Chuck 'n' Duck

2005-12-23T01:20:00.000-04:00

Because I've gotten a few e-mails from people wondering where the blog has gone to -- rest assured, it's not gone.

But I have decided to put Chuck 'n' Duck on hiatus until that glorious time when pitchers and catchers report. Anything that's happened this offseason, or will happen, will be talked about on MetsGeek.com until then.

See you in a few months!

Doing Things the Brave Way

2005-11-24T03:18:00.000-04:00

Reading all the things written about Delgado today, here and elsewhere, as well as hearing the people on ESPN Radio — hey, it's the only New York station that streams over the internet — there are, as always in trades, two factions of people: those who dig it and those who don't.

Personally, I dig it. Granted Mike Jacobs had an impressive September, but so did Benny Agbayani, Shane Spencer and who can forget the playoff run magic that was Timo Perez? Truth is, Jacobs was a kid who wasn’t even penciled in as the everyday first basemen for next season, and more than likely only would have got the position and stayed there if he continued to hit over his head. Yusmeiro Petit was twenty-one years old with no spot in the rotation on the horizon — especially once power pitchers Philip Humber and Mike Pelfrey are (re)introduced into the system.

But really, the fact of the matter is this: Pedro Martinez isn’t getting any younger. And the Delgado trade can be summed up right there in that one sentence. The Mets did not spend fifty-two million dollars for four years so that Pedro Martinez could teach Yusmeiro Petit and Brian Bannister how to throw a changeup in Spring Training — they got him to deliver the Mets to the playoffs. And with Carlos Delgado at first the chances of that happening are a lot better than with Mike Jacobs there. That’s just a fact.

But here’s the biggest point from the Delgadno group: the ever-popular comparisons with our rivals, those Atlanta Braves. The point has been brought up all day that the Braves continually win because they know when to bring their minor leaguers up, and they don’t go off trading them for the first big name guy that hits the block. Understandably there are Mets fans that are upset with trading our top minor league talent to a division rival, all the while having to worry about the aforementioned Braves and their moves that seemingly never fail. But the thing of it is, what these fans are complaining about is also pretty much what they are asking for: this move is an Atlanta Braves move. The Mets are doing what the Braves would have done, or would have done if the Braves had the financial capabilities that Omar does.

What the Braves seem to do every year is split their minor league system into two groups: guys they’re willing to trade and guys they’re not. The Braves were never willing to deal guys like Jeff Francoeur, Ryan Langerhans and Brian McCann. But they were willing to trade Odalis Perez, Dan Meyer, Adam Wainwright and Tim Spooneybarger. All of these guys were considered top Atlanta Braves prospects at one point or another, but it was John Schuerholz who decided which guys he was willing to keep around, and which guys he wasn’t. That doesn’t mean he’s always correct, but he knows who he wants in his system and who he wants eventually donning a Braves uniform.

Yesterday, Omar appeared to have done the same thing. Jose Reyes and David Wright remain on the team. Victor Diaz, Aaron Heilman and Jae Seo as well. And Lastings Milledge gets to move over to a corner spot for the Binghamton Mets next season — a position change most fans never would have believed would happen in a Mets uniform.

The Mets have taken a page out of that highly-touted Braves playbook: trade a guy at the height of his popularity, someone who’s coming off a good year, and get a proven player in return: Gary Sheffield worked out for them. So did JD Drew. And let’s not forget Mike Hampton.

And you know what the common trend is with all those players?

Braves fans were calling for Schuerholz’s head after every one of them.

Kenji NOjima

2005-11-04T01:06:00.000-04:00

After reading Jon Heyman's recent article about Minaya's offseason plan, I immediately found something to write about.

Here's the deal: I get very excited about Japanese baseball players, and I really don't know why. The Mets have consistently brought over guys, trumpeting them as one of the best players in the Eastern hemisphere, and they've then gone about consistently burning the Mets. The list of players the Mets have brought over from Japan reads like this:

Timo Perez
Masato Yoshii
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
Kazuo Matsui
Takashi Kashiwada
Satoru Komiyama
Dae Sung Koo

So, in that group we've had a number five starter who didn't embarass himself, a fourth and a fifth outfielder, an expensive bust and three lousy relievers. Not exactly an awe-inspiring group of guys. And that's not even taking into consideration Kazuhisa Ishii.

And it's not like players that come from Japan can't play: Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui have an MVP, a Rookie of the Year, and seven All Star appearences between them. And Tadahito Iguchi came over this year just to prove that Kaz Matsui really was that bad.

But, still, the Mets consistently bring these guys over, and whether it be the Mets international scouting department, the pressure of New York' spotlight, or just a AAA level of talent, these guys don't perform up to expectations. And yet, everytime I hear there's a Japanese player the Mets are interested in, I get all excited, waiting for our Japanese player that's going to break the cycle and play great baseball. And, while I hold out hope for Daisuke Matsuzaka cracking the Mets rotation in 2007, I must declare this:

Kenji Jojima would be a huge, huge mistake.

Having been a pitcher the better part of my scholastic life, I know what it's like to have a relationship with a catcher -- and I can not possibly imagine how I would go about my daily routine with one if I was entirely unable to communicate with him. A lot of people think catcher is a guy who just sticks down one finger for a fastball or two for a curve, but that's just not the way it is. The catcher is essientailly the leader of the team. He's the guy who's calling your pitches, who's repositioning the infield, who's talking to the umpire about where his strikezone is, and is in charge of knowing about a hitter's strengths and weaknesses -- it's just not a position for somebody who speaks no English and has never played with any of the hitters in the division, the league, or in all of baseball.

Ask any casual baseball fan what the most important position is, and I guarantee you more often than not you'll get "Catcher" as your answer. So, the Mets are considering handing that over to Kenji Jojima -- a guy who's insisting on being a starting catcher or he's not signing? I don't think so.

Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez have flaws, absolutely. But they're both solid and respected catchers who -- most importantly -- speak English and can call a ball game. And they're also in a free agent market where two, maybe three teams, are looking for starting catchers. Immediately, these guys should have propelled to the top of the Offseason To-Do List.

This has nothing to do with Jojima's offense. Apparently, he's a .300/30/100 hitter in Japan as well as a nice defensive catcher. That's all well and good in Japan. But if he's refusing to accept a backup role -- which is what has been reported -- then the Mets need to let the dream die and wish him the best of luck.

But, in my mind, this has mistake written all over it.

Now THAT'S What I Call Football

2005-10-31T01:23:00.000-04:00

That about sums up my feelings, Mr. Strahan. Thank you.

With the death of Wellington Mara, there were either two ways this season was going to continue on: the Giants would harness these emotions, take the loss of a beloved owner and friend, and turn themselves into a dedicated football playing machine. Or, they'd completely fall apart.

Fearing the latter -- especially against the Washington Redskins, the hated team of my childhood -- I approached the game with a certain trepidation. It just seemed a little too Disney to have the Giants crush the Redskins at home, on Well Mora Memorial Day, in front of his entire family. It just wasn't that likely of a scenario. It was even less likely to have them do it by Running 'n' Defense: the two principles Mora founded many a Giant team on.

And yet, here I am, after a Redskins drubbing at the hands of the Giants to the tune of 36-0, about as Disney as you can get. And I have no desire to see it end. They can keep up this Run of Good Feelings all the way to the Super Bowl, for all I care. And, really, it's entirely possible: the next three games (@ SF, Minnesota, Philadelphia) are all looking pretty winnable in the here and now. The Giants could conceivably be 8-2 when they get to Seattle to face the Seahawks.

All I know is that I haven't felt this good about a Giants team since 2000 -- as those Mets/Giants coincidences continue -- and it's been a long time since I've seen guys like Tiki and Strahan feel this good, as well. I mean, Eli was extremely shaky today and the team still managed 36 points. Imagine what he'll do when he starts getting on his game on a consistent basis. Wow.

Look, obviously, things can still fall apart -- and, trust me, fall apart they have -- but right now, the Giants seem to be a team built to win. They've got just the right mix of everything with the exception of a secondary, though they did hold Santana Moss to four receptions for thirty plus yards yesterday. So, for right now, the Giants seem to be running on all cylinders.

All the way to Detroit?

Hey, it could happen.

The Stars of New York

2005-10-25T16:40:00.000-04:00

I really do have every intention to post on a more consistent basis, it's just that absolutely nothing is going on with the Mets -- unless you count Doug Mientkiewicz being grumpy as a something.

When Mets news starts picking up, I'm sure I'll have something to say on it.

Until then... how about that Eli Manning? I know that the sports papers are littered with praise for the guy, but as a Giants fan, I feel the need to just continue to heap it on.

New York Giants football has a history of churning out star players: you can't go far into a conversation about the Big Blue teams of the past without hearing about Roosevelt Brown and Frank Gifford, Sam Huff and Lawrence Taylor. The problem with that is, it is history. Since LT, while there've been some great, good and solid players the Giants haven't developed any Hall of Fame talent (though Strahan does seem to be making a good case). Touting Roosevelt Brown or Sam Huff as reasons why the Giants are great is like when Yankees fans say they're the best because they won twenty-six championships -- sure, the team was good in the past, but it doesn't really have any impact on the here and now.

Now, I'm twenty one. Which means I was born at just the right time to not remember anything about the Mets winning the World Series or the Giants winning the Super Bowl in 1986 (what a year that would've been), and barely recall anything about Super Bowl XXV. But what that also means is I wasn't around when Doc Gooden was Doc Gooden or when Lawrence Taylor was LT. Saddest thing of all, by the time I started following baseball, Darryl Strawberry was a Los Angeles Dodger. I didn't even know the guy was a Met until 1995. True story.

My entire sports history has been cluttered with teams that develop solid players and big misses. I have never been a fan of a team that's developed a true superstar. I've been able to follow Mike Piazza for years, but he was never my own -- I always knew there was a person just like me in Los Angeles grinning because his team developed this guy, regardless of where he was putting up his numbers. Meanwhile the Mets were developing Paul Wilson and Bill Pulsipher, Jay Payton and Alex Escobar, and heaven forbid we forget about Geoff Goetz.

The Giants had far more luck: the aforementioned Strahan, Tiki Barber, Amani Toomer, Jeremy Shockey, Luke Petitgout, Ron Day... okay, they weren't all winners. But still, like I said, no Hall of Famers in the bunch -- thus far, at least. That is, until Eli Manning.

Along with David Wright, I am now in the strangest position I've ever been in: watching my NFL and MLB teams develop two players that seem to have HOF written all over them. Two terrific talents, two good guys, and two players that their respective teams huddle around. Manning is my football version of Wright, right down to the slight Southern drawl.

Watching Eli rally the team around him at the end of Sunday's game was like watching David Wright hit a two RBI double to put the Mets up by one -- something I saw numerous times last season. While the Mets season is over for now, and David Wright's development is finished for the winter, I get to watch the same thing happen all over again during this football season. The maturation, the improvement, the education of these two players, playing their first full-seasons at the same point in their careers. Returning confidence and winning ways to two teams in desperate need of both.

If you haven't yet this season, sit down and watch the Giants play next week. Watch Eli play, but give him the whole game. Just like Wright's twenty-four errors in the field last year, Manning will make his mistakes throughout the course of the game. But watch closely. Watch how the stadium rallies around the guy. How the team rallies around the guy. Watch how absolutely calm and collected the guy is when the pressure is on.

And stick around to the end of the game, too. You wouldn't want to miss anything.

Free Agent Files: Closer

2005-10-17T23:35:00.000-04:00

For those of you who visit MetsGeek, you may have noticed that the site has been offline a lot recently. This is due to us switching servers, and is extremely frustrating.

Anyways, I posted an article running down closers over there this morning, but because the site's been down the majority of the day, I figured I'd post it here as well:

Below is a list of the top closers in the Free Agent market this offseason. Though not originally planned, it pretty much follows the order in which I feel the Mets should look for their closer. The list is pretty self-explanatory. Also, not included below are Bob Wickman (who has said he's either re-signing with the Indians or retiring), Eddie Guardado (who has both a team and a player option on his contract this season) and Octavio Dotel (who won't be returning to baseball until, at least, mid-June). Also not included are Braden Looper and Matt Mantei, for obvious reasons.

Enjoy.

Name: Billy Wagner
Height: 5-11"
Weight: 202
Throws: Left
Age: 34
Current Salary: $9,000,000
Likely Asking For: $29,000,000 over Three Years

Wagner is the Cream of the Closer Crop. Arguably on the way to his second Rolaids Relief Award, and armed with an overpowering 100 MPH fastball and a hellacious high-80's slider, Wagner is about as close to a sure thing at the end of the game as there was this season. At the age of thirty-four Wagner enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career, striking out 87 in 77.7 IP (10.1 K/9), while walking twenty (2.3 BB/9). Holding opposing hitters to a batting average of .165, Wagner got the job done, amassing thirty-eight saves while blowing only three -- or five less than what Braden Looper blew. It should also be noted that when outside the Homer-Friendly confines of Citizen’s Bank Park, Wagner pitched to an ERA of 0.90, allowing three runs off of twelve hits in thirty innings. Scary.

Still, Wagner is thirty-four and has a history of injuries. He missed the majority of the 2000 and 2003 seasons with various ailments (back spasms, strained rotator cuff, shoulder, groin, inflamed finger, etc.). It should be noted that Wagner rededicated himself to steering clear of injuries last offseason, and made it through the entire year injury-free. Wagner also did not endear himself to the Philadelphia faithful -- though that's not much of a surprise -- because he called them out for booing the team. In the same vein, Wagner has a long history of openly complaining to the media when things aren't going well with the team, something that carried over from his days in Houston. Despite this Wagner is considered a good teammate, and has never been rumored to be a clubhouse cancer.

The fact remains that Wagner is an excellent pitcher, not just a thrower. If the Mets are looking to make the playoffs next season, they desperately need somebody to slam the door at the end of games, especially if they don't make a move for a big hitter in the offseason. Outside of Mariano Rivera and Brad Lidge, Wagner may be the most dominant, and healthy (sorry, Eric Gagne), closer in baseball. He won’t come cheap, but he could certainly be the answer the Mets have been searching for at closer since... ever?

Name: B.J. Ryan
Height: 6-6"
Weight: 249
Throws: Left
Age: 29
Current Salary: $2,600,000
Likely Asking For: $22,000,000 over Four Years

Finally handed the keys to the closer car this season, Ryan did not disappoint. Appearing in sixty-nine games, Ryan threw 70.3 innings and held hitters to a .208 batting average. Even more impressive is his splits against lefties and righties. While Ryan held lefties to a line of .211/.284/.352, he managed to hold righties to a line of .206/.282/.265, meaning it doesn't matter how you swing, you're gonna have trouble against him. BJ also struck out an even one hundred, for a ridiculous 12.8 K/9 rate, while walking 26 (3.3 BB/9). Ryan’s got some nice natural movement on both of his pitches: a low-to-mid 90’s fastball, and a ridiculous sharp breaking slider. When he’s on, he’s as unhittable as they come.

Really, there’s not much to dislike about Ryan. He does have a reputation of being very emotional, and this did get to him on the mound a few times this season. But what’s really the biggest question mark is the amount of money Ryan will command. BJ’s gone on record saying that he would have no problem returning to the setup role that he excelled in in past years, as long as he was pitching for a winner (ie: the Yankees or Red Sox, two teams that have large payrolls and need bullpen help). He also has stated, however, that he’d have no problem pitching for a New York team. If it simply comes down to a bidding war, the Yankees more than likely have the upper hand, though the Mets can offer Ryan something the Yanks can not: a chance to close out games for a playoff-contending team.

Name: Trevor Hoffman
Height: 6-0"
Weight: 215
Throws: Right
Age: 38
Current Salary: $5,000,000
Likely Asking For: $20,000,000 over Two Years

There’s no doubt that Hoffman gets the job done. This past year he passed former Met John Franco on the All Time Saves list, amassing 436 in his thirteen year career -- and only 42 behind leader Lee Smith. Though he’s undergone two surgeries on his shoulder, Hoffman has somehow remained a consistent closer, making the proper adjustments year in and year out to stay at the top of his game. He by no means has overpowering stuff, as he relies on a high-80’s fastball, an average slider, an average curve, but perhaps the second best changeup in the league (behind Pedro Martinez). Hoffman’s reliance on command and so-so stuff doesn’t translate to overpowering punch-outs: he struck out 54 in 57.7 IP (8.4 K/9), though his command is exceptional, only walking 12 (1.9 BB/9). He also managed to hold opponents to a .235 batting average. Hoffman is as unflappable as it gets on the mound, and has been in the Top Ten in the saves category for eleven of his twelve years at the position.

Yet, there are a lot of big negatives against Hoffman. For one, he’s thirty-eight years old, which means the Mets need to be absolutely convinced they can compete if they’re looking to sign Hoffman. Secondly, he’s said to be asking for Mariano Rivera money -- though he won’t likely find a ballclub willing to give it to him. Still, this shows that Hoffman won't be coming cheap. Also, much like Braden Looper, Hoffman had troubles against lefthanders this season. While he held righties to a mind-boggling .179/.213/.316 line, lefties teed off on Hoffman to the tune of .298/.342/.375. Hoffman would make an excellent setup man, but by all indications he has no desire to go down that road just yet. While Hoffman manages to find ways to close out games every year, it doesn’t look like he's a match for the Mets.

Name: Kyle Farnsworth
Height: 6-4"
Weight: 240
Throws: Right
Age: 29
Current Salary: $1,975,000
Likely Asking For: $14,000,000 over Three Years

Farnsworth had long been considered the Closer of the Future for the Chicago Cubs due to two overwhelming fastballs: a four-seamer that is dialed up around 100 MPH, and a two-seam sinker that clocks in at an awe-inspiring 96. But Farnsworth was never able to find a secondary pitch that would make him unhittable until this year when he developed a decent, quick breaking slider. Combining the two, Farnsworth put up the best season of his career, pitching for both the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. In seventy innings Farnsworth struck out eighty-seven (11.2 K/9), though he sometimes struggled with his command, allowing twenty-seven free passes (3.5 BB/9). Opponents hit a measly .180 off him, with righthanders going .165/.237/.220 off him. Though he held lefties to a .197 batting average, they managed an on-base percentage of .301, due to seventeen walks and a hit batter in 117 at-bats.

Most fans, as well as some General Managers, are starting to grow wary of signing Braves pitchers after terrific seasons, but there is some consolation in the fact that Farnsworth was pitching very well for the Tigers before the trade. Leo Mazzone did get him to cut back some on his walks, and Farnsworth went 10-10 as the closer for the Braves -- that is, until the postseason, ha ha!. Still, plenty of people feel that Farnsworth doesn't have enough of a record of success that the Braves will pay him what he'll eventually be offered by other teams. While Farnsworth's past is filled with shaky command and scary numbers, the development of his slider may have actually turned him into a different pitcher. If the Mets miss out on Wagner and Ryan, he wouldn't be a bad option for a team needing some strikeouts at the end of the game. And, hey, eventually somebody needs to succeed after leaving Atlanta, right?

Name: Todd Jones
Height: 6-3"
Weight: 230
Throws: Right
Age: 37
Current Salary: $1,100,000
Likely Asking For: $5,500,000 over Two Years

After traveling to Rosedale, Mississippi under the full moon at midnight, Todd Jones sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for some pitching ability. Now, Jones -- who hadn't really been a reliable reliever since 2000 -- is in the free agent market once again, looking to capitalize on a nice year at closer. And, really, it was a nice year. Jones appeared in sixty-eight games, throwing seventy-three innings, while striking out sixty-two (7.6 K/9) and walking a miniscule fourteen (1.7 BB/9). He also managed to close out forty games (along with five blown) despite taking over the closer's role at the beginning of May. Jones, known as one of the most prepared pitchers in baseball, is no longer capable of throwing his fastball in the high-90's, therefore relying on a low 90's fastball and a quick breaking slider, while also hurling the occasional changeup and curveball.

Still, Jones is thirty-seven -- turning thirty-eight next April -- and this could very well be a fluke season for the guy. This was without a doubt the best season of his career, posting career lows in walks, hits, earned runs, runs and homeruns. Most revival seasons are the result of a lack of injury or reinventing yourself, but Jones has done neither. He has approached the game with the same plan as he always had, which could very well spell a return to his previous numbers. Also of note would be his late season collapse: through September and October he pitched a total of thirteen innings, allowing nine runs on eighteen hits. Seeing that Jones is reportedly looking for a two year deal worth between five and six million, it might be best for the Mets to let somebody else run the risk on Jones.

Name: Tom Gordon
Height: 5-10"
Weight: 190
Throws: Right
Age: 37
Current Salary: $3,750,000
Likely Asking For: $6,500,000 over Two Years

Gordon, seeking his last big payday, has stated that if the Yankees aren't interested, he'd like to return to closing elsewhere. However, upon further inspection, it would appear he's already made up his mind -- "I had a great time being a setup here. I enjoyed every day with Mo. I still have in my mind that if I got an opportunity again to close that I want to do that. Closing's always going to be a first choice for me." And, honestly, Gordon still has the stuff to get the job done. He's been a closer before -- 46 saves and book by Steven King with the Boston Red Sox in 1998 -- and over the past three years he's been one of the top five best setup men in baseball. Flash features three above-average pitches: a mid-90's fastball, a nice slider, and an excellent curveball. He'll also throw a decent cut-fastball as well as a rarely seen changeup. Utilizing these pitches, Gordon gave up only fifty-nine hits in 80.2 innings pitched, striking out sixty-nine (7.7 K/9) though walking twenty-nine (3.2 BB/9).

Gordon was turned into a setup man by the Cubs after a penchant for blowing saves and his second serious elbow injury in three seasons. Gordon has bucked those injuries now, appearing in the second most games in 2004 and the third most in 2005. But the blown saves issue may still exist -- this season he went 2-9 in save opportunities, as well as struggling in his second straight postseason appearance. A case probably could be made that Gordon might not have the intestinal fortitude to close out games -- though whether that even exists is debatable. Still, Gordon has pitched so long in a setup role that it's fairly unlikely the Mets -- or any other big market team -- will be looking to him as a closer. Unless all other options are nonexistent, Gordon will more than likely stay with the Yankees or be closing for a team like the Orioles next season.

Name: Ugueth Urbina
Height: 6-0"
Weight: 205
Throws: Right
Age: 31
Current Salary: $4,000,000
Likely Asking For: $8,000,000 over Two Years

Urbina is a strange pitcher, in so much as he can’t be counted on in pressure situations, he doesn’t throw particularly hard, and he has below-average command -- yet, everywhere he goes he’s always given a spin as a closer. Urbina’s fastball, which used to be in the high-90’s, now resides in the high-80’s to low-90’s. He couples that with a nice, deceptive changeup and a pretty poor slider. He can be counted on to stay healthy, as his 79.7 innings out of the pen last season will indicate. And though he does still get his strikeouts, ninety seven of ‘em (11.0 K/9), he will walk the ballpark as well (thirty-nine walks, good for a 4.4 BB/9).

Urbina is intent on returning to closing next season, which means that unless Billy Wagner winds up elsewhere, Urbina will be leaving the Phillies. Still, Urbina may be on to something with his insistence to return as a closer. In that role with the Tigers last season he went 10-10 in his save opportunities, holding opponents to a .191 batting average. Still, Urbina is a pretty steep drop from the aforementioned names, mostly due to his inability to throw strikes. If Urbina could command the strike zone better he would have terrific potential in the closer role, but right now the Mets signing him would be a lateral move at best.

Ganbarimasho!

2005-10-14T01:09:00.000-04:00

So, the playoffs are upon us. The ALCS and the NLCS, both split at 1-1, with some fun teams to watch and some good baseball to be played. But there's a decidedly Mets-less feel. Jason Isringhausen, Timo Perez, Dan Wheeler and Paul Byrd are the only past Mets on all four, strangely enough with each one on a different team. But none of those can qualify as past Met stars, and only one of them was a guy I've ever rooted for (c'mon, who didn't love Timo during 2000? At least until the World Series started.)

So, where does my allegiance lie?

With the Chiba Lottle Marines, of course!

One win away from the Japan Series, the team managed by Bobby Valentine along with hitting coach Tom Robson (remember him?!) and a team including Benny Agbayani, Matt Franco, Satorou Komiyama (no kidding!) and former Mets minor leaguer Dan Serafini. Now that, my friends, is a team I can get behind.

Of course, I can't read Japanese, so I've got absolutely no idea what is going on. But I do know that Matt Franco won the game with a bases-loaded double that scored two runs, and that Benny Agbyani plated him with a groundout. It's like 1999-2000 all over again! If the Marines win their next game, they go on to the Japan Series to face the dreaded Hanshin Tigers, managed by... Alex Ochoa!

All right, not really, I can't back that one up.

Still, if you've got the time, visit the website: http://www.marines.co.jp. On it you'll find all sorts of stuff, like a video of Bobby Valentine yelling something in Japaense, and then dancing and bowing with giant birds while an entire stadium chants "Bobby! Bobby!"

Seriously. I can back that one up.

So, go, enjoy yourselves! See what you can find while hunting through a foreign language, and if it isn't a foreign language to you, tell me what it says, because I've been trying to Alta Vista this all night, and although Bobby Valentine was always an educated and insightful guy, something tells me "The thinking which the soldier bets to decisive battle in play off eve intense white is done" aren't his exact words.

Oh, and go Marines in 2005!

You're a Shining Star

2005-10-11T01:57:00.000-04:00

New Yorkers have a reputation for wanting to be the biggest. They take pride in living in the Capital of the World, and therefore always want the best. They want the best restaurants, they want the best nightclubs, they want the best hotels. And they always want the best sports team.

Because of that, they typically want the best players to fill those sports teams. And, because 85% of people who follow sports team follow them fairly casually, when names like "Alfonso Soriano" pop up, they go, "Oh, he's supposed to be really good. The Mets need a second baseman, they should get him."

But watching the Angels over the past couple nights -- you know, the team that beat the Best Team in New York in five games -- my eyes couldn't help but wander over to second base, where Adam Kennedy plays. He's by no means the best player in the American League, AL West, or his own team. He's not drafted in the Top 100 or even the Top 200. He's not even well known enough to be Number 1 on Google's "Adam Kennedy" search -- that credit goes to a London-based real estate agent.

But Kennedy hit .300 this year. He played a Gold Glove caliber secondbase. His teammates are in love with him. He always plays hard. And he's considered one of the most clutch players in the American League -- .339/.374/.409 with runners on, .330/.374/.409 with runners in scoring position, .286/.364/.347 with runners in scoring position with two out. And, with a man on third and two out, he's 8 for 16. .500.

Of course, the Angels minor league system has a couple solid second base prospects coupled with some top shortstop prospects that will probably need to switch somewhere else with Orlando Cabrera in their spot for the next three years. And when these guys are talked about, it's usually with the thought process that Adam Kennedy doesn't exactly have the goods to be holding them up.

And though he doesn't light up the room with his talent, what Kennedy does bring to the table is intangibles. He's like a Ty Wigginton who can hit and field. He plays every game all out. He's gritty and always a threat wherever he is on the field. You see, playoff teams are littered with these guys. Look at the teams that have made the postseason, and are continuing on. They've got Adam Kennedys at second. David Ecksteins at short. Brad Ausmuses behind the plate.

It's proof you don't need the brightest star in the galaxy in order to succeed. The Mets have proven this over the past four years with the Mo Vaughns, Roberto Alomars and, yes, even Pedro Martinezes and Carlos Beltrans not bringing the team to a postseason berth. You can go to the Yankee route and keep throwing big money at players in the hopes it'll inch you ever closer, or you can go and utilize the little guys. The guys who'll hit .290 - .300, grind it out every game, and play solid ball.

The Mets don't need an Alfonso Soriano to hit 30 HRs and grab winter backpages when it comes along with subpar defense and yet another sub .300 OBP in the lineup. An Adam Kennedy addition wouldn't be nearly as splashy, that's a given.

But would it make the team better?

Perhaps you can ask the Angels that.

Top o' the Morneau

2005-10-06T00:02:00.000-04:00

Although everybody's jumped on the Mike Jacobs bandwagon, I must say I'm not quite sold yet. Did he hit .310 and eleven homers in 100 at-bats? Absolutely. Does that translate to sixty over a full season? You bet. But let us not forget that he's twenty-four, most scouts that have seen him play say his ceiling is as a backup C/1B, and that Shane Spencer set New York afire in 1998 with a .373 batting average and ten homeruns in sixty-seven at-bats.

Do these things amount to anything? Not really, no. I'm just not convinced that he's the answer to our first base problems. I like the guy, and his swing is a thing of beauty, but he could just as easily put up Jason Phillips numbers next season. And not the good season ones.

Besides that, perhaps I've stumbled upon an answer to our first base problems.

Justin Morneau.

Hear me out. Apparently, the Blue Jays and Twins have been talking a Morneau for Koskie swap. The Blue Jays have Aaron Hill on the horizon to play third base, and the Twins are looking for some offense. Morneau had something of a down year last season -- .239/.304/.437 with 22 homeruns and seventy-nine RBIs in 490 at-bats. Not exactly awe-inspiring.

But his minor league numbers tell a different story. One of a guy who hit .310 for his minor league career, or hit 41 homeruns in 568 at-bats over AAA and the Majors last season. And his first go at big league pitching was pretty impressive -- .271/.340/.536 with nineteen homeruns in 280 at-bats. He's long been predicted to be a power bat that will hit for average and -- gasp -- get on base?! Coming into the season, everybody assumed he was the next great Twins power hitter and RBI man. Now, the Twins are looking to deal him.

What would the Mets need to give up for him? Well, apparently not much. Corey Koskie, if you were unaware, went .249/.337/.398 with eleven homers and thirty-nine RBIs in 354 at-bats, and hit just as bad after he came back from his injury then before it. Add that to the fact that he'll be 33 next season and in line for 5.5 million, and you have to think the Mets could offer better than that.

It would almost certainly have to be a package, and the Twins being the Twins won't be interested in taking on a lot of salary. Victor Diaz could be a part of it. Perhaps throw in a guy like Steve Trachsel who can give the Twins some nice innings for the very Twins price of 2.5 million a year. It won't be as much as the Mets would have to give up for Lyle Overbay or Sean Casey, and he might just match -- or exceed -- their potential.

All I know is I'm not interested in another year in which our first basemen hit .210 for the better part of the year.

It's a Mets Geek Day!

2005-10-04T00:18:00.000-04:00

Today's post can be found over at MetsGeek.

It's Part Two of a Five Part Series on Omar Minaya's first offseason at the helm of the New York Mets. I'm proud of it, so if you're a fan of Chuck 'n' Duck, I think you'll enjoy it as well.

Enjoy your Tuesday, folks!

Farewell Mikey

2005-10-03T00:02:00.000-04:00

Talk to your Dad sometime about Mickey Mantle's retirement some time. Or your Grandpa about Lou Gehrig. They’ll all say the same thing, it was the end of an era. The history of the Yankees is littered with grand goodbyes. From DiMaggio to Mattingly, the Yankees treated their stars right when it came time to say goodbye.

And the Mets finally had their Franchise First sendoff yesterday, and did it right.

There hasn't been a sendoff for a Great Met during my fandom, and if memory serves correct there had never been one before it. Tom Seaver, the other unquestionable Great Met, left the Mets twice under head-scratching circumstances (a baffling trade and then lost him again by compensation pick due to leaving him unprotected). The closest the Mets have ever come to experiencing this is the goodbye sendoff for Todd Zeile, but to say Toddy never approached Piazza’s level would be an understatement.

I was there to witness Piazza Day, one of the more emotional moments I’ve witnessed on a ball field. We all bitch about Mike Piazza’s lack of an arm, or an increasing inability to get around on pitches he used to crush. We’re all guilty for yelling for his demotion from the three spot to the four spot, then fourth to fifth, and then fifth to sixth. And most of us have, at one point or another, wrote up trade proposals to the Angels or the Rangers or the Orioles for minor leaguers and relief pitching. Piazza has gotten older, like every baseball player that came before him has, and this being New York we weren’t particularly apt to accept it.

But the fact remains that Mike Piazza is the best the Mets have ever had. He was the key that transitioned a solid team in 1997 to a viable playoff contender in 1998, 1999 and 2000 -- and no, Todd Hundley could not have done the same. He took the team on his shoulders and carried them through rough stretches more times than I can count. He came up big when it mattered. He carried himself with a professionalism and a respectfulness that wasn’t associated with the star players of the New York Mets at that point. He became The Franchise. He became The Mets.

And now he’s gone. Mike won’t be back next season. He’ll be replaced by Ramon Hernandez or Bengie Molina or possibly Ramon Castro or Mike Jacobs. But come April 3rd, 2006, for the first time in seven years, you will look at the scoreboard on Opening Day and not see 31 next to C. It’s surreal to imagine.

But now is a time to think of the positives. To look back on the career of a true Met, and appreciate exactly what he did. Top Five in almost every offensive category the Mets have. The most homeruns by a catcher in the history of baseball. His mere acquisition was voted the Eighth Greatest Moment in Met History. I was lucky enough to be there for Mike Piazza’s first at-bat as a New York Met. I was lucky enough to be there for his last.

And when he goes in Cooperstown, with a Mets cap on his head, I'll be lucky enough to be there as well.

Thank you, Mike, for all you've done. And I'll be seeing you on down the line.

2005-09-30T15:34:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody!

Chuck 'n' Duck will be returning on a semi-regular basis starting October 5th, 2005.

Also, I'll be at Shea on Sunday for Mike Piazza day -- where I'm sure the whole stadium will get a little dusty -- so if anybody wants to meet up, let me know.

Until then, let's go Mets.

2005-09-14T02:02:00.000-04:00

I'm not even going to pretend I'm watching these games anymore. I caught about seven minutes of last night's game, and I've seen about an hour and a half of the games that have been played over the past week due to an upcoming job switch that I'm not able to talk about and some minor traveling.

Chuck 'n' Duck will be going on hiatus within the next few days -- I'll let you know when -- due to the aforementioned job switch, but I'll be returning to (hopefully) daily updates around the end of September when the Mets have far few chances to break my heart and then attempt to bore me to death.

Anyway, I turn 21 in the next few weeks, along with two of my best friends. One of them has two tattoos, the other has one, and I'm currently inkless. For the big two-one we've decided (actually, it's more been decided for me) that we're all going and getting one on the same night, for solidarity and the like. Originally, I had planned to just get the interlocking NY Mets logo, but right now I'm not feeling like having that permanently attached to my shoulder blade. I need the rush of a playoff drive to put me into the chair. Instead, I'm leaning towards this:

Yay or nay?

A Little Time Off

2005-09-09T00:53:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and... maybe it'd be best if we took some time apart.

Now, hold on, don't get too emotional here. There's no other team in my life, you know that. You need to trust me on this one, it's important. I mean, I've had the most tempting offers from across town for years now, but I've stood by you and I've remained loyal. So considering the attention that I've been paid in my time, it's not like I'm going to be running off for the first Brave or Phillie to bat its eyes at me.

But still, something's are just not okay right now. I feel a little neglected. A little underappreciated. And a lot trapped. I don't know where my head or my hearts at right now. When we spent that time together in Arizona, things were amazing. The wins and the runs and the terrific nightly pitching performances -- it was really spectacular. But ever since we left Phoenix, things have gotten a little too rocky for me. And tonight kind of capped it. I've seen this happen before, you're back up to your old tricks, which just goes to show me you haven't shaken them like you promised me you would. Now, it seems like we're back to square one all over again.

It's not that I've fallen out of love with you, I still love you very much. We really do get along really well a lot of the time. Granted, I do look around at other teams every once in awhile. I do a little Baseball Tonight occasionally to see how some of the other teams are doing, sure, but I never mean anything by it.

Still maybe a little time out would be for the best. I don't want to be one of those guys that just up and abandons you during the bad times, but maybe it would be best for both of us. Things are getting stale, you've been having awful nights, and that just ruins my mood for the rest of the next day. It's a constant cycle and it's just not fair to either one of us.

So, I'm going to take a little vacation. Spend a little time with my girlfriend, hang out with some friends, maybe take in a Giant game. Whoa, whoa! Chill, I meant the New York Giants, not San Francisco! Come on, could I really root for a team that employed Armando Benitez? Ha ha... heh...

Still too soon to be making jokes about that? My bad.

The White Flag

2005-09-08T00:42:00.000-04:00

Over the next few weeks there will come the inevitable articles telling Willie Randolph, Omar Minaya and Fred Wilpon what to do with this team. Trade for Alfonso Soriano, they will say. Hand Mike Piazza and Braden Looper their walking papers, they will offer. The Mets will never make the playoffs without a true run producer like Manny Ramirez, they will declare. Offer Billy Wagner fifty million dollars or whatever it takes to get a reliable closer to the Mets, they will plead.

And when that time comes, I'm sure the desire and optimism I feel every offseason will return. To look towards the future, to attempt to help and rebuild this team, that's where I find my unbridled passion always lies. It's almost as though I'm a Yankee fan trapped in a Mets fan body -- there is no regular season, only the postseason for me, and if that string of 162 games doesn't lead you to October baseball, then it leads you to an offseason where you find the necessary parts to try again.

But right now, I don't feel that aforementioned desire. I'm not frustrated. I'm not angry. I'm not sympathetic (maybe, perhaps for Pedro and Glavine, both veteran guys who don't deserve this, regardless of the money they're being paid). I feel an eerily calm emptiness. All I ask for is Willie to let this unattainable dream go as well.

I've no desire to watch the Mets play out a string of meaningless baseball pretending that they have a chance to be contenders. To be forced into a brand of mediocre baseball -- one that does not maximize their strenghts -- with a record that they should absolutely be better than. I'm sick of watching Carlos Beltran hit third in the hopes he'll break out and deliver this team to a postseason. I'm sick of David Wright losing out on RBI opportunities while wasting away in the five spot so that he can protect a player he's better than. I'm sick of Danny Graves, Gerald Williams, Jose Offerman and Mike DiFelice taking roster spots, innings, at-bats and valuable game experience away from people that stand a chance to actually help this ballclub past this season. I'm sick of the fact that Tim Hamulack allowed eight runs in sixty-two innings in the minors this year and has pitched one-third of an inning in the big leagues since. And I'm absolutely sick of Braden Looper "closing" out games for the Mets.

Big things need to change for the Mets, and there's no better time than right now to do it, with no chance at postseason play.

SS - Reyes
CF - Beltran
3B - Wright
LF - Floyd
C - Castro
1B - Jacobs
RF - Diaz
2B - Matsui

That's the lineup. Hit Beltran second and Wright third. If every team in baseball walks Cliff Floyd then so be it -- his OBP will be through the roof and it'll give a hance for Jacobs and Diaz to drive in some runs and get some more confidence. Put Roberto Hernandez or Juan Padilla or Aaron Heilman (hey, Willie, remember him?!) in the closer's role. But knock off this "Quest for the Playoffs" crap. It's time to stop running this team like the Yankees team it isn't, and start running it as the Mets team it is.

Because, folks, the Mets aren't in it anymore. Lambast me if you will, call me a fairweather fan if you must, but it's the truth. For those of you still in it, I wish the best of luck to you all, and if Willie sticks with how he's run this team up until now and the Mets somehow miraculously turn it around then I will sheepishly come back, hat in hand, and offer up all the acclaim in the world to you and your unwavering perseverance. I wish you the absolute best.

But right now, once again Bobby Cox, you've killed my F'N season. See you in November.

It Ain't Easy Being Green

2005-09-07T00:06:00.000-04:00

Since the Mets have begun their slow, painful, distressing, embarassing, boring, excrutiating, horrific deteriorating collapse that -- for all intents and purposes -- began in San Francisco, it seems that Enemy #1 hasn't been Miguel Cairo or Carlos Beltran or Victor Zambrano, but instead has been Mets manager Willie Randolph. Since the Mets dropped two of three to the Giants, Mets fans have split into two decisive groups, with little to no ambivalence in between.

You either hate Willie Randolph, or you don't.

The Pro Randolph side backs up Willie. The fact that he's a first year manager, that the pitchers in the bullpen are slim pickins and that there are no clear cut "Leadoff" "Two" "Three" or "Four" hitters are all things this side will throw out there. They remind you that he's seemingly mastered the ability to know which pinch hitter has the best chance of getting a hit. They cite the fact that, up until recently, he was getting the most out of his players (ex: Cliff Floyd was, at one point, having a terrific year). They'll also remind you that it's the beginning of September and the Mets are already one game away from matching last year's win total. And, lest you not forget, that regardless of what some of the fanbase may feel, the Mets remain a part of the playoff picture.

The Anti-Randolph side has no problem throwing their own examples out there either, for the mere fact that they no longer have any tolerance for the guy. They rant and rave about the fact the Miguel Cairo had hit in the two spot long, long, loooonnnnggg past his usefulness. That the Mets would be in a better position had David Wright been hitting in a spot where he could have some more RBI opportunities instead of wasting them on the hope that Carlos Beltran will turn his season around. They will rip Willie apart because of his reliance on "gut feelings" instead of matchups, and the fact that more often than not these gut feelings fail. And will rip their hair out yelling about how he'd rather count on proven veterans than young kids, and the two or three (or more) losses it takes for him to change his mind about that thinking.

There are more examples on both sides. And regardless what side you're on, we all should be able to agree on one thing: Willie's just not a good manager right now.

Now, hold on, before you jump to defending the guy. Because every defense of Willie is almost always preceded by the sentence "This guy is a first year manager!" Well, that's my point, exactly. You see, Willie's a lot like Jose Reyes. For a manager, he shows a ton of promise. He has his flashes of brilliance. He eventually comes around to see the right move eventually. And he's a far more charismatic and "New York" guy than Art Howe ever was, all the while getting along better with the media than any Mets manager since Casey Stengel. But, just like Jose Reyes, right when you're starting to feel confident in the guy and thinking his issues are behind him, he'll swing at three first pitches, have five fly outs to various parts of the field, and make a brainless error in the field. And you wind up sitting in your room later that night wondering what the hell you were thinking about feeling confident in this guy twenty-four hours ago.

Just like Reyes, as well, Willie brings tools to the table that can't be taught. Like Reyes' speed, or his cannon of an arm, Willie gets along with his players, and in return his players respect the hell out of him and will play every day. When's the last season you can remember where a player on the Mets had no issue with the manager? How about a season where every player played their hardest? Didn't sit out games because they were tired or just didn't feel like playing? I've been following Mets baseball since 1992, and I can't remember one. Perhaps one of you can tell me of a manager who fulfilled this in a season before my time. Maybe George Bamberger was a terrific manager and I'm just unaware, but I doubt it.

As much as Willie may completely mess up the team's chances to win with awful lineup planning or a poor knowledge of how a bullpen works, these do remain issues a first-year manager can work through. Usually you do it in two or three season in the minor leagues, but it just so happened that Willie decided to forego that learning experience and opted to take it all in on the biggest stage in sports.

But you can learn in-game management. In Bobby Cox's first six seasons as a manager he had one winning season, and his team went 81-80 in it. Torre had six straight losing seasons, with the Mets no less, before he found success with the Braves. Some guys just need a good team, some guys need time, and some guys need both. Willie may be weak in in-game management but he brings the ability to communicate and get along with players to the table. He's the opposite of Buck Showalter, a guy who's with his third team in nine seasons because while he's a terrific in-game manager, most players wind up either not standing him or refusing to play for him.

The best thing for the fanbase to do at this point is to just accept Willie for the manager he is right now, warts and all. You can yell and scream and throw things at the television set -- I have done all three -- but the fact remains that Willie isn't going anywhere. The Wilpons and Omar are both enamored with the guy, so Randolph probably has at least two more years of leash before the front office will even start considering giving him the boot. If he doesn't learn, then he doesn't learn, and he'll move on back to the Yankees to coach the bench for Don Mattingly or Joe Girardi.

But just as we all have faith that Jose Reyes will eventually blossom into the player we all think he has the potential to be, it's for the best that we all hold the same hope that Willie will turn these things around as well.

For our own sanity, at the very least.

To Legit to Quit?

2005-09-05T03:14:00.000-04:00

While watching yesterday's game, a thought popped into my mind: When does a good string of starts start meaning the potential for something more?

Of course I speak of Jae Seo, who's worst start was last week (five innings, ten hits, four runs -- though ultimately a win) and has been the Mets second best pitcher all season, while posting a 7-1 record and a 1.79 ERA. With the way the Mets organization has been run recently, I had just been fully expecting him to start the season in Norfolk next year, and be a call-up around June sometime. But, while watching the Braves game in Extra Innings, the announcers were talking about Seo, and how he had put himself into a terrific position for the rotation next season.

Quite frankly, I had not even begun to think of next season. Especially a next season with Seo in the rotation. But what if this really is Jae Seo? But, more importantly, is the Mets front office thinking the same thing? The fact that Steve Trachsel is making his second start of the season tomorrow instead of his fourth or fifth leads me to believe they think there's something more to Jae Seo, as well.

Seo had butted heads with both Vern Ruhle and Rick Peterson, opting to go with what had made him successful before (fastball/changeup) instead of trying to develop more pitches and evolving as a pitcher. But with the birth of a daughter, Seo was forced to take on responsibility and developed new pitches and even a new delivery, and the results have been phenomenal. No longer relying on a terrific changeup and an average fastball, he now throws a cut fastball and a very nice split-finger. You can tell simply by watching the hitters shake their heads in confusion on the television screen that they're certain this isn't the Jae Seo of old.

So, if this really isn't the old Seo, what are we to expect -- granted he keeps this up -- for next year? Obviously, nobody should be expecting Seo to put up Greg Maddux numbers (age 28, of course), but what's not out of the question? Next year, Jae Seo will be 29 years old. Are the numbers Tom Glavine put up at that age (16-7, 3.08, 182 hits in 198.7 IP) out of the realm of possibility? Will he tend more towards Brad Radke's? (15-11, 3.94, 235 hits in 226 IP) Or perhaps even a guy he reminds me of, Jon Lieber (8-14, 4.11 ERA, 182 hits in 171.0 IP).

One thing is for certain: the Mets have two future Hall of Famers in Pedro and Glavine, two guys with two different styles, though both have thrived as a control pitchers in their careers. With both these men on the team next year, it will do nothing but help Jae Seo.

And if this season really is legitimate, Seo'll be helping out this team a lot more, as well.

Ugh

2005-09-02T23:00:00.000-04:00

I am so unbelievably frustrated with this ballclub.

So, with the intention of coming back calmer and more enthused, I'm taking a Mets-free weekend.

I'll be back Monday or Tuesday, whichever day doesn't make me want to kill half the Mets roster.

The Oblivious Mr. Randolph

2005-09-02T02:45:00.000-04:00

And now a break to vent frustration:

"But if I do that, it thins us out a little bit. I'd probably hit David Wright third and Cliff Floyd fourth, and who's going to protect Cliff? Wright's a little more selective. I could bat Wright fourth and Floyd third." - Willie Randolph on why he'd rather his lineup be Cairo, Beltran, Floyd, Wright then Beltran, Wright, Floyd, Diaz.

Uh, Willie, can we have a moment here?

In case you haven't noticed, here's the deal: I don't care how much the guy's getting paid, or how many homeruns he hit in two terrific hitters parks last season, Carlos Beltran is a two-hole hitter. Even in Kansas City, where the team had next to no offense, he was a two-hole hitter. And he thrived in that spot. Over the past three seasons, he's hit .289/.385/.566 in the two spot, with 189 hits, forty homeruns, 118 RBI and 103 walks in 655 at-bats.

Instead, you're opting to go with Miguel Cairo, who is hitting exactly... are you ready for this? Maybe you should sit down, Willie. Because Little Egypt is hitting exactly .217/.265/.293 with forty hits, a homerun, and ten walks in 184 at-bats. Oh, and let us not forget those awe-inspiring seven RBI. Yes. A whole seven. That's an RBI every 26 at-bats, or every six games.

And you're reasoning for going with this lineup is what? If you move Beltran up and Wright up, who's going to protect Cliff Floyd?

I just want to make sure we're talking about the same Cliff Floyd who can't buy a hit right now, right? The same Cliff Floyd that's hit .211/.250/.263 over the last seven games, and hasn't hit a homerun since August 16th, that Cliff Floyd? You're afraid that if you take away David Wright, the hottest hitter in the National League, from hitting behind Floyd, that Cliff might be walked? Cliff Floyd, a guy that has had more "Of Fors" (5) than multi-hit games (2) in his last twelve games? It might just be me, but wouldn't Floyd actually getting on base be a bit of an improvement?

You're looking to fix this offense, right? The answer is staring at you in the face, and it doesn't take even the keenest of baseball intellect to figure it out.

His Big Game

2005-08-31T02:05:00.000-04:00

Shhh! Don't say anything!

Every time He has a big game, everybody comes out and proclaims The Slump over. We say He's finished adjusting to New York, He's found his swing, He's put it all together. The Slump is gone, and in it's place The Streak now rises like a phoenix from the ashes. Yes, The Streak we've been waiting for is no longer right around the corner, but here and now! There will be much rejoicing and choruses of angels as He'll hit twenty-two homeruns and drive in fifty runs and have twenty-nine multi-hit games from here on out, propeling the Mets to a twenty game win streak and locking up the playoffs by mid-September.

And, much like a skittish deer, He hears the clammering, turns tail, and runs into the woods... only to be lost for another two weeks.

So much like a David Wright at-bat, let's learn from our past mistakes, and adjust. Let's just not say anything. Don't cheer any louder. Don't write about it. Don't talk about it. Oh, we don't have to forget about it, but let's have it be our little/big secret. Acknowledge it with a wink or a head nod to other Mets fans in the street, but don't dare mention His name, and certainly not his game last night. Don't risk the streak, the run, or the playoffs. Just sit back, and let Him do his thing.

Because if there's ever a time for him to start doing His thing, it's right now. With Miguel "That .295 Ain't My Batting Average" Cairo hitting in the second spot for the forseeable future and Cliff Floyd swinging the bat as well as I could right now, the Mets are in desperate need of Him stepping up. We all know He's got the big contract, the big lineup spot, and the pressure of an entire New York City fanbase. And the result of this has been Him skying flyballs and fouling off strike twos like He's getting paid to do it. So, let's do our part to keep the pressure off.

Until he does for it a second consecutive game. Then all bets are off.

Creative Solutions

2005-08-25T00:49:00.000-04:00

Dear Mr. Wilpon,

I am a diehard New York Met fan. I currently run the Mets blog Chuck 'n' Duck, as well as being a contributor to another Mets website, MetsGeek.com, so you know I come at this situation with the best of intentions. While watching the Mets thoroughly trounce the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second consecutive night, I came across an interesting idea as how to get the Mets into the playoffs, consistently, for many years.

Move the Mets to Arizona.

Look, I realize that some Mets fans may be upset by this move off the bat. Both the New York Giants, as well as your boyhood team the Brooklyn Dodgers, left under poor circumstances for monetary reasons and both teams should not be admired for what they did. I do not, however, propose a move for the financial betterment. I propose it for the right reasons, namely winning. If the Mets were to play at Bank One Ballpark for the remainder of the season -- as well as for future years -- we could reasonably expect a nightly performance of 10+ runs. Also, Tom Glavine could be penciled in for his third Cy Young, David Wright would hit around .800, and Mike Jacobs could be counted on for something, roughly, around two hundred homeruns and two hundred walks. (These numbers may be an over/understatement, I'm not very good in math).

Of course a move to Arizona would also mean a move to the National League West. While game times would be hell on the fanbase at first, I'm sure that with time we could all learn to function on five to six hours a sleep nightly for the good of the franchise. And, let me tell you, a move to the NL West definitely is good for the franchise. I'm not sure if you were aware of this or not, but with the Mets now 66-60 they would be in first place by six games, instead of in last by five. This would all but guarantee us a playoff berth this season, and many more down the line -- especially once we steal Ramon Hernandez from the Padres, our new fierce rivals. Let those smug San Dieogoites (San Diegons?) deal with that for the years of misery they didn't put us through.

In conclusion, Mr. Wilpon, a move to the West is a move for the best. Your team is just bursting with future MVPs, Cy Youngs and Rookies of the Year once a move to Phoenix takes place.

Here's a website for you to peruse, http://phoenix.about.com/od/relocation/, it'll give you all the information you need about making the jump to the great state of Arizona. Also, I don't really know much about the whole ownership of the Diamondbacks, but if I recall correctly, doesn't Billy Crystal have something to do with it? I'm sure Mr. Crystal would love the opportunity to move back to New York, so you should probably get him on your side first and then have him slowly sway the rest of the guys. Though, that's just my two cents, this is your call all the way.

Just make me one promise -- let's not go purple and green.

Your friend,
Andrew Hintz

**

Big thanks to all who linked yesterday. Came this close to hitting 1,000.

Don Pedro

2005-08-24T02:50:00.000-04:00

Finally, the true story of how Willie Randolph came around to giving Mike Jacobs some playing time -- it was all Pedro Martinez's doing.

According to Scott Lauber, that is. Check it out:

Jacobs survived another day without being returned to the minors, and Pedro Martinez may be partially responsible.

After homering in his first major league at-bat Sunday, Jacobs was informed he may be sent to Triple-A. Martinez overheard and voiced a complaint with Mets' brass. Jacobs stayed with the team, started the next two games at first base and was spared a demotion Tuesday when the Mets designated reliever Danny Graves for assignment.

The move paid off for the Mets when he homered Tuesday night at Arizona.

"It's just not right," Martinez told the New York Daily News. "It could frustrate a kid when you have a top prospect like that and you bring him up and he hits a three-run homer that puts us back in the game and you send him back down. As a person that's been there, it's frustrating."

Luckily for all of you, I have access to the Mets security cameras, and was able to transcribe how this all came about for your reading pleasure.

The Night of the 9-8 Win

Pedro Martinez sits behind a desk in his office in the Mets locker room, a kitten sprawled out across his lap. As Pedro stares off into the distance, Jose Reyes comes to the door.

"Godfather, he's not on the list, but Mike Jacobs wants to see you."

Pedro looks up at him, inquisitively.

"Is this -- is this necessary?"

Jose shrugs as Pedro waves him on. Mike Jacobs bows and sits on Pedro's desk.

"Mr. Martinez... less than a week ago Mike Piazza goes down because of a broken bone in his hand. Omar's stumped, he doesn't know what to do. He wants to call up Mike DiFelice, but he knows the fanbase would revolt if they bring him up over me. So Omar calls me up only Willie Randolph sits me on the bench, and I've just sat there... for days! Rotting away, really. I mean, Willie even sends Miguel Cairo out to warm up the pitcher between innings. Oh, Godfather, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.

Mike Jacobs begins to cry. Pedro, enraged, jumps to his feet and slaps him about the face.

"You can act like a man! What's the matter with you? Is this how you turned out? A Binghamton finocchio that cries like with a woman? What can I do?! What can I do?! What is that nonsense? Ridiculous. *sigh* You've kept up with your practicing of first base?"

Jacobs wipes his eyes.

"Sure I did."

Pedro nods approvingly.

"Good. Cause a young catcher who can't play first base can never be a real Met. You look terrible. I want you to eat. I want you to rest a while. And tomorrow this Randolph bigshot's gonna give you what you want."

Mike Jacobs sighs.

"It's too late. They send me down for DiFelice tomorrow."

Pedro wags his extremely long finger.

"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse. Now you just go outside and enjoy yourself, and forget about all this nonsense. I want you to leave it all to me."

Later That Evening

Jose Reyes sits at a dinner table with Willie Randolph. Reyes leans back in his chair, and lays a lineup card on the table.

"So, you see, Pedro wants you to give Mike Jacobs some playing time. It doesn't matter when in the game, or what position he plays, but he'd appreciate it if he saw some playing time tomorrow."

Willie shakes his head vigorously.

"I respect that; just tell him he should ask me anything else. But this is one favor I can't give
him."

Reyes shakes his head in return.

"He doesn't ask a second favor once he's been refused the first, understood?"

Willie stands up, upset.

"You don't understand, Mike Jacobs never gets in that lineup. First base is perfect for him;
it'll make him a big star. And I'm gonna run all the youth out of the organization, and let me tell you why. The Yankees have done it this way for years! It's all about the veteran presence! Authority! You can't just go around slotting in youth all willy-nilly wherever you want! We're making Mike DiFelice one of the organization's most valuable catchers. For months we've had him under training in Norfolk. Catching, throwing, hitting lessons. We've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on him. He's gonna be a big catcher! And let me be even more frank, just to show you that I'm not a hard-hearted man, and it's not all dollars and cents. If he doesn't work out, we're gonna sign Alberto Castillo for the league minimum! And he'll be my catcher/first basemen! If Mike Jacobs plays, then he'll hit for big numbers, and then I'm gonna look ridiculous! And a man in my position can't afford to be made to look ridiculous! Now you get the hell outta here! And if that gumbah tries any rough stuff, you tell him I ain't no Terry Francona! Yeah, I heard that story!"

The Next Day

Randolph awakens, and rolls over to find himself in a pool of blood. He kicks the sheets off and finds Alberto Castillo's severed head in his bed.

"AHHHH! AHHH! AHHHHHH!"

The End.

The Art of Optimism

2005-08-22T00:24:00.000-04:00

Here's the thing about being optimistic: it's painful as hell.

Especially for me, you see, because I'm an incredibly competitive person. If I get into something, I really want to be the best at it, and this carries over to the sporting aspect of my life. It's why, if I wasn't born into being a Mets/Knicks/Giants/Islanders fan, I'd more than likely be a Yankees/Lakers/Patriots/Reg Wings fan. I'd be blogging about Randy Johnson's four homerun game as we speak. And I'm honest enough to admit that. I just happen to like when the things I follow dominate.

And that's why these past few years have been especially agonizing. Sure, I've got guys like David Wright and Eli Manning to fall back on. But for the most part my teams have done awful and/or been poorly mismanaged. It hurts.

So, when these teams start to do little things where I think they're putting it back together, it makes it even worse to watch it fall apart. Continually. And that's exactly what the Mets have been doing to me.

Of course, I just can't quit. While I've seen many fans declaring that they've dropped out of the season on here or MetsGeek or on a messageboard or two, I would never be able to do it. It's just not in me. Of course, it would probably be the best thing I can do. I'm sure the little kids that play outside my house could do without the obscenities floating from my living room window daily. I'm sure my heart could do without going into palpatations every time Miguel Cairo skies one to rightfield (I mean, honestly, how many times do you need to do that until you realize it ain't working for you, Miggy?). And I'm sure my girlfriend could do without me telling her, "Horrible. The Mets suck." everytime she asks how my day was.

And ever day I'm beginning to find that these last few years have actually been easy on me. After a certain point -- like say, June -- I had no illusions of what the Mets could accomplish. They weren't going anywhere, and every win was gravy -- unless they started winning too much, thus pushing down their slot for next year's draft. Then I was unhappy.

But this is a different team. It's a team that really, honestly could succeed, but seems to just not want to. They're confident enough in their abilities that, to a man, they have no problem saying this is a good team and should be in the middle of it in September -- yet, they're not talented enough to go on a consistent winning streak. They're confident enough to get mad when they strike out on three pitches or ground into a double play -- yet, they're not talented enough to not do that daily. They're confident enough to play "Willie Ball" -- yet, they're not talented enough to win games by doing so.

It's like a puppy that keeps peeing on the rug. You can yell and scream and make empty threats, but in the end it's pretty much up to the dog to figure the whole thing out on it's own. This is where we are. With the Mets headed to Arizona and California to play seven games against two awful teams, there's that optimism of mine picking up again. Telling me that the Mets could be very legitimate if they do well here. Remembering that they get the Phillies after that series, the Wild Card leading Phillies, the Phillies the Mets have gone 10-4 against this year. And that after that it's a slew of NL East teams that if the Mets were to rip apart they could almost guarantee a playoff berth.

That optimism of mine, that will feel like a punch in the face if the Mets blow it yet again.

So don't blow it once again, all right? I may be twenty years old, but my heart's going on seventy because of you guys.

There's No I in DL

2005-08-17T01:24:00.000-04:00

Maybe Carlos Beltran should be on the DL right now.

Maybe he should have been on the DL for the majority of the season.

Maybe yesterday, when given the option of having surgery and taking two weeks off to heal, he should have taken it.

But none of those things happened.

And I'm proud as hell to have Carlos Beltran play for my team.

With the team across town always dealing with stories about steroids and questionable injuries and in-fighting, it's a breath of fresh air to have a guy like Carlos on our team. He may not be hitting anywhere near what we expected him to, and he may pull the ball or pop up the first pitch he sees too much. But this is a guy who realizes the Mets still have a shot at that Wild Card, and while he's still relatively healthy and able to play, he's going to give all he's got.

And he's not going to subject us to nine to twelve more games of Gerald Williams in centerfield.

And for that as well, Carlos, I thank you.

Now, who sees a streak coming on?

Where's My Movement?

2005-08-15T01:30:00.000-04:00

You knew the second Antonio Perez hit the ball, that not only was the no-hitter over, but that the Mets had lost the game, and probably their hopes of a playoff berth. That's just the kind of season it's continuing to be for the Mets.

But since I'm an optimistic guy, I look at this as the crossroads for the season. The Mets definitely aren't taking the NL East, and they're more than likely not winning the Wild Card. But there's no reason why they can't play some good games from here on out.

Over at MetsGeek, Matt has posted a list of ten things the Mets ought to do before the season is over, and beyond. While I agree with the majority of them, one thing stuck out above all else: where's all the youth?

The Mets are an interesting situation, because they have a chance to end up with a respectable record. It's not out of the realm of possibility that they could have a fifteen win improvement from last season, something they could constantly tout over the offseason to prospective free agents, prospective ticket holders, and prospective Mets Network clients. But instead of going the unknown and exciting route of calling up guys like Heath Bell, Blake McGinley and Royce Ring they instead stick with the ever boring and ever predictible (and it ain't the good kind of predictible) route of Jose Santiago, Danny Graves and Mr. Koo.

Instead of Anderson Hernandez, we get Miguel Cairo, Marlon Anderson and Kaz Matsui at second base. (Side note: Cairo cleared waivers, and the Mets really ought to try and turn him into a helpful minor leaguer before he hits the free agent market and re-signs with the Yankees). Instead of Prentice Redman or Angel Pagan, we get to watch Gerald Williams on a daily basis. It almost seems, from a fan's perspective, that the Mets would rather hinder their chances of success by employing sub par veterans than daring to trust unproven guys who may prove to be far more successful.

But, this is truly a case where the Mets have got nothing to lose. So, why not shake things up a bit, and not let the product get so... very... painfully... stale? Mets fans have suffered through Augusts of horrendous bullpen pitching and old men taking up the majority of at-bats for the past three seasons, and it didn't work. Why not just throw everything we've got out there, and see who may play a role next season? Give Mike Jacobs some at-bats, see if Chase Lambin could hit some at the big league level, let Met fans see the power of Steve Colyer's explosive fastball, or throw Tim Hamulack and let's see if he can replicate his success against major league hitters. Or, you could even do the wacky, big money, big press thing and call up Lastings Milledge and/or Yusmeiro Petit. Even if these guys fail, they've been given a shot, something most of them have never had.

I'd wager that most Mets fans would rather see a 2003 Jeff Duncan over a 2005 Gerald Williams any day of the week.

At least Duncan could have caught that freakin' ball.

Ramblings of a Jaded Fan

2005-08-13T00:59:00.000-04:00

This has got to be the most painfully inconsistent ballclub I have ever watched.

Key word: Painfully.

It's 1:00 AM, so I don't know if the Mets will go on to win tonight (they more than likely will not), but I just can't watch this club. It's as though they are unable to catch a break, and even more as though they refuse to take one when given to them. This game was very winnable, and they've blown it, flat out. If, years from now, historians want to know what the 2005 New York Mets season was, it was this in a nutshell. Pitcher struggles early, offense bails him out, pitcher struggles late, relief blows it. For all the talk about how the bullpen isn't so bad, the fact remains there is not one reliever on this team you can place faith in. There's no Mariano Rivera or Billy Wagner that you can give the ball and know the game'll be all right.

If the Mets do anything this offseason, they need to fix that. You don't need a dominant relief corps, but you need one guy that you can feel all right handing the ball to. And that is something the Mets haven't had in a long, long, loooonnng time -- if ever.

So, do yourself a favor, Omar. Don't worry about Manny Ramirez, a guy who will eventually wind up a Met, regardless. And don't worry about guys like Paul Konerko or Lyle Overbay, players who will be around when you're ready.

Worry about Billy Wagner. Worry about BJ Ryan. Heck, even Bob Wickman and Eddie Guardado may be available. Do something to fix the most glaring weakness on this ballclub.

So I don't have to leave the game in the seventh inning anymore.

Yipes

2005-08-10T00:39:00.000-04:00

All right, I guess I'll be the first to ask it: what's up with Pedro?

Coming into the season, nobody expected Pedro to be Pedro of 2000 (18-6, 1.74), were holding out hopes for Pedro of 1998 (19-7, 2.89), but were expecting Pedro of 2004 (16-9, 3.90). And while Pedro has been more than what we expected, and earlier on was more than we had hoped, the guy's been having some troubles on the mound lately.

Obviously, for any other pitcher, these problems would be real nice outings. But for a guy making a little over ten million and holding the expectations of a tremendous start every outing, the guy has been struggling over the past month and finds his ERA an even 3.00 after his last poor performance.

His fastball hasn't topped ninety-one in what seems to be six weeks, his location has been hit and miss, and he's been throwing a lot of pitches per inning. So, what to expect?

Pedro's on pace to throw 232 innings this season, a number he hasn't reached since 1998, seven years ago. And for a guy with a history of injuries and getting a tired arm, perhaps it's time to start working in an idea I suggested a while back: a six man rotation.

With Jae Seo pitching very well, and Steve Trachsel looking to make a return, it's a move that might not be so out of the question. In the words of Uncle Rico, Pedro's "a tender little guy", and he always seems to pitch much better with the most rest he can afford. While both Benson and Tom Glavine like to stay on turn, both have pitched fine when given extra rest this season. Meanwhile, giving some extra time to Victor Zambrano and a recovering Steve Trachsel may be the best thing for both of them. And Jae Seo, if he keeps up what he's done thus far this season, wouldn't be much of a downgrade from any of the aforementioned starters.

The move isn't giving up on the postseason, and in fact is a move to try and help those chances. A healthy and rested Pedro Martinez is far better than a tired one any day of the week (or week and a half, in this case). If Pedro's got many more five runs in five innings days ahead of him, it may be the right move to make.

2005-08-09T11:40:00.000-04:00

To check out the Upcoming Series for the San Diego Padres, click here.

Ice'll be back with a brand new invention in a few days.

(Translation: I'm posting something new on Thursday. It's got nothing to do with Gerald Williams.)

Just When I Think I'm Out...

2005-08-06T00:59:00.000-04:00

In the movie High Fidelity, John Cusack is making a mixtape for a woman he's met, just days after he gets back into a relationship with his ex-girlfriend. Trying to figure out why he can't just stay faithful and be happy with his station in life, he looks at the tape in frustration and yells, "WHEN WILL THIS END?!"

Welcome to my life with the New York Mets.

Weekly you can find me doing the same thing, struggling between happiness, restlessness, pain, annoyance, indecision, depression and anger. A veritable cocktail of struggling emotions caused by a bunch of millionaires dressed in uniforms with the ability (or oftentimes inability) to play a game.

The years 1999 and 2000 were wonderful ones. The Bobby Jones one-hitter, the Mike Hampton trade, Olerud's single, Todd Pratt's homerun, Al Leiter's two-hit one game playoff, the Grand Slam Single, Timo Perez coming out of nowhere, Rick Wilkins flying out to center, the Best Infield Ever, Benny Agbayani's game winning hit, Who Let the Dogs Out, and the list goes on and on and on. And, of course, when you look back on the moments like these, you get pumped. I still have Z100's "Who Let the Mets Out?" on my Winamp, to remind me of a far better time.

My problem is this: the Mets just aren't doing that this year. I think everybody outside of Dayn Perry (who just won't give up on the dream, for some reason) thinks this team has no chance. And yet, somebody keeps forgetting to let the Mets know. Because, just when you're ready to throw your hands up in frustration and give up, something like tonight happens. The Mets are suddenly four games out of the wild card, Ishii's out of the rotation, the offense is finally, y'know, hitting and pitchers are giving the Mets a shot.

So, what's a guy to do? Or, more importantly, a Mets fan to do? Do you get all wrapped up in it, and go along for the ride one more time? Or do you give into that pessimistic little bugger that lives inside you that lets you know it'll all be fruitless in the end.

Maybe Jae Seo will let us know tonight.

Oh, Willie

2005-08-04T00:14:00.000-04:00

A Conversation That Completely Sums Up the Mets 2005 Season
Starring Andrew and Roger

"Didn't Roberto Hernandez pitch two innings yesterday?"

"Yep."

"And didn't he give up a game-tying homerun?"

"Yes."

"And isn't he like, seventy-four years old?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. This sounds like a good idea."

Optimism?

2005-08-03T00:36:00.000-04:00

In the immortal words of Christopher Walken: "Wow! Wowwie wow wow!"

If the Mets can do that with Carlos Beltran hitting like Carlos Baerga (0-6? 0-6?!) then who knows what the rest of the season holds. I continue to believe that the teams ahead of the Mets in the Wild Card are more talented teams overall (with the obvious exception of the Washington Nationals), but the Mets have a nice upcoming schedule. Behold, if you will:

Three against the 54-52 Chicago Cubs (27-26 on the road) at home. 1-2
Three against the 52-54 San Diego Padres (30-23 at home) at Petco. 1-2
Three against the 48-58 L.A. Dodgers (26-27 at home) at Dodger Stadium. 2-1
Three against the 45-62 Pittsburgh Pirates (21-34 on the road) at home. 3-0
Three against the 56-50 Washington Nationals (24-31 on the road) at home. 2-1
Four against the 52-56 Arizona Diamondbacks (25-29 at home) at Bank One. 3-1
Three against the 45-59 San Francisco Giants (22-30 at home) at SBC. 2-1

The Mets are playing five of their next seven series against teams under .500. And with the Nationals playing the Astros, Rockies and Phillies at home during the time between now and then, there stands a solid chance they'll be under .500 by mid-August as well.

Not only are all these teams under .500, but -- with the exception of the Padres -- the Mets are playing games where the odds are in their favor. It's entirely possible the Mets could go 14-8 in these series on a cold streak. If the Mets can finally get hot (Douggie went 2-3 again tonight and Cameron's en fuego), there's no telling what to expect.

Maybe the Mets aren't out of it just yet.

Though, Beltran, if you could even start hitting like Carlos Guillen, that'd be much appreciated.

2005-07-28T00:28:00.000-04:00

Chuck 'n' Duck is on vacation until July 31st, just in time to avoid all insane trade rumors and public backlash when Lastings Milledge and Yusmeiro Petit are suddenly turned into a middle reliever.

Nah, I'm just playing. Upcoming Series: Astros Pitchers found here.

Enjoy your weekend.

New York Mets Menu

2005-07-25T01:03:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of New York, I offer up to you what I offer up to Omar: a most original way of taking care of trades. As anyone who has eaten Chinese food in the past can tell you (and seeing that most of you are probably from New York, I am assuming this is the majority), you're always given the option of choosing from a Column A and a Column B. So, because trade talk is minimal and the ball needs to get rolling while the Mets are still hot, I present: the New York Mets Menu.

Column A
-------------
Marlon Anderson
Miguel Cairo
Mike Cameron
Tom Glavine
Roberto Hernandez
Kazuhisa Ishii
Braden Looper
Doug Mientkiewicz
Chris Woodward
Victor Zambrano

Column B
------------
Aarom Baldiris
Brian Bannister
Ambiorix Concepcion
Danny Graves
Aaron Heilman
Mike Jacobs
Chase Lambin
Yusmeiro Petit
Corey Ragsdale
Royce Ring
Jae Seo

All Star Feast
This is what if offered up for your future All-Star player. For the likes of the Next Big Thing (Teixeira, Dunn), you can choose two from Column A, and two from Column B. We do not accept damaged goods.

Mid-Level Buffet
If we're taking on contract (Griffey, Kent) or we know you don't want your guy all that much anymore (Soriano, Lowell), you eat here. You get one from Column A and two from Column B, but you don't get to pick at will. Also, if you're offering up a mid-level player (Overbay, Casey) or top prospects (Conor Jackson), you'll find yourself eating here as well. We reserve the right to turn down any and all requests.

Stretch Run Supper
We're looking for some help, but they don't have to be guys we're interested in keeping for the long term (Baez, Mesa). Unproven players (Adrian Gonzalez) find themselves here as well. You choose one from Column A or two from Column B, no mixing and matching. The same reservation carries over from Meal 2.

*Cash Chow*
The almighty dollar, and we have tons of it. If, at any time, you're looking not to eat from Column B, and would instead be interested in this option, let us know at any time. Also, feel free to inquire about our Kazuo Matsui.

Cursory Look at the Leaderboard

2005-07-22T01:33:00.000-04:00

Don't go rushing to check the standings so quick, because you don't want to awake the post All Star Mets jinx, but in case you haven't looked lately there's some interesting things going on. For instance, the Mets are in third place. They've passed not one but two teams. Also, the Mets have a better record than the Chicago Cubs by one game. "Wait, you mean the same Chicago Cubs ESPN talks about every freakin' night as the best chance to win the Wild Card? Those Cubs?" Yes, that's right. The Mets are, right now, a better team than them. And with those Washington Nationals hurtling down, down, down the standings -- and with series against the 49-46 Astros and the 54-42 Braves coming up, we may just see a second place Mets team in the coming week.

And let us not forget, with the Yankees bullpen collapse tonight, the Mets are only 2.5 games behind the Yanks. Not that it really has any bearing on our season, but come on, who would have ever thought we'd see that come July 22nd?

And now, the hapless Dodgers come to town! Optimism abound! So, check out my Upcoming Series report on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and see why I pick the Mets to go 1-2 this weekend!

Really!

Awful Ishii

2005-07-21T00:22:00.000-04:00

Chris Russo: Ishii's pitching tomorrow against Peavy, that's a tough matchup. Is he on a short leash right now or not?

Willie Randolph: Well, to be honest, he is. He probably is. I just hope we can score some runs for him, because I think Ishii, outside of one or two bad innings, has pitched okay for us. Better than his record indicates. But, yeah, with Trachsel coming back and the fact that Jae Seo is still throwing the ball pretty well -- outside of his last start, that wasn't too nice -- but, yeah, I think it's pretty safe to say that Ishii is going to have to give us a strong start tomorrow.

That was yesterday on Mike and the Mad Dog's interview with Willie Randolph. Listening to it, I found myself wondering why Randolph keeps covering for this guy. He's pitched okay for us? Better than his record indicates? The guy is averaging five runs a game. CBS's Player Rankings currently has him listed as the 170th best starting pitcher, out of a pool of 204. Of guys who are everyday starters only Eric Milton, Zack Greinke, Kirk Reuter and Joel Pineiro are considered worse -- and there's no Met fan on Earth that wouldn't take one of those guys over Ishii in a heartbeat.

Ishii's like a bandaid and Randolph and Minaya are like four year old kids with a skinned knee. For the past three and a half months, both have been sllloooowwwwwllllyyyyy pulling Ishii off the collective leg of the New York Mets. And every once and awhile, they change their mind because it hurts, and try to reattach him. Over and over again they've done this, to the point that Ishii has completely worn out his use.

Perhaps today, around 12:45, is the time where they just rip the sucker off. He's long since outlived his purpose and there's nice, new, fresh band-aids to slap on (Heilman, Seo, Trachsel eventually).

The big problem with Ishii seems to be that whenever his back is to the wall and he's about to get the boot from the rotation, he wriggles off the hook. He turns in a credible enough performance to earn himself another two starts in which he promptly gives up ten runs. Each.

As a Met fan, you have to hope for a win, especially when there's a chance to sweep and the Mets keep climbing upward in this ever tight NL East.

But I find I can't deny that there's a part of me that hopes Ishii goes out there today and gets bombed. Realistically speaking, I had already long assumed that there was no shot at beating Jake Peavy, even when Victor Zambrano was going out there, so it's not as though I expected the Mets to come out of this with a win anyways. I suppose the best case scenario is that Ishii gives up seven runs and the Mets score nine for the win. That way, the Mets get the "W" and Ishii gets the ever elusive kick to the curb.

Until then, let's wave goodbye to that phenomenal After the All Star Break Starter's ERA everybody had been talking about recently. Thanks again, Ishii.

Baby Steps

2005-07-20T00:29:00.000-04:00

David Wright hit fifth tonight, in a lineup that included Mike Piazza.

Let's have a moment here.

Kaz Ishii is starting on Thursday.

You can give that moment back now.

As Lee Jenkins showed yesterday, the Mets are a .500 team through and through. Apparently, Willie feels the need to go .500 in baseball decisions as well. There's a few things in this world I just can't comprehend: like math or how people can enjoy listening to Good Charlotte. But one of the big ones is how Ishii, as close to a guaranteed loss as there is in the NL -- now that Leiter's gone (wink wink) -- continues to somehow get Major League starts. Two months ago I could concede, thinking that possibly Omar was forcing Willie to use him in order to trade him off. But after Ishii went on his string of deplorable, bullpen-taxing starts, you'd imagine the market has run dry and it would be time to cut bait. Apparently, this is not so.

I continue to have this inexplicable faith in Willie Randolph, however. My faith, my trust, my overpowering will to believe lies in the hope that he knows what he's doing is wrong, but he's playing it safe in his first year in order to keep everybody happy. That this was a team that he inherited from a previous regime, and he's just trying to do his best to keep from rocking the boat. So he strokes the egos of Piazza and Glavine and all the other questionable older players. I tell myself that's why he's so hard on Wright and Reyes, because they're the core, and they'll be around for the winning seasons. I tell myself that when more players come in and replace these veterans, and the front office gets more and more comfortable with Randolph and his way of managing a team, then the true Willie will step forward and start making out a lineup and a rotation and a bullpen where the idea is to win instead of not stepping on anybody's toes.

That's the hope. My best case scenario. Because as Albert Einstein once said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

And I'd feel a lot happier if the manager of my baseball team wasn't certifiable.

2005-07-19T05:50:00.000-04:00

Over at MetsGeek Upcoming Series: Padres Pitchers

Rafael F'N Furcal

2005-07-15T23:57:00.000-04:00

I hate Rafael Furcal.

I hate his range. The fact that he manages to get to every single ball hit in his general vicinity. I hate the fact that even if he isn't in the area of where the ball is hit, eight times out of ten he'll get himself there.

I hate his arm. More howitzer than flesh and bone, the ball sails straight as an arrow and guns down seemingly anybody that had the misfortune to hit the ball near him. Even Jose Reyes can't beat out the damn thing, and Reyes needs less time on base like I need a hole in the head.

I hate his bat. Because he's like an older Reyes -- what we should be expecting from Jose two or three years down the line, when he's figured out how to take a walk every once in awhile, and what we should be expecting from Jose when he decides he wants to start swinging for the fences instead of hitting doubles.

I hate his speed. Every time he's on base, it's enough to make everybody remember he's over there and change the way the game had been being played. Apparently it's impossible to pitch at the big league level when a speedy guy is on first. It's even harder when that guy is that sonofabitch Rafael Furcal.

But most of all, I hate him because he's a freakin' Brave. And they always do this. They always lead you right to the brink of contention once a season, show you the possibility of a winning season, of a stretch run... and then snatch it away from you at the last second. And it's guys like Rafael Furcal who've done this for years, that almost get a sick, sadistic joy out of it.

Perhaps I'm over-reacting. There are two more games left, and the plan all along has been to take three games -- that this Glavine game was a throw away game anyway because there was no chance he was winning it. Perhaps tomorrow the Mets will knock around Tim Hudson, and then take advantage of Mike Hampton, preying on their injuries and weaknesses and lead the Mets to a strange new world of competing in the end of July.

Either way, I'll still hate Rafael F'N Furcal.

A New Monster Out of His Cage?

2005-07-15T00:38:00.000-04:00

Here's the thing with Carlos Beltran -- the potential to be a great hitter has always been there, it's just that eight years into his big league career he still hasn't figured it out. You may find yourself saying right now, "But, Andrew, we gave this guy 119 million dollars. What do you mean he hasn't figured it out yet?" But it seems to be the truth. Carlos Beltran, for all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds him, has never been an all-out, make-you-salivate, balls-hit-all-over-the-place hitter over the course of the season. What made him so much money this offseason -- that amazing playoff series -- seems to have hurt him the most this season.

You see, when he came over to the Mets, most simply assumed that this play would carry over; that he had reached a higher plane of conciousness and that we were witnessing the next Mickey Mantle. That anticipation of a second coming has definitely worn on Carlos, to the point that most involved with the Mets (players, media, even Willie Randolph) have noted that the guy is pressing extremely hard to try and live up to those unattainable expectations.

Our eleven million dollar centerfielder had become an almost guaranteed out. Popping up first pitches, pulling everything foul down the left field line, and getting on base at a Reyes-ian clip: one could see trouble was a'brewing. His bat speed was undoubtedly still there, but it was as though he forgot how to utilize it. His speed was sapped by a hamstring injury, and that hamstring injury seemed to alter that sweet swing as well. He was a shell of his former self, and we could only watch and wait for him to figure it out.

But, having attended tonight's game, and seeing Carlos Beltran put numerous balls through holes throughout the infield and outfield, it piqued my interest to see what similarities there were between this season and last. Beltran was brought to Houston under much of the same circumstances that he was brought to New York, a then 40-39 team that desperately seeked a speedy, middle of the order hitter to fit around slow players and aging veterans. Beltran, expected to carry the team's offense on his back, started pulling pitches and put up poor numbers with runners in scoring position. Though his power increased -- though how can it not in a park like that? -- most everything else went down. Beltran could still rely on his speed, but his hitting ability seemed to vanish in the Houston air.

Until 333 at-bats in, when all of a sudden a light went on. Beltran was locked and loaded, and crushing everything. He was a one-man hitting machine, and carried the Astros offense almost single-handedly to within one game of the World Series. Either Beltran figured out what was wrong, or he learned to handle the pressure. Either way, Beltran was a hit.

Now, here we are. Beltran, 320 at-bats into this season, is coming off an All-Star appearance where the world saw what we had not up to this point: the real Carlos Beltran -- beating out infield singles and going from first to third on a missed pickoff attempt. Where did this guy come from?

And then the thought dawned on us all: throughout all of his All Star interviews, he had said he was really, truly feeling healthy and looking for a bigger second half. Perhaps this was not just Baseball Player Standard Line 101. Perhaps he was telling the truth! Perhaps he really was healed! That hamstring, like kryptonite to Superman, may finally be 100% and the Mets may finally be in a position where it's a good thing to see Carlos Beltran come to bat.

The first test, of course, would be his first game back. Against a team he killed, ironically enough, in his "Lights On" period last season -- the Braves. And Beltran managed to go 4-4, scoring a run and working honest-to-goodness counts! Sitting in the stands, a smile crept upon my face. You can talk all you want about trading deadline acquisitions. About the Nationals landing Preston Wilson, or the possibility of the Braves getting Huff or the Marlins turning AJ Burnett into three major league starters.

For if the Mets can get Carlos Beltran to re-figure things out, to just relax and let the ball come to him, to have him play at full speed, to live up to that potential that everybody has always spoken of, to have Carlos Beltran circa Playoffs 2004 for the next couple months... then the Mets just made the biggest pickup in the NL East. If not all of baseball.

2005-07-14T00:06:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody,

I apologize for taking so much unannounced time off. Originally it was only supposed to be a day or two, but one thing led to another, and because of of work, vacations and the Missus, it ended up being awhile. Anyways, I'll be back -- mostly full-time -- starting tomorrow. If you're looking for something to read, my Upcoming Series preview is over at MetsGeek.com.

I'd like to thank the handful of people who e-mailed, just to make sure I was coming back, and the people who've continued visiting the site even though I hadn't put anything up. I saw minimal drop off, and that meant you all kept taking time out of their day to check back, just in case. So thank you for that.

Anyways, I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully happy after a big Mets win.

Mr. Inexplicable

2005-06-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

Every year there's always that Inexplicable Pitcher, a guy that keeps getting starts despite just horrific numbers. Guys like Brian Anderson in 2004 (6-12, 104 earned runs in 166 innings pitched, 26 starts) or our own Danny Graves in 2003 (4-15, 100 earned runs in 169 innings pitched, 26 starts). Kaz Ishii is starting to walk (no pun intended) down that path as well. How does this guy keep getting starts? Not only is Aaron Heilman pitching far better than him in the bullpen, Jae Seo has been pitching great in AAA. He's currently 6-2 with a 2.99 ERA (1.92 since being sent down after his seven innings of one-hit ball), and just last night went into the ninth inning winning a 2-1 ballgame against our old friend, Matt Ginter.

Seriously, what is the deal here? Not only do the Mets have a better option, they have multiple better options. Omar has been one to admit his mistakes, but the fact that Ishii keeps getting run out there every fifth night is mind-boggling, especially seeing that there are now three things in life that are for certain: death, taxes and Kaz Ishii losing a baseball game. Ugh.

What does Kaz have to say for himself?

"I just get too cautious. I think I need to be a lot more aggressive. I want to pitch really well for this team. It's important for me. I think I can bring my level up instead of being so evasive with my pitches. I need to be better."

Uh, ya think?

Ishii hasn't looked like a consistent major league pitcher, let alone a starter this season. If the Mets are serious about competing this season (and Omar certainly seems to be set on doing so), then Ishii can absolutely not be getting any more starts. Trade him, DFA him, drop him in the Atlantic, I don't care. But the Mets have already allowed Ishii twelve big league starts too many. If you're looking to field a competitive team, start by cutting bait with 2005's Mr. Inexplicable. Whatever you were looking for in the beginning of the season obviously ain't showing up this year.

Trading Tom

2005-06-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

In the immortal words of Ron Burgandy: "Boy, that escalated quickly... I mean, that really got out of hand fast!"

The Mets are now 1 and 1 on a trip of games I said they needed to go 16-3 on. Only two more losses allowed or the seasons over, men. Keep that in mind.

That being said, an interesting article over at ESPN.com by Jayson Stark where he runs down some of the most attractive and likely to leave names that will be bandied about at the deadline. Of course we'll all hear Clemens and Zito, but the chance of them actually being dealt is very slim, and with that in mind Stark goes about picking some names out. His number one guy? Our good friend, Tom Glavine.

In this quote, Stark gives us the inside scoop: GM Omar Minaya keeps saying the Mets plan to be buyers, not sellers. But when an official of one club that has spoken with the Mets was asked if Glavine could be had, he replied: "Yes. Absolutely."

Glavine may not be much to us, but he could mean something to somebody else. While we've seen Glavine pitch horrendously this season... and last season... and the season before that... there are still some who view Tom Glavine as "Tom Glavine!" The guy is a left-handed starter who is thirty-four games away from 300 wins. What I'm assuming the Mets are really interested in is getting rid of that contract option, and not what they'd get in return.

Steve Phillips really bit the big one with Glavine's contract, of course, and gave the guy a full no trade clause. Would Glavine waive it? Like most New York Mets, he more than likely would. But to where? The article says nowhere west of Georgia, which means Boston and Atlanta would be the most likely of destinations (though the Orioles are always looking for some arms, as well)

Personally, I'd love to see Glavine go. He seems to be a nice enough guy and all, but there's just something about that 5.06 ERA, that .323 batting average against and those 112 hits in 85.1 innings that screams "Trade him for anything with a pulse" to me. But that could just be me.

Obviously the Mets aren't going 15-2 over the next seventeen games, which means Omar should be shaking things up Jim Duquette style (2003, not 2004) by the All-Star break. The Mets have a couple guys that can bring in a lot of good for the future, but there are even more guys that need to be dealt for the sake of dealing them. Not all trades are good because of what they bring in, some are great just based on the fact of what they got rid of. If Omar can find somebody gullible enough to take on Tom Glavine, I'll drive him to the airport myself.

And he can even ride shotgun, so as to protect his front teeth.

Get It Dunn

2005-06-22T00:11:00.000-04:00

Now that's what I'm talking about.

The Mets scored runs. Honest to goodness runs! Against a pitcher who's been dominant this year! And even the dead weight (Mientkiewicz, Daubach, I'm looking at you) managed to do some good! This is terrific.

The Mets needed a game like the one last night like no other team in baseball. They looked absolutely dead coming into tonight, but they really managed to put some excitement into Mets fans. And I think we can all thank Willie Randolph for pulling Aaron Heilman out of the game against the Mariners in favor of Mike DeJean, because he really came up big against the Phillies tonight.

Oh... wait a second...

Anyways, despite the offensive surge by the boys in blue tonight, there's no denying the Mets still need some pop in the middle of that order. Beltran should be on the DL right now, Mike Piazza is hitting like Mike Bordick, and the Mets can only depend on Wright and Floyd for so long. So, what options is there for a Mets team looking for some thump?

Enter the Reds.

The Mets need some power, and the Cincinnati Reds have plenty of it. In fact, they have so much of it that Austin Kearns, once considered the best offensive prospect on the Reds, has been sent back to AAA. The Reds are an absolute mess, and it's only a matter of time before they realize that they'll need to start trading off some big names in order to guarantee a better future. The Mets are in an interesting position as well, because their minor league system is flush with some terrific pitching prospects -- exactly what the Reds are in need of. A match could definitely be made here.

But for who? The Mets need a guy who can hit fourth or fifth and protect Beltran and Wright this season and next. There's one guy that really fits that description: Adam Dunn.

Dunn would look terrific in a Mets uniform, for numerous reasons. Dunn's a tremendous power hitter, but with a terrific on-base percentage to boot. The Mets have sorely been lacking in both departments, and Dunn could help out the team greatly in each. While Dunn strikes out a ton, there's reason to believe he can improve in that department -- he's still young (only 25), and once he learns to lay off the breaking stuff he will develop even further as a hitter.

The major knock on Dunn (or any power hitter rumored to be coming to the Mets) has been that with a move to Shea would come a decrease in the homeruns they'd be hitting. Not the case, however, for Dunn. While a small sample size, over the past three years these are his numbers at Shea: .297/.366/.595 with three homeruns and nine RBIs in 37 at-bats. Also take into consideration that Shea Stadium favors lefties when it comes to home runs, and you have a match made in heaven.

So, why would the Reds would be interesting in trading Dunn? Because the Reds have no discernable future, and if Dunn puts up anywhere near the season he did last season (and he is on pace to hit 40+ HRs) then the Reds are going to have to pay somewhere in the range of 9 million dollars or more when it comes to arbitration this offseason. If Omar could swoop in and offer something even somewhat nice (say a package of Petit, Jae Seo and perhaps a promising arm like Coyler or Lindstrom), the deal could probably be made. Meanwhile dam Dunn is unhappy with the direction the club is going, what with the constant losing and the release of his close friend Danny Graves and the demotion of his other friend Austin Kearns. If you're Dan O'Brien it makes far more sense to get something promising for him now before they have to start paying him ridiculous sums of money and then letting him leave via free agency.

It's a deal that could work out well for both teams, and especially the Mets. A power hitter with on-base abilities, protecting our future for the forseeable future.

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

***

Also, be sure to check out The Musings and Prophecies of Metsradamus sometime. He came out of nowhere and apparently didn't let anybody know, but he has been posting some great (and hilarious) stuff daily. And besides, he supports Gil Hodges for the Hall of Fame, so how could not like him?

Huh?

2005-06-19T07:12:00.000-04:00

What are you doing here?

How could you possibly want to read about this team?

The Mets are absolutely awful, and are playing the worst stretch of baseball than I can ever remember. I'm longing for the days of Jeromy Burnitz (take your pick of either era). I finally realized the problem with the Mets today, is it's not the losing -- it's the frustration of it all. While in 2002 it became abundantly clear very quickly that we shouldn't expect anything out of Steve Phillips' wacky rotisserie team, this team by all means should be playing well. Maybe not winning the division well, but at least .500 well. Right now they're getting beat by a Beltre and Sexson-less Seattle Mariners team, with 2-8 Ryan F'N Franklin on the mound. AND PEDRO MARTINEZ PITCHING FOR THEM. How can this be?!

You want to talk about Make or Break series, you've got a bunch of them coming up. If the Mets want any excitement back, if they want anybody to care about this ballclub, they need to sweep the Phils. I'm not even standing for 2-1 anymore, they need to those guys out. Then they need to go 2-1 against the Yankees. And then they need to go 2-1 against the Phillies again. Sweep the Marlins, take at least three of the four against the Nationals, and then pummel the Pirates into oblivion. That means in nineteen games they need to go 16-3 over their next six series. With the pitching the Mets have been getting (and even better if Heilman or Seo take over for Ishii), this is extremely do-able if the Mets... start... to... hit.

This is, of course, a gigantic IF. Outside of Wright and Floyd I have no faith in anybody on this team offensively. And while I'm as big a Mets fan as anybody, Jose Reyes is the most overhyped player on the planet. He can run fast and he has a cannon for an arm, but I'm pretty sure I could outhit him right now. I'm finally beginning to see what everybody who doesn't view this team through Mets-fan glasses saw in him. This team needs a shot in the arm, and while they may just need off the West Coast, either way Hosie ain't cutting it. He shouldn't be hitting second, he should be hitting seventh, and his once-a-week three hit game isn't going to change my mind.

So, hopefully the Mets go out tomorrow and get swept. Then get mad, and go on a tear the likes we haven't seen since 2000. And then maybe it'll be fun to be a Mets fan again.

Though there's plenty of reason to think otherwise.

2005-06-15T00:19:00.000-04:00

Are the Mets even aware they had a game tonight?

This is embarassing.

Leiter Side of Leaving Pt. II

2005-06-13T23:39:00.000-04:00

All right, so here's the deal: the Mets aren't playing that great right now. They have their problems like they can't hit with runners in scoring position, the infield has problems catching the ball, and their is a pitcher that gives them no chance to win that's run out every fifth day while a suddenly dominant dorky 6'5" righthander sits in the bullpen doing nothing. But, you know what, that's all fine. Why?

Al Leiter is in the bullpen.

Yes, that's correct. Al Leiter isn't starting for the Marlins anymore.

You see, the Mets weren't expected to do anything this season, and therefore some people thought that re-signing Leiter made sense. I distinctly remember Michael Kay calling out the Mets for this "stupid" idea. I remember Sean Casey on WFAN, ragging on Mac and Sid because "this is how the Mets expect to compete? By letting Al Leiter go?" And while I don't remember the people around these parts who thought Leiter was a good move, there were plenty of 'em.

Can we just take a moment for how great "Full Autonomy" is? Rememer when Omar came into power, and gave his little song and dance about how the baseball side of things was his show? About how he didn't come back from Montreal to take orders from the Wilpons on how to run this team? Remember how we all laughed and giggled? How we all assumed that the speech was written by the Fred himself, and that Omar delivered it pitch-perfect? How the Mets were all geared to end up with Moises Alou and Craig Counsell?

Next thing we know, the Mets seem primed to make a run at the 2006 Division Title on the magical right arm of Pedro Martinez, and in Florida?

"With his experience, maybe he can help us out of the bullpen," McKeon said.

And all of a sudden, this season doesn't look so bad.

A Letter to Cliff Floyd

2005-06-12T00:13:00.000-04:00

Dear Cliff,

Wow.

If you ever need a kidney, let me know.

-Doug Mientkiewicz

Fonzie Come Back!

2005-06-10T00:49:00.000-04:00

Edgardo Alfonzo is my absolute favorite Met of all time. "Fonzie" was what everyone complains the Mets don't do: he was a guy the Mets signed, developed, and brought to the big leagues where he inevitably became an All-Star, a Silver Slugger, a should have been Gold Glover, and a team anchor. His '99 and '00 seasons at second base were like something out of a fairy tale, and seasons we haven't seen around Shea since. The guy posted a .425 OBP one year! Over the course of a season! Needless to say, there hasn't been a Met that's come close to that number since.

And Fonzie was ours. He was a tremendous guy, a team-first player and completely unselfish. And he loved us! He really did! Even when the Mets gave him a lowball offer and publicly questioned his health, age and hitting ability, he still took out ad space on the top of taxi cabs for a month, with the simple but poignant message: "FONZIE LOVES NEW YORK"

What a fella.

So, of course, when I read over at Gotham Baseball that there was a rumor floating around that the Mets may be looking into a Alfonzo deal, my heart skipped a beat. Could it be true? Could the Lord be shining down upon me this day? Would I be able to get my Edgardo Alfonzo jersey (still the only authentic jersey I own) out of the closet and look forward to that grand return? Would I get the chance that so few baseball fans ever get, to actually to see their favorite player don their old team's uni one more time?

I know Fonzie's not the same guy we all remember. His power is gone, his range is limited, and his numbers while wearing that always uncomfortable looking Giants uniform have been pretty average. He won't be hitting anywhere near 25+ HRs or 40+ doubles. And his slugging percentage will be sticking around the .400 range and not his old familiar .500.

That being said, Fonzie does bring something to the table that the Mets have been desperately lacking -- the ability to get on base. No matter how much a player's power may disappear, the ability to get on base usually sticks around, and that's been the case for Alfonzo. This year he's hitting a very nice .312/.378/.412, something that would look just splendid between Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. And let us not forget that it would get Cameron some at-bats in some situations where guys are on base more than thirty percent of the time.

The big question is whether or not he could handle second base. Last year he played five games there, and he looked pretty awful, commiting two errors for a not so nice .882 fielding percentage. Of course, five games is a small sample size, and that doesn't mean Fonzie would be that horrific at second. It's still something to take into consideration, especially if that's where the Mets are looking to slot him (though those sure hands and decent range might make a solid first basemen).

For me, this has to come down to the prospects the Mets would be talking about. As much as I love Fonzie, this team just doesn't look like a "this year" team, and Edgardo would be a "this year" move. Next year and beyond is where Omar should be (and from all indications is) looking, and while Alfonzo will no doubt one day make for a terrific "Rusty Staub Returns to the Mets in the Twilight of his Career"-esque story, if we're talking Yusi Petit in a deal, then just forget it. He'll be a free agent in two years, and the Mets can (and likely will) sign him on the cheap. But if the Mets could get a deal done for a Jae Seo or something along those lines, then by all means, I don't think anybody would decline a return for the Great Alfonzo.

I'll admit that I'm more than biased about this situation, but I do feel as though Edgardo could help this ballclub out in the long run. Even as a platoon or bench player, he'd be of great use to this team. I'm all for making the deal.

Oh, and just for the record, Fonzie's numbers at Shea since leaving the team: .333/.407/.500 with two homeruns in 48 at-bats. Sounds like a Fonzie-of-Old season to me.

Ick

2005-06-09T02:46:00.000-04:00

Ugh.

Just a not fun game.

I can't argue with success, but a message for you, Brandon Backe: THROW... THE... BALL. You make Steve Trachsel look like the Jose Reyes of the mound.

And now, with Piazza probably out for a bit, the Mets are without a true four or five hitter for the upcoming series against the Angels. How much you want to bet we see Chris Woodward or Marlon Anderson there before David Wright gets a chance?

I'm just disappointed. The Mets should beat up on these Astros. Hopefully tomorrow's another 12-1 blowout. I'll be back tomorrow with an actual piece.

The Danny Dilemma

2005-06-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

Pedro Martinez who? We've got much bigger things going on then Pedro Martinez. Like, Danny Graves, for one.

But all kidding aside, according to Peter Gammons on Baseball Tonight, Graves called up the other interested teams and let them know he has decided on the Mets. Gammons commended Omar Minaya for his determination and his sell job, and thinks that Graves is a good fit.

I, too, think Graves is a good fit. In fact, all day I had been talking about how Danny Graves to the Mets was a nice move. $300,000 is a drop in the bucket to the Mets, and it's either $5,000,000 next year or a $500,000 buyout. So, essientially, what it boils down to is that the Mets get a chance to see if taking a former All-Star closer out of the Great American Bandbox and moving him to a pitcher's park like Shea Stadium can work, all for the low, low price of $800,000. Meanwhile it also means bumping Mike DeJean or Manny Aybar out of the bullpen. Just good stuff all around.

But then Harold Reynolds came on the screen, and the problems arose, because, you see, Reynolds agreed that it was a great move. In fact, he said it was a "power shifting" move. The Mets are now in the driver's seat because Danny Graves chose them. Uh oh.

It's not that I dislike Harold Reynolds, in fact he seems like a really nice guy. It's just that he is usually inevitably wrong about everything. It's almost as though ESPN keeps him around so the viewing public knows what not to do if they ever got the chance to run a baseball team. So, when he called Graves a terrific signing, I grew a little nervous.

The thing is, I'm just not a "stats" guy. I'm sure if I understood math, I'd be far more hesitant about this move, as my fellow MetsGeeks OFF and Jeremy were all over me when I declared the Graves signing a nice move. I'm sure there are tons of numbers that somebody could pull out and show me that Graves is a horrendous reliever and he'll do no good for the Mets. But then I think about Mike DeJean 2004, who came into Shea with an ERA of 6.13 and 49 hits and 28 walks in 39 innings, and then put up a 1.69 ERA with 21 hits and 5 walks in 21.3 innings. Why can't Danny Graves, a two time All-Star, and a consistent bullpen arm, turn it around the same way?

So, I'll continue to think that Danny Graves is going to help us out. For pete's sake, the Braves wanted him, so he can't be all that bad. And if he is, then it cost the Mets nothing financially and a playoff spot nobody thinks they're going to get anyway.

And if he pitches well, who knows? Maybe we're here in October talking about the day Omar Minaya landed a tremendous middle reliever mid-season for absolutely nothing.

What Would You Do?

2005-06-07T01:42:00.000-04:00

So, this question keeps popping up, and although there's a chance it won't happen, we all know deep in our hearts it will, so let's stop delaying the inevitable.

Let's say the Mets are at the trade deadline, they're within two or three games of first (if not in it), and they're looking to pick up something for the stretch. Omar Minaya is a smart guy, and you know he won't be pulling another "Kazmir-for-Zambrano" doozy out of his hat, at least not this season. So, let's say he keeps the damage to one move. What would you be looking for? Lefty relief? A big bat? A first basemen with offensive potential? Another reliable starting pitcher? Perhaps a Molina? What do you do?

I've been struggling with this, because it's hard to pinpoint what to do with this club. It's a solid ballclub, but the way it is currently conceived will more than likely not beat out the Marlins, Braves or even the Phillies for a playoff spot. They need some shakeup. A power bat would probably be the nicest commodity to add, but where to squeeze one in? And then it hit me.

Trade for Chipper Jones!

...okay, no, not really. I'm not Steve Phillips.

Here's what I am thinking: Sean Casey.

The guy is a consistent hitter, has some pop, is a true team leader, plays hard all the time, already has a good reputation with the New York media, hits lefty, and just so happens to be a member of the Cincinnati Reds -- a team that's looking to fit four outfielders into three positions. Moving Casey could mean keeping Dunn, Kearns and Pena together. Meanwhile Casey's salary is a managable for the Mets $7,800,000 (especially when you take into consideration Omar has money left over from the offseason), and it wouldn't take much to get him from a team that's looking to dump salary for prospects. Instead of trading off prospects like Petit or Milledge for Lyle Overbay, the Mets could ship off something like Jae Seo and Royce Ring for Casey.

And, over the past three years these are his numbers against interdivision competition:

Atlanta: .279/.303/.459 with 2 HRs and 11 RBI in 61 at-bats
Florida: .362/.429/.594 with 4 HRs and 16 RBI in 69 at-bats
Washington: .377/.406/.574 with 2 HRs and 10 RBI in 61 at-bats
Philadelphia: .328/.373/.525 with 3 HRs and 12 RBI in 61 at-bats

Except against the Braves, these are some terrific numbers against teams the Mets are going to face the rest of the way. And besides, for what the Mets usually muster off the Braves, those numbers would be an improvement as well. And, at Shea Stadium, he's hitting .333/.360/.583 with two homers and six RBI in 24 at-bats. Nice numbers despite the small sample size.

I know I was a huge Mientkiewicz supporter over the offseason, and I still love the guy. But a .205 average out of a premium offensive position like firstbase just isn't going to get it done in the long run. The Mets need to look to somebody who can provide some offense, while not being too significant a drop defensively. While Casey lacks the range and hands of Douggie M, Casey can pick it with the best of 'em, so he'll still help out Wright and Reyes the rest of way.

Casey may not be the absolute be-all-end-all piece the Mets are looking for in order to reach the playoffs, but he certainly wouldn't hurt matters.

And besides, I think we all remember what happened to the last team that used Mientkiewicz as a late-inning defensive replacement.

Looking Ahead

2005-06-06T00:10:00.000-04:00

Perhaps because I've been burned so many times in the past, or perhaps because I'm just nervous by nature, but the past couple days I've seen every game the Mets play as "Must Wins". I know it's only June (the beginning of June, no less), but I also know the Braves. And the Marlins. Even the Phillies. They're sneaky teams, that are rarely this close at this point in the season, and if they are close, that just means they're getting ready to rattle off twenty wins in a row.

So, I've sat and watched the Mets, in the hopes that they could do it first. And, surprisingly, they've been doing a pretty solid job of it. Since that disgraceful, horrendous Braves series almost two weeks ago, the Mets have played three series, and won all three. Next up is the Houston Astros, who they should take at least two out of three from, if not all three. Then the Angels, and then, next thing you know, the 23-33 A's and the 24-31 Mariners (and perhaps they'll forget Eddie Guardado behind while they pack).

The Mets are looking at a chance to really make up some room in the standings before taking on the Phillies, the Yankees, and then the Phillies again (followed by the Marlins, four game set against the Nationals, Pirates, and then the Braves). No time like the next month to beat up on some interdivision rivals.

Now the teams coming off a nice win. The pitching staff has looked good (with the exception of Kaz Ishii). The bullpen could certainly use another arm to beef it up some, but it hasn't been as atrocious as the talking heads screamed it would be in the offseason. And here we are, with both Cliff Floyd and David Wright seemingly getting hot again. This seems to be Put Up or Shut Up time. It's time for the Mets to let us all know where they plan on being not only a month from now, but two or three months from now.

Before we trade off Lastings Milledge and Yusmeiro Pettit for Lyle Overbay.

Pedro Love

2005-06-03T00:19:00.000-04:00

I can't think of anything to say that won't be said by tomorrow.

So instead, I will simply say: I love this guy.

Thank you, Omar Minaya.

From the bottom of my sprinkler-soaked heart.

Zamby's Awakening

2005-06-02T00:15:00.000-04:00

Fourteen years ago, when I played Little League baseball, there was this kid who pitched for the Blue Jays. Though he didn't have a spectacular arm or anything wonderful athletic ability, he threw a curveball, and that essientially made him unhittable.

The thing was, the kid had no control. If the pitch was a strike, you had very little chance of hitting it, but it was so rarely a strike that by the end of the game he would have walked throughout the seven innings. Our team would win games by a a run or two without ever mustering more than two hits off the guy.

This reminds me greatly of Victor Zambrano.

Last night Zambrano pitched eight innings of shutout ball, and would have left the game without ever giving up a run if Braden Looper wasn't doing his best Armando Benitez impression this season. So what did Zambrano do that changed the results so greatly from his past starts? He appears to have learned how to pitch.

As you've no doubt read in papers or scouting reports, and as I've said many, many times, Zambrano's gift is his curse. His stuff is electric and his natural movement is amazing. But more often than not we've seen Zambrano pitch like a Little Leaguer, winding up and firing with absolutely no idea where that ball was going. He'll attempt to paint the corners, but his inability to control his pitch will leave his slider nine inches off the plate, or his fastball four inches over the hitter's head.

Tonight, while he was still wild (and that will more than likely never go away), he was effectively wild. He didn't have nine or ten at bats where he wasted ten pitches or more. He refused to work the corners or try and fool hitters. It was simply, "Here's the pitch, now hit it", which should have been his gameplan for the past five seasons. Hopefully it wasn't a one game fluke, but the implementation of a new way of pitching. Because if it is, then this rotation keeps looking better and better.

But if not, then Victor would sure look nasty against a bunch of seven year old hitters. Even though he'd probably lose by one or two runs.

Where's Carlos?

2005-06-01T00:21:00.000-04:00

Carlos Beltran looked ugly tonight.

I remember an article in the Kansas City Star that came out a few days after the Mets signed him, one that I can't seem to track down right now for the life of me. In it, a man who had followed Beltran's career essientially stated that Beltran is a very streaky hitter. That he had seen, time and time again, Beltran put on a show like the one he did during the playoffs, and now he was going to get paid an extra thirty million dollars for being lucky enough to pull it off on national television.

After watching Beltran hit the emptiest .300 I've ever seen up to last night, I'm beginning to think that guy was correct. Beltran looked lost at the plate yesterday, and he's looked pretty unclutch since that John Smoltz homerun in Game 6.

Certainly, last night's performance can be chalked up to the fact that he sat out the past week with a strained quad. And I'm sure that by the end of the season, Beltran will have put up his usual .290, 25+ HR, 100+ runs, 100+ RBI line.

Hopefully, however, that hot streak that Beltran rides three or four times a year is right around the corner.

Productive Off Day

2005-05-30T23:01:00.000-04:00

Without playing, the Mets managed to rise half a game in the standings, and now sit 2.5 games out of first place. Terrific.

The Diamondbacks are coming into town now, and the Mets are sending two of their best pitchers against them (with Victor Zambrano thrown in between, just to even things out).

I have a good feeling about this team right now, though I don't know why. I feel like they're primed to go on a six or seven game win streak. That Zambrano is going to start pitching. That Matsui is going to start hitting. It's that age-old optimism, folks.

Unless, of course, they get creamed tomorrow. In which, disregard all of this.

Jose Reyes Ordonez

2005-05-23T00:04:00.000-04:00

Of all the things to be frustrated about in this last series, I find most of my anguish focused at Jose Reyes for his attempted ballerina spin move that ended up costing the Mets an out (possibly two).

I like Jose Reyes a lot. He's fun to watch, he's fast like lightning, he's got a potential gold glove, he's got an Arm (capitalized and bolded), and he's got the mean streak to take whoever's barreling down on him from first and aim that ball right at their dome if they don't get out of his way. He's entertaining as hell, a show within the show, and I can appreciate the fact that he's 21 and adores the attention he gets. But somebody should take him by the arm, sit him down in front of a TV set, and show him some video of the career path of Rey Ordonez.

For those of you who might have forgotten, Rey-O came to the Mets admidst slightly less fanfare than Reyes, but was still considered to be the Mets saving grace at short. Rey Ordonez didn't have the speed or the arm or even the bat of Reyes, but he came to the Mets with the reputation of the best glove ever to come out of Cuba, and he did not disappoint. Ordonez could absolutely field the ball like no other, and was constantly compared to Ozzie Smith, with some holding the belief he was even better than the Wizard himself. Ordonez was flawless in the field, and there was rarely a night that he didn't make a play that you'd never seen before.

Then something happened. Ordonez started to focus more on making the pretty play than the actual play. He'd toss a ball behind his back that could have just been thrown regularly. He'd dive for a ball that could have been easily caught standing up. He'd somersault while holding sparklers in his mouth and catch the ball upside down. The plays would still be nice, but the radio guys and TV personalities would all question why he did the things he did, why he'd make an easy play harder than it should have been. Maybe it was because he was being paid a lot of money, and fans started to get on him for his inability to hit, hit for power, lay down a bunt or run the bases. So he started adding some razzle dazzle to his plays, to remind fans why he was so great.

I see this with Jose sometimes. Not often, but every once and awhile, and the play he made (or didn't make) yesterday was one of them. Instead of just coming over from short, handling the ball and getting the sure out, he decided he was going to backhand it, spin around and make an unbelievable double play. The only problem was Tony Womack is fast, and when Reyes bobbled the throw from Cairo Womack flew into him and Reyes fell. Instead of one out, there were now no outs. And Willie Randolph said it best after the game, "Sometimes, he's too quick. He's young and enthusiastic. And he trusts his arm. He plays at high speed. We have to slow him down."

Reyes needs a refresher course in Baseball 101. Unlike Rey Ordonez, he can depend on his talent to win the fans over. Amazing plays are nice, but they can be done on your own time. Not when they have the potential of costing your team a win.

**

Just a Note: Vinny from No Joy in Metsville has not left the blogging community. You can read the update here.

Free David Wright

2005-05-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

I know Willie's making a career out of doing things outside of the box, things like pitching Koo in the ninth inning or playing Chris Woodward in rightfield. While these moves have found varying levels of success (or failure), Willie has found a group of people to applaud these wacky moves simply because he's not doing what every other manager would do. I have to admit, I find myself in this group as well, simply because I had grown tired of Art Howe's way of managing over the past two years. With absolutely everything by the book, I'd find myself screaming at the television set for some originality.

The problem with a lot of originality is that you begin to expect it a lot more often. Particularly in the lineup. Particularly when runs are not being scored because of it.

Namely, Doug Mientkiewicz.

I don't like the Reyes move, but I get it. Reyes is faster than sound on the bases, and it seems like a deep fly can score him from first sometimes. So, while his on-base percentage dwindles around Mo Vaughn's weight, at least we know that if he is on base he has a better than most chance of scoring.

But if the only reasons Doug Mientkiewicz continues to take up space in the sixth spot because he had the good luck of being born lefthanded and/or eight years earlier than David Wright, then that's not "Out of the Box" thinking. That's just stupid.

Last night, with the bases loaded in the first inning, Mientkiewicz (the very same Mientkiewicz who preached patience at the plate to Jose Reyes on ESPN three weeks ago), promptly struck out on four pitches -- one of which was somewhere near the vicinity of the plate. The next inning, David Wright hit what would have been a two RBI single.

I know that looking at a lineup and seeing Switch-Righty-Switch-Lefty-Righty-Lefty-Righty-Switch is pretty cool. But, in my personal opinion, scoring runs is even cooler. Douggie M, for all his gold glove work at first, is still sucking wind with a batting average of .213. That's no mistyping. .213.

Willie, I'm begging you, there is no reason Doug should be hitting sixth. If you really feel the need to stick with this order you've set up for yourself, at least put Matsui sixth and hit Mientkiewicz eighth. And if Zambrano is pitching, you could even let Mientkiewicz hit ninth.

But for all the runs he's saving on the field, he's sending them right back by his non-production.

A Night at the Ballpark

2005-05-14T00:49:00.000-04:00

I went to the Mets game last night with my Grandfather, a huge football fan who has never attended a Major League Baseball game. By the end of the night, he left Shea Stadium saying he had had far more fun that he had anticipated, and how could he not? The Mets played one hell of a ballgame last night.

Tom Glavine pitched masterfully. It was as if Glavine circa 1998 showed up over the week to ask 2005's model what in God's name was he doing with his reputation, pitching style, career, etc. He took the mound, and when he didn't get his pitches called as strikes, he just threw the pitch again until he got the call. It was a very simple move, and something most pitchers will tend to do from time to time, but quite frankly I was in shock to see it happen. It has seemed to me that Tom Glavine has essientially handed complete and total control of all of his pitches to the umpires since 2003. To see him finally go, "You know what? That was a strike, and I'm gonna throw the damn thing again until you get it right" was phenomenal. Hopefully it sticks around.

I also almost booed Kaz Matsui. I have been a staunch supporter of the guy, mostly out of pity more than anything else, but when he booted that groundball not once, not twice, but three times, my hands were cupped around my mouth and ready. I stopped myself just in time, but the gang mentality that is the Shea Stadium boo birds certainly can get to you.

Is it just me, or does Matsui seem completely and totally paralyzed by nerves 95% of the time? I would never advocate benching the guy, but a trade might just be the right move for both parties. Matsui is never going to be comfortable in New York, because New York is never going to allow him to be. It's a lose-lose situation right now. Not that I think Cairo, Woodward, Anderson, et al would be any better than a loose and carefree Kaz Matsui, but I do think that ship has sailed. As long as Matsui is wearing a Mets uniform, there's going to be major struggles.

Could Roberto Hernandez be any more clutch? Years and years of watching the Mets blow it in spots like the one he has come into has cemented all my faith in him. After watching him shut down Cardinal hitters, and then leaping up and down and shouting "YEAH!", I turned my Dad and said, "That's the first bullpen guy in years that I've had full and total faith in." I came home, looked it up, and Dennis Cook 1998 is the last guy I could watch come into a game and breathe a sigh of relief. Seven years since I've felt relief from a reliever. That should speak volumes for what the Mets have been through these past few years.

I've always liked Cliff Floyd, but it's getting to be ridiculous now. After his second homerun, as he rounded second base, I made up my mind that I would refuse to sit down. The guy has been through so much as a Met, has always battled through injuries and carried the team on his back to little to no fanfare. So, as he was coming home, I was determined that this guy was going to at least hear it from me that I appreciated all he's done this year and throughout his Mets career. Thankfully, forty thousand others were thinking the same exact thing. Without Floyd this team would be nowhere near where it is today, and it's about time he got some recognition for that.

Doug Mientkiewicz may not be able to hit, but his fielding ability is ridonkulous. I seriously don't think I'd care if he hit .220 for the rest of the season, as long as he kept it up.

Also, on a sidenote, if Sunday comes and goes, and Scott Strickland isn't wearing a "New York Mets" uniform, I'm going to be irate.

Other than that, helluva ball team we've got here.

2005-05-12T01:36:00.000-04:00

My apologies for the hiatus, everybody.

Things have been pretty hectic around here, and will continue to be so for at least another week. Luckily, the Mets haven't been playing the kind of baseball that would inspire me to write about them, so you're not missing much.

But I'll be back soon. Thanks for the e-mails, I am indeed alive.

Also, remember to check out all the folks on the sidebar as well as MetsGeek.com, where the site is essientially updated everyday.

Willie for MVP

2005-05-06T23:07:00.000-04:00

Every once in awhile there's a manager that just can't fail. He makes dumb decisions, is openly questioned two or three times in every game by the broadcasters, and has numerous fans disagreeing vehemently with the decisions he's made -- and yet he keeps racking up the W's. Some of these guys are one-year flash in the pans (Jerry Manuel in 2000 and Terry Francona last season jump immediately to mind) and there are some who make a career out of it (Dusty Baker and Dallas Green are two examples). It's an almost mystical ability that can come and go as it pleases.

Luckily for us, it seems to have blessed Willie Randolph thus far this season. Victor Diaz hitting eighth? Doug Mientkiewicz hitting fourth? Bench Cliff Floyd while on a 20 game hitting streak? Bring in Dae Sung Koo to close out a game, despite the fact he hasn't thrown a pitch this month? Continually depend on Manny Aybar?

These are things that could all very easily backfire and make Willie Randolph one of the most criticized men in the state of New York. And yet, here we stand 16-14, two and a half games out of first and five games better than the cross town rivals from where he came.

You get the feeling the Mets picked a real winner this offseason. The Mets haven't had a "player's manager" any time during my fanship -- which consists of Jeff Torborg, Dallas Green, Bobby Valentine and Art Howe. Bobby V is the guy that comes the closest, and even then more than half the team couldn't stand the guy. Yet Randolph comes into the team, bans music and facial hair, runs the guys ragged throughout all of spring, and he's the most beloved guy in the clubhouse. This team just plays for him, and it's showing up in the win column right now.

If the Manager of the Year goes to the guy that is getting the most out of a team expected to be lousy, Willie Randolph has got to be a very early season favorite. Hopefully this keeps up for most of the season, and if it does, then I just might start having faith in bringing Manny Aybar in in the seventh inning.

Okay, maybe not that far.

2005-05-04T21:51:00.000-04:00

I don't have a lot of time tonight, but I've concoted a quick and dirty way of helping out this ballclub.

Tomorrow, when the Phillies are ready to leave, just steal Billy Wagner. Get some big guys, like Cliff Floyd and Roberto Hernandez to grab him with masks on as he's on the way to the bus, throw a Mets uniform on him, and off we go to the postseason.

It might just be crazy enough to work!

There's No I in Team

2005-05-03T00:56:00.000-04:00

I've been searching for awhile about what it is that is making this team different from last years. It was probably obvious to everyone else, but it took me until today when I was reading Buster Olney's Epilogue to his book, "Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty" to finally realize it.

The book has two parts: one details the rise of the Yankees -- what made them so great and so dominant, despite the fact that they didn't constantly field the most talented team. The second speaks of their downfall, when Steinbrenner and others began to overrun the team with their own ideas, building a roto team filled with aging All-Stars. It was this line, though, that brought to light what the Mets right now have: The Yankees had once acquired or developed players not just because of their talents but because their character added a necessary ingredient – Jeter's confidence, O'Neill's intensity, Raines's humor, Girardi's professionalism. They weren't all superstars, but together they were extraordinary.

Watching last night's game made me realize exactly what Omar did this offseason. Sure, he went out and got some All-Star players, but he did more than that: he brought in character guys. In the game of baseball it's fairly easy to find a guy who has a bad reputation that puts up good numbers. What's harder is to find good guys that put up those same numbers, and it seems that this is something Minaya worked hard over the offseason to do. Willie Randolph, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Doug Mientkiewicz, Miguel Cairo, Marlon Anderson, Chris Woodward and Ramon Castro all came to the Mets with the reputation of being good clubhouse guys and players with great work ethic.

This newfound cohesion was particularly noticeable yesterday during Jose Reyes' at-bat in the eighth inning. Doug Mientkiewicz was walking up and down the dugout, jokingly shushing the other guys while Reyes was ready to watch what could have potentially been the long-awaited Ball Four (it wasn't). When Reyes hit the ball into an out at third, he returned to the dugout to find Minky waiting for a hug, as Marlon Anderson laughed and yelled something from the bench.

Reyes and Wright are certainly two guys to build a team around, and these new guys that have brought in are one helluva team to help with that goal. When Reyes was originally brought up in 2002, there was a lot of rumblings about how him being around guys like Roberto Alomar and Roger Cedeno would help his development. With this overhauled team, you never hear any questions about intentions or motivation.

And it would appear that these changes are having an effect on the old guard as well. While Cliff Floyd has always been more of a "Rah-Rah" guy than most on the laid-back veteran Mets teams of the past, he's become even more of a focal figure this year. He's always there alongside David Wright for the first fist-pound or a pat on the back. Whether this new camaraderie has anything to do with his .375 batting average and twenty-two RBIs is, of course, up to debate.

But the fact remains that there's something different about this club. They seem to genuinely enjoy each other, and it's a group of guys that believes in themselves. There's an air of confidence, and a feeling that the team is in good hands. This might not be the Mets year, but their play so far this year certainly speaks volumes for their future.

What About Aaron?

2005-05-02T00:57:00.000-04:00

I can't deny it any longer: I am an Aaron Heilman fan.

Funny how quickly that turns around, isn't it? Not that I ever disliked Heilman, quite the contrary. I've always had a place for Heilman in my heart, but it was in that place you kept Joe McEwing and Bobby "J." Jones -- they were awful, but they tried, gosh-darnit. But I long ago gave up hope that I'd ever look forward to an Aaron Heilman start, which is exactly what I did today. I was in Massachusetts all weekend, and even though there was a new Family Guy tonight, I couldn't help but get more excited to see what Aaron would bring to the table tonight -- and the guy didn't disappoint.

It was no one-hit shutout, but I thought this was a more promising start for him, as his stuff was definitely off but he kept the Mets in it. The third inning is the perfect example of this: the bases were loaded with one out, a situation that the "old" Heilman would have found a way to give up eight runs in. But the new Heilman was able to wriggle free with minimal damage, just three runs. It was a lead the Mets would be able to overcome, and in fact were able to overcome.

The question now is this: what happens to Heilman? He's definitely proven he can pitch at Shea, and he's now shown he's got the ability to put up a quality start on the road. The guy looks eternally pissed, his delivery is funky and he shut down the Braves -- it's all the attributes to make a guy a star in New York. So, when Kris Benson and Kaz Ishii return, does he just go back to Norfolk? Or perhaps there is another option?

Here's what I suggest, out of the Book of Bobby V: let's go six man rotation. It may just be that the six man brings back wonderful memories of a winning '99 season when the Mets sent to the mound a group of Orel Hershiser, Al Leiter, Kenny "F'N" Rogers, Rick Reed, Masato Yoshii and Octavio Dotel. And although it originally came about because Steve Phillips acquired Rogers in mid-July, the six man did serve other purposes. Nobody had qualms with it, it got guys like Dotel and Yoshii innings, and it kept an obviously aging Orel Hershiser a little fresher.

So, what's to stop the Mets from doing this now? Especially seeing that if things stay the way they are, the rotation could be far more talented and dominating than the '99 version. Pedro and Glavine couldn't argue with extra days off, and certainly could benefit from some added time to heal their various body parts. Meanwhile Benson, Zambrano and Ishii are all coming off injuries, and Zambrano has shown already that coming back from injury doesn't always equal terrific results. Five to six days rest for all these arms would be nice, and if Aaron Heilman keeps up his act it would be a fun, and promising, rotation to watch.

With Benson's return quickly approaching, these are decisions that will need to be made eventually. With two "out-of-the-box" thinkers like Omar and Willie running the team, it's a decision that's not out of the realm of possibility. But if Aaron keeps pitching the way he is now, it doesn't make much sense to send him down to Norfolk to help their push to the playoffs.

Tom Horrific

2005-04-28T00:01:00.000-04:00

Two days ago Don Burke, noticing that Ramon Castro seemed to be taking over as Pedro's personal catcher, opened up his Mets Notebook with the quote "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck chances are it is a duck". Whether Ramon Castro is now Pedro's catcher or not is something to be discussed another time, but right now I have to take umbrage with that age old line. Because, you see, there's a pitcher on the Mets that looks like Tom Glavine, and talks like Tom Glavine, but it sure as hell ain't Tom Glavine.

I don't know what happened between 2002, when Tom Glavine was 18-11 with a 2.96 ERA, and now, but somewhere along the lines something very horrible happened.

You see, I watched yesterday's game in the hopes that things would be different. Everyone has a painful baseball moment in their lives, and Mets fans will always remember that absolutely brutal 1999 NLCS. And seeing that Brian Jordan, Andruw Jones and Eddie Perez were all in the same lineup yesterday, I almost got up and left right then and there. But I stayed. I stayed in the hopes that this is where it would all come together, that Glavine could pitch like he did in the third game of that 1999 NLCS, where he shut down the Mets offense all night. He would show the Braves that they are no longer his Daddy, and he would become the dependable number two the Mets so badly need. It would start here, with the Braves, the source of all Mets misery, and it would continue through the season. The Braves couldn't possibly continue on this reign of terror forever.

And yet they did. Tom Glavine was hit, and he was hit hard. And it was truly painful to watch (and I didn't even watch all of it, as I left in the fifth). Glavine looked lost. He sported a look Mets fans haven't seen since Armando Benitez -- an "I'm Going to Hurt My Neck Whipping Around to Watch This" expression on his face. And you couldn't help but think to yourself, this is our number two? This guy? This man, who is only 142 innings away from another year at eight million dollars is the second stopper in the rotation?

Perhaps I'm overreacting. Every player has a pitcher he can't hit, a hitter he can't get out, or a team that he can't stomach. Sadly, it seems that Glavine's is in our division and will see him another two or three times this season.

On the plus side, it can't get much worse from here.

Kaz MatBOOi

2005-04-27T01:19:00.000-04:00

I don't know if this carried over to the TV or radio broadcasts, but when Miguel Cairo was brought in to pinch hit for Ramon Castro it was like a scene out of a movie. He walked out of the dugout and the place went berserk. "Eye of the Tiger" was playing on the loud speaker, doves were released from the upper deck, fireworks exploded and a chorus of angels sang as the heavens opened up and shone down upon him.

Honestly, I've never seen a guy get cheered so much for the simple fact that he's not somebody else.

I feel horrible for Kaz Matsui right now. I know he's making several millions of dollars, and that these things inevitably come with signing on in New York (heck, even Jeter and Mariano Rivera have been booed over the past two years), but it's getting to be a little ridiculous. Matsui was getting booed for swinging at a pitch yesterday. Not a strike three, not even a strike two, but simply swinging at the first pitch and missing. He got booed for not turning an unturnable double play. He got booed for being called back to the dugout.

And what has he done to bring this on himself? Did he get a DUI and bring shame on the organization? Did he get caught shooting steroids? Cheat on his wife? Print counterfeit money? Steal 101 dalmation puppies to make a fur coat? No, he's hitting .262 and is having trouble getting to balls at a position he's never played before.

Don't get me wrong, the defensive side of K-Mat's spectrum absolutely kills me. I wince every... single... time a ball is hit to him (as my family and girlfriend will attest to). And when he does botch that routine groundball, I'm just as irate as everyone else. But it's three weeks into the season and he's learning second on the fly. Let's at least give him another month to prove he's not the second-coming of Roberto Alomar 2002.

Although, I gotta say this, the bunting needs to stop. Not altogether, but for right now, it'd be best to take that trick out of the rotation. Bust it out sometime in June, that's fine, but for right now let's stick with the straight hitting. Thanks.

Here's hoping the Kaz Matsui Surge to .315/20/100 starts tonight.

Francis Xavier Healy

2005-04-26T00:06:00.000-04:00

I've heard numerous people say they mute Mets telecasts and simply listen to the radio when they have the option of watching the game. And while several Mets announcers have driven me to attempt this over the years, it seems that my TV is about three seconds behind my radio, which means I know what is coming before it takes place in front of my eyes. So while this isn't fun anyway, even if the Mets are winning it makes it absolutely brutal to sit through Braden Looper blowing it in the ninth when you just experienced him giving up the homerun through the radio. Therefore, I have no choice but to stick with "San Francisco" Ted Robinson and the eternal Fran Healy.

But, seriously Fran, what broadcasting school did you attend that told you that it's not a broadcast unless you fill every single, solitary moment of time with anything and everything you think of? In case you're without the benefit of seeing Mets games, here's an example to show you what you're missing (this may not have actually happened):

"Okay, here comes the big man, Mike Piazza! He's already got two knocks in tonight's game, and you gotta love his swing. He started off the season a little slow, but all Piazza needs right now is a little CUNfidence at the plate. He'll get hot and he'll be all right. Looks at a first pitch strike, right there, 0 and 1 on the big man.

*camera shot of a man in the crowd*

Hey, look at that, a guy with a mustache! I must say, I've always liked mustaches but whenever I try to grow one in it comes out patchy and lopsided. Not like my broadcast partner Keith Hernandez's here, Piazza takes another pitch, a ball, right one the corner, one and one now. How long have you had that mustache Keith, a long time, huh?"

"Yes, Fran, a little over thirty years."

"Wonderful! You know who else had a mustache? Rollie Fingers. That was some stache, though, the way he twirled that in the ends. You know, I never could get a hit off Fingers, probably was too busy staring at that mustache!"

*camera shot to Willie Randolph in the dugout*

"Willie Randolph, too, he's got one! In fact, if you're a Met, that's all you're allowed to have now is mustaches, no facial hair below the lip, that's the law Willie put down. Some players had problems with that new rule. In fact, some fans had problems with that rule too, but I don't have a problem with it at all. Piazza takes another ball, so he's the counts two and one on him. I think it makes the guys look more professional and, like I mentioned earlier, I just like mustaches. Not many guys decided to go with the mustache look. Roberto Hernandez has got one. Manny Aybar. Felix Heredia had one, as well. Must be a bullpen thing, I guess, AND OH BOY, PIAZZA RIPS IT DOWN THE MIDDLE! Andruw Jones over to pick it up and Piazza with a real hard hit single down the middle! This place is really rahkin' tonight!"

End scene.

Seriously though, I don't know what I would do without the insane and unintelligible ramblings of Fran Healy nightly. While I'm sure the vast majority of MLB broadcasters have the guy beat when it comes down to insightful baseball commentary, Fran Healy has to score higher than all of them combined on the "Unintentional Comedy Scale". So thank you, Fran Healy, for making Mets broadcasts such a pleasure over the lean years of this ballclub.

And yes, I am writing this to avoid talking about John Smoltz and how much I think he's going to own this team tomorrow.

**

I've cut and added some blogs from the sidebar, to keep it from getting to "Always Amazin'" lengths. If yours isn't up there, let me know. And if I cut yours and you expect to be returning, let me know as well, and I'll throw it back up there.

**

EDIT: Be sure to check out Matt Cerrone's Call to Arms over at MetsBlog. Having Tivo, I still get the Mets games on TV and therefore haven't had any real reason to address it here. But for those of you who have been unable to see the Mets play on a regular basis, here's your chance to do something about it. Matt's got you very well covered on the situation, like always, so make sure you see this.

A Letter to Victor Zambrano

2005-04-25T00:56:00.000-04:00

Victor Zambrano,

You know I love you, buddy. Watching your games it seems to me you have the heart and you undoubtedly have the stuff. In fact, there were many times yesterday that you threw pitches and I went "Wow, look at that movement" or "Man, that is some breaking ball."

Although it's not the reason I write to you today, I did want to mention something I picked up on while watching the game yesterday: you seem to have this funny tick where sometimes you throw pitches, and they're just slightly nowhere in the vicinity of the plate. I don't know what that's all about, so you might want to have that checked out. Or, even better, how about instead of having Piazza set up on the corner of the plate, you just throw the ball right smack down the middle? That way, maybe the ball will then be on the corner of the plate? I only bring this up because it seems that how you've been doing it over the past couple years hasn't been working too well (208 BB's in 270 innings does not an ace make).

Anyway, to get to the point, I read this quote today, and it disturbed me a bit: "I'm happy with myself coming from eight months without throwing in the bullpen or games or anything like that, and now I feel pretty good. I'm 100 percent, and that's the most important thing right now. I know I'm healthy and I can pitch. Games like [Sunday's] I don't worry about."

It's just that if I gave up seven earned runs, even if Manny Aybar was responsible for a couple of those, I know I'd be worried. And, in case you forgot, that's exactly what you did yesterday. It worries me a bit that your idea of "one hundred percent" is nine hits and three walks in five innings. If this is true, I have to admit I liked you a lot better when your elbow was falling off your arm.

But, really the problem is this: I was the only guy to not call for Duquette's head when you were traded for Scott Kazmir. Everybody else was hooting and hollering, and I just kind of stood and watched and told everybody to relax. Of course, now Scott's gone on to put up roughly the same numbers at a lower price and a younger age, and it just so happens that a lot of people actually remember my original stance.

This situation is, of course, kinda out of my hands now because I can't make Scott Kazmir pitch worse and I can't seem to get you to pitch any better (and trust me, I've tried). So, I ask you today, for the love of all that is holy, quit making me look like a moron. I'd really appreciate that.

Thanks!
Andrew

P.S. If you see Rick Peterson, maybe you could ask him if he could spare that ten minutes he was talking about nine months ago. Just for kicks.

Claim Withdrawn

2005-04-24T00:54:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while, I find something that triggers a new thought process in my mind when it comes to baseball. Example: Coming into the season, I figured Kris Benson was going to be no great shakes. Then I find out he's watching Pedro's bullpen sessions and learning that he doesn't have to be so fine with his pitches when he's got a guy up two strikes, and next thing I know I think the guy's going to be just a great pitcher (whenever's he healthy of course).

Now two days ago, on Mets Geek, I wrote that the Mets should go 2-1 in the series with the Nationals, because Livan Hernandez owns the Mets. Then, I read this from Mets.com:

The club has been treated to surprisingly good performances from Aaron Heilman on April 15 and Jae Seo on Saturday. Zambrano, who has better stuff and more experience than either Heilman or Seo, will look to surprise the Nationals, who've yet to see the right-hander's wicked stuff.

And with that, I'm sold. Never being much of a stats guy, I don't know what Victor's numbers are against teams he's facing for the first time versus teams he's faced multiple times, or even where to look for such a thing. But seeing what I've seen in the past out of other pitchers, I know that when guys see nasty stuff for the first time they tend to have trouble with it. And while Zamby may be the most inconsistent starter in the National League, his stuff is right up there as well. So, with that, I withdraw my claim.

Do it up, Victor. Go for the sweep.

And if you want to strike out fourteen guys while doing it, just for kicks, more power to you.

**

Edit: My withdraw is withdrawn. In fact, I take back anything and everything I've ever said about Victor Zambrano. The guy is just awful. Throw a $#@%!ing strike once in awhile, huh?!

Keep it Going!

2005-04-22T15:50:00.000-04:00

So, as Banta said in the comments yesterday, three (possibly four) out of five ain't bad. Al Leiter actually did give up eight runs in two and two thirds innings, but managed to finish out the third. However he felt like doing it, I don't mind. Victor was youthful-mistakes-free, and he took three (three?!) walks, which triples his season total from last year. Beltran decided to skip the doubles and go right for the power, and took three RBIs with him. And even Reyes watched borderline pitches go for strikes, which makes me happy that he's at least willing to do that. Meanwhile, Pedro decided to give up three hits, but I figure that's cool because he can just throw a no-hitter sometime later in the year (and does anyone doubt he will at this point?)

And now, today, the Mets get to square off against Esteban Loaiza if the rain isn't too much. Because you don't mess with a streak, here's what I'd like to see:

*Tom Glavine pitches like early-2004 Tom Glavine
I don't ask for much here, and I'm certainly not looking for a no-hitter. But seven innings of eight hits, a couple K's and an earned run should get the job done today against Loaiza. Tom's walking a very thin line with Mets fans, and you can tell that if he continues on the path he's walking on (0-2, 5.17 ERA) they'll be Cedeno-izing him pretty quick.

*Kaz Matsui goes 4-5 with a homerun
This is just purely selfish. I figure if I can ask for Leiter to put up numbers, and then he goes ahead and posts them, there's no reason to try and do it for a Met as well. I have K-Mat on three fantasy teams, one of which I actually put down money to play. So, I see no time like the present for Kaz to go off on a crazy tear and post 1989 Ryne Sandberg numbers (I figure that's not too big of a reach)

*Reyes takes a walk?
How about tonight? Does that work for you?

*The Mets announce they have traded Mike Cameron to the Pirates for Mike Gonzalez... and Oliver Perez
Hey, the Pirates need a centerfielder.

***

In future news, Mets fans meet your 2006 starting catcher: Ramon Hernandez.

In a terrific article from the Union-Tribune, Ed Graney talks about how the Padres need to re-sign Hernandez before he hits the free agent market. The key paragraph in the whole article: The Padres really can't match his control of the situation. It's just not enough that a guy owns a home here and likes the weather. The next-closest thing San Diego has to an everyday major league catcher is George Kottaras at high Single-A, but he might not be ready until 2007. And there are those who covet Hernandez and will pay above market value, notably Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, who has the fiscal discipline of Imelda Marcos at a blowout sale of Prada shoes.

Hernandez is just a perfect, all-around fit for the Mets. He calls a tremendous game, is a terrific defensive catcher, and can even hit the ball -- a combination that a Mets catcher hasn't had in a long, long while. As Jake Peavy said: "I can't give you words to describe how valuable he is. Nobody wants him signed more than I do . . . This guy has to be a mainstay of our organization. If we want to get where we want to be, guys like Ramon have to be here."

Hey, last I checked, the Mets want to win too.

Things To See

2005-04-21T01:02:00.000-04:00

All right, well so much for Aaron Heilman becoming the next David Cone. Heilman showed up with a far less menacing determination than exhibited in his last start, and relied way too much on his average fastball over the course of the night. We'll see what happens in his next start, which he will almost certainly get, as Kris Benson is still at least two weeks away.

Meanwhile...
Things I'd Like to See In Today's Start:
*Al Leiter gets rocked for eight earned runs in two and a thirds innings.
I'm glad Al got his nice homecoming start. He did his job, showed the Mets what they were missing, and he got some cheers. Now, it's time for him to show Marlins fans why we were so quick to let him go. I want to see some walks, I want to see some nineteen pitch at-bats, and I want to see some eight Mets up at-bat innings.

*Victor Diaz goes a day without making me embarassed.
I love the guy, as I've made abundantly clear. I've got the jersey, I sponsor the website, and he's one of the few Mets I'd still follow if he ever left the team. But Victor's "Stand and Stare" at what he thought was a homerun that ended up being a triple, still could have been an inside-the-parker if Victor busted it out of the box. If Eric Valent wasn't hitting like Jorge Toca right now, something tells me Victor would be starting on the bench tomorrow.

*Beltran remembers how to hit for extra bases
It's not that I'm not worried or anything. I know Beltran has his hot-and-cold streaks, and that there will come a time this season when he's going to hit eight homeruns and fourteen RBI in forty-six at-bats. But I think we can all agree that it'd be nice to see Beltran hit at least a double. No better time to get that hot streak started then the present. Especially with RFK Stadium looming on the horizon.

*Jose Reyes takes a walk.
I'm not asking for two or three. I'm just looking for one, to remind me that he's capable of taking four pitches. Aggressiveness is fine, but even Vladimir Guerrero walked thirty-eight times last year of his own volition.

*Pedro pitches the first no-hitter in Mets history.
Hey, it's not too much to ask.

Who Is Aaron Heilman?

2005-04-20T01:50:00.000-04:00

Every once in awhile, there are baseball players who come out of nowhere to become success stories. Names that come to mind immediately are Melvin Mora and Johan Santana, players who weren't regarded all that highly, bounced around for awhile, and then found success along with reliable playing time. These players stories are always nice because unless you're a hardcore baseball fan, you'd never heard of them until they starting doing well.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are players expected to succeed that just never do. Again, names that come to mind immediately are Todd Van Poppel and Brien Taylor. Guys who had huge expectations placed on them, and just never found the success that seemed so assured. Sometimes, these players bounce back to find success in their careers (Paul Wilson, for example) but those who have are far outweighed by those who have not.

Tonight, we get a chance to watch Aaron Heilman, at twenty-six years old, decide where his destiny lies. Written off by almost everyone, Heilman bounced back last Friday to pitch one of the most unbelievable games in Met history. Not because it was a one hitter, or a complete game shutout, but simply because that it was pitched by Aaron Heilman. I still have the game Tivo'ed, and still find myself going back to it days later to watch an inning or so. Sporting a new, funky delivery and a game face not seen since the days of Nolan Ryan, I see the same thing everytime: Heilman looked like a new man, and pitched one hell of a ball game.

The question, of course, is if it's possible for him to do it again. Has Heilman broken through? Has he re-discovered his stuff? Can he turn his entire career around, under the scrutinizing eye of New York no less? It'd be a great thing to see. To tune into Baseball Tonight one night in June, and see Peter Gammons and Harold Reynolds trying to figure out where this dorky looking pitcher from Logansport, Indiana came from.

Same team, same lineup, same result? We all find out tonight.

The Unbelievable Tale of Tom Glavine

2005-04-17T02:19:00.000-04:00

Question of the Day: Is Tom Glavine a Met?

Obviously, yes, he's employed by the Mets and a member of the Mets rotation. But, just as A-Rod isn't really a Yankee or Al Leiter is really not a Marlin, is Tom Glavine still a Brave, or has he made the transition? (And this is asking for right now, not over the course of his career, where he will obviously always be seen as a Brave.)

We've had two full seasons to warm up to the idea of Glavine. His first year was pretty lousy, but his second was a solid overall season, and he represented the Mets at the All-Star Game. And not an Armando Benitez "I'm Here Because the Rest of My Team is Awful" representation, but a true representative of the New York Mets, there based on his own merits alongside Mike Piazza. And lest we not forget the complete game shutout one hitter, one of but a few bright spots in the 2004 season.

So, is Glavine a Met?

My personal take is yes. Has he pitched to the best of his abilities for this team? No. But the guy has been through a lot. He came to the Mets by way of trickery and deceit, thinking (like all of us) that the Mets were on their way to success. And, oh yeah, that ridiculous four year deal. But still, the guy was just looking for his 300th win and an easy ride into retirement. Instead the Mets have handed him injuries, horrible offense, porous defense, a hideous bullpen, false teeth, a ton of no decisions, and Roger Cedeno.

So why does this make him a Met? Because Tom Glavine is us. He is the player representation of the entire New York Mets fanbase. We signed on long term, looking for a winner, and were given nothing to work with. He's suffered as many painful, tear-your-hair-out, atrocious indignities as any one of us. For this, I feel Tommy's pain. I've been there. I know what it's like to have Mo Vaugn attempt to pick a Jorge Velandia low throw at first base. I know how it feels to see your up the middle defense consist of Jay Bell, Joe McEwing and Roger Cedeno. I know how it hurts to have your lead be protected by the one-two-three punch of John Franco, Mike Stanton and Armando Benitez. I've lived through these moments just as Tom Glavine has as well.

Of course, Tom Glavine is a Met. He's the most Met of all.

I wish nothing but the best for Tom. And I hope he gives Florida hell today. And he will, as long as the umpire calls his questionable pitches for strikes. And he just may, as it's been that kind of season for the Mets thus far. I'm hoping it works out for Tom the way it's working out for us.

Wha?

2005-04-15T21:38:00.000-04:00

Seriously, what the hell did I just see?

Did Aaron Heilman just deliver?

I don't know about you guys, but I feel downright giddy. I've always had faith in Aaron's stuff, but I never had faith in his psyche. Now, for one glorious night, both delievered.

Way to go, Aaron.

In the immortal words of Jack Buck, "I don't believe what I just saw."

2005-04-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be pretty busy this weekend, so I won't have much new content up around here, though I do take a look at the upcoming Marlins pitchers over at MetsGeek.

Who else is going to the Pedro/Leiter showdown? If you do go, keep your eye open for the "FREE HEATH BELL" signs. The majority of MetsGeek will be heading down to Shea for the game, and we'll be fighting for the cause. Feel free to make your own, and come along!

Reversing Course

2005-04-14T02:48:00.000-04:00

All right, I've changed my mind.

Yesterday, I said that if the Mets could stand up against Roger Clemens and take a win, it would show us what to expect from the Mets. But I'm now realizing that's not true. The Mets, although they've been pretty lousy the past few years, seem to have a pretty good record when it comes to those top pitchers. People will make a huge deal about upcoming series with the Randy Johnsons or the Roger Clemenses, but it's usually the Zach Days and the Ron Villones of the baseball world that always trip up the Mets. Small Sample Size Case in point: the Mets won games against John Smoltz, Andy Pettite and now Roger Clemens, yet were readily handled by John Thomson, Paul Wilson and Aaron Harang. Solid pitchers, certainly, but none of them you would consider taking in the first fifteen rounds of your fantasy draft.

So, really, what this comes down to is defeating the pitchers you're supposed to beat. It's what has made the Yankees so good over the years -- they hit the pitchers that they're supposed to hit.

Brandon Backe is one of "those" guys. His stuff is decent and he's a serviceable four or five starter. But the Mets lineup, the way it is composed (especially if Cliff Floyd is back tomorrow), should beat Brandon Backe. This, I've decided, is the true test of the season. Can the Mets, coming off back to back to back wins, against big pitchers, beat up on a guy with lesser stuff?

Speaking of Cliff, if we can take anything from yesterday's exciting as all hell win, it's the fact that the Mets really need him in the lineup. The guy is hitting, hitting lefties along with righties, and he's hitting well. Mike Piazza is quickly becoming an automatic out, but this fact is covered up with Floyd hitting directly behind him and usually keeping the rally going. Mientkiewicz is a fine hitter, but he's no five guy.

For the love of God, Cliff, stay healthy for just a little longer.

Roger Clemens Punch-Out!!

2005-04-13T01:22:00.000-04:00

Like most people around my age group, I grew up playing Nintendo. And while the sporting game industry back then pales in comparison to what is offered these days, Nintendo originally had the greatest and still the most beloved sports games available. Who could forget RBI Baseball, Tecmo Bowl, or my personal favorite -- Mike Tyson's Punch-Out? In Punch-Out, you were Little Mac, and you worked your way up the ranks of the professional boxing world. You started off with the easier guys, like any video game, and then the fighters got progressively harder.

The end, of course, was the worst. After going through all the fighters, some more than once, you ended up with the deadly one-two-three punch: Mr. Sandman, Super Macho Man (who was actually easier to beat than Mr. Sandman) and then, if you made it this far, you were utterly obliterated by Mike Tyson and had to do it all over again (my family never sprung for Game Genie).

This reminded me a lot of the situation the Mets face right now. Sunday, John Smoltz came with his absolute best stuff, and the Mets somehow were able to beat him. Fifteen strikeouts, seven hits and no earned runs through seven innings was erased with a Carlos Beltran slam to rightfield. It wasn't pretty, but the Mets took it.

Monday, Andy Pettite is a little less unhittable but still laid the Mets down through five innings. But bloop hits and aggressive running sent him down for the count as well. The Mets now, after a long, boring, disappointing opening to the season, have cobbled together an unlikely winning streak. The fans have faith, have hope, are excited. And then comes our Mike Tyson.

The scariest part of Punch-Out was when the Tyson screen opened. Every boxer had a little taunt underneath their picture ranging anywhere from "Make it quick... I want to retire!" to "I'll give you a TKO from Tokyo!" But Tyson's was the most intimidating, and foreshadowed exactly what was about to happen: "I'm strong. You're weak. I'm going to destroy you. Any questions?"

I'm pretty sure if Roger Clemens came out of the locker room to deliver the message before today's game, there probably wouldn't be much disagreement (and it'd make for a hilarious SportsCenter). You see, Clemens happens to be the Mets personal Mike Tyson. I know the guy is 3-5 against them lifetime, and I know he got hit pretty hard in the "Shawn Estes" game. But no can deny the guy is still one of the most dominant starters in baseball, or the fact that in his last start against the Mets was a powerful seven inning stretch of two hits and ten K's. And this time, Brad Lidge is available at the end of it.

This is a big game for the Mets. This is their first "Little Mac" game. If they can upend Clemens tonight, this could speak volumes about what to expect out of a healthy ballclub for the rest of the season. The offense has seemed to start clicking over the past couple games, and the rotation's early returns have been promising (and will be even better the quicker Kris Benson can return). All it takes is a few big wins to get a team to gel, and the Mets appear to be well on that way.

Now, if Roger Clemens winks before he throws a fastball like Mike Tyson winked before he clobbered the crap out of you, the Mets may be in business.

My Day at Shea and John Franco

2005-04-11T20:48:00.000-04:00

I didn't boo John Franco today.

But I definitely did not cheer him, either.

The problem in baseball today is that guys get away with the things they did, simply because they move on to another team. Was John Franco a Met for fourteen seasons? Absolutely. But is that all it takes to be remembered in a fond light? Am I supposed to forget that this guy blew save after save, game after game, stayed on long after he should have retired, took up roster spots that could have been given to better, younger players for five or six seasons? Am I supposed to forget that he was one of the "player GMs", had a hand in the major moves that the Mets made, was a reason -- whether or not it was a big role or small role is yet to be determined -- why the Mets had been so awful these past four years? Am I supposed to forget that he gave Mets tickets to the mafia? Or that he terrorized Rick Reed for years because he crossed the union line during the strike to help pay for his mother's operation? And for God's sake, am I supposed to forget 1998?

The fact is John Franco was just never that great. He acted like he was Barry Bonds, but when he was at his best he pitched like he was Jeff Reardon (and when he was at his worst he pitched like Felix Heredia). He was good for a time, but he was never anything spectacular, and he certainly wasn't any good at all in his last years with the team. And add that to the fact that numerous former members of the organization (Bobby Valentine, Bobby Ojeda, even Nelson Doubleday) spoke out about the way Franco acted after they left the team, and I'm left with the perception that if Franco was born in California he'd be one of the most vilified Mets of all time.

Is Franco a good guy? Absolutely. Did he do a lot of good for this city, with his numerous charitable acts and donations? Certainly. And if there's a New Yorker Hall of Fame (and there may well be one), then by all means put him in there. But if we are talking strictly his career as a Met, then Franco did a lot more bad than good in my eyes, and there's no reason not to boo him for doing so.

That being said, the Mets won. It was one of the better games I've ever been to (definitely Top 5), and there was energy for the first time in years.

Highlights of the Game:
Jose Reyes' Barehanded Catch: The first play I've ever seen in person that prompted people around me to go, "Holy crap, did he just do that? I think he did... I couldn't tell, but I'm pretty sure he did." Just a tremendous play. If Jose Reyes turns out to be Rey Ordonez with the ability to hit, we've got a shortstop for the next fifteen years.

Roberto Hernandez Shuts 'Em Down: Eric from Amazin' Avenue will back me up on this, I'm the only guy this side of Rick Peterson who had faith in Hernandez from the beginning of Spring Training. Why in the hell Willie brought in Aybar for that second inning, I'll never have any idea. And because my seat was right by the bullpen, I know that Roberto Hernandez was warming up immediately after Aybar took the mound in the seventh, so Hernandez was ready to go to start the eighth. But Hernandez came in, and shut down the hitters one, two, three, with a strikeout and everything. Roberto's relearned how to pitch, and may just be the only dependable arm the Mets have in the bullpen this year (Looper, possibly, as well).

Pedro Chant: With the batter's eye broken, the Mets cameramen were looking for something to fill the time with. The fans were getting restless, as nothing was being explained to us, and the players were all milling around doing nothing. So, what do you do in a situation like this? Go to Pedro. They put the camera on Pedro, who did his goofy pointing fingers thing, and everyone went nuts. Pedro got the biggest ovation of the day, and the guy didn't even play in the game. That's a special player.

And, hey, the Mets won. John Franco did what he did for us all those years and promptly gave up two runs in five pitches, Victor Diaz took two walks, Kaz Matsui is almost hitting .270, and Doug Mientkiewicz is my new favorite Met. This season might be interesting after all.

Opening Day

2005-04-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

Who else is going to Opening Day? Unable to find anyone to go to actually attend Opening Day with (the sad life of a Mets fan), I purcahsed a single, lone ticket and will be making the trek to Shea Stadium today. How many of you think that Tom Glavine will come at the Astros with a John Smoltz-like vengeance, looking to redeem himself in the eyes of Mets fans everywhere after his embarassing start against the Reds?

Yeah, me neither.

The good thing is the Astros lineup is really, pretty lousy. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell are still the big hitters. Still. With Berkman out, and Beltran a Met. I'm hoping that the Mets really have their way with the Astros pitching staff, and even with Clemens starting, that's a possibility. Especially with their bullpen -- which consists of Chad Harville, Brandon Duckworth, Russ Springer, Dan Wheeler, and our old friend John Franco. How about blowing Clemens' win, for old time's sake, Johnny?

So, it's Tommy Glavine against Andy Pettitte, a battle of high ERA'ed, low strikeout, ace lefty pitchers. Let's hope the Mets lineup used yesterday's two innings of wonder and amazement to figure out how to, you know, hit with runners in scoring position, and that it was all a glorious sign of things to come.

2-5, here we come!

Or, of course, 1-6 and unadulterated booing and mockery from the stands.

Either way it'll be a blast!

Yay

2005-04-10T16:18:00.000-04:00

In lieu of an actual post, I'd just like to sum up my feelings right now, in picture form:

Top Ten

2005-04-08T22:06:00.000-04:00

Top Ten Commonly Heard Phrases During the 2005 Mets Season
Censored to Keep this Site Family Friendly

10. "Why the $%&%$ is Kaz Matsui still hitting second?!"

9. "What the ^%$@#@% ARE YOU SWINGING AT?!"

8. "MOTHERR $&%$^#ER!"

7. "WILL YOU TAKE A ^t$#^#ING PITCH! STOP %@#%@ING SWINGING AT THAT %#@%!"

6. "OH MY... I... DAHHH... FRIFFERRR... GAHHHH... %#@% YOU!"

5. "I CAN NOT %#^$#ING BELIEVE HE DID NOT CATCH THAT ^#$&#$ING BALL!"

4. "HOW THE @%#@%@ WAS THAT NOT A STRIKE?!"

3. (Inhuman noises followed by the throwing of remote control, TV Guide, pillow, etc.)

2. "All right, here we go, this is where they turn it around..."

1. "Oh, I just &%$#ing give up."

**

It's time for a lineup change. The Mets are getting hits, they're just getting them at the wrong time. I propose this:

Reyes
Mientkiewicz
Wright
Beltran
Piazza
Floyd
Matsui
Diaz

In a perfect world, I'd really want Beltran hitting second with Mientkiewicz batting third and Wright hitting fourth, but that won't ever happen in this lifetime. But this order gives the Mets the best chance of scoring runs.

Of course, I expect the same order we saw tonight for tomorrow's game. Maybe Diaz gets to play right, and maybe Cairo will take second base. Other than that, more of the same.

Mojo Risin'

2005-04-07T23:30:00.000-04:00

If you haven't been able to tell by my blog recently, I overreact a lot when the Mets lose. And, to add onto that, it's just been not all that amusing to write about the Mets with the way they've played of late.

But I've figured out how to change all of that!

You see, everybody has a little routine for when they watch their sports team. Jim Breuer had a whole spiel devoted to it about watching the Mets in '86, and how he used to give the opposing hitters the "Devil Horns" because it worked the first time he did it. He claimed the entire Bill Buckner ball through the legs was because of him, and why not? I'm sure we all have our moments where a position switch either won the Mets the game or cost them a late inning rally. I imagine that everybody has something they do, that they fell upon, when watching their team. Personally, when I watch the Mets, I have to figure out what the right voodoo mojo karma is in order to keep the Mets winning. Sometimes it depends on where I'm sitting, how I'm positioned, how I'm wearing my hat, if I'm wearing my hat, what TV I watch it on, etc. Last year during a three game winning streak, I watched every pitch the Mets threw in the reflection of the window because Tom Glavine struck a guy out when I accidently did that. I kid you not. This season, though, it's been pretty tough. The usual standby -- hat on, sitting on the couch, upstairs televison -- has done nothing for me. I've moved around, worn different hats, nothing has worked.

But then, thanks to a message board, I realized that I hadn't shaved in three days. Since the start of the season! It makes so much sense now. So, if the Mets win tomorrow, you'll know I've set the course of the Mets right. Of course, don't stop doing what you're doing either. The Mets need all the help they can get at this point.

Anyways, last time I predicted what a Victor Zambrano start would hold, I was spot on. So, I'm going to predict, once again, what Zambrano will do tomorrow: seven innings pitched, four hits, five walks, nine K's. Or what I actually think will happen: four innings pitched, seven earned runs, four walks, seven K's.

But I'm the optimist blog. So go for the first one.

Yawn.

2005-04-07T14:35:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to do anything crazy and drastic. I'm not going to proclaim this season over, or say the Mets should fire Willie Randolph, or say they should start trading away all the veterans for prospects (all these things I've seen or heard over the past two days).

But I'd be lying if I said this wasn't the most absolutely boring stretch of games the Mets have played in a long, looooong time.

I Hate Chuck Meriwether

2005-04-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

Boston.com: During the World Series, Varitek went to the mound with Derek Lowe pitching to give himself a chance to calm down. Varitek was convinced that Chuck Meriwether, the plate umpire, had blown an obvious strike three on Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols. "I told Derek, `I need a minute here,' " Varitek said.

Redbird Nation: With runners on first and third and one out, Jose Lima ran into a bunted ball in fair play. That's a dead ball and out #1. Except Meriwether and his crew missed the play entirely and called everyone safe when Matheny threw late trying to get the trail runner at second (and according to Bernie Miklasz, the umps may have blown that call too).

Yahoo Sports: Right after first base umpire Chuck Meriwether called Rodriguez safe on a close play, Bucknor signaled interference on Guillen and an automatic double play, ending the game.

BravesBeat.com: Now it would be something else altogether if Maddux and/or Glavine got the outside half and the opposing hurler did not. And yes, that has been known to happen a time or two in the past. But today? Even Houston fans have to admit home plate umpire Chuck Meriwether gave the calls to both sides, or damn close to it.

Always Amazin': New York lost a run in the first inning on a blown call by plate umpire Chuck Meriwether, who ruled that Jason Phillips was out on a tag by catcher (and former Met, for about 12 seconds) Gary Bennett. Replays showed that Phillips may have actually gotten a piece of the plate with both feet before Bennett placed the tag on.

My point? If the Mets lose this game, it's because Chuck Meriwether pretty obviously can not call a Major League game. How this moron is still employed is beyond me.

Knocked for a Looper

2005-04-05T12:05:00.000-04:00

After the just delightful loss the Mets took yesterday, I went to peruse the message boards around the internet to see if there was anything anybody was saying that I'd find funny in my time of need. Instead of people cracking jokes, it was more of the same:

"This is the same old Mets."

Well, really, it isn't. Pedro was lights out. Beltran has given us what the Mets have needed since 2000 -- another bat to depend upon. Reyes was healthy and running. Cliff Floyd hit the ball, and once in a clutch situation. If this were the old Mets, we'd have been down six runs in the fifth. Pedro would have given up eight runs and walked four. Reyes would have pulled up running into second because his hamstring exploded rounding first. Beltran would have been the second coming of Roger Cedeno.

You can take away from this game the fact that the Mets were running on all cylinders up until Braden Looper decided to play softball. The offense was working, Pedro was definitely working, even the bullpen was working. I'm not feeling as down on Aybar as everybody else is, as I think he pitched a solid inning of work, especially if Beltran made that catch that skipped off his glove. Mr. Koo was unhittable (and apparently uncatchable, as well). It was a game full of optimisim until Loop came in.

To be honest, I just don't trust Braden Looper. It could be the fact that during my bulk years of watching the Mets, their closers have been John Franco and Armando Benitez. As a guy who's watched his team's closers blow games for the past twelve years of his life, it's hard to fathom that there are actually guys out there who can close out games, and be dependable at it. But the Eric Gagnes and Mariano Riveras are few and far between, and Jim Duquette decided to take a flyer on the hopes that Looper would put it together in New York. And while he did up until a point, from mid-August on last season he was extremely hittable and undependable. That carried into the spring, and apparently into the season.

Eric Karabell, who runs a fantasy blog on ESPN, tried to calm fans concerns with Braden Looper: Look, is Looper one of the top closers in the game? No, of course not. There's a reason the Mets were in trade talks for Ugueth Urbina (who also gave up a homer today), and it's because many believe Looper should be a setup man. But, for now, he's a closer, and still a top-20 closer.

A top twenty closer? Maybe in any other walk of life being a top twenty something may be swell, but there's only thirty closers in baseball. And some of those guys names are Brandon Lyon and Mike Adams. Saying a guy is a Top 20 closer is like saying a guy is a Top 80 outfielder. It really doesn't mean much. So the fact remains that Looper is just not the lock that the Mets need at the end of an already shaky bullpen.

If Looper keeps this up, and I'm personally of the mind that he will, the Mets are going to need to go out of the organization to find somebody who can shut down games. There's two guys that are considered to be "Top" closers that could be free agents next offseason -- Billy Wagner and Mariano Rivera. Both will not be available for trade to the Mets this season, and both are more than likely not coming to the Mets next offseason anyways. So, it's up to Omar to work that magic at this point. Let Willie run Braden out there for a couple weeks or a month, and see what he has left in the tank. And if not, it may be time to give TB a call for Danys Baez. Or maybe we can trade the farm for Brad Lidge? Or perhaps we can just use our ninth pick overall to draft the next Huston Street.

But something will more than likely need to be done. The Mets did a lot of things differently this offseason. Let's try and change a twelve year run of shaky closers while we're at it.

2005-04-04T18:51:00.000-04:00

Brutal. Absolutely brutal.

Today!

2005-04-04T01:08:00.000-04:00

It really starts today. In like fourteen hours, Pedro Martinez will take the mound in an official Mets uniform and throw a pitch.

It's strange really. It's strange to think of Pedro and Beltran as Mets. To me, they're more like those Japanese ballplayers that come to Spring Training in America. They practice with the team, play a couple games, get a few at-bats, and then are gone. I kept expecting once spring training finished that Pedro would thank us for the opportunity and head back to Boston. It's strange to think of these new players as Mets, and Mets for some time.

That'll all end today, of course. Official games mean official stats, and Pedro and Beltran will be in the record book with NYM next to their names. And even more, we'll start the first of hopefully many seasons with David Wright at third, and a healthy Jose Reyes at short.

It really starts today. And I'm pumped.

Wacky Bullpen Madness

2005-04-02T01:55:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here's the deal: Heath Bell isn't making the bullpen. I'm a little upset over that, but because he's the official pitcher of MetsGeek and not Chuck 'n' Duck, I can deal.

What I will not be able to deal with is if the Mets try and move Ginter to AAA, only to have him claimed by another team, for the sole purpose of keeping Felix Heredia on the active roster. Quite frankly, Ginter is a solid pitcher, did show some promise last year, and is a nice backup plan in case Benson's "minor injury" starts resembling Steve Trachsel's "minor injury". And to lose that guy because the Mets aren't willing to take a 1.85 million dollar hit to the pocket is ridiculous. The Mets have spent 196 million dollars this offseason to try and win. Hurting their chances considerably over an extra 1.85 doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

Look, Bell's demotion is a letdown. He's one of our own, a guy we've watched come through the system without any kind of fanfare, he's always posted nice numbers, and his personal story makes just about any baseball fan want to root for him. But, sadly, he got rocked last night when he needed to pitch well. So don't let anybody fool you into thinking spring training numbers don't mean anything.Regardless, if the Mets bullpen pitches the way it has this spring -- and Felix Heredia is not on this team -- then the Mets have an unspectacularly solid bullpen.

The guys who'll make the bullpen (not counting locks Looper and DeJean), and their spring numbers:

Aybar - 9 games, 1-0, 1.54 ERA, 11.2 IP - 2 ER - 11/1 K/BB

Matthews - 10 games, 1-0, 2.70 ERA, 13.1 IP - 4 ER - 6/1

Mr. Koo - 9 games, 0-1, 2.84 ERA, 12.2 IP -4 ER - 12/4

Ginter - 5 games, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 14.0 IP - 0 ER - 10/4

Hernandez - 10 games, 0-0, 3.27 ERA, 11.0 IP - 4 ER - 4/2

Those guys did their jobs, and put up their numbers. Do some of them have less than promising numbers out of the bullpen in previous experiences? Absolutely. But so did Jose Mesa and Antonio Alfonseca and even our own Braden Looper at points in their careers. Just as OFF said a couple days ago, relievers are fickle by nature. One season they're unstoppable, and the next their fastballs resemble Mr. Met's head. And, really, at this point, there's no turning back. The Mets bullpen is what it is. It's probably not the best bullpen that could be put together with the options the Mets have (Bell would have to be in it), but there's a chance it'll do it's job and do it well. All we can do now is hope that Omar's found one or two (or even three) diamonds in the rough.

Except for Felix Heredia. He still needs to go.

Strickland Stays!

2005-03-31T02:15:00.000-04:00

Scott Strickland should not be allowed to leave.

I read this article over at Mets.com, and that's the only thing I can think of. Here's the blurb:

Staying or leaving: Scott Strickland, assigned to the minor league complex last week, has until Saturday to determine whether he will remain with the Mets or declare himself a free agent. The Astros, Rockies and Brewers are said to have interest in the 28-year-old right-handed reliever who didn't pitch in the Major Leagues last year. There was no indication that he would have a major league job with any of the three clubs. The Mets' sense of Strickland's readiness for Major League duty is that he still hasn't regained the arm strength he had before undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery in 2003. One minor league colleague indicated he thought Strickland was inclined to use his contractual right and look elsewhere.

I don't know what Scott Strickland did to Omar Minaya, but it must have been pretty bad. Just a recap, for Scott's career Omar has traded him from a solid Expos team to a lousy Mets team, and then three years later takes over the Mets, rebuilds them into a competitive ballclub, and then banishes Scott to AAA. Did Strick key Omar's car or something? Maybe Omar and Willie don't realize this, but Scott Strickland is actually a pretty good relief pitcher for a team that needs some pretty good relief pitching. Somewhere there's a conncection missing.

While Strickland has been pretty lousy against lefthanded hitters, he's been death on righties, as they've hit .194 against him over the past three seasons. That means that the majority of the hitters in baseball have trouble hitting Strickland, whereas they've seemed pretty successful against the rest of the makeshift Mets bullpen.

Now I know what the blurb says. The Mets don't think his arm strength is back to where it should be. He's coming back from a huge surgery, and they don't want to put him on the big league club where he's going to get clobbered and might cost the Mets some games. They'd rather he pitch for the Tides, get his strength back, his control better, and come back up to New York when he's ready.

But the problem with that is it's the ideal situation. It's not the likely one. What Omar needs to be asking himself is would he rather Strickland be pitching for the Mets or the Astros? The Mets or the Brewers? God forbid the Braves or the Marlins pick him up. What then? The Mets get shut down in August and September by a now healthy Scott Strickland? It doesn't sound too appealing to me.

If the Mets can convince Strickland to stick around for a month, or even two weeks, just to get himself back to around normal and then promise him a callup to the big league squad, then that's what they need to do. But if he's going to run for the door the second the calendar hits Saturday, it's a huge mistake. This is a ballclub that gave bullpen spots to John Franco and Pedro Feliciano last year, and are giving one to Felix Heredia this season. Like an injured Scott Strickland couldn't outpitch either of those three guys healthy?

This is one of these moves that seem small on the surface but will mean a lot later on down the line. If worse comes to worse, just let Strickland heal himself on the big league roster. Take twelve pitchers, and let him pitch in blowout situations. It'll mean a lot more when the Mets are chasing the pennant then it will on April 15th.

Who's Running this Place?

2005-03-30T03:39:00.000-04:00

I was going to gripe and grumble about David Wright's drop in the order (more like a plummet, actually), but then found Faith and Fear's take on the matter, and wouldn't be able to add anything or say anything better that what they have already.

But I will say that the problem I have the most with this drop is the fact that it's basically because Wright won't complain about it. This has nothing to do with the members of the lineup being better than he is offensively, nor the fact that he's twenty-two, nor the fact that he might not be ready to hit anywhere from second to sixth. It's the fact that Mike Cameron is switching to rightfield, so they're going to throw him a bone and let him hit higher in the lineup.

And I also have a problem with the direction this team is seemingly being taken by Randolph. Instead of fielding the best team, he's fielding the most experienced one. This may work for the Yankees, who have the ability to fill positions with good, experienced talent, and if that fails patch it up with more money and more experience -- but this isn't the Yankees. This is the Mets, and on this team you need to utilize youth in order to succeed. That means bringing Heath Bell to New York instead of Felix Heredia, and hitting Wright above Cameron and Mientkiewicz because he's the better hitter.

I know these decisions haven't been made official yet, and until the season opens with Felix Heredia are go-to lefty reliever and David Wright's hitting in front of Pedro Martinez there's no reason to be upset over these moves. But as a Met fan, who has waited four long years to field a competitive ballclub, I can't help but observe the detriments down the road.

Especially when they're being placed there by the manager of the team.

Felix Freakin' Heredia

2005-03-29T02:01:00.000-04:00

It is never good to go into a season already hating a player. You see, Spring Training isn't just about getting players ready for the upcoming season, but getting fans ready as well. You can trot just about anybody out there, put a positive spin on them, and if they get some hits or throw some strikes most guys are usually forgiven. I mean, even Armando Benitez was able to last four and a half seasons here.

But there are other guys -- Bobby Bonilla and Roger Cedeno leap immediately to mind -- that you just couldn't stand the season before, that ultimately return for another year. It's not good for them, and it's certainly not good for you, and no amount of stories about their children or their adjustments or their charitable donations will change it.

And the Mets worked really hard to change that. They gave Al Leiter and John Franco, two guys who had become synonmous with meddling and subpar baseball, their walking papers. They replaced Art Howe with the exact opposite of him in every way, Willie Randolph. And they went out and did what they could to bring back excitement to the tune of Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. And while this was all greatly, greatly appreciated, somewhere along the lines Omar Minaya got a little too wrapped up in his purging of the "Old" Mets and made one real bad move.

He brought in Felix Heredia.

The fact of the matter is, I just can not stand the guy. I watched what he did for the Yankees, and gleefully took it all in. I would smile when Mike and the Mad Dog talked about how awful he was, and I would laugh when Joe Torre came on -- acting like a first time owner who just couldn't figure out how to get his puppy to stop peeing on the rug.

And then, all of a sudden, he was a Met. How could this be? The guy should, by all means, be out of baseball or pitching for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (pick your poison). When you fail on the grandest stage of all, you're not supposed to be traded off to a slightly smaller stage. You're supposed to just disappear, that's how baseball works. And yesterday only confirmed my suspicions. This spring he's pitched awful but hid behind his 2.25 ERA. In four games he has five hits and four runs, yet only one was earned. His hand has been numb, his stuff has been infinitely hittable, and yet you got that sneaking suspicion he still was going to find a way on the plane to New York.

As I put up over at MetsGeek yesterday, his line was atrocious: 1/3 of an inning pitched, one hit, three runs, two walks, no strikeouts. But even though yesterday he finally got hit -- and how! -- I can't seem to shake that feeling that he's still going to be a member of this bullpen. It's a horrible, terrible feeling, made worse by the fact that I stated before that a true test of Willie's managerial skills will be to see what he does with Felix. If he brings him back to NY with him, I'm going to have a hard time trusting Willie off the bat.

So let's just do me a favor, and cut bait, eh? I sat through the Armando Benitez era, the Roger Cedeno era, and the John Franco era. This is the "New" Mets, so let's really complete the 180.

*

Sidenote: Jose Reyes has a kid?! How did none of us know this? He's like a year older than me! I was amazed by that turn of events.

Mets Geeks Unite

2005-03-28T01:27:00.000-04:00

Past the fact that Pedro's back is fine (was anybody really worried anyway?) it's a pretty slow news day. But that's okay, because, hey, big announcement!

As you may have seen elsewhere already, I have joined a few (make that seven) other Mets bloggers for the creation of MetsGeek.com. What can you expect from MetsGeek? Essientially, it's a Mets information and analysis site. We'll give you the news, we'll give you the humor, we'll give you the stats, the predictions, everything all rolled into one wonderful website! And I promise it won't be stuffy and it won't hurt your head, or your money back.

I just noticed that I broke 30,000 hits a long while ago, and to do that in six short months I find amazing. I'd just like to take this time to thank everybody who's supported this page. I don't plan on leaving Chuck 'n' Duck behind, so you can all continue to come on back for my insanely optimistic ramblings and slapped-together posts about Doug Mientkiewicz. For MetsGeek I'm envisioning a lot more focus on pitching, as it's my statistical forte, so there will more than likely be even less stats talk here. Prepare for a season full of "Why the hell does Mike Cameron always strike out in clutch situations?!", even if it isn't remotely true. Good times.

But definitely add MetsGeek to your everyday rotation. If not for anything, you'll get to read about how I talked to Bob Klapsich for twenty minutes and see all the wonderful and interesting things he said about our Mets. And, of course, the other writers are enormously talented, and you more than likely know all of them as they've all been around much longer than I.

So, feel free to check it out.

I See Future Aces!

2005-03-25T00:36:00.000-04:00

I'm like the Amazing freakin' Kreskin over here. One day after predicting a promising start from Victor Zambrano, he kept me from eating Mike's proposal of ground beef and shrimp with chocolate syrup and vinegar.

Zambrano's stuff was said to be anywhere from "nasty" to "baffling" yesterday, and his numbers from yesterday were a very promising three hits in four innings with six strikeouts, although he continued his "walk an innings" way with four base on balls. The fact remains however that Zambrano did not let his wildness get the best of him, escaping mostly unscathed (one earned run) although he had seven runners on in four innings.

As I said yesterday, this is still only the beginning. Zambrano's a huge question mark when it comes to reliability, but he certainly has the makings of a dominant pitcher. Continue to keep an eye out for this guy.

Anyways, I'm going to be pretty busy up until Easter Sunday, so posts will be few and far between. But I'll more than make it up to you come Sunday night, I promise!

Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life

2005-03-24T03:01:00.000-04:00

Today is the day, ladies and gentlemen!

I have recieved my fair share of flack from friends and family over my predicting of great things to come from Victor Zambrano. But two days ago I recieved an e-mail from "James" saying that he got a laugh out of my Baseball-Reference.com sponsorship of Zamby's page. Only, I wasn't kidding around. Zambrano's stuff is ridiculous and he has the poise and the competitiveness to be a big league pitcher, if only he could master that pesky strike zone. And while the early returns were good (undefeated lifetime as a New York Met! 14 K's to just 6 walks! One measly wild pitch in fourteen innings!), spring has been none too kind to Chuck 'n' Duck's favorite pitcher. While he has won two games, his ERA remains a very managable 10.00 and he's only walking a guy an inning.

But, as I said before, today is the day! Zambrano has been coming off injury shortened season in which he had barely thrown a ball for six months. He's been wild and hittable as he's adjusted to getting back his stuff and facing big league hitting. In his last start it appeared that his pitches, as well as their velocity were pretty close to what they were last season. After the moonshot homerun to Carlos Delgado to lead off the inning, he had settled down and pitched well, even though he eventually let two other runs score in his four innings of work.

But enough about that! This is the day that all turns around. This is the beginning of the rest of Victor Zambrano's career. He'll go out there today, and he'll look good. He won't be dominant, he'll walk a guy or two, and he may even let a run score. But it'll be his turnaround game. It'll be enough for the media to go, "He looked all right". And fans will feel okay with him. The season will start, and he'll do well. He'll pitch six innings and give up two or three runs. He'll have an occasional nine K game, and people will nod in approval. And then he'll explode. Like his fellow Venezulean, Johan Santana, did last season Zambrano will begin to slowly but surely start to fool hitters. Not that I'm expecting Santana numbers out of Victor, as I'm not even expecting a sub-3.00 ERA. But this will be the season Zambrano learns to utilize his wildness and use it to his advantage. He'll learn to really pitch.

And it all starts today. You'll be witnessing history!

And if it doesn't happen, I'll eat... well, not my hat. Maybe some potato chips?

***

I liked the end of this article: Interesting sight on a back field yesterday morning at the Mets complex, where the entire front office was watching a young left-handed hitter take batting practice. After finishing BP, the kid met Fred Wilpon and Omar Minaya. Onlookers said the kid's name is Fernando Martinez and that he is a 16-year-old Dominican right fielder. Minaya declined to comment on him.

Remember the name Fernando Martinez! I'm expecting huge things out of him now.

Nine Levels of Baseball Hell

2005-03-23T01:46:00.000-04:00

Just like the Nine Levels of Hell, I have a Nine Levels of Baseball Hell. The first level is filled with your regular guys that you just don't care for -- guys like Andruw Jones or Marcus Giles -- people who never really did anything to you, but are simply guilty by association. Then, as you move up, you'll find your John Rockers, your Keith Lockharts (seeing a pattern here?) and your Barry Bondses.

The highest level of Baseball Hell is reserved for guys that have done you, or your team, wrong. Brian Jordan used to be there for all the pain he put on the Mets, but then his career fell apart and I can't really hate him with the fire of a thousand suns anymore (unless he becomes the Brian Jordan of old this year). Roger Clemens used to be at the top (or the bottom?) as well, but after Piazza extracted his revenge in the All Star Game he fell (climbed?) to the eighth level. You need to be in top form night after night in order to stake claim on the ninth level and stay there in my book. Mike Hampton, who spurnned the Mets for the big money of Colorado, only to two years later force a trade to the freakin' Braves is there. Michael Kay, an unabashed Yankee shill/Met hater to the point that I can no longer listen to any programming on ESPN Radio, resides there as well. Vinny has covered Kay before, and says it better than I could. Today, however, a new name propelled itself to the top of the heap: Steve F'N Phillips.

Steve Phillips is better known as the General Manager who was lucky enough to stumble upon Jim Duquette and Omar Minaya during his reign and managed to field successful teams in 1999 and 2000. Later, Phillips, exhibiting his awesome talent and ability of putting together fantasy teams in real life brought you the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Mets, along with Art Howe to keep the whole machine running smoothly! Melvin Mora is a nobody! Trade him off! Mo Vaughn? He seems like a good bet! Make it happen! Good times!

As if crippling my ball club for four years wasn't enough, Phillips later found that nobody is looking for a horrible GM in this crazy baseball market, and took up shop as an announcer for ESPN. And ESPN, in a just delightful move, decided to make good ol' Steve the play-by-play guy for the Mets Spring Training games! A bitter, ignorant, egotistical former employee with an axe to grind covering the organization that fired him in the first place? How could this move possibly fail?!

So now, you get the option of muting the game (which I eventually did) or sitting and listening to the unsufferable ramblings of a guy who apparently knows nothing of the game of baseball. Included in yesterday's telecast alone:

Carlos Beltran isn't a New York kind of guy. No mention of the fact that Beltran is tearing the cover off the ball. Or that he's taught Reyes of a better way to steal bases. Or that he's taken David Wright under his wing. Or the fact that, up to this point, there have been no problems with Beltran whatsoever. But, no, he isn't going to make it in the big city.

Tom Glavine made a mistake in coming to New York. Apparently Steve forgot that he was the guy who signed him to the deal in the first place. Phillips, who did the wining, dining and convincing of Tom Glavine -- as well as signing him to the ridiculous three year, thirty five million dollar deal (and don't forget that ever reachable fourth year option!) now thinks it was a huge mistake. Delightful, Steve! How about Roger Cedeno? Or Mo Vaughn? I'm guessing those were mistakes, as well, huh? Glad to see we can all look back on those days and laugh.

Pedro Martinez is a six-inning pitcher. This has been talked about to the point of exhaustion, and then was promptly dismissed by Mets fans. Pedro pitched at least seven innings twenty times last season. In fact, he topped 200 innings. Phillips then went on to say that Pedro needs five, six or seven days rest to be successful, and ESPN put up a stat that showed the last three years of career which promptly refuted what Phillips had just said. So he stuttered and stammered for a few moments, before saying that last year he pitched better with extra rest, and perhaps it was the start of the trend. Your statistical opinions are phenomenal, Steve.

The Mets bench isn't that great. Steve thinks that the Mets are going to have a problem next season with the bench, and that the offensive/defensive replacements are going to have a problem when compared to the rest of the benches in the NL East. Huh? Somebody better let Miguel Cairo or Chris Woodward know that they should be expected to perform worse than Damion Easley or Nick Green. And Eric Valent can't possibly keep up Jeff Conine, Ryan Langerhans or Jason Michaels. Please.

And that was just twenty-four hours ago. Let us not forget that he also thinks that letting Leiter go was a huge mistake, that Carlos Delgado was a better signing than Pedro/Beltran combined, and that the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to dominate the NL West.

I wonder why Steve can't find a job in baseball.

**

And just because I wanted to fit this in: after reading MetsBlog yesterday, Matt Cerrone had spoken to Ken Rosenthal and he said that the Tigers want a "promising" prospect, not a top prospect, and for the Mets to take on a lot of money. How about Jeff Keppinger and 3.5 of Urbina's 4 million? I wouldn't be against that deal at all and it would mean a reliable eighth and ninth inning out of the bullpen. I've seen plenty of Urbina this spring and I'm not seeing the guy that fans are claiming is a shell of his former self. I see a power pitcher hitting 94 and looking like the Urbina of old. I'd be all for it.

Who Gets Hurt?

2005-03-22T04:18:00.000-04:00

There really isn't much in the way of news today past Kaz Ishii. In case you didn't feel like reading: neither Ishii or Rick Peterson are concerned about the walks, and Ishii and Kaz Matsui will get along. My favorite line from all the articles today, however, is this one: "He's got tremendous stuff," said Marlins catcher Paul Lo Duca, who was Ishii's catcher in L.A. before the trade that sent Lo Duca to Florida last summer. "Obviously, his only weakness is he gets in trouble throwing strikes. But he's got 20-win stuff, and when he does throw strikes, he can be dominant."

Let's hope Peterson's figured out some magical way to cure all walking ills. If he does that, then everybody on the staff is a twenty game winner, and Peterson can get his own book deal.

After that, however, there's no news coming from the Mets. So, I figure I'll ask you all a question:

Who's the first person, after Steve Trachsel, that's going to be injured and miss time? Cliff Floyd seems healthy, has played games without any sign of injury, and is hitting okay. Reyes has been on fire, and besides, he can't possibly get injured again, right? Even Mike Piazza has looked good and it's his contract year. So, who goes first? And how bad is it? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Über Fifth Starter

2005-03-21T01:20:00.000-04:00

In today's New York Times, Omar Minaya says something that speaks volumes about this trade: "I still believe that championships are won in large part by starting pitching. We have five solid guys. Then with the potential of Trachsel coming back in the second half, I think that puts us into position to win as many games as possible."

It got me to thinking about what Omar did here, where he's taken a guy who pitches his best games before the All-Star break (Ishii), and then gives the rest of his starts to a guy who historically pitches well in his first two months of his season (Trachsel). While Trachsel's season is usually like a roller-coaster, and he can be up and down from month to month, over the past three years his splits show that his best work is done in the second month of his season (9-3, 3.12 ERA in 18 starts). The way Trachsel's surgery has his season setup would mean that that second month would actually come in September. So, say we give Ishii April, May, June and part of July, and then Steve gets the last part of July, August and September.

What would be reasonable predicitions based on past success for both pitchers? Ishii, like I pointed out in my last post, has always pitched fairly well in the first half of the season. Let's say Rick Peterson works some of his walks out, and the Mets offense stays healthy and keeps Ishii in the ballgame. One could expect Ishii to get anywhere from six to eight wins and post an ERA around 3.80. Then, Trachsel comes in fresh off his injury, after a few rehab starts for Binghampton and Norfolk. Factor in a couple of starts where he'll be getting adjusted to major league hitting, as well as any new players acquired from other teams/leagues. Then let him pitch the rest of the season. Steve has never been a guy who wins a lot, but if his numbers stay in line with his past records, he too could win some ballgames. I'd give him about six to eight wins as well, and an ERA around 3.60.

That's a number five starter with an ERA of 3.70 and somewhere around 15 wins for this club. That's right around, if not better, than the numbers we were expecting out of Trachsel all along. It's an effective rotation platoon, and better than what Ginter or Seo could have realistically put up. Also, having Trax pitching at the end of the season may have a positive effect on the bullpen, as his inning eating will be done in the late months of the season. And all for a second-string catcher that wouldn't have made the ballclub anyway.

Yes, it's absolutely sad to see Jason go. He was part of that young group (Wiggy, Scutaro, Danny Garcia, Jeff Dunc... okay, not him) who came up and played exciting baseball when Mo Vaughn, Roger Cedeno and Roberto Alomar were slowly killing us all. But Omar did the best he could to go out and get a fifth starter, and Ishii is exactly that. He didn't give up a lot (and some feel he gave up next to nothing), he didn't end up with a Pete Munro/Chan Ho Park-type, and he's got a lot of money coming back in the deal, as well. It's a solid overall move for where the Mets are at.

Now let's just hope he doesn't end up like another Japanese pitcher we traded for from the Dodgers.

Excellent Ishii

2005-03-19T02:11:00.000-04:00

I may be the only guy who wears a Mets hat saying this, and I'm expecting a lot of negative feedback for it, but I like Kazuhisa Ishii.

Actually, let me rephrase that: I like the first three and a half months of Kazuhisa Ishii. You see, Ishii's career is reminescent of our old friend Pedro Astacio's first year in a Mets uniform. If you were to look at Pedro the First's stats from that year, and didn't know what he did, you'd go "Ugh. Another lousy Mets pitcher." But in fact, it was quite the opposite. Astacio was dominant through the first three months, definitely worthy of "Ace" status and there were a lot of disappointed Met fans when he didn't make the All Star team. Then, for whatever reason, he just broke down. His stuff was left up and remarkably hittable, he broke down, and he's really never recovered.

Ishii is the same way, only he manages to do it every season. Every year, without fail I manage to land Ishii around the nineteenth round of my fantasy drafts. I then allow him to do his thing, which last year was ten wins and four losses at a 4.00 ERA, while hitters hit .237 off him. Although he did walk a ton of guys, this isn't the norm for his "Pre All-Star Break" career. And, just so you don't think this is a one-year fluke, in that illustrious career he has been 29-12 before the All Star break, with an ERA of 3.50 and 250 K's to 190 BB's.

So after we hit the All-Star break, I asses my needs (usually needing somebody speedy), and deal him off for somebody who needs pitching help. And then Ishii implodes. The guy has a 5.77 lifetime ERA after the break. His K/BB rates stay around the same, but it just seems as though every guy who gets on base finds a way home. He loses all ability to pitch. Whether it be because he gets tired or bored or mad that he didn't make the All Star team, I don't know. But every year I bank on Pre All-Star Ishii.

What it comes down to, however, is this: we all know Jason Phillips isn't going to make this team. Omar doesn't seem to like him, Willie doesn't seem to like him, and his numbers last year show that he's either really bad or really unlucky (I personally think his 2003 numbers were too high and his 2004 were too low, and he's somewhere in the happy medium). Regardless, Phillips isn't beating out Castro for the backup spot no matter how many more hits he gets.

So, what's the harm in trading the starting catcher for the Norfolk Tides for Ishii?

"But, Andrew, didn't you just say that Ishii implodes after the break? Why would we want to get a pitcher such as this?"

Well, here's the way I see it: Ishii would be our number five starter. He'll pitch his solid Pre All-Star game, and he'll put up numbers even Trachsel wouldn't. He'll get his 6 - 10 wins, he'll keep us in ballgames, and maybe Peterson can even coach the walks out of his delivery. If the Mets are in it at the All-Star break, and right now the belief seems to be they'll have a chance to, does anyone really expect Omar not to trade for a quality starting pitcher? I mean, Javier Vazquez makes just too much sense at this point, and Omar loves to trade for guys when he's in it. It's what he does. And if/when the Mets get this pitcher, who'd be bumped from the rotation? Not the top four starters, guys the Mets have time and money invested in, it'll be Ishii. Whether it be to the bullpen, or whether Omar pulls the Andrew Hintz patented "Kaz Ishii Trade 'n' Run", it doesn't matter. Ishii will have done his part, put up his solid numbers, and we won't have to worry about his horrendous starts.

And even if the Mets aren't in it, then what does it matter? I say let Ishii start every game and then the Mets can get the first round pick. It's really good things all around for this ballclub if you think positvely!

Seriously, though, it's better than Tim Redding. And as much as I like all the available Nationals starters, they've all been rumored for Wily Mo Pena. So that gives you an idea of what Bowden is looking for in trade, let alone the fact that he'll be trading these guys to a team in his own division which would probably mean he'd ask for even more from the Mets. Ishii just seems like, to me, the right move right now.

Hey, I'm the optimist blog, what were you expecting?

My Kingdom for a Quality Starter

2005-03-18T02:19:00.000-04:00

I'm trying really hard to find some good out on the free agent/trade pitching market, but it's just not happening. Though I shouldn't be surprised, as most players that are good usually stay with their teams this time of year, there's nobody out there who's even kind of tempting. Lists have popped up with names that may be available through trade, including:

Brian Anderson - He is lefthanded, he throws down in the zone like Rick Peterson preaches, and is yet another former "talented but erratic" pitcher. But his one good year is looking more and more like it was a fluke, and he's being paid around 3.5 million next year because of it. On top of that, he was one of the worst pitchers in baseball last season and his K's per nine innings have been consistently declining since he first started pitching. His career ERA is 4.69, and that's with his flukey 3.78 career year. Bad all around.

Byung-Hyun Kim - Otherwise known as Benitez with the ability to start. He has the talent, he has the stuff, and he has a wacky delivery. He also has a long injury list, would probably require something of value in a trade, is the exact opposite of clutch, and has a Jae Seo case of the "uncoachables". Although he's an extremely talented pitcher, I'd much rather have a guy like Matt Ginter who'll listen and learn for free than Kim who'll do neither and cost a solid prospect. Pass.

Chan Ho Park - Five words: Two years, twenty-seven million. Nuh uh.

Shawn Chacon - This is the only guy who may have a chance to be better than the bunch of "in house" guys being considered. Chacon (a former All Star!) is only twenty-seven, has a 92-94 MPH fastball, a nice changeup, an average cutter and a really nice curve. He was given the closer role last year for some reason, and it was not a success (7.11 ERA, 128 base runners in 63 innings). But the guy has talent, and getting him out of Coors and into a rotation would do wonders for him regardless. He's relatively cheap (1.85 million) and considered a solid teammate. If the asking price isn't too steep, I wouldn't mind the Mets taking a flier.

And that's about it. I don't care if Pete Munro is from Flushing, he could have been born in Shea for all I care. If the guy's control isn't absolutely on, he gets hammered, and the latter happens way more than the former. Aaron Heilman would be a better option than Pete.

So, there we have it. If Petit isn't making the jump for AA (and all indications are he will not), then the Mets have to pick and choose from guys in the organization who have been below average starters the past couple seasons, or try and spin another team's straw into gold. Either way, it'll be a long and frustrating experience for all involved.

2005-03-17T13:16:00.000-04:00

WFAN's reporting the Mets have opted to release Joe McEwing instead of trading him off for anything that moves.

Regardless, I can't lie, I'm kind of sad. Not because I thought McEwing should be on this team (I didn't), or because I thought McEwing had a chance in hell to make it (he didn't). But he's one of those few guys in baseball that really, truly gave this organization everything he had. I'm sure his heart is set on continuing to play, but I would love to see the Mets offer him a role in the organization as a coach somewhere, and give him a job as manager of one of the minor league teams down the line. McEwing has a way with getting along with everyone he comes in contact with, and that's not something to be underestimated in baseball.

Good luck, Super Joe. I'll keep an eye out for you.