New York Mets 2010-11 Winter report

[sonny10305]

Welcome to the NY Mets 2010-11 winter report. I plan on keeping all Mets fans up to date with what is going on during the off season. I encourage all of you to share any news you have and post it here.

Over the next few months I will be speaking to some of the ball players and share what I can here with you guys. Most of the boys have already left for home now for some R&R but some will soon head on to winter ball in various locations, Lockers and temporary housing cleaned out and stuff shipped home. I have worn a path from my house to the airport over the last few days. A couple of our favorite guys Josh Thole and Chris Carter are getting married over the winter, Carter fist cause he will play winter ball but Thole will wait till Christmas because he is staying home this winter enjoying his new home in Arizona. Josh will not play in winter ball he played last year in Venezuela, but he is going to have a trainer come to the house to work out all winter and will continue working with Bob Natale who has been instrumental in teaching Josh much of what he know about catching.

In the meantime we wait for word on who our new GM will be and who will lead our team in 2011.The Mets haven't received permission to speak with any candidates or scheduled any interviews, but will very soon. and would like to hire a new general manager before the World Series.

 

[sonny10305]

Little tid bits leaking out of Mets camp, third base coach Chip Hale and pitching coach Dan Warthen have a strong chance of returning next season, the Mets have asked both to sit tight after their contracts expire November 1, The Mets usually structure their coaches' contracts to run out on November 1, which made it a little more interesting this year after Manual and Minaya got the boot.. The Mets will not make final decisions on coaches until choosing a manager. I have written previously that I wanted both these guys to stay I hope t does work out that way.First base coach Razor Shines, who was one of Manuals guys, is not expected to return. HoJo is unlikely to remain as hitting coach, but will remain with the organization in some other capacity As far as the bench coach goes that will be determined by the next manager.

It also looks like although the Mets brass will not want to force its preferences on a new manager, it is expected to recommend Wally Backman, if Backman gets the job it could change HoJos statis

The Mets still have no interviews set up for the GM job but yesterday they seem to be narrowing the list of candidates, Terry Ryan, Sandy Alderson, Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, Jerry Dipoto, Gerry Hunsicker and Dan Jennings are high on the team’s list.

 

[syam24]

Rumors are that Chip Hale is highly thought of as a future manager, so the Mets need to keep him close, as perhaps the new GM might like to interview him as a possiblility. He was a vast improvement over Razor Shines as the third base coach. I'm not going to lose sleep over the new GM quite yet as the process is in the very early stages, just hope there is no sloppiness on the Mets part in hiring someone, no hemming and hawing, low balling salary-wise, etc. Don't need any extra drama.

 

[sonny10305]

I hear what you are sayin Syam and I agree, however a big part of me wants to know not so much who the new GM will be what he will bring to the Mets. His ideas and game plan are of such interest to me I just can’t wait to hear what that will be. Meantime the Mets have received permission to speak with Rick Hahn, Allard Baird and Josh Byrnes. All will be interviewed next week.

In a very unusual statement Jeff Wilpon said of Ollie Perez, “Anybody who thinks I'm the general manager, do you think I really would go out and sign Oliver Perez? Or did I go along with what my GM suggested? We tried to get the best contract we could with him. It obviously hasn't worked so far. So the new GM coming in hopefully won't have the baggage of Oliver Perez being under his watch. Yikes!
We knew there was no love lost between Jeff and Ollie, it went downhill after at Jeff’s request Scott Boras encouraged Perez to accept a minor-league assignment when the Mets tried to demote him in the middle of the season, but numb nutz refused to go. Instead he held a roster spot hostage the rest of the season. Many Mets players were pissed by what Ollie did. Word now I that Perez will begin pitching in the Mexican Pacific League next month and that if he does not improve and the new general manager cannot deal him the team is prepared to simply eat the remaining $12 million on his contract. Finally!

Lucas Duda I still bothered by that shin splints and will not play winter ball this offseason.
Too bad cause the kid was really starting to catch fire and needs winter ball.

 

[sonny10305]

More and more people are telling me that Sandy Alderson is the front runner for the Mets GM job. He is also favored by Bud Selig who said Sandy would bring the Mets an intellect they have been missing plus instant organization, credibility and the perception throughout the game that the general manager, and not ownership, is running the baseball operations. So it would appear that Selig is among the many who have thought the obvious that the Wilpons have been interfering too much with the GMs duties. Hear that Jeff?? Alderson had been working for the MLB commissioner's office as the executive vice president for baseball operations for seven years. He has been CEO of the San Diego Padres. He is an experienced and smart baseball personality who will fit in nicely and do well for the Mets.
I only hope who ever gets the job he will be given the power to make the decisions needed. The Wilpons have a history of not allowing that which must stop if we are to turn things around. Alderson is a great talent evaluator which the Met sorely need he has led the Oakland A's to the World Series from 1988-1990, winning in 1989. He built that great A's team The Mets need a guy who can get it done and knows how to build a winning franchise.

Meantime waiting in the wings for the manager’s job is Wally Backman who has been keeping a close eye on what develops with the GM position while he hunts in Oregon. Wally has been in touch with Jeff Wilpon who told Wally that picking the general manager comes first, and that there was no timetable. Backman is said to have told Jeff. "I figured that."

Looking forward to today I will be meeting up with Josh Thole before he heads home to Arizona, I haven’t seen Josh in a while should be fun.

SNY field reporter Kevin Burkhart ha been home in New Jersey taking some time off with his wife and son just being lazy not even shaving. He said that his Mets Hot Stove show will start up this year probably on November 11th.

 

[gtru1981]

Who needs to watch SNY or read the Daily News.. when i got u to tell me all the news. BTW lucky that you are cool with these players!

More and more people are telling me that Sandy Alderson is the front runner for the Mets GM job. He is also favored by Bud Selig who said Sandy would bring the Mets an intellect they have been missing plus instant organization, credibility and the perception throughout the game that the general manager, and not ownership, is running the baseball operations. So it would appear that Selig is among the many who have thought the obvious that the Wilpons have been interfering too much with the GMs duties. Hear that Jeff?? Alderson had been working for the MLB commissioner's office as the executive vice president for baseball operations for seven years. He has been CEO of the San Diego Padres. He is an experienced and smart baseball personality who will fit in nicely and do well for the Mets.
I only hope who ever gets the job he will be given the power to make the decisions needed. The Wilpons have a history of not allowing that which must stop if we are to turn things around. Alderson is a great talent evaluator which the Met sorely need he has led the Oakland A's to the World Series from 1988-1990, winning in 1989. He built that great A's team The Mets need a guy who can get it done and knows how to build a winning franchise.

Meantime waiting in the wings for the manager’s job is Wally Backman who has been keeping a close eye on what develops with the GM position while he hunts in Oregon. Wally has been in touch with Jeff Wilpon who told Wally that picking the general manager comes first, and that there was no timetable. Backman is said to have told Jeff. "I figured that."

Looking forward to today I will be meeting up with Josh Thole before he heads home to Arizona, I haven’t seen Josh in a while should be fun.

SNY field reporter Kevin Burkhart ha been home in New Jersey taking some time off with his wife and son just being lazy not even shaving. He said that his Mets Hot Stove show will start up this year probably on November 11th.

 

[sonny10305]

Who needs to watch SNY or read the Daily News.. when i got u to tell me all the news. BTW lucky that you are cool with these players!

I am happy you enjoy adding my stuff. I spent eight years following the Brooklyn Cyclones and got to know a lot of the players many of whom are good friends of mine now. Some of those guys made it to AAA and the Mets and having remained friends they keep me up on what is going on. I am also a Pitcher for a local team on Long Island, my uncle was a pitcher and I credit him and the guys who have pitched for Brooklyn cyclones, Buffalo Bisons and the Mets for helping me with my pitching.

The Arizona Fall League opens on Tuesday; with seven Mets prospects assigned to Mesa they include Brad Holt, Kai Gronauer, Nick Carr, Robert Carson, Eric Niesen, Jordany Valdespin and Kirk Nieuwenhuis.
Ricky Bones, the pitching coach for AAA Buffalo last year will take the job in Arizona.

Daniel Murphy said he is sure now about going to the Dominican Republic for winter ball.
He will play primarily second base but will play a few other positions as well.

I had told you guys that Matt Harvey was with Murphy in the instructional league but he did not pitch at all just worked a bit with the coaches throwin bullpens, and now Murph said that Matt had to leave cause of a death in his family, and with so little time left he was told to just stay home after the funeral to await future instructions. I asked how Matt threw and the response was “Woof”

Fernando Martinez’s knee is better and will also play winter ball.

Reese Havens had good news, I told you about his back issues and now they say he will not need surgery. He has gone home and is not sure what will be next.

The Mets have set their 2011 schedule with the first game in Florida against the Marlins on April 1st
Opening day at Citi field set for April 8th against the Nationals.
The Buffalo Bisons season will begin April 7th against the Syracuse Chiefs in Buffalo

 

[sonny10305]

Keeping track of what the future Mets stars are doing is something I have always loved to do and this year is no exception. Yesterday was the start of winter ball and the first reports out of Arizona got my blood pumpin. I have often written about Brad Holt who has been struggling, well yesterday was a big day for Brad who pitched three scoreless innings yesterday for the win in his Arizona Fall League debut. ok so it's only the first day of the Fall League season but what was important is his confidence and command seem to be returning. A little back story, you may remember Holt was considered the Mets' top right-handed prospect heading into Spring Training. But then had a rough season at A and AA, his ERA had ballooned to just over 8, so this rebound is hugh for him. Ok I know its only one game but it was a very positive step for him pitching three shutout innings. Brad said it's good having a little success. It feels real good, he also felt it was a good start.
Lemme tell you I know how good it had to feel to him to get back out there, he was choppin at the bit to get to Arizona, he knew his struggles were all mental and that he had pretty much dug himself a hole as he battled to regain his stuff on the mound. When I first met him in Brooklyn in ’08 he had gone 5-2 with an ERA of about 1.80. So yestrday was a fresh start for Brad he said he felt very comfortable and it showed throwing 23 of 37 pitches for strikes. I remember him back in ’08 when he was one of the Mets three first round picks; he was in good company with Ike Davis and Reese Havens. Speaking of Ike I should mention he batted .341 in 21 Arizona last year. Ya gotta like Ike,
Brad is a smart kid, he knows Arizona won't be as easy as the instructional league; he is playing now with a collection of the top talent in the Minors. But I look at it as a major vote of confidence since only the guys with limited Major League experience that are on the Mets radar are sent to Arizona to get in some extra work against top talent. It just so happens that today is his 24th birthday, Happy Birthday dude.

Cory Vaughn has been nominated for the Short-Season Hitter of the Year award, you may have read my posts about Cory lat year who in his professional debut became the productive hitter in Cyclones history, and he set new franchise records with 14 home runs and 56 RBI. Cory also hit just over .300 with 45 runs scored, 14 doubles, five triples, 14 home runs, 56 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. In addition, he walked a team-high 34 times.
Yup, I keep track of stuff like that about Cory.
He deserves that award and should get it.

 

[sonny10305]

Hisanori Takahashi has said would like to stay with the Mets, but wants a two year deal, but in what capacity. He has been saying all season he prefers to start, but when he did we saw problems with his effectiveness towards the middle innings. It seems he would be better suited for the pen perhaps as a closer (K-Rod is done). He could also be a long to middle reliever who can be very effective against left handed hitters like Darren Oliver was. Takahashi was very good for us this year doing just about everything the Mets asked him to do, so I feel a guy like that would be valuable given his ability to adapt and adjust to situations. I went back and did a little research and found that he went 10-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 53 games and 12 starts in 2010. As a starter, he went 4-4 with a 5.01 ERA in 64 innings, while he went 6-2 with a 2.01 ERA with eight saves in 41 relief appearances. Still, at age 36 I would give him just a year.

Here is a story to make you laugh, While we wait for the new team to come in and make a decision on what to do with Ollie Perez I found out that that a few Mets fans are raising money to buy out Oliver Perez’s contract. The fans in charge of the fund plan to accept donations until February 13, which is when pitchers and catchers report to off-season workouts. The goal is the $12 million that is left on Perez’s 3 year, $36 million deal. The organizers of the fund have even vowed to donate the money to charity if they fall short of their goal. If nothing else comes from this at least as a result the Mets’ front office will realize if they haven’t already how passionate the fans are about hating the guy and getting him “outta here” Meanwhile, Ollie has joined the Mexican Winter League.

Daniel Murphy is packing this weekend and heads out Tuesday for the Dominican for winter ball to improve his skills mostly at second base; I will keep you guys up to date on everything he does. If you don’t know it yet I am a major supporter in Murphy taking Castillo’s job at second base next year, it’s what Murph wants very much to do.

Chris Carter is also set for winter ball but he is going to Venezuela, be careful down there dude.

I gotta mention the story you may have heard about Jeff Francoeur who was quoted saying “I always wanted to know what it was like to play meaningful baseball in New York and I’m going to have the opportunity.” Some are saying it was a dish on the Mets but I don’t se it that way at all. Jeff was just talking about playing post season baseball in NY which is something he has said often since he came to NY. So now he is excited to be getting the chance now as a Ranger. If it was intended in any way as a joke towards the Mets it would certainly seem appropriate given all the friends he made and continues to have with the Mets players. I am absolutely sure guys like D Wright had a big laugh over what Jeff said it was so typical of what he would say. So let’s please keep the comment in proper prospective.

Speaking of David, this came to me today

A Note from David Wright
I am pleased to announce I will be hosting a “Vegas Night” on Friday, January 14, 2011 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center to benefit Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters (CHKD). As you may know, my Foundation has held several events in New York and this is my first event ever in Hampton Roads to benefit my hometown Children’s Hospital.
Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters is a special place of hope and healing for thousands of children each year. I have visited CHKD many times and spent time with patients and families who inspire me with their courage and resilience.
In addition to sponsorships, we need items for a silent and live auction. And of course, I would be delighted to see you at the event if you can make it.
I appreciate your consideration of my request for your support. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call Karen Gershman (757-668-7343) or Ashley Dorey (757-668-7673) at CHKD.

Most Sincerely,

David Wright

I would encorage anyone who can to support David on this.

 

[sonny10305]

Oh my the injuries have begun in winter ball, Wilmer Flores strained his left calf in Venezuela, he’ll be out 4-7 days. Kirk Nieuwenhuis in Arizona left Thursday’s game early with a bloody nose after a bad hop hit him in the face. Doesn’t sound serious, but please …it’s only October. The good news is that Nieuwenhuis was 2-3 with double, his second, before his bloody nose.

K-Rod's grievance against the Mets will not go to a scheduled arbitration hearing Monday because the involved parties feel as if they are moving toward a negotiated settlement, both sides belief that an agreement could be announced by this Monday. A resolution before arbitration means that the Mets will not be able to avoid paying the remainder of his contract, a whopping $11.5 million salary next year along with a vesting $17.5 million option in 2012. The Mets could still get something in the settlement, like some or all of Rodriguez's salary from the period he missed while injured which was late in the season, the Mets could at least be absolved of the responsibility of paying K-Rod while he is unavailable to pitch I am waiting to see how all this ends up and if he ends up playing for us again in 2011, which is something I don’t want. You have to wonder, due to the injury, what would be guaranteed to him if he did come back along with the wacky option that hangs over him. Trouble is he is probably unmovable unless the Mets agree to pick up a substantial portion of his contract. Then there is the question of how he will be received by his teammates, the new GM, ownership, and of course us the fans.

The interviews for the GM job are going well and yesterday Jeff Wilpon sent out this e-mail.

Dear Mets Fans:
We have heard from many of you over recent weeks offering suggestions and ideas on how to assemble a winning team. Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Your interest and support of the Mets is greatly appreciated.
We have been hard at work since the end of the season exploring ways to improve our club. As you likely know, this week we interviewed five candidates for General Manager – Allard Baird, Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, Sandy Alderson, and Logan White. They all are intelligent, creative and passionate about winning. They conveyed their honest assessment of our franchise and discussed how we can move forward on our pledge to give our fans the winner that they deserve.
We are continuing our search and expect to hire our new GM in the next few weeks. We will be in contact with you with more information and details soon.
Thanks again.

 

[syam24]

I'll be glad when the GM hiring process is over, so we can get to the meat of the matter, the next manager. That, I think, will help show who is in charge, and how much power the GM might have over whatever restructuring will be forthcoming. KRod, I believe, will be a Met next year, he was relatively effective most of the time. I'm sure the Mets do not want to eat more money if they don't have to. I, like you Sonny, would like to see Takahashi back, he was pretty effective out of the bullpen. He could spot start, but I would not want him as a regular starter every fifth day. Frenchy's comments don't bother me, he's a genuine good guy in the baseball business. Why wouldn't he be happy to be in the postseason. Oh boy, did the RAngers blow an opportunity last nite, reminds me of some of the Mets efforts in the past. Enjoy the fall weather.

 

[sonny10305]

Syam, Thanks for your post I am always interested in reading you thoughts.I agree with what you said about the GM job and like you I will be happy to see a decision made soon. As to what you wrote about the new GMs job I think that If the Mets do indeed hire Alderson, he'll have a lot more payroll flexibility than he ever did running a baseball team. The Mets will have a lot of money coming off the books after 2011 with Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez all in the final year of their deals. Carlos Beltran is also in the final year of his deal this year, Of course we will see what the new GM does with those guys in 2001. I want rid of Castillo and of course Perez but I am torn about Beltran I mean a big part of me thinks we don't need him in 2011 but he still may be a productive player going forward if he can stay healthy. I have to think the new GM will explore potential trades with Castillo and Perez and possibly Beltran as well.
Once the Mets hire a new GM, he can get to work on reshaping the ball club his way, and the Mets can hire a new manager and try to figure out where they stand. It's going to be interesting to see how they rebuild this team back to where They can contend in what is for sure now a tough division.I also have to think if Alderson is the next GM I can't wait to see how he handles the young players who have room to grow and develop around Wright and Reyes. For me there is no question but that The Mets have the potential to turn it around quickly and be a winner again if the right moves are made.

Syam you also mentioned Takahashi, I wrote the other day about him wanting a two year deal, but Takahashi has now said hat although he wants to remain with the Mets, he is no longer asking for a two-year contract, but was interested in exploring the free agent market this winter. He is open to remaining a reliever, rather than looking to become a starting pitcher.

So now it looks like K-Rod has recovered enough from his thumb surgery to pitch in the Venezuelan Winter League in November.A positive step for him, if he comes back to pitch for the Mets it will be the final year of his contract. Come back…don’t come back, I don’t give rats ass about him anymore.

Chris Cater said that Wilmer Flores injury a bit more than thought and will now miss two weeks in Venezuelan with a left calf injury

 

[gtru1981]

Hey Sonny,

Got a question for you. Do you know if David is doing a Do the Wright Thing Gala this year?? I know he is doing some Vegas thing in 2011 in Virginia Beach.

 

[sonny10305]

Hey Sonny,

Got a question for you. Do you know if David is doing a Do the Wright Thing Gala this year?? I know he is doing some Vegas thing in 2011 in Virginia Beach.

No, the last one was in 2008, David still has his Annual Las Vegas night which this year will benefit Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters. This year it will be held on Friday, January 14, 2011 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. My family always donates to Davids charities and I will post all the news and goings on at the event. http://www.chkd.org/Giving/DavidWright/default.aspx


Wilmer Flores new is not getting any better, the Mets have now shut him down after nine at bats in the Arizona Winter League. The initial diagnosis is a strained left calf, but the Mets are taking no chances and sending him to Port St. Lucie today for 2 weeks of rehabilitation with the New York Mets training staff. I sure hope things get better for him I was so hoping for Wilber to master the outfield. I just hope it’s not Daniel Murphy all over again. Speaking of Daniel he is in Venezuela today to begin work outs with Nick Evans and Chris Carter.
K-Rod, Henry Blanco, Manny Acosta and Fernando Nieve are expected to join them in November.
The boys will keep me up on what is going on there and I will pass it on to you guys.

 

[sonny10305]

So as I wrote yesterday K-Rod told MLB not to challenge the Mets decision to withhold his salary for the remainder of the 2010 season. So now, the Mets have told Rodriguez they will not seek to convert his contract to a non-guaranteed contract, and he will be removed from the Disqualified List. What that boils down to is the Mets do not have to pay Rodriguez $3.1 million of his 2010 salary. Jeff Wilpon spoke about it today saying “We are pleased that Frankie Rodriguez has accepted responsibility for his actions and their consequences. We have been assured that he is taking steps to address the issues that led to the incident, and that those efforts will continue. We have also been assured that he will work hard both on and off the field to regain the trust of the organization, Mets fans and the community.”
So where we are now with him is that since the Mets do need to pay Rodriguez the last $3.1 million from his 2010 salary, he’s still under contract, he’s active and still on the roster and could pitch in 2011.
What K-Rod ha already said is, he regrets the incident, he offered apologies to the Wilpons, Mets fans, his teammates and the rest of the organization. He also wants us to know that he has been participating in anger management classes. and basically he dropped the claim against the Mets because he is responsible for the August 11 incident. And finally saying, “I look forward to being a part of the 2011 Mets and hopefully beyond.
So that’s over, we will just have to wait to see what the new GM wants to do with him. Now that K-Rod and the Mets Have settled leaving Rodriguez with a guaranteed contract and the Mets with an extra $3.1 million. It was the best the Mets could do going against the powerful MLB and little as it may seem it does give the Mets a little more cash to work with in 2011.

 

[syam24]

It appears to be a reasonable solution for all concerned. Hopefully KRod will actually benefit from the counselling and be a better person for it. I think he is still capable enuff close for a few years, and helps the Mets in the aspect of having one less part to look for this off season. He could also be a valuble trade chip should some enticing offer come along down the road, either this off season or at the trade deadline next summer.

 

[sonny10305]

It appears to be a reasonable solution for all concerned. Hopefully KRod will actually benefit from the counselling and be a better person for it. I think he is still capable enuff close for a few years, and helps the Mets in the aspect of having one less part to look for this off season. He could also be a valuble trade chip should some enticing offer come along down the road, either this off season or at the trade deadline next summer.

Yeah I'm warming up to the idea of his coming back, and you make a good point about a trade. by the way thanks for continuing to add your thoughts here. Most come in to just lurk around and don't say much, even ole reliable Saucy has abounded us. Maybe as we get closer to spring training we will hear thoughts from some of the other JUBers out there.
If any of you have questions about your favorite player please don't hesitate to ask, I keep in contact with a lot of the boys in winter ball

 

[sonny10305]

Ike Davis and Jon Niese were named to the 17-player All-Rookie Team by Baseball America, My boy Ike is said to having 25 to 30 home run potential, and Niese was is expected to have a bright future .There has already been comparisons of Ike and Prince Fielder, some have even suggested Ike might be traded for Fielder which I say is ridicules and can never happen Lemme tell you if that was one of the moves made by the new GM I would be outraged, I cannot image anyone being that stupid. What needs to be done instead is to get them both under Mets control for a very very long time.

The Mets completed the first round of interviews with GM candidates yesterday; Sandy Alderson is still the guy most believe is going to get the job. Partly because of his relationship with the Wilpons and Bud Selig and also because he helped construct an A's team that won four division titles, three pennants and one World Series during 15 seasons when he was GM there. Yesterday Sandy ttoured Citi Field and met gain with Jeff Wilpon and John Ricco. Today another e-mail came from Jeff which read

"As you may know, earlier today we completed the initial round of interviews with six talented candidates to become the new general manager of the New York Mets. Each was extremely impressive -- Allard Baird, Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, Sandy Alderson, Logan White and Dana Brown. All reiterated their desire and interest in pursuing this opportunity. We will be in direct communication with each as we narrow the candidate pool by early next week. We subsequently will invite the leading candidates back to meet with Fred and me."

So that Hugh list of like 30 names long has now been cut down to six, and now comes the process of scheduling callback interviews with the finalists.

I do not have a big interest in whether of not Sandy gets the job, I like his qualifications but I am in no position to say he is the man for the job; I’m just a baseball player and a lover of the game. What I do know is the Mets need major changes in the way the team is constructed and run. As to who that man is I leave to the experts who know a lot more than I do.

 

[syam24]

I like the idea of Sandy Alderson from this aspect. I don't think he'd take the job unless he had pretty much run of the show, don't think he's gonna want to be in a position where he constantly has to go the Wilpon's for permission to make moves. He might have to go to them if he has to take on a very large contract, but I don't have a problem with that, just makes sense. I think if one of the other candidates gets the position, it will come with a get permission from the Wilpon's clause. A trade of Ike for Prince makes no sense, especially from a financial aspect, so I'm not going to lose sleep over that idea. Will not happen. Mets have enuff money invested in high priced talent, i.e. Castillo, KRod, Beltran.

 

[sonny10305]

And then there were two.

Yesterday the Mets narrowed the field down to two for the GM job, Josh Byrnes and Sandy Alderson.
The final interviews are set for next week with Josh scheduled for Monday and Sandy for Tuesday.
Sooo we are getting close. I was also excited to learn that both Alderson and Byrnes presented lists of four or five managerial candidates in their initial interviews with Jeff Wilpon. Each of their lists included Wally Backman, and ya gotta love that.

Syam, I knew you agree about Davis, it would make no sense. Some have argued that Fielder would produce more home runs, but I believe Ike will surpass last years numbers big time in 2011, and he is a beter defense player than Prince. Ike is currently working hard back home in Arizona and you will be impressed by his power next year wait and see.

Hey Saucy, I know you are lurking around in here come on in and play with us.

I watched my boy Daniel Murphy in his first game yesterday for the Agilas winter league in the Dominican, I got link to a live feed. He is wearing #43 and yesterday he played first although that is nor where he will spend most of the time they want him at second as do we all. He is feeling great, put on a coupe pounds of muscle up to 218 now which is good for him at 6’2. After the tough time he had last year it just warms my heart to see that kid as excited for yet another shot.
Here is Murphy’s Dominican head shot. The Irish Hammer