New York Mets 2010

[Sausy]

A great win against the Nats tonight,coming back from 6-1 as Jon Niese didn't have it for a spirited,exciting 8-6 win...the first time this year the Mets have won after being behind in the seventh inning.All those runs scoring...all that clutch hitting...who are these guys?This is what I'm talking about...we're not going to win every game like this,but play like you really want it.give the effort and take it to your opponents.Proud of the way the Mets played tonight...so many highlights I know sonny will have a lot of good things to say about the game!

 

[syam24]

That was a very nice win! The bats woke up just in time to pull this one out. As Saucy said, Niese wasn't very good, but the bullpen did an outstanding job of pitching shutout ball! What an outstanding bunt by Alex Cora, probably the smartest player on the Mets team. He kept the lineup moving with that hit setting the stage for the final assault. Barajas almost blundered by not running out of the box on his double, thinking he had hit it into the seats. It was a big hit, though. Big hit by Chris Carter, refreshing, even Matthews got a pinch hit. And Ike with his "hat trick" of falling into the dugout catch to end the game. Thought we might go the rest of the season without a hit with runners in scoring position....

 

[sonny10305]

Come on now, last night was a freakin hoot

It started out with pretty much a here we go again and then late in the game things really heated up. But even before that never ending amazing 8th inning you could see a team that had came out to start playing aggressive baseball again, bout time!

So many positives with Wright and Bay coming to life and of course that huge eighth inning.Ike Davis missing a grand salami by like an inch on that foul pole. He was soooo disappointed so what does he do, well he ends the game with another one of his acrobatic catches. That is becoming a regular thing for him. When I saw him chase that ball and saw were it was going I yelled “HE’S GONNA DO IT AGAIN!” What an athlete, what a gamer, jez I am so proud of him.

Another highlight for me was Chris (the animal) Carter; I have been waiting for him to come to Flushing since spring training and later watching him in Buffalo. His pinch hit double to tie the game had me jumpin outta my chair. Seriously. When he came to bat I had a feeling in my bones he was gonna come though and man did he ever. What a night for Chris, I could not be happier for him. I told you guys a while ago watch out for that kid, let’s hope he gets to stick around and give the bench the punch it has needed.

On the other side was Niese who gave up six runs, five hits and five walks in 4.1 innings, he had control issues last night, but I like that continues to show an ability to settle down following trouble. He does not come unglued all that easily. He had trouble with the fastball in the first inning, Guzman was walked all on fastballs, and he also gave up a single to Zimmerman with a fastball. The big blow came from Adam Dunn who crushed it, over the right field wall with yup, another fastball. I have to wonder if those fastballs were his idea or Worthan’s But don’t worry about Jon he will be fine. He will learn a lot watching the videos from last night and adjustments will be made.

So we go for the series win today with big Pelf on the mound. I sure hope Manual decides to give Josh Thole the catching job today; it will all depend on how Barajas feels after last night. Manual will see how Rod feels today before making that call. Hopefully Jerry will give Rod the day off after a night game.

 

[Sausy]

A blah day and a blah game!Jeff Francouer was poised to be the Mets hero,but Roger Beridina took that away with an amazing catch of Jeff's scorching liner,a solo home run off of Mike Pelfrey and really rubbed it in hitting a two run in the ninth off of K-Rod that gave the Nats a 6-4 lead that held up as the Mets couldn't respond in the bottom of the ninth.

We need more heroes,more people stepping up consistently....once every series isn't going to cut it.Pelfrey wasn't horrible but let the Nats pitcher Stammen beat him twice getting two hits and three RBI.That CAN'T happen.The Mets need to get into a good rhythm and other than the eight game winning streak(which looks more a mirage than the real thing now until the Mets can prove different)they can't get anything going.To love this club is to have the good sense of having antacids nearby as no club gives its fans the agita the Mets have given theirs.

 

[sonny10305]

What the heck is wrong with Jose Reyes?
I guess Jerry Manual is the only one who has not accepoted the fact that the move to the third spot ain’t working. Jose is not comfortable there at all and Jerry needs to stop being such a stunod (Italian for stupid) and move Jose back to the lead off spot. I am not saying that move will cure all for him but we gotta start somewhere cause Jose is lost.
Yesterday Jose showed some real stupidity on the bases when he took being aggressive to a new level of bone headed moves. Jason bay hit a ball into the outfield and Jose tried to advance to third from second on a play right in front of him, only to get tossed out. Also, he was asked to bunt runners over, didn’t and later grounded in to a double play…But that goofy attempt to advance to third cancelled out the double in my opinion
Jose baby you NEVER try to advance on a ball hit in front of you. If a ball is hit to the right when you are on second base you don’t advance, you should only do that if the ball is hit to your left or even right at you. You also took a base hit away from Bay. Dude…we learn that in little league…come on

I was disappointed in not seeing Thole play yesterday but Jerry Manuel says that Josh will travel with the team to Florida for a four-game weekend series against the Marlins. We have not yet heard when Henry Blanco will make his return, but he can only stay on the bereavement list until Sunday.
Josh said that Manuel was upfront with him about the possibility of not getting to play during his short stay with the team, and he's just happy to be with the Mets. "You just try to enjoy your time here until you get that phone call to go back down,” Hang in three Josh your days are coming.

Did you notice Chris Carters music when he comes to the plate? It’s “Real American” which is also Hunk Hogan’s theme. Chris said it’s because he loves the Hulk.

In Carlos Beltran news (member him?) ran pain-free for the first time this season on Wednesday. Beltran also told the press he hopes to rejoin the Mets soon. He took four laps around a baseball field in Port St. Lucie, Fl. this afternoon, and later took batting practice.
Beltran has experienced setbacks from the beginning of his rehab, however. Last month, the pain in his knee was so severe that he couldn't run more than one minute on a treadmill.
Beltran said he hopes to sprint by the end of next week, and run the bases soon after.
Minaya said that no timetable could be set for Beltran's return until he starts baseball activities. Beltran will have to wear a knee brace in any case, something he has done in previous seasons.
Beltran, for his part, just wants to play, with or without the extra equipment.

Meanwhile Daniel Murphy is up to playing at 80 percent.

Now normally I don’t post this kind of stuff here in a sports forum but I hope you will forgive me if I could not resist posting this.
Ike David made another amazing catch the other day and he had a bit of help from his team mates who kept him from falling. But Fernando Tatis clearly had the most fun that day grabbin Ike’s junk.
This is too cute

 

[Sausy]

Always good perspectives,sonny....I really thought the move to third for Jose might have worked...but it's apparent the experiment should be ended for now.Bat the pitcher eighth,Pagan ninth and have Jose lead off again.You get the effect of two leadoff hitters which could cause a positive dynamic to the Mets lineup.If we had a dollar for all the "stunod"plays the Mets have given us the past few years,we'd own the club by now!

Expecting to see Murphy LONG before Beltran...if Carlos plays before the All Star break at the major league level,I'd be shocked.He's a great player when healthy,but I wouldn't re-sign him after his contract expires after next season.I'd even explore trade options in the offseason if he proves healthy and can do a solid job after he returns.

Chris Carter is going to be fun to watch.He can hack and doesn't strike out all that much.Not a great defensive player but the club needs intensity and grit...Ike Davis does provide that the quiet,workmanlike professional way..Carter just loves to grind it out and show some exuberance and energy on the field.Mets fans will love him,Mets oppnents will hate him but who really cares what they think?

Love Ike's all out hustle...the catch and go over the dugout play he's gonna have to trademark the way he goes for it!
That pic is priceless though....for the sake of getting the out I tell ya Ike doesn't mind an awkward moment or two!

 

[syam24]

Another frustrating nite! Lack of offense is astounding. Once again Manuel has Reyes trying to sac bunt. It was obvious yesterday, that's not one of his strong points. Why, with your leadoff guy on second, no outs, and your #3 hitter at bat are you sacrificing anyway! As I've said before, the #3 guy is supposed to be your best hitter; either he is or he isn't. If he is, let him hit, try to pull the ball, advance the runner, or possibly even get a hit. I dont think you'd see Pujols or Utley get a sac bunt sign. Nor Texiera or probably any other #3 hitter. Even if you had the bunt on the first pitch and saw his pitiful effort, take it off and let him swing away. With 2 strikes he's now in a defensive hitting mode. It boggles my mind! Move Reyes out of the 3 hole now!!!!!!

 

[sonny10305]

I enjoyed the comments from saucy and syam yesterday, lots of hit-the-nail-on-the-head comments there.

Saucy I am glad you like Carter, I have been a big supporter of his for a while now, and he is such an important piece to the bench and in the clubhouse. Everyone loves that kid, his enthusiasm is infectious and he spends the entire time in the dugout during a game cheering everyone on and offering support. Josh Thole said that Chris is hands down the most likable and dedicated team mate he has ever had. Chris can’t stop jumping around and often stands throughout an entire game, never sitting down just pacing and preparing for that at bat he hopes to have, he even eats standing up. All through the game you will see him grab his bat then put it down, put on his helmet then takes it off, he is just a burst of energy.
Thole said it best when he said Chris is “always caffeinated” …I loved that remark.

As to Murphy returning before Beltran I am beginning to think the same way, Murphy at least has a timeframe. He will be going to buffalo any time now (the boys and I are going up to greet and cheer him on) where as Beltran still has away to go before he does any rehab work. But I do believe Carlos will be back, some say he is done with the Mets but I do not.

Syam, I neglected to write much about Reyes and his bunting I am glad you pointed that out. Having him bunt in the 9th with Luis Castillo on second base and no outs was petty odd. It I good to see both you guys agree that Ryes needs to bat in the leadoff spot. The third spot is supposed to be where our best hitter plays and that ain’t Jose…not now anyways. But they need to be careful when they finally do, some have suggested that Davis play third but I think that would be a bad decision, he is not ready for that. What I would like to see a while down the road is for Ike to hit cleanup, but third…now…NO

So yesterday if you love pitching as much as I do it was a good game to watch a battle of the aces. Each giving up just one run and each one making a throwing error who would have ever expected that. It was a battle of the aces; each ace gave up one run, Johan Santana was excellent, pitching a lot of excellent changeups and sliders to set up his fastball was very ace-like.
Josh Johnson pitched a little better than Johan, not much but somewhat, .his fastball has a lot more speed and it has to be tough to hit that 96 MPH, knee-high fastball of his. WOW! Our pen let us down giving up a walk, a hit, and a wild pitch to end the game, but leaving Nieve in for a second inning was risky, by my count he has been in 22 games already in the short season, he looks tired, relying on him to pitch in so many innings is not smart management as proven by what happened yesterday with that wild pitch

Other than the pitching it was all about the defense yesterday both teams playing outstanding out there. Just some brilliant plays. Great pitching and defense made the game worth watching.

So today it will be Ollie Perez on the mound and that should be very interesting to watch. Both Ollie and Manual have said that Ollie’s last two bad starts were due in part to the cold damp weather well we will see what he does tonight in Florida with 80 degrees. Manual insists that he isn’t thinking about moving Perez to the pen imminently. Perhaps tonight will change all that but even if Ollie pitches well he is still going to have to have a few good games strung together before I change my mind about moving him out of the rotation. I still want Takahashi or even Pat Misch from Triple-A Buffalo.

If Blanco does not return on Sunday Manual has said he will use Thole. Please Jerry, that would be great.

 

[sonny10305]

I have to say this is not gonna be a lets kill Perez post. I am starting to actually feel sorry for the guy. I mean of course he does not go out there every five days and not want to win he just can’t do it anymore. I have said he needs to be taken out of the rotation and I hope they will put this poor guy out of his misery and get him the help he needs and deserves. I want to se him go to Buffalo to work with the Bisons pitching coach who is quietly and effectively one of the Mets best. Perhaps he can turn Ollie around and figure out what has happened to him. I hope this happens soon. I also would hate to see Ollie end up in the pen, as I have said before, that would be a big mistake and not do anyone, least of all Ollie any good.
NO, he needs to go to AAA and he needs to go now.
When he started pitching yesterday I saw some glimmer of hope. He threw more strikes than his last two starts and at first his slider was back better than I have seen him pitch on a while, but then it went flat and the fish hit it out of the park, those that didn’t were just missed or fouled off. Perez was lucky to get off the mound with 7 runs. Lets get real here, Ollie can no longer compete at the Major League level, he, and the Mets need to go back to basics, start from scratch, and work his way back up.
We have to give the ball to either Takahashi or bring someone down from AAA, I am still thinking RA Dickey, Pat Misch or even Toby Stoner, it’s not like we don’t have options.

Next up and I know you guys are prolly getting tired of seeing me write about this but the lineup has got to be changed. Reyes is lost and uncomfortable in the 3 spot and needs to return to lead off NOW. And while I don’t have a lot of faith in Wright now I would still bat him third
Bay can bat cleanup, he seems to be seeing the ball better now and at least is getting the bat on the ball again. Eventually I want to se Davis bat cleanup.
Of course there are no guarantees that demoting Perez and revamping the lineup again will help, but we what we do know is that what we have now is not workings, and so it’s time to change it.

Expect to see Beltran in Florida this weekend, he will be running and taking batting practice just north of Port St. Lucie, There is a good chance that Carlos could soon get clearance to start baseball activities

Igarashi is making improvement and will begin playing in minor-league rehab games this weekend in the Florida State League. I would expect him to pitch for Triple-A Buffalo soon after that followed by his return to the Mets.

Poor K-Mart, the Mets placed Fernando Martinez on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a left hamstring strain.This kid can not get a break for a 21 year old he sure has more than his share of injuries.

 

[sonny10305]

So Ollie is out of the rotation, there are conflicting reports as to whether or not Omar had a talk with Ollie and asked him to go to AAA. Perez would have to approve such a move. But Ollie did with regards to going to AAA say, "I have to do it here. Buffalo is minor leagues, I don't want to go there because I want to find a way to pitch better, but here. It's not the same. I've been around in this league. I know I'm better than this. I just have to keep working. I know everything is going to get better."
I could not agree with him less, he would be far better off in Buffalo where he could find himself and figure out what has gone wrong. I do not see that happening here with Warthen than and his crew. Point of fact about Warthen, did you notice that in that total melt down Ollie had the other day he did not visit the mound once…not once. What that says is he does not know what to do or say to Ollie anymore. In my trips to buffalo I have spoken many times with Ricky Bones the pitching instructor, I first met him when he was coaching the Binghamton Mets, there is not doubt in my mind that Ollie would be much better of there. Maybe it’s his pride or stubbornness I dono but he needs to get over that and get help in AAA. Perhaps Johan Santana can intervene, Perez respects Johan a lot maybe Johan can make Ollie see the light and convince him to go to AAA. Of course perhaps Johan agrees with the move to the pen, but I would hope he would agree that is the wrong place for Ollie to improve. Hey, What was Ollie doing in the Mets dugout in uniform yesterday? Did he not get the memo?
We could, God help us, see Ollie as soon as today in relief.
Manual did not say who would replace Ollie in the rotation but hinted at Takahashi. The fact that Takahashi was not called in to pitch yesterday during Maines disaster tells me Jerry is saying him for Ollies next start.

Thank you Jerry for taking Ollie out and for moving Reyes to the lead off spot, Jose looked so much more relaxed yesterday as if a big weight had been taken off his shoulders; he was more productive as well and looked great at the plate. See Jerry…sometimes it’s a good to listen to people.

Glad to see D Wright shave that beard, I hated that thing, and look what happened he went 2-3 including knocking one out of the park, stay clean shaven dude.

Blanco’s mom is feeling better so he returned last night which will send Thole back to AAA. Sorry we did not get to see you catch Josh, see you in Buffalo soon dude.

Jeff Francoeur is really having a terrible time and last night it even affected his defense. Jeff went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts last night and is now just 5 for 45 this month, and has lowered his batting average to .215 for the season. It’s is scary to watch him, he swings at everything whether it’s a ball or a strike, he needs to stop doing that he can’t improve cause he is not helping himself by his out of each at bat after just a couple of pitches. Manual will give Jeff the day off Sunday, the up side to that is we get to see Chris Carter play. I think Chris knew about this last night and I am sure he got no sleep at all last night, knowing Chris he prolly slept in his uniform at the park last night.

John Maine went off the deep end again last night, I guess with Ollie gone John wants us to worry abut him again now. That first inning was so painful to watch and did you notice his crazy eyes again, his body language said volumes about his state of mental health when he gets into trouble pitching, and when you throw 11 balls in a row and load the bases to then walk runs in, oh yeah …he was in trouble.
I was disappointed cause I though Maine had gotten his shit together and maybe his dark days were behind him...I guess not. OMG do you think Maine has come down with Ollie-itis???

 

[Sausy]

Great stuff as always sonny,and spot on just about everywhere.What has Dan Warthen done to deserve to remain the Mets pitching coach anyway?Fire him and bring up Bones,see what he can do with the staff.

The trifecta of gloom today,a third straight awful start by a Met,today's offender Jon Niese.Mets lose to the Marlins 10-8,getting swept and things just look like this club will never turn it around.Tease with a win or two,then go back and break your heart again.When the club scores some runs,but gives em up even more readily,it is totally inexplicable...I want Minaya and even Jerry Manuel out.I want this club to know that the same old bullshit won't cut it anymore.We underachieved ever since we faced the Cards for the NL championship in 2006.We fell apart the next two years in the pennant stretch,most infamously the complete collapse the last couple of weeks of the 2007 season and a seven game lead at that point over the Phillies.We outright stunk last year after an avalanche of injuries to core players derailed the club from anywhere near contention....and a listless,defeated attitude infested the clubhouse a great deal of the time.


Mets fans deserve better...give us a club that plays with fire and heart,doesn't constantly make meental mistakes and gives us a chance to win more nights than not and we'll gladly take it.You can't win every year but in New York,for what the salaries are,for the competitive advantage in the game,for what the fans have to shell out for the "honor" of partaking in all this it's what management at a MINIMUM owes us.Time's up Omar...you failed.Let's start anew...I'm tired of ripping poor play.I want BETTER play.We're NOT respected....fans of our biggest rivals laugh at our club.We're a joke.I just don't know what to say...nothing really ever changes and nobody has really had to pay for failure.I don't know what's stopping the Wilpons but if it's personal friendship or loyalty....well I think what's been done to their organization by the people they thought were capable is more than damage enough.

 

[sonny10305]

Every now and then Saucy will write a very well written tell-it-like-it-is post
Yesterday was one of those days. We can all feel and appreciate the passion in his writing, the anger the frustration is evident as he banged out that post on his keyboard, smoke coming out of his ears but at the same time tears in his eyes.
Saucy reminded all of us of the sad fact that it is getting very hard to be a Mets fan these days.

This weekend we could not have the field so we had no baseball practice, I stayed at my parents house and as I often do when I am there hooked up with a very close and old friend I went to both grammar and high school with. Sunday morning we went running together, he a Yankees fan and of course we often kid each other with a friendly Mets/Yankees revelry. But this time he looked me in the eyes and said “It has to be tough to admit to people you are a Mets fan, Isn’t it time to get of that bus and start rooting for a real professional team?” Normally we would have a laugh at that remark but this time it wasn’t as funny as it was profound. Later my boy said you know how at an AA meeting people get up and say to the group “I am an alcoholic? Well you need a support group like that where you can stand and say “hello my name is Joey, and I am a Mets fan.

Another scare yesterday for Jon Niese, who tweaked the hamstring that was surgically repaired last fall. I was however encouraged by seeing Jon after the game in relatively good sprits. Apparently the sharp pain he experienced on the mound went away completely and he felt fine. So at least it is not as bad an injury as the last one. Jon will travel to NY today to have it looked out by the doctors to determine what needs to be done. Jon said he is hopeful not to miss his next start. I am sure we will learn later today if it is anything worse or if we have anything to worry about.

We already have one starter down with Perez out and we have Takahashi to fill that hole, but because he relieved Niese Sunday in Florida I don’t expect to see him until Friday against the Yankees. We still need a starter Wednesday, so we will be looking to the Bisons to help us out. R.A Dicky would be on his regular day to pitch Wednesday. While Pat Misch just pitched on Saturday, a four-hit shutout I might add. We have to also consider Dillon Gee as an option, I am not sure how soon he would be available cause I think he is scheduled to pitch tonight in Buffalo. Misch or Dicky either would be great although if you have been reading my posts you know I have a preference for Dicky

As I am writing this I am imagining Bisons manager Ken Oberkfell is waiting by his phone for that call. Thank God for him and pitching coach Ricky Bones for at least three red hot pitchers to help us out. Ken joked last night that maybe he won’t answer the phone but then said. "We've got guys who are ready if needed and that's what we're here for, It's a good feeling to know you've got good players here to go up and help the major-league club” Love ya Ken

Meanwhile, Ryota Igarashi is expected to join the Bisons later this week on injury rehab. He threw Saturday night at Class A St. Lucie and will pitch there again tonight. He should be ready to pitch here Thursday and Friday.

Daniel Murphy will also be joining the Bisons, perhaps as soon as next week, He will begin training as a utility player. He will be in St. Lucie this week and then report to Buffalo. Daniel has said he needs more bullets for his gun, well said I think, he needs to try second and perhaps give left fields another try. If he is going to make it back to the Mets he will have to be able to play more than just first base

Josh Thole returned to Buffalo Saturday and was added to Bisons the active roaster.
Looking at the Bisons roaster perhaps w should just swap teams and let the Bisons play in NY and the Mets play in Buffalo.

Manual continues to do things that just make me wanna kill him. Yesterday the Mets rallied and almost tied the game, all we need is one hit and we could have tied or even gotten the go ahead run. I was excited because I knew Carter was going to come up to bat and he would have been given the golden opportunity to make that happen. So what does numb nutz Manual do he pulls Carter and puts Jeff Francoeur in to pinch hit. I did not yell or jump around I just sat there in disbelief, then just as expected Francoeur popped out to right field on the first pitch he saw.
Manual wanted a righty against the lefty Marlins pitcher Meyer or at least that’s the excuse he gave. Hey Jerry, maybe you should have checked on what Carter can do against lefties, cause if you had you would have found that Carter was batting .370 with a .915 OPS vs. lefties down in AAA. He is 2-for-3 lifetime in MLB against LHP. Oh and one more thing, left handed hitters are 5-for-8 with a 1.700 OPS this year vs. Dan Meyer.
Manual, You are a Gavone, a freakin embarassment and a really piss poor manager.

Maybe something is in the wind, Omar Minaya who we have not heard form in a while will make an unscheduled trip with the team to Atlanta for their series with the Braves.
He was in Florida but was supposed to return to NY today but is going to Atlanta instead. So what does that mean??? Who knows but I am intrigued.

Perhaps Omar will bring Bobby Valentine with him.

 

[Sausy]

I hope you don't mean more often than not my posts are hard to make heads or tails ofI know what you mean though and I appreciate it

Really felt bad thinking of you and your friend on that run and how you felt as a Mets fan,a little sad and defensive sonny.Seeing em play as bad as they have the past week or so,it does hurt....we do love and support our Mets but like you said so poignantly between you and your Yankee running buddy they do make us almost ashamed,like there's something addictive and wrong about being a Met fan,and we should be going to"Mets Anonymous"...I'm John and I'm a Mets fanStill love my boys though and won't be going through any 12 step program of withdrawal to kick the Met habit.

Your boy RA Dickey will get the call Wednesday night against the RedsKen Oberkfell will just have to make due without him for a bit!Anyway,thank you Mike Pelfrey for giving us such a strong effort going seven and two thirds innings,longest this year and giving up seven hits,two runs.3-2 win for our Mets over the Braves.We needed it and he threw a very econimical 101 pitches,and was able to get out of trouble a number of times with double plays and clutch pitching.Big two run double from Rod Barajas and vintage basepath dynamics from Jose Reyes to score the third run,knocked in on a Chris Carter grounder(batted cleanup again and had a double earlier,scored on Rod Barajas' double)I am impressed also by Jason Bay's smart,aggressive baserunning...a lot better athlete than advertised and always been a real good baserunner,has five steals already though he has to show more power than he has even coming out of his slump.

My worry still lies wth David Wright...at 27 has he lost some bat speed,is he going to be less of an impact offensive force down the road,streaky and strikeout prone?Love the guy and he's beeen so much a part of the move back to contention hoping his bat hasn''t slowed to the point his best offensive years are behind him already.His recent defensive struggles and occasional basepath brainlock leave me concerned ,certainly sonny is a great observor of the mechanics of the game and hoping to hear any perspective you have on what has happened to David Wright....just doesn't seem "Wright" to see him drop so perilously from golden boy to more than occasional problem.

It appears as though Jeff Wilpon doesn't plan on anything major yet to shake up the club.Meeting the press today he was adamant even though he and Omar Minaya were in Atlanta with the club he had no intentions of firing anyone,not least of all Jerry Manuel.I really hope though that privately between him,Jerry and Omar that he left no doubt he wanted to see a correction of the Mets performance soon,or else.

One good thing though is that the Mets,as bad as they messed up in re-upping Oliver Perez for three years,36 mil...they passed this year on Jason Marquis who is out now for the Nats and despite tonight's decent performance lost out on Atlanta's starter last night Derek Lowe who has otherwise been pretty awful this year and wasn't so great last season.They seemed really interested in Lowe two winters back but were cautious in offering him a long term contract,which Atlanta wound up doing.Better at least as bad as some of the moves the Mets have made recently,they didn't miss out at all by not signing these guys and winding up with more egg on their faces.

 

[syam24]

Glad the Mets won last nite, but still, the overiding problem is the lack of hitting with men on base. It's beyond ridiculous. Unless the pitchers do a good job, chances are the Mets won't score enuff runs to win the game. They may tease, as Saucy said, all nite long, but rarely get the clutch hit. It's very frustrating. As for Yankee fans, I couldn't care less. They're a bunch of obnoxious front runners for the most part, and don't know what most fans have to deal with year in and year out, in any sport, and they don't care.

 

[sonny10305]

Saucy I am happy you enjoyed my boys jokes about a support group, somehow I knew you would.
Russell and I have been friends since were kids and friendships like that are priceless. I would not want to tell you the trouble we would get into especially in high school.
Syam I hope I did not give you the wrong idea abiut my Yankee fan buddy, it's all in good fun and he loves and respects the game of baseball more than just the Yankees

So we tweaked one out last night, but towards the end I thought we were gonna blow it. In the top of the eighth when Pelf left the game and Feliciano loaded up the bases I thought, OMG they are gonna fuck this up.!
But we got out of that one, although did you see that punk McCann try and get hit by the pitch with the bases loaded to try and walk in the tying run? No doubt about it that was his plan. Then those freakin Braves fans started in with that chop chop shit and the organ playing that war chant. But then swing and a miss and the inning was over, that was sweet.
Once again in the bottom of the 9th K-Rod had us a little nervous, and again I thought they are gonna fuck it up! You would think I had no faith in my team at all. Wonder where that comes from.

Big Pelf was spectacular pitching inside, pushing guys back, then keeping them off balance all night with off speed stuff Johnny was in total command even with men on bases which is huge. I counted three double plays.

So to our pitching staff, the big secret was that Dicky was going to pitch on Wednesday, a secret unless you saw the empty locker in he clubhouse with his name on it as Kevin Burckhardt did.
I am pretty excited cause as you know I am a big fan, but in addition we need some fun and excitement on the mound and that Knuckleballer will provide that. Then Takahashi will pitch on Friday, my only concern is how he will do against the Yankees. On the plus side they have never faced him before which could be good in early innings but I worry that when they come up to face him for the third time he will get beat up a little.
But we will see, like I said I still love the changes in our rotation. Plus if anything goes wrong we still have Misch who is on fire in AAA expect to see him soon as well. It all kind depends on how long Niese is out and if he goes on the DL. I imagine when Niese does come back Takahashi will prolly stay in the rotation, to replace Perez, and Dickey will go to the bullpen.

Another interesting and I think exciting move came from with Jenrry Mejia, who is going to head to the minors to resume being used as a starting pitcher. Getting him stretched out is a perfect idea and will give us even more options in our starting lineup down the line. We may have major rotation issues behind Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey, so stretching out Mejia for starting work makes sense. Even John Maine doesn’t have the stuff he had in 2007.The idea apparently came from Jeff Wilpon, who also tried to convince Perez to go to the minors as well. But Ollie ain’t goin …yet. Ollie at this point is nothing more than a dead roster spot and needs to be removed.From what I gather if Mejia remained in the bullpen, he would have been asked to go to winter ball to start, in preparation for earning a rotation spot out of spring training in 2011.
Let him go to AAA and stretch out and work on that four-seam fastball, it’s more like a cutter and needs work.

Ok Johan lets keep it going, and please, no chants and chop chops.

Hello my name is Joey, and I am a Mets fan

 

[syam24]

Sonny, I wasn't casting any aspersions on your bud, just run of the mill Yankee fans in general. Okay, so we hit two bases empty HR's last nite and can't win for Johan. Simply frustrating. Tonite it's Livan vs R.A. Dickey, will the radar gun ever register 75 mph???? Should be interesting to say the least. Let's go METS!!

 

[Sausy]

Dickey did pretty well for himself tonight,gave us a real competitive effort.That's all we ask give us a CHANCE to win.Angel Pagan was a one man highlight show with his thrilling inside the park home run and incredible shoestring catch that started a triple play.But ultimately the Mets offense dragged again with zip from Jose Reyes or Luis Castillo.No David Wright to blame this time....it's eating him up how he has been so shoddy at times defensively and how he's just completely lost at the plate.My worry is that what was mentioned the past couple of days,he still has issues from his horrible beaning last year as he is being busted inside a lot and seems to be psychologically flinching at times.David has always struck out over 100 times in each of his full seasons but in his first for,he was very consistent,between 112-118 strikeouts...last year the rate grew more alarmingly but still only 140 strikeouts in 530 or so at bats....he's on pace with 55 currently to rival his hometown buddy Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks as a strikeout machine with 223Something is wrong here,and someone has to help fix it..help get David's head right and I'm not sure it's Howard Johnson.The Mets are now 19-22...Phillies lose tonight,last night too as Halliday gets outpitched ...we're doing NOTHING.I'm not saying this in panic mode,but look...we can't afford another year of waiting around til things get better...we can't wait for Beltran to get back in the lineup.We've waited ENOUGH...we've been TOO patient after TWO huge pennant stretch colllapses and one full lost year with indifferent play and injuries.This year it's more excuses,more asking for patience....getting pretty tired hoping for a turnaround this club doesn't seem designed to be capable of.

I'm John and I'm a Mets fan....I'm with you sonny,gotta say it loud and proud,I want to believe and give support...but I don't think the Mets believe in themselves and frankly think that difficult as it is for Jeff Wilpon he has to put in a new leadership team,with a positive vision to get the Mets back to the promising direction they had been headed.They need pitching,they need hitting,they need to be fundamentally sound and most of all they need to know that a lot is expected of them,and a culture of complacency and confusion will not be tolerated.Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel MUST go.Something has got to give here.

Sorry for the rant but nothing changes...so time to MAKE a change.

 

[syam24]

I think I'm coming into the same camp, Saucy. Team looks lifeless at times. Two more SOLO HR's, Franceour had a decent nite in my opinion, walk, opposite field single, Sac Fly, good at bats, taking what was being given, not trying to do too much. THis is an approach more of the batters need to take more often. Pagan had a great nite. Reyes in a deep funk, how, against Livan do you pop out 3 times to the opposite field??!!? If you can't pull the ball on a guy throwing 80 mph, or at least put it on the ground the opposite way, who will you be able to hit? R.A. Dickey gave a good effort, kept the Mets in the game, with the help of Pagan's defensive efforts. Need the bats!! Let's go Mets!!

 

[sonny10305]

So the decision has been made and Jonathon Niese has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a mild right hamstring strain. This of course clears the roster spot for R.A Dicky who I thought pitched well last night. Unspectacular to be sure but a far cry from Perez or even Maine at this point. You could see the Nats struggling to hit him cause they were confused by his knuckleballer mainly because he mixed up the speed on it so well. But in latter innings they figured him out and so Dicky got hit some, In order for Dicky to survive his strike to balls ratio will have to improve. As I have said before I am not usually a fan of the knuckleball pitchers, pretty much because the pitch is too unpredictable. We could see when ever Dickey got in trouble, he used his fastball, but that sits in the mid-to-high 80s. As a hitter I would soon learn that about Dicky and know what is coming. But I want to see him stick around cause I think he can help us out till Niese gets healthy, the alternative would be MIsch which could still happen depending on Dicky’s next start and that would be good as well.
I wonder if Dicky could have gone deeper, I would have wanted that especially after seeing what the pen did. I am hoping for Dicky to stick around in the pen we can sure use him there eventually and Nieve needs to get some rest before he collapses and dies on the mound. Speaking of our pen, Igarashi is now in Buffalo on an injury rehab assignment. It will be good to get him back soon.

The Mets have got to get Mejia down to AAA otherwise we are going to end up with another Aaron Heilman. Mejia is lost here and I dono, but did he look scared on the mound to you. He could be great outstanding even but he needs to go to AAA first.

Syam you wrote about Reyes and I have been ignoring him waiting for the real Reyes to play. I dono who this guy is that plays for Reyes, I mean it looks like him but it sure don't play like him.

Saucy I liked what you said about our boy Wright, it makes a lot of sense and it could certainly be in his head. It’s affecting his fielding now so I am not so sure fixing his swing which clearly is late or the fact that he is not seeing the ball well. It keeps happing, He gets a pitch to hit and he fouls it straight back. He takes a good swing at it and it gets by him. So of course when that happens they expand the zone on him. In spite of that I am beginning to wonder if it’s more mental than physical.
He needs to get his confidence back before it gets worse, the opposing pitchers, all of them, began to challenge him from day one taking full advantage of his memory of that beaming he got, now that they know it works they are going to step it up and David has got to defeat that fear if that’s what it is. We need David back, no that his defense has gone into the crapper I am seriously concerned about him. I heard that after the game on Wednesday he was sitting in front of his locker pretty much in a fog, not talking to anyone and not even taking a shower, just sitting there staring into space. That made me feel so bad for that kid.
I was not sure giving him last night off was such a good idea, he might have bounced back against Hernandez, David has hit .333 with three doubles, four home runs and 10 runs against Hernandez in 36 career at-bats. If you do the math that’s almost one extra-base hit in every five at-bats, possible missed opportunity there I would have played him yesterday and rested him today. David was not at all happy not playing last night I think he may have been thinking the same thing I am.

I got an upsetting call last night, my bud Jason Pride was injured last night in AAA Buffalo and is being placed on the disabled list. Get well soon JP

 

[Sausy]

Sonny,syam and all the rest of our dedicated Mets fans,wtf is happening?I'm working tonight and see the Mets were winning like 6-1,expanded thee lead 10-3 and held on to a 10-7 win....scoring runs but losing John Maine after 5 pitches because Warthen and Manuel think there's something wrong with him,take him out while he's protesting because he is only throwing in the mid 80's...why has it been two years since John had that shoulder bone growth problem and yet he hasn't fully recovered?The guy threw 92-95 easily anfd freely before the bone spurs.We're not talking Tommy John surgery...we're talking bone spurs that were suppposedly shaved off to relieve pressure on the shoulder,Jon Niese is out at least two weeks with the strained hamstring....we're walking on eggshells here losing pitchers left and right...Ollie's in the bullpen,Fernando Nieve may literally have his arm fall off from overuse...Jennry Mejia is a basket case not knowing if he's a starter or reliever.We score 10 runs and yet we cannot enjoy it...forget the drama in Hot Topics,there's enough each day with the Mets to provide more drama and agita than anyone will ever need!