Bigmouth Strikes Again

I'll admit that I was as surprised as anyone to hear that David Wright had copped the NL's Gold Glove for 3rd Basemen this past week. I had figured that Ryan Zimmerman was the most likely candidate, although you can't really say there was a clear favorite in the race (I know Rolen has been the perennial winner here, but with his essentially dropping dead this season, the award has opened up again). The Silver Slugger award that Wright took home on Friday was not nearly as much a surprise. I'd like to see a convincing argument anywhere that Wright didn't deserve that one, and when the NL MVP award is announced on November 20th (the effort to extend the Baseball season as far into the Winter as possible), Wright likely won't win, but he'll get strong consideration.

Nobody will confuse Wright's fielding prowess with other Gold Glove Mets such as Robin Ventura or Rey Ordonez. But he handled his chances admirably well, and despite 21 errors, made some key plays when they were needed the most. Of course, Wright is helped by his popularity (which is what most of these awards really boil down to), the fact that he's his team's marquee player, and his ESPN factor (that by which all sports figures seem to be judged in today's society).

But then there's this little paragraph buried deep in the bowels of David O'Brien's Braves Blog in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"When I found out [Wright won] I was speechless, for quite some time. Certainly the guys with the least amount of errors and best fielding percentage quite obviously didn’t win it."

"I wouldn’t have been disappointed had someone like Feliz or Ramirez won it. I’m a little confused by the final tally — that’s a head-scratcher for me."

-Larry Jones

When will Larry ever learn? I know that it's his new MO, since he's getting up there in years and his team has crumbled around him, to become this new, outspoken voice about the "good ol' days," but it's not as though he deserved the Gold Glove over Wright. Wright's response was, of course, typical classy Wright, as it appears in a rare positive Mets piece in Sunday's Post:

"Chipper Jones plays for the Braves. Honestly I could care less. I respect what Chipper does in this game. I respect Chipper as a player. But what he says to the papers doesn't mean anything to me personally. I don't take anything he says to heart. Obviously I think I can be better defensively. There's no doubt about it. But I have a Gold Glove, and that's the bottom line, and that's something I'm very proud of, and I feel like I'm getting better and better defensively, and obviously managers and coaches have seen that."

-David Wright

Larry, nobody likes you here anyway, and anything you say in regards to the Mets will just draw the ire of the fans even more. Obviously, you and your team have fallen on a bit of hard times over the past couple of seasons, and really, that's a damn shame. Perhaps you have some residual bitterness over the way Wright and the Mets have handled the Braves over the past couple of years (see above). Or perhaps you're upset that the stadium that bears your daughter's name is being torn down after next season. But is there really any good reason for you to attack David Wright like that? I don't think so. What next, you'll complain that you didn't get a Silver Slugger, either? You're old, you're bitter, and you're ugly. Shut up, Larry.

Chipper "Shocked" by Wright Gold Glove [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
2 For The Money [Tabloid Rag]

20 Days in October

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.

-Dale Carnegie

The 1999 New York Mets were a team built to bring the Mets out of what had become a decade-long slump. The team that had come close to making the postseason in 1998, before a horrendous final week collapse had been made over. Free Agents Robin Ventura and Rickey Henderson were brought in to bolster the offense. Trades were made, procuring Roger Cedeno, Armando Benitez and Bobby Bonilla. Mike Piazza was re-signed to a long term contract. And although the team got off to an uneven start, they played on as if they were determined to bring the Mets back to respectability, and into the playoffs. Ventura responded with a career year at the plate. Edgardo Alfonzo emerged as an All-Star player with an uncanny knack for coming through in the clutch. Piazza was Piazza. Cedeno set a team record for Stolen Bases. The starting pitchers were solid, if unspectacular, led by Al Leiter, Rick Reed, Orel Hershiser and Masato Yoshii. The bullpen sparkled. Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook set things up for John Franco, and following a midseason injury to Franco, Armando Benitez, the flamethrower, who went through the season mostly unhittable. The defense was impeccable, setting records and making the spectacular seem routine. Alfonzo, Ventura, Rey Ordonez and John Olerud appeared on a SI Cover, headlined as "The Best Infield Ever," and they just might have been.

It was a talented team, and a team of great heart and spirit. On May 23rd, they erased a 4-run 9th inning deficit against the Philadelphia Phillies. June 9th, a 3-run comeback against Toronto. July 11th, the famous see-saw battle against the Yankees, won by Matt Franco. August 22nd, a comeback from a 6-1 deficit, highlighted by an Olerud Grand Slam. Wins piled up and coming into the home stretch, the Mets were primed to walk away with the Wildcard, and potentially even catch the Braves for the lead in the NL East.

And just as quickly, it all seemed to fall apart.

On Monday, September 20th, the Mets entered Atlanta for a 3-game series with the Braves, with a record of 92-58, one game behind the Braves.

Three losses later, the Mets departed Atlanta 92-61, 4 games behind the Braves.

Three more losses in Philadelphia, and not only were the Mets now buried in the East, they had fallen behind the Reds in the race for the Wildcard.

Returning home, the Mets still couldn't solve the Braves. Another meltdown on Tuesday, September 28th clinched the East for Atlanta. But Al Leiter and John Olerud were able to stop the bleeding and end the losing streak. Leiter's strong outing and Olerud's grand slam off of Greg Maddux were enough to will the Mets to a 9-2 victory, keeping them a game and a half behind the Reds and Astros for the Wildcard. But a most frustrating, 11-inning, 4-3 defeat in the series finale seemed to be the final nail in another Mets collapse. Adding insult to injury were the jeers from the Atlanta locker room following the series finale.

"Now, all the Mets fans can go home and put their Yankees' stuff on. You know they're all going to convert. It's amazing how fast you hear Yankee talk around the dugout, yet, they're wearing Mets stuff.

-Larry Jones

"It's not really the Mets I hate, the majority of the guys are good guys and they're a good team, and I'm a little bit confused as to how they're struggling so bad to make the playoffs," Rocker said. "It's the fans that I think are absolutely ridiculous. They just don't know when to shut up. I've asked a lot of people all week, 'How many times you got to beat a team before the fans finally shut up?' And I still don't know. We beat them nine out of 12 times and they're still talking trash."

-John Rocker

As far as the Braves were concerned, the Mets were dead and buried.

Tucked away in Binghamton, I felt inclined to believe the same. I'd seen it all before. I was there through the entirety of the 1990s, one year more forgettable than the next. But things changed when Bobby Valentine took over near the end of the 1996 season. The years that followed were different. The Mets were alive again. And I was there to see it 29 times over the long, hot Summer of 1999. But this year was supposed to be the year they took that next step, and as the calendar turned from September to October, it appeared that that step was not going to be taken. Forget it.

Little did we know that the turn of the calendar brought about a change in the Mets fortunes. What seemed impossible became reality, and the ride that the Mets would embark on over the following 20 days would leave an indelible mark on the franchise and its fans, restoring pride to the organization and setting them up for a run that would lionize the 1999 Mets as one of the best in team history.

Friday, October 1
"Forget it."

These are my thoughts as far as the Mets are concerned. I want nothing to do with it. It's easy to avoid these things when you're off at College, 200 miles away from Shea in upstate New York. But 2 games out of the Wildcard with 3 to play is pretty much impossible. The Mets need to sweep the Pirates, sure. But the Reds or the Astros have to lose, too. 2 of 3 at least. And with the Astros at home against LA, and Cincinnati playing awful Milwaukee, well...you try to figure out the odds.

I really didn't watch much of the game. I saw the first inning or two. The stadium was pretty much empty, and with good reason. Who wanted to be around for the final failure by this team that had once again let us down and was facing an entire decade without even a sniff of postseason baseball? Kenny Rogers and Jason Schmidt square off. Robin Ventura homers in the 4th, and Piazza in the 6th, and it's 2-0 Mets. Ventura and Piazza. They've done it all year long, haven't they? But what does it mean? Especially after Rogers, Wendell and Franco blow the 2-run lead in the 8th. But for an Adrian Brown strikeout by Franco, the game remains tied, headed further on into the night.

Pat Mahomes comes on for the 10th, and gets in and out of a jam. The Mets go quietly in their half against Scott Sauerbeck. But the Mets mount a threat in the last of the 11th. Shawon Dunston, a midseason acquisition, comes through with a key leadoff single. He's sacrificed to second by rookie, Melvin Mora, in the game merely as a defensive replacement. Alfonzo is walked intentionally. Olerud works the count before grounding out to first, moving the runners up and virtually assuring another intentional pass to Piazza. And it's down to Ventura. And Ventura, as he has done all season, comes through when it's needed most, nailing a single to center, scoring Dunston for a 3-2 victory, and as he leaps into Piazza's arms between first and second, Gary Cohen exults on WFAN, "The Mets will live for another day!"

And then, the help arrives. Reds rookie closer Scott Williamson blows a lead in Milwaukee, and the Brewers rally for a 4-3 victory. The Astros lose too, 5-1 to the Dodgers. The Mets have done their part. I come home after a night out and check the scores. I'm dumbfounded. Meaningful baseball still lives at Shea.

Final Score
Mets - 3
Pirates - 2
(11 Innings)

Saturday, October 2
Today, the help has already arrived by the time the game has begun. Reds starter Juan Guzman is torched in Milwaukee. 2 RBIs from Jeff Cirillo, Jeromy Burnitz and Ronnie Belliard pace the Brewers to a 10-6 victory. A Mets victory and the fate of the Wildcard is once again in the Mets hands. This in mind as the Mets, behind Rick Reed, take the field at 7:10. Tonight, I watch. I have to. The signs at Shea say "THANK YOU BREWERS!"

And it is an intense game right from the outset. It's clear that Reed is on top of his game. Although Reed was never one to blow you away, he was damn near unhittable when he had his best stuff. 2 hits over 6 innings is all he's allowed. But he's been matched by Francisco Cordova.

Until the 6th.

That's when Robin takes over once again.

Following a walk to Olerud, Piazza reaches on an error by Aramis Ramirez. Ventura whacks one into the right field corner, scoring Olerud for the game's first run. A second run scores when Ordonez lines out to Kevin Young at first, but his throw to double Piazza off 3rd is wide, and Piazza scores the second run.

Reed is flawless through the 7th and 8th. And in the last of the 8th, the Mets put the game away, capped off by a majestic Piazza HR, his 40th. 7-0 Mets. Reed finishes off his masterpiece by striking out Abraham Nunez for his career-high 12th K, and he pumps his fist. After falling into the abyss, somehow the Mets are back.

Late that night, a roommate and I have a long discussion, debating whether or not to drive down to Shea for Sunday's game. Tickets are being gobbled up with a quickness. Around 2AM, we decide: If there are tickets, we go. If not, we stay.

It's sold out.

Final Score
Mets - 7
Pirates - 0

Sunday, October 3
(Editor's note: Much of the detail of this game has already been brought up here. I had planned this specific piece to coincide with a playoff run. That, obviously, did not happen, and in a moment of panic, I used this game as a Lost Classic. But we all know what happened anyway.)

Consider Hershiser the unsung hero on this particular afternoon. It's his 5.1 solid innings that keep the Mets in the game until they won it on Clontz's wild pitch. In fact, he's just one of several that emerge this afternoon. Mahomes got out of a jam in the 6th. Benitez did so in the 9th. Melvin Mora picked up a huge hit leading off the 9th, and Alfonzo's subsequent single was just as clutch.

Most of all, it was redemption for Bobby Valentine, who was maligned and vilified by most of the New York Media as the team collapsed over the previous week. And yet, his best call of the day came long after the game had ended. As the Mets waited out the torrential rains that delayed the Reds-Brewers game well into the night, Valentine decided: Rather than wait to see who wins, just fly to Cincinnati now. Get that good night's sleep. If the Reds win, we'll be there, and we'll be ready. If not, we fly to Arizona.

The Reds finally began their game at 10pm in the East, following a rain delay of 5 hours and 47 minutes. With their 7-1 victory, Bobby's call proved to be the right one.

It wouldn't be the last good call he'd make in 1999.

Final Score
Mets - 2
Pirates - 1

To Be Continued...
Part II - Red Menace!

What Offseason?

Not that you'd notice, especially if you're in the New York area, but the Baseball season did actually end a week ago. That means very little to most fans, especially the roster of callers to WFAN. Or myself, or the Artist formerly known as El Guapo. We convened during the week and among the discussion was an impromptu selection of who will come out on top in the National League in 2008. You know, without knowing who's on which team and all. But nonetheless, here's our picks, so if either of us end up being dead on, you can know that it was called as of November.

AFKEG's Picks:
NL East - Mets
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wildcard - Phillies

M2M's Picks:
NL East - Mets
NL Central - Pirates
NL West - Giants
NL Wildcard - Marlins

As you can see, we are both keeping the faith as far as the Mets are concerned. The Former Guap's picks were, I felt, of the relatively safe kind. True, you have to take the "Torre effect" into account with the Dodgers, but considering they have Kent and Penny and a veritable mishmash of players over 40 and under 25 (sort of like the Mets), I can't be sure that it's going to work out in the long run.

Speaking of the Dodgers, how would you like to be Scott Proctor right now? After basically 2 seasons of having his shoulder turned into ground meat by Torre, he was finally free, feeling good and pitching on a normal reliever's schedule. What do you think his reaction was when he picked up the newspaper on Friday morning and saw this?

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!"

But I digress. It's my contention that the NL is basically so parity-ridden that you can't figure out who the hell is going to win, even if you tried to figure it out at the beginning of the season. Think about it. Who the hell thought the Rockies or Diamondbacks would contend at all in 2007? The league is, as a whole, diluted, and there's no dominant team. The case could be made that the NL Central is the worst in Baseball. Any one of those teams could come out of nowhere and win that division and it wouldn't surprise me. So I arrived on the Pirates based solely on their young pitchers, Gorzelanny, Maholm and Duke, and I figure guys like LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez and Bay will continue to improve, and they have a few of those annoying Eric Byrnes/Shane Victorino-type players in Nate McLouth and Chris Duffy, so, why not the Pirates? Same deal with the Giants, who are probably going to end up in some sort of rebuilding state, which automatically makes them a prime candidate to surprise the hell out of everyone. And the Marlins, well, if they hold on to Willis and Cabrera, players like Uggla, Ramirez, Willingham and Hermida perform up to par, and Anibal Sanchez returns from injury and Scott Olsen lays off the sauce (mainly so that they don't have to depend heavily on guys like Byung-Hyun Kim and Armando Benitez), that's as good a pick as any for the Wildcard. Hell, they could win the East if they play out of their minds for a few months.

Then, we have the 3 re-signings by the Mets this week. I'm fine with Easley and I'm more than fine with Marlon Anderson, who, as I've said, should not have been let go after 2005. Then, there's Moises Alou. I guess, given how well he played throughout the latter part of the season, you can't argue with bringing him back too much. But I mentioned it before, and Jason at FAFIF really screamed about it too: Yes, he's a good hitter. But he's not as clutch as he's played up to be, he's going to be 42 on July 3rd, he almost retired, and, most of all, he's only good for the 80-100 games he's healthy for. And that means that the Mets have to figure out who, exactly, is going to play those other 60-80 games in LF when he's out. Endy Chavez is a start. Perhaps Carlos Gomez will ascend. But it was my preference that the Mets go out and find a Left Fielder who will hit and field and hit in the clutch, AND play 150 games in 2008. We can't count on that out of Alou, but here we are again.

OK, fine. Trade Delgado if you have to. A viable Catcher, one big bat and relief pitchers who can get outs are all I'm asking for now. As I say every offseason, just don't do anything stupid.

Shea-Rod?

I had a conversation Monday morning with a reader, who adamantly stated that he didn't want the Mets to sign Alex Rodriguez.

Later that day, a colleague said that he thought the Mets absolutely have to sign Alex Rodriguez.

Such is the talk of the week with in Mets nation. You could write a book out of all the talk and the articles that have been flying around ever since A-Rod opted out of his original, overly-bloated contract during Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night.

I'll say it right now: I don't like A-Rod. He's proven himself to be little more than a puppet to his agent, the voracious Scott Boras, he's done very little when his teams have often needed it the most, he's admitted to crumpling under the pressure with the Yankees, he's a liar and a cheat, and he has allowed the press to continue to incite him and throw him under the bus when a simple middle finger to Joel Sherman's face might have shut everyone up (who am I kidding?).

That said, he's by far and away the best pure hitter in baseball, in the prime of his career with no real signs of slowing down. He's remained in good shape and in good health, and he absolutely has the potential to carry a team on his back when he's going good.

And similar pros and cons apply to the Mets and A-Rod. First, there's the position thing. A-Rod plays third, and he used to play short. Last time I checked, the Mets have a couple of guys playing those positions that are pretty damn good in their own right. In fact, that guy at 3rd is probably second to A-Rod as far as pure production from a 3rd baseman in all of Baseball. And I'm not talking about Joe Crede, here.

And yet, the hot word is that Omar is about to meet with David Wright to talk to him about a potential move to second. This article seems to intimate that this isn't true. Here, and also here, it's pretty well implied that Omar and DW are prepared to make this a reality.

This could be a reality that should have happened the last time A-Rod hit the free agent market, when the genius we call Steve Phillips boldly stated, "We don't need A-Rod, we just went to the World Series!" and then watched as the team muddled through most of the 2001 season, due mostly to a mostly impotent offense that made hitting into the double play an art form. Whether it was the 24 and 1 aspect preached by Wilpon and Phillips, or fear of the asking price, or the Mets staunch history of not dealing with Boras clients (this oddly changed when Omar Minaya took over, thus leading to Carlos Beltran coming to the Mets), it was a signing that made a lot of sense for the Mets back then, at the cost of some inflated ticket prices, but then again, God forbid, he just might have been the missing piece to a Championship. It's an arguable point, since the 2001 team had other, more serious flaws, but it's almost a mortal lock that A-Rod would have meant at least a playoff berth that season.

It made sense then. I'm not so sure it makes sense now. Yes, it's righting a previous wrong, and it's instantly rejuvenating an offense that could sorely need some rejuvenation. Money is the furthest thing from the issue. With the revenue the Mets will generate through ticket sales, TV and whatever, combined with the $20 mil per season from Citibank beginning in 2009, money is of no object to the Mets. They've already proved that by being able to spend over their injuries and mistakes over the previous two seasons. And maybe, just maybe, he's the difference maker that will deliver the Mets to the promised land. But it also means adding a known head case to the Mets clubhouse, one that already has proven itself to be all too fragile (Think of it—between A-Rod, Reyes's sensitivity, Delgado's flakiness and Wagner's standoffishness, this looks more like a Paxil clinic than a baseball team). It means shifting around one of the most popular, home grown players the Mets have ever seen. It means that A-Rod, after all the issues and problems he's had with New York fans and the New York Media, is still stuck in the same damn situation. The jackals are breathing down his neck, and every time he doesn't come through in a big spot, the fans are going to boo him out of the building. And then he's going to press, and then it's going to just become a giant mess, until at some point he does hold up his proverbial middle finger and hit 50 HRs (and if anyone could produce a 50 HR season while playing half his games in Shea, it would be A-Rod, although who knows how Citi Field will play—we can all certainly hope it's not another incarnation of Steroid Park in Philly), but by then, lord only knows what sort of mental state he'll be in.

The sad reality of this is that if it were another player, at another position, with the same numbers, with another psyche and fewer skeletons in his closet hitting the market, a move like this would be a no-brainer. Because it's A-Rod, and because we're all too keenly aware, especially those of us in New York, living with the 3-Ring Circus going on right under our noses, I just can't, in good conscience, endorse the Mets signing of Alex Rodriguez.

But, if the Mets do bring him in (and that seems to be the way this offseason has been going—just about everything that is unthinkable has happened), I'll root for him, and so will every other Mets fan. At least until he screws up.

Congratulations Red Sox, now what do you think about the Yankees?

Allegedly, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series last night, in a convincing 4-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies.

I'd like to think that this actually happened, except that Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and the rest of the FOX talking heads (especially that gin-blossom drunk Ken Rosenthal) spent most of the time ignoring this and instead talking about the real news story of the day, A-Rod opting out of his contract.

Earth shattering news. Who cares about a World Championship? Thanks for letting us know where you really stand, FOX.

There's not too much to say about the World Series, in all truth. I, among others, were simply hoping for a competitive series, unlike the past few years. But after 2 games, this was over. Hell, this was over after the first inning of Game 1. The Rockies were a good team that definitely deserved to be there, but they were totally overmatched. And, in reality, I don't see them doing this again. They have a good, young, competitive team, but just like they came out of nowhere this year, someone else will do this next season. The Rockies won't sneak up on anyone in '08. And they'll end up being held in the same regard as teams like the '98 Padres or the '05 Astros. You think back and say to yourself, "Wait a second, that team went to the World Series?! They did, didn't they!"

Believe it or not, there was a little Mets news over the weekend, and it didn't even involve a Bunion! This nugget placed smarmily in the infamous Anti-Met rag, the NY Post, is just another slap in the face to the Mets, who apparently have ceased to exist since September 30th. I've got no problem with laying low, especially since with the World Series over, we can now fully turn our thoughts to Hot Stove talk, but the 3-ring Circus in the Bronx have made the Mets vanish completely. Now, we have this article in Sunday's Post, talking about how Citi Field has bad Feng Shui, as explained to us by renowned Feng Shui expert Donna Chang, who just sounds like a real expert on the topic. It's almost as if the Post feels the need to kick the Mets while they're buried. Not only do the Mets suck, but their new stadium is bound to be just as bad. Well, thanks for pointing that out. It's almost as if with all the chaos and turmoil around the Yankees, they felt this need to just take one more shot at the Mets.

As if we haven't suffered enough.

Mets "Feel Bad" Field [Tabloid Rag]