New York Mets 2011

[Ninja108]

There's only one player on the Mets (and I'm a Yankees fan) that I can't stand.
K-Rod shouldn't be allowed on the mound again,period.

 

[gtru1981]

while i route for both teams, this is the time of the year i pick my Yankees to kick some Mets ass lol. Sorry, the pinstripes win for me in this series. I agree with the above post, Krod and Posada need to ride off together and never been seen or heard again lol

GO YANKEES!!!

 

[Ninja108]

Bleh...the Yanks deserved to lose tonight..1-10 with RISP, runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs..and we can't do squat.
I will also say this..I wouldn't be holding my head high if I was a Mets fan. Not when you have a grade-a scumbag for a closer.
It truly is a disgrace to baseball that he is still in the game.

 

[syam24]

Good win by the Mets last nite, terrific job of pitching by Dickey, and the bullpen was outstanding!! Reyes made the play of the game, stabbing ARoid's
grounder and throwing him out to keep the game tied, then Murph slams his HR down the right field line which proved to be the winning run. Bullpen retires the last nine Yanks in succession. Awesome work. Will see how Capuano does tonite...Let's go Mets!!!

 

[sonny10305]

Two important things to take from yesterday’s game are of course we won and are now back to .500 but more importantly was the performance by RA Dickey. His knuckleball looked more like the kind of knuckler he got used to throwing last year. Then there was his fastball which we usually see in the 80 MPH which is the one we got used it see him pitch 70 percent of the time. The thing to remember is that pitch is the one he pitches the best off by setting up the knuckleball at about 67-75 MPH and makes it more effective. Last night the Yankees were surprised with his fastball rather instead of pretty much being forced to use it thinking his knuckleballs were ineffective. Obviously he can’t survive with his fastball as his primary pitch, but if he can continue to do more of what he did last night more consistently by using his fastball as his off-speed pitch, that will be gold for him. Think of it this way if you are a hitter you are gonna find it tough to solve since his harder knuckler is within a few miles per hour of his fastball. What we saw last night was that awesome knuckleball dance which keeps hitters from kicking back expecting movement at only one speed and that helps RA so unhittable. Dickeys return to form could be tremendous for us cause with the rest of the rotation pitching so well RA was the only question mark. If he is indeed back to the RA of last year it will allow the rest of the staff to relax
Which brings me to our awesome pen I mean its not enough our starters a are getting the job done but they are going deeper into games keeping the pen fresh and when we have needed the pen they have come thru in spades. Something of very big importance is Francisco Rodriguez who had his 14th straight save and extended his scoreless innings streak to 18.0 Rodriguez is now 1-0 with a 0.79 ERA in 22 appearances, and has converted 14 saves in 15 opportunities. I have been critical of K-Rod and his off he field antics and all that drama he gives his like putting the lead of man on or giving up runs, but even when he gave us drama and flirted with disaster he got better as he pitches himself into more trouble: He has clearly cleaned up his personal act. Many are saying he is a much more calm and easy going guy now, in addition the surgery on his throwing hand was a success. I give him credit for rising above all of last years problems and leave them off the field this year, he’s been flat out dominant going all the way back to Spring Training. and continues to be outstanding for us, I am so real excited and glad to have him as our closer now.

In injury news Angel Pagan will be re-evaluated after he plays in his fourth consecutive rehab game today in St. Lucie, there is a very good chance that Angel will be sent to Buffalo so he could see better pitching before being reactivated, he will play in at least four consecutive Minor League games before the possibility of a return to New York. According to our rehab coordinator the news is all good he is doing really great swinging and running and there is no discomfort at all. If he continues to do well he would likely return when the Mets go to Chicago on May 24.

Ike Davis started doing exercises in the pool, and he hopes to start running and get on to the field an a few days. Yesterday Ike did all his basic exercises doing pretty much all of his rehab in the pool. Earlier he did swing a bat but so far not facing any pitching. He can't run on his ankle yet, but they are doing some stuff in the exercise room to keep his core strong so there is no breakdown in that when he starts swinging. He is still expecting to return on schedule but the next few days will spell that out for sure, of course you have to figure I time for rehab games, which everyone including Ike thinks he will need to do, after all when you are out of the lineup for s long as he has you have to get some at-bats before you come back. I will be speaking with Ike Sunday night and hope to have some good positive news then

You may have seen David Wright in the dugout at Yankee Stadium yesterday he is still not permitted to have physical exertion but David does not want to sit at home and think about baseball he wants to be around the guys. David did go back to the doctor Thursday and underwent more testing Thursday; he believes a plan could be put in place as soon as today to set up a plan of attack for his return. Not to get all technical on you guys but what David has Thursday was a SPECT scan which can show true 3D information.

Chris Capuano pitches tonight, that "hot spot" on his left middle finger that started to become a concern in Houston did not become a full-fledged blister and should not be a problem tonight

I just got some disturbing news about Gary Carter he has been diagnosed with small tumors on his brain.
More on that tomorrow

Lastly you guys can only imagine what it felt like for Daniel Murphy to hit that homer in Yankee Stadium, the kid is still smiling. Way to go Dude, so excited and proud for you.

 

[gtru1981]

Hey Sonny, what do you know about the Binghamton Mets? They are coming into town next week, so i plan on seeing them against the rock cats. Maybe i can get Wally B. to sign my ball.

 

[Ninja108]

Sorry, as someone who knows someone who went through the hell of domestic violence, I don't buy that K-Rod has cleaned up his act.
The fact he,Brett Myers and other players are still allowed to be on the field sickens me.

 

[sonny10305]

Hey Sonny, what do you know about the Binghamton Mets? They are coming into town next week, so i plan on seeing them against the rock cats. Maybe i can get Wally B. to sign my ball.

If you have any speciific questons abiy the team I will be happy to answer them.The Binghamton Mets are a AA team purchased by the Mets from the Mariners in 1991 I have been a follower for many years and have several friends on that team.
We currently have some excellent pitching hopefuls on the team like Manny Alvarez Ricky Brooks Mark Cohoon Bradley Holt Roy Merritt and Brandon Moore. Brandon and I have been friends for a while now and in fact he came out several times to watch me pitch on Long Island. He also came out to the house where my uncle has a pitchers mound setup and worked with me a bit. So obviously I am studying his career closely. Among the other players we have there to watch are Reese Havens and Jordany Valdespin
Wally Backman is an awesome guy you will love watching him manage a game he is so full of sprit very animated, and notice how he spends time with every player after almost every at bat. I knew him fairly well when he managed in Brooklyn and I can tell you he was loved by all the players. Tough yes, disciplinarian oh my yes, but fair, honest and keeps his criticism to constructive ones a terrific role model. I was a big supporter for his taking over the Mets but his time in Bingingham will be good for him to be the next manager of a major league team.

If you read my stuff you have seen me write about Matt Harvey a very exciting pitcher. In eight starts for St. Lucie he has gone 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA, striking out 46 batters in 41 1/3 innings. Matt is expected to join the B Mets in June. Many believe he will likely compete for a spot in the Mets rotation as early as next season. So go enjoy the B-Mets, watching guys like that play is a truly awesome experience. I have said many time I would rather watch a minor league game over a Major league one anytime cause watching these kids play and develop is an absolute kick. Seeing the kids who are filling in for the injured big boys in Flushing gives you an idea of what I am talking about; I mean look at what they are doing, just awesome.
Buffallo Bisons manager Tim Teufel was asked about losing all those guys to Flushing, guys like Justn Turner, Fernando Martinez, Nick Evans, Pat Misch, Mike O'Connor and Dillon Gee not to mention the loss of Jenrry Mejia and Boof Bonser. Tim said the other day that Yeah, we've lost quite a few since Opening Day but its all good. They go up there and contribute, and none of us here are surprised. Triple-A is all about mental approach and being in the grind. The guys we keep sending up there are gamers and grinders and they all love the game and they all know how to play the game. So am I surprised to see what Justin and the rest of them are doing which by the way is no surprise to Teufel. Meantime to fill some of the void The organization has signed Brian Sweeney, Jason Botts, Luis Figueroa and Bubba Bell as journeymen.

I have not seen today’s lineup card yet should have it on about an hour but looks like Collins will keep it close to the same with the exception of Paulino doing the catching for Pelf, which is working really well. In fact Pelf has an ERA of2.11 ERA when he works with Paulino and a 9.56 ERA with Thole. The plan is still to move F-Mart to right and have Beltran DH.

Dono yet what to make of this but talk is that the umps are going to be looking closer to Daniel Murphy’s footwork at first after that wacky call the other day.
Chip Hale said that they have got to get Murph in a position where if it's going around that he's coming off the bag early, we've got to correct it, I trust Chip he was very very helpful to Murph all spring and Daniel likes and respects him very much, so I expect only good will come from this.

I am off to hit a few balls before going to the stadium the rubber match, see you guys tomorrow.

 

[gtru1981]

So i am going to be blunt, I honestly thought the Mets should have won todays game as the Yankees were just terrible prior to the 7th. Big Pel shouldnt had stayed in the game that long and that 3-1 game went to be a 3-9 game with 13 Yankee players at bat during the 7th. The Yankees took what they had and creamed the Mets. I JUST HOPE TO GOD THAT THE YANKEES WILL NOT TAKE REVENGE WHEN THEY MEET AGAIN NEXT MONTH because of Franciso getting hit (poor kid seems to get hit alot). I can see CC doing something.

On a positive side, Bay did pretty good today and got out of his funk (looks like the cameras caught Bay complaining on Saturday about his funk).
So seems like the Mets rubber game match at both Yankee stadiums is 0-9 now with the Mets never winning the rubber game since Interleague started in 1997.

I laughed a little when i found out that Fox bought the rights to both the Yankee/Mets game and Soxs/Cubs game on satruday and guess who won?? NEW YORK BABY!! Loved the fact that many Soxs fans were pissed their game was blacked out, for good reasons...two New York teams brings in better ratings and more talk.

I dont have any questions about the team Sonny, just trying to see if i can get a few signatures, maybe you can tell your boys to sign my ball (i even bring a pretty hot blonde girl lol).

On a lighter side..Dont these two make a cute couple?? lol

 

[Sausy]

Felt bad for Pelf,Yanks got a number of blinky hits,Pelf hitting Cervelli hurt,just one of those things but hopefully Pelf will remember his next start how good he was in the first six innings and not let it affect him negatively.Guess your old Yankee fan pal Russell had the better time this weekend sonny but there's still the return Subway Series at CitiField at the beginning of July.Still always a fun series whatever the outcomes,it's great for New York area baseball.Yep gtru saw the piece about Mark and David and it was pretty amusing,they definitely seemed to have enjoyed doing this event.

 

[Ninja108]

So i am going to be blunt, I honestly thought the Mets should have won todays game as the Yankees were just terrible prior to the 7th. Big Pel shouldnt had stayed in the game that long and that 3-1 game went to be a 3-9 game with 13 Yankee players at bat during the 7th. The Yankees took what they had and creamed the Mets. I JUST HOPE TO GOD THAT THE YANKEES WILL NOT TAKE REVENGE WHEN THEY MEET AGAIN NEXT MONTH because of Franciso getting hit (poor kid seems to get hit alot). I can see CC doing something.

On a positive side, Bay did pretty good today and got out of his funk (looks like the cameras caught Bay complaining on Saturday about his funk).
So seems like the Mets rubber game match at both Yankee stadiums is 0-9 now with the Mets never winning the rubber game since Interleague started in 1997.

I laughed a little when i found out that Fox bought the rights to both the Yankee/Mets game and Soxs/Cubs game on satruday and guess who won?? NEW YORK BABY!! Loved the fact that many Soxs fans were pissed their game was blacked out, for good reasons...two New York teams brings in better ratings and more talk.

I dont have any questions about the team Sonny, just trying to see if i can get a few signatures, maybe you can tell your boys to sign my ball (i even bring a pretty hot blonde girl lol).

On a lighter side..Dont these two make a cute couple?? lol

I don't think there will be any revenge by the Yankees like there was with Baltimore. There clearly wasn't any intent to hit Cisco, Pel simply had no control at that point. He did his job for six innings,he just couldn't do it in the 7th(luckily for us).
All in all, I thought it was a solid series.

 

[syam24]

Mets could have won Sunday's game, especially if they had gotten some hits earlier with men on base, but that's their and the Yankees achilles heel so far this season. Yankees got some bleeders when they needed them in the seventh, but that's baseball. Pelf pitched well the first six innings, but should have been pulled when the first two guys got on in the seventh. Good series all in all, now on to Chicago and the Cubbies starting Tuesday. Let's go Mets!!!

 

[gtru1981]

So Sonny, i know you dont talk about the Wilpons issues, but what is your take on the future status of Wright/Reyes/Beltran. Fred pretty much was talking trash about his players and i am very proud of Wright for saying, "Fred is a good man and is obviously going through some difficult times,"

We all pretty much know Beltran is gone after this year. But Sonny your the master and i would love your feed back and if you heard anything from the other players.

 

[Ninja108]

It does appear Wilpon took a page from the Yankees F.O. in calling out players.

 

[sonny10305]

It’s true I hate talking about the Wilpons and the mess they are in but yesterday old man Wilpon had a really bad brain fart and said some things I did not appreciate. First of all Reyes did not need to hear from the owners to basically sit down little boy you aint gettin the money you think you deserve. We never for a second thought that the Mets were going to give Reyes Carl Crawford money I doubt even Jose expects that but what was the point in making a statement like that about Jose. Further more can someone show me where Jose actually said he thinks he’s going to get Crawford money? Most of us expect Jose to get and be worth somewhere in the range of 90-100 million and not 142 million. If the Mets can’t afford that then Jose will move on, who does not expect that. Actually the Reyes remark was not as bad as the ones he made about Wright and Beltran calling David A very good kid. not a superstar. I would like to remind Fred (oops I just shit my pants again) Wilpon that Wright has appeared in five All-Star Games, won two Gold Gloves, and two Silver Sluggers in his first seven seasons with the Mets. His career 162 game averages are 27 home runs per year, 106 RBI, and a .302 batting average. Those my brain dead friend ARE superstar numbers. But it goes beyond that, David is the face of the franchise and beloved and respected by virtually everyone in major leaguer baseball, his untiring work off the field for the Mets in charity and publicity events is unequalled he is a team player a dedicated Mets employee that goes beyond the call of duty in spades. Wilpon had no right or reason to diss Wright out, he is a great player who is going through a tough streak. If Wilpon had an issue with that he should have addressed it with Wright privately. He should not have spoken out about him in the media.
As to Beltran, here is a guy who came off an injury in pretty damm good form. When asked he moved to right field without disagreement or complaint he did what as he said would be good for the team and admitted that maybe he could no longer handle center field anymore. It takes a big man to do that if you ask me. On top of that he has been playing very well for us, far better than a lot of people including myself thought he would, a real asset to our team. I will say that of course Beltran is not or ever be the player he was before his injuries but in making those comments all Wilpon accomplished was to devaluing his own assets

Think about this Mr. Fred (someone please change my diaper) Wilpon, what do you think making comments like that accomplished anyway, is David going to start hitting .400? will Beltran or Reyes improve their game? And what do you think the Mets chances of signing free agents in the future if they know that the owner will openly criticize and call them out
I understand that Wilpon is the boss and I also appreciate the fact that as such he certainly has the right to discuss his underperforming employees with others in a position of power. But NOT to the media and public.
He crossed the line
We need now more than ever for someone to come in and but this team. To that end the Mets have been in ‘advanced talks’ since last week with Ray Bartoszek and Anthony Lanza, who are interested in buying a 49 percent stake in the team for $200 million. The talks could be wrapped up and announced before the end of the month.
In addition, the team is willing to discuss a settlement in that clawback lawsuit; Gov. Cuomo has not been able to at this stage convince them that the $700 million is not going to be obtainable.” However, he continues, ‘If the Madoff thing doesn’t go our way, we’re gonna have to sell the team.” Then there is the idea that Wilpon could raise $200 million within three weeks by selling a stake in the team, $25 million of which will immediately go back to MLB who gave them an emergency loan last fall. $75 million will be used to pay down the $427 million in team debt. The remaining $100 million will be used for operating costs.”

OK I am done, I hate talking about that crap but I guess I had to say something so there it is for what ever its worth.

Now to the stuff I want to write about. I did in fact speak to Ike Davis on Sunday and he is falling just a bit behind in his recovery. A few days ago he though for sure he would be back as scheduled after 15 days on the DL and really did seem to be headed in that direction but he still cant run well. Since his spirit was good and did not seem at all concerned about that I could not help but jump in and say “Dude since when can you run the bases well?”
He has been in Florida taking BP ground balls in some fielding work but he will need a few extra days, no worries according to Ike .He still has rehab work to do before he can rejoin the team, which is looking more likely with the Phillies series next weekend. In a few days I will speak with him again and report his progress.

Meantime DWright flew to Los Angeles to have more tests done on the stress fracture in his back. He wanted to go to the doctor David has the most confidence in and so he made the trip to LA. More on David as I get it.

Then there is Angel Pagan who has been playing well in Florida but has returned to his home in Puerto Rico to tend to what has been described as a family issue and is expected to be back in action in the minors Wednesday with in Buffalo. The hope is he will rejoin the team next weekend in the series against the Phillies along with Ike.

 

[sonny10305]

Ike Davis had a great day Monday later in the day he was finally able to run. But yesterday morning he felt a little discomfort in his ankle so he took it a little easy. Today he is back on the field but will go easy on the running and cutting. He prolly should have waited a few more days before trying to run, so he will be coming back a little later than expected as he will need at least another week.

Angel Pagan on the other hand is doing well and will report to Buffalo on Thursday for rehab game then be activated Friday. We should see Angel in the lineup against the Phillies this weekend.

David Wright was examined this week in Los Angeles by a back specialist, the original diagnosis of a stress fracture has not changed, While there's no official timetable for his return, the Mets are hopeful that he will be back in the next couple of weeks. I am beginning to get just little more concerned about this. Backs are tricky especially when you consider the torque required to swing a bat. He’s a strong kid and should be fine but a back injury is a bitch.

Heard from KB he said it’s not looking good for a game tonight. Bad weather in Chicago, not raining now but forecast for later is wet cold and windy.

 

[gtru1981]

BACK INJURYS ARE A BITCH!! I know its been almost two years and sometimes my back freaks out!! Just hope he is ok and Pagan and Davis come back and kick some ass!!!

I still cant beleive he called his team, "a shitty team"!

 

[sonny10305]

So here is what we know so far about the news of a Mets as of this morning
The Mets' owners have agreed to sell a minority, non-operating stake in the team to investor David Einhorn,and are in exclusive negotiations to finalize the deal. The sale is for just under 50% of the team for $200 million which leaves Fred and Jeff Wilpon Wilpon and Saul Katz in control of the team but gives them an injection of money to pay off debts, cover operating costs and invest in the team. The $200 million personal investment by Mr. Einhorn must have required approvals by Major League Baseball. Mets retain control of team and SNY network. The Wilpons will still control the team, so ya have to wonder what the overall experience this investment will lead to. Somehow I still think more money or not the Draft will be our most imortant source of new players at the end of June.
I will give you guys more and what it means tomorrow after I speak to a few people about it.

I have a busy day today with the Cyclones looking for a new on-field host for the 2011 season.

With Pagan back tomorrow it’s looking like Pridie or Martinez will go and it will prolly be F-Mart. The thinking is, and I agree, is that he is one of our top prospects and needs to play everyday I hate to guys like him and Nick Evans not playing more they are better off in Buffalo at this point.
What happens when Ike and Wright return will mean bye bye I think for Pridie cause I don'y think Turner is going anywhere. Of course we can't do with out the enormous talents of Hairston and Harris

Same lineup this afternoon in Chicago as yesterday

Gotta go to Brooklyn see you guys tomorrow

 

[sonny10305]

Ike Davis is not getting better!!!

Yesterday for the second day in a row he left he field early cause that ankle started hurtin again. He wakes up feeling good but as soon as he starts to put a lot of pressure on that ankle it acts up on him. A very frustrated Ike said he probably won’t even go on the field today. It’s the bruise that won’t heal not the ankle it just should not be talking this long to heal. When Ike first went out he said he would absolutely be back after the 15 days but that sure is not how it went. Poor kid is so upset with this but he needs to be patient,
Yeah…easy for me to say. I don’t want to bother him this morning I am sure I will hear something later on how it is going today I just hope it is not much longer before he can go a whole day without pain. In speaking about Fred Wilpon, Ike supports him saying he is a good guy who is just very frustrated right now and may have said some things that if he thought about today would not repeat, Fred knows he made a mistake. Nice to hear Ike say that and I can tell you that he would have said it even if Wilpon had dissed him as he did the other guys that’s just the Ike man
So right now there I no way of predicting a return date for Ike it is a day to day thing so if things improve today or tomorrow I will let you guys know.

Angel Pagan went to buffalo for his rehab game yesterday but got rained out there is a make up double header scheduled for today but the Mets are in all likely hood going to stick to the plan and reinstate him today.

RA Dickey will be examined today in NY. The injury is to his right heel; he is currently wearing a boot and using a crutch. The good news is that it is not an injury to his Achilles tendon supposedly it’s fully intact. If Dickey lands on the disabled list, which of course, with the way the Mets luck runs, is likely, the first thought is that Pat Misch would be a logical option to step into the rotation. I also hear that Chris Schwinden or Josh Stinson might be brought up from Buffalo, or maybe even D.J. Carrasco would fill in.

David Wright has resumed exercising but is at least a couple of weeks away.

Looking for something positive yesterday I checked on my boys in SAVANNAH and found that Cory Vaughn went 4-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs his average is now .342. Greg Peavey tossed seven scoreless innings.

Also great to see Murph hitting the ball again, I told you guys he was working on seeing the ball better as well as going back to one of his strengths which was his patience at t he plate. He’s not swinging as late as he was, so he is adjusting and so far so good. He has 9 doubles in the short season so far.

Happy birthday to one of old time favorite catchers Todd Hundley who turns 41. Todd hit 124 home runs for the Mets from 1990 to 1998.

If I get any news later about Ike or RA I will jump in and share with you guys.

 

[syam24]

There has certainly been a shortage of "good" news about the Mets this week. Getting the buyer of 49% or so of the Mets IS good news, but as far as the on the field/injury stuff, pretty miserable. Lets' hope for a surprise weekend against the Phils, to truly make in memorable. Let's go METS!!