New York Mets 2010

[sonny10305]

I just got off the phone and no news about Murphy yet. The Cyclones are working out today in Florida and so there is no one may get to Daniel till later tonight. I am sure some one will be speaking with him tonight. Perhaps I will get an update later I was promised a call when anything new happens. My buddy is very anxious to talk to Daniel and I am sure he will before the day is over.
I asked how the training was going and he said it was “intense” Wally Backman is working them hard in squad games yesterday and today. The guys love it, no pussy footing around with Wally, the boys are getting a very hard workout. Wally means business. The Cyclones will be a whole new attitude this year and everyone is pumped about that.
It also looks like Jesus Feliciano may be promoted soon to the Mets, it is possible for that to happen later this week. Feliciano is currently hitting .395
Castillo is having problems and could very well end up on the DL. If that happens it is possible that Ruben Tajada will replace Castillo, not Feliciano, which will result in either the end of Chris Carter, the other option would be Gary Matthews Jr but I don’t think they wanna lose Gary till Beltran comes back. To tell you the truth as much as I like Carter and dislike Matthews I would not mind seeing Carter go back down, Manual never gives the kid any at bats or uses him all that much so he will be better off in AAA were he can play everyday.

As I told you guys Jon Niese looked really good at AAA on Monday and now the Mets will activate him on Saturday. When they activate him, the Mets will have to take someone off the 25-man roster, and they really want that to be Oliver Perez. Ollie is still insisting that he did not want to be demoted; The Mets are working with Scott Boras hoping that Perez will accept a temporary demotion by the weekend. Apparently Boras is now open to the idea of trying to help the Mets persuade Perez he should accept the assignment. The3 Mets are bending over backwards trying to make this as painless for Ollie as possible by offering certain perks that a minor leaguer normally would not get, including first-class travel and a major league per diem.

More on all this should come down soon.

 

[sonny10305]

My boy in Florida finally spoke with Murphy late this morning.
Daniel is flying to NY this afternoon to go to the Hospital for Special Surgery for evaluation. I asked if it was the same knee he had problem with before and yes it is.
Murphy is toughening it out, I have decided it best not to discuss the rest of my conversation on these boards, however I will keep you guys up to date on Daniel.

I am so happy I got to meet him on Monday, we spoke for close to an hour and I felt a real bond with him,
we have the same love for many things especially baseball.

Meanwhile Thole is felling much better and as of know will not need any medical attention.

 

[syam24]

Thanks for the updates!!

 

[sonny10305]

Thanks for the updates!!

I wish the new was better, I got the call I was dreading atround 4 this afternoon
Daniel had the MRI and has been diagnosed with a high grade MCL tear in his right knee and is done for the season. Daniel said he won't be able to play ball tlll almost November. I asked about surgery but aparently that is not an option and so he will not be having any.
I will get a chance to visit him when the boys come up next weekend. I should have more about how he is taking all this, how he is doing along with his plans.

Right now I need to head out the Racketball court and take my sadness and anger out on racket and a ball

FUCK!

 

[syam24]

I caught a replay of the Buffalo-Syracuse game played today because Strasburg was pitching, and they showed the play where Murph got hurt. That was a totally dirty play. Murphy was behind the bag, the guy slid into the bag, half got up and then rolled into Daniel's legs. He should be suspended! Shit like that pisses me off.

 

[sonny10305]

I saw that as well very very painful to watch Murph on the ground beating his hands on the ground in disgust.
The Bisons are not a happy about Davis' slide. One of the guys, Andy Green, said that he has been playing 11 years professionally and it's one of the dirtiest slides he has ever seen. Andy who often plays in the middle infield also said that Maybe the intent wasn't there but you have to look at the end result. It's ok if you go in low but this was a rollblock. And when you go in above the knees and force them to hyperextend like that, there's no place for it in the game.

I checked and don't think Davis will be in the lineup today. If he is he can expect to get some sort of retaliation there is a lot of anger about this, Murph is very well liked and most guys do not appreciate that kind of baseball
It's fine if he does not play today, he can hide but there is always next time
We meet those guys again June 29-30.
Come out and play punk we got something for you.

 

[sonny10305]

Some roster news today clear.
Gary Matthews Jr. has been designated for assignment and Omar Santos has been recalled from AAA Buffalo, which means Matthews days as a Met are over. So that will help Francour keep his full time position when Beltran comes back. Ya gotta think the METS
They also placed second baseman Luis Castillo on the 15-day disabled list with a bruised right heel. To replace Castillo, the Mets recalled Ruben Tejada,
The Mets also recalled catcher Omir Santos from Buffalo. He will back up Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco. I am puzzled by that move and wonder how long the Mets will carry three catchers.
The Tejada move was not unexpected since Murphy had only played two games at second he was not going to be available for that job yet. But if Castillo ends up in worse shape than thought the Mets will have to look outside the organization for a permanent replacement. That’s when the whole Murphy situation is really gonna mean something cause we all hoped that when that time came Murphy would be ready.
I will have more on Murphy later this week; there is a movement to do something for him. Ike Davis and David Wright are a couple of Mets interested. as is Nick Evans and several Bison and Cyclone players. I am in touch with some of the guys and will of course be a part of anything to lift Daniels spirits. It’s what friends do.

 

[sonny10305]

Some roster news today

Gary Matthews Jr. has been designated for assignment which means Matthews days as a Met are over. So that will help Francouer keep his full time position when Beltran comes back. Ya gotta think the Mets must have faith in Beltran coming back sooner than later to have given Matthews up now. I am really happy to be rid of Matthews.
They also placed second baseman Luis Castillo on the 15-day disabled list with a bruised right heel. To replace Castillo, the Mets recalled Ruben Tejada, frpm AAA
The Mets also recalled catcher Omir Santos from Buffalo. He will back up Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco. I am puzzled by that move and wonder how long the Mets will carry three catchers.
The Tejada move was not unexpected since Murphy had only played two games at second he was not going to be available for that job yet. But if Castillo ends up in worse shape than thought the Mets will have to look outside the organization for a permanent replacement. That’s when the whole Murphy situation is really gonna mean something cause we all hoped that when that time came Murphy would be ready.

I will have more on Murphy later this week; there is a movement to do something for him. Ike Davis and David Wright are a couple of Mets interested. as is Nick Evans and several Bison and Cyclone players. I am in touch with some of the guys and will of course be a part of anything to lift Daniels spirits, It’s what his friends want to do.

 

[sonny10305]

I forgot in my post above to mention that we still don’t know what will happen on Saturday when Niese comes back. Numb nutz Perez still won’t move so he continues to, as a player friend of mine on the Bisons said,” hold that roster spot Hostage” There will be a move by tomorrow someone has to go to make room for Niese you would have to think and hope it has to be Ollie

Also with regard to the Mets carrying three catchers now, Blanco had a cortisone shot the other day we don’t know where or why but it was prolly the reason the Mets brought in Santos

I want to say thanks to Syam for his continuing contributions to this thread. It seems a decent amount of guys read it but hardly anyone ever contributes. I wish those of you reading this would share your thoughts on some the things you read here.

 

[syam24]

Nice efficient win last nite, Dickey was in good form, a little better defense could have made the nite easier, but they got it done. Bullpen work was good, although KRod had me reaching for the cigarettes and I don't smoke. Glad to see Tejada contribute on his first game back.

Happy to see Mathews out of here, I guess he provided insurance, but little else, even though he really didn't get a great opportunity to play much. We can thank Angel Pagan for picking up the slack in CF. I think the Mets probably plan to bring Feliciano up once Blanco's neck issue is resolved, and Santos can be sent back down. As for today's move, I'm also hoping Ollie relents and takes the work release assignment to Buffalo, which would give the Mets some options for the roster. Let's go Mets!!

 

[sonny10305]

Nice job once again by R A Dickey, the Marlins did no know what to do against that knuckleball.

Ike Davis has got to stop swinging at everything he sees. I dono what he is thinking lately chasing bad down in breaking balls out of the strike zone. His batting average and OBP is dropping fast. Dude, what’s up with that?

Welcome to NY Mr. Tejada who had a nice first day yesterday, once he and Davis get in sync he will be just fine at second while Castillo heals. Yesterday Castillo said he felt much better and should only need the 15 days before returning.

Carlos Beltran started his first game-related activity yesterday when he went 2-for-6 as a DH in a simulated extended spring training game at Port St. Lucie. He did not run beyond first base and had three at-bats left-handed and right-handed.

I jumped the gun the other day in telling you that Jesus Feliciano was coming up from AAA. That was put on hold with the Santos move, but as soon as Blanco returns Santos will return to the minors and Feliciano will come to flushing.

As to the hole in center created by Matthews leaving, looks like Jason bay will play center behind Pagan when ever necessary.

Still waiting on news about who will leave to make room for Niese who pitches today, Ollie still not gone, should be announced any minute now. If Ollie refuses to go The Mets have several other options one of them is Mejia, I would not mind that, I have been saying that he should go to AAA to get stretched out and become a starter. The down side would be that we need him in the pen which has been struggling, but if you think about it he has not pitched since the end of May so why not let him go. Of course first choice is still Ollie so we will se what happens later today.

I am of now to the ball park, my team has its first game today at 4. I am not pitching, I pitch tomorrow. I Looking forward to unveiling, and yes showing off my newly acquired secondary pitches taught to me by a Cyclones Pitcher.

 

[syam24]

Outstanding job by Jon Niese today, 7 solid innings!! The whole lineup, with the exceptions of Reyes and Bay contributed nicely. In particular, with Ike going 4 for 4, and DWright's HR and 3 RBI, it was a good effort with hits followed by hits, not K's or DP's. Even the defense looked better turning two doubleplays.

I laughed when I saw that Ollie went to the DL for a "knee problem". What horsecrap! It appears Ollie and the rat bastard agent Boras coerced the Mets to put Ollie on the DL vice taking the minor league assignment. He can stay there all year, as far as I'm concerned.

Nice win METS!! or should I say Niese win Mets...

 

[sonny10305]

The Mets have pulled a fast one and I ain’t buying it.
How convenient that Ollie was placed on the DL just hours before they needed room on the roster for Niese…please….what are we idiots??
So they found a way to get Ollie to go to Florida which was the whole idea in the first place without making it look like a demotion. He will have some sort of BS rehab and then he will begin what is the real purpose of the trip which is finding a solution to why he can’t pitch anymore.
The only DL Ollie belongs on is MDL (Mental Disability List)
When I got to the field to play ball yesterday a couple guys came up to me and said “you not going to believe what the Mets did to pacify Perez” I don’t think anyone believes this BS and I would not be surprised if Major League Baseball investigates this. Teams are not allowed to place players on the disabled list without a legitimate medical reason, so if other teams balk (and they will) or MLB decides to look into it, The Mets will have to submit documentation, which is usually a report from a physician and sometimes a copy of tests performed. But with the Mets doctors past history I would not believe anything they say but maybe MLB will, who knows the Mets might get away with it.
Manual was playing the fool and trying to convince people the DL was on the level, he said Perez had not complained of discomfort before Friday, when he ran into Perez while making his rounds in the training room. According to Manual Ollie said ‘My knee is bothering me” Manuel also admitted that the timing of Perez’s injury would raise suspicions. No Shit Jerry….ya think???
You have to know Boras was involved in this cause Perez will still receive the major league service time toward a 10-year pension, which he would not have received if he had accepted a demotion to the minors.
Soooooooooooo you guys do the math.
As a Mets fan I should be glad that he is gone no matter how they did it, but my sense of fair play and ethics wont allow me to celebrate this. Ollie basically got what he wanted and obviously did not care how he did. He is a bigger fool than I thought.a punk of the first caliber. Maybe his knee is hurtin and maybe also he banged his knee a little on purpose running into a wall, that’s how desperate I think he was to go under his own terms.

Because I was at my own game yesterday when Niese pitched I did not get to see it. But I kinda thought after seeing him pitch so well in Buffalo early this week that he would do well. Apparently he did better than that. Like Syam wrote "Nice (Niese) win Mets"

 

[sonny10305]

Bud Selig's office is looking over the medical records of Oliver Perez; His office is receiving medical records from the Mets for its review of the team's decision to place Ollie on the 15-day DL. Meantime the Mets wasted no time giving up Ollie’s locker and gave it to Elmer Dessens. I guess they like to keep the pitchers close together cause then Tejada took the locker that was being used by Dessens.

Henry Blanco said his neck felt much better" so as expected Omir Santos was optioned to AA Binghamton. And Jesus Feliciano, is expected to be called up before today and should be available in Tuesday’s Padres game.

John Maine threw off the bullpen mound Sunday and is expected to pitch batting practice Tuesday as the next step in his rehabilitation from right shoulder weakness. From there, Manuel said Maine will have to work his way back into fitting into the team – possibly even in the bullpen. Jerry went on to say “We’ll look at all the options.” I get that and don’t have a problem with it, cause we have Jon Niese back and pitching great, Dicky also pitched really well and although Takahashi has had two poor outings he still pitches better than Maine. Maine has not pitched in relief since 2006.

Don’t forget to hit your sporting goods store and pick up an Ike Davis “I Like Ike” shirt, they run around 20 bucks. Ike will donate all of his T-shirt proceeds to Ewing’s Sarcoma research, a form of cancer that took the life of his close friend, Mike Leo.

 

[syam24]

Certainly a great sweep by the Mets over the Fish! Didn't see the game, but looks like the rallies were great and a special thanks for taking Nolasco out of the game a bit early. Nice to see "Frenchy" crank a crucial shot to tie the game. A day off, MLB draft tonite, and the Padres in town for hopefully payback time. Let's go Mets!!

 

[sonny10305]

I am happy we chose Matt Harvey out of North Carolina in the MLB Amateur Draft
He was one of the ones I wanted; I am all about the pitching.
He is strong kid with a good arm capable of throwing a 95+ mph fastball. His curve ball and slider is in mid 80s, and his change-up in the low 80s. I also know he pitches off his fastball, but most important all of his pitches are usable.
For a young kid he has good command and control. I expect he will be a strike thrower, using both sides of the plate. In a game last month Harvey threw 157 pitches in a complete game.
He went 8-3 this season with a 3.09 earned run average in 14 starts.
The downside…he is represented by Scott Boras.
Of course we won’t know for a couple of years just how good a pick this was, but I do know that great pitching is not so easily found, so we need to draft as many potential good arms as we can.
My other interests besides pitching would have been Zack Cox an interesting second baseman and Justin O’Conner who can play SS and also catch

 

[sonny10305]

For the second time this season, the Mets won their ninth game in a row at home.
Thanks to some awesome pitching once again by Mike Pelfrey who pitched nine full innings, which would have been a complete game had they not gone into extra innings. Mike allowed only one run on five hits and no walks, striking out six. He is a stud; can we call him an ace now? How about that fantastic ovation from the crowd chanting his last name. What a freakin shame the offense could not have scored more runs to give him the win. But at least with the Mets win last night Pelf remains undefeated at Citi Field.

Then there was my boy Ike Davis and that walk off homer, I had total goose bumps watching him trot around the bases and then get greeted at the plate by the rest of his team. It’s just on of those memorable moments in a game that you just have to savor. That along with the whip cream pie that Pagan hit Ike with. Just such a feel great moment in baseball.
Mike and Ike. Got the job done.

Another hero of the game was Barajas and the outstanding catching job he did.
You could see how well Rod handled Pelf when he noticed, as we all did, that in early innings Pelf’s fastball velocity was down and he was missing with his curveball. Rod stowed the breaking pitch away. Mike’s sinkers were dead on driving inside to the right spot. Another move that impressed me was the change he made with his four-seamers on the outside corner, last night he switched to sinkers in the other direction. This had to confuse the Hell out of the Padres cause I remember how he pitched them last week and it was a complete change in direction from when they saw from him then. Very clever boy Mikey.

I love watching Santana pitch but salivate over the way Pelfrey pitches. I mean you just don’t know what he is going to do, always surprising always in command, always keeping the batters guessing.
What a great pitcher he is turning into to.

 

[sonny10305]

After that disappointing outing from Santana we were treated to another outstanding start last night from Jon Niese who was spectacular. 108 pitches, nine scoreless innings, with just one hit and no walks and striking out six. His curve ball was magnificent I was especially impressed by how hard he threw it; you don’t often see that from the younger guys. Then there was that filthy cutter he has developed, a four seam fastball, a feel pitch which he has developed for himself which he can throw by feel brilliantly.
He has such confidence, throwing a first-pitch curve ball, or a slider down 3–2, He just kept getting better as he ate up the Padres inning after inning. Plus the brilliant catching and game calling by Barajas who I am sure was responsible for the idea of that change up in the later innings. It was awesome watching those Padres swinging over and under pitches, late time after time and unable to adjust. Poor babies.
Niese is now 2–0 with a 0.56 ERA in his two starts. He pitched the first complete game thrown by a Mets starter this year, and the 26th complete game, one-hitter in Mets history.

Santana’s velocity something that has not concerned me all that much is now beginning to worry me.

So off we go for 15 games against American League teams, weak teams that the Mets can easily dominate, the only real competitor here should be the Yankees but we should be able to go 2-3 with them.
.

 

[syam24]

Just back in town from travel, following the Mets from afar. Nice run we're on! A sweep on the road! Ok, so it was the Orioles, nevertheless, 3 game in the WIN column, combo of good pitching and timely hitting, before the big bats came out today. Let's keep it up thru the Cleveland Indians, then on to the Bronx. Let's go Mets!!

 

[sonny10305]

So yesterday we saw Big Pelf without his best stuff manage to get threw 6 innings by doing what seasoned big league pitchers are supposed to do in a situation like that, he toughed it out

This was Mike’s first struggle since at horrific start at Philadelphia,
The batters seemed to know was coming, his command on every one of his pitches was off, no rotation on the curve; he just could not get on top of his curveball it seemed to be moving sideways like a slider.
He just was not pitching hard, and was way up in the zone which has not been his style lately. Pelf was clearly off his game, but hey, that’s gonna happen no worries he can’t be perfect every start. What mattered was he toughed it out and with an awesome display of offense his team had his back.
Now if only they could do that with Santana.

Speaking of the offense it was sure nice to see Bay hitting the ball I hope this time he sticks with it,
then of course D Wright and his two homers that had to feel extra good with his dad and two of his brothers at the game. Then of course that awesome new kid Chris carter, what a tremendous job he did in two games playing DH

Some John Maine news, he pitched four innings in a rehab start for Double-A Binghamton.
He threw 63 pitches, 36 of which were strikes, allowed one hit and struck out 5,
his fastball topped out at 88 mph.
I spoke with one of the Bisons yesterday about Maine and was told John is going up to Buffalo on Friday for another rehab start. On Saturday I will get a full report on how that goes.