Mitchell Report

I'm sure you're all just dying to hear what I have to say about the Mitchell Report. Well I wrote my TOTK.com article on it this week. Big Names, Bigger Needles.

The report is just the tip of the iceberg.

I'm amused that Roger Clemens is scared of needles, but it's very sad that it seems like the only reason he didn't take HGH in addition to steroids is because he didn't like the "Belly button shot".

I Trust Omar Minaya

“To me, it’s about quality. It’s not so much getting a guy. We will not be afraid to give our young kids a chance to pitch instead of going out there and paying a lot of money for a guy who gives a lot of innings - but they’re not quality innings. There’s a lot of demand for those guys. I’ve gotten a lot of hits on our young guys.”

This quote from Omar Minaya means a lot to me. Despite some issues I've had with him and some of his decisions, I'm actually pretty comfortable with him as a GM. I'm not afraid of starting the season the way the Mets are now. Pedro, El Duque, Maine, Perez, Pelfrey is fine to me. I think Pelfrey continued to grow last season, and his September was good. I think he's a good player with confidence being one of his bigger issues last year. Maine, in my opinion, is excellent, and I'd actually lean towards him as being the 2nd starter, as little as those designations really mean anything. It's not even so much talent, as it is that El Duque's not going to pitch 33 starts next year, he never does. Maine could, so it makes sense to designate more starts to him before the season, as he's more likely to meet the expectations.

Billy Wagner, among others, questions the replacement of Tom "I wouldn't call it devasting" Glavine's win total from last year. Number one, I don't think Glavine is the one that's going to match that total anyway, and number two, I think Pedro is capable of that. Even being babied, he showed me a lot last year near the end of the season, and I really feel he has a lot left. If I could put money on Pedro having a better season than Glavine, I would.

So do we need that Livan Hernandez type guy, who would be able to pitch a good amount of innings to relieve our bullpen? I still think so, but I'm not sold on overpaying these guys either. I think it can be done with what we have.

On another note of confidence in Omar Minaya, has anyone noticed how many second-hand pitchers he's signed? He's gotten a bunch of guys who have fallen out of favor, for almost nothing. Maybe we find that diamond in the rough with one of them, or maybe one of them really gels with how Peterson teaches. If not, it's so easy to cut them loose, you may not even remember they were Mets.

Still over two months until spring training...

P.S. Would it kill the Mets to actually market and make John Maine and Oliver Perez Jersey's? I want a Maine Jersey, but it requires actually getting a custom one made with 33 and Maine on the back, unless someone has seen one somewhere? I certainly haven't.

Mets make a trade. So Long Milledge

The Mets officially announced that they have acquired OF Ryan Church and C Brian Schneider from the Nationals for OF Lastings Milledge. Originally I was disappointed and thought this was a bad trade. However, it's grown on me and I'm going to present it optimistically.

Obviously we needed pitching, but it seems like Milledge wasn't going to get us that. His value seems to have been down leaguewide, and that includes with the Mets as a right fielder. Maybe he'll turn out well, but with Gomez and Martinez in the minors also projected to be good outfielders, it's not like we're lacking outfield prospects, and it's probably the easiest position to fill.

Brian Schneider, Paul Lo Duca.. They're probably not going to be much different in 2008. Schneider is probably cheaper, and more expendible which gives the Mets more flexibility to make a change later in the year/decade. Church is a decent player, and he'll definitely be serviceable for us. It's likely he'll be better than Milledge, but you never know either way. Between him and Alou, players like Endy Chavez and even Gomez and Martinez may be able to get some playing time.

Another thing is that after the disasterous end to 2007, the Mets desparately needed a new look. With certain obvious exceptions, I wasn't really looking for anyone's head afterwards though, so where would this fresh look come from? This should help with that new look.

And, on a different note, Ryan Church has a cool personal chant. When he got up last year, the Nationals fans chanted "hallelujah" which I thought was cool.

Mets Tickets, Saturday Plan

I currently own 4 saturday plan tickets for the Mets. Next year one of my friends has decided to pass on this. 3 seats just seems a weird number, so rather than trying to condense my plan, I'm looking for a 4th person that wants to buy the seat. I figured it's always fun to meet new people, and maybe there's someone out there that always wants to go to games but never has anyone to go with.

If anyone out there is actually interested in this and/or wants more details feel free to email me at ceetarsnose@gmail.com. Last year are seats were UR section 15, row G. which were decent seats.

Mota..oh, and Estrada

I think the best part of this deal was ditching Mota. and that the Brewers are paying him.

Estrada looks fine to me as a catcher, but the Mets could even ditch him and not pay him via arbitration. woo. It's time to focus on pitching, but I know that the Mets just improved the bullpen in this trade

Classless organizations

Enough with A-Rod. I actually like A-Rod while he's not currently employed by those people, but I'm tired of the crazy rumors and speculation. Would he just sign somewhere already?

As for the Yankees supposedly willing to talk again? It's such a joke.

They've gone back on their word.
They're staging a one-man boycott of an agent, which will only hurt them in the end. You can't arbitrarily not deal with players because of who their agent is.
They expending quite a bit of effort and attention on basically keeping together a team that won one postseason game last year. They're putting an awful lot of faith in those young pitchers, which is the only real area you could expect improvement.
They just barely stopped short of asking A-Rod to crawl back to them, beg for his money, and apologize for opting out. Real classy.

As for the Mets, It's still a long offseason, but I'm getting antsy for some sort of real move, involving hopefully a bullpen guy or a starting pitcher.

Rumor Mill

Rumors abound!

I like all the rumors, because it keeps baseball talk alive, and I can only take so much of the same football stories all week since nothing happens between Monday night and Sunday afternoon, but I do hate chasing around rumors. There are so much unsubstantiated stuff, so many halfway-educated writers decided what the Mets just HAVE to do to be good next year, and so many little things to keep track of.

I'm happy with what the Mets have done so far. I don't think we needed Easley, but I like Anderson and Alou. Let's see what happens for the rest, but I don't know that I'll have a good sense until April, after I've seen and heard about all the bullpen prospects the Mets have for the season. Because I think the bullpen is the biggest issue, as much as I would like another starter. I wouldn't be panicing with Pedro, Maine, Perez and Humber, Pelfrey and El Duque. Maybe pick up a marginal guy now or later or both and see what happens. I want them to resign Lo Duca, and Castillo, and I think they will.

So let's see where this goes, I just can't take real interest in the zillion of rumors and trades that are suggested every day. Too many writers, not enough stuff to write about.

Today's resignings

I have no problem with resigning Alou. In fact I wanted someone like him for next year. I want Alou, Beltran, and Milledge opening day. I wonder if this move was made with the thought of trading Gomez, but if not, Gomez(and Endy) can get a fair amount of left field time in when Alou is out.

I've never been a big fan of Easley, and while he had some moments last year, i'm not sure where he fits with this team. Unless they're thinking of trading Gotay, this puts us in exactly the situation as last year with an overload at second base. Unless they're thinking Easley off the bench, a job that he'll hopefully play second-fiddle to Marlon Anderson. Does this effect the possibility of resigning Castillo? I hope not. (or the possibility of the A-Rod, Wright to second stuff?)

Good to see the Mets start making some news. The 2007 is officially over, and it's time to forget that, and focus on the future and stop letting the Yankees take all of the attention.

A-Rod and Joe Torre

The New York Yankees, as is typical of their history, again act without class in firing Joe Torre. A move that I am really happy about, because I think it opens the door for the Yankees to not make the playoffs next year. If Mariano, Pettite, Posada or/and A-Rod decide to use the manager change as an excuse to leave for another team, the Yankees will take a blow. Hopefully at least one of them leaves.

As for A-Rod, I expect it won't be all about the money this time. He was willing to take some sort of pay cut to go to Boston. Only the greed of the players association kept him from going there. Maybe he'll overlook getting 900million dollars this time and take merely 800million to go somewhere that he'll be happy and have a chance to win. How much Joe Torre effects that, it's hard to say. Likely Mariano and Posada could have made a decision by the time A-Rod does.

In my last article at totk.com, I talk about A-Rod's impending pay day and how he's probably worth it. Hopefully someone else realizes this and takes him away from the Yankees. The former 'Bronx Bombers' used to have both the single season, and all-time home run records, but now they have neither. Babe Ruth was still probably the best slugger ever, but now his curse is focused on them. A-Rod leaving would pretty much prevent the Yankees from making an attempt at either record for a long time. Losing the best player in baseball could only hurt a team.

A team that payed Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano for pretty much nothing worthwhile this season, were supposedly upset about giving Torre an extra couple of million dollars, and now they're stuck looking for an option that has a prayer at living up to what Torre has done for the team. Likewise by not extending Rivera's contract before the season started like he wanted, they're risking letting him get away. There shouldn't have been any doubt that Rivera would be wanted on the team beyond this year, but someone that makes the decisions decided it wasn't worth paying the guy who may very well be the most valuable Yankee over the last 12 years.

Things look like they could be bleak in the future for the Yankees, just how I like them.

King of Sports

I have a couple of posts planned here and there about this and that. Including my thoughts on what the Mets need to do this offseason.

For now, here is a link to my last article on TOTK.com about why as we all turn to other sports to watch, I still view baseball as the best of them all. King of Sports

So Long

Oh Look, the Phillies aren't in the Playoffs. Did anyone not see this coming? Honestly I thought they may win a game just because they can occasionally hit the ball and no one pitches that well all the time, but apparently not. Good job further proving that the division title in the East was lost and not won.

Most people out there are saying the Mets would've lost too, and while that may be true, I don't think they would've made as poor a showing as the Phillies. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter. Congratulations to the Rockies, and It's hard to not feel good about a team winning it's first postseason series, even if it wasn't against top-quality opposition.

The Mets won just as many playoff games as the Phillies this year. Here's to another 14 years of playoff drought for Philadelphia.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Billy Wagner. These are my first tier of players, the ones that I feel should go under no circumstances.

Luis Castillo, Pedro Feliciano, Lastings Milledge, Mike Pelfrey, Joe Smith, Philip Humber, Endy Chavez, Marlon Anderson, Ramon Castro, Ruben Gotay. These guys are the next tier. I really don't want these guys to go anywhere, but they're not as completely vital. Some of them I'd miss, but would be glad to see value come from them in a big trade.

Carlos Gomez, Moises Alou, Paul Lo Duca, Carlos Delgado, Scott Schoeneweis, Orlando Hernandez are the guys that I think could succeed in certain roles with the Mets, or I think are due for a decent year and should be held while focus is placed on other areas. I think we can get good years out of Delgado and Lo Duca, leaving Omar(or whoever) free to search for a more long term solution in these positions while focusing on more immediate pitching concerns. I think Schoeneweis might be a tolerable addition, and his contract probably brings him back anyway. I'm not sure if guys like El Duque, Gomez or Alou can contribute reliably, and while I wouldn't mind keeping them, I also wouldn't mind exchanging them for value. One concern of mine is power, something I felt the Mets were missing when Delgado was slumping and Alou was missing. I found the Mets stringing together hits but failing to have big innings that a home run can bring.

Tom Glavine, Guillermo Mota, and Aaron Sele are the only three players that I'm ready to toss completely.

Everyone else is either too minor to make a decision on(Muniz, who looked real good. Ben Johnson, who barely factors in), or really doesn't seem to have a place in the future(Shawn Green, Aaron Heilman, David Newhan, Jeff Conine, who I believe was going to retire, Dave Williams, Mike Difelice). Guys like Jose Valentin or Duaner Sanchez or Damien Easley may or may not be done with the team, and certainly have to prove themselves again.

I'm never one to get too caught up in coaches. I think Peterson may have worn out his welcome, but I really don't know how much impact he has, or how much guys like Maine and Perez might rely on him. I like Howard Johnson, I could care less about Rickey's card playing habits and think he some valuable assets. I like Willie, Omar seems to be pretty competent, I don't know that I have much to say about Sandy Alomar at third base, and the other guys barely register.

I generally don't like to speculate and chase rumors about getting this guy, or getting that guy. Obviously trying to get a guy like Johan Santana would be awesome, but would it be worth Humber and Pelfrey? Probably, but it's a tough thing to judge. I've said this before, and I think Omar should just invite 18 middle relief guys to spring training, and hope to catch the guys that are going to have good years, or match well with Peterson's(or replacement's) style of pitching.

Mets Extra

At the end of 162, it's the Philadelphia Phillies 89, the New York Mets 88.

Wow. That sucked. So much for my optimism. I'm not going to be one of those fans that throws blame and anger all over the place, calling for heads and trades and all of that. I will break down the team and next year and what I want to see happen sometime in the near future. I expect I'll update a bit through the playoffs (I'm rooting for the Cubs) talk about awards and all of that. After October I'll still post, maybe once a week, or when other things happen. I'm proud of myself for getting through the entire season with this blog, and look forward to making new bloggie friends in the off-season and next year. Here is my postseason prediction, and my in-season stats for the year.

I think the Rockies win tomorrow.

AL Divisional Round
RED SOX defeat
ANGELS (3-1)
INDIANS defeat YANKEES (3-0)

AL
Championship
RED SOX defeat INDIANS (4-1)

NL Divisional
Round
ROCKIES defeat PHILLIES (3-1)
CUBS defeat
DIAMONDBACKS (3-1)

NL Championship
CUBS defeat ROCKIES (4-2)

World Series
RED SOX defeat CUBS
(4-2)

Personally I went to 33 baseball games this year.

My record at Shea Stadium was 15-12.

My record at Mets games was 17-12.

My record for the hometeam was 18-15.

My record for the Nationals was 3-2. (This included three stadiums, RFK, Shea, and Dolphin Stadium)

This year I attended games in 4 stadiums(Shea, RFK, Yankee, and Dolphin)

I've now been to 13 Stadiums(Shea, Yankee, Fenway, Wrigley, Citizens Bank, Dolphin, RFK, Petco, ½ old Busch, ½ new Busch, Dodger, Angel, San Fran, McAfee)

Next year the goal is to check out Camden Yards, Nationals park, and Tropicana field.

The Optimistic Mets Blog player of the year is: David Wright.

Is there any doubt? David Wright is looking so good. He was the most solid, consistant player on this team. He struggled in April when the team didn't, and since then there have been very few games he hasn't gotten a hit in. He's now in the top two or three in career Mets avg, slugging, obp and ops. He's got a .311 career Mets batting average. He expanded his game, learned from his peers, and took on more of a leadership role. He's a great fielder who needs to figure out his throws a bit, but I'm so glad he's on our team.

It's all about being there...

I'll be there. I was there for game 7 last year, hopefully this isn't similar. I still believe the Mets can win this. I don't think the Phillies will win both these games, they just aren't that good, and I know the Nationals suck, but...All the Mets need to do is remember what it's like to win..and do it.

I'll be there

I can't fathom going to Shea tonight, but I am. I was debating it, and then someone told me they had tickets for me. I decided to take it as a sign, and I'm going. I'll be there tomorrow too.

Well..

2 scoreless bullpen innings.

Pedro went 7.

We still are in winning all our games.

Nothing to Say

I wish I had something to say, but there is nothing. The only reason to peruse Mets blogs and media today is the faint hope that someone, somewhere has some insight that promotes confidence. The problem is everytime you find that glimmer, the Mets blow it to shreds at night.

This season started with the most promise and expectation in at least seven years, World Series or bust. The last team the Mets faced in 2006 was to become the first team they'd face in 2007. Now they are seriously in danger of that being the case again, only this time it's not a World Series champion that foils their quest, but the lowly Marlins. In that first season of the year, they did something they have struggled to do of late, and that's get revenge and complete a sweep. Maybe seeing Albert and Yadier sparks that fire that they need. Destiny, however slim, is still in the Mets hands. Are the Mets complacent, acting entitled, almost snobbish? Well here is the true wake up call. The one team that can remind them that despite the glory of last year, they are essentially losers. They are owed nothing and have everything to prove.

Hopefully the Mets beat up on the Cardinals, and then because a one game series is just not enough for the Mets to work out their aggression, they've got a series against bored fish on the weekend to continue with. Something needs to wake up this team, and if it's not the Cardinals, I may be using my Playoff money to buy an HDTV.

Book Review: The New York Mets: Ethnography, Myth, and Subtext

Review: The New York Mets: Ethnography, Myth, and Subtext by Richard Grossinger

The book isn't so much a story as a diary and tribute to one person's journey as a fan of the New York Mets. Throughout that journey he, like most of us, is constantly reevaluating his commitment to his team, and answering the question, “Why do we watch?” He was a born Yankee fan drawn to the Mets in their infancy, knowing there is more to life, and to baseball, then championships. He embraced the Mets from the beginning, from their minor league players to their major league players who probably should have been in the minor leagues.

As a younger fan, It was interesting to read a fan's perspective on my team that's been there from the beginning. I've never truly experienced a championship, but I've also had some fun and exciting moments. Grossinger explains that it's not always the championships that resonate and are remembered for years to come, but the truly spectacular moments. It's the journey that is what truly makes us fans, not just the final game of the World Series. Grossinger journey as a fan is a unique one, just like all of our adventures as fans are, and it's interesting to read as he goes to his first games at Shea, roots for his favorite players, and eventually gets his first press pass.

One part of the book that I found particularly interesting was about the author's time in San Francisco as a Mets fan. This was long before the time of DirecTV with Extra Innings, or mlb.tv. He was able to embrace the team through box scores, newspapers and magazines. Then he formed a club, and a bunch of baseball fans joined together to buy a satellite dish that could pick up the feeds of all the games across the country. They were able to get Mets games clear across the country and sometimes even picking up the feeds before they were edited for TV.

A big chapter of the book is his relationship with a Mets player, Terry Leach. Leach was one of those guys that perpetually was being send between AAA and the Major Leagues, despite how well he would pitch. In an era that people are constantly talking about “rooting for the laundry”, rooting for whoever the players are as long as they wear the uniform of your favorite team, It's a refreshing look at how sometimes we form an attachment to a favorite player, and how it's not always the best guy on the team. Grossinger, and his son's, attachment to Terry Leach was formed in the minor leagues off a statsheet. They followed his progress through the minors, and like many of us still do, formed a bond with a player that comes up through the Mets minor league system.

As you read through the book, reading accounts from different years and eras of Mets history, you start embracing what it is to be a Mets fan, and reaffirm your connection with the team. Throughout the book I felt myself relating to his stories of watching and following the Mets, even though my experiences often happened decades later. I learned new things about the history of my team, and got further insight into what it was like for the fans of the past. The culture of being a Mets fan is a unique one, but it's one that Richard Grossinger, me, and hopefully you, are all excited to be a part of.

All in all this book is a book most Mets fans will enjoy reading about. It has discussions of moments and events in all 45 years of Mets history. It explores what it's like to be a Mets fan, and helps get a perspective on how and why we watch baseball.

a sigh of relief?

Resounding weekend. I left work Friday with the magic number at 9. I arrive at work today and it's at 5. Three Mets wins, and even though it doesn't feel like a winning streak, it still is. It is said that good teams find a way to win, and nothing defines that than a bottom of the 11th featuring Aaron Sele, and Scott Schoeneweis for the save and the third consecutive win, on a day when the Phillies had lost. Delgado has his power stroke, which is the most important part of his game, Wright has another game-winning RBI, Alou is still hitting everything, and somehow, the bullpen's gotten some outs.

Plenty to worry about still, but hopefully they can get these 5 games out of the way, and be able to rest bullpen and injuries the final weekend.

As for the Phillies...I was in Washington DC this weekend to see the final two games of RFK Stadium, against the Phillies. The Nationals are really a bad team, and Saturday was at best 50/50 Nats fans to Phillies fans. Predictably, once the Phillies scored three in the top of the 10th, most of the Nationals fans left. Me and my friend decided to make our way towards the right field part of the stadium to be closer to the stairs we needed to exit from. As we walked around the stadium, each section noticed our Mets stuff, and took the opportunity to yell and boo us. It's an interesting feeling listening to most of the upper deck of a stadium booing you, It was like a wave of boos as we walked around. Of course I got in my "First place!", and "Better luck next year!" yells in, as well as pointing at the Mets score on the out of town scoreboard. Oddly, I didn't hear anything from the Phillies fans on Sunday.

Let's see the Mets come out swinging tonight, picking up that extra half game with the Phillies off, and go into the final 6 games with a decent lead.

Copper Lining

Well, it's not quite a silver lining, maybe a copper lining? We're now in the same position as two days ago, with the slight additional edge of having two more games off the schedule.

The team's going to have to learn from this, and maybe they it's a lesson that needs to be learned before they can succeed.

It's too late in the season to worry about micromanaging or second guessing Willie, or blaming someone for this. I look to the future and hope the Mets can make this stretch a small black mark on an otherwise terrific season.

Besides, the NL East Champion Phillies just has a poor ring to it.