The Ballclub

Cosmic Retribution

2010-10-24T13:31:00.004-04:00

Call it Schadenfreude or whatever, I'm really enjoying the way the League Championship Series turned out this year. Although it felt like October just started out with pure misery, just a continuation of what had been a miserable, forgettable season, with an outcome fait accompli, the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants refused to cooperate, refused to lay down at the feet of their supposedly superior opponents, and now find themselves playing in a most unlikely World Series.

THAT's why Baseball's a great game. You never know.

But more than that, it was the way these two series closed out that really felt good. We in Metville are all too familiar with this such outcome, with the guy who was probably the best player on probably the better team taking a called 3rd strike on a killer pitch. We've been taking crap from people for that ever since it happened. That image has been burned into our brains to the point where it's never going to leave, even in better times. It happened, and the Mets haven't ever really recovered. We went from one inning from the World Series, to a pair of final-day fadeouts, to abject embarrassment. It can happen that quickly.

Now, there's certainly no guarantee that the Yankees or Phillies await a similar fate. These are organizations that certainly have better pieces in place, and smarter people at the helm than the Mets did. But these are also a pair of fan bases that love to kick the Mets around. They laugh at us, particularly when it comes to Beltran and that called 3rd strike four Octobers ago. But now, the shoe is on the other foot. Now, it's their turn to watch their sluggers take that 3rd strike. We've suffered enough. Now, it's your turn to see how it feels. It's not so great, is it Philadelphia? You're the better team, at home, with the tying and winning runs on base and your best power hitter at the plate. The crowd is roaring. Their closer is sweating. Everything seems in your favor. But, in a blink, it's gone. And all of a sudden this random, ragtag team is whooping it up on your infield, and you're left with this image all Winter. We've been there. Now, it's your turn.

Hurts, doesn't it?

Restoration of Faith

2010-10-22T23:55:00.003-04:00

Fittingly, the guy who was supposedly the best player on the better team, who at one point savaged the prospects of the supposedly lesser team, looked at strike 3 to close out the 2010 ALCS.

With that, some of my faith in the game of Baseball was restored after a long summer that tested my patience.

Congratulations, and Thank Yous are in order to Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Colby Lewis, Cliff Lee, Ron Washington and the rest of the Texas Rangers organization for winning the American League pennant, kicking the Yankees in the nuts and making me believe in Baseball, just a little bit, once again.

The Santana Show

2010-07-07T08:46:00.007-04:00

I hadn't been to a game in well over a month for one reason or another. Usually I don't miss the entire month of June, but things happen. Tuesday night's game against the Reds was the next game up on my package, and there was no way in hell I was missing it, no matter who was on the field that night. Turned out it was Johan Santana starting for the Mets. I had only seen Santana a couple of times in '08 and just about missed him completely in '09. But as it seems every year that there's usually one guy who starts most of the games I go to in a given season, such has it been with Santana in 2010. Tuesday's game was my 8th of the season, and the 3rd time I've seen Santana.

If there was ever a night to see Santana, last night was the night.

You don't think much about these things early on in the game, and I certainly didn't think about it at all when Brandon Phillips led off the game with a double into the gap in left-center. After Cabrera bunted him over, you almost took for granted that Votto was going to get his bat on something and get that run home. But he didn't. Santana got him on an ugly, excuse-me swing, and Rolen followed by flying out to end the inning.

Quiet through the first few innings, as Reds starter Matt Maloney (whoever he is) was matching Santana. He wasn't getting the first or second pitch flyouts that Santana was, the Mets were working him intensely, but he wasn't getting in jams and certainly wasn't giving up runs. In fact, until Ruben Tejada singled in the 3rd, the Mets hadn't had a hit. So, of course, with Santana up to bunt, Tejada promptly got thrown out trying to steal (My friend contended bunt and run, but I think Tejada screwed up). Well, fine. There goes that. But there was Santana, fouling off pitch after pitch from Maloney. After about 6 or so, I'd lost count, he'd started to get the timing down. After a few more, my friend conjectured that Santana was going to put one in the Pepsi Porch. I didn't think that possible, but on the next pitch, Santana cracked a good shot down the right field line that hooked foul. All right, close. Nonetheless, that didn't make the next pitch any less of a shock.
This pitch was hit similar to the last one, but it was a little higher, and a little farther, and a little straighter, and it was hooking...CLANG! Right into the foul pole for a Home Run! Holy Crap! Well, if nobody else will score for him, why not do it himself!? Santana appeared ready to faint when he came around the bases, probably not from rounding them, but because I don't think he expected to do that either. I don't think anyone had any problems with it, though.

But with that lead, albeit slim, Santana went back to work. And by back to work, I mean he didn't give the Reds much of anything the rest of the night. I know he'd made some adjustments to his windup or whatever, but I think the talk of his demise and how he's no longer an ace may have just gotten to him. He was out there with a bit of a chip on his shoulder these last couple of starts. I think what all the talking has done has made him mad and mean, and he's reflecting that on the mound. He wasn't blowing the ball by people, he was just making everyone make paltry contact and hit lazy fly ball after lazy fly ball, which in this ballpark is going to be an out every time (except when Jason Bay whiffs in the 9th inning). After Phillips' double, Santana allowed a walk to Votto in the 4th, a 2-out single to Cabrera in the 6th, followed by another walk to Votto, and a walk to Miguel Cairo in the 8th, and a single to Rolen in the 9th, and that was pretty much it. Phillips was the only guy who got as far as 3rd base. More impressive was the fact that just about every out came on the 1st or 2nd pitch. By comparison, Maloney had thrown about 60 pitches after 3 innings, and was well over 100 by time he came out in the 6th. Santana didn't crack 100 pitches until the 9th inning.
And there was that 9th inning. Santana had, what was for him, a jam in the 8th when he walked Cairo and fell behind Phillips, but he rebounded to get the next two batters with two guys warming up in the bullpen. The conjecture was that Santana was finished after the 8th and Rodriguez would unfortunately come in for the 9th, unless the Mets could score a couple more runs. But the inning came and nobody was in the bullpen. The inning past and nobody even stood up out there. So, Santana would get the 9th. The crowd was already chanting "JO-HAN! JO-HAN!" in the 8th inning, so you can imagine how loud everyone got when he came out for the 9th. He got Votto very quickly (another 1st pitch out), but then came the Rolen single and the almost unconscionable Jason Bay error, and there was Rodriguez in the pen, and there was everyone screaming for Jerry to stay in the dugout. Nonetheless, Santana was up to 111 pitches and things appeared to be slipping away. Here came Manuel. Here came the boos. No signal went up. Jerry walked away with Santana still on the mound. I was pretty sure that if he tried to pull Santana there, fans would have stormed the field and torn him apart. 2 pitches later, the game was over. True to form, Santana got both Gomes and Stubbs out on the first pitch, Gomes on a screamer that was headed for disasterville if not for a fine play by Ike Davis (otherwise we were looking at 3-1 and Rodriguez surely in the game), and Stubbs on a harmless grounder to Wright. And that put away what was easily the best game I've been to so far this season.
This, hopefully, was a statement from Santana, that the old guy we're used to seeing isn't gone. He was injured last season, but you can expect something special out of him in the 2nd half. We'll see if this is true, but if his start last night was any indication, he's going to be fun to watch the rest of the way this year.

This Already Happened!

2010-06-30T09:14:00.002-04:00

I guess it doesn't matter where they play, if the Mets ever play a game against the Marlins where they fall behind, peck and scrape and fight back to tie the game in a late inning, it's just about inevitable that the Marlins will somehow anticlimactically win the game in the bottom of the 9th in some stupid fashion. It's a Walk-off HR from Cody Ross (who appears to be Joe McEwing against other teams, but Barry Bonds against the Mets), or it's a scratch single by Chris Coghlan, or it's Hanley Ramirez running around the bases. So it wasn't much of a surprise that Dan Uggla came up and poked the winning hit through last night, even after Pedro Feliciano got the first two outs in rapid fashion. It didn't matter what Jerry Manuel decided to do, whether Feliciano pitched to Uggla, Ross, Paulino, Cheech, Chong, Abbott or Costello, the Marlins were going to score in the 9th inning. Because they were playing at "home" against the Mets, and that is how it is ordained to be. And because it's the F-ing Marlins, and because it's a walk off hit against those dastardly Mets, you just knew they celebrated like they just won a title or something, because that's probably the closest they're going to get.

I probably should have seen this one coming, but the Mets have perpetrated too much positive thinking. I was almost lulled to sleep thinking they would come back and tie against this awful Marlins bullpen. I kind of didn't realize what was going on until Cantu hit that double, and even then it didn't hit me. But once Uggla hit his 87-hop Astroturf single that Jose Reyes had no prayer of fielding, it hit me. Oh God! I was following a dead ballgame! Of course this was going to happen!

Predictably, the Mets went to San Juan, where I'm pretty sure they never won a game when it was the Expos "home ballpark" and lost two in a row. Way to keep the good vibes going, guys.

Road Worrisome

2010-06-29T10:14:00.003-04:00

Nothing like a nice road trip to a US Protectorate to make you start worrying about the Mets again.

See, these homestands have been so good for the Mets, and that last road trip where they rolled over a pair of doormats really got us pumped up even further, because you thought maybe the Mets were going to pull out of this road trip funk that has plagued them most of the season. But they are playing the Marlins, who already kicked them in the nuts once in their own sorry excuse of a home stadium, and the Mets boast an in-division road record of something like 3-29 this season, so you can imagine how this conglomeration of bad can escalate.

Thus, you have games like last night where nothing goes right.

You figured someone was going to catch up with R.A. Dickey at some point, and of course it was the Marlins, who did their usual pizza party act while beating the Mets in front of a crowd that barely appeared conscious (I'm pretty sure I heard more cheers from the Puerto Rico crowd for the Mets than for the Marlins). I suppose it doesn't make much difference that the Marlins have 4 fans and their stadium is so putrid they decided to stick these games in Puerto Rico. A road game is a road game is a road game and for some reason the Mets seem to look a little bit tardy in these games. It doesn't matter if it's against the Marlins, who, for God's sake the Mets need to start getting a little nasty with, against Ricky Nolasco, who they've faced about 493 times over the past 4 years and they should be hammering mercilessly, but if it's not within their comfort zone at Citi Field, it seems to matter little.

I don't know. Maybe a couple of wins in the next couple of games could serve to make me feel better. That would be nice, wouldn't it?

Joie de Vivre

2010-06-22T08:11:00.005-04:00

This is #5 of 5 Key Mets Players for the 2010 season.
I know late June isn't exactly the time to start talking about Key Mets Players, but, you see, this is a special case.

I couldn't quite land on who the 5th and final Key Met should have been for the current season. There were too many players who held too important a role to pick just one. Plus there just wasn't enough excitement to really get it up. If the team was sort of haphazardly thrown together, then why exert more energy than necessary. The team was un-finished and my list went un-finished.

However, almost halfway through the season, it's clear who this 5th Key Met is. It's Jose Reyes.

Last season, after Reyes disappeared in May and didn't return, the sentiment towards Reyes, which was tenuous to begin with, seemed to be reaching an alarming level of negativity. Most people I spoke to were tired of Reyes being all sizzle and no steak, and basically considered this season his last chance. And when he came back from his injury and his Thyroid issue and struggled, the naysayers were ready to pounce. "How long before we can just say he sucks?" people were asking. "What sort of trade value do you think he has?"

But eventually, the switch flipped for Reyes. Sometime in late May, those popups turned into line drives, and those line drives started to find gaps, and suddenly, it's 2006 again and Reyes is flying all over the place, leaping and clapping and everything's right with the world. It was a more mature Reyes now, though. You could see it. After he hit a HR against Philadelphia on May 26th, a laser beam into the Mets bullpen, Reyes didn't get homer happy, as he used to do. Instead, that swing stayed level. He kept swinging for line drives, and getting them. Not surprisingly, with Reyes on base, the guys behind him started hitting too, and the end result is that the Mets have been winning games. This was the recipe. Jose Reyes gets on base, makes people sweaty and uncomfortable, and scores a bunch of runs, spurring the Mets on to victory.
More heartening, however, has been the role that Jose has taken on on this ballclub. Because he still exudes that same youthful energy that he's had his entire career, it's easy to forget that he's not a kid anymore. He turned 27 earlier this month, and he's now in his 8th season in the Major Leagues. He's a cornerstone of this era of the Mets, and I think he's begun to realize that. The handshakes and the dancing are still there, and Jose is still Jose, but it seems like he has become a clear leader on this team. You don't see him pop out of the dugout to high-five anyone, now he's staying down the stairs and waiting for people to come back to him. He's smiling, but he's keeping it amongst friends. I still think other players around the league probably don't like him, but that seems to affect him less and less. He's made errors, he's had bad days, but you don't see him pouting or throwing his glove anymore. The energy will probably never go away, but I'm really starting to believe that Reyes is maturing as a person, something we all knew he needed to do in order to succeed. It started when he admitted losing focus, admitted letting things get to him more than they should and letting his exuberance come before his performance. These are things that we're not seeing out of Jose Reyes this season. This season, all I've noticed is that once he came back, he offered no excuses, he's just shut up and played baseball. And as of late, he's been playing baseball pretty damn well.
When we started this blog, we said that Jose Reyes was the most Ballclub player in the Major Leagues, that is, he's the guy who not only plays well, but genuinely looks like he's having fun out there. But for a few seasons, that guy wasn't showing up. It looks like this guy is coming back now. We like that guy. The Mets did really well when he was around. I hope he stays a while.

YAHOO!

2010-06-19T09:56:00.002-04:00

Hey, let's keep this going! Long as we possibly can!

I mean, I know this winning streak won't go on forever, but this is the first time since sometime around May, 2007, that you're going into these games almost expecting the Mets to win. Even when they're going up against the Yankees.

Hisanori Takahashi was a little more Hey-Hey-Hisanori, and a little less like the guy you're thinking should go back to the pen, sort of like he was the first time he went up against the Yankees. For the second time, he shut out the Yankees for 6 innings, but this time the Mets bats backed him up, and the Mets bullpen backed him up, and the result was that the Mets, even in the ridiculous bandbox that is Yankees Stadium, came away with a sharp shutout victory.

I feel like I could jump as high as Jose Reyes right now, because every time you think this is over, every time you think the Mets are going to come back to earth, they end up pulling together to pull out a game. Again, I don't know how long this will last, and I don't know if this is just a hot streak that will turn the other way in August, but for now, this is pretty sweet. Especially when they start beating the Yankees.

What Road Problems?

2010-06-18T22:47:00.002-04:00

Yeah! I mean, what road problems?

I know it helps when you're playing miserable teams like Baltimore and Cleveland, but you can't not feel good about the fact that the Mets have gone out on the road and kicked the teams in the nuts that they should be kicking in the nuts. When they left Citi Field, you were sorta worried that they would be something like 3-3 or 2-4 going to Yankee Stadium for the weekend, but here they are, 6-0, and now whatever happens this weekend, the road trip has to be considered a success since they can do no worse than 6-3.

More than that, the Mets are now amazingly 10 games over .500 and right in the thick of the division race, something that seemed a pipedream at the outset. But, here they are. How they're pulling it off is a mystery to everyone, but it's clear that they're not going to lay down, and they're not going to go quietly. I mean, when R.A. Dickey is 5-0 and just looking lights out, you know things are going pretty well for you, right?

Cleveland Rocks!

2010-06-17T08:33:00.003-04:00

...or, at least, the Mets are rocking in Cleveland.

People in my office have been saying things to me like, "Hey, the Mets are looking good," or "Boy, break up those Mets," and I sort of have to go along with it. Strange as it may sound, the Mets are hot, and they're fun again. Even though I haven't been able to follow any of the games due to my usual summer nonsense, I know what's going on, and I'm enjoying it.

This is what the game generally looks like for me: I am in almost constant contact with a friend who will send me updates via Blackberry Messenger. Usually, I'm sitting in a workshop, taking notes on a speaker or an improv or whatnot. Sometimes, I will steal away for one reason or another, and I'll slip into my office and put Gamecast up on my computer. By time this came around, the Mets were already up 3-0. We take a break, and it's usually the 3rd or 4th inning, and I've got some time to sit back and actually see things unfold for a bit. Then, it's back in for more whatever, and more BBMs, and maybe another opportunity to catch a snippet on Gamecast. If it's tight, I will slip my phone into my shirt pocket and throw the paltry mobile gamecast on there. And if I ever need to know what's going on, I just glance at my shirt. We finish at 10, usually around the time the game ends. But, fear not, I've been keeping track the whole way through. Maybe I'm not super well-informed, but at least I know the haps. And last night's haps were pretty happening.

Cleveland Clinic

2010-06-16T09:48:00.003-04:00

It was a bit of a clinic the Mets put on last night, even if it was only isolated to a 5th inning that saw them erase an early deficit and take a lead over the hapless Indians. But after falling behind 4-1, the Mets basically nagged the Indians to death with a few singles, Jose Reyes, some smart baserunning and a haymaker from Ike Davis. Suddenly, what was looking like an embarrassing loss turned into a slick comeback victory against a team they should beat.

As usual, I don't get to see much, or any of these games (not having cable notwithstanding, I'm now entrenched in my Summer Theatrics), so I'm relying on the benevolence of my friend to text me updates, or those brief moments where I can slip out and click on Gamecast. But after so many years of doing this, I've become used to following the Mets this way. I can always come home and see the highlights online afterward.

The season is starting to become fun. All of a sudden, the Mets are creeping back up on 1st place and building a steady margin over the .500 mark. It was a surprise to me last week to hear that the Mets were 6 games over .500. But they're playing well and winning the games they're supposed to be winning. In spite of their issues, this is becoming a very cohesive team that plays for each other and, amazingly enough, is fun to watch (or listen or grok, in my case).

Cuyahoga

2010-06-15T09:06:00.002-04:00

So it's off to Cleveland for the Mets this week. It's rare that the Mets show up in Cleveland (I believe 2004 was their last appearance there). However, it's worth noting that I have my own connections to Cleveland. See, a sector of my family migrated there years ago, and every so often I have voyaged out there. Last Summer, in fact, I made my first trip to Jacobs Field (which is now Progressive Field, since Progressive Insurance pretty much has a stranglehold on the region, and if you like Flo, their ubiquitous spokeswoman, that's the place for you since her face is everywhere. Almost as much as LeBron James' face, for the time being. But that's besides the point. It's Jacobs Field and in my mind will always be Jacobs Field). I don't know how many loyal readers have ever been to Jacobs Field, but it happens to be on a short list of stadia I have been to that aren't Shea Stadium or Citi Field, so I thought I'd share my experience there.

My lone pilgrimage to Jacobs Field came on an oppressively hot (because there are only two real temperatures in Cleveland: Oppressively hot or ridiculously cold) Sunday afternoon last July. The game, between the Tribe and the A's, was eminently forgettable. However, Jacobs Field is a nice, pleasant place to watch a game. It's a very intimate setting. I know that Citi Field was somehow designed with intimacy in mind, but Citi Field feels like the Taj Mahal compared to Jacobs Field. It looks small, and it is small. I sat in field level seats along the first base line, giving me a nice clear view of Cliff Lee (in his last month with the team) and also a good shot of Ryan Garko's (also in his last month with the team) ass. But a quick look to my right and it appeared as though the right field seats were on top of you.

I wore a Mets hat to the game. I figured this was one of those rare chances to be the "Confused Fan," sort of like the guy who wears a Cardinals hat to a Mets/Braves game. As it turned out, I wasn't even the only person there in a Mets hat. While I was circumnavigating the Field Level (much the same way you can at Citi Field), I saw another gentleman in a Mets cap. We briefly nodded in some sad commiseration and went on our way.

People in Cleveland are, in general, a very friendly sort, which is strange considering how depressing the town feels. Jacobs Field, were it in New York, would probably be situated in Long Island City. Even on a Sunday afternoon, with a game to be played, Downtown Cleveland was more or less a ghost town. But the people in the stadium were there, and pleasant. I went up to an information desk to grab a schedule or something, and the guy at the desk gave me a funny look, as if to say, "Aren't you in the wrong stadium?" I said hello and mentioned that I was from New York and this was my first time here. He immediately brightened up and said something to the effect of, "Oh! Welcome! Welcome to our humble little stadium!"

The food at Jacobs Field is relatively unspectacular. I don't know if there is any great cuisine that could be associated with Cleveland, so I guess that makes sense. There is the general selection of fare, hot dogs, sausage, burgers, etc, etc. There's a pub-like section in the Right Field corner. The food costs about what you would expect ballpark food to cost, so anyone who thinks they're getting ripped off at Citi Field, well, you're not alone. The $7 sausage was nice, but what killed me was at the hot dog stand. See, you can get your $4.50 hot dog, or your $5.00 chili dog or whatever. But instead of Citi Field, where you can turn around and bathe in a tub of sauerkraut for free, in Cleveland, THEY CHARGE FOR THE SAUERKRAUT! If you want Sauerkraut, it's an extra 75 cents! I deemed this as sacrilege and walked away, indignant.

There is also a nice, large team store situated behind Home Plate, and an Indians Ring of Fame in a heavily-shrubbed area behind the Center Field fence. Security isn't especially prevalent in Jacobs Field, so you can pretty much have your run of the place up until game time. As I said, Clevelanders are a generally friendly, well-fed bunch so if you're lost, someone will more than likely be glad to point you in the right direction, even if you're rooting for another team (however I cannot vouch for their opinion of Yankee or Red Sox fans).

All in all, Jacobs Field is a nice, quaint, pleasant place to watch a game. I'd have to imagine it's markedly more interesting if the Indians are contending for something, or it's not 95˚ out and you get burned to a crisp (which happened to me. A note: If you're sitting in the Field Level or the Outfield, bring sunblock!). Should anyone ever find themselves in Cleveland when the Indians are in town, it's worth stopping by. Probably because there's a limit to the interesting things you can do in Cleveland (my trips out there have usually consisted of going furniture or appliance shopping with my cousins, or just passing time between meals).

No More Mr. Niese Guy!

2010-06-11T08:12:00.002-04:00

I guess I should have gone to that makeup game last night.

We've seen some very encouraging signs from Jonathon Niese thus far this season. While there was certainly no guarantee that he would ascend as the 5th starter this season, he was certainly more worthy of the job than his competitors. But last night's magnificent 1-hitter was something else.

First of all, on the heels of Niese's solid outing last weekend against Florida, it appears Niese has turned a bit of a corner. He's demonstrated an ability to buckle down and get key outs when he absolutely needs to get him. But he was undercut by the fact that he was getting himself into all these jams in the first place. It was a little bit of John Maine in the sense that he just wasn't putting hitters away. Too many dinky hits, too many walks, too many baserunners, and he was toast by the 6th inning of a 2-2 game. The stuff is there. Niese features, among other things, a sick bender, that curve that he really should be able to just drop out of the sky if it's working well. Last night, he appeared to have it working, and the result, allowing simply a 3rd inning hit, speaks for itself.

Second of all, it took away the sting from the first game, where you can decide what the bigger story was. Was it a) Lady Gaga making a spectacle of herself (something that, knowing her, could have easily been staged) or b) Johan Santana having what was for him a pretty lousy game, coughing up an early 2-run lead and giving up too many annoying 2-out, run scoring hits while the Mets had a hard time figuring out Mat Latos.

Either way, by time Niese had finished off the nightcap, which I annoyingly missed out on, the happenings of the afternoon were long forgotten and the Mets capped off yet another homestand that saw them lose 1 game. Now, off to the road. A dicey proposition, except that the Mets have the good fortune of seeing a couple of the worst teams in the league on this trip.

Free Game!

2010-06-10T08:24:00.002-04:00

Last night's rainout proved beneficial for me.

See, Wednesday's game was part of the Weekday Plan, which as many of you know I have. Unfortunately, due to my usual theatrics, I was unable to attend last night's game. I had even passed the tickets off to El Guapo. But sometime on Wednesday afternoon, someone came into my office and handed me an envelope with Mets tickets in them, one of which happened to be to that night's game. So after knowing I couldn't go, and already having given away my tickets, here I was, still stuck with a ticket to that night's game.

But then it started raining hard, and around 5pm word came down that the game was called. I notified El Guapo who said he'd give me back the tickets. I still had the 3rd ticket. Whether I decided to go to the makeup game tonight or not was academic. This is Free Baseball we're talking about, essentially. I know I already paid for the tickets (or, at least two of the tickets), but instead of missing a game I had intended to go to, I can now go whenever I please. Rock.

Play It Again, Ike!

2010-06-09T08:02:00.003-04:00

Once again, turnabout is fair play.

The Mets and Padres played a fairly similar game just a week ago in San Diego, where the Mets took an early lead in a taut pitchers duel, but San Diego came back late and won the game on a walkoff HR in the 11th inning of a game that you just knew the Mets had no chance of winning.

Last night, the Mets fell behind early in a taut pitchers duel (headlined, not surprisingly, by Mike Pelfrey), came back on a disputed HR from Jose Reyes that was clearly a HR, almost won on an undisputed non-HR by Angel Pagan, and then finally won on a HR by Ike Davis in the 11th inning that didn't bear any sort of questioning since it landed somewhere in the vicinity of the Shea Bridge.

We'll let Ike wear the hero's mantel on this night, and deservedly so, since he's come back to earth a little bit. Let's not forget that the Mets started this uncanny ability to win just about every game at Citi Field on the night he made his first appearance almost 2 months ago. Let's also not forget that he's only spent 2 months in the Major Leagues and he'll have his ups and downs. He's making his ups count, that's for sure, and last night was one such example.

But Ike's heroics wouldn't have been possible without the effort of Mike Pelfrey. Just yesterday, I anointed Pelfrey the new Mets Ace, the guy who you could give the ball to and basically expect a good outing. Well, that's basically what we got. A 9-inning, 103-pitch sweat-fest that saw him not give the Padres an inch after giving up an early run. This has been his M.O. all season long. Once the Mets tied the game, you just knew Pelfrey wasn't going to give it back. Hell, he even said as much after the game. Despite runners in scoring position in the 8th and 9th, Pelfrey just reared back and got the necessary outs to keep the game even and keep the Mets in position for Ike to win it. No, he didn't get the win. But on a night where young, up-and-coming pitchers owned the night, Pelfrey certainly did his best to not be counted out.

Overnight Sensation

2010-06-08T08:49:00.002-04:00

If you haven't been paying too much attention to the Mets, you probably haven't noticed that their ace right now isn't named Johan.

The Mets ace is going to take the mound tonight against the San Diego Padres. His name is Mike Pelfrey.

I've written plenty about Pelfrey in the past, particularly when he's been going good. It's very easy to get behind Pelfrey to begin with, considering he's a home-grown guy, someone who struggled mightily at the beginning of his career only to find himself during the 2008 season. We all know that he couldn't build on it last year, and at the beginning of this season, he was basically at a crossroads because nobody knew what the hell to expect. But the Mets invested a lot in the hope that he'd return, and they have been rewarded tenfold for their faith.

I don't know if it was the indignation of a poor spring, or frustration over being dropped down to the #4 spot in the rotation at the beginning of the year, but whatever it was, Pelfrey got mad and mean and started putting up numbers worthy of All-Star status.

He started strong early and the hope was that he could keep it up. After a pair of minor hiccups which you could basically just chalk up to days where he just didn't have it, Pelfrey has basically become the guy for the Mets right now. At this point, he's had, what, two bad starts all season? There's no guy in the rotation I feel more confident taking the ball right now than Pelfrey, and that's including Santana (who hasn't been pitching badly at all). That's called being a Key Met. And that's how you remove yourself from Key Met status and put yourself under the Sure Thing column.

It's back. Go Big Pelf.

Home Cooked Fish Fry

2010-06-07T07:32:00.001-04:00

Alright, we've already established that the Mets play much better at Citi Field than they do on the road, but this is getting a little ridiculous.

Not that I'm complaining. Anytime the Marlins, who as any reader here knows I am no fan of, come in here all high and mighty after sweeping 4 from the Mets mere weeks ago, and come out of here having had the revenge sweep handed to them, you can't help but feel good. Home streak or not, it's always fun to kick the Marlins around and make them suffer in the process.

Not that any of these games were particularly easy. The Mets sandwiched a pair of frenetic comebacks around a brilliant performance from Jonathon Niese to do it. It's nice to see Niese back and doing his thing, but more surprising is the way they have hung around in games where they've fallen behind early. Sunday, in particular, was a good example of this. After Takahashi, who seems to have come back to earth a bit, fell in a deep hole, things seemed somewhat hopeless. But the Mets, in a trait that wholly avoided them last season, hung around, chipped away, and out of nowhere there's Jeff Francoeur hitting a game-tying HR, and then they're scraping the lead run across in the 8th, and there's K-Rod making it hairy in the 9th, but, hey, Cody Ross, little bitch that he is, struck out to cap off a rather sweet sweep.

So, now, here are the Mets, sitting just a tick above .500, hanging around on the fringes of contender-ship. It's markedly better than anyone really wanted to give them credit for, and a lot can be said about the way they've done it. That is to say, they've been doing it without major (or any) contributions from a lot of the guys you'd figure would be in the thick of it (Bay, Francoeur, Beltran), Wright scuffling half the time and Reyes taking weeks to find his sea legs. It's been less them and more guys like Angel Pagan, who seemed to spend most of the offseason learning how to play baseball, and the catching tandem of Barajas and Blanco, and perhaps most surprising of all, R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi pitching well. These are guys who were unceremoniously plonked in the middle of the rotation. These are guys whose signings were met with scoffs and laughter. But they're winning games for this team. The contributions of these guys have meant that we can't just go to sleep on the Mets, as much as it feels like we should at times. These games they're losing are usually fairly winnable (last Monday notwithstanding). And right now, this is anyone's division. This Summer is going to be kind of interesting.

Willed To Lose

2010-06-03T09:55:00.003-04:00

The Mets seem to find an awful lot of ways to lose road games, usually by coughing up a late lead or pecking and scraping back from a deficit only to have some schmo hit a walk-off HR in extra innings, but I think yesterday's game is the first time this season that bad vibes caused the Mets to lose.

Consider that Johan Santana just pitched his heart out for 7 innings and 123 pitches, and by all rights deserved to win the game. Consider also that the Mets scratched out 1 run and spent the rest of the game not hitting and looking their usual putrid selves with bats in their hands. Consider also that these Padres are one of those annoying teams that creeps and pecks and scrapes and gnaws until there's nothing left but a carcass. Add all that up and you just had a bad feeling that the Mets weren't going to win this game 1-0. And I'm pretty sure that about 95% of Mets fans felt this way. Therefore, the collective stink just willed the Mets to lose. One strike away and Frankie Rodriguez naturally allowed David Eckstein and his .238 OPS to hit a dinky little single to score the tying run.

It would have been very convenient if Eckstein had scored on Gonzalez's subsequent double, because it would have spared us the prolonged misery. The game was already dead, I figured it was just a matter of time before someone like Chase Headley or Will Venable or Luis Salazar hit a walk-off HR to win the game. But nooooooooo, the Mets rose up and threw Eckstein out, thereby allowing them to spend two more innings looking foolish before Adrian Gonzalez hit the almost totally predictable walk-off grand slam.

These losses are frustrating, but what can you do when the Mets basically fell victim to their own self-fulfilling prophecy? It's OK, though. They're coming home. Expect them to win as many games this homestand as they lost on this road trip.

HOORAY! HOORAY FOR THIS!

2010-06-02T20:21:00.003-04:00

Well, when in doubt, just give the ball to Mike Pelfrey, let him throw 7-8 innings, give up 1-2 runs and just hope the offense can back him up. More often than not, this strategy seems to work for the Mets, primarily because Pelfrey has been equal to the task just about every time it's been asked of him.

Last night's game in San Diego was no different. With the Mets screaming, and I mean absolutely screaming for a road victory to stop this insanity, Pelfrey went out, licked his hands, and threw his 8 innings, and the Mets bats gave him a small smattering of runs to stick in his pocket while he did it.

It's enough to make you jump for joy, watching Pelfrey pitch, because right now he's not just looking like the best pitcher on the staff, which is what we were tantalized into thinking he would be, but he's even looking like one of the top pitchers in the league right now. But more than that, Pelfrey has been a stabilizing force in the rotation. Never mind how he's been the anti-Maine or Perez or whoever else has been awful, but he came in when the Mets needed him to throw a lot of innings and keep the game manageable, and that's exactly what he did. No need for Elmer Dessens or Igarashi, or Feliciano, or Nieve, or whatever else the Mets would slop out there to get to K-Rod, Pelfrey's actions basically said, "Sit down, you clowns. I'm doing this myself."

I'm waiting for him to start finishing off some of these games, though. I think they'll come before too long.

Nautical Disaster

2010-06-01T08:07:00.001-04:00

I'm starting to think I should just not bother following the Mets when they go on the road. Very little good seems to happen to them there.

Following an eminently forgettable weekend series in Milwaukee, where the Mets were undone primarily by the usual problems that have plagued them all season, the Mets steamed into San Diego and Petco Park, where I believe they've never won a game, and continued to look like a bunch of assholes.

I'm not quite sure how the Padres are doing it, because they aren't a good team. They are Adrian Gonzalez and the Del-Tones, more or less, but somehow they lead this division. Outside of Gonzalez, there's not a single name in that lineup that will strike fear into anyone's heart. Yet, here they are, with Jerry Hairston hitting grand slams, and Chase Headley and Nick Hundley bopping around, and David Eckstein continuing to piss me off, and all of a sudden "Hey, Hey, Hisanori!" turned into an embarrassing 18-run debacle that ended with Oliver Perez taking his lumps at the end of the game (I'm biting my tongue on Ollie at this point, because what's the use, but suffice it to say I think it's about time someone pulled a Tonya Harding on him). All this added up to yet another road loss, yet another mostly lifeless outing, and yet another game where the Mets managed to generate some offense and failed to back that up with any sort of tangible pitching.

I realize that the Mets have every right to feel as though they are contending, but, really, how can you seriously call them contenders when they have 7 road wins on June 1st? I'm not looking forward to the rest of this series at the Dog Run.

000000000000000000000000000

2010-05-28T09:17:00.002-04:00

That's not some binary code I'm th rowing at you, that's the line score for the Phillies in their most recent trip to Citi Field. Doesn't look like much, does it?

You never see these kind of things coming, and usually it's a pleasant surprise when they do. Three straight shutouts of the best offensive team in the NL, however, is something else entirely. I don't know where it came from, I don't know how they managed to pull it off, and I sure as hell don't know if they'll keep it up, especially considering this is something they haven't done in 41 seasons.

It takes some luck, yes, and that's what got the shutouts. But it also takes a good deal of skill simply to get the victories. Pelfrey proved that last night by punching his way through the middle innings, protecting a 1-run lead by serving up his specialty: The inning-ending, ground ball double play. Hamels was certainly up to matching him, at least until he ran out of steam in the 7th inning, allowing the Mets to tack on a pair of runs that pretty much iced the game, or at least iced it as much as you can consider a 3-0 lead iced.

In a series like this one, a 3-0 lead was apparently insurmountable. Go figure.

So, the Mets are back, once again, after another one of these rip-roaring homestands where they lost 1 game and won all the others. They're hot again, people are excited again, everything's wonderful in Metville. So long as they don't go to Milwaukee and San Diego and lose 4 of 6. Then everyone's head is on the chopping block once again. Hopefully this time they've gotten hot and will stay hot for a little while longer.

Hey, Hey, Hisanori!

2010-05-27T00:55:00.003-04:00

So, I think it's time we start gushing over Hisanori Takahashi.

Last night was my 7th game of the season at Citi Field. After 4 quick wins out of the gate, I'd sat through a pair of games where I either froze my ass off while the Mets looked lifeless, or sat comfortably while the Mets looked lifeless. Last night, I sweated out a rather easy Mets victory.

Obviously, I'll take the latter every time.

While Jose Reyes provided much of the sizzle in last night's game, between his 1st HR in well over a season, and his acrobatic leaping catch to end the game, it was Hisanori Takahashi who really provided the thrill, going out and throwing 6 shutout innings for the second time in a row.

Takahashi was near-heroic in his effort against the Yankees, constantly getting in and out of trouble by basically throwing everything he wanted to throw exactly where he wanted to put it. I called him the Anti-Oliver Perez and I think that's quite fitting because not only does he throw strikes, but he seems to almost always keep things under control. The Yankees appeared to always just get close to getting to him. Last night, the Phillies didn't even appear that close. Aside from a bunch of singles and one well-struck double, the Phillies only managed to get two runners on base in the 6th, and of course Takahashi responded by striking out Ryan Howard and getting Jayson Werthless to fly out.

Basically, Takahashi has demonstrated that he knows how to pitch, he knows what he has to work with, he knows when to show what he has and he knows where he needs to put his pitches. How long this success will last, I don't know. But for now, he's the answer in the rotation, I don't think there's any debate about that.

Meanwhile, after the Phillies threatened and were turned away in the 6th, there were the Mets, coming out on offense and basically stopping and demoralizing the Phillies by tacking on 3 more runs and essentially putting the game out of reach. The Mets had been running at will against Joe Blanton all night. After a well-struck double from Wright, Angel Pagan laid down a textbook bunt single and appeared to have taken off for 2nd before Rod Barajas even stepped in the batter's box. Barajas followed with the double to plate both runs, and Reyes came up later and iced the game with a single.

The crowd was alive in a way I haven't felt much at Citi Field, primarily because there was never a reason to. Yes, there were plenty of Phillies fans. No, they didn't have much to talk about, and when they did, it appeared there were plenty of Mets fans shouting them down. In the stairways after the game, the chants were all in our favor, and all over the place. It was the kind of magic I haven't felt since Shea. It's nice. I hope it keeps up. I mean, can they? Think about it. Back-to-back shutouts of the best offense in the league by pitchers named Dickey and Takahashi? Jose Reyes back? Rod Barajas anchoring the offense? What's going on here? I was about to leave this team for dead just 5 days ago. If this is what's going to happen, maybe I should start calling people out more often.

Picking Your Spots

2010-05-24T09:29:00.006-04:00

I wonder if it took facing the Yankees, a familiar foe from his Red Sox days, for Jason Bay to finally start to get on one of his hot streaks. After a 4-hit game on Saturday night, Bay finally flipped that power switch and knocked out a pair of HRs, not only aiding the Mets to a game and series win, but also tripling his HR output for the season and (hopefully) signaling that he's finally going to go on one of his tears.

I haven't especially worried about Bay or his slow start, because he really doesn't seem like he's pressing or bothered by any of this. Pressure doesn't seem to wear on him like it does on a few of his teammates. It's as though he knows the hits will come, just be patient and stick with it and the numbers will go up. But he certainly knows when to step it up and get some big hits, and last night proved that.

I still maintain that Bay just makes the Mets feel a little more professional. I wouldn't get down on him at all even if he goes back in the tank, because in the long run, I'm pretty confident that we're going to like this signing. I can see him maybe having a Beltran in '05 season, not quite right, and then coming back the next year and lighting it up. Hell, he could come back in the 2nd half and light it up.

Then, there's Johan Santana, who had a lot to prove himself, given that the last time he took the mound in The Biggest Game In The Galaxy, he got lit up by the Phillies, and the last time he took the mound against the Yankees, he got lit up. But, with the Mets primed to steal this series (one in which they were one stupid error and one key hit away from sweeping, honestly), Johan came out and looked like the Johan we're used to seeing. He was unusually economic with his pitches and he kept the Yankees off balance and off the scoreboard and basically just wagged his finger at everyone as if to say, "Don't write me off just yet..."

This rubber game business has seemed to always be a problem for this particular incarnation of the Mets, so it's particularly important to look at the performances by Santana and Bay last night and see how they stepped it up a little bit when the Mets needed them to. I'm not totally convinced that the Mets are going to go on another hot streak just yet, if they come back on Tuesday against Philly and knock them around, maybe I will be, but if they are, you can look to a game such as last night's as an instance where the Mets best players played their best and basically willed them to victory.

Our Savior!

2010-05-23T10:14:00.003-04:00

I think Saturday night's Mets win could fall into the "Holy Crap, they won!" category, primarily because I don't think anyone really figured it would happen.

I think we can thank Mike Pelfrey for that one. In fact, if you're Jerry Manuel and the rest of the coaching staff or the other folks I called out on Friday, you're probably ready to kiss Mike Pelfrey's feet right now. Jason Bay, too, but Pelfrey first, since this is probably the 2nd time this week he's pulled everyone's asses out of the fire. Or has he just been doing it all season. Probably both. Basically, he's been the only pitcher who's gone out every time this season and pitched like it mattered. Even the couple of starts where he wasn't that great, he managed to will his way through it (or he was just undone by his defense).

Last night, he navigated the Yankee lineup masterfully. And not only that, he actually got some early runs to work with, making the task a little easier. Wright and Bay, who have been a couple of the chief culprits of the Mets offensive ineptitude, chipped in with a bunch of hits, and a few key RBIs as well as the Mets built up a 5-1 lead that, try as they might, the bullpen couldn't quite manage to hand back to the Yankees. No, the bullpen hasn't been great lately, but if I were going to point to a primary culprit, it would be their overuse rather than their not being good pitchers (hear that, Jerry!?). The 8th got a little frightening, but fortunately K-Rod was able to come in and stop the Yankees, because another stupid error, or a blooper that fell in for a 3-run 2B seemed imminent.

So, even. No Mets getting swept. No alarm bells throughout the organization, no imminent heads rolling. Not yet, anyway. Now, a chance to win the series if they can pull it together again tonight. That would be nice, wouldn't it?

Wasting Time

2010-05-22T09:23:00.002-04:00

I seem to have a problem, lately, of starting posts, but not finishing them until a substantial amount of time later. It's either I'm tired because I'm working too late and getting up too early, or I'm tired because I sat through a 3 hour, 18 minute crapfest that masqueraded for last night's Mets/Yankees game.

If this is how the Mets are going to come out and start what's probably the make-or-break homestand of the season, then they may as well just start canning people right now, because this was pretty pathetic, both from the players and the manager's standpoint.

Predictably, the Mets went out against the much-maligned Javier Vazquez and made him look brilliant. Vazquez has been having his lunch fed to him on a regular basis all year long. So, of course, he no-hits the Mets into the 5th inning.

On the bright side, Hisanori Takahashi came out and pitched a heroic ballgame. You couldn't help but be a little skeptical, given the recent history of Met spot starters, but Takahashi clearly would have none of that. Not only did he pitch well, not only did he get out of jams, but he THREW STRIKES! It was like watching the anti-Oliver Perez out there. By the 4th inning, he'd thrown about 90% strikes, he only walked one guy in his 6 innings and he got every key out. The argument could have been made to keep him in, but you figured 6 innings was about all he was good for. I wasn't raring to see him navigate the Yankees lineup a 4th time, so pulling him wasn't the wrong move.

The wrong move was who Manuel went to to replace Takahashi.

When I saw that Elmer Dessens was warming up, I hoped it was a mistake. I thought he'd been cut, never to return. But there he was, on the team, starting the 7th inning. I've always felt that Elmer Dessens on the roster was like some bad joke or something. And almost like clockwork, he gave up a hit, Cora made his horrendous and egregious error (funny how Mets 2nd basemen always look their best against the Yankees), and Kevin Russo, with all of 1 Major League hit and 0 RBIs, drove home both runs. And right then and there everyone knew the game was over.

By time the 9th rolled around, most of the Mets fans in the crowd had left. With 2 hits to that point, who could blame them? Fortunately, the Citi Field Subway Series crowd seems much more civil and pleasant to be around than they were at Shea. The transplanted section of Bleacher Bums was nowhere to be found. Not that that made us feel any better. With Rivera in to protect the lead, the final seemed academic. At least until Bay reached out for a 2B that nearly got out, and Ike Davis followed with a rope to the wall in right center (proving the point that Ike Davis owns Mariano Rivera. Owns him!). A glimmer of hope! A chance with Wright at the pl...Oh. He grounded out. Never mind.

Pelfrey tonight, but what does it mean if nobody can get a hit?

Spring Cleaning, Revisited

2010-05-21T09:27:00.003-04:00

This weekend's Subway Series and the 3 game visit from our friends in Philadelphia is basically Jerry Manuel's last stand. I don't think that's being dramatic at all. If things don't go well, he's going to be fired, and I don't think any Mets fans will complain about it.

There's a sort of sick, sinking feeling that's surrounding the Mets right now, particularly as they continue to go out and make the same stupid mistakes, put forth the same lifeless efforts and come up with the same frustrating losses. It's beginning to become evident that most of the Mets fans who aren't complete idiot lunatics like myself have just become fed up and stopped going to games. I don't think the Mets are even on pace to draw 2,000,000 fans right now, and if you go by people who actually show up to games, 1,000,000 is a dicey proposition.

So, what's the solution? Well, right now, the Manuel death watch has begun to reach Willie Randolph-like proportions. The only difference is that Willie had that quick-talking likability that made everyone overlook the shortcomings until it became painfully obvious that he'd lost the team. But basically, May, 2010 feels an awful lot like May, 2008. While the people's choice to replace him is our beloved Bobby Valentine, it seems like the organizational choice is bland, boring Bob Melvin whose track record in Seattle and Arizona is about as memorable as, say, Mike Cameron's tenure with the Mets: Short, unspectacular and quickly forgotten about.

But it's not just Manuel that's the problem. Dan Warthen needs to go, too. Probably the training and conditioning staff as well. I'm surprised that we don't discuss this more often, but doesn't anyone find it sort of strange that EVERY Mets pitcher has had some strange issue with their velocity dropping? It's not just Maine and Perez, it's EVERYONE! If it's a couple of guys with injury problems, that's one thing. If the entire staff has this issue, the coach needs to do some explaining. Why is Santana now throwing 89-90 instead of 93-94? Why is Niese not throwing his curve? Why can nobody seem to throw Strike 1? And say what you will about Rick Peterson, but who was the pitching coach when Maine and Perez were pitching so well? And who was the pitching coach when it was a tall order to ask the Mets bullpen to get 3 outs without screwing up the game at the end of '08? I can't even give Warthen credit for Mike Pelfrey's resurgence, because I think he just got mentally tougher and learned to trust his stuff as opposed to anything Warthen would have done for him. It's at the point where I cringe when I see him waddling out of the dugout. So you can get rid of him too, I don't think anyone's complaining.

Finally, there's beloved Ho-Jo. Mr. Met, the organizational hero. The only guy who survived the 3:14am massacre in 2008. I thought he should have been fired then, and guess what? He should be fired now, too. Much like it's a little too strange that the entire pitching staff stopped throwing hard and can't throw strikes, it's a little too strange that half the offense seems to have no concept of bat control or situational hitting. Not to mention the fact that Jose Reyes still isn't hitting line drives. I could waste more breath discussing this, but, quite honestly, I don't have the energy. Just get rid of him. I don't care if he was an '86 Met, we can remember him for that forever. HE'S NOT A GOOD HITTING COACH! FIRE THAT ASS!

So, there's the Spring Cleaning for 2010. That might solve a few problems, or at least wake some of the players up. If that doesn't work, then it's time to start getting rid of some of them, too. You hear me, Jeff Francoeur, Luis Castillo, Alex Cora and Gary Matthews, Jr.? You're all next on the hitlist if things don't start to get better. The NL sucks right now and all that needs to be done to keep things interesting is to just hang around on the fringes of the Wildcard race and get hot late in the year. We know this team can get hot in fits and starts. But if they play like this for 3 months, it's not going to make a damn difference come September.

The annoying thing about the way this is playing out is that if the Mets have a good week, everyone stays. Even Omar, who ought to get the axe too if the house is going to be cleared out. Part of me almost wants the Mets to get swept and embarrassed just to expedite the process.

In Spite Of...

2010-05-20T23:22:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure, but if I were John Maine, I probably wouldn't be too vocal about my displeasure over being pulled from last night's game. While I admire his determination, there's clearly something wrong with him. In fact, there's something wrong with most of the team.

Things lately have been dissolving into early-2008 around here. Everyone is grousing, people are calling for everyone to be fired, and for all I know this could happen pretty soon if things don't go well this upcoming weekend.

Maine's been particularly putrid lately, and it's sort of been a microcosm of the team. He goes out there and clearly, he's trying, and clearly he wants to do well, and, hell, we all want him to do well, but he's just not right. Optimally, he'd be throwing around 92-93mph, where he was when he was doing so well, but right now 2007 seems like a generation ago, and that time seems like a joy as compared to this dreck. And it's beginning to become a liability. I mean, this guy started off his last start by throwing 12 straight balls. Who does that? Seriously, who does that on the Major League level? That's High School crap. I mean, it's well and good that Warthen and Manuel finally tired of the Oliver Perez shit show and threw him in the bullpen, so let's throw Maine in there as well. Let Takahashi start, he's basically been their caddy for the first 6 weeks anyway.

So, fine. Maine's out, in comes Raul Valdez, part of the mixed bag that the Mets bullpen is, and somehow he throws 5 innings and keeps the Nationals at bay, while they go out and beat up Luis Atilano, who showed the Mets what was what just last week. An encouraging sign since the Mets used to do the exact opposite, but, then again, they saw Livan Hernandez and his heap of crap all the time last season and they couldn't manage much off him last night. Of course, 10-1, a lead that appeared to be windowdressing at the time, got whittled down to 10-7 when that mixed bag bullpen seemed to have a collective attack of 2008-itis. But, they hung on. In spite of themselves.

These victories in spite of themselves are getting all too familiar. I don't like where this is heading. They're starting to become what we thought they were, and that's not a good thing.

Pulling a Dick-Out

2010-05-19T16:29:00.002-04:00

So, it's come to this. Rolling into Washington behind R.A. Dickey. It's almost as promising as when they came in with Brian Lawrence. Yes, Dickey has pitched well in AAA this season, and even threw a perfect game of sorts, but let's face it: Dickey is the consummate 4A guy. Looks great in the Minors, call him up and it's a mixed bag.

I know this may not happen, but I just feel like the situation is rife for Dickey to come in, flutter his knuckleball around and get lit up for 7 runs in 2.2 innings. That's the way things seem to be going for the Mets lately.

Out In The Cold

2010-05-11T08:57:00.004-04:00

At the end of the 6th inning of last night's long, frigid affair, El Guapo had had enough.

"I hate to be a dick," he said, "But it's late, and I'm cold, and I have to be up early tomorrow."

And with that, he departed.

I can't say I blame him. In retrospect, I should have gone too. Silly me and my sticking it out to the end, blindly hoping the Mets would do something positive.

Didn't happen. In fact, not much seemed to go positive for the Mets last night in what basically amounted to an eminently forgettable night at Citi Field.

Neither pitcher appeared to be especially sharp. Maine was, well, Maine. He got into and out of all sorts of trouble all night long, but was fortunate to only be scored upon on a pair of HRs in the 3rd inning. His sweaty, 30-pitch 1st inning was matched, however, by Washington's Luis Atilano, one of those pitchers I'd never heard of before the game. Of course, after walking some guys and loading the bases in the 1st, the Mets managed not to score, and you sort of knew right there that the Mets weren't going to win this one. Almost like clockwork, Atilano settled down and started getting the outs he needed to get. The Mets got all sorts of guys on base and managed to screw it up each and every time. This, compounded with the howling wind and ridiculous cold for May 10th left me in a pretty foul mood by time Jason Bay struck out to end the game. Basically, I could sum it up as follows:

Maine Sucked.
The Offense sucked.
The situational hitting sucked.
The bat control sucked.
The weather sucked.
Everything else sucked.

I don't think much more needs to be said on the matter.

Blame Everyone Else!

2010-05-10T08:10:00.000-04:00

Since Oliver Perez was all too eager to blame the unseasonably cool, windy weather for his putrid performance yesterday, I guess we should just take it easy on him, rather than lambasting him for once again stepping on the mound and vomiting out another gutless performance against the Giants.

It wasn't his fault, really. The Mets came back and had a late lead and Jennry Mejia gave up that late HR to Rowand that would ultimately sink the Mets. I mean, that was the first HR Mejia had allowed all season, and into the teeth of a howling wind that echoed all over NYC. So you know it was probably really tagged.

I mean, let's just cut poor Ollie some slack here. It's difficult for a guy who's been in the Major Leagues since 2002 to prepare himself in such harsh conditions. We should be fortunate that he was able to get 44 of his 98 pitches over for strikes on a day like this. How many of us woke up, felt that cold permeating through our apartments and didn't even want to get out of bed? Let's give Ollie some credit for his stick-to-it-iveness and his guts and guile in taking the ball and giving us his all.

Let's blame David Wright, who struck out 4 times, and then petulantly whined and screamed to the umpire after his last strikeout. I mean, who does he think he is? How dare you question the umpire's judgment. He's had a tough enough day standing around while poor Ollie struggled to find the plate.

For that matter, let's blame the rest of the Mets offense for fighting back from the hole that Ollie had put them in after his courageous performance. I mean, if Ollie gave it his best and walked 10 guys in 3+ innings, how can the Mets offense then show him up by getting some hits and scoring some runs to take him off the hook, and deprive him of that loss that he so richly deserved. I mean, he worked particularly hard for that loss, and now all he has to show for it is a measly no decision.

Perhaps, in the future, we'll take it easier on Oliver Perez. I mean, it's a tough game, and he's a tough guy. It's hard to throw strikes.

Catch The Excitement!

2010-05-09T09:19:00.004-04:00

I love our Catchers! Always did!

So if it's not Rod Barajas stepping up to save the Mets from imminent peril, we can always look to Henry Blanco to follow suit.

Since I was stuck in my legendary meeting all afternoon on Saturday, I missed the game completely, only being able to have any clue what was going on via periodic text messages from my friend, who is fortunate enough in his life to actually have his Saturdays free more often than not, something that appears to be beyond my realm.

What I missed, it seems, was Johan Santana following in the shoes of Mike Pelfrey and rebounding from a patently awful start in Philadelphia to pitch tolerably well into the 8th inning, the Mets bullpen coughing up the lead, and a Catcher coming up and hitting a walkoff HR, followed by the Mets jumping around like idiots for the second day in a row.

I mentioned it the other day, but Blanco, like Barajas, has really been an unsung hero for the Mets thus far this season. Blanco hasn't done it with the bat quite as often as Barajas, but nonetheless, he's been great behind the plate, particularly with his handling of Mike Pelfrey during his renaissance, and also with his stellar work throwing out would-be basestealers. It's nice to see, particularly considering that Barajas and Blanco seemed to be a step down from Santos and Thole, or even from Schneider and Castro when we looked at them about a month ago. But sometimes, these moves have a way of working out, even if Omar Minaya is somehow prominently involved. Barajas and Blanco, to this point, have made Omir Santos virtually obsolete and have stuck Josh Thole in the minor leagues for the foreseeable future. Nobody could have figured it, nobody could have banked on it, nobody knows how long this is going to last. Right now, who cares? If they're getting the job done and the Mets are winning some games, that's all that matters, right?

Our Turn Now!

2010-05-08T09:52:00.002-04:00

I'm starting to like this Barajas fellow.

In spite of the fact that I shortchanged his career-high HR total (seems I missed him hitting 21 with the Rangers in 2005), Barajas just went out and hit a couple more last night, including the Walk-off shot that pulled our asses out of the fire and saved us from another extra-inning affair that could have gotten ugly. You know, like the other two the Mets played this week.

But Barajas stopped the game from getting that far, aided by his multiple-HR compatriot, Ike Davis, who picked a fine evening for his first career Multi-HR game. In fact, for most of the evening, Davis was the story of the night. His first HR, a shot that Howie Rose referred to as "Strawberry-like," scraped off the front of the Pepsi Porch. The second one went to dead center, a part of Citi Field where most Mets haven't been able to hit the ball in the past year plus. Behind Mike Pelfrey, who seemed perfectly fine following his shoulder scare of earlier in the week, the Mets looked to be cruising right along to a victory over the Giants.

Until John Bowker (you know, the great John Bowker) came up against Rodriguez and hit a tying HR that was reminiscent of one of Ike's shots. That sort of took the wind out of everyone's sails. But, fortunately, it was only temporary, thanks to our new savior Rod Barajas in the last of the 9th, who hit a towering shot into that part of Citi Field where it looks like it's going to go out off the bat, but then there's that moment of abject horror where the ball looks like it just hangs there for a little bit, and it's going to end up either clanging off the top of the wall, or worse, falling short and being caught. Even Howie Rose wasn't quite sure where it was going to end up, but it managed to make its way into the seats, ending the game and re-igniting everyone's spirits. Nice to finally have a Walkoff HR in Citi Field, nice to see the Mets jumping around like idiots, nice to finally do the walking off and the idiot jumping than having it done against us.

I hope to see it a few more times this season. Maybe even when I'm present.

2-4 Forever

2010-05-06T08:07:00.004-04:00

Didn't we just see this garbage?

At least on Wednesday afternoon, I didn't actually think that some ridiculous Reds retread would come up and hit the Game Winning HR. Which is probably why that's exactly what ended up happening.

These weekday afternoon games are always sort of strange, because instead of sitting in the comfort of my own home, listening to the game in my underwear*, I'm listening to the radio in my office. Usually, this means I've got people calling me, or talking to me, or my boss is yelling for something, or someone needs a cookie, or whatever. Point is, there's usually some kind of distraction going on, so I can't pay the kind of attention I'd like to pay to the matter at hand. Even if there's someone in my office who happens to be a Baseball fan, it usually ends up with some sort of baseball-related discussion that ends up distracting me from the game.

That's not to say that I'm 100% locked in to games when I'm listening at home, but at least when I'm at home, my distractions are caused by my own volition, and not by someone asking me to turn a printer on.

Point is, usually, when the Mets have games like this, and I'm listening in my office, it's sometimes difficult for me to grok what's going on in the game, so things tend to get lost. I knew that Johnny Cueto sort of lost the plate in the 3rd inning, when the Mets scored, and I also knew that Jon Niese was dancing in and out of trouble as per usual. From what I could gather, Niese seemed to be a bit more hittable than usual, but I didn't really notice until he started giving up HRs. I didn't realize until later that he'd given up a whopping 12 hits in his 6 innings of work. Niese has been very good at getting the key outs when he needs them most, but that's bordering ridiculous. 4 runs isn't great, but it seems like he was pretty fortunate to have escaped only allowing the 4.

But, the Mets fought back.

But, as usual, the Mets couldn't get that key hit when one could have tilted the game in their favor.

But, Hisanori Takahashi (the Anti-Ken) pitched magnificently once again, keeping the game tied.

But, Feliciano came in in the 10th, and gave up the leadoff HR to Cabrera, and that was the end of that.

Fittingly, I had no idea who was up, only that I heard "And a high drive..." and some cheers, which is pretty self-explanatory, you don't need to know who hit it, only that it went out in a situation like that.

So, the Mets come back home after yet another 2-4 road trip that seems to have undone a lot of the good will generated by the 9-1 homestand. Is this how the season is going to go?

*Note: I don't always listen to the game in my underwear. It's just good to say that for dramatic effect.

The Iron Rod

2010-05-05T11:50:00.004-04:00

I was out last night and given a rare opportunity to actually watch the Mets game, and apparently I picked the right night to do so.

I didn't see any of the early part of the game, and when I finally found myself in front of a TV, things seemed to go from bad to worse for the Mets. It started out with Fernando Nieve getting two quick outs, and then giving up two long HRs to Votto and Rolen (who I thought died 4 years ago).

I really know how to pick my spots.

Nonetheless, I stuck around and drifted in and out of attention as the game moved to the 9th. I figured another extra-inning game was imminent until Rod Barajas stepped up and hit one out against Francisco Cordero. A night that had seemed to take a rather frustrating turn had unexpectedly become more palatable, and looked even better when Rodriguez locked up the win shortly thereafter.

Rod Barajas! Who knew? On Opening Day, I didn't even realize he was on the team. I figured it made sense, he seemed to fit in with the slew of Fat Hispanic Catchers the Mets seem to be so fond of (though Barajas is from California, he appears to be of Mexican descent). To that point, I'd only known Barajas as a seldom used backup catcher on the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks that Bob Brenly took a gamble on one night in the World Series and responded with a HR off Mike Mussina. A 34-year old retread, when I mentioned his age to El Guapo, he muttered some words about the Mets that I wouldn't consider family friendly. Then again, this blog isn't family friendly, so let's just paraphrase it to "What the fuck is the matter with this fucking team?" But Barajas came through with a pair of hits, and though he doesn't and hasn't ever hit for an average, he's made his hits count, to this point. Consider this: It's May 5th, and right now, Rod Barajas leads the Mets with his 7 HRs.

I don't know that anyone would have figured Rod Barajas would be leading the Mets in anything this season. But, here he is, and not only that, he's getting some HRs in key spots. Who knows if he'll keep this up; there's also a very good chance that he'll just regress to his usual lousy self, but last year, he did beef up his numbers to a career-high 19 HRs and 71 RBIs, which is perfectly respectable for a Catcher, and certainly more than respectable for Rod Barajas. Numbers like that from him this year would help quite a bit, and make the Mets catching situation, something that was probably more of a joke than a real threat at the outset, one of this season's more pleasant surprises.

Predictable

2010-05-04T09:12:00.002-04:00

In the 8th inning of last night's game, Angel Pagan led off by popping out. With one out, Luis Castillo slapped a single up the middle. Jose Reyes followed by grounding into a 6-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Right then and there, I knew how the game was going to end. I mentioned it to a friend of mine. I didn't know when, but I just knew it was going to come down to some scrub off the back of the Reds bench coming up and popping a HR to win the game. The scrub of choice I used, in fact, was Joe Randa, who we all know well from Met Screwups of the past. It makes no difference that Randa isn't even in the Major Leagues anymore, it would just be someone like him. Initially, I thought it would be right then and there, in the bottom of the 8th. But Fernando Nieve came in throwing smoke, and Feliciano got out of a jam in the 10th. Nonetheless, the Mets couldn't plate anyone either, so as the game moved later and later into the night, I just hoped it would be over quick. At some point, I think I must have tuned out entirely, because all of a sudden I heard Howie Rose's voice growing excited, but it was a rather despondent excitement, if such a thing is possible. When Howie gets loud and sort of exasperated, you pretty much know all you need to know. I didn't need to know who hit it, I knew it was probably the last person on the Reds I'd expect, and I was right. I didn't even know Laynce Nix was even on the Reds, but there he was, going that little extra mile to beat the Mets, who, I hope, have not fallen into a Philadelphia-induced slumber now that they've lost 3 in a row.

It's interesting how these little ebbs and flows can affect an entire nation of fans. Friday night, Mets fans were walking around with their chests puffed out, ready to take on anyone. Today, we're feeling a little humble and searching for a solution. Tomorrow, who knows? But with Maine pitching, optimism isn't quite abound, even after his strong performance the last time out. This has the makings of one of those stupid 9-6 games, I think...

Regroup

2010-05-03T09:05:00.004-04:00

I suppose the small bit of solace Mets fans can take from this weekend's series in Philadelphia is that we figured we'd probably lose two of three to what is, for all intents and purposes, the best team in the National League.

What's rather frustrating is how these two losses came about on the heels of a dominant victory on Friday night.

See, Friday's game felt like a continuation of the several games the Mets had played before that. Niese did his job getting out of an early jam, settled in and was great. The bats continued to do their job, and after the 8-1 win, the 8th victory in a row, everyone felt on top of the world. The Mets were unstoppable. We were going to beat up the Phillies, and then storm the rest of the league. World Series, here we come!

The weekend was the reality check. We may not be as bad as we thought we were going to be, but we're also not as good as we might look at times either.

I was out most of the afternoon on Saturday, partaking in my usual acts of Civil Disobedience or whatever you choose to call it, and I figured I was in line to miss a good pitcher's duel between Pelfrey and Halladay. Fortunately, I was being sent updates via BlackBerry IM, so I was able to keep up with the happenings. Unfortunately, once the game got to 6-0, the updates stopped because the game wasn't really worth following anymore. It wasn't so much that Pelfrey was bad, but he wasn't helped by some shoddy defense in the process. The Pelfrey skeptics would have a field day with it, oh, here he comes, back to Earth, same lousy Pelfrey, so a good start his next time out against the Giants when the Mets return home would be imperative for him. Just saying. On the other side, Halladay, pitching against the Mets for the first time in as long as I can remember, just settled in and very neatly shoved the bats up the Mets asses. So long, streak, so long, good vibes.

But with Santana going on Sunday night, you figured things would be OK, right? Well, on a steamy, humid night, and what must have been as steamy and humid a night in Philadelphia, Santana just completely melted down, and it was all the fault of Tasti-D-Lite. Here's why: The Mets started off pretty strong, and in the bottom of the 4th, they held a 5-2 lead. I was home and had a jonesing for some Tasti-D, and I was waiting for an opportune moment to go. Utley led off the inning with a double and I figured I'd wait to see how Howard's at-bat turned out before I left. When he flew out, I went out, got my Tasti-D, and came back. I was gone probably about 7 minutes. I got back to my apartment just in time to hear Chase Utley hitting a Home Run to give the Phillies a 10-5 lead. You can only imagine the epithets I was muttering at this point. Goodbye game, goodbye good feelings. The Tasti-D didn't taste quite as good after that.

So, the Mets depart Philadelphia having lost one game in the standings and no longer in 1st place. Santana leaves with an ERA now double what it had been at the outset. Mets fans leave knowing that we're still not quite as good as the Phillies. Time to regroup, as we head to Cincinnati, clear our heads from these beatings and try to get back to winning some games.

Oh, It's You. Nice To See You Again.

2010-04-30T08:59:00.002-04:00

So. Here we are again. Philadelphia and our dear friends, The Phillies.

There's not the same kind of talk going on between these two clubs. When one team has gone to the past two World Series and won one of them, while the other team just made a total ass of themselves, there's not too much to say, I suppose.

That doesn't make these games any more or less intense, at least from the fan's perspective.

These games don't particularly matter too much to the Phillies, I'd have to imagine, outside of the fact that they love to stick it to the Mets. They're the class of the league right now; by far and away the team to beat. That's not up for any debate, no matter who feels like talking.

On the Mets side, these games do mean something. The 9-1 homestand is nice, but now they can prove what they're made out of. Is this hot streak going to spur the Mets on through the Spring, or are they going to immediately come back to earth and play like a .500 team (or worse). These games will prove alot.

Philly pretty much wiped their shoes on the Mets last season, winning I believe 12 of 18. I stopped paying attention sometime after Raul Ibanez's HR landed in the Citi Field Bullpen last June 11th. Since then, Philly has basically just laughed at the Mets and their fans have laughed at our fans, overrun our ballpark, spat on our girlfriends and taken our lunch money, and well they should. We merited being laughed at.

I don't know that much has changed, really. The Mets are still pretty laughable, and it's going to be some time before they can buck that trend. But this weekend is a good way to start. There's a lot of fresh wounds and bad memories that come out of this tiny, tiny little ballpark. But if the Mets can come in and win some games, that's games, not game, say, 2 of 3, then maybe this will put them on the road back to being respectable. Beating the best does that a little bit.

If Just For One Day...

2010-04-29T09:38:00.003-04:00

How long this will last, I don't know, but for now it's pretty sweet.

When John Maine, he of the beleaguered looks and tenuous spot in the rotation, comes out and starts firing darts all over the place, then you know everything's clicking for your team. Where once it appeared as though it would be a struggle for the Mets to plate 7 runs in an entire series, they managed to do so in a few innings against the Dodgers, making them look rather silly in the process and finished off a 3-game sweep and a homestand that saw them go 9-1.

9-1! Last time we saw anything like that, the season turned out fairly well.

It's clear that the Mets aren't just going to lie down and let the 2010 season just happen, which was more or less everyone's fear. But the fear now is what's going to happen when all these guys come back to earth? What's going to happen when the breaks stop coming, the other team stops playing with their heads up their ass, and the pitching begins to falter? It's a pessimistic view, no doubt, but given recent history, Mets fans have good reason to be a little pessimistic. It's easy to enjoy what's going on right now, and I'm certainly hearing comments like "Your Mets are actually doing something," and "Gee, who woke up the Mets?" but the Mets fans I've spoken to are a bit more cautious. The Mets fan knows that it's good to be in first place, but also knows what the date is. If this were September 29th, there might be cause for excitement. On April 29th, 1st place is merely something pleasant.

Especially when you're about to play your closest and fiercest competitor for said 1st place spot over the weekend.

Something Completely Different

2010-04-28T09:00:00.003-04:00

This wasn't quite in the plan for this year.

At least, not that anyone was willing to admit. I'm certain that nobody's complaining, but after flipping the Dodgers twice, the Mets have now won 6 in a row and as we wake up this Wednesday morning amazingly find themselves in 1st place in the NL East.

That's not to say that these wins have been perfect. What's been most impressive about this homestand, which now stands at 8-1 with one more to go this afternoon, is that the Mets are playing imperfect baseball, and still coming out on top. Against Chicago, it was waiting them out until they got into their awful bullpen. Against Atlanta, it was capitalizing on poor fundamentals and timely errors. Yesterday, the Mets just beat the crap out of the Dodgers. Twice.

Tuesday was my 4th game of the season, although I hadn't planned on it being a doubleheader. Unable to sneak out of work early, I instead showed up right on time for the nightcap, arriving at Citi Field just as the Mets were putting the finishing touches on a 4-0 victory that saw Santana throw too many pitches too early in the game. This wasn't exactly encouraging, but then again it didn't end up being much of a factor in the final outcome. So, having been cheated by the weather out of seeing Santana for the 3rd time in 4 games, I settled in to watch Ollie Perez, who had a typical Ollie Perez start: Walk, hit, get out of a jam, look good, settle down, sail the first pitch of the 4th inning behind the batter's head, walk 2 more, give up a hit, walk in a run and get pulled from the game and booed off the mound. Another stupid Perez inning pretty much submarined the good vibes and just made everyone feel cold. If nothing else, Manuel had the foresight to see that Perez was coming unglued and got Hisanori Takahashi up early and brought him in immediately, but it seemed that Perez left enough of his stink on the mound that even HE walked in a run to tie the game.

No matter. The Mets came to hit against the fluttering knuckleball of Charlie Haeger, and they did just that. In the 5th, the Mets started coming up with a string of timely, 2-out RBI hits, something that you wouldn't have thought them capable of a week ago, sandwiched around Torre glumly pacing to the mound to remove yet another reliever I've never heard of. Wright had 4 RBIs, Ike Davis continued to impress, inside-outing a rocket of a double the other way, and I believe for the first time this season, the Mets plated 10 runs in a game, and by the 6th, most of the crowd departed, because, let's face it, it was ridiculously cold, hellaciously windy, and the outcome of the game was not in any sort of doubt.

And with Philly losing on the west coast, the Mets now find themselves 1/2 a game in front in the NL East.

I don't know how the hell that happened. And, again, I'm not complaining. I hope it stays that way. This is starting to become kind of fun again.

Back in the New York Groove

2010-04-26T09:09:00.005-04:00

A week ago, I wouldn't have thought the Mets capable of being where they are right now, but it's happened, and here they are, 6-1 on the current homestand, a game over .500, and coming off a sweep of the Atlanta Braves.

And yet, I still don't think the Mets are really clicking much, if at all, offensively. It seems like they have been simply starting to catch some of those fabled breaks that eluded them so many times in the past couple of seasons. They're doing it with Wright not hitting, Bay not really hitting (though he's showing signs), Francoeur not hitting, and Reyes really looking like he's about 80-85% there.

So, what's it been? Pitching, mostly. Playing in their ballpark, the Mets have been able to win by getting outstanding starting pitching 4 out of every 5 days (even Perez was decent), and getting their runs on a timely hit or two and some bad fielding by their opponent. It started on Thursday night, a game I was at, and a game I glossed over following a hellacious trip home following the game (Note: The G train probably shouldn't be used in general, and definitely not after 11pm, when it turns into a pumpkin). Nonetheless, the game was fine, Santana got into jams, the Cubs had men on base in every inning, and Santana got them out each time. They waited out Tom Gorzelanny and finally scored some runs in the 6th aided by an egregious error by Mike Fontenot, and then survived a pair of Cub rallies in the 7th and 8th.

Friday, the recipe appeared to be much of the same. Maine basically did little more than not kill the Mets before departing with an injury, and the Mets bats remained quiet save for a moon rocket of a HR by Ike Davis that journeyed to a part of Citi Field reserved for people named Howard or Dunn, and tantalized us as far as the promise such a mammoth shot contained. Then the Mets waited out Kenshin Kawakami and capitalized on a pair of egregious errors by the Braves to pull out a 5-2 victory.
Saturday, well, you guessed it. Scoreless into the 6th, the Mets finally break through against Jair Jurrjens, aided by some key hits from Bay and Francoeur, and an egregious, first-class fuckup by Yunel Escobar on the basepaths that is worthy of stripping Escobar of his All-Ballclub Team status. This time it was Jonathon Niese providing the solid start.

Sunday brought The Biggest Game In The Galaxy on ESPN, and with it some lousy weather. The weather seemed to take its toll on Pelfrey, who really battled tooth and nail to simply get through his 5 innings. But, such as things have gone this week, he basically stoned up, got every single out when he needed to get it, induced a pair of key DPs, and allowed the Mets lone run, scored on an egregious throwing error by old friend LARRY on a ball he should have stuck in his back pocket, and the Mets waited out a rain delay that wasn't going to break and got themselves a sweep, albeit a rain-shortened one. Not that any of us are complaining.

The formula basically seems to repeat itself over and over again. Get good starting pitching, bank on the other team committing some form of vapor lock, wait out the other team's starter and then scrape across as many runs as they're able, and hope it holds up. It works, at least for now, and it's been enough to get the Mets above .500, something few thought possible a week ago. But can it last?

Background Noise

2010-04-22T10:29:00.003-04:00

Last night was one of those nights where I was home and had the game on the radio all evening, but I really didn't pay much attention. Basically, I only paid halfhearted attention whenever I heard Howie Rose or Wayne Hagin raise their voices, so I heard something about Ike Davis making a great play, and Rod Barajas hit a long HR early in the game, but after that, not much yelling, so one could only assume that things basically went downhill from there. And, they did.

There's not much worth talking about when it comes to this game. The Cubs were due after putting up a pair of stinkers, the Mets still aren't hitting enough to keep up with the precarious nature of an Oliver Perez start, and the Bullpen couldn't keep the game within reach late. I suppose Oliver Perez should be somewhat lauded for only allowing 3 runs in his 5 innings, but when that's an accomplishment, you know you're really reaching.

The game was mere accompaniment to me making my dinner, a scintillating meal of pork chops, rice and asparagus. Given my thoroughly Jewish upbringing, this is probably a bit of a shock, but we were never anything resembling kosher. In fact, my best pork recipe comes from my Father. It goes a little something like this:

2-4 center-cut pork chops (I was working with 2 last night)
Kosher salt
Olive oil
Black pepper
Paprika
Italian style bread crumbs
Mets game on Radio

Turn on radio. Preheat broiler. Coat pork chops with about a teaspoon of olive oil. Lightly dust with salt, pepper and paprika, then sprinkle on bread crumbs. There's no specific amount, just use prudent judgement. If you like them a little spicier, use more pepper. Broil for 10-16 minutes depending on thickness of the pork chops, turning when they are halfway cooked. Important: Make sure pan is not too close to the heating element, it will burn the bread crumbs. Turn attention to Mets game while pork chops are cooking. If, after 16 minutes, the pork chops are not fully cooked, I will usually put in a 400˚ oven for about 10-12 minutes. Serve with or over rice and steamed asparagus (and I don't think it's necessary to give directions on cooking rice or asparagus. If you can't figure that out, you've got other issues). Keep Mets game on radio throughout meal.

Back to Citi Field tonight since the Weekday plan games are all bunched together.

Mr. Pitchy

2010-04-21T10:29:00.002-04:00

I'm starting to like this whole "Mike Pelfrey pitching well" thing. I liked it when it happened in '08, too, but this start he's off to may be outdoing that.

Last night was just building on his first two starts, he came out, threw darts, kept the Cubs mostly off the bases and completely off the scoreboard, and ran his scoreless innings streak to 19. And the result was that while the Mets didn't hit much, they hit enough to back Pelfrey and give the Mets their first winning streak of the season.

It's always refreshing when one of the guys you point out as a key player comes through, and yes, it's just the early going, but Pelfrey has clearly established himself as a pitcher who can be depended on this season, the clear #2 guy in the rotation behind Santana, and right now, he's off to a better start than Santana. It's a far cry from last season, when he just seemed to be too much of a headcase to accomplish much, and an even farther cry from his fellow key Met pitchers. I wish John Maine would start taking some of whatever Pelfrey's been taking. It might help him out. I realize that Maine wants to do well just as much as anyone else, but the change in Pelfrey has just been startling. He basically just said "I want to be a real pitcher" and went out and did it.

It's not that I'm surprised that Pelfrey has done so well early on. I'm not. I figured he would bounce back and be better than he was last year. But I'm impressed at the way he has just come out this season and attacked everyone. Through 3 starts (and a relief outing), he's been light years better than he was even when he was going well in 2008. He's taking the step and pitching like an All Star. I hope he keeps it up.

We Like Ike!

2010-04-20T14:19:00.005-04:00

I don't know why, but all the talk about Ike didn't make me think of President Eisenhower, it made me think of South Park. So, this is what I've come up with.

A Whole New Rallying Cry

2010-04-19T23:50:00.002-04:00

It was somewhat serendipitous that the 2nd game on my plan happened to be tonight, the night the Mets finally came to their senses and recalled Ike Davis to take over at 1st Base. Never mind that the fans were screaming for him and the media was screaming for him, the Mets just needed a new presence in the lineup.

Davis's Major League Debut didn't disappoint in the least, and his presence served to not only warm a somewhat sparse crowd on a rather cold night, but also to breathe some life into his teammates. The results pretty much speak for themselves: 2-for-4 with an RBI, solid defense and a 6-1 Mets victory. What's not to like?

That's not to say that he did it alone, certainly not. And that's also not to say that every day will be like this, because it won't. But Ike Davis seems to be somewhat out of the Jason Bay mold, that is, someone who just looks like a ballplayer. Someone who exudes professionalism and calm. Someone who will work a count and can make something happen. Something that this team needs a little more of. It was clear that they weren't going to get this sort of presence from Mike Jacobs, or Tatis, or even Daniel Murphy. I don't know what will happen from here on out, but, for one night, Ike Davis sure looked like he was equal to the hype placed upon him.

Lost in the shuffle of the game was the performance turned in by another young Met, Jonathon Niese. Niese had an outing that appeared to be part John Maine, part Mike Pelfrey. He was effective, if not pretty. Working with men on base in every inning, Niese buckled down and made his pitches whenever he needed them, and got every key out in his 5.2 innings, only allowing a run on a pair of dinky hits that probably should have been outs.

It's clear that if the Mets are going to make any sort of noise this season, it has to be with their youth. Guys like Tatis and Castillo aren't going to excite anyone. Guys like Davis and Niese are going to break their ass and make things interesting. The results tonight should be pretty self-explanatory.

A Game Befitting Our Team

2010-04-18T10:05:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's rather lengthy affair was the kind of game that, had it been played in New York, I likely would have been there. And had I been at a game like that, I likely would have torn out what remaining hair I have, cried a few times, and probably tried to eat my scorecard. A game such as yesterday's comes along but once a generation. Fortunately, the game was in St. Louis. I got to pay attention to the game on the radio like a normal person.

I was stuck in one of my fabled meetings for a good chunk of the afternoon, and didn't arrive home until about the 4th inning of a scoreless game.

By the 8th inning, I was cooking and eating dinner.

In the 12th inning, I fell asleep. Somehow listening with half an ear and lying in bed just put me out briefly. I woke up, probably about 15 minutes later, and the game was still going. A text from a friend revealed what I thought: I hadn't missed much.

In the 16th inning, I made a run to the store for dessert. By time I got home, the game was still going.

But once games get past 16 innings, you really start to feel like you're getting into epic territory. This was a game where the Mets couldn't even manage a hit until the 6th inning, and just didn't seem like they were capable of even getting two hits in a row on this day. Meanwhile, the Cardinals kept getting men on base and the Mets pitchers kept stranding them because Tony LaRussa, experimental genius that he is, kept letting his pitchers bat. Once the 17th inning started, I began thinking this could go on all night, and at some point someone was going to have to say "Enough!" and propose starting over tomorrow (which, I know, is not in the rule book, but at some point you had to think it logical).

By the 18th, LaRussa, who I guess had exhausted all the pitchers he could at the plate, started sending position players in to pitch. Fittingly, the Mets couldn't muster a run against Felipe Lopez, the first to the mound. In the 19th and 20th, it was Joe Mather, who did an excellent job of minimizing damage...or was it the fact that the Mets exhibited very little patience hitting against a pitcher who isn't a pitcher. Nonetheless, the Mets managed to muster two runs off Mather, and the only reason they had to muster the second run was because their real pitcher managed to spit the first run back in the last of the 19th. So, the Mets went out and did it again in the 20th, scoring a run the best way they know how: a sacrifice fly.

Mike Pelfrey came in for the Mets in the type of outing only Ron Darling could appreciate. He'd apparently gone into the clubhouse and demanded the ball from Dan Warthen, which is just another reason to like him right about now. Of course, he didn't make it easy either, putting two men on base and getting Pujols on deck before finally retiring Ludwick for the final out of the longest game I've ever seen the Mets play, the longest game the Mets have played since 1974, and, apparently, the longest game the Mets have ever won.
When you start getting into a game of this length, and it probably took until around the 14th inning for me to do that, it begins to feel more and more pressure-packed, as though this game meant everything. Right now, every win the Mets can muster is meaningful, but once you start getting into those rarefied innings, a loss begins to feel almost catastrophic. An already tortured and angry fan base would have likely revolted if the Mets had lost, or even if Jeff Francoeur had took the mound, which is what would have happened had Pelfrey not stepped up. The Mets basically were shut out over what is tantamount to two full games, and really didn't appear to mount a viable threat offensively, and once again managed to score the runs they did without the benefit of a key hit. Even the Cardinals, who appeared just as inept offensively as the Mets did, managed a key hit.

A 20-inning victory is always noteworthy and certainly worth celebrating. But, really, how much celebrating can you do when it took the Cardinals sending position players to the mound to score some runs? You like what you see out of the pitching staff, but overall, man, a game like this just leaves you shaking your head.

That's More Like It!

2010-04-16T10:14:00.002-04:00

I know it's only been two starts, but I have to say it's really nice to see that a Mets pitcher not named Johan has been able to answer the bell this season.

The Mets offense didn't exactly put forth a sparkling effort yesterday, even though Jorge de la Rosa did his best to basically hand them the game. 5 runs is nice, although had the Mets actually been able to get some hits with men on base, the score could have easily been 8 or 9-0. But that's besides the point. On a day where the Mets offense basically performed like the Mets offense, it didn't matter because Mike Pelfrey came out throwing darts, looking like the Mike Pelfrey of 2008 and, hopefully, sending a message that last season is a distant memory for him.

Pelfrey has clearly come out with a bit of a chip on his shoulder this season, which might account for his strong start. And he needed a strong start (so did everyone else in the rotation, but so far he's the only one who has put up). Perhaps being demoted to what is basically the #4 starter had something to do with this. As surprising as it may seem, some guys on this team do have some pride, and do care about their performance and how it affects the team, and their careers. So to see Pelfrey take this "demotion" as a slight is a good thing, because now he's starting to become a real pitcher.

Pelfrey has had these sort of outings in the past, particularly in his excessively hot stretch in '08, but what he did yesterday was textbook for his success. He didn't walk anyone, which is good for any pitcher, but for Pelfrey it means he's hitting his mark. He gave up 5 singles, 3 of which were infield hits, which means his sinker and slider were on, and the Rockies hitters were just mashing it into the ground. He even struck out 6, which is encouraging because Pelfrey just isn't much of a strikeout pitcher, but he made hitters miss. All this adds up to Pelfrey getting the job done and masking the issues of his offense for a day. So, for once, we can smile a bit.

Now, if only these other jokers in the rotation can do the same thing.

Not His Fault

2010-04-15T10:18:00.002-04:00

If you were thinking I was going to blast off on Jennry Mejia after the way last night's game ended, well, you're wrong. It's not his fault. He shouldn't have been in that position in the first place.

It's very easy to point fingers in certain directions after yet another lackluster performance by the Mets. For once, they actually hung around and were in the game late despite the fact that their situational hitting yet again seems to abandon them at inopportune moments. The Mets put up 5 runs last night. If they'd managed to squeeze a key hit somewhere in the 8 they came up with, maybe that total would have been higher and the result different.

It wasn't until the 8th inning that the Mets managed to manufacture a run, this coming thanks to Rod Barajas' RBI single. In the 9th, the Mets miraculously tied the game, but it appeared to be more of an accident than due to any actual effort on the part of the Mets. Gary Matthews reached on what was generously scored a hit, and followed that by getting to 3rd when Chris Ianetta threw a 175-footer to 2nd base that bounced into the outfield. This, I thought, was the Mets first real break of the season. Maybe their first break in 2 years, or at least it feels that way sometimes. Jose Reyes predictably followed with a strikeout. Figures. They'll get the guy to 3rd with no outs and somehow manage to strand him there. This, of course, appears to be the primary team concept, going back as long as I've been writing this dopey blog.

But nooooo! Castillo came up and hit a Sac Fly to tie the game! I was floored. This was the sort of behavior the Mets rarely exhibit. Putting the ball in play with a man on 3rd and less than 2 outs to get the run home? What a novel idea! The Mets ought to try that more often.

Then, they had a chance to win it in the 10th, except that Mike Jacobs didn't exactly run hard on his long double that could have been a triple if Todd Zeile were running. Of course, the Mets didn't get him home, and almost like clockwork the Rockies won the game in the bottom of the inning against Mejia. If they score, or score more in any one of those instances, Mejia probably isn't even in the game to give up that HR.

David Wright called it "A frustrating loss." Captain Obvious strikes again. Right now, every loss is frustrating if you're watching this team (or listening in my case). There's a stink on this club and no real way to get rid of it. You know, unless you fire the upper management and bring in people who have a clue. That, however, appears to be beyond ownership's realm.

Already?

2010-04-14T09:03:00.002-04:00

At the rate the Mets are going, the house is going to have to be cleaned by time they come back from this Road Trip.

I don't really see any sign that the Mets are going to accomplish much of anything this season, except for playing listlessly in front of crowds of 10,000 hearty idiots (of which I include myself). It was bad enough that their Manager openly acknowledged a lack of preparedness for Sunday's game (or was it a lack of preparedness for the entire season?), but then they went out on Tuesday night and just flat out embarrassed themselves against a Colorado team that probably was going to beat them anyway, just on general principle.

John Maine seems to be at the centerpiece of this particular clusterfuck, and rightfully so. Right now, I'm not so sure Maine is even a viable Major League pitcher. He had a chance to minimize damage and get out of the 3rd inning, but somehow he tripped over his own feet, made a bad throw, and the end result was that, whether it was out of frustration, or loss of focus, or whatever, another 5 runs ended up crossing the plate before we blinked, and the game was basically in the toilet after that. Not that Maine was putting forth anything spectacular to that point. On the radio after the game (and in my new environs, without cable, the radio is basically all I have), some chucklehead mentioned that there were positive signs out of Maine, like him hitting 90mph.

Someone needs to mention that for Maine to be at all effective, he needs to hit 92-93 with regularity. You know, like he did in 2007.

A period of time that seems so very, very far away.

Niese tonight, who can hopefully right this ship. You know, if you can watch the game without covering your eyes. I'm not so sure anyone wants to take that risk right now.

Same Stupid Team!

2010-04-12T08:58:00.003-04:00

It's encouraging to see that, one week into the season, we can expect the same overmatched, lackluster play out of the Mets that we did last season, and it's even better to see that no matter how hard they try, they can't seem to avoid being ripped off by Willie Harris.

I mean, I know it's one week into the season and it's not worth going crazy just yet, but it's sort of unavoidable when you consider that it appears the Mets have come into this season only partially prepared to play ball. Jose Reyes is back, and that's a very good sign. But even if Jose gets on base every time up, and creates as much havoc for the other team as possible, it means very little if there's nobody behind him to drive him in.

I mean, it's not all bad. In fact, the weekend seemed to start out pretty good. Friday night, the Mets looked great. They looked inspiring. They looked like they were ready to go take out the Nationals for 3 straight games. Pelfrey pitched well, Francoeur and Barajas hit HRs, and all was nice and rosy pink. Here we go, we're gonna have a winning homestand!

But noooooooooooooo.

Not when Oliver Perez has a typical Oliver Perez start. Not when the Mets get guys on base and don't drive them in, and not when Willie Harris is on the field against the Mets. And if that wasn't bad enough, it looked like the Mets were still hung over on Sunday afternoon, when they looked mostly punchless against a guy who was on their own damn team last season and used to get routinely lit up like a Christmas tree! How's this for a reversal of fortune? Last season, it seemed like every time the Mets sent Livan Hernandez to the mound, he was down 4 runs before people had even sat down. Yesterday, this MFer had a 4-run LEAD!! And this against Santana! What the hell is going on with this team?

I know it's only one week and I should calm down, but, really, is anyone that encouraged?

Fighting Chances

2010-04-08T08:58:00.004-04:00

Games such as last night's are usually long forgotten by time the season ends, but it's interesting to note what happened.

After the strong showing on Opening Day, optimism had to be abound, but the Mets fell into what was pretty much a hopeless hole early when John Maine, one of those giant question marks, didn't pitch well. He did minimize his damage somewhat, but nonetheless, a deficit is a deficit. But the Mets came back, which is definitely the kind of thing you like to see. They clearly know how to take pitches, work counts, and make pitchers sweat, all things they did over the course of the late innings last night. And in coming back to tie the game in the 8th, they did something that they wouldn't have even sniffed doing last year. Once the Mets got out of a game last season, you could pretty much fold up your tents and go home, because they weren't coming back, and they weren't even going to make a run at it.

One can only hope that this is a sign of the way the Mets are going to go about things this season. It will be much more enjoyable to watch the team if they're constantly trying and making things interesting as opposed to just laying down like dogs. Still, there's only so many silver linings you can take from a loss, even if it's only the 2nd game of the year. It's frustrating, because they dragged us all back into it, but in the end still managed to find a way to lose the game. The pessimist's way of looking at this game is that while they showed fight, they still lost the game, and you can probably expect many more games like this as the season goes on.

The Fixer

2010-04-07T08:49:00.002-04:00

I'd say it's taken me exactly one game to warm to the Jason Bay era in New York. I don't need to see any more out of him, he can stay.

I hope he forgives me for the many years I spent considering him overrated, and that he reminded me of little more than an overglorified Gabe Kapler when he first came up with the Pirates late in 2003. He's certainly proven himself more than that, and now after one game with the Mets, I'm pretty glad he's on our side now. All it took was seeing him drill a ball in the gap in left-center, turn on his jets about halfway to 2nd base, and slide into 3rd base without any trouble. That was his "WELCOME TO NEW YORK!!!" moment.

It was easy to be skeptical about Bay when he signed here, particularly since he gave the impression that he'd be glad to sign anyplace but the Mets. Given the way the front office here likes to operate, can you blame him? But nonetheless, he signed here when no other offers materialized, and it seems like he's been an almost perfect fit on this team. How long he'll have to suffer hitting behind Mike Jacobs is beyond me, but as I mentioned yesterday, his presence here just seems to give the Mets a more professional look to them. The guy just looks like a ballplayer. He appears to be rather understated, but it seems he's become fast friends with Jeff Francoeur and the two have been organizing team events together.

It seems like, more than anything, this team needed an adjustment in attitude and outward appearance, more than just raw talent. The Mets have, in the past, done quite a bit without an abundance of talent. It's still not likely that they'll do the same with this group, but having someone like Jason Bay going to war for us every day if nothing else will ensure that the Mets aren't going to be as embarrassingly bad as they were last season. Or at least I hope he'll ensure that. It's still tough to get too optimistic around here.

Something To Believe

2010-04-06T20:52:00.013-04:00

I admit it. I wasn't very fired up at all for Opening Day yesterday. It took me until I got to 111th Street on the 7 train, and saw Citi Field rise up in the distance before I felt anything resembling the excitement and anticipation that comes with Opening Day. But once I got there, got off the train into the new Apple Garden, met El Guapo and made my way inside Citi Field, I was glad to be there, and glad to be back.

And, as it appears, the Mets were pretty glad to be back as well.

It didn't necessarily appear that way at the outset, when all the new that seemed to be promised appeared to me to be a whole lot of status quo. I wanted to see the new Hall of Fame, however that was thwarted by a lengthy line that neither the Guap or I wanted to navigate. So, upstairs we went, to be greeted by this:

A new lineup board, with a pretty paltry looking lineup. El Guapo didn't even realize that there were lineup boards last season, primarily because they were completely hidden from view. We walked around to the Outfield, where we saw a little more new:

This was the kind of new I could get behind. However, some things, like the lineup at Shake Shack, hadn't changed. Eager for a bite, I opted for my favorite post from last season, the Taqueria, where, to my dismay, I encountered problems that harkened back to the days of Shea. First, I stood around at a register for a few minutes while the cashier was unable to get the register to work. Then, after waiting a few minutes more, I was given a box of tacos that I would later discover did not include any sauce. I thought the support staff at Citi Field would be better prepared for a large crowd, but I see I was mistaken. Nonetheless, the tacos are still pretty damn good, sauce or no sauce. Thank you once again, Danny Meyer.

Upstairs we went, for some more new here:

The reconfigured bullpens, and, much to my delight here:
...where I noticed that Blue Smoke, another gem, was now available in the Promenade, conveniently close to my seats.

where, to my displeasure, I saw that the Mets had skimped on the Opening Day bunting, putting up the paltry 3-ring bunting as opposed to the much more exciting and traditional 5-ring bunting.

Nonetheless, Howie Rose came across the PA system and the Opening Day ceremonies were underway...
...beginning with the presentation of the Good Luck wreath to Jerry Manuel, prompting a slew of under-the-breath "you'll need all the luck you can get" remarks.

Then came the introductions. The Marlins, who everyone knows I'm no fan of, were roundly booed, the loudest jeers reserved for Hanley Ramirez, who became the first player I've ever seen start styling during the Opening Day handshakes. This MFer tipped his cap and then took about 5 minutes going down the line of teammates.

Then again, he wasn't as roundly booed as the Mets training staff was. Or Oliver Perez. Or, for that matter, Jerry Manuel and Luis Castillo. A few people were a little off-put by this, but even I joined in the booing, particularly of Perez and Manuel. There's a few ways to look at this. I choose to see it this way: The fans aren't booing and saying "We don't like you, go away." By booing, the fans are saying to these guys, "It's not acceptable that you have continued to perform as you have the past couple of seasons, and if you don't shape up, this is going to continue. So get your acts together." I even tried to start a "LEARN TO PITCH!!" chant for Perez, but it didn't materialize. But I digress.

Some video, as a bonus:

Unfortunately, my camera cuts off video after 3 minutes, which happened to coincide with the introduction of Johan Santana.

The flyover, which is almost akin to the blowing of the Shofar as far as Opening Day is concerned...

Darryl Strawberry throwing out the first pitch...

And, finally, the Mets take the field, accompanied to some new entrance music...

And Welcome to the 2010 Season!

And, really, I don't think the game could have gone much better for the Mets. Santana's pitching is enough to warm anyone's heart, but David Wright came up and smoked a HR in his first at bat, and that really set the tone for the game. It was as though Wright, by hitting that HR, basically said to everyone, "Look, chill out. We got this one." And they did.

Jason Bay, whose mere presence just appears to make this team look more professional, chipped in with a key triple, the Mets took advantage of the Marlins basically abandoning all aspects of fundamental baseball, and by the end, the outcome was never in much doubt. That was like 2009 as well. The only difference was that last year, the outcome never went in the Mets favor. But yesterday, it did. And on a picture perfect day, you couldn't have drawn up a better result for the Mets.

Other notes:
Bay's At Bat music was the same every time he came to the plate. I surmised that it might be Pearl Jam, and I was correct. However, Bay was not the winner of the Cool At-Bat Music award. Gary Matthews, Jr. was a strong contender with this choice, but the clear winner of the day was Frank Catalanotto, who appeared once as a pinch-hitter and his choice of entrance music was so popular, it had everyone singing along with it. So, by a landslide, Frank Catalanotto wins the Cool AB Music award for the season.

The award for Lamest AB music, by the way, did not go to Jeff Francoeur and his mishmash of country music, but to David Wright, for this particular atrocity.

161 to go. I know they're not all going to go like yesterday, but, man, it sure would be nice, wouldn't it?

Chapter Two

2010-04-05T08:59:00.003-04:00

Thusly, we return.

The last two offseasons were long for Mets fans, and sometimes they seemed to border on making us all just a little bit insane. This past offseason, there just wasn't anything to talk about.

We've gone from starting over to starting anew, but now this season, I'm sort of at a loss to figure out what the hell we're starting. There's not much to be optimistic about when it comes to the Mets, we all know that. But for one day, we're all on an even plane, with equal records, ready to embark on yet another 6-month journey.

Where that journey will take us remains to be seen.

As per usual, I'll be at Citi Field, having finished my relocation and hung up my shingle at what is now the Park Slope bureau of The Ballclub, it's a new path that will be taken for my first sojourn of the year to Flushing. I passed on the preseason workout yesterday. Today's the first trip of the year, as it should be. But the attitude isn't necessarily one of excitement or anticipation that something great is going to happen. I've never approached Opening Day with quite so much ambivalence before. We'll be there and it'll be fun. But after today, the anticipation isn't there so much.

Welcome to the 2010 Baseball season. Whatever.

Unpredictably Predictable (2010 American League Preview)

2010-04-02T10:37:00.002-04:00

Last season, I was very daring and bold with my American League picks, brazenly dismissing the Yankees and predicting that the Minnesota Twins were the class of the American League. The Twins got part of the way there, but it was the Yankees who gelled in midseason and rode their cavalcade to another sickening World Series Championship.

If that wasn't bad enough, I feel now as though there's nobody in particular who can get in their way. Yankee fans seem to have this "woe is me" attitude, as though they're the diva who just wants to whine and get attention. I'm sick of them. I'm sure everyone who's a Mets fan, or a fan of any other team is sick of them. Unfortunately, we can't get away from them.

AL EAST
1) New York Yankees (111-53)
I called a lot of factors about the team into question last year, like the strength of their pitching staff and the durability of some of their players, and I was proven wrong on all fronts. So I give up. I can't bother fighting it anymore. There's always some issues, whether it's over Joba and Phil Hughes, or the fact that everyone still hates A-Rod, or whether guys like Teixeira, Swisher and Sabathia can repeat their strong showings, but does it really matter? People are up in arms over getting rid of Johnny Damon but nobody seems to realize that the guy they brought in to replace him is 10 times better. Believe me. Yankee fans just want more attention. Just shut up and enjoy watching your damn team run away with it again.

2) Tampa Bay Rays (94-68) (Wildcard)
Love this team and their young underdog spirit. And guys like Longoria, BJ Upton and Carlos Pena are just eminently likable and starting to enter their primes. And they definitely have the pitching behind James Shields and Matt Garza, and David Price is probably ready to emerge after a solid 2nd half. They came back to earth a bit last year after shocking everyone in 2008, but they'll be back, and they'll be tough to beat.

3) Boston Red Sox (92-70)
This team has pitching galore, but I have this odd feeling that they will scuffle a bit on offense. They're built around speed and guys who get on base alot in Ellsbury, Pedroia and Youkilis, but I'm dubious as to whether or not Ortiz will ever return to his 2004-07 form. Mike Cameron is a nice addition, but he won't provide the production lost in the Jason Bay deal. They'll certainly contend, but I think they'll come up a little bit short.

4) Toronto Blue Jays (80-82)
Too many bad contracts makes this team a bit of a sinking ship. They got some nice chips in the Halladay trade, but it's not going to make a difference playing in this division, where they seem to constantly be doomed from the start.

5) Baltimore Orioles (74-88)
Talented pieces are actually in place here, but they're still at least two years away from being taken seriously. Nonetheless, optimism, a word that hasn't existed in Orioles vernacular for several seasons, is actually creeping back into the fold.

AL CENTRAL
1) Minnesota Twins (90-72)
In giving long term contracts to Morneau and Mauer, the Twins have shown that they are indeed willing to do whatever it takes to keep the nucleus of this team together. Many players get traded away, but it seems like their system, clearly one of the best-run in the Major Leagues, can keep churning out talented prospects wherever they are needed. They're going to have a big problem closing games with Nathan out, but this is a team that does not quit and I think that's going to be enough to give them another division title.

2) Chicago White Sox (88-74)
A full season with a healthy Jake Peavy ought to help out quite a bit, but the bats of Magglio Ordonez and Paul Konerko are starting to get up there in years. Based on where these two guys, perennially among the league leaders in power production, landed in my Fantasy league draft, it seems that most people have soured on them.

3) Detroit Tigers (87-75)
Also contenders but lack in depth in their pitching rotation behind Verlander and Porcello. Austin Jackson looks to be an interesting prospect to watch in Center Field taking over for Granderson, but the rest of the lineup seems to be a bit boom or bust.

4) Kansas City Royals (75-87)
The constant theme of two steps forward, two steps back will repeat itself in KC. Zack Greinke is all world, but there's just not enough talent behind him, pitching-wise, to think they're going to surprise anyone. If Greinke could go 7 innings and bridge right to Joakim Soria for 2 every day, they'd be golden, but Baseball doesn't seem to work that way.

5) Cleveland Indians (68-94)
I saw a game at Jacobs Field last season, and while it's a beautiful ballpark, it's emblematic of the City of Cleveland itself. On a beautiful, sun-soaked Sunday afternoon, the ballpark was at best 1/3 full, even in the best seats in the house. It's a failing, depressing team based in a depressing city, and Grady Sizemore is basically a one-man island surrounded by the dreck that is Luis Valbuena and Asdrubal Cabrera.

AL WEST
1) Anaheim Angels (93-69)
I keep picking the Mariners to knock them off and to this point it hasn't happened. They lost John Lackey and I'm not convinced Joel Pineiro is the answer to replace him, but this team is tough to beat no matter who goes to the mound for them.

2) Seattle Mariners (91-71)
This race will come right down to the wire but the Mariners will fade down the stretch. Cliff Lee makes their pitching rotation even more respectable after Felix Hernandez, but I don't think it's going to be enough.

3) Texas Rangers (85-77)
Another chic pick to win this division, they boast a boatload of offensive firepower (as usual) in guys like Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis, but now they finally have some solid pitching to back them up. Give them another year. If they continue to improve and add a couple more pieces, I'll give them serious consideration in 2011.

4) Oakland Athletics (73-89)
Yawn city.

AWARDS
AL MVP: Evan Longoria, TB
AL CY YOUNG: Felix Hernandez, SEA
AL ROY: Austin Jackson, DET

PLAYOFFS
ALDS: New York over Minnesota, Tampa Bay over Anaheim
ALCS: New York over Tampa Bay

I'm ready and waiting for another season of clenched teeth and ear-covering. Bring it on.

Fall Out Boy

2010-03-31T00:15:00.006-04:00

This is #4 of 5 Key Mets Players for the 2010 Season.
What, exactly, makes David Wright a key Met?

Through his first 4 full seasons in the Major Leagues, David Wright was simply a picture of consistency. You could pretty much lock him in for a .310 batting average, 27-30 HRs and about 110 RBIs. And nowhere did he ever deviate from these figures.

Then came last season.

I don't know if Wright's struggles necessarily came from the lack of protection around him in the lineup, or because he was pressing within the spacious new confines of his home ballpark. In reality, it shouldn't have made much of a difference. Shea Stadium wasn't much of a hitters park either, and boasted swirling winds that bordered madness. That didn't seem to bother Wright all that much.

I think it started somewhere down the stretch in 2008. In the midst of a stretch drive where Wright's numbers wouldn't have necessarily revealed his struggles, Wright somehow got away from the natural opposite-field stroke that he made his name on over his first few seasons. I've made mention of his screwed-up swing on more than one occasion, but at some point late in 2008, it must have gotten in his head, because he started pressing, and failing in some pretty major situations, and in the end it cost the Mets some precious games that would have made a difference in the outcome of the season. Despite the fact that these late and close situations were spots he once thrived in, Wright got saddled with the "unclutch" label.

But sometimes, it's not so much if you fail, it's how you react to failing, and I get the impression that Wright's struggles may be happening because of how he reacted to failing, and the effect his failures had on the team.

It's magnified even more when you consider Wright's role on the team as the de facto Captain, a tag he's been given whether he wants it or not. For better or worse, he's the face of the franchise and has been so for several years now. He's the guy everyone looks to, win or lose. And as such, he is constantly judged on a far steeper curve than anyone else on the team.

It's not as though he doesn't care. If anything, Wright cares too much about the performance of the team and the performance of himself. You can tell that he wears the failures of '07 and '08, and the misery of last year on his sleeve. He wants to do better. But part of the problem he ran into last year is that since everyone fell around him, Wright somehow felt that it was his duty to shoulder the load all on his own, and he simply can't do that. He has to trust that the guys around him can get the job done, no matter who they may be. Yesterday, in my NL Preview, I said that Wright was the kind of player who can, on occasion, will his team to victory. And he is. But he can't be expected to do that game after game after game. It's not logical, and it makes him crazy.

It's not enough to just say that Wright's simply going to bounce back and have a great, typical David Wright season. The guys around him have to perform as well, but that's not the point. Wright has to realize that not only can he not do it all himself, but he also has to accept the fact that he's given a harsher grade, and to be perfect all the time is impossible. Failures will happen. How he reacts will go a long way to telling us what kind of season he's going to have. If he strikes out with the bases loaded and then goes on WFAN after the game and sounds like he's about to burst into tears, it's not encouraging. If he says, "We'll get 'em tomorrow" and then goes back out and gets 3 hits and 3 RBIs, then you know he'll be OK.

It's all right for him to wear his emotions on his sleeve. That's just how he is. But he can't let them consume him all the time. It's at the point where it has too much of a negative effect on his overall performance. Relax!

Things Are Looking Grim (2010 National League Preview)

2010-03-30T11:07:00.002-04:00

It's time once again for me to capsule out how I think the National League is going to shape up for the 2010 season. If you didn't feel bad enough as Mets fans already, I don't think the upcoming season is going to bring much respite. Last year, I had a much more optimistic finish for the Mets in my head, or at least a much more exciting finish than the one we ended up with. Every year I've done this, I've picked the Mets to go to the postseason, and it really wasn't much of a stretch to think that the truth. But this year, it's a stretch. So much so that I'll save you the trouble right now and say that I'm not picking the Mets to make the postseason.

Here's what I am picking (As always, records are an approximation, give a +/-5 on the Ws and Ls):

NL EAST
1) Philadelphia Phillies (98-64)
There's nobody close to them in this division. Their closer situation is still somewhat of a liability, with Madson now taking the reins from Lidge, but whatever shortcomings they may have in their pitching staff (and replacing Cliff Lee with Roy Halladay isn't the dramatic upgrade everyone makes it out to be), they have the ability to outhit their mistakes. And, they're a battle-tested team that doesn't quit. Yes, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

2) Atlanta Braves (88-74)
It's fortunate that their young pitchers Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens really took major steps forward last season, because it's clear that Derek Lowe can't really cut it at the top of the rotation. On the other side, Jason Heyward is the talk of the league right now, the starting RF and probably leadoff hitter in this Atlanta lineup that features more tough outs than you might want to give them credit for.

3) New York Mets (83-79)
They'll be better than last year, they have to be, but they, unlike the Phillies, may continue to struggle to overcome their shortcomings in the pitching staff. There are far too many questions in the starting rotation for anyone to feel especially confident in their ability to contend all the way through the season. But I pick them 3rd because players like David Wright, Jeff Francoeur and Jason Bay are the kind of players that can on occasion will them to victory. Also, because I just feel that they are better put together than the Goddamn Florida Marlins.

4) Florida Marlins (82-80)
One game worse than the Mets. I'm sick of this group already. I don't like them, their Shortstop, their 2Bman or the fact that they take a little too much pleasure in beating the Mets. Sure. Continue to celebrate beating up on a .500 team and keep pretending it's 2007.

5) Washington Nationals (77-84)
They'll hit, that's for sure. Can they pitch is another matter altogether.

NL CENTRAL
1) Milwaukee Brewers (89-73)
I really have no idea who comes out on top in the Central, so I go with the Brewers, who seem to me as good a choice as anyone. They have a ton of thunder in their lineup, and that's just looking at Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun alone, and some good young pitchers that appear ready to break out. So, why not the Brewers?

2) St. Louis Cardinals (87-75)
The Cardinals, I suppose, are everyone else's chic pick to win the Central, primarily because they have Big Al and retained Matt Holliday, and Carpenter returned to form and Wainwright emerged as a star. And for all I know, they may very well win the division again, but if you ask me, I think this whole group is getting to be a little stale.

3) Cincinnati Reds (83-79)
They may finally turn that corner that everyone seemed to think they would turn last season. They had a rash of injury problems and a lot of inconsistency out of guys like Jay Bruce who they felt would carry the load for them a bit. And I still don't trust their bullpen. But I think that they have the pieces there to make themselves respectable once again.

4) Chicago Cubs (80-82)
That's respectable, something I don't necessarily think the Cubs will be. Considering their ace, Carlos Zambrano, went from being considered one of the game's best to now someone barely hanging on, constantly thrown in trade talks, I think there's more than just a few problems going on in Cubsland. And guys like Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez seem to be major injury liabilities.

5) Pittsburgh Pirates (73-89)
It's one thing to have a small market team, constrained by budget concerns. It's another thing when that team is constantly run ass-backwards. The Minnesota Twins basically blow the Pirates shit out of the water every year because they're well-run and contend. The Pirates are just run like idiots. They make the Mets look good by comparison. So, here they are again. Some young guys who might perform (McCutchen), some retreads nobody wants (Church). They won't be good, again, but they won't finish last.

6) Houston Astros (68-94)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of the Most Boring Team in the National League!

NL WEST
1) Los Angeles Dodgers (95-77)
Hard to pick against them with their lineup and pitching staff. And with guys like Loney, Kemp and Ethier still young, I don't think they're going to fade quite so soon. In fact, I think this may be the year they finally break through.

2) San Francisco Giants (89-73) (Wildcard)
Best pitching staff in the league, led by Tim Lincecum, followed up by Cain and Sanchez. Somehow, this group of pitchers led a mostly punchless offense to 88 wins and contended right down to the end. This year, with guys like Pablo Sandoval (you can't not have Sandoval, "Kung-Fu Panda" on the All-Ballclub Team) maturing, I think they'll be able to push themselves past the Rockies and into the Wildcard spot in the NL.

3) Colorado Rockies (88-74)
Sneaky Dangerous would be the best way to describe the Rockies. They don't jump out at you on paper, but they hang around the fringes, just enough so you forget they're there. Then, come September, they all seem to catch fire at once. 2 times in the last 3 seasons they seem to have done this. They're a bit of a chic pick to win the West, though I don't think they have the ability to outhit the Dodgers nor the ability to outpitch the Giants.

4) Arizona Diamondbacks (81-81)
They'll try hard to not be counted out, but they don't have the ability to contend with the thunder in this division.

5) San Diego Padres (69-93)
Only slightly more interesting than the Houston Astros.

AWARDS
NL MVP: Ryan Braun, MIL
NY CY YOUNG: Johan Santana, NYM (I'm going to keep picking him until he wins one)
NL ROY: Madison Bumgarner, SF

PLAYOFFS:
NLDS: Philadelphia over San Francisco, Los Angeles over Milwaukee
NLCS: Los Angeles over Philadelphia

The Elevator

2010-03-29T00:20:00.000-04:00

This is #3 of 5 Key Mets Players for the 2010 Season.
Once again, we have a repeat appearance in our list of Key Mets players for 2010.

Out of the 3 pitchers I've listed so far, Mike Pelfrey probably stands the best chance of bouncing back and having a successful season. On the other hand, he also stands the best chance of being sent down to the Minor Leagues to get his act together.

I was pretty well convinced, at the start of the 2009 season, that Mike Pelfrey was going to build on his success from 2008 and become the clear #2 in this rotation, with the continued potential to become a #1 or a #1A with Santana. But while Pelfrey had his moments, and there were certainly stretches where he looked good, the numbers never materialized and Pelfrey ultimately fizzled out, leaving us with no clue as to what to expect from him in 2010.

Something was always never quite right with Pelfrey last season. Even when he looked good. It all started off with him falling off the mound on Opening Night at Citi Field, then getting up and allowing a hit to the opposing pitcher which led to a 3-run rally against a team with no offense. There was the start in San Francisco where he kept balking. There was the other game where he kept muttering the pitch he was about to throw. There were more balks, and more problems, and it just kept mounting to the point where you were left shaking your head. Just another case of anything that could go wrong that ended up going wrong in 2009.

At least he stayed healthy.

Pelfrey's Spring in 2010 hasn't exactly been encouraging either. He's mixed good starts with alarmingly bad starts, and there hasn't been an in between. He's either been good or totally horrible. I realize he's been experimenting with new pitches, but he's not really instilling much confidence in a fan base that's not very confident to begin with. I've spoken with Mets fans who are actually rooting for Pelfrey to have a miserable season because they don't like him and want him gone from the team. One more bad season out of him, and these people may yet get their wish. It's pretty evident that the talent is there for Pelfrey. His performance in '08 and in certain moments last season showed us that he's not a total dud. But to that end, you can't do any better than lump him in with Maine and Perez as guys the Mets are selling high to us on based on what's tantamount to half a really good season and mixed results otherwise.

On the other side, there's the camp that thinks last season was just a "correction" for Pelfrey, and this season he's going to break out. I have a tendency to lean towards this side, with caution, and here's why: I've made mention previously about the whole "pitchers exceeding their inning total of the prior year" theory that so many people like to bring up. Pelfrey seems to me to be a prime candidate of this theory at work. So, for that matter, does Cole Hamels in Philly. Measure these two pitchers against each other and you'll see a similar pattern.

2008
Cole Hamels: 227.1IP, 14-10, 3.09, 193H, 196K, 78BB (not including postseason) after 183IP in 2007.
Mike Pelfrey: 200.2IP, 13-11, 3.72, 209H, 110K, 64BB after 72.2IP in 2007 (plus more in the minors)

2009
Cole Hamels: 193.2IP, 10-11, 4.32, 206H, 168K, 43BB
Mike Pelfrey: 184.1IP, 10-12, 5.03, 213H, 107K, 68BB

Both pitchers regressed after vastly exceeding their innings pitched total. There's something to this. Just look at Justin Verlander in Detroit. People wrote him off after a lousy 2008 following huge workloads in'06 and '07 and he responded with a career year in 2009. If you believe this theory, then you more than likely believe that Mike Pelfrey is going to have a very good season in 2010, probably much closer to that stretch in mid-2008 when he looked like he was going to be one of the NL's best pitchers.

I feel like he can do this, however I worry about his head (much the same way I'm sure Philly fans worry about Hamels' head, but then again, fuck him). They say that Perez is a headcase, but man, this guy looks like a psychologist's dream, between the palm-licking and the teeth gnashing and talking to himself on the mound. He needs to relax. He's not quite so down on himself as Maine tends to be, but when he gets in his head, that seems to be where his trouble starts. When he relaxed and trusted his stuff, and used his pitch progression to set everything up, that was when he had success. I just wonder whether or not he really has it in him to relax and trust his stuff.

On Notice

2010-03-15T00:02:00.000-04:00

This is #2 of 5 Key Mets Players for the 2010 Season.
This is the 4th season that The Ballclub has been naming their 5 Key Mets Players for the upcoming season, and this is now the 3rd time that I've had to name John Maine as one of those Key Mets. It's become a bit of a repetitive pattern that I'm starting to get a little tired of.

It's been a long time since Maine was giving us that "Aw, shucks" look in the Outfield prior to starting Game 1 of the NLDS in '06. Since then, Maine has tantalized us and then baffled us, to the point where I considered him at an official crossroads following a 2nd straight injury-plagued season in 2009, someone who, like most of the team, we've been sold high on based on what was basically an exceptional half season in 2007.

I'd like to think I'm wrong. But Maine has, to this point, yet to prove me right. We know what he's capable of when he's healthy, he's someone who certainly has shown he's capable of being a solid starter. But does he have the ability to hold up? Moreover, Maine has this tendency to be so down on himself when he doesn't do well, that you're also left wondering if he really has the mental makeup to succeed, or if this stuff is piling up in his head and somehow holding him back. It's a far cry from the kid I considered to have "Saturn Balls" following a pair of ice-in-the-veins performances in the '06 Postseason.

Maine is in a rather similar situation to Oliver Perez, although it's a bit more precarious considering that Maine has not only battled inconsistency, he's battled injuries for two years now, and he lacks the security of tenure and a guaranteed contract. On the upside, he's not viewed as quite the albatross that Perez is, because most people seem to point to the fact that he's been injured so often.

But, then, that's what makes him so key.

Like Perez, the Mets are basically handing him a starting spot without any real backup plan. And not only has he been injured, but when he's healthy, he's only been somewhat effective over the past 2 years. There are flashes of brilliance, but more often than not, it seems like he's making those annoying 5-6 inning starts where he gives up 3 runs and leaves because he's walked too many guys or couldn't put a batter away with 2 strikes. He's not quite so maddeningly or spectacularly ineffective as Perez, so we don't seem to notice it quite as much, but it's there, and right now it's a little too much to simply ignore it. If it happens to start up again, the Mets are in quite a bit of trouble. We saw a bit of it just yesterday, when Maine came into the game against the Marlins, got 2 quick outs, and then followed that up by giving up 3 walks, 3 hits and 5 runs in an inning that basically sunk the Mets.

Surprisingly, Maine came away from this particular outing rather pleased, which is odd because a) there wasn't much to be pleased about and b) Maine usually treats these bad outings as though they were the end of the world. Shirts vs. Blouses gave Maine the "Death Cab for John Maine" nickname 2 years ago, for what reason, I'm not quite sure. But it seems to fit him because of his hangdog, almost depressive nature when things go bad for him. I almost think he should switch his entrance music from "Seek and Destroy" to something a bit more appropriate like "Marching Bands of Manhattan" or even "Black Hole Sun." Just tell it like it is a bit more if that's how the story's going to end. After a string of 8 or 9 straight 6IP, 6H, 3ER, 5BB, 5K outings, I think we're all ready for some Death Cab.

Of course, there's one other thing he could do. He could get his act together, pitch like we know he's capable of pitching, put up another 15-win, 3.80 ERA season and finally solidify the #3 spot in the rotation. Get your name off of Stephen Colbert's board up there.

I really don't know which one we're going to get. That's part of the problem.

The All-Ballclub Team, 2010 Edition

2010-03-11T22:58:00.003-05:00

This is now the 4th year we or I have put together the All-Ballclub team, and it comes with some degree of turnover each year. But this year, we may see markedly more turnover than normal. The All-Ballclub team appeared to be somewhat cursed in 2009, or if nothing else, a case of the blahs. It took quite a bit of hemming and hawing, but I finally arrived at what I think is a suitable list for the 2010 All-Ballclub team.

You can click here for a refresher on what the All-Ballclub team is all about. And you can click here to see the original editions of the All-Ballclub team.

The 2009 Ballclub Player of the year is a new addition to the All-Ballclub team, Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Ballclub's pitcher of the year for 2009 is also a new member, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners.

Carlos Beltran****
Ryan Braun*
Endy Chavez****
Carl Crawford***
Jermaine Dye****
Yunel Escobar***
Prince Fielder**
Matt Garza**
Curtis Granderson***
Zack Greinke*
Ken Griffey, Jr.***
Josh Hamilton***
Felix Hernandez*
Ryan Howard****
Orlando Hudson*
Torii Hunter****
Ubaldo Jimenez*
Matt Kemp*
Clayton Kershaw**
Jason Kubel*
Tim Lincecum***
Evan Longoria*
Joe Mauer****
David Ortiz****
Jonathan Papelbon****
Alexei Ramirez**
Hanley Ramirez***
Jose Reyes****
Mariano Rivera****
C.C. Sabathia****
Pablo Sandoval*
Johan Santana****
Travis Snider*
Denard Span**
Ian Stewart**
Ichiro Suzuki****
Justin Verlander*
David Wright****
Kevin Youkilis**
Clay Zavada*
Emeritus in Moustachness: Sal Fasano.

Note: Stars indicate the number of times this player has been named to the All-Ballclub Team.

Portrait of an Idiot

2010-03-09T23:14:00.003-05:00

This is #1 of 5 Key Mets Players for the 2010 season.

What, you're surprised?

It seems like every season we go through this ridiculous speculation about Oliver Perez and which one will show up. You could try the every other year argument, except that Perez blew that out of the water with a beyond putrid 2009 season that began with him getting shelled and lambasted by me, and ended with him on the DL, where he might have done the Mets a greater good.

2006, 2007, 2008, whatever. It's more like an every 3-year thing with Perez, when he goes out and somehow is focused and hits his spots and the numbers fall into place for him. Then, we start to believe that he's somehow worthy of the praise that's heaped upon him.

Of course, he usually goes out and runs a 7-11, 4.86 season to follow it up.

I said it last year and I'll say it again here: Oliver Perez is a loser. And he's the worst kind of loser, because he's a loser with talent. He has a fine array of pitches, but no real head for when or how to use them, and what ends up happening is he just rears back and throws, and when that happens, he usually ends up missing with all his breaking pitches, and relies on his fastball. And when you see Oliver Perez's fastball 2-3 times per at bat, eventually, you'll be able to get around on it. And most Major League hitters have.

Oliver Perez is like the Elephant in the Room for the 2010 Mets. There's a lot of pressure to succeed being placed on a guy who amounts to a giant question mark. Moreso than anyone else, they're stuck in a position where they have to use him. There's no particularly suitable replacement to be found, or at least not one who's any more or less trustworthy (Nelson Figueroa, anyone?) The reports are solid, at least from what you've heard. He's worked hard to stay in shape and keep focused and consistent on the field. The result, through one spring start against the Nationals, however, was not encouraging. Only the Mets could somehow seem to find a silver lining. Sure, Perez got lit up for 5 runs and 7 hits in 2+ innings, but, hey, he sure looked good out there!

I'd like to see that line fly in late April when Ollie gets lit up by the Dodgers.

At some point, this charade is going to have to end. I'm not sure why there aren't more people putting more heat on Perez, because, again, the Mets are placing a large share of their chances for success on him. And I'm not at all confident in their ability to survive if he's the Ollie of any other year that isn't 2007. If you needed to feel any less confident, there's the little nugget I heard on Sunday while listening to Ollie's start on WFAN. It was either Howie Rose or Wayne Hagin talking, but one of them mentioned that even Scott Boras had yelled at Perez over his performance last season. When your agent, especially someone as client-driven as Boras, is riding you, you know you need to step it up.

I mentioned to El Guapo last week that someone out of these 3 middle of the rotation guys has to come through this season. Someone has to come through, because if they don't, the entire season may as well be flushed down the toilet. I keep saying it, and I think I may be repeating myself a lot this season, because there's no safety net. The 2010 Mets basically hinge on the performance of these 3 pitchers, and we all know who they are, and they all have their own issues, be they injury or head-related, and Oliver Perez is front and center on that list. Be a man, come through, show your talent, then the Mets do well. Be the same loser we saw over and over again, and we're in for another long season.

First Class Person

2010-03-03T22:30:00.003-05:00

About a year ago, I wrote about Greg Prince of Faith and Fear's book, something I considered to be a very solid definition of what it is to be a Mets fan. There is a certain amount of passion, pride and complete and utter insanity in following the Mets year after year, even as they look middling or embarrassing, because you know that for every 1993 or 2009, there's a 1999 or 2006 waiting somewhere in the wings.

As Mets fans, we come from all different cloths and walks of life, and sometimes we find ourselves thrown together rather randomly, and it's in such a way that I found a man named David Nolan.

For those of you who aren't familiar with my non-Baseball life, I work at Theater for the New City in Manhattan. Baseball, especially Mets Baseball doesn't run especially deep there, except within the confines of my office. Even then, you wouldn't know much about my being a Mets fan except that I had a printout of a snow-covered Shea Stadium that was e-mailed to me as a Christmas card by the Mets some years ago. It was, for the random Mets fan who would come through my office, a good conversation piece.

I knew David Nolan first as a veritable encyclopedia of Sound. Whether it was his work at any number of NYC Radio stations, or concert venues, or his mind-boggling collection of sound clips and live recordings, the man knew everything there was to know about sound recording, engineering and archiving. He helped me out innumerable times on a variety of projects, from pulling sound clips from the internet or sneaking me into WNYC's studios to record voiceovers amidst the mess of Danny Stiles' records. He helped me out so many times, I almost felt I was imposing on him. I mentioned this to him once, and he told me, "This is my hobby." For David, this was the sort of thing he loved doing most.

David and I were always friendly, mainly because David was a friendly person by nature. But it was over the Mets where David and I truly became friends. I don't remember exactly when or how I found out that he was a Mets fan. I only recall one evening at the 11th Street Bar when El Guapo and I were watching the Mets. David lived on the block, and I happened to see him passing by on his way home. The game was on, and he decided to stop in and have a drink with us and catch a bit of the game. It was right around the time of that year's Subway Series, and I mentioned that I was going. He said he hated me. Over the course of time, this scene would repeat itself. We would be in the bar, watching the game, and David would happen to pass by. Usually he would walk by, look in, see me, and then keep going. Then he'd double back and come in, usually for a quick drink, and then head home. Depending on the weather, he'd have his very sharp, 1999-style Mets jacket on. One particular instance, Game 2 of the Dodgers series in '06, he stayed for the remainder of the game. In parting, he would always give me the peace sign, which I always took as his trademark.

When The Ballclub started in '07, I kept it mostly hidden from my day-to-day life. I figured that it was a different world, the Theater and the Mets. I started to plug it here and there once an audience developed. I was surprised to find that among the readers was David Nolan, and more than that, he was an ardent fan. He often told me that he found what he read here to be better than what he could read in most newspapers, and that I'd certainly be able to find a career in journalism if I wanted to. David had a reputation as a harsh critic, so his praise was never lost on me. It's always nice to know that your work is appreciated by peers you have a great deal of respect for.

David also looked out for me as a person. In addition to all the times he helped me with shows, he also looked out for me on the job front. For a period of time, I was looking for a new job. David, who worked for the 92nd Street Y, was constantly on the lookout for a position that I could fill.

The last time I saw David was at TNC's annual Benefit. It was a formal event, far more formal than David or I are used to attending. Both in formalwear, we cracked a few prom jokes before the conversation turned to the Mets. He mentioned that he hadn't renewed his plan; out of the 15 games he had, he only made it to about 6 or so. I told him that I had renewed mine, and we should get to a game together this season. He told me that he definitely wanted to watch a game with me. Sadly, David passed away last Thursday, unexpectedly. A husband and father, David's wife, Joy, came to TNC the following day and told me I need to continue to write this blog. With his passing, not only did the TNC community lose a great person and a great friend, but the Mets also lost a great fan. It's unfortunate that I won't get to have the chance to catch that game with him. But I know that wherever he is, he'll be watching. And his wife will be following the Mets and this blog in his stead.

Rest in Peace, Dave. I'll toast you with my Opening Day beer in April.

The Case for 3rd Place

2010-02-25T23:49:00.002-05:00

The conventional wisdom surrounding most Mets fans would have the team as a whole fortunate to finish in 3rd place in what has become a rather tight division. But that's not where I'm going with this one.

Around this time last season, the idea was bandied about to bat Jose Reyes 3rd, with Beltran 2nd, Wright 5th and so on and so forth. I don't remember who was supposed to hit leadoff, but that's really academic because it didn't happen. In fact, it was mostly poo-pooed as a stupid idea, which it may well have been.

What's strange is that for many of the reasons it wasn't a good idea last year, it probably is a very good idea for the Mets this season, particularly with Beltran out of the lineup for the foreseeable future.

The knock on this idea was twofold:
1) By removing Reyes from the leadoff spot, you create a gaping hole at the top of the order that the Mets aren't adequately prepared to fill.
Answer: True. But the Mets are probably more adequately prepared to fill that hole this season, with Beltran out and Angel Pagan more than likely going to get the bulk of the playing time in CF in the early going. There are knocks on Pagan, namely his poor fundamental skills, but, then again, Reyes plays like an idiot a good chunk of the time as well, he just makes his idiot moves look a little more exciting, like trying to stretch a double into a triple and getting thrown out. Luis Castillo is another option, albeit far duller than Pagan, but if nothing else, Castillo has markedly more patience at the plate than either Pagan or Reyes.

2) By putting Reyes in the #3 spot in the order, a BA/SLG spot, Reyes will more than likely get into his habit of swinging for the fences rather than hitting ground balls and line drives, which is where his game is better geared towards.
Answer: I just said Reyes is an idiot. He swings for the fences in the leadoff spot anyway. He already thinks he's a power hitter, so let's let him hit in a power spot in the order and see what, exactly, he can do. Plus, in the #3 spot, Reyes is more than likely going to see more fastballs with Bay/Wright behind him, and he won't have to have that stigma of taking pitches and trying to work walks and steal bases. Let him swing for the fences. Maybe he'll hit the doubles and triples he should be hitting in the process.

I'm not advocating a permanent switch to the #3 spot for Reyes. His future with the Mets really is as a leadoff hitter, after all. There is the concern that he's going to further screw up his swing hitting 3rd. Again, though, he seems to screw up his swing well enough hitting leadoff. Arguably, he won't have the opportunity to steal as many bases or score as many runs hitting 3rd. Normally, this is true. But, again, without Beltran, the Mets could probably benefit from having a speed guy hitting 3rd, who could single, drive in a run or move a guy over, and then steal a base behind him. Beltran always had the speed to do this, but he never stole bases. Reyes knows how to steal a base.

Maybe I'm just grasping at straws for a solution here. But given that the Mets real #3 hitter isn't going to be available for a while, this isn't such a crazy idea. Shake things up a little bit. It really can't hurt, can it?

That Which Wasn't Done

2010-02-17T22:27:00.004-05:00

Life is divided up into the horrible and the miserable. The horrible would be terminal cases, blind people, cripples. The miserable is everyone else. When you go through life you should be thankful that you're miserable.

-Alvy Singer

I don't know that there was any one particular reason that I've only made 19 blog posts from the end of the Regular Season to now, the beginning of Spring Training 2010. You could accuse me of having sat on my hands while the Mets went to pieces, but in reality, what was there to say? Was I going to play some sort of bizarre company line? Should I echo the sentiments that every other Mets blogger was screaming? No, and no. The reality of the situation is that there just wasn't that much to say about the Mets, and their lack of activity during the offseason. The end result is that we're going into Spring Training 2010 with about as much optimism as Alvy himself shopping in a bookstore.

2007 and 2008 were the Miserable. 2009 was the Horrible. What the hell is 2010 going to be? I don't know, and I'm kind of scared to find out. But it's coming, and there's not much I can do to stop it. I've got 15 games worth of Mets tickets heading to my house imminently so I'll be at Citi Field, April 5th as per usual. I'll even be back in the Good Ol' 518, albeit a few rows lower than last season. But what the hell am I going to see?

Well, for one, I won't be seeing any of the following players: Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Erik Bedard, John Lackey, Jason Schmidt, Randy Wolf or Todd Wellemeyer. I won't be seeing Matt Holliday, Orlando Hudson, Marco Scutaro or Russell Branyan either.

And you know what? I'm fine with that.

The problem the Mets have right now is that there's a little too much of the same going around, and they need an injection of a couple of impact guys to really cure those ills. But scan that crop of available Free Agents. Now, in your mind, remove the following names from that list: Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, John Lackey.

Is there anyone on that list that really lights you on fire, really gets you going? Anyone on that list that's going to come into this Mets locker room and change the attitude and atmosphere of the club? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Fact is, there were only 3 impact guys out there to be had, and the Mets got one of them. Everyone else would have simply been tacking on more question marks to a roster that already has enough of them. I would have started my 5 Key Mets for the upcoming season, but how can you pick just 5? Jason Marquis was not going to come to the Mets and immediately change the fortunes of the team. Neither was Joel Pineiro. Neither of them excited me a bit and deep down, I'm sort of glad the Mets didn't go out and sign them. So, then, what? The Mets could have a starting rotation of Santana, and yet another iffy guy to go with the iffy guys that already exist here?

The only reason the Mets would have made a move for any of those guys would have been to simply shake things up. Perhaps a shakeup is needed, I don't know. This particular group has proven itself only good enough to get tantalizingly close to the dream without actually getting there. Delgado's gone, Beltran's out until May at least (and given his feelings toward the organization, who knows if he's rushing to come back) and the Mets are functionally leaderless. Who steps up? Can Wright get out of his own head enough to do it? Is Jeff Francoeur's down-home, golly gee country boy style going to rub off on everyone? I don't know. I got no answers for the Mets. There are too many what-ifs that need to happen for the Mets to be successful in 2010.

All I know is that, going into Spring Training, we can't damn them for moves they didn't make. They really wouldn't have helped that much. If 2010 is Miserable, they wouldn't make it less miserable. If 2010 is Horrible, well, we're already screwed.

Big Game Bonanza!

2010-02-07T11:50:00.002-05:00

All Right, so it's here at last, THE BIG GAME with the Colts and the Saints and the John Madden Meatballs and the Frank Gifford Hoopla and the Joe Buck Hair Gel. I'd like to say that I have some great, deep thoughts about how this game is going to go, but after watching how the Conference Championships went two weeks ago, I don't think there's much to figure out.

This is the Colts game to lose. Period. The Jets came out with a great game plan in the Championship game, had a lead, and the Colts (read: PEYTON MANNING) just made a few adjustments and ended up swatting them away like flies. On the other hand, the Saints came out and moved the ball, or at least appeared to move the ball against Minnesota, but they couldn't stop the Vikings. They only won that game because the Vikings basically turned into the team I knew they were all season long: A talented, but fundamentally weak team that would implode in a pressure situation. Adrian Peterson couldn't hold on to the ball, Brett Favre made his typical Brett Favre mistake, the Saints got a couple of breaks and won the game in an overtime thriller.

If the Saints come out and put forth a similar defensive effort against the Colts, they're going to lose by 30 points. The Vikings were a mistake prone team and the Colts just don't make mistakes. The only way the Saints can win is if they move the ball, but slowly, rather than the fast break, shoot down the field method that's worked for them all season. Yes, as we've learned in the past, ANYTHANG'SPOSSABULLLL! A lot of people have been going with the underdog and picking the Saints. They've become a very chic pick these past couple of weeks, and it's somewhat similar to the number of people that picked the Jets in the AFC Championship (something I did myself). But this season, the NFL has yet to figure out how, exactly, to stop the Colts at full strength. Unless someone comes up and pops Peyton Manning in the jaw and knocks him out of the game, the Saints are going to have to play a perfect game x2 to beat Indianapolis today. Sorry, New Orleans, sorry, lovers of the underdog. These games have a habit of being slow to develop and lacking in pace, before there's some sort of late flurry. I think the Saints can keep it a game, but the Colts have ridiculous killer instinct and they put it away late.
My pick: Colts 41, Saints 30

Believers!

2010-01-23T17:40:00.004-05:00

It's kind of funny. Last weekend, I posted my picks, but I was somewhat undecided as to the Sunday games. I knew both home teams were not going to win. I knew I was going to pick a road team. But which one? I initially wrote that I felt the Jets and Vikings would win, just because I had a hunch. But then, I reversed myself and went with Dallas and San Diego. San Diego was the team. I had figured they would cruise to the Super Bowl. And Minnesota? I had no faith in them whatsoever. They were one of those lucky teams. Bunch of breaks and a soft schedule.

Of course, I was wrong on both counts. Had I gone with my gut, I would have been 4-0 last weekend.

Take nothing away from the Jets, though they certainly reaped the benefits of playing a Chargers team that was tight and off their game. But this appears to be what the Jets do: They keep their opponents off their game, at least as much as they can, until they can make some plays and swing the game in their favor. It's gone that way just about every time they've won, and somehow, it's managed to get them to the AFC Championship, in similar fashion to what the Giants did 2 years ago. They got a solid road win in the Wildcard round, and then a major road upset in the Divisional round. And so now they go back to Indianapolis.

Sunday, 3:00pm
New York Jets (11-7) at Indianapolis Colts (15-2)
Indianapolis, where this run basically started for the Jets, when Indy benched their entire A team and allowed the Jets to win the game, which spurred them on to this point. Indi, who seems to start 9-0 every season, and sometimes even better than that. Indy, with the best QB in the league, and a slew of fast WRs and a great TE and solid running game, and a defense that runs around and wreaks havoc. How can the Jets compete? The Jets spin machine, as I mentioned last week, is persuasive, but the X's and O's analysis can easily be discredited because Indy, much like San Diego, is simply a better team. It's not the numbers that will work for the Jets. It's the Jets ability to relax and play their game. This has happened each of the last two weekends: The Jets have played their game, run the ball, let their defense make a few plays and let Sanchez only do the minimum necessary to succeed. They keep the game within shooting distance and then, when they need to make that play, they strike. It happened in Cincinnati when Sanchez hit Keller for a long TD. It happened last week in San Diego when Jim Leonhard made a pick, which led to a TD, and then followed it up with a haymaker from Shonn Greene (not my favorite Landsman, Shawn Green). Meanwhile, the defense controlled the tempo and never let their opponent adequately respond. Yes, San Diego scored a late TD, simply because the Jets stupidly squib kicked after Greene's run, but look a little closer. The Jets let San Diego move down the field, but at no point did San Diego's receivers catch the ball and get out of bounds to stop the clock. As the moved down the field, they also lost time and by time they scored, barely 2 minutes remained, and the Jets were able to run out the clock. This is Jets football. Right now, the Jets are playing smart and heady football, the kind of play that has been decidedly un-Jet like. They play the kind of game that could get Indy off their rhythm, much like it got San Diego off of theirs. Going into the playoffs, I figured the Jets could beat Indy, but I gave them no shot against San Diego. Well, they beat San Diego. Now, it's Indy. They've got the players. They've got the Mojo. There's always one of these teams that does this, every year. I doubted them last week, and I was wrong. I'm not doubting them anymore. They got this far, and I think they absolutely can win this game. I believe in the Jets. YOU HEAR ME!? I BELIEVE IN THE JETS! I BELIEVE! I BELIEVE!
J! E! T! S! JETS! JETS! JETS!!!
My pick: Jets 20, Colts 16

Sunday, 6:30pm
Minnesota Vikings (13-4) at New Orleans Saints (14-3)
Two years ago, I wrote this when writing about the impending Giants/Packers NFC Championship:

Then, there's this: If the Packers win, and go on to face the Patriots, the Media will very likely have a giant, collective, simultaneous orgasm. We will be bombarded, simply bombarded with stupid puff pieces about Brett Favre. True, if the Giants win, we'll hear the same stupid stuff about Eli Manning and Peyton, but you know that if Favre is involved, it's going to go to new heights of insanity. We'll hear from his chiropractor. We'll hear from the doctor that prescribed the painkillers he got addicted to. We'll hear from the guy who dug his father's grave. We'll probably get to see a live interview with the Bog that Favre grew up in in Mississippi. It's going to be absolutely and totally insane. I don't even want to think about the ridiculous questions that he'll be asked at Media day.

Needless to say, I've had enough of Brett Favre. I'm sick of him and his retirements and his crying and his fist pumping and everything else. The Joie de Vivre that he projects can only take him so far in life. Now, he's just annoying. Now, he takes on the Saints, and a QB who projects a similar Joie de Vivre in Drew Brees, the emotional leader of a Saints team that the entire city of New Orleans has rallied around ever since the city was leveled by Hurricane Katrina. But unlike Favre, there's an eminent likability to Brees, who is usually not seen causing a media circus, but instead standing in the center of his teammates screaming like a maniac to get everyone fired up to play. And most of the time, it's been Brees firing darts all over the field and leading the Saints to victory. On the other side, there's Favre, who also has been firing darts, but I just can't put any faith in the Vikings. I already said that I believe they beefed up on a soft schedule (Cleveland, St. Louis, Detroit twice, Chicago twice, the Giants after they gave up), and a lot of breaks. They also played lousy on the road and great at home. I know that the game is in a dome, but this isn't the Metrodome. This is a Superdome that is going to be louder than you can fathom tomorrow night, and I think that, while both QBs will be throwing with reckless abandon and plenty of points will be scored, that it's the Saints time to shine.
My pick: Saints 44, Vikings 34

Which gives us a very interesting BIG GAME, and a very interesting couple of weeks here in New York, particularly if you listen to WFAN as habitually as I do.

(Promise, I'll start writing about Baseball again soon. At least now there have been some things worth talking about...)

Quick Picks Revisited

2010-01-16T15:01:00.003-05:00

As is my wont, I have again waited until an hour before the weekend's games are about to start before getting my picks in the can. Last weekend, my well-informed picks proved to be not well-informed at all as I went 1-3, the Jets victory over Cincinnati being the only game I managed to pick correctly. Hopefully, I'll get my mojo back this weekend, but I highly doubt it.

Saturday, 4:30pm
Arizona Cardinals (11-6) at New Orleans Saints (13-3)
Arizona proved last weekend that they can put up a lot of points, but if you have a quick moving, dynamic offense, their defense can't stop you. New Orleans has such an offense. Yes, they haven't played in 2 weeks and yes, they lost their last 3 games, but they've had the hot hand most of the season and I don't realistically see Arizona winning this game.
My pick: Saints 36, Cardinals 27

Saturday, 8:00pm
Baltimore Ravens (10-7) at Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
It's a sticky game for the Colts, who rested their players and took it on the chin to make sure everyone was healthy and ready for this game. If they don't win, they are once again left holding their cocks while Ray Lewis dances away with the prize. They have been in this position multiple times in the past and managed to shit the bed each time. On the other hand, Baltimore pasted New England with their power running attack and basically hid Joe Flacco because they were afforded the ability to do so. I don't think they can beat the Colts if Flacco doesn't throw the ball. Then again, I didn't think they'd be able to keep up with New England either. Nonetheless, I have to go with the Colts. It would be pretty funny if they lost, but I don't really see Baltimore being able to muster up enough to knock them off.
My pick: Colts 31, Ravens 21

Sunday 1:00pm
Dallas Cowboys (12-5) at Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
Matchup of two of my absolute least favorite teams. The Vikings annoyed me even before they had Brett Favre, going back to the day in 1988 when Anthony Carter basically wrecked what had been a happy childhood for me. They had a 15-1 season and spit it up. They had a playoff berth slip out of their hands when their coach stupidly played a prevent defense and gave up a last second TD in another season. Then, they brought in Favre. Favre Favre Favre. Brett Favre and the MinneFavrea Favrekings. Favre Favre and more Favre. Do you know about Brett Favre? Well, Joe Buck will tell you all about Brett Favre. And if that wasn't enough, on the other side, there's Prince Romo and the Cowboys waiting for them! What's strange is that I really don't know who to pick here. Going back to about week 4, when the Vikings looked like they were ready to run away and hide with the NFC North, I pegged them as reeking like a team that was going to get picked off at home in this game. I was really looking forward to picking against them. But I can't pick against them if it means picking the Cowboys, can I? Can I???
My pick: Cowboys 30, Vikings 27
Yes I can.

Sunday, 4:40pm
New York Jets (10-7) at San Diego Chargers (13-3)
This is probably the game that I spent the most time hemming and hawing over before finally making a pick. The Jets basically have nothing to lose, and had nothing to lose last week when they walked into Cincinnati and smacked the Bengals in the mouth. They are clearly a team that cannot be taken lightly and if they are able to get a lead and a little momentum, it can snowball. On the other side San Diego just hasn't shown any weaknesses, pretty much all season. Their running game is kind of sparse, but they are led by Philip Rivers, who is probably the best QB in the league right now not named Manning. Rivers, if you haven't paid any attention, is cocky, daring and loves to throw the ball all over the field, even if part of the field is going to be turned into Revis Island. As I said last week, I don't trust the Jets being able to win on the arm of Mark Sanchez, at least not yet. He showed a lot last week and I know he won't back down from any challenge presented this week either. I've heard a lot of talk and a lot of bold predictions, mostly from Jets fans this week. In reality, San Diego is a much better team and the Jets were fairly inconsistent. I don't think the game will be a blowout, but the Jets spin machine can be very persuasive. This will be the best game of the weekend.
My pick: Chargers 16, Jets 13 (OT)

Onward.

Moron Team Strikes Again

2010-01-14T23:13:00.002-05:00

Everything else has already been said, but I have several questions for the Mets.

1) Why do you need to have a Press Conference every time something happens within the organization?

2) Why do you need to pick a fight with the best player on your team?

3) What is the certification of your "medical staff"?

4) Why aren't you as concerned about fielding a winning team as you are about spin?

5) Why, as fans, should we have anything positive to feel about going into the upcoming season?

I'm beginning to think that the story about the Mets this upcoming season is going to have very little to do with what goes on on the field. It's going to be mere scenery up against these clowns in the front office.

Nobody really wants to see Fred or Jeff or Omar or John Ricco or whoever. They need to realize that nobody is particularly interested in anything they have to say. I'm going to channel the words of the man who coaches my favorite team in another sport, because it's the bottom line, and nothing else matters.

I. WANT. WINNERS.

It's a shame the front office doesn't share this sentiment.

Cue The Dramatic Music

2010-01-09T14:04:00.004-05:00

It's Playoff time once again in the NFL, which means a lot of hooting and hollering from everybody on all the networks, and loud music and everything else that goes along with it, while I just want the damn game to start.

As per usual, I'm offering up a full slate of Football picks. Last season, I did not fare so well, getting killed by an 0-4 Divisonal round. As per usual, I've waited until the last possible minute to post this, not because of indecision, but because of pure laziness.

Once again, and for the 7th season in a row, my team has found themselves out of the mix, however respectable their performances may have been. But for the first time in several years, I can feel somewhat confident in my belief that next year may mark a return to the Playoffs for the 49ers. The base is in place and the talent is there. Right now, they need a few more pieces, and that string of victories that will put them over the top.

This season, we've got some of the old and a bit of the new in the playoffs, and it kicks off today at or around 4:30pm, or whenever Tiki Barber stops laughing at his own jokes. Whichever comes first.

Saturday, 4:30pm
New York Jets (9-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
The Jets made it into the playoffs by sheer dumb luck, but sometimes that's all it takes. Everything is gravy for them from here on out. The Bengals got off to a flying start, but really just managed to hang on down the stretch. Both of them had some pretty bad losses late in the year. In the Jets case, they recovered mainly because the Colts lay down for them in Week 16 combined with a perfect alignment of their stars involving Miami, Houston, Pittsburgh and Denver all losing games, leading to them pummeling Cincinnati last weekend. This put them in the playoffs so that they could go back to Cincinnati today and play the Bengals again. I think it's safe to say that the Jets won't be winning this game 37-0, if only because the Bengals know that the Jets will be relying on their running game over the talented, but skittish Mark Sanchez, and they'll also have their full complement of offensive weapons available to them. Marvin Lewis isn't dumb, he knew that the Jets would go all out last weekend, and if they won, they'd be playing them again today. Why show the Jets anything? I still think the Jets are going to be able to win this game, if only because their defense can keep the game close. But the Bengals defense is vastly underrated. It's a pick-em game that won't be decided until the 4th quarter. But if you're the Jets, you'd better hope you have a lead and you'd better hope that your defense can come up with a stop when it needs to. Because if they're behind and Mark Sanchez has to make a play to win the game, they're pretty much screwed.
My pick: Jets 19, Bengals 14

Sunday, 8:00pm
Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) at Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
I'm a little tired of hearing about Tony Romo, who seems to get the kind of treatment reserved for people like Derek Jeter despite the fact that the only thing he's been successful at is bagging Jessica Simpson. The Eagles, on the other hand, have Donovan McNabb, who it appears has been on his way out of Philadelphia for 6 straight seasons. Basically, there's no shortage of turmoil on either side of the ball. This is another game where these two teams played each other last week, and it seemed as though Philly was the team that laid down and let Dallas run all over the place. Once again, I don't see the same scenario repeating itself. Everybody seems to be in love with Dallas these days, and I just don't buy it. I didn't think they were that good at 7-3, and I still don't think they're that good. They boast a running game of 3 scatbacks and a Quarterback that can be pressured into mistakes. Philly may not be better overall, but they have experience and will probably unveil a few wrinkles in the form of Michael Vick to swing the game in their favor.
My pick: Eagles 28, Cowboys 20

Sunday, 1:30pm
Baltimore Ravens (9-7) at New England Patriots (10-6)
This, oddly, is the only game of the weekend that doesn't feature two teams that played each other last weekend. It features, instead, two teams that slogged through some woefully middling seasons. For the Ravens, it was the realization that their once-great defense had grown some holes. For New England, this seemed like 3 different seasons in one. First, there was getting Tom Brady back in his letter-perfect form following missing the entire 2008 season. Then, there was the middle of the season, where they were putting it all together, and finally, at the end, some damaging road losses and some crippling injuries, most notably to Wes Welker, lost with a knee injury, and some nagging injuries to Brady and Randy Moss. But one of the Patriots strengths during their continued run of success has been their ability to rise to the occasions and play their best when the games mean the most. Most of the time, they have come out on top. It may not be enough to carry them to THE BIG GAME, but it will be enough to get them past Baltimore.
My pick: Patriots 27, Ravens 17

Sunday, 4:40pm
Green Bay Packers (11-5) at Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
I would have picked the Packers to win regardless, however my hatred for the Cardinals has begun to bubble to a level normally reserved for teams like the Phillies or the Rams. Their run to THE BIG GAME last season was cute and charming, and got us some nice moments of Kurt Warner praising Jesus, but I'm sick of them. The Niners twice showed how to expose them on offense, pressuring Warner into throwing sooner than he would have liked, and also exposing weaknesses in their receivers' ability to hold on to the ball. Green Bay has run up some staggering numbers on offense, Arizona's defense is full of holes, and this game is going to feature a lot of offenses moving up and down the field, some big interceptions (and I mean interceptions, not turnovers) and in the end, we won't be hearing anything about Jesus.
My pick: Packers 44, Cardinals 31

Enjoy the games, but before you do that, enjoy this video, not to be missed if you're a fan of anything, really:

The Ballclub's Top Ten of the '00s

2009-12-29T10:19:00.003-05:00

I've been on sort of an unplanned, unannounced hiatus, not so much because I'm tired of writing about the Mets, but moreso because the Mets simply haven't given me anything to write about. But given that there are only 3 days left in the decade, and many of my brethren have been musing about what the Best Mets Moment of the '00s was, I thought I'd chime in with a few lists. These aren't necessarily the definitive Top 10s, because that's boring. Instead, these are The Ballclub's Top Tens. You can make your own opinion. These are mine.

TOP TEN METS MOMENTS
10) April 9, 2001
The Mets raise the 2000 Championship Banner in the Braves' faces, then go out and hammer the Braves 9-4. Piazza hits 2 HRs and Tsuyoshi Shinjo and his orange wristbands hit his 1st in the US.

9) December 17, 2004
Pedro Martinez signs with the Mets. Though Martinez's Mets tenure was marred with injuries and unfulfilled promise, the signing itself re-legitimized the Mets, showed the fans and other players that the team was serious about winning, and was the catalyst that ultimately propelled the Mets to their success in 2006.

8) September 25, 2008
An odd choice, you might think, given the way the next three days ended up panning out. But this frenetic double-comeback against the Cubs in a game the Mets desperately needed to have was my final victory at Shea Stadium, the final Walk-0ff at Shea Stadium, and a game that featured just about everything, including Pedro's Last Stand, Ryan Church's Dive and Carlos Beltran basically hitting one through Micah Hoffpauir's glove at 1st base to win it. The 2008 Mets ultimately were submarined by themselves, but for one night provided one last gasp of magic at Shea.

7) August 22, 2006
Another one of my favorites, the Pujols-Delgado-Beltran game. I consider this to be the mother of all walk-off wins the Mets would pull off in '06. Pujols almost singlehandedly sank the Mets on this night, hitting a 3-run HR and a Grand Slam in consecutive innings. But the Mets didn't quit. Delgado matched Pujols' slam with one of his own, and in the bottom of the 9th brought Carlos Beltran to the plate, down 7-6, with LoDuca on 1st. And everyone in the stadium was up, because you could sense that something big was about to happen. Beltran smoked the 1st pitch from Jason Isringhausen into the Bullpen. Game over.

6) October 5, 2000
Most fans tend to remember Benny Agbayani's HR in Game 3 as the signature moment from the 2000 NLDS against San Francisco. I prefer to remember Game 2 of this series. Down 0-1, Al Leiter took the ball and basically shut down the Giants for 8 innings. Alfonzo hit a 9th inning HR that proved to be clutcher than clutch when Benitez gave up a 3-run shot to JT Snow in the last of the 9th (which prompted my non-baseball savvy roommate to remark "It's a sad day for Derek Jeter!"). Now tied and playing in a ballpark where they had yet to win, it would have been a good place for the Mets to curl up and die. But they didn't. In the 10th, Daryl Hamilton doubled and Jay Payton singled him home with 2 outs, and the Mets survived a Giant rally in the last of the inning, the game ending when John Franco turned over that signature changeup one more time to freeze Barry Bonds.

5) September 18, 2006
Nothing needs to be said.

4) October 8, 2000
Much like Game 2 of this series, Game 4 gets very little respect as well. And I'm not sure why, because as Bob Murphy said following the game, "The Mets have never had a better ballgame pitched, in their 39-year history!" Given that the Mets have never thrown a no-hitter, and given that, on this day, Bobby J. Jones was probably the absolute last person you'd think would go out and throw a 1-hit shutout, including 8 of 9 perfect innings, Murph might very well be right.

3) October 4, 2006/October 7, 2006 (Tie)
I hold the 1st game in similar esteem to #7. There was simply no way the Mets would allow themselves to lose this game. Even after losing both Pedro Martinez and El Duque, the Mets rallied behind John Maine, Paul LoDuca tagged out 2 Dodgers at home on the same play and Carlos Delgado stole the show with a HR off Derek Lowe that may still be traveling. But Guillermo Mota blew a 4-1 lead in the 7th, and things seemed a little tense. I remember being at this game with El Guapo, and he was apoplectic when LA tied it. "Relax," I told him. "It's in the bag. We got this." And sure enough, they did, behind Reyes coaxing a leadoff walk in the last of the 7th, stole 2nd and scored on Delgado's 4th hit of the game. Wright followed with an RBI 2B of his own, and the Mets willed themselves over the Dodgers. Game 3, same thing. After staking themselves to an early lead, Trachsel turned around and handed it back. But trailing 5-4 in the 6th inning, the Mets did what they had done all season. They got up, dusted themselves off, strung together a bunch of hits and basically overwhelmed the Dodgers, breaking their spirits and eventually pushing them off the dance floor.

2) October 12, 2006
At no point during the 2006 season did I ever feel the Mets were more invincible than on this night, and it's probably true. Glavine pitched what was probably his best game with the Mets (even if Pujols didn't think he was any good), and he was backed up by some of the best defense I've ever seen. Carlos Beltran doubles Pujols off 1st on a routine fly to center. Wright robs Scott Rolen to start a DP. Endy Chavez dives all over the place, including in the seats. Carlos Beltran's monstrous 2-run HR is all the offense Glavine, Mota and Wagner need as they shut out the Cardinals and grab the lead in the NLCS. For now, the Mets appear poised to cruise into the World Series. For now...

1) October 16, 2000
...But nothing can top the game where they actually got to the World Series.

Honorable Mentions
September 21, 2001
Anyone who wonders why Mike Piazza is so revered and loved by Mets fans need only look at this game.

February 1, 2008
Johan Santana, who I expect will figure heavily in the next decade for the Mets, is acquired from the Minnesota Twins.

TOP TEN INDIVIDUAL SEASON PERFORMANCES
10) Pedro Martinez, 2005
9) Johan Santana, 2008
8) David Wright, 2006
7) Carlos Delgado, 2008
6) Carlos Delgado, 2006
5) Edgardo Alfonzo, 2000
4) Jose Reyes, 2006
3) David Wright, 2007
2) Carlos Beltran, 2006
1) Mike Piazza, 2000

Hon. Mentions: Al Leiter, 2000 and Mike Hampton, 2000, Cliff Floyd, 2005

TOP TEN WORST MOMENTS (No links to spare everyone's sensibilities)
10) Bobby Valentine's pothead news conference, September, 2002.
9) The Kazmir trade and ensuing fallout, August, 2004.
8) Omar Minaya petulantly picking a fight with the media, August, 2009.
7) Roberto Alomar's entire Mets tenure, 2002-2003.
6) Brian Jordan vs. Benitez, Brian Jordan vs. Franco, September, 2001
5) Duaner Sanchez's Taxi accident, July 31, 2006.
4) Carlos Beltran watches Strike 3 vs. Wainwright, October 19, 2006.
3) The entire 2009 season.
2) Tom Glavine's 1/3IP on September 30, 2007.
1) Losing the last game at Shea Stadium in meek fashion, September 28, 2008.

That's it. Comments and arguments appreciated. Here's hoping the next decade is a little better.

The Redemption

2009-11-30T07:47:00.002-05:00

I'm more or less fully entrenched in Football season right now, and yesterday I got a rare treat when most of the 2nd half of the San Francisco 49ers/Jacksonville Jaguars game was on TV here. It's rare that the 49ers are on here at all, unless it's on ESPN or whatever. The only time I've had a chance to see them this season were at the very end of a game where they somehow managed to lose to Mr. Media Whore himself on a last-second TD, and another game where they failed to show up and got bombed by the Atlanta Falcons.

But Sunday, the 49ers, who at 4-6 were clinging to their playoff lives, put forth perhaps their best effort of the season in a solid 20-3 victory over Jacksonville, led by Alex Smith. If you haven't been keeping up with the travails of the 49ers, or Smith, let me give you a quick recap.

Taken as the #1 overall pick in the 2005 Draft, Alex Smith has had at best, a checkered NFL career to this point. Handed the reins midway through the 2005 season, Smith struggled as a starter, throwing 11 interceptions to his 1 touchdown. I had my doubts, but he improved in 2006, leading the 49ers from the doledrums of 4-12 to near-respectability at 7-9. I expected big things out of Smith in 2007. Unfortunately, Smith separated his shoulder early in the season, got rushed back by then-coach Mike Nolan and ended up further damaging his arm to the point where he missed most of 2007, and all of the 2008 season. Meanwhile, unknown Shaun Hill had grabbed the reins at QB and appeared to be running with it. After a bad 2007, Hill led the 49ers to 7-9 in '08, and, much like Smith was in '07, appeared to be primed to take the next step with the Niners in '09. It wasn't so much that Hill was a great passer, but he played a smart, instinctual game, didn't make mistakes and generally led the 49ers to victories. On the other hand, Smith was basically forgotten about. He only remained on the team by restructuring his initial contract, and made the team as a backup. If he'd shown anything during his 4 NFL seasons, it was that he wasn't cut out for the job.

Still, Smith persevered. Though he wasn't much in the consciousness of anybody who followed the 49ers, he returned to training camp with an improved attitude and a new sense of focus. True, it was a longshot. True, he still had to prove he was healthy and over his arm troubles. But he was there, and he put in the necessary work. He was ready, should the situation call for him to step in for Hill. And that situation presented itself in a week 7 game vs. the Houston Texans. Hill had been struggling and the offense had been mostly lifeless throughout the first half of a game that saw the 49ers fall behind 21-0. At the start of the 2nd half, Smith was summoned to take over. And all he did was lead the 49ers on a quick touchdown drive, moving the ball smartly down the field and breathing some life into the team. His attempt at a comeback ultimately fell short, but in throwing 3 TDs in the half, Smith had shown more to us than he had, perhaps, in any of his previous 4 seasons in the league.

The next day, Smith was named the starting quarterback outright. He would be given the chance to prove that he was cut out to be in the league.

Though Smith's results to this point haven't been eye-popping (going into Sunday's game, he had thrown for just over 1,000 yards, with 9 TDs and 7 INTs), he at least was keeping the 49ers in games. Over his first 4 games, the Niners only managed a 1-3 record, but Smith was running the offense solidly and keeping the games respectable. They hung with the undefeated Colts most of the way in his first start, and Smith led another furious comeback in Green Bay. But Sunday, it all fell into place for Smith, who threw for 232 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks. More importantly, the 49ers actually were able to take an early lead and hold the Jaguars at bay the rest of the way. In the process, the 49ers improved their record to 5-6. Not impressive, but for a young team with a QB in the midst of a major career reclamation, it's not bad. It's also good enough to be within 2 games of the Division leading Arizona Cardinals, whom the 49ers beat in Week 1, and whom the 49ers play on Monday Night Football in 2 weeks.

For Alex Smith, it continues to be a long road back to where we hope he'll be. But it's games like this, however small they may seem in the grand scheme of things, that make all the difference in the world as far as building confidence and showing that you're capable, and you belong. Smith was the headliner in the 49ers most complete performance of the season to date, and heading into the stretch run of the season, it could be the beginning of the 49ers peaking at the right time and riding that wave into January.

Decision: 2010

2009-11-27T00:26:00.003-05:00

I've been on a bit of an unplanned, unannounced hiatus of sorts, not because of any particular reason, I guess I just didn't have anything in particular to write about. Nothing noteworthy has happened, as far as the Mets are concerned, at least as it pertains to me. And, I suppose, that was probably a good thing. As a Mets fan, there's not much one can do right now except for just lay low. Maybe reflect on some prior glory (Always welcome and needed in these difficult times). Maybe some of us petulantly declared our fandom in open forums such as Facebook (not naming names or anything...!). But, otherwise, just lay low and wait for something to happen. That is, if something happens. There's talk, but then again, there's always talk. I have this somewhat faint hope that Roy Halladay will be sitting under my Chanukah Bush next month, but I fear that not a likely scenario. Stranger things, however, have happened.

There have been odd snippets that have popped up over the past few days about things the Mets are doing to their stadium and their uniforms to try to acknowledge the history of the Mets. And it is a History that shouldn't be ignored. It was mentioned to me late in the 2009 season that the lack of Mets History in Citi Field was, perhaps, the brainchild of the Boy-King, who for some reason felt that our beloved Shea Stadium was cursed and the time the Mets spent there should be ignored. It's hearsay, but if it's true, then the Mets owners are, perhaps, even dumber than we give them credit for being. Asking a Mets fan to ignore the Mets past is, perhaps, akin to asking the Sun to not rise in the morning. It's not going to happen. And if you try to make us ignore it, well, the backlash can be rather nasty. So, the Mets are doing what they should have done in the first place and making Citi Field into a place that will celebrate the history of the team that plays there. Wonderful. After last season, Fabulous Freddie and the Boy-King had better listen to what the fans want. Was that really so hard?

Then, there's this whole cream-colored uniform thing, which is kind of ridiculous, if you ask me. I'll be honest, I don't care what kind of uniforms the Mets wear. They could be beet red with lime green pinstripes and a lavender accent. The uniform doesn't matter so long as the team wins. So, when they announce things like this, I have a tendency to ignore it because personnel moves should be of paramount importance right now, not clothing. However, Paul Lukas at the Uni Watch took this as the impetus to launch a full-scale diatribe at Fabulous Freddie and the Boy-King, saying what I'm sure most Mets fans feel right now. I'll just let Paul do the screaming for me on this matter.

But there was one thing Met-related that did pertain to me this week. On Tuesday, I got a letter from the Mets. I was pretty sure I knew what it was before I even opened it, and, of course I was right. Inside was an invoice for a 2010 Weekday 15-game plan, which included a schedule and a list of the 2010 plan dates. The promised "discount" wasn't much of a discount. I suppose I should be happy with what I get from them. A drop of $20 per plan isn't much, but it's something, right? One thing I didn't expect was that they were expecting me to renew for the same seats I had last year. I've taken many pictures from those seats (and even of those seats).

I seem to be of a small sliver of the Mets fan base who had the following feelings about Citi Field. 1) The seats were, all things considered, fairly reasonably priced for a new stadium where ridiculous ticket prices were thought to be the norm. 2) I didn't have a problem with the seats. Though they were in the last row, they weren't obstructed, they weren't somehow blocking my view of any major part of the field, and they were near a bathroom and an exit. But, they were still in the last row. And I was hoping that I would be able to upgrade these seats. I'm new to this whole season-to-season seating thing, so I figured it would probably be worth my while to call the Mets and see if I could change my seats. Not surprisingly, I got on the phone right away with a woman who was all too happy to help me out, though at first she seemed convinced that I was calling to cancel my plan and tell Jeffy-poo to kiss off. I'm sure she's gotten that call more than a few times. She seemed somewhat pleasantly surprised when I said, "I'd like to renew, but I'd like to see if I can move my seats." She said they could try to accommodate me, but they had to know how many plan holders were renewing for 2010. I can't imagine that every plan holder from 2009 is. But they wouldn't know until December 18th, so I should renew, and they will leave this note on my account and will contact me after December 18th to see if I can be moved. That was, all things considered, rather helpful and nice of them. Hell, if I pay online, I can even pay off the tickets in two separate payments.

There is, I'm sure, a certain segment who would scoff at me for renewing and willingly hand my money over to a pair of half-wits who will probably throw it in the air and run around screaming. But how could I not renew? The Mets are, as many of my loyal readers are aware, my one big luxury in life. Going to games is my escape, it's my sanctuary. I don't think it mattered how bad the Mets were in 2009 or how bad things look for 2010. I'm going to be there. I don't think that was ever in much doubt. Sure, I joked about it. I asked for suggestions such as using the invoice as toilet paper. One friend suggested I go to each game, put a sign on my seat that read "FIRE OMAR" and walk out. No, I'll be there. I may feel stupid for doing it, but I'll be there.

Wrong Side Of Town

2009-11-04T23:55:00.003-05:00

The problem with this World Series was that the outcome was inevitably going to piss me off. That was how I saw things going in, and that was how it turned out. My plan was to basically pretend it didn't exist. Just shut it off. Why put myself through the misery?

But it's impossible to do that. Not when you're rooting for the team from the wrong side of town, from the perspective of both of the teams present. It was easy to ignore the jeers from Philadelphia. That came from afar. The snibes that come from within eat at you more and more as the games play on. Maybe it's not something that's directed absolutely at you, but it's that sneering, snide arrogance. They thumb their noses at us, and why shouldn't they? We're a laughingstock. We can point at them all we want, but we're on the same field they are, we spend the same money they do, and we try to exploit the same business model they've perfected. But where they can throw their money at the best people imaginable, we throw our money around like we're a 20-something NYU coed walking into H&M.

The end result, of course, is the 2009 season.

Despite my best efforts to ignore it, despite every effort I put in to pretend it wasn't there, I couldn't. The newspaper covers, the radio shows all got to me. By time the series rolled around, I was sure I could avoid it. But there I was, listening on the radio. I couldn't subject myself to it on TV. No way. It's easier to follow when you don't have to actually see anything. And ESPN radio brought me a neutral broadcast from Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. But as that first game progressed, something odd happened. The Phillies were ahead, the Yankees were down. And for some reason, I really enjoyed watching the Yankees lose. So, that was how it had to be. Like most Mets fans, I'm sure. I wouldn't give the Philly fans the satisfaction of saying I was rooting for them. Oh, no. But even though I didn't want the Phillies to win, I wanted the Yankees to lose more. That was my official statement to anyone who asked.

Game 2 was ignored. Game 3, I found myself in the midst of a major Halloween party. Stuck as the head troubleshooter, several parties requested updates of the game for the attending revelers. So, fine. Out comes the BlackBerry to check in periodically. As the night continued and I allowed myself to become as intoxicated as is recommended when one is on the job, I found myself in a private area with a TV. This would be the first I would be seeing of the World Series at all. The Yankees were ahead. Jayson Werth hit a Home Run. As if on cue, I broke into a joyous "JAY-SON WERTH-LESS!" chant. This time, it was supportive. But he was still Jayson Werth-Less. Of course, the Yankees won. Of course, the Yankees ran away with the rest of the series. It seemed somewhat inevitable. Even when many Yankee fans seemed to be going through some sort of bizarre panic between the 5th and 6th games, it was still with that obnoxious "When We Win..." attitude.

Well, they won. Now we're going to have to hear about it all Winter, and probably all the way through next season, too. Should be a treat.

Say what you will about the Phillies, and say what you will about Cole Hamels, who probably ought to think twice before he goes after the Mets again, but they still managed to ride a bullpen that rivaled the 2008 Mets all the way to the World Series (see what happens when your hitters hit?!). Even though they lost and a lot of their players looked bad doing it, they're still by far and away the team to beat in the NL East. The Mets, well, the Mets should be thinking about how the hell they're going to finish higher than 4th place. The Mets certainly have the deep pockets to reinvent themselves the same way the Yankees did. Don't let anyone tell you different. But the question is, are they smart enough? Is the person making the decisions capable of making the right ones? Over the past few seasons, the answer has been a resounding "No," and that's enough to scare the bejesus out of any Mets fan. The Yankees, by winning the World Series, proved that any problem can be fixed if you throw enough money at it. I don't know if the Mets are smart enough to follow suit. Only time will tell.

I've been following this team for over 20 seasons. I was discussing this over the weekend with a fellow Mets fan. I've seen more winning seasons than losing seasons, and it's not even close. These last few years have been bad times for me as a Mets fan. There's no argument on the matter. But during those seasons, the Mets were, at worst, good enough to contend right down to the last day. It just didn't end well. But it's not as though I've suffered through the George Foster years or the Craig Swan era (a fact pointed out to me by my cousin, though the credibility is lacking since he is a Manhasset, NY native who moved to Philadelphia and is now a rabid Phillies fan). The worst I've got is the Bobby Bonilla era or the Art Howe years. Hell, I've even got some pretty sweet Postseason memories of my own. But I was 7 years old in 1986. I'm too young to remember or appreciate it. I've never truly tasted that ultimate victory. I've never really been able to capture that moment and actually be able to say, "Holy Shit, the Mets are World Series Champions!"

Maybe, someday, I will. Until then, I'm just another schmuck rooting for the other team on the Wrong Side of Town.

Don't Care Anymore

2009-10-26T10:08:00.002-04:00

I suppose it's only fitting that this season of Mets Misery has come down to one final, horrible matchup between the two teams that we in Mets Nation can stand the absolute least. You could see this coming about a mile away, even when the playoffs started. You could try to use your cosmic strength to pick against them or put some reverse jinx on them, but you couldn't stop either of them, and now, here we are. World Series 2009, Yankees vs. Phillies for all the Marbles.

I want to vomit.

There's been a lot of talk amongst Mets fans about what we should do. How do we react to all this? The prevailing wisdom seems to be that the Mets fan should get behind the Phillies. It's the most sensible argument I've heard. The Yankee fan, smug as he/she may be, will, of course, say to us, "Hey, you're a New Yorker! You have to support your New York Teams. Civic Pride!" tongue in cheek, silently snickering at us. This is what it's come down to for us. It's like the Woody Allen concept of "The Horrible and The Miserable." And right now, those are the choices we've got right now. Fact is, I don't think either fan base gives a shit about who we support. They don't care about us. They're like the two-faced ass of a "friend" you have, who will be your pal to your face and then trash you behind your back. They take some sort of sick satisfaction in our suffering, and being in this situation, after the season we've been through, and given the state of affairs within the franchise, this is about as bad a time as we could ever possibly have as Mets fans.

But there is one other solution, that nobody's really talked about.

Don't watch. Don't care. Don't give any of them the satisfaction. Don't put yourself through this. Shut off your TV and go do something else. Read, or take a walk somewhere, or write something, or sit in a dark room and feel sorry for yourself. Doesn't matter. Just don't do this to yourself. I know that it's the last vestiges of the Baseball season, and I know that we like to cling to them as long as possible. But this season was so awful that we couldn't wait for it to end. So, this is my solution. It's over already. The 2009 Baseball season ended last night, far as I'm concerned. The World Series is just a rumor. I refuse to throw my support behind either team. I don't care who wins. I truly do not. People have already asked me who I root for in the World Series, and I've given them my answer. I'm rooting for the 2010 Mets. That's the next bit of meaningful Baseball I'm going to watch.

The Most Beautiful Failure

2009-10-19T00:27:00.002-04:00

October 19th, a rather unassuming day as it might seem, is a rather cathartic day for most Mets fans, at least those who remember some of the more memorable games that this team has played on October 19th.

On October 19th, 1986, the Mets played the Red Sox in Game 2 of the World Series. The game itself didn't turn out well for the Mets, but ultimately, they came back to win the World Series. So, in the long run, that wasn't necessarily a failure. But it wasn't especially good, either.

More appropriately, I look to games that the Mets played on October 19th 10 years ago, and three years ago. Both games resulted in losses that ended the Mets season. But it wasn't so much that the Mets lost that stuck with me. It was how they lost.

October 19th, 1999 and October 19th, 2006, both saw the Mets play games that might have been better suited for a stage, not so much a ballfield. This was art. This was pulsating drama of the highest order, and, ultimately, it was failure that left us with a tinge of pride. Beneath the frustration, there was the knowledge that we went down with our heads held high.

Perhaps it's still too soon to lump that Thursday night in 2006 in with its predecessor from 1999. This particular team and era of Mets baseball hasn't lived up to that promise since then, and that night, as harrowing as it was, still leaves a bad taste. After all, we were the favorite. We were in our own building. And we weren't trying to accomplish what, at the time, had never been done before. It was a night of prideful sadness.

And it wasn't the same as it was in 1999.

By all rights, it was enough of a miracle that the Mets had made it to October 19th, 1999. They were dead and buried more than once before getting to this game. They trailed their most hated nemesis, the Atlanta Braves, 3 games to 0 in the NLCS. Their best player was running on fumes. Their Manager was a walking controversy. The starting rotation was in shambles, with half the starting rotation having to work in the latter innings of another game the Mets refused to lose just two days earlier. That one ended up turning out in the Mets favor. Suddenly, the Mets weren't rolling over and dying. Suddenly, 3-0 had become 3-2.

That night seemed to pack every bit of frenetic tension from that month into one magnificent game. The Mets were down early. In fact, they were down so far, they may have been out early. But that was how the Mets rolled in '99. They always looked like they were out. Then they start chipping away and, and chipping away and all of a sudden there's that beaten-down warrior of a Catcher coming up with the biggest hit the Mets had seen in a decade, and a deficit that was once 0-5 had become 7-7. Everyone was chipping in, from the household names to guys you never heard of, like that Outfielder who was from Venezuela but at some point played in China who was all of a sudden playing like a 10-year veteran. Suddenly, that 3-2 becoming 3-4 didn't seem so farfetched.

But that magic ultimately ran out. Those Braves kept fighting back themselves, and in the end just managed to outlast us, to capitalize on one final mistake. It was the ending that hurt the most. But the way the Mets fought to get to that point stuck with us far longer than that ending.

It was 10 years ago today. October 19th, 1999. Perhaps the greatest loss in the History of the Mets.

The Hated Pool

2009-10-15T10:53:00.004-04:00

October is a Cruel Mistress, especially if you're a Mets fan, and while you'd like to say you could sit back and watch the League Championship Series that begin tonight, but considering MLB's Final Four consists of three teams I despise, and the Anaheim Angels, it's going to be a little tough to enjoy things. Especially considering the way I think these LCS will play out.

Here's the preview you probably weren't looking forward to:

Philadelphia Phillies (93-69, 3-1) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (95-67, 3-0)

Ok, ok, so I don't dislike the Dodgers nearly as much as I dislike the Phillies. That doesn't mean that I like them, even though the whole "Great Betrayal" thing is getting a little stale, even with my Mother, who grew up in Brooklyn. My dislike of the Dodgers has been festering simply since 1988, when Mike Scioscia, Kirk Gibson and Orel Hershiser basically ruined my childhood. But try as they might, they just don't piss me off the same way the Phillies do, with their AL-style lineup and their loudmouth players who talk their junk and back it up, and, of course, Shane Victorino. These series have a habit of being swayed towards the team that has the hotter hand, and not necessarily the team with the most talent, and conventional wisdom would say that the Dodgers are the hotter team. They pretty much cut through a St. Louis team that didn't show up for the NLDS, and capitalized on a huge break when Matt Holliday dropped a fly ball in Game 2, a play that pretty much handed the series over to LA. Philly, on the other hand, really had to peck and scrape to get past the Rockies in 4, but when they came back to win, they did it in spectacular fashion, and did so aided by a suddenly rejuvenated Brad Lidge. Though Lidge wasn't sharp in Game 3, he did what was necessary, and those kinds of outings can build confidence. I hate the Phillies and it really pains me to say this, but although they may not be on the hot streak the Dodgers are on, they are simply the better team and I think they have proven over and over again that they have the ability to get up off the mat as many times as necessary in order to win games. So I don't see the Dodgers pulling this one off.
My pick: Phillies in 5. Split the first 2 in LA, but once the series moves to Philadelphia, LA has no shot.

Anaheim Angels (97-65, 3-0) vs. New York Yankees (143-19, 3-0)

I kid, but it really feels like it's true. The Mighty Yankees just don't lose very often, and they have bucked that trend that they had fallen into over most of the past several years of falling flat in Postseason series. You need look no further than their hottest hitter right now. Amazingly, it's Alex Rodriguez. It's the New Alex Rodriguez, who has turned around his October struggles and has now, perhaps, cemented his place in Baseball History. Of course, he still has two more steps to go, and the Anaheim Angels are certainly a formidable opponent, but you knew, in the back of your mind, even as a Yankee Hater, there was that fear. That fear that someday, A-Rod was actually going to get his head on straight and show up for a Postseason series. Someday, he was actually going to come up in the big spot and get that big hit. That was bound to happen someday, and now, it's happened. This stands to be a very tight, interesting series, and both teams are certainly playing well. The Angels did to Boston something similar to the Phillies: They played a series of close games, and proved themselves to be just a little bit better at firing that last punch than the Red Sox were. I certainly wouldn't count them out in this series, not at all, because they don't fear the Yankees and they play smart, heady baseball (Unfortunately, the Minnesota Twins also played smart, heady baseball, until it abandoned them), and have a roster of talented, professional and smart players who won't beat themselves. The Angels won't give the Yankees an inch. But still, I see one of those typical stupid Yankee postseason plays, like Derek Jeter leaping into the stands to make a catch and throwing out a runner at Home Plate (Triple Fist Pump!), or someone like Brett Gardner hitting a Game-tying HR and swinging the momentum the Yankees way.
My pick: Yankees in 6.

And, yes, should my picks hold to form, you can rest assured that I will not be watching the World Series.

2009 Mets: A Season In Futility, Part II

2009-10-14T00:27:00.000-04:00

We continue with our 2009 Mets Report Card. Now, the pitchers.

Mike Pelfrey - C
I named Mike Pelfrey one of my 5 Key Mets before the season assuming that he was probably going to build on his very successful season in 2008. I figured he was a prime candidate to break out and be the rock solid #2 starter behind Johan Santana. Wrong. I should have known something was wrong when, in the first game at Citi Field, Pelfrey was so cranked up he fell off the mound mid-windup, and followed that up by allowing 3 runs after 2 were out. Pelfrey had a good stretch during May and June when he was pitching well, but not winning and not getting much press, but he wasn't dominating like he did during a similar stretch in 2008. Then, in the 2nd half, he just fell flat. There was an occasional good start followed by a start when he would get hammered. He seemed to lose confidence in his pitches and he wasn't setting himself up the way he was in '08. There were the "Yips." There were the balks. There was muttering the pitch he was throwing. Put it all together and Pelfrey had basically undone all the good vibes he'd built up during the '08 season. Now, we're right back where we started with him. Talented, great potential, total fucking headcase. And no real way to tell whether or not he'll ever recapture his form from '08. It's possible that this regression was caused by Pelfrey's inning load in '08, and rather than breaking down, he just pitched poorly, and perhaps he'll rebound in 2010. But sometimes, he just looked so out of sorts that it's hard to know whether this just got too in his head. Next year will probably tell us the story. By the time next year is over, we'll know what we have.

Johan Santana - A-
Pitched hurt and it showed when his unconscious start fizzled out into inconsistency and even the occasional alarming bombing. Probably could have pitched through the bone chips, but given that the season was in the toilet and it wasn't worth risking further damage, so it's just as well that he sat out after August and had the surgery. It's a far better end result than that constant fear that he needed Tommy John surgery. He'll be fine by Spring Training, the same old Johan we know and love.

Livan Hernandez - C-
Started out by eating innings, ended up getting eaten. Was about what we expected him to be, which was a C- pitcher and the predictable 5th starter. There was talk about trading him to a contender, but after he got hammered for 8 runs and 13 hits in 4 straight outings, there was no chance anyone was going to take him, and so what happened? The Mets cut him and he ended up going back from whence he came, the only team worse than the Mets: The Washington Nationals. A perfect marriage.

Tim Redding - D+
Redding pretty much put up the same numbers as Livan, but unlike Livan, no good ever seemed to come from him pitching, so he gets a D+. Redding usually had nice outings against Philly, but not against anyone else.

Bobby Parnell - C
Good stuff, annoyingly inconsistent. Which made him a perfect fit for this team. Ended up getting jobbed in as a starter. That didn't go well, even if he had one good start. Better suited in a setup role if he can find some consistency.

John Maine - C+
Maine is officially at a crossroads. Counted on to shoulder the load as the #3 starter at worst, and counted on to show us that he was fully healthy, Maine instead broke down again and missed a huge chunk of the season. This is now two years in a row that Maine has gone into the season with high expectations and fallen flat. So, he's On Notice. I am officially concerned that John Maine, while he has very good stuff and clearly knows how to pitch, does not have the durability to get through an entire Major League season with sustained success. He needs to come out of the gate with the same fire that he showed in 2007, put guys away, minimize damage, go deep into games and come away with wins. Otherwise, he's just another guy who the Mets have sold high to us based on a successful 3/4 of a season and a couple of nice playoff outings in 2006.

Brian Stokes - B
The line says he pitched tolerably well. So I guess he did. Looks like Zach Braff.

Nelson Figueroa - C
I'm giving Figueroa this high of a grade because I saw him make 3 starts this season. On August 3rd (the infamous TERRIBLE!!! game), I quite literally thought his career as a Major Leaguer was over. He got lit up in such an embarrassing fashion that I figured there was no way in hell he would ever take the mound again. Yet, there he was, 2 days later, pitching well. And on September 20th, there he was, making an admirably good start against the Braves, losing only because his offense failed to generate any support for him. And by season's end, October 4th, Figueroa was putting the season to bed by hurling his first Major League Shutout against the Astros. This is one case where he didn't give up, and the Mets didn't give up on him. He's not at all someone to build around, but if nothing else, he's a nice story that can be taken away from this mess.

Sean Green - F
High point of the season came on Opening Day, when he led the New Bullpen Parade and the Mets won. Followed that up by turning into the second coming of the man he was traded for, Aaron Heilman. Dude even had a similar looking windup and a slider that constantly moved low and outside and usually resulted in a Wild Pitch or a hit batsman or a bases-loaded walk.

Francisco Rodriguez - B
He didn't pitch especially well down the stretch, but given that his primary motivation is to come in in late and close situations and shut the door, and given that that just didn't happen very much for the Mets, I'm willing to let it pass just a little bit. But far too often, he came into games where the Mets trailed by a run (mainly because he hadn't gotten an actual save opportunity in God knows how long) and ended up putting the Mets in a deeper hole. Then, there were the two walk-off Grand Slams he allowed. I'm inclined to think he will be better next year, with more consistent work and more consistent opportunities to do what he does best. Then again, there's no guarantee that he'll get those opportunities.

Oliver Perez - F
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pedro Feliciano - B+
People felt I was overly harsh on him last season. So this season, I'm being nice and giving him a high grade because he pitched the whole season, pitched well, got the key outs when there were key outs to be had, and didn't get hurt.

Pat Misch - C
Pitched tolerably well as a starter, sort of in that Parnell mode. Mixed in a good start amongst several bad ones. Perfectly mediocre, back of the rotation/middle of the bullpen lefty.

Fernando Nieve - B
Pitched surprisingly well, far better than anyone would have expected, over several starts, beginning with the surprise outing of the season against the Yankees. So, in typical 2009 Mets fashion, he got hurt running the bases and was done for the season. Surprised? Yeah, me neither.

Elmer Dessens
I laughed every time he took the mound, only to keep myself from crying.

J.J. Putz - C-
Lived up to his name, mainly because he was hurt and somehow was either told he could pitch through it, or decided he could pitch through it. Also because he was a closer in the 8th inning setup guy role that somehow entered to a closer's fanfare, complete with the AC/DC blaring and the vertigo-inducing video display.

Ken Takahashi - F
Can be lumped in with other Japanese Flops such as Takashi Kashiwada, Satoru Komiyama and that other guy who got suspended for using steroids before he ever got to pitch with the team. I can say this based solely on one game, one pitch to Raul Ibanez that basically started the team on the downward spiral. Yusaku Iriki, that's his name. Just another dunce who shouldn't be brought back.

Jon Niese
Too bad he got hurt. He was starting to find himself at the Major League level. Definitely like his stuff and the upside he brings, and would much rather see him in the 2010 rotation than, say, Tim Redding, or Jose Contreras, or Jon Garland or whatever aging loser Omar picks off the scrap heap.

Lance Broadway
Acquired in the Castro trade and led to too many stupid "Broadway pitching on Broadway!" jokes.

Tobi Stoner
With a name like that, all I could think was that he would have been a better fit with the Tony Tarasco-era Mets.

Casey Fossum
When you're throwing Casey Fossum out there at some point during the season, chances are your record is going to end up in the neighborhood of 70-92.

Jon Switzer
I never actually saw him and I don't know who he is, and judging by the numbers he put up, it's probably better that way.

Darren O'Day
Wasn't good in his week plus with the Mets and got shipped off to Texas, where he made his debut with the team under the assumed name of Kason Gabbard.

Billy Wagner
Just give him kudos for coming back and chalking up 2 Ks in his return. Not much more could have been asked.

MANAGER
Jerry Manuel - C-
I'm somewhat willing to give Manuel the benefit of the doubt based on the fact that he had to deal with the injuries and the pieces he was given. But once again, his in-game strategies left quite a bit to be desired, and as the losses mounted, and the team continued to look lifeless, we basically just got treated to Jerry Manuel's nightly chortle. Thing is, many of us failed to find this as funny as he did, or at least found it funny for different reasons. It's one thing to say that Manuel was limited because of all the injuries. But the Mets were barely staying afloat while the guys were healthy. And there's no excuse for how lifeless and hopeless the Mets looked at the end of the season when, given ample opportunity to be the spoiler, the Mets just lay down and died. Where was the motivation? Who was supposed to do the motivating? Who's to say that Willie Randolph did a worse job than Manuel did? Manuel will be back. Fine. I'll give him a full season with the healthy team he was supposed to have, plus or minus whoever is brought in. Let's see what happens. I'm pretty sure that if, and this is a very big IF, the Mets turn this thing around and are a winning team in 2010, it won't be because of Jerry Manuel. It'll be because they have the talent and the chemistry to do it themselves.

GM
Omar Minaya - D
On an even hotter seat than Manuel, and there's a good chance that the only reason he still has a job at all is because he got a contract extension at the end of 2008. I've made my complaints about Omar many times before. He's reactionary, rather than a forward thinker. He makes moves with an eye on the present and not the future. He's built a team that was built to win 3 years ago and didn't make any sort of contingency plan in case of injury, and this was exploited to the point of embarrassment in 2009. He's got a lot to do to convince us, now, that he's capable of the task. 3 years ago, he was on top of the world. He responded by standing pat with a team that had holes to begin with, and managed to make trades that appeared to be for cosmetic purposes only, just to let people know he was awake and alive. Yes, there was the occasional splash, and Omar Minaya made a great trade to get Johan Santana in here, and Jeff Francoeur was similarly a good move. But those also weren't moves that required a great deal of thought. Those were no-brainer deals. Any GM could have gone out there and done that. If Omar wants to get his mojo back, he's going to have to pull off some deals that will shock the hell out of all of us. And I'm not totally sold that he's got that in him.

STADIUM
Citi Field - B
I give it a B for now, and an A- for the future. It's got its flaws, and I know it's got no shortage of critics. But I like Citi Field. It's a very aesthetically pleasing park to look at, I never sat in an obstructed seat (because I sat in the same seat 14 of 16 games), the food was OUTSTANDING, and the bathrooms were nice. No, it's not perfect. The staircases instead of ramps and escalators are problematic. The lack of Mets representation is somewhat appalling (and from what I've been told, is the fault of Jeff Wilpon, the Boy-King, who for some bizarre reason believed that Shea Stadium was cursed, despite the fact that the Mets won 2 World Series Championships there), but the organization is supposedly fixing this (that is, if you can believe what the organization says). And, look, there's not much you or I or anyone else can do. Citi Field is here to stay. Hopefully, we'll create some new, good memories and great times there with the Mets in the future and erase the bad taste of this season. I want to remember the energy of Opening Night, Citi Field full and rocking. Not late in the season, with a tepid crowd of 8,000. It's not the stadium's fault that the team stunk its first year.

So, that about wraps it up. The Mets have a lot of holes and not a lot of means with which to fix them, if they're going to make the trades to do it. The big things are:
1) #2 Starting Pitcher
2) 1st Baseman
3) Left Fielder

Maybe a Right Fielder if you're not sold on Francoeur. But if you really want to dig a little deeper, we can list the following:
4) Rebuild Farm System
5) Better US Amateur Scouting
6) More motivated coaches

Failing all that, we have to start hacking the head. If the team doesn't improve, you're going to hear the grumblings get even louder.
7) New Manager
8) New General Manager
9) New Ownership/Upper Front Office

Nobody will ever know how much the Wilpons were taken for by Madoff. Nobody will know what really goes on behind the scenes with them and Minaya and Dave Howard. If the Mets win, who the hell cares? If the Mets win, everything's wonderful and everyone's doing a great job. But when the Mets lose, and when the Mets lose in manners that make you scratch your heads, manners that are frustrating, mystifying and embarrassing, we blame everyone. It starts with the players, and works its way to the top. And this year, everyone in the organization was well worthy of all the blame heaped on them.

Now, they have to fix it. I don't have the energy to offer all the solutions. None of us do. All I can do is wish them luck.