New York Mets 2011

[syam24]

Off to a good start in the ATL, with another solid outing by Jonathon Niese. Byrdak provided a super relief appearance, getting 2 K's to bail the Mets out of the 7th, giving up just one run. Izzy gave up an Uggla blast, but nothing else and KRod pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to nail this one down. Was nice to get some contribuition from Willie Harris, who played in place of Jason Bay. Willie, I think, had a 7 for 14 streak against Jurrjens, careerwise, so got the start on a Terry Collns hunch. Good work by all. Let's go Mets!!!

 

[sonny10305]

You are correct Syam, Collins had been contemplating how he would give Harris more playing time and then he saw that stat against Jurrjens and decided that was the time to put Willie in' and the “hunch” as you put it paid off. Murph got another shot at third cause Collins wanted to give Duda some playing time and Turner has been bothered by a thumb bruise. If you ever wondered what that thing is we always see hanging out of Jason’s mouth when he gets a hit and is on base it is a thumb guard. He will be back in the lineup on Thursday taking at least one more day off today.

With the Marlins losses we now have third place all to ourselves

So did the Braves purposely wet down the field between first and second to slow down Jose Reyes and his stolen bases? Well all we do know is that the umpiring crew said this morning that it will be on the lookout at Turner Field to ensure the infield playing conditions are up to major league standards. You prolly know and saw last night that the Mets complained of a soggy infield last night and the grounds crew was called in to dry up the field a bit. The Mets position is that the Braves “asserted gamesmanship” and had overstepped its bounds in an attempt to slow down Jose Reyes and that the field was dangerously soggy last night.

Great game last night and fun to watch expect of course for those Atlanta fans and that war chant and chop chop. Good grief is that ever lame and has gotten sooooo old. Why don’t a bunch of Mets fans go down there and start a chant and chop chop at the Braves when ever he Mets get on base or score, hey now that would be sweet another thing. I also want to see is a Mets player hit a home run and do the chop as he runs the bases. Chop on this fuder muckers

Nick Evans came into the city yesterday and said he will return to the Bisons lineup on Thursday playing in his usual positions between first base and corner outfield spots, and occasionally at third base. Nick is just not ready to test the waters of free agency

Not to worry about Josh Thole who left the game last night with his knee bothering him after getting drilled in the left knee. Terry Collins took Josh out mostly to do a double-switch, which would allow Francisco Rodriguez to pitch a couple of innings if the Braves tied it up. Josh is fine I just wish he would shave that silly beard off his face it is not a good look for him

How about Beltran, stealing twice since Saturday proving every day how healthy he is,ya gotta love that

I got to spend some time on Sunday with the Brooklyn Cyclones new shortstop Danny Munno who was drafted in the eighth round by the Mets last week. He talked about having played against Ike Davis They were on opposing teams in ’08 and Danny remembers Ike as a player on the Arizona State Sun Devils and is not at all surprised by Ike’s success saying he was an outstanding player. Danny played second and third base and in the outfield during college, but will start out win Brooklyn at short then perhaps move later. He recently turned switch hitter after being a lefty naturally. Some of the other guys I met at the dinner were four other players from the 2011 Draft, Daniel Muno, Jonathan Clark, Travis Taijeron and Charley Thurber. There are seven players returning from last season had not seen theses guys since last year great seeing everyone again. Looking forward to the new season which will be the 1th for the team
I was also privileged to finally met our new pitching coach Frank “Sweet Music”, Viola who was so gracious spending time talking pitching with me I also met up with new manager Rich Donnelly and hitting coach Bobby Malek. Brooklyn’s home opening day is Saturday and I will be there and report back all the fun to you guys here.

Dillon Gee pitches tonight and goes for a record of 8-0 he is the best among major league pitchers who are currently undefeated. One more win and he’d match Dwight Gooden as the only pitchers to start 8-0 for the Mets, with all eight wins coming as a starting pitcher Well Golly Gee

I mentioned Ike Davis and thought I would share this picture now everyone say Awwwwww

 

[gtru1981]

THANK GOD Ike cut his hair! He looks so much better, he needs to get better now!

 

[Sausy]

AWW!!!Love Ike and the teddy bear Met!Hopefully he'll be ready to play though Daniel Murphy has filled in so well....kow it kills him to have to miss soi much time and waiting to heal with that bruise taking longer than that mild sprain but better safe than sorry.Glad Nick returned to the Bisons....left a comment for sonny Friday when he was mentioning Nick had to decide even if he cleared wavers whether he wanted to return or become a free agent....maybe eventually to be part of a trade would be better for his career personally in terms of potential playing time with a major league club.


Awesome meeting all those guys,sonny....soon they're gonna know you as well as the other s you've met and bonded with over the years,And I know meeting Frank Viola had to be a thrill...career kinda cut short but a damn good lefty when healthy,and should be a tremendous coach to those young pitchers under his tutelage.This has got to be the gratest time for you with the Cyclones starting their new season,and their no 1 fan sonny right there supporting the boys as only he can!

Damn the rain in Atlanta stopped Dillon Gee as he went four strong innings giving up no runs and one hit but the bullpen of Carrasco and Bobby Parnell was outstanding...Parnell back up from his stint in Buffalo trying to deal with the circulatory problem in his middle finger was absolutely dominant in particular!Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan wielded the big bats but Jason Bay with two hits and a stolen base....got to get him on some kind of consistent run,amazing the Mets are 34-34 now without any real contribution from Bay over the past month or so.2 wins so far over the Braves,let's keep giving them the tomahawk chop and go for a sweep tonight.Let's go Mets!

 

[sonny10305]

Sorry to bust your bubble gtru but that is not a recent photo of Ike he has not cut his hair and as a matter of fact since going on the DL he barely shaves. When I last saw him I said “Dude, you look homeless” to which he replied “Great, that’s the look I as going for” he is such a goof ball. He did also say that he is planning on “cleaning up some” before he comes back to the Mets. I am happy to tell you that he is doing much better mentally about his injury and very much looking forward to the doctors report on Wednesday.

Saucy I am sorry I missed that comment I don’t go into that section much, in any event Evans is also doing really well mentally better than he has in the past, actually he saw it coming considering how poorly he was performing it was just a matter of when not if he was going down again. But he wanted the security and mental stability of going to AAA to work out his problems with the coaches they love him there and he will get more playing time which he needs. So he is all good to go and try again. Meantime when he reported today to Norfolk, where the Bisons begin an eight day road trip, he found that Chin-lung Hu is leaving the Mets cause he has experienced throwing yips, he is going to Port St. Lucie.

I was so happy to see Jason Bay bust out a little last; night baby steps but still much better than he has been. I don’t know Jason at all so I could not speak to him about it but Murph said that the whole team was cheering him on and giving em at-a-boy last night, they have all been so very supportive. Bay said it’s the best he has felt in a long time, he played the aggressor rather than being on the defensive up there.
Murph also told me that MLB has changed the scoring on that play he missed on Saturday and charged him with an error which also helps Dickey’s ERA

Yesterday I wrote about the Braves fans and that insufferable chanting so now they added something to aggravate me even more with that Camptown Races song when Duda comes up, DU DA ..DU DA ..please, grow up you people are so annoying. Nothing original about it either as Lucus said “been hearin that all my life”

While it was a shame that the long rain delay made Dillon Gee short of qualifying for the victory, but the pen was awesome with Carrasco, Parnell K-Rod tossing five scoreless relief innings. Yes!!!
I support the decision to pull Gee, it is far more important to protect him and risk any harm than anything else.

So here we are finally at .500 for the first time since May 20 going for the sweep tonight.

Turner returns to play third tonight moving Murph back to first, Hairston gets a chance to pay tonight in center with Paulino catching Dickey. The rest of the lineup same as last night.

 

[sonny10305]

OK so then THAT happened

In case ypu missed it the Braves beat the Mets last night on a walk off balk. A BALK!!!

As you guys know Roger McDowell who used to pitch for the Mets is now the Braves pitching coach. Well here is an interesting tid bit, the last time the Mets lost on a walk-off balk was in 1989 in the 12th inning at Dodger Stadium. On the mound for the NY Mets was Roger McDowell.

Last nights balk against Carrasco had a wacky twist cause Ronny Paulino called for a cutter, and Carrasco wanted to make extra sure at the last second so that he did not throw an unintended pitch and end the game on a wild pitch. But he just wanted to make sure he did not cross Paulino up but In the process of doing that he also knew that any kind of a hesitation and the ump would call him for it. He didn’t realize he balked at that instant, but soon knew what he had done.

We just need to keep reminding ourselves that Francisco Rodriguez had a streak of 19 straight successful save conversions before last night

So putting Scott Hairston in the game last night was a good move, belted a three-run homer, bout time that dude started helping us out.

Scary OH NO moment with Angel Pagan last night when he went own but no worries he is ok just a little swelling and a major strawberry on his left side, Pagan also had a bruise on a foot from getting tripped up.

Jason Bay continued his return to better form had his second straight two hit game, as he went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI.

Poor little Fernando Martinez, that kid is so injury prone its ridicules now last night he left the game with right knee soreness. When will it end for that poor kid.
The good news out of all that was Nick Evans was brought in to take F-Mart’s place and in his first at bat since leaving the Mets and rejoining the Bisons banged out a two-run double which ultimately won the game.
Sweet return Nick

 

[syam24]

Last nite's Mets game was certainly a roller coaster, trailing, rallying to tie, then take the lead, only to have KRod get taken deep by Conrad. I had a sick feeling as he came to bat that that was going to happen, don't know why..... then of course as Sonny explained, the BALK. Well, we went 6-4 on a long road trip, that ain't bad, took two series, and split one. The Mets are playing better ball, just a few silly things "happen" on occasion to mess up the final score. Good for Jason Bay, hopefully he'll continue his progress back to a reasonable facsimile of his former self. I wonder about FMart, wonder about his nourishment as a youngster, possibly not enuff of the right vitamins to build his body the correct way. I'm not a doc, but some of these players come from such poor backgrounds it makes me wonder sometimes. Let's cook the Angels, Lets go Mets!!

 

[sonny10305]

Cant talk Mets today my mind is with my Cyclones I spent the whole day with them yesterday and today The day I have been looking forward to for months is here, tonight the Brooklyn Cyclones play their home opener. If you are in the area today come on down and watch and support these kids I promise you a good time. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, as fun in baseball as watching these future stars scrap and play their hearts out in hopes of being seen by the right people and get a chance to move up and advance their careers. I have watched a lot of present day Mets come up thru Brooklyn and look forward to the next generation of Mets to come along.
In the game tonight the Cyclones take on the Staten Island Yankees, last night was the season opener with the Yankees at their park were we beat em a 5-3. That victory improves the Cyclones to 9-2 all-time on Opening Day. It started really well when my boys offense hit em early putting up a three runs in the second inning to take the lead. So my night was off and running with the blood pumpin with the thought of a new and exciting new season. Tonight Carlos Vazques a very exciting pitcher takes the mound.

The boys load up the bus yesterday for the trip to play the SI Yankees




In that game Yesterday my boy Travis Taijeron who plays returns to the dugout after scoring following a triple, he went 2-2 including 2 runs scored


Minor league baseball rocks so come on down first pitch is at 6:30


I wanna take a sec to thank Syam for his positive posts, it takes a real Mets fan to write the things he does; and at a time when so many people seem to enjoy beatin up on the Mets no matter what they do and I appreciate that
Of course were would we be without the always on target post form Saucy

 

[Ninja108]

The Mets are doing better tonight than they did two nights ago with the loss by balk.

 

[Sausy]

Great win,6-1 Mets over the Angels.....Jose Reyes really got to Dan Haren,messed with his head so much,doesn't matter how he gets on,walk or hit he's a threat to go and stole two bases,scoring both times.Haren is a good one so this is a most satisfying win,and seeing Mike Pelfrey pitch so much in command,allowing only five hits,no walks for the third straight start,five strikeouts and hgiving up only that home run...he was magnificent getting his first complete game since 2008.Jason Bay got two more hits,stole a base which led to a run....Justin Turner had another clutch RBI,he looks like he's for real though he can't get pull happy,when he goes with the pitch he's outstanding as the SNY crew were saying about him.Angel Pagan is hot at bat and on the baes,another steal(I love it when the Mets are like rabbits and running all over the place manufacturing runs!!!)

Topped off with a monster two run shot to right center"Shea Bridge" by Carlos Beltran...Carlos looks like he can be playing at the All Star game the way he's going...10 homers,40+ rbi,giving the Mets the often dynamic presence in the middle he was before all the knee problems it's gonna be sad to see him go whether it is around trade deadline or after the season.

Thanks for the shout out,sonny!Have a great Father's Day sonny and everyone here!

 

[gtru1981]

So yesturday was a fun day. I took three die hard Soxs fans to a Mets game. They had a blast at the game and loved Citi Field. They thought the stadium was built wonderfully and loved the scene. Also, they were in shock that they had guys selling beers in the promenade section (we sat front row in 525, they were great seats btw), as i was told you have to get ur own drinks at Fenway if they arent the front row (aka the better seats). Funny thing, my freind Keri told me early on she had a good feeling and the Mets would win (which they did). She went crazy, seeing Mr. Met, Justin turner hit a single (she kepted telling the croud he was her cousin lol), and seeing the Big Apple after Beltrans homerun.

It was their first time to Citi Field, they been to Shea before and they only had a two complaints.

1.) The chop shops next door, they kepted talking about it and how ugly it is. They were scared to cross the street lol. They said it took the beautiful look of the Flushing Corona and city skyline and stuff away.
2.) Lack of bars around the stadium, Yankee stadium and Fenway have tons of bars around the stadium. I told them Mcfaddens opened up last year so before that nothing.

I have to say they behaved really well around the Met Fans and we all had a great time with the people around us, laughing, cheering, joking (Yes my freinds are die hard anti Yankees lol). They already want to come back again lol....

 

[gtru1981]

I wanna take a sec to thank Syam for his positive posts, it takes a real Mets fan to write the things he does; and at a time when so many people seem to enjoy beatin up on the Mets no matter what they do and I appreciate that
Of course were would we be without the always on target post form Saucy[/QUOTE]

What i dont get a shot out? lol...

 

[Sausy]

Shout out to gtru for the really fun day at CitiField he provided his Red Sox fan friends!It was a great game,too bad today really wasn't much to talk about.Guess after such a good stretch of games Jon Niese was due for a flat outing and well,Jason Bay proved he isn't gonna get two hits in every game.Still,Oakland coming up Tuesday for a three game series should prove interesting.....the good thing is now it seems a bad game or two will only be that,not an indication of a prolonged slide,as this group of guys is a MUCH tougher,more resilient team than we've known the past couple of years.Just gotta keep things consistent til we get Ike and David back,and keep building on the things we've beeen doing right.Credit aso has to go to Terry Collins,who really has a handle on how to run this club,providing the right combination of grit,toughness,support and positivity.

 

[sonny10305]

Oh gtru I am sorry I did not mention your contributions of course I appreciate them, you are one of the ones I can count on to keep this thead alive
And yes Citifield is magnificent.

Saucy good seeing you here again. You mentioned Bay and I did as well in a recent post I had hoped he turned the corner on his hitting but he is back to his old self again. He is a dead pull hitter and you can see why he is back to not hitting if you watch his at bats, he is back to hitting the ball in front again not as much as before but he is still hitting the ball of the end of the bat. Plus I would like him closer to the plate guess he learned that bad habit form DWright. Looks like those couple of hits Bay got recently were just lucky hits. Speaking of DWright, who has an exam on Friday, has started modest baseball activities. He tossed a baseball at took limited grounders from his knees Sunday at Citi Field. Sys he is not worried about the upcoming doctors visit cause he has done everything they told him to do and feels good.
Ike Davis also returns to the doctor on Wednesday. Fingers and toes crossed for both these guys.

Murphy talking about some heartwarming sites at Citi this weekend with a couple of high powered ex players giving advice to the new kids. Sandy Kuofax was huddled with Chris Capuano, and Tom Seaver talking to Lucas Duda telling him to take it easy, have fun and exhale and remember you're playing a game. Very cool.

I had an awesome three days with my Cyclones we ended up winning the series 2-3. Tonight’s game will be special cause its Angel Pagan bobblehead night. I spoke to Kevin Burkhardt and he told me he is going to do the play by play with Bobby O tonight on SNY and that Angel will join them in the booth around 7. When ever the Mets have a day off and the Cyclones play at home SNY carries the game live so try and check it out tonight. This time it will be my turn to introduce Kevin to the newest Cyclones and seeing Pagan again will be cool, I recall the first time I met him was at a Cyclones game when KB introduced me to him in 2010. That was the night he had his number (#35) dedicated and threw out the first pitch; Angel was also added to the honor roll of notable Cyclones to make it to the Major Leagues.

Here is the Angel doll halo and all

 

[Sausy]

Angel Pagan was one of the original Brooklyn Cycloners if you guys didn't know from back a decade ago....started with the Mets system and though he played with the Cubs annd Pirates was reacquired by the Mets a few years back,and has blossomed into a really solid player.Best thing is how much steadier he has been defensively and running the bases...he still makes a bonehead play now and then but from three years ago where he was hitting so well but showing alarming fundamental deficiencies,his progress has been impressive.Hope the event at the Cyclones game tonight is a blast....I'm sure Angel must be very pleased to get that personal night treatment,and the bobbleheads are adorable!

 

[sonny10305]

Angel Pagan was one of the original Brooklyn Cycloners if you guys didn't know from back a decade ago....started with the Mets system and though he played with the Cubs annd Pirates was reacquired by the Mets a few years back,and has blossomed into a really solid player.Best thing is how much steadier he has been defensively and running the bases...he still makes a bonehead play now and then but from three years ago where he was hitting so well but showing alarming fundamental deficiencies,his progress has been impressive.Hope the event at the Cyclones game tonight is a blast....I'm sure Angel must be very pleased to get that personal night treatment,and the bobbleheads are adorable!

Right Saucy, Angel Pagan who was on the first Cyclone team in 2001 became the first Cyclones batter. He had his his wife and two adorable little girls with him at the game last night. He is such a loving father he video chats with his girls every day when he is on the road and they are home in Puerto Rico.
Cyclones rocked em last night in late innings; Short stop Danny Muno was on fire with an awesome Reyes like catch and a triple. I watched much of the game with the SNY guys; KB gave me a headset so I could here his play by play. Cory Vaughn called into the show as well.

Tonight it's back to Mets; Lineup Reyes-SS, Turner-3B, Beltran-RF, Murphy-1B, Pagan-CF, Bay-LF, Paulino-C, Tejada-2B, and Golly Gee pitches

 

[Sausy]

Right Saucy, Angel Pagan who was on the first Cyclone team in 2001 became the first Cyclones batter. He had his his wife and two adorable little girls with him at the game last night. He is such a loving father he video chats with his girls every day when he is on the road and they are home in Puerto Rico.
Cyclones rocked em last night in late innings; Short stop Danny Muno was on fire with an awesome Reyes like catch and a triple. I watched much of the game with the SNY guys; KB gave me a headset so I could here his play by play. Cory Vaughn called into the show as well.

Tonight it's back to Mets; Lineup Reyes-SS, Turner-3B, Beltran-RF, Murphy-1B, Pagan-CF, Bay-LF, Paulino-C, Tejada-2B, and Golly Gee pitches

Sounds AWESOME!Sonny in the booth...guess you even were nice to Bobby O!How good is Danny Muno and how well are Cory and Darren Ceciliani doing,btw?Two of the biggest Brooklyn stars last season as we all remember!

 

[gtru1981]

Ike Davis could be out for atleast another month with his injury and may be out for the rest of the season.

"An MRI taken Wednesday revealed no improvement of the bone bruise in his ankle. Davis will continue to rehab the joint for the next three weeks, at which point the Mets will reevaluate the first baseman and determine whether or not he will need to undergo season-ending surgery."

Dude that sucks for Ike. Like i said before i broke a small bone on my ankle (i was really hammered after going out and tripped over a root of a tree i didnt see lol) and was out of out for 3 weeks while it healed. The bone never fully recovered and sometimes it gives me a sharp pain and sometimes i walk funny bc of it and its been two years.

I remember after one week it didnt heal and it never fully healed after three weeks in a cast and another four weeks in the boot. The doctor said i might have needed surgery if it didnt "fully heal". So i can honestly feel for Ike on the pain and fraustation of this, since i been through it! Hope he gets better and doesnt need to go around the knife.

Hopefully we get better news about Wright, but the Mets have been playing really good ball though.

So Sonny, since Ike is out, you should recommand him to join Twitter so we can talk to him. Seems like alot of players are on it (i follow every Yankee that has it) and its fun. I know Thole had a bad experiance with it, but it would be fun and i can tell him TO CUT HIS HAIR! lol and since he has nothing else better to do, he can tweet!

Also Sonny regarding twitter (i dont know if you use it), but i see Kevin B got a new profile pic..its interesting that all i am going to say lol...

 

[sonny10305]

As gtru has written Ike Davis did not get good news yesterday he just has not gotten better. I have been telling you guys for weeks that Ike has been saying he is seeing no improvement; although two weeks ago when he stood on his toes he thought he felt less pain than he had before but the damn thing will not heal and in fact when he stood on his toes day before yesterday he felt the pain again.
Three weeks ago they put a boot on to help take the pressure off the bone to help it heal; now we are finding out the boot helped cut off the blood supply to the area and may have actually hindered the healing, the joint was compressed the whole time he had the boot on so there was not a lot of movement in there to help the healing. So the boot is off and will stay off and see if the heal gets any better. What was also not all that surprising is the act that now we know that there is cartilage damage in the joint which we did nit see the first time, actually you can’t see cartilage damage in an MRI. The other thing is that with an MRI it’s a little lagging so it could be that since the bone had some irritation around it could actually mean that it is healing meaning its gonna get better in three weeks. Yesterdays picture showed that the dent in the bone is the same but this time they could see theses like white spec where there is fluid which is the irritation was more pronounced this time and that’s a good thing.
So it’s three more weeks of waiting and hoping for improvement otherwise there may be surgery in his future. Ike has had surgery before on his wrist and that went very well and he fully healed. If the micro fracture surgery is performed to help the healing of the cartilage is needed his season is over cause the healing lasts three months before he can start rehab. Ike said he does not want to wait, once the decision is for surgery he wants to have it immediately to avoid the risk of his not being ready for the 2012 season. Yesterday he returned to the Mets and sat out the game in the dugout with the guys and was walking without the boot but very slowly basically just shuffling his feet which is what he will do now. So for the first week he will be working on strengthening movement stuff even riding a bike, do icing and cold/hot tubs and ultrasound.
He and Sandy will decide today where Ike will spend his time during rehab Ike has said he does not much care where just the best place possible and I think Alderson will help him decide that. So the best case scenario now is that in three weeks he will be able to start running followed by about a month of getting back into baseball shape. Of course I will be keeping in touch with Ike and let you guys how he is doing.

Yes I am very much aware of Burhardt’s tweets he is a tweeting menace I often tweet things to him that we have talked abut to keep all his followers informed. (He has over 18,000) We will talk about something and KB will say “Tweet me that”
Not too many Mets payers have gotten the tweet bug Justin Turner is doing it right now, Josh Thole tried it for a month but he got so many negative and nasty tweets that he shut it down and wont do it again. As for Ike don’t expect him to be tweeting anytime soon….or getting a haircut.

Saucy I promise to get to the boys in the minors (Vaughn got promoted yesterday) its just that the Ike thing has had me kinda busy give me a day or two.

Today I will be taking my Grandpa Joe to Citifield for the senior stroll

 

[sonny10305]

So who can complain about that series in Texas, not me that’s for sure, nice job by our offense who busted out and finally showed you don’t have to hit the ball out of the park to score runs and win games...nice.
The heat in Texas was stifling many of the Mets saying it was a bitch out there. Murphy felt dizzy from her heat at one point and needed to down a bottle of water between innings.
One of the guys who suffered the most was Jon Niese who had to leave his start on Saturday with a rapid heartbeat; the heat had really gotten to him out there. Although he felt fine later after coming out of the game and did his normal running yesterday and will be examined by doctors when the team is in Detroit on Tuesday. Niese is now 7-6 with a 3.67 ERA. Before he left he game he was outstanding even with the two homers, he had great action on his cut fastball, and owned those right handed hitters. I often write about pitching here and I wanted you guys to take notice of the terrific action on his cutter and curveball, I have often mentioned in my posts about the differential of the speeds of the ball and how important that is, Jon makes his fastball, which is the low 90s, seem so much faster than it is, you can see what I mean if you noticed the swings and misses from the baffled hitters

Chris Capuano had some abdominal issues in his last start but he will make his scheduled start on Wednesday, he threw a bullpen session yesterday and says he is fine. the whole thing was just a little cramp.

David Wright as I am sure you have heard has started to ramp up physical activities. It is now possible he could return on July 15, immediately after the All-Star break. Terry Collins is going to visit David in St.Lucie over the All Star break to check in on him, man did I love hearing that. The rehab plan is in motion although he wont start swinging a bat until the middle of this week, he is going to begin the process of getting himself in baseball condition, right now he is riding a bike and prolly tomorrow he's going to start running and doing twisting exercises. They just don’t want him hitting just yet not until he has done some twisting, and got his body in better shape. Soon after he will be ready to start hitting, he'll probably do that five or six days before he's ready to play in a rehab game

Dillon Gee had a big thrill this weekend, Dillon grew up a Nolan Ryan fan and he got to meet his idol on Friday. Jay Horwitz knowing how Gee felt about Ryan asked Nolan, who is president of the Rangers, to swing by for a chat with Gee who gave Dillon an autographed ball that read: "To Dillon, Good luck with your career, Nolan Ryan." Horowitz is beloved by all the players he is the Mets PR man but is much more than that to the players, he is always there for them helping them wherever he can and setting up that meeting is just an example of what Jay does for the boys.

It is good to see Daniel Murphy gettin hot at the plate again he was struggling a bit so he started putting in extra time with Dave Hudgens and Terry Collins in the cage, Murph is so aggressive that sometimes he expands the zone, especially against lefties, yesterday he had three hits and that great defensive play to save two runs.

News form the minors include the promotion of Matt Harvey and Matt den Dekker from Class A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton. Harvey and Jefry Marte will represent the #Mets in the Futures Game in Phoenix. Also Michael Powers has been promoted from St. Lucie to AA Binghamton
Cory Vaughn has joined the Florida State League debut after a promotion from Savannah.
Nick Evans has caught fire again since returning to Buffalo Just this week he went 4 for 5 in the 9-1 victory over the Durham Bulls, Wednesday he had four singles and drove in two runs, Nick has now extended his International League hitting streak to 16 games. This happens every time he plays the minors but as soon as he gets called up to the bigs he losses his punch which is so frustrating. Hang in there Nick I’m bettin the next and third trip to the majors will be the charm.
With the Mets off tonight SNY will broadcast the Bisons game live from Buffalo tonight Check the boys out tonight at 7 on SNY.

Nothing mush new form Ike Davis he is doing everything he is supposed to be doing being very sure to follow orders form doctors and trainers to the letter. He refuses to think negative and wants only to beat this thing without season ending surgery. We will know soon.
Meanwhile he is looking forward to his 1st Annual, “Striking out Childhood Cancer: A Night with Ike Davis” Charity Event Dinner on July 17, in Brooklyn. I will be going to that event and will tell you guys all about then

Sweet news from, Josh Thole, his wife is due with their first child, a son who they will call Camden. The birth could happen pretty much any day now and Josh hopes the Mets will be at home when the baby is born. Otherwise, he definitely plans to take paternity leave. Mike Nickeas, already on the 40-man roster, will prolly return from Triple-A Buffalo for two days if Thole needs to take advantage of the paternity leave option. I met his wife Kathryn just before they got married last year and a sweeter couple you would be hard to find. Best of luck to the happy couple.

On a non baseball issue I wanted to pass on what Ron Darling said regarding NY state passage of gay marriage legislation, Ron is just thrilled by it and in fact as soon as he heard he called his wife to express his happiness over the new law. Ron knows a lot of gay associates and friends and said he can’t wait to hear if my friends are going to take the plunge, and I'm anticipating going to many marriages. Just thought you guys would like hearing that Ron and a few of the Mets players feel that all Americans should enjoy the right to see their love officially recognized. When asked if Ron worried that the professional sports locker room might not be ready to fully accept an openly gay athlete he said maybe, cause most of us are still Neanderthals.

I have to share an ongoing joke I am having with Murphy, you may have noticed he is now growing a goofy looking beard; I’m talking down right hideous. I told him it make him look like an Amish farmer, all he needs is a black hat with a big ole brim and he will be all set. I also asked if he has turned in his car yet for a horse and buggy, I can’t write his response here in this family friendly thread but it was hilarious and I am totally enjoying razzing him about that beard. He has promised to get his revenge on me when he gets back to NY

Seriously, I meanlook at that thing.