back from the internal strife, the bullpen woes, and the late-inning offensive slumps to appreciate the good aspects of the season. Whether it’s Reyes’ or Wright’s all around good play, the joy of watching an emerging Ace or an already dominant one, the discarded player in Tatis making a comeback to have an excellent year, or any of the other exciting secondary stories that are playing out this year. Then brace for the next four to eight weeks as I expect this season could jump to near the top of the list of best seasons ever for both young and old fans alike.

Who's got the '08 Magic?

2008-08-29T01:12:00.000-04:00

I find myself every year kind of liking the Cubs..just because..they're less harmless than a baby bear. Like the Red Sox did, they have a pretty loyal fanbase for never having won. And of course I'm rooting for them as much as any of those fans this weekend.

So if the baseball gods chose based on 'magic'...who wins between the Cubs and the Rays this year? The Cubs look like one of the best teams in baseball, and they just seem to have a sense about them of winning. The Rays have now assured themselves of their first non-losing season. Ever, and yet they continue to push to replicate the '69 Mets. So in terms of baseball magic, you'd think these two teams are the favorites for the World Series. Who wins out? My money's on the Mets.

I have faith in the Cubs to do well against the Phillies. They took the game against their 'ace', and no reason why they can't win at least two out of three here. I think yesterday around 9:30 is when the Phillies may have said good bye to first place for the next dozen years or so.

don't pump up the Cubs too much though, we still have to face them in September, and even if we no longer have the Phillies to worry about then, we still need to win 3-1 to take a slim one game edge in the all-time season series against them.

The Yankees edge out a victory today to remain a slim six games behind the wild card leading Red Sox, a team that even without Beckett looks much better than the 'Bronx Bombers'. The Yankees finish on the road, so the last game at Yankee Stadium will be earlier than that. Is it possible they take the wrecking ball to it before the season even ends? Either way, I'd bet that it starts coming down before the Mets clean out their lockers for the last time.

Hot Potato

2008-08-27T11:17:00.001-04:00

The game of hot potato continues. Can anyone remember the last time their was a serious division fight? 2006 was a runaway, and 2007 ended with a crazy game of hot potato, with both the Mets and the Phillies doing their best not be be stuck with the division in the end. The Phillies lost, or won depending on how you look at it, that game, but it appears we're playing a new round. I serously thought that by this point in August the Mets would be taking that potato like a football and heading into the end zone. Instead they floundered around in April, and whenever they've acquired the lead, they've made sure to play just bad enough to lose it again. Then the Phillies take a shot at playing badly, the Mets catch and pass them, and we repeat the process.

Sure, last night sucked. Not because of anything Philly is or did, but the same revolving story with the Mets. The bullpen giving it up in key situations, although Pedro could've been better, the inability to score after putting up runs early. This wasn't a 'great battle', it was an exercise in frustration. However, it was just one game, and even if it technically puts the Phillys back in first, there is still plenty of time to play. It's merely a two game series, and tonight is merely one more game. I wasn't surprised that the Mets, who were so hot, have faltered a little of the last five games, but it's time to make a serious play.

We've got Santana going, they've got Kendrick. A mismatch on paper, but then so was this division going into this year. Santana's pitched so brilliantly lately, you wonder if he's not just due for something more medicore. However, the Mets are also due to beat on Kendrick a little, and maybe they'll be able to mess up a now tired Phillies bullpen. Getting Kendrick out early serves that purpose as well. Keeping the bullpen puts pressure on their starters, and gives the Cubs a prime opportunity to beat on them this weekend. The Mets have an off day tomorrow, which allows them to throw everything they've got at the Phillies today and rest after.

It's an important game, but not a dire one by any stretch. Let's see the Mets get back to some decent baseball and put some solid distance between them and the Phillies. I'd like to see the September series as an opportunity to bury the Phillies, not a close battle.

On the (W)right Track

2008-08-21T22:55:00.003-04:00

Does it get any better than this? The Mets continue to demonstrate that they are the class of the National League East. Braves dominate the Mets? Braves won seven of nine this year? Guess not. Better luck next year Braves.

The Phillies fall another game back, and now face the Dodgers, while the Mets face the Astros. The Dodgers are a better team, but their records aren’t that far apart. Then the two teams meet up for two next week. There are no real goals; just play better than the Phillies do. I’d like them to finish with the Phillies and be further ahead then they are now.

This was one of those games where you almost expect the Mets to drop one. They’ve been hot, they can’t win them all, Pedro can be hit or miss sometimes, and the bullpen hasn’t blown a game in a couple of days. Instead, the Mets pull one out, and now have Santana on the mound tomorrow. It doesn’t matter that it’s against Oswalt.

Now only are Ace’s supposed to stop losing streaks, but they’re supposed to string together winning streaks. All of a sudden the Mets have another winning streak, and Johan has a chance to make it longer. The Mets are on pace for 90 wins for the first time in ages. Johan on the mound, an emotional walk-off win, coupled with the return of Ryan Church, and the Mets will be rolling tomorrow night.

Things have to be looking bad for the Phillies. They lost ground despite playing the Nationals and winning two of three. They’re going into another four game series against the Dodgers, against whom they were swept recently. Could the Phillies fold under the pressure and go away so soon? Only time will tell.

Email from Ford

2008-08-21T11:05:00.003-04:00

Okay, I admit I was bored.

I emailed the Ford Motor Company about advertising Derek Jeter on SNY. The reply was pretty generic, which was probably to be expected.

from	crcfmc@ford.com
to		ceetar@gmail.com
date		Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 11:02 AM
subject		Ford Motor Company

hide details 11:02 AM

Dear Ceetar,

Thank you for contacting the Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center regarding the Derek Jeter’s Ford Challenge advertisement.

Feedback such as yours allows us to examine our practices and policies to ensure that we meet or exceed the expectations of our customers in the future. We regret that you have not had a favorable experience, and appreciate the time you have taken to write us.

If you have any other inquiries, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to address them for you.

Sincerely,
Alji
Customer Relationship Center
Ford Motor Company

For online support visit us at: www.customersaskford.com which contains answers to frequently asked questions and links to other key product and service information.

[THREAD ID:1-47VKUC]

-----Original Message-----

From: "ceetar@gmail.com"
Sent: 8/20/2008 01:53:31 AM
To:
Subject: Sales/Advertising

Ford Motor CompanyMain Topic: SalesAdvertisingEmail Questions: There is such a thing as bad publicity. Seeing Derek Jeter advertise your product on SNY (The TV Home of the New York Mets) only makes me think bad things about Ford and the Ford Edge. Every time I see one I think to myself "I hate that car". The commercials run at least once per commercial break it seems, and the audience is at least 95% biased against the spokesperson in question. Seems like a bad decision to me. Owner First Name: Ceetar Owner Last Name: CeetarOwner Email Address: ceetar@gmail.comClient Browser : Firefox 3Client OS : Windows

Rookies are Rosey

2008-08-21T01:45:00.001-04:00

I'm feeling rather chipper, excuse my pun, about the state of the Mets right now. Specifically about Mike Pelfrey, and Daniel Murphy. It's still too early to know anything about Murphy, but so far he's looked spectacular. He may not be the greatest outfielder, but he's not an outfielder. He's shown the willingness and ability to play anywhere however, and if the Mets decided the best way to fill left field, for now and the future, is to keep going with the conversion process for Murphy, I'm sure he'd turn out to be more than serviceable out there.

Pelfrey has got enough major league innings under his belt now to say that he's not a flash in the pan. Pelfrey is looking more and more like the real thing the more he pitches. The Mets organization, even without uber-conservative Peterson, wants to try to keep an eye on Pelfrey's inning count as the latest viewpoint is that it's important to keep the young pitchers from throwing too many innings too fast. Pelfrey is pitching too well for that. Manuel was probably thinking that he'd let Pelfrey pitch a solid six or so innings, and go to the bullpen. Pelfrey was too economical and too dominant to make a decision like that anything but stupid. With less than 100 pitches, Letting Pelfrey finish out the game for his first complete game was good for the bullpen's stamina, Pelfrey's confidence, the fans entertainment, and most importantly, It was good for the Mets.

Church looks like he could return soon, and where a month ago the Mets were desperate for a _second_ outfielder, now they're trying to figure out how to have playing time for five of them...not to mention Endy, who really has been a big help, despite the horrible start he got off to. Assuming Church comes back soon, there should be enough playing time for Church, Evans, Murphy, and Tatis among the two corner outfield positions, including the possibility that some of them could give Delgado a day off. Hopefully Endy can find some playing time also, to stay sharp, and maybe Beltran can get a day off here and there, depending on the playoff race.

Everything's coming up roses for the Mets lately.

Pitching Holding Up

2008-08-20T01:43:00.001-04:00

More bad news on the Billy Wagner front, as it looks like he'll need some more time to deal with his elbow issues, but the Mets continue to find ways to win. This is much different than the first two or three months of the season, when the Mets were finding ways to lose. Of course it's against bad teams, but the Mets do have a good record against good teams too.

I'm pretty sure Manuel was spinning his normal tall tales when he talked about moving a starter to the bullpen, but the media, the fans, and the blogosphere can't seem to stop talking about it. I don't think it's likely, despite Maine's longevity problems lately. I'd much rather see the Mets throw whatever relief pieces they have in the minors, particularly after roster's expand, against the wall and see what sticks. Maybe all Ayala needs is a change of scenery, and he can make an impact here. If we want to talk John Maine to the bullpen for October, that's certainly something to think about once the Phillies fall out of it.

The Phillies are probably due for another upswing after a bunch of losses, and it's important for the Mets to stay ahead of them. This way when the Phillies struggles resurface, which is pretty much inevitable, they can lengthen the lead and start really pulling away. It's hard to think the bullpen could possible be worse, and any improvement in the team can only make it stronger. Despite being second in the league to the Cubs in runs scored, the Mets have struggled with big hits with RISP.

The biggest factor in thinking the Mets will take this division..semi-easily.., is that the Mets seem to have made the case that they can beat anyone and can win in a variety of ways. Conversely, the Phillies have exhibited the behavior of being able to be beat by anyone. The Phillies, particularly their starters, are very hit or miss. If their offense isn't on that day, even the lowly Nationals can beat them, and even if their offense is on, it's possible that their pitching will keep opponents in the game.

Where They Belong

2008-08-15T01:07:00.007-04:00

We all know by know that the Phillies have very little fight in them. The Mets are back atop the NL East again, alone. Where they belong. If you look closely, you'll also notice our 'anemic' offense has scored more than the 'Murderer's Row' offense of the Phillies. Also more than anyone but the Cubs. Without Daniel Murphy's eight, we'd be two behind. Keep it up!

Much Needed Activation Impending

2008-08-11T13:08:00.000-04:00

Argenis Reyes is hitting .232. He’s had some moments, and may turn out to be pretty good, but it’s not looking like it will be this year.

Damion Easley is batting .200 over the last 30 days and 21 games. Easley has never showed he’s the right guy for an everyday spot on the Mets, he’s best as a big pinch hitter off the bench.

Reports indicate Luis Castillo will be back tomorrow, and it’s not a moment too soon. I hope his DL stint has allowed his knees to heal some, so that he can get back to playing an excellent second base as well as reaching base at a much higher pace than either Reyes or Easley. Castillo also has one of the highest averages with runners in scoring position on the team this year, something the Mets often have trouble with. You could hit him 8^th if need be, but I think second works for him too. Delgado’s increased power, and higher position in the order, since Castillo went on the DL will lead to a lot more runs where previously Castillo was drawing walks and being stranded.

Walk it off

2008-08-07T20:47:00.001-04:00

Isn’t it nice how a nice walk off win, and Wright’s first walk off homer, can really help erase the pissed off feelings of earlier in the game? Now they’ve won two of three and a series, and they’re looking up again. Can they keep it up, even with the bullpen doing what it’s doing?

I certainly hope so, and with the Phillies and Cole Hamels, the supposed ace, losing again it is increasingly obvious that the other teams don’t matter. If the Mets play well, they make the playoffs, if they don’t..they could still make the playoffs, but it’s less likely.

Schoeneweis, who seems to get underused by Manuel, looked utterly perplexed when that home run left the yard to tie the game. Santana was probably equally perplexed, not getting a decision yet again.

Yesterday, Pedro gave up two home runs, but otherwise looked pretty good. Provided he stays healthy, which is always a question mark with someone his age, I think he’ll be good down the stretch. Keep in mind he hasn’t really pitched regularly to major league batters in two years. Getting back into the mindset and mentality of pitching major league games again, and outsmarting batters will return a bit of the Pedro magic. Adjusting to the minute changes that seem to happen to strike zones year to year will also come into play, and I suspect Pedro will have a terrific September and be a big part of the Mets push to the playoffs.

Trade Deadline Looms

2008-07-30T01:40:00.001-04:00

I worry about John Maine, but I think he’ll be okay in the end. A little shoulder stiffness is really all it is, and apparently they knew about it before hand, which means that he was able to pitch with it without hurting it further. Maybe they skip him in the rotation due to the off day, but I’m hopeful it’ll be alright in the end.

More importantly, Johan Santana stepped up after an exhausting game on Saturday where the Mets used the bullpen so roughly that Oliver Perez was warming up in the 14^th inning. Santana pitched a complete game, waylaid his critics a bit, and gave the bullpen a much needed rest. They have an off day on Thursday too, so if Pelfrey can give them a lot tonight, they’ll get a nice recharge.

Another thing I’ve been thinking about as the trade deadline looms is what the Mets are to do. I am not a fan of Adam Dunn, or the “Gets on base so strike outs don’t matter” group. While I think our bullpen is excellent, I know bullpen suckiness and exhaustion were the main culprits last year. Maybe another solid arm in there is the best solution the Mets can find. There is a lot of talk of a corner outfielder, and even yesterday I thought this should’ve been the priority. I think Carlos Delgado changes that, Delgado has been playing pretty amazingly for a while now, and I don’t think it’s something he’s going to lose midseason. This Delgado is more true to form than the ones fans grew to hate in 2007 and earlier this year. If Delgado is hitting, then the offense is not as big a problem as it was, and couple that with the possibility that Church will be back soon, and the success Tatis and Endy have had filling in, we might be okay.

So my (un)professional opinion is to get a bullpen arm, and keep an eye out for a cheap outfielder too, even if it’s just someone that can get hot for a week or two, or just needs a change of scenery. Even if the bullpen arm doesn’t end up being great, it’ll distribute the work load and hopefully keep the best guys healthy and fresh for the stretch run.

Who's Feisty Now?

2008-07-25T02:35:00.002-04:00

The Mets despite the turmoil they've faced so far, are right where they want to be; in sole possession of first place. The Phillies are on the outside looking in. If this season, and last, has taught us anything it's that this isn't over. There will be plenty more ups and downs after this series, maybe starting as soon as tomorrow. We don't even know who is starting on Saturday, a game I'm looking forward to being at.

Speaking of Delgado, his hit had so many layers. The slide into third, the racing for third on the throw to begin with, looking frustrated at being thrown out despite delivering one of the biggest hits this season. That he took it the other way.

It's far from over, but it feels good. How about the Phillies continuing to roll over? To win the first game of every series and not get another one is just pathetic. They've only scored one run off of Perez all season, that's maddeningly awesome. That Rollins can't even be bothered to show up on time? "Traffic" come on! (Does it matter? I think Bruntlett is doing better against the Mets than Rollins). I wonder if Rollins' traffic looked something like this.

Ouch

2008-07-23T03:14:00.002-04:00

(The included picture came up when I did a google image search for 'baseball ouch' How depressing is that?)

I'm so sick of Manuel. Not that his poor handling of the bullpen is any excuse for the poor performance of the bullpen, but you know what they say, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The last game before the Mets 10 game winning streak was a game in which Santana dominated the Phillies for eight innings and 95 pitches and was lifted by Manuel in the 9th only to have the lead, and the game, be blown. Last night he did the same thing, with a couple more pitches thrown, and a couple more runs as a cushion. However, he knew Wagner wasn't available, and he instead went to a closer by committee, changing his mind three times in the inning.

Hopefully Manuel hasn't transported this team to the way it was before the winning streak; sandwiching it between (at least) two poorly managed games and shipping it off to 2006. If anything, this team has shown remarkable resilience for taking a devastating loss and coming back from it. The Phillies have also shown the remarkable ability to take any advantage they're given and squander it, so we'll see where the chips fall tonight.

They're Just Not That Good

2008-07-22T03:39:00.004-04:00

Fear! Panic! Dismay! These are the feeling in Philadelphia today as the Phillies get read to play the Mets at Shea. Likely these feelings are mimicked in the visitors clubhouse.

The Phillies signed a new starting pitcher, and the Mets may lose one in Pedro Martinez. The Phillies are bringing back Brett Myers from his Trachselesque exile to AAA, and the Mets may have an injured closer. Yet the momentum and the good feels are all on the New York side of Jersey.

After a half-season where it seemed like everything that could go wrong for the Mets, did. The Phillies consequentially played well, fighting with the Marlins for the division lead while the Mets wallowed around .500 with the perennial rival Braves. Even a weekend that saw the Mets lose two out of three giving the Phillies a chance to enter this series with a lead has now gone the Mets favor; the Phillies also lost two out of three so the teams remain tied.

While the Phillies fans start remembering how much they disliked their team before the Mets handed them the division, the Mets fans are starting to remember how much they like this team. The second Reyes has replaced most thoughts of Ruben Gotay has step-in second baseman, Delgado is playing like it's 2006 and Endy and Tatis have stepped up to man the outfield in the absence of Ryan Church and whoever the Mets theoretically sign to take over the left field role.

Since the Mets took the division by storm in 2006, the East has been theirs. They took it for granted, let it slip through their fingers, and watched a rival get Rockied in the 2007 playoffs. Now it's time to step up, knock the crown from the Phillies undeserving heads, and run with it. This week is the week the Mets take the last dregs of Philly confidence, turn the Phillies away with their tails between their legs and down the Turnpike back to Philadelphia and 20000 losses.

Runaway Train

2008-07-18T02:39:00.003-04:00

10 in a row, and this was certainly a game you could've thought the Mets would lose when Santana proved to not be up to the task today and the bullpen was iffy. But the Mets kept battling, even in the top of the 9th, and came out on top. Good to see, good to win a game like that, but lets not make a habit of it. David Wright comes through with a clutch hit, a home run that if this was two weeks ago you would've been sure was going to be caught. This is probably a good question for metswalkoffs, but how it seems like David Wright has a crazy amount of walk-off or game-tying hits off of opposing closers. I guess it's logical that these kinds of hits come off of closers, but I may start calling David Wright the Anti-Save anyway.

10! in a row and tied for first place. The Phillies get Joe Blanton and even if that made them feel better, that feeling barely lasted three hours. The Mets go for history Friday night, trying to tie the franchise record for wins in a row at 11. This team has made a complete 180 since about two weeks ago, and I cannot see a catalyst for it. Players just started playing well, pitchers started pitching, and instead of finding ways to lose, they're finding ways to win. Maybe they just flat out ran out of ways to lose games?

No Baseball? Try This.

2008-07-14T23:29:00.002-04:00

Looking for something to do while there is no baseball on?

check out simyard.com It's a baseball management simulation. You get a roster full of randomly generated players, and have the ability to pick up new ones. Then you compete in games in the park against other managers. In the off season you're players train and get better. If you buy/join a league, you can build a stadium, have a free team, a major league team and a minor league team and sign players to fill them. Then you pick a league and compete in a scheduled 162 games against your opponents. It's lots of fun, and very addictive. Check it out. My team's the Ceetarian Killer Dust Bunnies.

All-Star Guide

2008-07-14T12:48:00.002-04:00

I wrote a sort of guide to the All-Star game, of what to expect, which i'm pasting below. I also created a drinking game, if anyone is interested in that.

Tuesday is the Major League Baseball All-Star game. It’s being played this year in Yankee Stadium, in it’s final season before being knocked down. This is, quite understandably, going to create a feeling of nostalgia around the broadcasts and events involved in this game. From clips of past All-Star games at Yankee Stadium and other memorable moments to discussions about Yankees from Babe Ruth to Derek Jeter, there is going to be a lot of talk about the Yankees and Yankee Stadium during these festivities.

Things to expect on Tuesday for the All-Star game

Players:
-I expect plenty of coverage of Goose Gossage, a Yankee who played in the 1977 All-Star game at Yankee Stadium and is being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

-Thurman Munson also played in that game, and is a much beloved Yankee that will get plenty of discussion.

-The other Yankees to play in the 1977 All-Star game; Reggie Jackson, Sparky Lyle, Graig Nettles and Willie Randolph will get some mention.

-It’ll be mentioned that Randolph managed the Mets and got fired, but other than that I’m sure it’ll be all Yankee references.

-Probably at least some discussion of the other Yankees to play in All-Star games at Yankee Stadium over the years.

-Especially on ESPN, Joe Morgan will talk about, or be talked about, since he was at the game in 1977. If we don’t see a clip of the home run he hit in the game, I’ll be shocked.

-I don’t expect a lot of talk about the Yankees citymates, the New York Mets. David Wright and Billy Wagner will get mentioned since they’re on the team, but even though this isn’t the only stadium closing in the city, not much will be made of the 1964 All-Star game at Shea Stadium. John Sterns was the only Met representative at the 1977 All-Star game, but Tom Seaver was also on the roster for the Reds before being traded back to the Mets, as was former Met Nolan Ryan.

Stadium:
-An overabundance of Yankee Stadium goodbyes. All sorts of people will be asked about their first and last moments in Yankee Stadium and what it means to them.

-Plenty of talk about when Yankee Stadium was built, about Babe Ruth’s career helping to make it what it is today.

-Repeated shots of Monument Park and all the plaques and statues enclosed within. Also discussions about how it’s going to be moved to the new stadium.

-Plenty of overhead shots of the new Yankee Stadium being build, and the comparisons and similarities between the two stadiums.

-I’d be shocked if they showed Shea Stadium at all. Despite there being another stadium in New York that housed plenty of baseball’s history as well as an All-Star game, it won’t get more than a passing mention. At best I’d expect a quick aerial shot of it and Citi Field, the Mets home from 2009 and beyond.

As for the game itself, I suspect it’ll be a fairly decent game this year. There are a great amount of young players on the rosters that are fun to watch, as well as some terrific pitchers. I think the National League will finally prevail this year, after failing in a close comeback last year and Trevor Hoffman blowing the save in 2006. This means Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will not get to close out the final All-Star game in Yankee Stadium for the American League, but he can still pitch the ninth inning if Terry Francona was inclined to do so.

This Team Is Good

2008-07-14T02:01:00.000-04:00

Take a break and think about it for three days; The Mets are good. Mike Pelfrey is good.

They can now take three days really feeling this, knowing that destiny is in their own hands again, knowing they are better than the Phillies and just having to lose less games than them to win the division this year. They know that despite a collapse and a poor first half, they're right where they need to be for the second half, having played as well as their competition despite struggling. They get that confidence back, and can take off in the second half without all the nagging questions and doubts.

It's freaking unbelievable the way this team has been playing, it's like they suddenly turned a switch and started working. I don't know what happened, maybe it was just they finally stopped west coast trips, or maybe it's the excitement of having a player like Pelfrey step up and the bench players, while not playing great, are playing well enough when they need to to cover the injuries and holes on this team at the moment.

Got some All-Star posts coming tomorrow.

On Top of the World

2008-07-12T20:14:00.003-04:00

A huge confidence booster to end the unofficial first half on this kind of note. Win or lose tomorrow, when they resume play on Thursday it'll be with the knowledge that they can and will beat everyone.

The Mets now control their own destiny. They are zero losses behind for the lead, so if they win, they win. It's a good place to be, and even if they were to fall back to one out, they can go into the break relaxed and confident.

For the first time probably all year, their was optimism and confidence in the stands at Shea while I was there. And the place was virtually packed too.

Prices for next year?

2008-07-11T16:39:00.006-04:00

I saw this column by Phil Muschnick (Someone pointed it out to me, I wouldn't read him on a regular basis) about his friend's invoice for season tickets next year, and wrote up a reply. I tried sending it to him, but his mailbox is full. (Can the Post not afford adaquate storage or just Muschnick just not know how to use email?)

So I'm posting it here. While there is some disappointment involving rising prices of tickets, and really everything in life, most of Muschnick's points don't really translate well. (What do you expect? He's writing for the New York Post) Here's his article, and my response. Real brilliant 'Citi Slickers' headline too..

It's a capitalist society and baseball is a business. Sorry, that's just how it is, and I probably couldn't afford to buy those season tickets for 1993 even if I was purchasing them today.

The Sunday night thing is a non-issue, and you should know it. It has nothing at all to do with the Mets, and is solely between ESPN and MLB. A baseball season is a grind and if someone can't handle staying up late to watch a game, oh well. Sure, he'd rather be home by 8pm on a Sunday, but that's exactly why the game is at 8; National TV ratings, which are higher when everyone is home. And you get a couple of weeks warning, and if you're really a season ticket holder and follow the team, you'd have to be pretty daft not to notice the change.

You're talking about virtually the tip of the iceberg in seating too. You don't walk into Applebees, look at the exclusive steak special and declare the whole restaurant too expensive, because it's not true. Sure, it's going to be expensive, sure even the 'cheap seats' will be overpriced, but to go to every game and sit in the top deck is probably going to be less than $4000. You'll still be getting the same ballpark experience, the ability to walk around and see the sights, get to most of the restaurants and food stands, and see the same players play the same game. You won't get into the Sterling Club or the waiter service type stuff, and if you argued that _that_ upgrade wasn't worth $50000 I'd agree with you. The Yankee comparison is valid, because it's the 'competition' in terms of going to a ballpark to see baseball. There are a lot, and probably way too many in my eyes, of fans that easily flipflop between the teams and would use financial excuses to determine where to see games.

Is it a worsening deal? A lot of that depends on the team. But a deal is what people will pay for it, and people will pay for season tickets next year. If it was really a worsening deal, you and he wouldn't be bent out of shape about it because you'd figure it wasn't going to be as good as in the past. Shea is a leaky dump, and Citi Field will be a nice place to see a game, plus the revenue streams created help the Mets compete and put a better team, or deal, on the field. The issue here isn't about the rich folk who are suddenly having to pay more money for the product, ti's the average working class family that will struggle to afford to get to any but the games against the worst opponents and maybe even struggle to do that.

If your friend is really that concerned about it, and he's obviously high on the priority list of ticket holders, he should call the ticket agent and negotiate for a lower priced ticket somewhere else. I'm sure there are excellent box seats for half that price in a different part of the stadium.

The Other End

2008-07-10T18:09:00.000-04:00

The other end of the broom sure feels good!

Can't Rain On This Parade

2008-07-10T00:34:00.004-04:00

Five in a row! Again! Suddenly, the sky is blue and the paths are rosy. The Mets can do no wrong, the bench players come through with big hits, the bullpen and starters don't allow runs and the Mets win the games instead of finding ways to lose.

Nothing has changed and yet everything has changed. Pelfrey looks so good that even the Mets of next year look good! The biggest difference in my eyes has been Carlos Delgado. Delgado is finally hitting the baseball hard, laying off of bad pitches, and driving it all over the place. I think Delgado has suddenly become better than he was in 2006, where he was even streakier. His ability to hit the ball hard has changed this lineup drastically, and he's starting to scare pitchers again. He's suddenly gotten his batter's eye back, and as he hits more, pitchers will pitcher him more carefully, which means he'll be able to draw more walks and consequentially, make less outs and ground into less double plays. If he remains hitting sixth, whoever hits in front of him is going to find more pitches to hit, and do better themselves. I know Endy has been playing well, but it's no surprise that since Delgado has started hitting, this offense has been hot and those outfield holes have looked a lot smaller. Smaller holes means less desperation for Omar to find another outfield bat, and less desperation means he can be patient and find that diamond in the rough without sacrificing prospects and the future. I look forward to see what he can do over these next three weeks.

Except for a brief euphoria after Santana's opening game win, or the brief glee we felt in April of 2007 starting with the vengeance sweep of the Cardinals, this may be the happiest Mets fans have felt since Endy came down with that catch. There will still be rough patches; The Phillies aren't a great team, but there offense will have more hot streaks where they win a stretch of games. This is irrelevant if the Mets continue to perform as they have, as they'll far outclass the Phillies. There are four games left before the break, and for the first time I find myself not agonizing over having to have a certain record to match a certain record to the Phillies. Barring catastrophe, we'll go into the break with a virtual clean slate; able to outplay the Phillies, and the Braves and Marlins and Nationals, and win this division.

Chances are the Giants will find a way to score at least one run in their trip to New York, but I have a lot of confidence in John Maine to get the job done tonight. Let's Go Mets!

No longer sinking, but rising

2008-07-07T23:32:00.003-04:00

And the Mets take three out of four from the Phillies in Citizen's Bank Ballpark. Billy Wagner made it stressful, but when it came down to it, the Phillies offense just wasn't that good, and they just weren't clutch enough to get the job done. In fact, the only win they got was in walk-off fashion in the 9th inning of a game in which Johan Santana should've been pitching. Instead Jerry Manuel pulls the Mets ace with only 95 pitches thrown and Sanchez gives it up in the 9th.
Pedro pitched well, but in typical Pedro Martinez fashion falters after he reaches the 100 pitch mark.

The Mets finally give former Met Killer Adam Eaton a loss, get Pedro his first win, and now are only two games out in the loss column. Billy Wagner pitched two of his bad games, and the Mets won anyway. The so-called 'gamer' Phillies have been bad, especially last year, after facing the Mets. Let's hope they continue that trend, and the Mets can win in these final six games. They could even be in first by the break.

Of course, the Mets have showed signs before, particularly against average Philadelphia who they are 7-3 against. A winning record over these next six would be a big step up though. Maybe the Mets really do turn it on now, and take the division they deserve.

Whether last year, or now, the Phillies have been incapable of building or holding a division lead. When it comes down to it, they're just not a first place team. They're a mediocre team that can pummel some teams and get hot, and can occasionally get up to play the big game against a better team, but usually that averages out in the long run and they finish where they belong, a couple of games above .500 and in second or third.

Palette Cleanser for the Phillies

2008-07-04T02:34:00.003-04:00

The best thing about the St. Louis blowout is that it set this team into a no-stress, easy going, comfortable mode that it hasn't had since they went into the second game of the season and Pedro hurt himself. Hit the ball, beat crappy pitching, move along. Carlos Delgado looks freaking locked in. That home run he hit was just a nice, lazy, Delgado(old Delgado)like swing. That recap of the home run would fit in well in 2002, except for the Mets uniform. It was nice to see, and he's amazing close to being on pace for a 30 HR, 100 RBI season, which you certainly would like to see him keep up at.

Jackie Robinson Rotunda Elevators

Thanks the Pelfrey and the surprisingly rejuvenated offense, there was no late inning thoughts of “How are they going to find a way to lose this one?” and just a nice, relaxing blowout going into the series of the year. Now unfortunately, the Braves suck and have halted the Phillies losing ways temporarily, but they pitched pseudo-ace Hamels against the reeling Braves, almost underestimating the Mets.

The Mets now have 10 games left until the All-Star break, and you'd like to see them be able to turn the corner, put this bad stretch behind them, and starting making confident strides towards first place and the division title. There are a couple of things they need to do that.

Beat Philadelphia. Obviously, anything but winning three or four against the Phillies leaves them right where they were, averagely struggling through the season. While a sweep is unlikely, it's also possible, and a sweep would put the Mets with the same amount of losses as the Phillies going forward. If they win three, they need to win at least one more than the Phillies during the next six, and go into the break at worse one game out.

Get to the break above .500. If they do win the series against the Phillies, they'd be one over. Obviously a split of the final six against bad teams isn't ideal, but right now if they could go into the the break one loss out and above .500 in anyway, it's a good thing.

Win the final Sunday game against the Rockies. A nice solid win to finish up the unofficial first half would be a good way to cauterize the first half and just move forward with winning baseball games in the second half like a different team. Obviously it's silly and impossible to place much importance on any single game within a 162 game season, but it'd put the team in the right mind frame for the second half.

Mets Believe Mets Fans Believe They Can Win

2008-07-01T02:59:00.003-04:00

I was at the Subway Series games this weekend, and while a lot of the juice has gone out of it, there was still excitement in the air. The lack of juice could be attributed to both teams struggling. I didn't hear one “Jet-ers Boy-Friend” chant for A-Rod. No Hip-Hip You're-Gay! No Captain Cologne! (Admittedly, some of these are better left unsaid) There were still a good amount of Yankees fans being positive, cheering “Der-ek Jet-er” and other assorted lame Yankees chants. Despite the Yankees being in arguably a worse position than the Mets, their fans are still more optimistic.

The argument everyone always falls back on is they've won in the past. But winning in the past doesn't do anything for winning in the present. The only thing it affects is confidence, and part of that is fan confidence. Who do you think has more confidence in their team, and their own performance? Cano, or Castillo? Both are playing badly, but one guy is having his head called for constantly and booed. The other is certainly souring faces, but he's not yet being chased out of town or having fans seriously consider releasing him. Sometimes if you tell someone that they are a certain way enough, they believe it themselves. When Delgado comes up to the plate, everyone at Shea is convinced and screaming at him that he's going to ground out to second, so he's thinking about grounding out to second. Just like you can't stop thinking about the giant elephant in the room. Conversely, Derek Jeter comes up in a big spot thinking he's going to come through because that's what everyone always tells him he does. So he hits roughly the same ground ball, but instead it seems to go a little faster, and just seems to find that hole between second and first.

So how about we go about our business as Mets fans with a little bit of swagger and confidence. We just crushed the Yankees, winning the series 4-2. Play that way all season and the Mets would win well over 100 games. We've gained on the Phillies, and we're coming with a vengeance that they should be frightened of. Even bad teams can win frequently, and whether you think the Mets are good, bad, or somewhere in between, lets go out there and root like we think and know they will win the game instead of constantly telling them how they're going to fail and not good enough for us. Maybe they'll start to believe it too.

Oh, and Jerry Manuel telling everyone that the it's the Yankees town isn't helping. All it did was give fodder to the newspapers to continue talking about the Yankees and treating the Mets like the second team.

Mets Grab the Holy Grail

2008-06-27T18:34:00.006-04:00

Finally! The Grand Slam arrives, and how fitting it comes from our typical clean-up slugger in Carlos Delgado. I've toyed with some 'turning points' for this team during the year, and just a couple of days ago I realized that the Grand Slam was what was truly lacking, what was truly holding this team back. Well now that's out of the way, courtesy of the Yankees bullpen.

The Grand Slam is a jolt of confidence, a great turning point in any game, providing a sudden 4-run swing in the runs column. These are some things the Mets sorely needed, and even better is that it came with two outs, so it was a dazzlingly clutch RISP hit also. (picture not from today's game)

It’s just one game, although it set a record for RBIs by a Mets player in one game, but even better would be if this was a turning point for Carlos Delgado to finish the season, and maybe even his career, on a warpath to a championship. Of course, the Yankees may be clamoring for him to be their DH next year with his performances at Yankee Stadium.

Now everyone gets to head over to Shea to face Sidney Ponson. Let’s get this party started!

P.S. I know the All-Star game is 'lame' but I'd still like to see Wright, Reyes and Beltran there. So vote! or something.. Try to reduce the Yankee Stadium love fest it'll be by bring some Shea representatives.

An Apple a Day

2008-06-27T03:32:00.004-04:00

Little Bit of Silliness

I am always multi-tasking, so it's rare when I sit down and just focus on the game. This goes doubly for the commercials, but I saw one on SNY during the game the other day and I was amused. They were advertising Mets tickets and the line was “Come see the Apple at Shea!”. I couldn't help but think, “What, are the Mets that bad that they don't say 'Come see Reyes' or 'Come see Wright' they go with the decrepit Apple?!”

Ray Lines

2008-06-25T18:28:00.001-04:00

I just logged in to place a bet on the Mets to win the game tonight, and decided to check the odds for the World Series.

the Mets are back to 15-1, which is what I got when I made my wager pre-Santana.

The Rays, the team that's never finished above 500?

10-1.

Ouch.

Cue comparisons to the '69 Mets.

Inconsistent Consistency

2008-06-24T23:42:00.001-04:00

Why was every one calling for change for change’s sake? I mean this particularly in reference to the idea that we needed a manager change and a shake-up. It seems that the biggest problem with this team this year is both the offense and the lack of consistency, both in-game and over an extended group of games.

So why would a shake-up, which by its very nature creates a disturbance and breaks up any consistency. On top of this, the move was made while the Mets were on a winning streak, which couldn’t have been what they wanted to shake up. Maybe what this team needs, or needed, was a steadier day-to-day regiment. A few weeks with the same lineup, healthy left and right fielders, the same manager and coaches, confirmed by Omar to be there all year. Surely giving Willie the okay for sure would’ve deferred some of the distraction, and it’s not like the statement would’ve been binding if Omar then decided, in July as things possibly grew more dire, to fire Willie and others anyway.

It’s too late for that, but now that Manuel is supposedly here all year, and Church is coming back, maybe this team can find a little bit of that daily regiment of monotony to start grinding out some real good streaks.

The 2008 Holy Grail: The Grand Slam

2008-06-23T22:38:00.003-04:00

Grand Slammed to the mat. The problem with the Mets this year is the 4-run home run. They haven’t been successful since they last hit one, which was 2006. Beltran struck out with the bases loaded to end the season and they haven’t made good on an opportunity yet. They’ve certainly given them up this year though, whether to American League pitchers who can barely tell one end of a bat from the other, or to anyone coming up against the bullpen trying to protect a one-run lead. We got rid of Jorge Sosa who was helping put games out of reach by giving up Grand Slams, but what we really needed was for someone to hit one.

This team needs to find that Grand Slam so they can get over this malaise and start winning games again. You’d have thought the Mets bringing up Grand Slam machine, Fernando Tatis, would help them shake off the disaster that was Chan Ho Park and 2007 and get their very own 2008 four run dinger.

It wasn’t a manager or coach change that the Mets needed. It isn’t a Zephyr call up or a mid-season trade. It wasn’t the off-season acquisition of an Ace. No, what this team needs is a grand slam, and when they get that sweet quadruple helping of runs batted in, this team will take off towards the ultimate prize, October and the World Series.

Book Review: What If The Babe Had Kept His Red Sox?

2008-06-23T13:53:00.001-04:00

Book Review: What If Babe Ruth Had Kept His Red Sox?

Chances are you will disagree with the alternate destinations the author takes in these 'what if' questions he poses in the book. That's not the point. The point is to provoke thought on how meaningful and important certain events were to sports and baseball by theorizing about what could've happened had they not happened the way they did.

He lays the groundwork for what really happened for those of us that don't know or don't remember. Some of the baseball issues he brings up are very interesting. As indicated by the title, one is about Ruth and him staying with the Red Sox instead of being sold to the Yankees. The biggest point he makes is that Boston isn't as big a city, or exciting a place, as New York and as such Ruth wouldn't have developed into the huge worldwide icon for baseball that he did. He also discusses park differences, and if Yankee Stadium would even have been built. Certainly the Yankee franchise wouldn't have been the same without Ruth and his home runs to fuel them, and coupled that with not moving into their own place in 1923 and continuing to share the Polo Grounds with the Giants, they would've remained second class (or third class) citizens. He makes valid points about a future path for the Yankees, Red Sox, and Ruth, an while it's not one I agree with necessarily, it's still fun to theorize about.

Another interesting baseball alternate-history is what would've happened if Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige integrated baseball in the 30s, rather than Jackie Robinson in the 40s. Despite the title, I felt this was the most thought out scenario in the book. There were rumors and suggestions that a team, maybe the Phillies, would consider signing players, particularly these two stars, out of the Negro leagues. There were many different reasons that this did not happen. Not only was there still racism all over the place, but many people felt taking the best players from the Negro Leagues would cause them to suffer and have to fold. However, this would've been one of the best ways for baseball to continue successfully. Many of the best players around the league were enlisting to fight in the war, and being able to choose from black players as well as white ones would've added some talent to the league that was sorely missing it. He suggests that if both guys were signed by the same team, they'd have the benefit of each other to get through the tough parts of integration, where Jackie had to do it all by himself.

There is a whole section on trades, which is one of the most popularly posed 'what-if' questions. Mets fans still routinely like to think about what it'd be like if they had signed Alex Rodriguez, if they hadn't traded Scott Kazmir, or if they'd signed Vladimir Guerrero. These kinds of regrets and second-guessing of past GM decisions are part of every fan base, and the author here takes some of the bigger trades throughout baseball history and theorizes where the teams involved would be if they hadn't made them. It's interesting to postulate about how things would've turned out.

Other topics include what if the Cleveland Browns hadn't entered the NFL? Would they just have vanished into obscurity in the start-up All-America Football Conference? Would the league have folded and all of the players on the Browns dispersed via draft, never to have that successful run together upon entering the NFL? What if Cassius Clay had lost the fight to Sonny Liston? Would he still have become Muhammad Ali? Would he still be one of the most recognized athletes? What about Sonny Liston? Would have retained the title for much longer, or was his time up and was their nothing he could do about it? Did the NHL expand too much too fast? Did doubling in size hurt the quality of the game and the talent pool? Would golf still be the sport it is today if Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus had been anything but extraordinary? Their rivalry really brought fans to the game, and helped make golf into a major event. Had they not both been great, they never would've been able to directly compete against each other as much, and had that never happened a lot of the excitement would've gone out of the game. These two also altered the game for the other players. Once they started bringing in fans and ratings, suddenly more tournaments started popping up, and bigger prize pools. It was suddenly becoming possible for more than the top one or two guys to make a living playing golf.

Reading through all these what-if situations was fun. Even when I didn't agree with how things would turn out, It was still interesting to see how much things could change based on small decisions through history.

John Maine and Batting AVG against

2008-06-20T19:08:00.003-04:00

More statistics supporting John Maine's ability. I put some money on the game tonight, I think Maine will have a great game, as will Pedro tomorrow.

Have to Listen to the Leaders

2008-06-18T11:14:00.002-04:00

Reyes: Fly Like the Wind

Here's my take on the Reyes thing, I support him fully in this. I think it was a mistake to keep Manuel while firing Willie. If a change was going to work, it needed to be a clean slate, not someone leading that's been through the same problems. So when Manuel starts his tenure by pissing off Wright and Reyes, it doesn't look good.

Wright and Reyes, by example or otherwise, are going to be or already are the leaders of this team. The team revolves around them, and Manuel needs to work with them and allow them the ability to do that.

At least give Reyes the chance to walk it off, jog in the outfield, really see if he's hurt. Manuel, admittedly, said that it was his first day played into his decision. This isn't about Manuel though, it's about Reyes and winning the game, which we had less of a chance to do with Easley. Reyes wanted to play, and the only message this sends besides “I know best” is that he doesn't have to play hard when he's not feeling 100%. Reyes is who he is, and we don't need him molded into some media-darling cookie cutter player. So what if he throws a tantrum? Haven't so many of you been saying how you want to see fire and fight with this team? Well Reyes has got it, he is who he is and trying to make him something else is detrimental to the team, as we saw early in the season when Beltran reminding him to stop worrying about how he's perceived and play the game the way he knows how.

This whole firing situation reeks to me of setting up the team to fail. It sounds like “You can't fire me, I quit!” by Mets management. They've decided the team isn't going to win, set up a fall guy, and laid the groundwork for next year. What they forget is it's early June. I still think the Mets can and will break out of it, but it also feels like the media and management are fighting against it. The team needs to be able to relax, and it doesn't look like this is going to afford them that. Only time will really tell; will this team be counted out on August 1st and pull a Colorado Rockies to make the playoffs after the pressure is off? It's still too early for that too.

The Only Way to Fire Him Badly

2008-06-17T09:55:00.003-04:00

While I like Willie Randolph and didn't want him fired, I've long said I could live with it because I felt a change needed to be made for changes sake, and who knows what the problem is?

However, if Randolph was the problem, then undoubtedly so was Manual and Howard Johnson, but they are still here. Of course, the shoddy way the Mets handled this so far could mean they're gone when they wake up in Anaheim today. Ken Oberkfell is promoted from Triple A manager to first base coach, and I assume that the idea is he's the favorite for manager and Jerry Manual is truly an interim guy, but if the Mets go on to win in the playoffs like they are capable of, how can you fire him? And firing coaches/managers twice within a season is just an unneeded (for the players) distraction and disruption.

If they were going to fire him, Friday was the time after a bad stretch of games. Instead, now they've won four of six and three of the last four. They didn't make a huge move, bringing up triple A guys to fill the coaching spots, so why did they need to hold off on making this decision? I even went to bed last night thinking the Mets were on an upswing and Willie probably even had a days reprieve or so. To make a guy fly out to Anaheim and win a game well with a young pitcher on the mound, a game where he made the right bullpen moves to win the game, and then fire him after it is silly.

Maybe it was in deference to Randolph? If they fire him Friday and then the Mets start winning, he looks bad and like the cause of the Mets struggles. However, now that they're playing well again, it just looks like any other manager firing and maybe he doesn't get all the blame.

I know nothing about Nieto and have no reason to understand why he got fired, but Peterson I can live with an am almost happy with. I don't really know how much impact he has had, and how much impediment he has been. I tire of his babying pitchers and his pitch counts and what seems to me to be molding a pitcher to his philosophies rather than teaching the pitcher how to succeed with what he's got. I know nothing about his replacement though, and it'll be interesting to see how things go. The only guy I'm really curious about is Perez. Maine has progressed enough that I think he'll actually benefit with someone else's suggestions and only get better. Pelfrey to me was just a matter of confidence and practice, not necessarily who was giving it to him. Plus having Pedro here is worth as much as any pitching coach.

So we have all day and night to talk about this, and then it's time to move on and start/continue playing good baseball and get back to the ultimate goal of winning the World Series.

Does Willie still get to go to the All Star game? Also, I don't want to hear from Yankees fans on this. The Yankees totally mishandled Joe Torre (although at least it was in the offseason) and have a crybaby for an owner.

And in a game of what if?

Willie Randolph gets Jim Leyland's job, and manages the Tigers to a championship over the Mets. Then after asked "You've just won the World Series, what are you going to do now?" he returns to Anaheim where he was fired. "I'm going to Disneyland!"

Last True Doubleheader

2008-06-15T03:30:00.004-04:00

This very well could be the last true doubleheader ever at Shea Stadium. It's also on Fathers Day, which seems rather fitting.

I was 'at' the game Saturday Night, and I got quite a few interesting pictures. The Field was an absolute wreck by the time they called the game. There were puddles everywhere, including a lake on the warning track in center field. I didn't take any pictures of the inside as I was leaving, but all I could think was “Is it time to go to the Citi yet?” As I waded through stagnant puddles of water and dodging raindrops somehow leaking through the ceiling.

Before the game, during the brief non-rainy period they were holding a Nathan's hot dog eating contest. The winner ate 42 hot dogs, which was rather disturbing, but it was kind of interesting too.

Also, I'm in the process of uploading a video of the Texas Rangers playing Slip N Slide on the trap as the game was being called. I assume the Mets were either already dressing to go home, already on their way home, or not in a jovial mood the way they've been playing. Either way, there were still fans that managed to criticize them for not being out there on the tarp, and it almost seemed like there were callers to WFAN blaming Willie for the rain out. Probably a bit much, but I was disappointed Trot Nixon wasn't in the lineup, and Easley was supposed to be playing left fifeld. I suppose we'll see them all tomorrow.

Subway Series Makeup

2008-06-13T17:37:00.001-04:00

Friday at 2pm is an awful time to make up the Subway Series game.

Rangers Can't Win

2008-06-13T16:48:00.001-04:00

Texas Rangers are 1-5 all-time at Shea Stadium. Of course, they've never played the Mets. The Yankees ripped them apart back in 1975 when they played at Shea. The only certainty about this weekend is that the Rangers won't ever have a winning record at Shea Stadium. This isn't an absolute however, but it's unlike the Rangers will visit Shea in the World Series.

I 'have' to go to the game tomorrow. I'm looking more forward to getting my Nathan's Shea replica than the game though. It's sad, but it's a lose-lose situation for a while. They lose, it sucks. They win, okay fine, show me more. It is ultimately still kinda early, and the Phillies aren't going to run away, but they need to get around to figuring out what type of team they want to be and how to play like winners.

What now?

2008-06-12T16:47:00.001-04:00

or not.

E. T. Phone Home

2008-06-12T01:38:00.003-04:00

Tonight reminded me of the movie E.T., when E.T. and Elliot are both in the hospital and seem to be linked. The link is broken and Elliot begins to recover, but E.T. doesn't, being out of his element. So went tonight.

After eight innings of baseball, the Mets were deflated by Billy Wagner giving up the game tying home run, and Chase Utley drives in the tying run in the top of the 9^thin Florida for the Phillies. Things seem as bad as they could be, but then that link is broken and the Phillies to whom first place is as alien as Earth was to E.T., will soon be back where they belong.

The Marlins storm right back and set the Phillies down with a walk off grand slam. The link has been broken and it takes a little time before the Mets recover, in the bottom of the 13^th, with Beltran's sixth walk off home run of his career. Beltran's last walk off two run home run was against those very same Phillies back on May 23^rd of 2006. This was a long time ago, back when players like Steve Trachsel were still on this team,but we've been looking for turning points all season and maybe all the symmetry associated with this win is what they truly needed.

There was energy, determination, fight, and all sorts of good qualities during this game. Don't forget that Castillo was on base and Beltran at the plate because of a fielding error at third base, so the Mets were capitalizing on errors too. Beltran also had a key two-run single, on a clean line drive to center, earlier in this game to start the scoring. This hit also came after an error charged to Brandon Webb allowed Castillo to reach base after Reyes got the call from the ump on a close play at first. You take what breaks you can get and do the most with them.

Team chemistry? It's something that's not easy to tell from the outside, but teams that don't like each other don't pass out papers with formulas to make the playoffs. Do you think fans could stop getting on Carlos Beltran? The guy is great, I don't know where we'd be without him. He had a little power outage, and he had a little bit of a struggle getting runners in from scoring position lately, but so did everyone. Beltran is as vitally important to this team right now as Wright and Reyes.

Wagner's blown save may have been a punch to the stomach as Gary Cohen said, but Carlos Beltran coughed up the disappointing start to the season and booted it out of the ballpark in the 13^th.

Aboard the Runaway Train

2008-06-09T16:45:00.001-04:00

I don't buy the argument that the Mets are .500 over the last 162. It's a misleading statistic. This team has rarely played .500 baseball. It's played better and it's played worse. Talent wise we all know they should be better. Anyone that tells you otherwise is either disappointed, or a Mets hater.

The biggest, and main reason for their failures has been their inconsistant hitting. They often fail to do the situational stuff, like get guys in from third, or get a big hit with runners on. They're doing better at scratching and clawing and adding on than last year, but often they only do this, failing to have the big 5-6 run innings. Some of this can be attributed to lack of power, notably the decline of Carlos Delgado, who's actually hit the ball well lately. However, as Keith would tell you, they didn't always used to look for the damn 3-run home run. Could this be all the problem is? Rather then trying to simply bloop one or make solid contact up the middle, everyone's trying to drive the ball high and far? Could someone please tell the Mets that a ground ball often scores the run as easily as the sac-fly, so stop worrying about driving the ball or long home runs and just get a hit. Maybe more guys could score from second and go first to third if every hit didn't look like it could be caught causing them to have to hang back.

I'll even give the Padres two of these games. Wagner is going to have the occasional blip, so maybe you give them Sunday. And the offense isn't always going to be on, maybe an opposing pitcher actually pitches well, and maybe the Padres can take one of those other three. Still, the Mets should've been able to take those other two, and they have no excuses. They're backing themselves against a wall for no reason.

100 games left. You could project numbers, guess or estimate what everyone is going to do. And you'd be wrong 95% of the time. The Mets are capable of winning anywhere from 45-70 of the remaining games. The Phillies are capable of losing anywhere from 40-60 games. Looking at the big picture is what got them into trouble last year. I say they look at being in position to take the division back from the Phillies by their next meeting in early July. That is 22 games prior to a four game series. Probably 23 games if you factor in the Yankee makeup. There is no reason why they can't play one game better than the Phillies every week, and be in a competitive place by July.

Who knows where they're going to go, how they're going to play, or if the Phillies are going to keep this pace. It's up to the Mets, and the most infuriating part of it all is that we could be on a train ride headed for a wreck with no way to get off.

Oh, and could they go ahead and announce the Yankee makeup date already? If they'r really planning on doing it in two and a half weeks, it'd be nice to know. Especially if they make it at an iffy time like Friday afternoon.

DVD Review, Six Essential Games at Shea Stadium

2008-06-09T01:05:00.004-04:00

I recently had the pleasure to view A&E's DVD, The New York Mets: Essential Games of Shea Stadium. I was surprised at how easily I was able to just slip back into the past and enjoy some of these games.

This DVD set contains six of the arguably greatest games played by the New York Mets. Most of these games we all know about, may have seen live, or recently replayed on SNY, but it was nice to see them without commercials. It's nice to be able to just pop in a DVD and connect with all the emotions and excitement associated with all of these great games, especially after the disaster that was this west coast trip. I don't know that I would call these the six most essential games, but they are certainly six big ones. Arguably this DVD set isn't complete without at least a clip of Ventura's Grand Single, but the rest of the content certainly makes up for it's absense.

The 6th disc also contains a bunch of special features. Endy's catch is obviously on there, because it's everywhere, and might be the only clip from a losing game. Other fun ones to see, some of which I'd never seen before, include the '86 division clincher against the Cubs, and Gary Carter's game winning opening day home run in 1985. They had Todd Pratt's home run in 1999, and also the 2000 clincher against the Cardinals. One of the fun clips to watch was a montage of 2006 walk off hits. It brought back all sorts of exciting moments, and reminded me how the 2006 Mets used to beat up the guy who got the walk off hit, pounded on his helmet and really getting into it. After the Mets clinched the Pennant in 2000, they showed a guy in the left field loge holding up a sign that said "Bring on the Yankees!" I couldn't help but yell at him from eight years in the future to shut up and root for the Mariners.

Frustrations.

2008-06-08T01:12:00.002-04:00

Frustrating.

Something just hasn't been right with this team on the West Coast. Maybe it's all the travel, which would be a poor excuse, or maybe it's something else. This failure to get runners in is the biggest frustration of them all. You'd almost excuse a small offensive blip, especially in San Diego, but the way they're getting the hits and the runners and just not getting them in sucks. Some of it's just poor execution, and some of it even seems luck and good defense, like Hairston's great catch on David Wright's hit the other night.

Time to turn the page, get energized by Pedro and take the final game of the series. Then use the off day to recover from jet lag, and beat the tar out of the Diamondbacks and Rangers.

Projected Stats

2008-06-02T17:18:00.005-04:00

Some projected stats after 55games, just over a third of the season. (Prior to the San Francisco Road Trip)

Pitching projects are approximate since it depends on where they fall in the rotation and days off and all that.(Santana won't end up with 35 starts.) I included total pitches thrown and pitches per game. which are very arbritrary and meaningless. I couldn't find Inherited Runners Scored for Smith, but i'll look more carefully when i next to projections.

I intend to project some of the Phillies players too, and match them up a little bit, but I don't have time for that now, so later in the week.

Projections
Reyes, 106R, 189H, 15T, 21HR, 74rbi, 68BB, 53SB .284avg/.347obp/.480slg
Wright, 109R, 186H, 50D, 32HR, 124rbi, 106BB, 24SB, .293/.395/.535
Beltran, 115R, 156R, 44D, 18HR, 100rbi, 106BB, 21SB, .264/.372/.458
Delgado, 130H, 24HR, 68BB, 21D, .224/.306/.383
(47g)Church, 103R, 159H, 24D, 29HR, 100RBI .320/.384/.556
(44g) Castillo, 80R, 127H, 9HR, 27SB, .265/.374/.364
(36g) Schneider, 94H, 44rbi, 27R, .258/.326/.323

Santana 21-9, 35G, 3.20, 209K, 59BB, 239IP, 230H, 3696p, 106(p/g)
Maine 15-12, 32G, 3.66, 189IP, 159H, 159K, 88BB, 3387p, 106(p/g)
Perez 12-9 32G, 4.83, 174IP, 147H, 147K, 121BB, 98(p/g)
Pelfrey 6-18, 29G, 4.98, 165IP, 206H, 85K, 74BB, 2981p, 103(p/g)
Wagner .039, 68IP, 32S, 41H, 82K, 12BB,
Smith 2.95, 62IP, 44H, 62K, 24BB,

Is the Magic Back?

2008-06-01T02:13:00.001-04:00

Have the Mets finally reached the point where we can stop worrying about them after every single loss? Maybe not. Maybe we need a win Sunday night to complete a 5-2 home stand and two series wins. Luckily Santana is on the mound going for his 100^th win, a number I'd sure love to see the Mets reach for this season. They don't even have to get there, I just want it to be a possibility on September first.

This last stretch of games has been different, the Mets have looked good, hungry, and like they're ready to have some fun. They struggled with runners in scoring position on Friday, but they won't get them all in every time. Sometimes the hits just don't happen, and when it's sandwiched with wins, it's easier to take. Even still, the game was theirs until they brought Heilman in, who apparently is trying to lend Willie and Omar a hand. Since Pelfrey and Vargas have both made cases for staying with the team, Heilman is ever so kindly offering himself up for demotion. He no longer should be allowed to pitch with runners on base, and it's getting to the point where he shouldn't be allowed to pitch at all. I don't care that the balls weren't really hit that hard, and that they just happened to find holes. He can't afford bad luck right now.

Sitting in the stands for my usual Saturday game, I was starting to feel a little sick with the Mets performance through seven innings. Not as sick as a girl a little bit to my left, who was physically sick at the sight of the Mets failing to score. More likely it was the ice cream, or something else entirely, but her actions mimicked how many of us were feeling. She stepped outside, and presumably started feeling better; probably right around the time Beltran's blast was clearing the fence. That's when something snapped. I realized the game wasn't as vomit-inducing as the usual Shea fare of food in the stands. (An aside, as much as I like the idea of restaurants displaying the calorie counts, I didn't need to know that a bag of peanuts has 960 calories or my footlong hot dog had 560, roughly one cent per calorie) Reyes made an error in the first, but Pelfrey did manage to get out of it after that, with help from a solid play at the plate. Reyes later made a terrific double-play in the game to help him out. Pelfrey buckled down and got seven strong innings, and Wagner is freaking scary good. Billingsly was apparently just pitching really well, because as soon as he left, the Mets released all their pent up aggression in the form of a go-ahead 3-run inning. The biggest deal was seeing Luis Castillo come up to pinch hit. Up until that point we all thought he was going to have to be placed on the disabled list, and we were all cringing at the idea of Easley playing any extended time there. However, it looks like Castillo is not that bad. He could pinch hit and while he didn't exactly fly, he got down the line fairly fast and didn't limp or cringe doing it. Church should be back shortly, and even Pedro will be back on Tuesday.

Speaking of Pedro, Matt Kemp was at the plate, and fouled off a pitched that bounced hard into the corner of the Mets dugout. Pedro started wagging his finger at him, gesturing that he's supposed to try to hit it between the lines. Assuming it's not just old age catching up with him, Pedro should be nice and recovered from his only leg injury ever and ready to contribute to this team again.

Do you feel that? That's the magic coming back.

Also, I don't care what anyone says, especially Joe and Evan on WFAN, who are so worried about being pro-Mets, that they overrate them at every turn, the Phillies suck. They're an 85-90 win team, just like last year, and that's just not good enough.

Tidbits from the Tatis-ed

2008-05-28T23:23:00.001-04:00

So much to talk about after this game. It was probably the best feeling after a game in a while. That said, there is still a long way to go to restore faith and confidence.

Beltran. Metsblog.com quoted a statistic that Beltran was betting .301 in May. That's pretty good, so stop killing him. He also got a big big hit tonight, again.

Tatis. Remember when we were screaming about how we thought Tatis was going to make this team over Pagan? Not that I don't like Pagan, but maybe Omar actually does know what he's doing.

Is it just me, or is SNY making a point of showing Willie Randolph after good moments more? Also, Willie made some excellent managerial decisions tonight. If he doesn't put on the hit and run in the 12^th, the Mets very well might lose this game.

A lot of us have been down on Endy, which I think reflects our overall feelings on the team. But maybe we should lay off a bit and let Endy be Endy. Maybe Willie was right when he said he just needs to get Chavez going.

Sanchez gained some velocity today which Amezaga was able to turn around on him and hit over the fence, but it's still nice to see Sanchez building his strength up. It was also terrific to see him run hard on his sacrifice bunt.

Speaking of energy, if it ever was really gone, it's also definitely still there. Beltran was pissed when he popped up the first pitch late in the game. Sanchez had some drive and energy. Tatis couldn't have looked more excited as he ran around first. Reyes looked a little more relaxed today. There were signs of life all over the place.

Hanley Ramirez's lame little pseudo-Reyes home run dance with Amezaga was pathetic. I'm really growing to hate that guy.

And of course, finally a nice come from behind win. Twice.

I'm not going to try to over-analyze this game and claim the Mets have turned a corner. They certainly have turned a corner, but they are still at the beginning of the maze.

DL and Games

2008-05-28T15:24:00.003-04:00

Just yesterday I was debating not going to as many games, and now 24 hours later I'm debating adding tomorrow night for Popcorn Night and Sunday night for Santana's possible 100th win to the games I'm attending this year. I'm already going Saturday which is yet another Mets cap day. It's not even because of their win last night, I just don't believe the Mets can be this bad, and I truly don't think it can get any worse...but I've thought that before too.

Lots of people on the DL, although I don't know if guys like Jason Vargas really count.

What's going on here?

2008-05-27T17:07:00.002-04:00

It's depressing that Shea has become such a hostile place instead of a relaxing place to watch a game. I went to, literally, dozens of Mets games each of the last two years. I don't feel like I'm going to make it to that many games this year at this rate. I bought a Saturday Plan last year, for the sole reason that it gave me the guarentee of playoff tickets to each round of the playoffs, something that I felt sure after 2006 was going to happen in both 2007 and 2008. Now, even though I was thinking about going to the game on Thursday, I'm probably not going to want to. Where last year I was looking for any excuse to go to a game, lately I'm taking any excuse not to watch.

The thing is, I can't think of any huge changes I would make, or any big acquisitions that would make this team better. The "on-paper" looks good. There are some disappointments and some weaknesses, but they shouldn't be causing the team to play like they are. I don't even think the players know what to do, and I do believe a good amount of them are frustrated.
I'll probably only flip over to check the score tonight while playing Grand Theft Auto, it's gotten to the point where even watching them play well for one game just isn't satisfying. Even the players that are normally fun to watch haven't been playing like that.

However, I don't think this can persist all season. I don't count statistics from half of last year and this year, that's not how they work. With how the division looks, with the talent on this team, with the nature of baseball, in one month we could be looking back on today and wondering what we were so worried about. Or we could've already torn all our hair out.
I still really do think when September arrives the Mets will be in a position to play well and make the playoffs. The Mets need to look at the Super Bowl Champions, put the past behind them, and move forward.

Oh, and to the anonymous Braves fan that commented on my last post...Get a life, or at least sign your name.

Swing and a miss

2008-05-23T15:38:00.003-04:00

At least we get a lot of swing and misses..for what it's worth.

Where's the Spark?

2008-05-23T12:25:00.002-04:00

I'm as frustrated as the next guy. I'm just thankful there aren't too many angry pessimists reading this blog, harassing me. I don't think firing Willie is the answer, but at this point I don't think there is much the Mets could try that I wouldn't accept.

The one thing I hold on to, is last year I felt like had that horrible September been earlier, and had the Phillies played better, the Mets would've been able to snap out of it. It just came too late for them, and I feel like they're really letting the pressure get to them.

They need to find a way to succeed, and then once the pressure is off, move on. This might boil down to getting some lucky bounces and having some bad teams make mistakes to cause them to have some big comebacks and big winning streaks. Maybe a big (June 30th, 2000) comeback is what they need to say, "Alright, we can do this." and do it. Or maybe they need to lose some players/coaches/managers. Or maybe they need to be 20 games out in mid-august and have a crazy run once they've been counted out.

Maybe they need to just lock out the media for a day or two and focus. I'm still not panicked, but lately that's more because I know the Phillies and Braves aren't that good/healthy than because I like how the Mets are playing.

Subway Series loses some luster, but the Mets gain some

2008-05-19T01:27:00.002-04:00

The Subway Series this year was very subdued. I'm still a fan of it, I like how it takes over the city and the general feel of it, but most of the novelty has worn off. It's certainly no longer a David versus Goliath type match up like it was when it started, or when it reached what I think was it's peak in 2000. It's no longer a competition to see who is the better team, but who isn't the worse team. Both clubs had issues to work out, and the opponent at the moment wasn't important enough to matter. The fans, excepting when trying to shout down opposing chants and cheers, were almost quiet. I only saw half a dozen fights at the Stadium Sunday night. I'm sure a lot of that atmosphere was due to the game being a blow out, but it was more important that the Mets won, than it was who they beat.

And they did beat them. They played better baseball; hitting, fielding, and pitching. Derek Jeter, who always does well in these competitions, did well with the bat, but was average at best everywhere else. He failed to make the only high-caliber move he has at shortstop, his leaping throw to first, early on Saturday. He also got thrown out trying to stretch a single in that game. On Sunday he couldn't keep his foot on the bag while fielding a bad throw from Giambi during the Mets first rally.

The Mets, particularly Church, played great defense, hit the cut offs and made great plays. They hit, Reyes hit, Wright hit, and they scored 18 runs. They also pitched well, Santana to Wagner on Saturday and Perez went as far as Santana before giving the ball to Smith and Schoeneweis.

More importantly, whether a result of a team meeting or something else, the Mets played with enthusiasm. They played with energy and heart and they really came alive during these two games. Wright was already on the mound encouraging Perez by the time Matsui's ball went over the fence, everyone was excited when they got hits and scored runs. Maybe the Mets fans' unwillingness to boo their own players in the hostile environment of Yankee Stadium helped, and maybe the Mets can go and put together a nice streak of games over the next seven so that when they return to Shea, there isn't a single person we want to boo....besides Hanley Ramirez of course.

Subway Series, and getting going

2008-05-16T14:50:00.001-04:00

I haven't been a proponent of firing Willie Randolph, and I still don't believe firing him will fix this team. However, at one point something needs to be done, and that's about all there is to it. These next seven games are important ones though, more important than these last seven.
The Yankees are actually the right team for them to play. They're an average pitching team with a good offense, which is actually very like the Phillies, and it plays to the strength of the Mets. Their pitching is their strength, which should be enough to shut down the Yankees, and their offense has enough firepower to score plenty of runs against them.

After that a short four game series against the Braves, who if they stay healthy are definitely better than the Phillies. Keeping themselves ahead of the Braves, and beating them in this series, would go a long way to make them, and us, feel good.

If they don't play well against these teams, then barring suddenly going on a 10 game winning streak or something, it's probably time to ditch Randolph because whether it'll help or not, he's ultimately culpable for the performance.

Watching the last few days, I've felt like the Mets have gotten a lot of bad breaks recently, whether it's great catches, line drives right at people, or pitching to contact that finds holes. I'm confident this team will have good stretches, but depending on when and how that stretch comes, it might not be enough to put them in a positive, relaxed frame of mind for the rest of the season.

Maybe the energy associated with, and they can deny it exists all they want, the Subway Series will actually wake the Mets up. So here are my predictions, as crazy as you may think they are.

(Santana) Game 1: Mets 8, Yankees 1

(Perez) Game 2: Mets 5, Yankees 3

(Maine) Game 3: Mets 6, Yankees 1

Wise Moves at Shea

2008-05-13T22:58:00.002-04:00

It's not 2007.

This team isn't as doomed as you think it is.

Putting aside the fans, the FAN and the media's ultimatum about a 5-2 homestand aside, and actually look at how they've been playing. The offense is rolling. They've gotten more than 10 hits in five of the last six games. They've scored 12, 12, 1, 8, 4 and 6 runs in the last six games, which is very respectable. The bullpen has actually pitched pretty well (Sosa isn't part of the bullpen btw), and the starters have been very good too (Figueroa isn't a starter). If you could look at this season, or this stretch of games, or even this last game, without also looking at 2007, you'd realize things aren't as dire as they seem.

The Mets have to beat up on bad teams was one of the teams today. Well let's look at the bad teams, specifically the ones in the division, because that's who they play the most. They are 5-2 against the Washington Nationals. Looks good. They are 2-1 against the Marlins. Limited sample, but the Marlins are playing well too. They are 2-3 against the Braves, which is the only team they're under .500 against in the division, and it's only one game, with only about 25% of the series. They are 4-2 against the Phillies, which is probably right where you'd want them to be. Overall that's 13-8 against the division, where the games matter the most.

The Mets made Wise moves today (I know, bad pun) in keeping Smith with the team and not bowing down to options or guaranteed money. Sosa, who was pitching like Mota, was designated for assignment, as was Figueroa who at least has a shot at coming back if he goes to New Orleans. Likely Sosa, baring a Mota type steroid shot to the arm, will continue to suck in the minors or get claimed and suck for someone else. Claudio Vargas will pitch for the Mets tomorrow, and I'll be in attendance. He did win 11 games last year, so hopefully he can find those wins here with the Mets this year. It's tough, but you'd still like to see the Mets go 4-1 against these mediocre teams. If they don't, winning three of four from the Braves afterwards would certainly make up for it.

Nothing is set in stone yet. You certainly don't think the Rays will still be in first place with the best record in the American League (And the best record in the majors if the Diamondbacks lose tonight) at the end of the year do you?

Just One Game...but a good one

2008-05-07T20:43:00.000-04:00

Barely half a day after the horrible loss Tuesday night in Los Angeles and all the things we were complaining about have been put to rest momentarily, but hopefully for good. Situational hitting, getting hits with two outs, with runners in scoring position, tacking on runs, offense in general..all looked good in this Wednesday afternoon game. On the pitching end, the Mets took another big step, finally reaching the 9th inning with a starter. John Maine struggled a little in the 9th and didn't get to finish, but that's alright. John Maine has taken steps to show that he's going to get better this year, and with Santana and Maine, forget Pedro, at the top of this rotation, it gives me a lot of confidence. It'd have been nice for Maine to get the complete game, but Peterson and Willie gave him a lot more rope than I expected, and I think that says that they agree with me about him being improved over last year. Also, the game isn't about personal stats and 8.1 is plenty from a starter, even bad bullpens should be able to get those last two outs. The bullpen will pitch .2 innings over two days, getting some much needed rest, hopefully charging them for a strong homestand.

However, it's just one game, and we've seen these flashes in other games, and other stretches. The Mets need to isolate whatever is causing the difference between these last two games, whether that be the approach at the plate, the lineup, the manager, or just plain bad luck, and figure out how to make Wednesday stick. The plane ride home just got a little bit lighter, and hopefully the off day will give them time to figure out what went right on Wednesday afternoon.

A quick note on the leadership that so many people think is absent from the Mets and their clubhouse. It's becoming _very_ obvious to me that Reyes and Wright have taken an active role, if not a public role, in leading this team. They were the first two, as is often the case, out to the mound to congratulate Maine. When a key error gave them the final game against the Diamondbacks, Reyes and Wright, nowhere near getting up in the inning, were the first two out of the dugout to give Beltran a high five with the go-ahead run. There is so much going on in terms of team chemistry that we just don't see, or only see through the media's eyes, who are so obviously just searching for anything to write about. The team is under performing, so they look negative.

Good Days, Bad Days

2008-05-03T01:22:00.001-04:00

I don't know what's with this team. Where has all the popping out with runners in scoring position gone? What happened to our inability to tack on runs late, or to hold a lead? What happened to the good old days of a pitcher going 100 pitches and calling it a night? Did we forget to practice booting ground balls during pregame warmups?

If these statements sound silly to you, remember that the reverse is probably true too. It's just one game, and it matters no more or no less than any other game. If you thought the Mets looked lifeless, or not that good on Wednesday and used that as a determination for the rest of the season, how can you not look at tonights game and think just the opposite?

The Mets will lose some games. They'll win some games. They certainly proved tonight that they still have that ability to play hard, play well, scores runs and look good. That doesn't just vanish. Of course there are still issues, but there are also plenty of good signs for this FIRST PLACE team.

This isn't the time to talk about the Braves or the Phillies (or the general Yankees bashing that's always fun). They certainly have issues and problems, but for now it's just about the Mets games, whoever they're playing. Scoreboard watching is fun in a “Die Braves Die” type of way, but it's not a big deal in May.

One thing I do want to say, and I know it's gone now anyway, but can I point out that the Mets aren't/weren't the only ones to use Sweet Caroline? I was walking into Penn Station on Thursday around 6:30 and they were definitely playing it along with Ranger highlights outside the Garden.

Chipper Jones on the BQE

2008-04-27T10:46:00.001-04:00

Just finished listening to Ed Randall interviewing Chipper Jones on WFAN. He happened to mention that he was in the car with Smoltz driving to Shea Stadium. Can you imagine driving on the Grand Central and you look over and see those two next to you?

If you haven't heard, Chipper won't be playing today because of back spasms, and might miss some of the Nationals series next week too.

Randall brought up the comment Chipper made years ago about Mets fans not needing to be so upset, they can just go put on their Yankees gear now. We all thought he was betraying Boston-type ignorance about the incapability of rooting for both teams, but the way he explained it today, it was more of a jibe than ignorance. He says he made the comment later after seeing one of those idiots behind the dugout who was wearing one of those half-Mets half-Yankees caps and was disgusted by it.

He also said he's not changing his son Shea's, name but that he hopes he grows up to be a great ballplayer one day and gets to hit in Citi Field.

So that's my interesting Larry Jones tidbit for the day.

Bring The Magic Back

2008-04-27T01:20:00.002-04:00

Could Wagner completed his "Reliver No-Hitter" for the Mets be a turning point in the season? It's certainly the closest a Met has come to the real thing. Maybe this brings the magic back.

A Perez Idea

2008-04-25T11:33:00.001-04:00

An Idea

This is just an idea I had yesterday while watching the game. Oliver Perez was obviously struggling, again, late in the game. I don't really have a problem with Willie pulling him, although I would've left him in, but something needs to be done with this guy. I was thinking about this in the 5^th, and here's what I would've liked to see.

Just leave him in.

Let him give up 15 runs. Go to the mound, tell him Heilman and Sosa are sitting back and having a soda and he's finishing six innings no matter what happens. Perez has strived in pressure situations right? So take away the 'safety net' so to speak. Let him learn something about himself, and figure out how to get himself out of these situations, because it's an important lesson a good pitcher needs to learn.

Would this be an irreparable blow to his confidence if he did give up 15 runs? I don't really buy into that irreparable stuff anyway, but Perez has already had those in Pittsburgh before coming to the Mets and he managed to bounce back. We know he has great stuff, the problem is it's a coin flip on whether he'll be able to throw those great pitches. What will make him take that step to a great pitcher is being able to climb back to that peak after he's fallen out of stride during a game/inning/batter.

With Santana, Willie can prepare to use the best guys out of the bullpen and mentally prepare for which guys are going to come in that day, because Santana will pitch to within an inning or so of expectation nine out of ten times. Even John Maine usually can be expected to be pretty consistent, even if that consistency is a lower amount of reliable innings. However, with Perez there is still always that possibility that he walks 14 batters in the second inning and you need to piece together the rest of the game. If Willie leaves Perez in there last night, maybe he learns something. Or maybe we lose the game, which we did anyway, and the bullpen gets an extra inning of rest that it might need for tonight.

Getting Perez and most of the starters an extra inning or two I think could be the biggest key to this season. It would allow Willie to use his relievers that are struggling less, and able to go with the hot guys. It doesn't matter what bullpen you have, if you have to use too many pitchers in one game, likely someone won't be on his game that day.

Too Early To Worry or Overreact

2008-04-23T12:28:00.001-04:00

Three Game Losing Streak

Doesn't look good does it? The Sunday night game against the Phillies was probably just a result of Pelfrey not going to be excellent every single time out there, and Feliciano's occasional streakiness. Yesterday was probably a result of using the B lineup, coupled with the remaining A guys slumping.

There are some concerns, but it's still a little early to be panicking over them. Delgado has been declining, and it looked rather bad last year. The thing is, he had good stretches where he looked fine. So the ability is still there, and I suspect what he needs is some consistency, some warmer weather, and just some swings. For everyone screaming about Church batting 6^th, you have to think that him hitting well in the 6^th hole helps Delgado. As little as lineups matter when everyone's not hitting, there are pluses and minuses to each of them.

Luis Castillo has been bad early, but he's also still hurt. Maybe he'll be hurt for the rest of his life and he sucks, or maybe, like Delgado, time will help. I don't want to hear about the contract anymore. Stop thinking about 2011. If this was a one year deal, you wouldn't be complaining about it, and since this is the very first year you can't have a problem that he's on the team in 2011. I liked Gotay too, but he wasn't the greatest defensive player, and he only had a small small sample of hitting successfully. It's smaller than the sample size people are using to bash Castillo and Delgado even.

So give it time. Some of these things may turn into big problems, and then it becomes Willie and Minaya's problems to address, but for now they're merely points of interest. You can't fire the manager, bench your star first baseman, or promote question marks from Binghamton on April 22^nd.

Series Two in the books

2008-04-21T15:31:00.002-04:00

They didn't manage to put the Phillies away, but sometimes you're 4^th/5^th starter isn't going to be great, and the bullpen isn't always going to be spotless. They came back immediately after Utley's three run home run (And more people need to pitch this guy inside and hit him) to tie the game, which was nice.

They've been playing better now, and while a week ago people were prematurely screaming about how bad this team is, suddenly they don't look so bad. They got five games in a row, which is something they struggled to do last year, and it means that everyone in the rotation was able to keep them in the game. The bullpen has been much better than expected, the only concern I have is that it's kind of being overworked. But so far it's got a depth that was it's biggest weakness last year. If they can keep Schoeneweis and Sosa well rested, I think they'll be able to squeeze a little bit of consistency out of them, which would be nice.

So what if the Phillies didn't have Jimmy Rollins? We didn't have Pedro. Or Alou. Or El Duque. The injury card isn't valid, we beat the best they could throw at us.

The Mets recalled some of 2006 with a nice streak of scoring in the first inning. This fits well with their style of aggressiveness and putting pressure on the opposition, and it has a lot to do with Reyes getting on base. Now that we're a couple of weeks in, it's time to settle in and see how they do over a long period of time, let the slow starters catch up and the guys that are going to be carrying the team continue to step up and produce.

On a side note, I wish I had gotten to go down to Philly with the Metsblog crowd among all the others who made the trip, but I did get to visit Cooperstown for the first time this week.

Important Quotes

2008-04-17T09:39:00.002-04:00

"I have to enjoy my game and be the way I am," Reyes said. "I can't worry about the other team getting mad because other teams they do that, what we do they do it, too. I don't care about that. I just care about this team."

"We don't care if these other teams get offended," Beltran said. "We're going to play the game like that."

This is what I like to see. My team, enjoying the game, playing the game hard, and winning the game. I don't care about Philadelphia or Atlanta or anything they have to say. Or any other team for that matter. The Mets should take these quotes, and focus on their own game and not worry so much about the media-fueled drivel that is sent their way.

On a side note, shouldn't John Maine have beaned Belliard last night?

Booing New York

2008-04-15T13:49:00.000-04:00

The Booing New Yorker

This post has been brought on by recent discussions about booing, and recent inaccurate statements by the media about how the Mets fan thinks, and how he boos, particularly of Santana on his first start at Shea.

I want to start by denouncing comparisons to places like Boston or St. Louis. These cities are often cited as good baseball/sports fans, as if somehow the way they choose to respond to their team's form of entertainment is somehow better than anyone else's. I'm pretty sure Red Sox fans boo, and their must be at least some Cardinal fans who boo, even if they're just transplanted New Yorkers or something, but it's irrelevant. In those towns the baseball teams are part of the culture, are part of the every day news cycle and the general small-talk conversations. “Did you see the Sox game last night?” Can almost always be met with conversation in Boston. In New York, there is so much diversity of culture and variety in choices of sports and entertainment that not everyone is into the same things. “Did you see the Mets game last night?” Can be met with anything from “I don't watch sports”, to “No, I was watching hockey, the Devils looks good last night.”, to the more derisive “Mets suck! Did you see the Yankee game?”

If the Cardinals or Red Sox are bad, people still watch and root, if with less enthusiasm. In New York, the Mets are competing with the Yankees (because there are, and always will be, thousands of band wagon fans), the Rangers, Islanders, Devils, Knicks, Nets, Giants and Jets. There are dozens of news programs, sports writers, newspapers, columnists and bloggers out there trying to cover these teams and write stories. Often times those stories are negative ones, and many times when a team isn't that good, less attention is paid to it and writers grasp at anything for a story, sometimes without getting all the facts. This leads to stories about players being booed, when the facts don't support it. Sure there were some boos, take any group of 50 thousand people and you're sure to get some ignorant losers, but even the audio clips I've heard seem to suggest more cheers than boos. I've heard accounts from three different parts of the stadium, and the worst account of it was 'mostly cheers'. The media has made this into a huge deal, and probably made Santana more wary, and less liking, of the fans in general. It is the media that is painting a picture of us Mets fans as a bitter hateful group that is going to panic at every road bump this year. This is the case for some, but many of us are ready to forget and move on. As David Wright said after the Opening Day loss, last year is over and the losing streak was at one as far as we are concerned.

Not to say that booing can't or shouldn't happen. It will happen, and that's fine, the players have to get over it, and the best way to do that is to not pretend they don't deserve it. We want to cheer you, we want to scream and yell and shout your name, but you have to earn it.

I personally don't think players should ever be booed while trying. You can boo Schoeneweis when he is announced. You can boo Delgado when he grounds into yet another double play with runners on, but while they're pitching or batting they should be cheered. Nothing could be clearer that we're rooting for you, but are displeased with your performance when you routinely fail us. We, most of us, aren't booing you, but the job you are doing.

Book Review: Working at the Ballpark

2008-04-15T04:33:00.000-04:00

Book Review: Working at the Ballpark by Tom Jones

Skyhorse Publishing

This book is basically a collection of different stories from different people working around baseball, from players and front office guys, to ushers and street vendors. I thought this book would have a few interesting tidbits surrounded by a bunch of boring stories, but I was surprised at the information contained in those stories, and how few of them were actually boring. The book is written in a style where if one guy's story is boring the life out of you, you can just skip it and read someone else's.

Of the on the field guys the one whose comments were most interesting was Leo Mazzone. He talked a lot about pitch counts and arm strength, and a lot of it was very thought-provoking. When he was the pitching coach in Atlanta before they started putting the pitch count on the board, he says he used to cheat and not count pitches for Glavine, Maddux and Smoltz. According to him, pitch counts are just a way of talking the pitcher into being tired. He also talks a little about Little League and how having pitch counts actually prevents kids from learning how to pitch properly. It was very insightful and really makes the Orioles look even worse for firing him.

One of the other interesting stories was trainer Todd Hutcheson with the San Diego Padres. The amount of training and work they do on players, particularly pitchers, every day is mind boggling. After reading it I felt like if a pitcher didn't have these guys, their arms would fall off by June. I know it's not true, but they've got everything down to a science. He goes into details about the work they do on Trevor Hoffman everyday, about some of the rehab work they do on pitchers, and about all the different types of treatments they do from joint mobes and vibration therapy to ultrasound stimulations.

The book encompasses so many different intricate parts of baseball, and it's surprisingly enlightening.

Luke Yoder, who is the director of landscape and field maintenance for the Padres talks about the dangers of covering the field with the tarp. Maybe just because I never thought about it, but I had no idea that it weights 2300 pounds. Yoder says that if you get a good gust of wind and some of the guys let go, it's possible for the people that were still holding on to be whipped 10 feet up in the air.

Jim Trdinich, the director of media relations for the Pirates, discusses many of the uneasy relationships between the media and the team. He talks about allowing the manager to vent and scream at him after a tough loss to let him to cool before allowing the media in to ask their questions.

Kurt Schloss, the director of Merchandising for the Cleveland Indians, talks about products that were busts, and how they come up with some of their ideas. He mentions how he finds out with the other fans, and how much it sucks for merchandise sales, when a player has been traded. Which is a very good point; I've noticed the Bryant Park Mets clubhouse shop still had about a dozen Kazuo Matsui shirts.

Steve Liddle, the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins, talks about signs and using the information from the advance scout to help figure out where to play hitters, and when is a good time to steal a base or hit and run. He talks about trying to steal signs during the game, and about all the signs that get passed around that most people never even see.

Bob Watson tells a story about the only time he was thrown out of a game.

“You called that a strike?”

The umpire says, “Yes, the ball was on the corner.”

Watson says, “On the corner of Fifth and Main. If you call that a strike, you need these.” and handed the umpire his glasses.

The book is riddled with these interesting tidbits, whether they come from a scoreboard operator, an usher, a guy who designs ballparks or the the mascot. There are thousands of people working behind the scenes around baseball who aren't as noticed as the players, but they all contribute to bringing us this great game. This book does an excellent job of bringing us their stories, and helping us understand the complex nature of a ballgame.

Aggressiveness and Finding the Balance

2008-04-14T10:11:00.000-04:00

This team still feels like it's trying to find that right balance between aggressive and sloppy. The problem seems to be, and this was probably the case last year too, is that when they're unsure they're leaning towards aggressive, which leads to sloppy mistakes like forgetting to check a runner back to third, or breaking for the plate like Clark did on the double play Sunday. It translates into hitting too. This is why I don't believe, and never did, that the team was ever 'flat' or 'uninterested'.

They played hard last September, and they are playing hard now. Maybe too hard. Think about how often Reyes was thrown out last September. He wasn't doing it just for stats, or selfishness, he was playing aggressively, trying to make things happen, just like _everyone_ says he should do/does. So what happened this year? He seems to be trying to tone down the aggressiveness a little bit, be smarter, but so far it's not working. Just like it didn't work when they tried to change how he ran. Reyes, like the rest of the team, needs to find that balance of aggressiveness and smart baseball, and when they do the difference is going to be remarkable.

The difference this year is that last year they succeeded with the aggressiveness early, and maybe they stubbornly stuck to it when it turned bad. This year it's failing for them early, and they'll be able to adjust to it and turn it around. It's not Willie's fault either. He can only teach, he can't execute. If they players can't execute on what they're being taught, it doesn't really matter who or what they're being coached to do. However, this team is too good, and wants it too much, to not be able to execute all season. I thought as much before this season, but so far it doesn't look like Atlanta or Philadelphia is capable of running away with the division to a point where the Mets can't catch up; In fact, neither team is ahead of the Mets in the standings.

The biggest concern I have is still the bullpen. Even if Sanchez is as good as he was two years ago, he's going to almost definitely replace either Muniz or Smith on the roster, and both of those guys have been good. It's Heilman, who you hope will turn it around like he always does, Schoeneweis and Sosa who have been the biggest culprits, and they won't be replaced. As the weather gets warmer and the pitchers get more comfortable, I have to believe both Maine, Santana, and hopefully Perez and maybe even Pelfrey will be able to go a little deeper into games more consistency, and allow Willie to more regularly use only the top three or so guys in the bullpen who are doing well, instead of routinely having to trot out the 5^th and 6^th best relief options they have.

it's 2008 and the Mets win

2008-04-11T01:54:00.001-04:00

Last night's game had questionable managing decisions, some poor plays, some inability to hit in the clutch, or to execute in certain situations at the plate, and even some base-running issues. The Phillies had all of these problems, and they lost because of it. It was a rough and tumble series, but the Mets take two of three. Naysayers may want to question how they won them, but that doesn't matter, just that they did. If you want to go back to last year.. And I really don't want to go back to last year, it doesn't help anything. Just as going back to 2006 didn't help the 2007 team. If you go back to last year, plenty of those games against the Phillies could've gone on the other way on some very minor things.

It's the bullpen that's important, and despite Wise's home run, despite Heilman's struggles, it looks like the Mets have started trying to take the right steps into addressing this issue. The bullpen was the strength in 2006, and we need more consistency out of it this year. Part of this is getting starters deeper into games, but part of it is also one or two more guys stepping up and being able to execute when Willie calls on them. Did the Mets lack fight last year? I don't know that they did, there were plenty of games where they came back two or three times in a game, only to have the bullpen blow it again and again. That can be mentally exhausting, just like amping yourself up for a fight and having your pitcher pitch you into a deep hole in the first inning can do. This isn't an excuse by any means, but the Mets have the tools, the attitude, the leadership and the drive to win, and they've had it all along; You just have to know where to look.

Bring Back Professor Reyes!

2008-04-09T16:11:00.002-04:00

Bring back Professor Reyes!

I know Jose Reyes decided to focus more on baseball and cut out some of the dancing and theatrics. It's a move I disagree with, but whatever makes him play better. His replacements for the Professor Reyes' Spanish Academy are pathetic though. I'm glad John Maine is getting some attention, but Maine Street USA is very lame. It's basically the same thing they did last year without him, with giving three hints and having you guess the city. The other one is even worse, with David Wright. I believe it was called Do The Wright Thing, and it was all about making sure you 'always wear your helmet'. It was very bad, and he must've repeated the sentence 15 times. Good intentions..maybe the other ones will be better, but I doubt it.

Home Opener 2008

2008-04-08T18:33:00.002-04:00

Now that was a rather depressing game. My camera died before the game even started and the spare batteries I brought were duds, and then the Mets were duds. The game pivoted on that double play ball that Delgado field and hit Utley in the back with.

First time they've ever lost to Philadelphia on opening day. I was really hoping that we could put last year behind us, but with losing to Atlanta and Philly so far and the poor bullpen, it feels like last year.

It seems like they need some time to really mesh well with each other, the way one screaming fan was pointing out as he stormed out of the building after the 8^th inning because no one was standing in the bullpen clapping or cheering for Church to get a hit. You could see it in Sunday's game where David Wright was surprised by Santana fielding a bunt, and wasn't at third to field a throw. Little things like this that they'll hopefully fade away as they get comfortable with each other and really click.

It's Reyes and Castillo offensively that have been having the biggest problems, but once the lineup balances out a little more with slumps and streaks, things should be fine. The Mets are very much like Mike Pelfrey right now; They can be great, but they need to find their confidence.

All the pre-game stuff was pretty cool, with them unveiling the retired Shea in left field, or the game countdown. It was very neat seeing Citi Field so nice looking in the beginning, sort of a window into next year's Opening Day. There was a lot of curiosity about how it may affect wind patterns in Shea and make it more hitter friendly, but judging by the way Easley's and Wright's long fly balls flew, I'd say it's much the same.

Opening Day jitters out of the way, I can't wait for tomorrow. Hopefully the Mets find their strike, and start mashing this poor pitching team that Philly has.

Ups and Downs

2008-04-03T00:40:00.000-04:00

As harrowing as Tuesday's game was, last night's game was pleasant. It was basically against a minor league team, but it still counts. Oliver Perez still pitched well, and the offense still swung the bats well.

One thing it was good to see was runs in the top of the 9^th to make it 13 to 0. There was no mailing it in, or signs that anyone thought 'Hey, maybe we got enough tonight.' Excepting Casanova, the rest of the bench and bullpen got their first appearances out of the way. Billy Wagner managed to come into a non-save situation and not pitch like me.

The news about Pedro is not good. Four to six weeks plus rehabilitation. The biggest impact this has is on Mike Pelfrey. If Pelfrey can figure out how to be consistent and pitch like he seems to be capable of, Pedro will barely be missed. We'll see how that goes, against Glavine of all people, on Saturday. Maybe Pelfrey will make his case that it's him that will replace Glavine's innings from last year, and that Santana's are just icing on the cake.

The baseball season is here, and it's even been christened with it's first wrinkle. You didn't really think the entire season was going to be as easy as Monday did you?

April Fools of Silly promotion?

2008-04-01T14:47:00.002-04:00

I assume this is a silly April Fools joke since I can't find any other reference to it.

From the Mets Press Pass for today's game:

"The club has decided to honor unique angles from players who not only put on the Mets uniform but also featured rare talents off the field ...Dyar Miller, who pitched for the Mets in 1980-1981, will be the first player to be so honored...In 1980, Miller was 4-0 in cow milking contests across the league...Miller will be recognized prior to the Mets-Nationals game on May 14th when New York holds its' first annual Farm Night at Shea...Miller will reenact his cow milking skills prior to the game."

It's funny though.

Opening Day

2008-04-01T01:52:00.001-04:00

BASEBALL! It's begun, and so far Johan Santana appears to be the real thing. After watching the Nationals, and David Wright's good pal Ryan Zimmerman, hand the Braves their first loss of the season last night it was a good feeling to watch the guys take the field for the first time and come through like they should. And the best part is we get to flip on the television and see them do it again tonight! That's eight strike-outs for Santana, now lets see how many Pedro gets.

In other news, the biggest story in “Yankee Country” was again not baseball, but weather. The ghost of Babe Ruth is giving them grief, 86 years after he christened the structure with a home run, they're knocking it down.

For an interesting article I wrote about why Opening Day should be a national holiday to celebrate our national pastime, click here.

Letters to the NL East, part 5

2008-03-31T01:21:00.001-04:00

Letters to the NL East, Part 5 of 5

Dear New York Mets,

Expectations soar this year. You disappointed us horribly last year, and I hope you disappointed yourselves too. Whether we like it or not, the marketing department has introduced the element of revenge into the advertisements. It's important that you guys keep this revenge fresh in your minds.

No more taking it for granted that you're good, instead you need to rub other teams faces in it. Up 9-2 in the ninth? No reason to take that for granted either; steal that base, bunt those runners over, score that extra run. It's never enough, and you should never be satisfied with being ahead, whether it's in a game, a series, or the division.

I want to see some attitude this year, and I don't care about how the other teams feel about it. I don't care if Jimmy Rollins thinks the Phillies are awesome or if Hanley Ramirez hates the Mets. You guys are better than they are, and there is no reason not to act like it. They don't like you dancing on your on-deck circle? Fine, dance on their on-deck circle. Don't be afraid to throw inside, and hard. It's punishment time for the rest of the NL East, and you are the enforcers. Your opponents should feel like they were in a wrestling match and body slammed to the mat repeatedly. You should be playing like the Phillies punched your mother, and the Braves knocked up your sister. Remember, there are no unwritten rules of baseball; Play tough, play hard, and it doesn't matter how you get there in the end, just get there.

Your lifelong fan,

Optimistic Mets Fan

Angel in the Outfield

2008-03-30T16:02:00.001-04:00

Everyone else is doing it, so why not me?

I'm actually surprised that Angel Pagan, Joe Smith, and Mike Pelfrey made the team over the veterans that have a combined age approaching infinity. I hope it they made it for themselves, and not because of injuries or failures on the part of the older options. At least now we have an Angel in the outfield as well as a Church. (And as I've mentioned earlier, how many variations of those headlines do you think the papers are going to use?)

I liked Gotay, but truthfully he didn't have a lot of places to play on this team. You can argue about sign Castillo, but they did so Gotay really was only going to be a pinch hitter and he didn't do amazingly in that role last year. However I wish they could've traded him for something rather than gifting him to the Braves. I wonder what it says about the Braves confidence in their guys that they felt the need to pick up Gotay though?

I think Pelfrey will turn it around, maybe Perez can give him some head-case advice.

Only about 24 hours until this is all secondary stuff to the actual baseball anyway, and I can't wait. I'm planning to attend the Metsblog.com happy hour in the city to watch the game, even though I expect it to be a zoo. If you come, look for me. I'll be the one in the Santana shirt. Can't miss me.

Look for my 5^th “Letters to the NL East” letter late tonight or early tomorrow, which will basically be a rallying cry for the Mets.

Oh, and if you know anyone that is looking for a single ticket to all 13 home Saturday games..send them my way, I probably don't need to spend $300 to have a seat to put my bag on.

Letters to the NL East, part 4

2008-03-29T11:05:00.001-04:00

Letters to the NL East, Part 4 of 5

Dear Jimmy Rollins and the Philadelphia Phillies,

Cole Hamels! That's your biggest pitcher, a pitcher whose stats matched up well with our third starter, John Maine. I'd be willing to put money on Maine having a better year than Hamels this year, and you just can't win when another team in your division absolutely dominates you in pitching quality like that. I heard bartenders in Philadelphia did great business the day Johan Santana signed with the Mets, and I expect once the season starts they'll be there to help your fans drown their sorrows again.

Your biggest hope is that Brett Myers can manage to pitch well in the rotation, and that Brad Lidge figures out how to close again. I wouldn't hold my breath on either one, especially in that park. Even if both happen, all it means is that you'll stick around a couple of weeks longer before the Mets put you away. And make no mistake, they will be looking for blood this year.

You've opened a can of worms Jimmy Rollins, and helped to start this little rivalry we have going recently. It has the possibility of being an awesome competition, one that could rival even the Red Sox and Yankees, if you can hold up your end of the bargain. I doubt you're going to have as good a year as last year Jimmy so that means someone else is going to have to step up. This rivalry will quickly become a one night stand by July otherwise.

Your new rival,

Optimistic Mets Fan