Sit and Spin

"It's rare that you get that type of talent. I mean, boom! Right in the middle of the lineup type of guy, and right-handed for us, that would be a big bonus."

-Jerry Manuel

It's funny how the same interview can be spun so many different ways.

The outcry for Manny Ramirez that began last week, and which I've wholeheartedly thrown myself behind continued on Tuesday, as Jerry Manuel chimed in on the matter. There are two such places in particular that reported on this, one on the Mets website, and the other on ESPN.com. If you read one of them without reading the other, you probably think that Manuel has one particular stance. But if you read both of them, you come away thinking that Manuel gave two separate interviews at two different times.

On Mets.com, the Manuel article portrays the Mets Manager as being more interested in helping out at a local Food Bank, helping out the community before he heads down to Florida, ready to do battle with, what he feels, is a team completely in place. Sure, he was asked about Manny, but his response seems to be respectfully passive towards adding a surefire offensive force to a team that mangled far too many opportunities to score some runs. If this is what you read, you'd think that Manuel is happy and confident with what he's got, and he's ready to move forward for the 2009 season. The article appears to focus more on Manuel's dislike for his players participating in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, and that he feels Jose Reyes is ready to emerge as a clubhouse leader.

On ESPN, many of the same points are covered. However, Manuel's comments are spun to read that Manuel would love to have Ramirez on the team, and that he'd be fully in favor of bringing him in.

The ESPN.com article is, I gather, closer to the truth. There's no need to put any particular angle on Manuel's comments if you have no vested interest in the team. The Mets, however, would like to have all of us believe that whoever this Manny Ramirez fellow may be, the Mets won't be getting him and we should pretend he doesn't exist. I've already stated my feelings. If I needed any further backing up on the matter, Bill Simmons' latest article for ESPN The Magazine praises Ramirez as an underrated commodity who's showing no signs of age or slowing down. And this is from a Red Sox fan who should have nothing but scorn and ill will towards Manny.

The handwriting is clearly on the wall, and the outcry from the fans really ought to be getting through, somehow, to the Clown Car that is the Mets upper management. The Mets are SCREAMING for this guy. He's the perfect fit. It's the right situation. Not making this move would be catstrophically dumb. It's the difference between being a nice little contending team that could just as easily finish 3rd as 1st, and being a serious contender to take it all the way to the World Series. So, once again, I wonder: Who's driving this bus, and how serious are they about making their disillusioned fan base believe that they want to build a winner?

Mets' Kitchen open for Business [Mets.com]
Mets Manager Jerry Manuel would welcome Ramirez [ESPN.com]
Bill Simmons: Overrated Overload [ESPN.com]

He Said, They Said...

I'm beginning to wonder who, exactly, is driving this bus.

The Mets can continue to add pitchers to try to round out their starting rotation, but in reality it's no secret that if the Mets really want to make themselves a bonafide contender, they need to add a major bat to the middle of their lineup.

I'm not at all against the signing of Freddy Garcia. I really liked Garcia back in his Seattle days, and I certainly think the move is a great low-risk, high-reward kind of deal. Should Garcia prove himself healthy and capable of eating up innings and winning games, the move is a steal. But there was another news blip late in the week that left me a bit perplexed about how the Mets are approaching the 2009 season.

The article, of course, involved the Mets lack of interest in Manny Ramirez.

I'm kind of confused as to who, exactly, is telling the truth. For all we've heard, or at least all that's been indicated to us, Omar Minaya is a huge fan of Ramirez, and has been so for years. I don't know if it's substantiated, but I keep hearing word that both Freddie and the Boy-King don't like Manny because of Character issues.

This strikes me as a pretty sorry excuse. Manny Being Manny is going to pop up wherever he ends up. So will a guy who's a pretty safe bet to hit about .300, with 35 HRs and 110 RBIs. The kind of bat who would look pretty damn good in the middle of a Mets lineup that was simply dying in key RBI spots late last season. He'd look pretty good in a lineup that already boasts major question marks at no less than 3 positions, and probably 4 if you figure that Carlos Delgado is another year older and for at least 70 games last season looked to be completely past it.

But nooooooo, apparently this guy isn't even an option. The Mets can continue to load up on pitching and more pitching, and have that shutdown bullpen that will keep the Mets in games that they will continue to lose 3-1 and 4-2 because they couldn't get a key hit. The argument that the offense wasn't the problem because the Mets finished tied for 2nd with Philadelphia in scoring 799 runs is a load. The Mets tended to score runs in bunches. I'd bet that, more often than not, the Mets were either scoring 9 runs or 2 runs, with no in between. I can't buy that this thought hasn't crossed Omar Minaya's mind. Minaya isn't a guy who has been timid to make a major acquisiton; it's part of the reason the Mets have had the modicum of success they've had over the past 4 seasons. And I'm sure the Mets players would certainly be glad to have him around, at least David Wright has indicated as much, and I'm sure plenty of other players agree with him.

Bringing in Ramirez is, the more I think about it, an absolutely necessary move. Going into the season relying heavily on Fernando Tatis, Daniel Murphy and Ryan Church to carry a major part of the offensive load is not going to inspire confidence in anybody, certainly not anyone who really picked apart the Mets struggles last season. I don't care about the fact that he's a space cadet. I don't care if he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed one day and decides he doesn't want to play. Manny spent a large chunk of his childhood in Washington Heights. If he comes here, he immediately becomes the King of the City. He can carry the team on his shoulders, act like a goofball, whatever. I don't care. He needs to be here.

One final point on who we ought to believe: Nobody will say it, and any reporter who does would likely be fired on sight. But if Freddie and Jeffy are such keen judges of character, then how did they manage to get swindled out of $300 million by Bernard Madoff? If that's not a ringing endorsement for Omar to bite the bullet and bring Ramirez on board, I don't know what is.

So Excellent A Fishe

I guess I must have angered the Fish gods or the Stadium Gods or the Florida Gods with my post yesterday, since the Mets apparently didn't put forth their best efforts on Wednesday evening. Not that I had much of an idea as to what happened. As I mentioned, with a major show opening on Saturday, my opportunities to even check out what's going on on the internet are slim. I saw a 5-4 Marlins score in the 6th, and then when I came back, it was over, a 7-5 finale. I'll take this to mean I didn't miss much, other than Pelfrey having what was his worst outing in some time. I think we'll forgive him for this one, although with Philadelphia's victory, the Mets reign as Kings of the NL East is over after a brief, tantalizing 6-day stay. Something tells me this lead may well change hands more than a few times over the last two months of the season.

With the Trade Deadline upon us, apparently the hot topic of discussion around the Mets, or perhaps all of the NL East is if anyone is going to land Manny Ramirez from Boston. These Manny trade talks seem to pop up at least once a season, once "Manny Being Manny" gets a little too tiresome or he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, or wrenches his neck brushing his teeth or whatever. I had heard him going to Philadelphia for Pat Burrell, among others. Although I'd hate to see Philly gain his bat, I have to think it's a rather silly move for them, after already dealing their top prospect for ragtag pitcher Joe Blanton, and offense not being much of a problem for them. I wouldn't be particularly sad to see that Jerkoff Burrell depart, but then again, put Manny in Steroid Field II and he's likely to hit Baseball's first 800 foot HR. The Mets probably are the best fit for Manny, but I don't think the Mets have the chips to make such a deal. So, now, we have Florida, for whom Manny would be the ultimate Rent-A-Player. They certainly have the chips, guys like Jeremy Hermida or Josh Willingham or any other of their Outfield Pups would certainly be welcome by Boston, and Florida would have the benefit of Manny's bat in their lineup for the next two months, when the low-budget Fish will predictably let him walk to the highest bidder.

It's all rumors to me, I have no idea what's going on. But then again, I guess everything you hear is a rumor this time of year.