New York Mets 2010

[sonny10305]

Yup Syam looks like the Mets had a great day yesterday. I got a bang lout of that remark you made to your bud "Did they win"
I have been hanging with my Cyclones and have missed many of the Mets games. I did speak with Nick Evans last night he told me about the wacky day he had Sunday. At about 6 pm Saturday he was going to join the Mets on Monday in Washington but then a few hours later was told to get his butt to Chicago. He had a disappointing at bat with the bases loaded but came thru with a hit later in the game. He also told me about Mejia and the fact that he has started to shorten up and the results were very good yesterday. Did they show on TV the way the guys in the dugout ignored him when he came back after getting his first ML homer? Nick said Ho Jo got the guys together and told them to ignore Rubin as if nothing had happened and then after a few seconds of Rubin bewildered and confused by being ignored (but smiling the whole time) the guys all pounced on him to show the love, good fun. Trying to remember, but did Nick say Rubin drove on five runs?
Nick knows Ike Davis pretty well and said he also has a good day, getting back to going the other way again and not pulling and it proved to work for him. Maybe the Ike man is back. I asked Nick to try and get Ike to the phone but he could not find him and I did not speak to Ike I will text him and try later today
Nick also said that one of the jokes in the dugout was the way the Cubs announcer kept mispronouncing Josh Thole and Lucas Duda’s name all weekend, calling Thole “TOLL” and Duda “DOO DAH” The laughed about it but seriously you would think a major league announcer would have gone to the trouble to learn how to properly pronounce the players names. I am surprised Kevin B did not try to set that jerk straight

As I mentioned yesterday Dillon Gee will be joining the Mets today and yes Syam he will pitch for Santana on Tuesday. Johan’s throwing off the mound supposedly went well but as a precaution they are skipping his next start. Soooo surgery on Wednesday????
Gee was this season’s best strikeout pitcher and led all of Triple-A baseball with 165 strikeouts. He won 13 games in Buffalo. His strikeout total broke a Bisons single-season record.

Raul Valdes, Sean Green and Jesus Feliciano will also join the team today.

Meantime in Brooklyn we won our final regular season game last night
Cory Vaughn got himself into the record book with his 14th home run of the season he even got himself a curtain call as tears welled up in my eyes (I can be such a girl sometimes)
Darrell Ceciliani went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run. He ended the regular season at .351 which just so happens to be a new franchise record, and he became the first Cyclone ever to win the NYPL batting title. He also made a new high with 95 hits, 56 runs, and 12 triples this season
After the game I celebrated with Cory, Darrell, Jeff (Flagg) and Brian (Needham). These guys are on top of the world and I am their adopted brother in the Cyclone family, It is hard to describe how I am feeling theses days other than to say how blessed I feel to know these guys.
The Playoffs start on Tuesday, and the second will be a home game on Wednesday.
I have the whole week off (thanks dad) to be with the guys and support them to the finish, that’s my life right now no time for anything else. Syam I won’t be watching any Mets games this week and will count on you and Saucy to keep the Mets news alive during the Cyclones post season.

Let’s go Mets and let’s go Cyclones

 

[syam24]

Well, yesterday's game turned into a fiasco rather quickly, Mets had a 3-1 lead, then Pelfrey couldn't throw a strike to save his ass, walked guys, then a couple of hits, he was gone. Iragashi was horrible with walks and giving up a slam to the Nats' rookie Danny Espinosa, 2 HR's yesterday. Mets offense totalled 3 paltry hits. Interested in getting a look at Dillon Gee today, and the Mets "offense" against a Nats rookie Maya. Mets usually suck against unknown pitchers. Will have to wait and see.

 

[syam24]

A nice tidy victory for the Mets tonite. GEE whiz, Dillon was terrific in pitching the Mets to the win! He did not give up a hit until Willie Harris led off the sixth with an HR, and only allowed one other hit is seven solid innings. He did it with a nice fastball around 89-90, a good breaking pitch and a change up that kept the Nats off balance all nite long. Ike Davis helped out with a 3 run bomb in the first into the second deck in right center, and in the second, after a Tejada double down the left field line Dillon Gee, in his first MLB at bat lines a single over the second baseman to score Tejada. That was the Mets offense, but all they needed with Gee's great work. Pagan made a nice catch against the wall in right in the sixth to rob Dunn of a double, but everything else was pretty routine for the defense. Takahashi had to work a bit in the ninth, but got Pudge to ground into a game ending DP to close it out. I'm thinking Gee has earned another start down the road. THe key to his game was throwing strikes, strike one, batter's in a hole. Did ya see that Pelfrey???? THrow strikes and it's no sweat. Looking for RA Dickey to bounce back with a good game tomorrow. Let's go Mets!!

 

[Sausy]

Thanks syam for the update,another nice night for Ike Davis with a three run blast...he seems to be getting comfortable again and like sonny aid maybe he's back...when he uses the whole field he gets into good grooves.Rookie year's been an adjustment,but he looks like he's gonna be a fixture for a long time and just get better.

Surprised Pat Misch has looked so bad compared to how well he pitched in Buffalo...Dillon Gee seemed to pitch the kind of game tonight was supposedly routinely giving in Buffalo...just didn't work for him this time but hop he can get it together.Gee was taken out after seven,from what i read kind of controversial to take him out so soon.Nice to see a well pitched game again,Mets starters especially have been hitting a rut lately.

Really got into the 18 run shellacking the Mets gave the Cubs....though it meant nothing just great to see the boys go off on someone.Then reality set in the next night and Mets give up 13,and Mike Pelfrey again looks shaky...just frustrated with this club,nice to win tonight but it means nothing now...they can play well the rest of the way,give a fight but it just seems so grey and depressing a September,a second year in a row failing to get anywhere near serious playoff contention after the All Star Break.


Sorry sonny haven't been here much lately,work and a general disgust with the Mets performance lately I just would have been a dour sourpuss.Good game,two bad games....no consistency or rhyme or reason at all with these guys.I just don't know What are we?67-70?Yeesh...did someone say "Mediocrity"?!
Tough loss for the Cyclones tonight,always gets me jazzed to see sonny excitedly talk about the guys and being such a supporter the guys have kinda adopted him!Your boy Cory and Ceciliani have been awesome this summer,and I'm so glad your dad could let you off for this week to root your buds on as they always can rely on your passionate support.Hopefully they come back and send the Yanks affiliate packing Friday...make Joey a real happy boy!!

 

[sonny10305]

Thanks for that report Syam I have the game recorded and will watch it later. I am anxious to see Dillon’s game. I already heard last night about how well he pitched and that sorta helped me get thru the Cyclones loss, but more on that later.
Syam you mentioned Gee threw a good fastball as well as throwing strikes (love the note to Pelf) but you did not mention his curveball which is his best pitch, did he not throw it much or not throw it well, I am confused by that. Dillon taught me how to throw the curve and has mastered it well. (I haven’t) but not for his lack of trying. Word came to me about his hit and the two balls he collected, the first one he pitched of course and his first ML hit, nice. I am sure his dad is over the moon about the day Dillon had. I have met Dillon’s dad and have spoken to him often about Dillon, he was at the game last night along with Dillon’s mom and about fifteen other relatives and friends cheering him on. In fact Charlie Samuels gave Dillon a big bag of balls to give to his posse of supporters that were at the game I thought that was cool of him to do. Another question I have is why did Manual pull him after only 7, his pitch count could not have been high so what happened there? I also heard that Manual did not allow Duda to hit the lefty, how are we to know what he can do if you don’t let him bat? Manual used to do the same thing with Murphy and for a while Davis. The season is over Manual let the kids play so we can find out what they can do. I mean it’s not as if we need to win any games, Dillon should have gone 9 and Duda should have batted against the lefty. Did you learn nothing from Murphy and Davis???
Such a jackass.

Saucy no apologies need for not jumpin in to post the last few days, frustration over the Mets,
I get that and I am glad your back.

Cyclone game was a heart breaker last night we lost to Jamestown 7-6. I t was a great fight thou battling back from being five runs behind but it just wasn’t enough. The night was frustrated by the freakin rain which delayed the game about two hours.
It started well with Ceciliani’s single he then stole second base (ya had to see Backman’s reaction to that) and then o to third on a ground ball. And then here comes Jeff Flagg who blasted a triple and Darrelll scored. But Almonte did not have it yesterday giving up five runs in the next two innings. He was clearly having control issues (nerves) cause he walked too many and threw a couple of wild pitches.
But then just before the rain delay in the seventh Cory Vaughn gave us hope with a triple followed by Flagg’s fly ball that the Jamestown outfielder misplayed (poor baby) which scored Cory. Then in the eighth inning we tied the game when Tovar walked and Ceciliani hit a base hit and Vaughn walked to load the bases. Now we were getting pumped, Bonfe came thru with a two-run single that tied the game. Then the rain came and we sat for two hours. But it was down hill from there when the game was resumed and Jamestown took the lead again and won the game in the eighth with a leadoff walk, a fielder’s choice and a single.
We went down but not without a fight and we did manage 13 hits. So now we have to win tonight to stay in it with a final game on Thursday so as to advance to the championship series.
It was my second trip up to Russell E. Diethrick, Park in Jamestown and the second time I watched my boys loose there. I did not ride home with the team but in speaking to a few of em today it was clear to me that everyone was positive mood about getting back in it tonight. As for me…well…I’m a fuckin basket case.

 

[Sausy]

Tonight's Cyclones game was ridiculous. It was a good game (because it was close and went back and forth and hate some late, clutch hits).

What stops it from being a great game is because it was so sloppy. I hope the Cyclones play better in Game 3, but I'm happy that there will be a Game 3 to attend.

I'm just glad to hear the Cyclones won,and there's gonna be a deciding game 3!You and sonny in the same ballpark...ya might have even seen him without knowing it!And your boy Nick Swisher hits a walk off two run homer to get the Yanks a key pennant stretch victory!

Sonny will be glad to know the Mets win tonight against Washington 3-2,nice bounceback effort for RA Dickey.Pitched six innings,allowed five hits and two runs....now has 10-6 record,ERA in the 2.90 range...what a story finally achieving big league success at 35,having NO ulnar collateral joint and reinventing himself completely as a knuckleballer after being a first round pick.No way he should have ever achieved what he has this year,even in a nother disappointing fade a real heartwarming survival and determination story.Love the bearded one from Nashville!

Sonny's boy Nick Evans drove in the winning run for the Mets lashing a double down the right field line.He's another good guy to have around,see play in certain situations in the last month.

 

[syam24]

RA pitched very effectively on Wed, the only drawback was the two run homer he gave up to Wilson Ramos, a prized rookie the Nats got from the Twins for Matt Capps. RA also got two more hits, a complete ballplayer. As Saucy said Evans drove home the go ahead run on a pinchhit double, he was actually pinch hitting for Duda, but when the Nats went to a lefty, Sean Burnett, Manuel went to Nick. He had a very good at bat, spoiling about 3 pitches on the outside corner before connecting for the double. Takahashi closed out the game with an efficient ninth.

I did mention in a previous post that Dillon Gee had a very good breaking pitch along with a fastball and change. He had them all working in great combination.

Saw in the News today that Peter Gammons expects Bobby V to come back to the Mets. I would welcome it, but not sure that's in the cards. With today's off day, Niese is going to get an extra day and pitch Sunday, with Pelfrey going on regular rest on Sat vs the Phils.

 

[sonny10305]

We got the win in Brooklyn last night; it went back and forth going on for three and a half hours giving me more agada than I could stand. The crowd was smaller than I would have expected I figured the place would be packed but it wasn’t. I thought my boys played very aggressive ball, they forced errors, which is a Backman trademark and taking extra bases another Wally thing. A great example was in both the eighth when Darrell Ceciliani scored from second on a single, that kid can run.
Wally was on fire, I mean ON FIRE, when Jamestown took the lead in the ninth I watched Wally in the dugout with what I swear was fire coming out mouth and smoke coming out of his ears rallying up his boys and getting them fired up. I mean it was scary but awesome at the same time. I’m tellin you that Wally explosion was what got the boys out there to tie the game with some timely hits and more aggressive base running to go into extra innings to win the game. WHEW!
The pitching was better than it was on Tuesday, Angel Cuan threw an excellent game going seven innings and allowing three runs on four hits and Fraser pitched three shutout innings giving up just one hit and struck out five, Pinera, pitched a scoreless 12th.
I wish the defense had been better thou. But it was the 12th inning that got my blood pumpin, Centeno doubled, but it was the bunt that followed that got us on our feet I think (its those little things that change a Wally game) I think maybe we scared the Jamestown pitcher, Hodges I think is his name, cause he threw a wild pitch, Mc Queen scored, game over.
My boys under Backman were intense and determined to win cause that’s what he does to them

What we want now is for the Cyclones to finish off Jamestown tonight and move on to the NYPL championship. We will be getting our 2010 Playoffs T-Shirts tonight.

Syam after rereading the post I understood it better it's just I wondere how he threw that slider. My feeling on next years manager is well documented here, Backman and only Backman. I do like Bobby V but he is a distance second choice for me.

Saucy thanks for that update on last night’s game; I got a text from Evans that read “I broke the curse”
Just before he got called up I was joking with him about how I felt all the guys coming up from Buffalo were cursed by the Mets, so many of em had not performed as well as they did in the minors, guys like, F-Mart, Duda, Misch and Nickeas,so when he got that single he thought of that. So Manual made the right choice in batting Nick instead of Duda against the lefty. Nick might make it to the Cyclones game tonight, there is some confusion about his living arrangements in NY to get outta the way.

I still have not watched the Dillon Gee game hope to this weekend. But looks like Manual may not use him again this season I think Jerry is concerned for Dillon’s pitching shoulder, he tore the Labrum last year, and because he threw so many pitches in Buffalo this year may not want no to take any chances. I dono how I feel about that and I don’t want to ask Dillon about it cause I dono yet how he feels about it. I hope Manual changes his mind.

 

[sonny10305]

We are going to the championship series

Last night the mighty Cyclones beat Jamestown 6-4,
Saturday we go to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium to play the Tri-City Valley Cats, Then it’s back to Brooklyn, were we have the home field advantage with a 30-8 home record during the regular season, Sunday and if necessary, Monday. This season we beat the Cats four out of six times.
Wally use his relievers well not wasting any time pullin them when they did not look like they would cut it, actually the bullpen gave up just four hits but my poor little heart was pounding away in a scary final inning when Jamestown loaded the bases. But then Dan Carrela struck out the last two batters. The celebration that followed is something I will never forget, all of us shouting “NEVER QUIT, NEVER QUIT” When he Mets have that celebration the Champagne flows but we were happy with sparkling grape juice.

 

[Sausy]

We are going to the championship series

Last night the mighty Cyclones beat Jamestown 6-4, Saturday we go to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium to play the Tri-City Valley Cats, Then it’s back to Brooklyn were we have the home field advantage with a 30-8 home record during the regular season Sunday and if necessary, Monday. This season we beat the Cats four out of six times.
Wally use his relievers well not wasting any time pullin them when they did not look like they would cut it, actually the bullpen gave up just four hits but my poor little heart was pounding away in a scary final inning when Jamestown loaded the bases. But then Dan Carrela struck out the last two batters. The celebration that followed is something I will never forget, all of us shouting “NEVER QUIT, NEVER QUIT” When he Mets have that celebration the Champagne flows but we were happy with sparkling grape juice.

Sweet.sonny!Feel; so great for the guys and you,Naughty Arousal....this has got to be a wonderful consolation for such another dreary,crapper of a Mets season.Mets hope is down the road and not too far...add a few talented AND hungry youngsters plus judicious trades and free agent signings,things could really look up for us in a couple of years!This series against Jamestown is a prime reason why Wally HAS to be the net manager...he was on fast track a few years ago with the Diamondbacks and fucked up badly on a domestic matter.No excuses....but even sainted retiring manager from Atlanta Bobby Cox had a similar situation while he was managing at the pro level.Wally has nothing left to prove...he'll either motivate the guys the Mets have or they can bring up or get new ones who will be motivated,professional at all times.You will have bad stretches,but you always have to believe you are capable of winning any game...no sulking,la di da play or too many times heads are not in the game.Bobby V is nice like you say but he's been around already.Wally has more than paid his dues....his players would literally run through walls for him...he believed in them even in the second game where things weren't assured to go the Cyclones way...but Wally is that type of manager who treats his players like men,loves em,bleeds for them and only wants in return constant professionalism and dedication.He doesn't scream at you,but I bet you sonny ask all your buds on the theam if they would ever want to disappoint Wally,the answers would be universally "Hell,no"!

Cyclones,best to you in the final round!

 

[syam24]

Just saw a news item that Santana will undergoing shoulder surgery, some capsule area behind the pectoral muscle, should beging throwing again in the spring. Perhaps Dillon Gee will get that next start. As Rosanna Rosanadanna's Grandmother used to say, If it's not one thing, it's another. Oy!!

 

[Sausy]

Yep,syam....see ya in the spring,Johann Santana,maybe.Frustrating,and now our chances next year may well be impacted by a slow Johann recover... a fiscal reluctance or inability by the Wilpons to if necessary get a top of the line enough starter to somewhat mitigate the cloudiness of Johann's status with the Mets next year.


Great effort by Dillon Gee tonight,eight scoreless innings...Sonny's boy Nick Evans does it again,second time since his call up from Buffalo Nick wins the game 1-0 for the Mets.Knocks in Ruben Tejada with a single and good to see the Mets having a good time giving him his props as he got back to the dugout.

Sonny and Naughty Arousal must be tearing their hair out as the New York Penn League Finals game two gets postponed yet again.The Cyclones back in their home field down after losing the opener....facing elimination but overcame a similar opener loss in the previous series against the Yankees affiliate.Hope it goes well tomorrow,and the Cyclones can take it all Wednesday night.

 

[sonny10305]

So how excited am I for Nick Evans winning the game last night. I have followed this kids career ever since first spotting him in Binghamton in ’08 and thru ’09 in Buffalo. He has had a lot of starts and stops with the Mets the last couple years but made a big splash this year in Buffalo batting just under .300. I have been so frustrated by Manual not using Nick since he came up last week even after blasting that double the other day to give us the wining RBI. Nick should have been rewarded with a chance to play the next day but Manual did not use him. If it had not been for that hit and RBI Dickey would not have gotten the win that day cause the Mets had to score in that inning for him to get the win. Nick provided that and should have played the next day. Finally last night Manual gave Nick that very important at bat and he came thru, so Manual had better put him in the lineup tonight especially with a Lefty on the mound for the Pirates. Otherwise I may have to drive over to Citi and shove a baseball bat up his butt. It’s what Manual does day after day and it’s getting worse, another player he keeps benching is Tejada who has come to life lately with his bat and of course his defense has been spectacular so what does Jerry do he keeps him on the bench. Last night it was Tejada and Evans that won the game for us, ya think numb nutz Manual will play them both tonight?

My boy Dillon Gee pitched another great game even got a double in his at bat, too bad the Mets offense did not give him the run he needed in the 7th to get the well deserved win.

Santana will have his surgery today and we will know if the injury is just the tear as shown on the MRI or something more. If the damage is limited then he should be fine to start playing catch in January but that is a big if cause anything else could be big trouble for our 2011 rotation. But happy positive thoughts for Johan today we are all hopeful for a successful outcome to his surgery and that the damage is limited to the tear.

The Cyclones game was postponed again last night for the second time in a row due to the bad weather so we try again tonight.
I am not sorry the Cyclones game was cancelled cause I got to see Evans live as it happened.

 

[syam24]

Glad to see Nick take advantage of the few opportunities he's afforded. Haven't seen the Mets in a few days, just catch a bit on the radio and read the news about them. On the radio last nite, they reported that Manuel plans to use Tejada both tonite and Wed against a couple of Pitt lefties, don't recall them mentioning Evans though. Another good outing by Gee, he's quoted as not having his best stuff, so if he pitches like this with subpar stuff, he's good enuff for me. I hope the Santana surgery goes well , and no surprises.

Good luck to the Cyclones tonite!!

 

[Sausy]

Thanks NA,gotta learn to pay more attentionbut appreciate the correction.Sorry to see the Cyclones weren't able to make a another rousing playoff comeback....know you,sonny and especially the guys are really bummed but they gave us a season to be proud of.Hope to see a lot of Cyclones in CitiField as big league Mets in the next couple of years,you guys have me really excited as a Mets fan!

 

[Sausy]

Well,sonny...like I said to NA feel real bad the Cyclones were unable to make another great playoff run while on the ropes,but the guys should be proud and always keep the lessons and wisdom learned in such a great season.We'll hear from a number of them hopefully really soon.

At least "numb nuts",er Jerry Manuel takes sonny's threats seriously,no baseball bat demo neededas both Nick Evans and Miguel Tejada played,and both did very well....two hits,two runs including a homer by Nick and three hits,couple of runs by Tejada.Why not play the young guys as much as possible,see what kind of roles they may be positioning for if thy remain with the Mets in the upcoming season.

Good games as well by Jose Reyes,Angel Pagan and Carlos Beltran who added a home run and two run double..RA Dickey was sensational,complete game allowing just one run on five hits.Love the fact he never stops competing and definitely has made himself a strong inmpression going into next year he just won't be one of the fluke things.Just hope we can end the season playing for pride instead of just running out the clock.

Johann Santana's shoulder surgery went well,no complications and he is primed to start throwing by spring,though who knows how long it would take him to return to close to All Star form...if that is still yet possible.

 

[sonny10305]

Well to quote Tom Hanks, “There’s no crying in baseball”

In what I would have to call sloppy baseball the Cyclones were swept in the best-of-three NYP League Championship series. We were out-hit 11-3 and committed three errors.
Darrell Ceciliani who was 2-3 with a double was the only bright spot in a lousy game. Darrel has been outstanding for us this year and in the five-game run in the playoffs hit .474 that’s 9-for-19 with two doubles, four walks, two strikeouts plus he was 4 for5 stealing bases. I dono if he will make St. Lucie next year but he should if not perhaps Savannah.
Yohan Almonte had another bad outing and got hit for 3R, 7H, and struck out only 2. The defense behind him was no help committing three errors. Angel Cuan wasn’t much better giving up two runs. Cory Vaughn and J.B Brown provided the only other hits. I guess what hut was we were confident at home cause of our winning record there which was 30-8.

Wally Backman said what I would have expected him to say and that was that they had an outstanding season, and that every one of the players should hold their heads high, and be proud of what they accomplished.
I could not agree more the team was outstanding to be sure and he last two games can not take that away from us.
So what’s next for Wally? Well he will be going home to Oregon for now and await his next job. Maybe he will be back with the Cyclones next year or maybe with the Mets no one has said much on that as yet, Wally’s thinking is he doesn't know about his next game, when it will be, where it will be, with whom it might be and, for that matter, if it will be. Wally is going to be 51 next week and he is hoping for a promotion. He did a great job of hiding any pain he may have felt last night but he did say that he took the loss to heart cause when he gets that far he expects to win.
But as he pointed to the clubhouse he said most of the pain comes from out there, His compassion for his players is undeniable, and he told the guys after the game to remember the experience, the good, the bad and the fun of it. He also told them when the next chance comes to learn from this experience.
As to the loss itself Wally said. The players were totally prepared, and they were told exactly how they'd be pitched, and in fact it is the way they were pitched. Wally went on to say, you can teach fundamentals all day long and work with the players every day to improve their game, but you can't teach guys to step up. You can't teach guts and heart. You can run the game and run the bullpen. But it's up to the players. Keep in mind the way I heard it Wally was not criticizing as much as making a statement of fact.
So today Wally will be back in the clubhouse with most of the guys to pack up their stuff. Then he is off to Oregon to as he said “go fishin and wait for a tug in his line”
I just hope it will be the Mets doin the pullin

For me it is a time I go thru every year with the season over for my own team and the Cyclones done for the year I get a little depressed cause I will miss those guys most of whom will now spread to all parts of the country till spring and I see them all again. Oh sure, there will be plenty of how ya doin phone calls and text but I will miss the fellowship and comradely most of all the friendships. It happens every year it takes a little getting used to is all.

I kept getting text messages last night about the Mets game and how well it was going with Evans and Tejada, I will watch the game later today.

So with 18 games left all we have do now is win 16 of em and we are in the wild card.

 

[syam24]

So, another Mets game, another injury, happens waaaayy too often. Hopefully this injury to Mejia is just a back muscle as has been hinted at, and not a major shoulder issue. Mets win a game they trailed 5-0, with lots of help from the Pirates' "defense". Some clutch hits thrown in made for a rousing 7 run inning and comeback for a victory. Reyes HR added a cherry on top.

 

[sonny10305]

Yup Syam the injuries are like nothing I ever ever seen in the game but if it's gonna happen you can be sure it will always be the Mets that it happens to

RA, my association with he Cyclones began about eight years ago, I have attended most games over the years both home and away. My friendships with the players began way back when I started chatting with the players during batting practice and before and after the games. My experiences as a pitcher in a team I play for on Long Island opened a dialogue with myself and the boys as well as the coaches. Besides most of the Cyclones I have developed a friendship with pitching Coach Rick Tomlin, Hitting Coach Benny Distefano, and Coach Joel Fuentes. I am a major supporter of the minor leagues following most of the Mets A, AA, and AAA teams. I once had aspirations of being a ballplayer but choose instead to join my families business I have always been more interested in the minor leaguers than the major leaguers and it has been an awesome kick watching some of the guys like Davis and Evans make it big and remember the first time I met them way back before they made it. I have been offered positions with the Cyclones but my dedication to my family’s business has always come first and so I remain just an adopted family member of the Cyclones.

Last night at Citi the 2010 Sterling Awards were given out. Each year the Mets name a Sterling Award winner which is sorta like MVP, at each level of the minor league system. Lucas Duda, Mark Cohoon, Wilmer Flores, Cesar Puello and my personal favorites Darrell Ceciliani Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Dillon Gee were honored. Some lesser know guys like Aderlin Rodriguez, Domingo Tapia, Eudy Pina and C Hector Alvarez were also given awards.
Lucas Duda was named Player of the Year, Mark Cohoon is Pitcher of the Year, but my biggest thrill was seeing Ceciliani get his award, he posted a .351 average which was the highest single-season mark in Cyclones history, and he was also the first Cyclones player ever to win the New York-Penn League batting title. I know I have written about this before but when I see that kid, the youngest on the team by the way, win this I just can’t help but get excited and have to repeat myself. Remember that name kiddies cause I fully expect him to jump to AA very quickly the way that Cohoon did. I remember meeting Kirk Nieuwenhuis some time in August I think it was when he got promoted to AAA, I wished him good luck and watched him play and thought this kid ain’t gonna need luck he is going to make it big.

The news was not all good last night; of course there is the concern for Mejia who has been shut down by the Mets for the remainder of the season with a strained muscle in his shoulder blade. He had an MRI this morning which revealed a rhomboid muscle strain, is expected to be ok for next spring training.
So what does this do for our rotation, since Mejia's next scheduled turn falls on a off-day Monday, the Mets could go with four starters for next week. But then it will be up to guys like Misch Valdes to fill that spot. Of course there is one other option. Could it happen? Will we see him? I having trouble typing his name gulp gasp .... Perez Will Ollie pitch again oh no, the humanity, quick clover the kids eyes, everyone hid under the bed it could happen.
Well ya know what?? What diffenece does it make now and we could use some comedy, let him pitch we could all use a good laugh.

More important to me was the news that Reese Havans may need back surgery they are waiting to see how his treatment gos befoe making a decision on surgury.I feel so bad for that kid he has had nothing but bad luck with injuries, in fact he has missed more than a year’s worth of games in his short first two and half years of playing ball. I first met him back in ’08 when he was in Brooklyn paying short and second and thought of him as a future second baseman for the Mets. For now he will be given some sort of injections to help cure him, if the injections don’t work he will have surgery. What they are trying on Reese is a Steroidal injection which are commonly used to treat herniated discs they also relieve nerve irritation, what I don’t like is that they are given around the spinal column. They keep saying what he has is strained oblique and the steroids are supposed to speed recovery and rehabilitation. I hate this idea but I hate the surgery as well so I am worried about him.

Hey, the Mets going for a four game sweep, that hasn't happened since who knows when, oh wait....it's the Pirates, jezz those guys are bad, I mean they can' even catch the ball for goodness sake just how many did they drop last nihht anyway..Jezz.

I love love Keith Hernandez and wasn't he fun last nght playing camera man?

 

[Sausy]

Keith was a hoot last night,in the Pepsi Porch stands with those two female Met fans...the Mets unquestionably in Keith,Ron Darling and Gary Cohen have among the best chemistry and quality among broadcast teams in baseball.