NY Mets 2013

[syam24]

Mets have reverted to what we have seen too often. Get swept by the effing Marlins. Good pitching, no run support, lousy pitching, no run support, run support, lousy pitching. Oh well, when does football start????

 

[Sausy]

The less said about this lost weekend at Miami the better. Even yesterday when the bats supported an uncharacteristically off Matt Harvey(who was none too pleased with his own effort today after the game, going five struggling innings with 100 pitches is not okay with him) an inexplicably disastrously wild Scott Rice and horrid LaTroy Hawkins turned a 6-4 Mets advantage to a stunningly horrid, 11-6 loss. Swept by the bottom feeding Marlins...take that in...we made the awful Marlins, without even slugger Giancarlo Stanton, look good. The Mets made the Yankees look bad, sweeping them home and away and then sucked the air out of all the good feeling with their crappy performance this weekend. I'm always a fan, and always searching for something positive to hold on to but it's becoming really difficult this year to maintain an air of optimism.

I'm not so much upset about not having Wheeler called up yet as the official explanation sonny talked about, which is incredibly stupefying. It would suck to bring him up just to return him to Las Vegas for a couple more weeks but geesh, I give the fans more credit than that. Saying you don't want to bring him up just to have him bring him down again for his confidence would make sense, but because of the potentially wild reaction of Mets fans..... wtf???????????????. We get it...they want to save big $$$$$$$$$ by pushing his arbitration eligibility back a year. Don't insult our intelligence though and say basically you won't bring him up because we'll go cray cray if he's sent back down.

Zach's last outing was good, and we also have Rafael Montero doing quite well at Las Vegas too. What good will all the potential aces do though if in general we don't hit(especially in the clutch)or our bullpen turns poisonous at the worst possible times? I LOVE Terry Collins but I'm wondering if a change in the culture is needed and Wally Backman should be brought in to be the new sheriff in town..and try to ensure things are going to change in the way the players go about their business and the Mets get respected again.

 

[sonny10305]

Bobby Parnell had a bad night there is no doubt about that but I am not going to let that game worry me in the least, he just had a streak of seven straight successful saves, this was not his first blown save and it will not be his last. I am not worried that he won’t bounce right back and be fine. May I remind you of the days when Grandma Frankie would take the mound and how many saves he blew? As I watched Bobby pitch I could see he was not going to have a good game he left too many balls over the middle that concerned me and the Nats, to their credit, hit some decent pitches. But Bobby struggled and for sure he may have overthrown which we don’t see him do not this year anyways that includes seeing him lose command of the pitch upstairs, I’m guessin he was trying to go up. No worries about Bobby from me.

Jonathon Niese throws a bullpen session today which puts him on course for Saturday he will also he will also play catch today. If all goes well today he will pitch Saturday but he has to do well today.

Our starting pitching remains strong with Hefner last night I was very pleased seeing him get his slider going so well in fact he had great downward action on all of his pitches. Of course there was that one bad pitch he made to Desmond, but what is very important is that did a masterful job to settle down and work out of a huge bases loaded jam in the sixth inning.
It is looking good for us to have Wheeler in the lineup by next weekend which is basically what the Mets have been sayin all along and that is good news can’t wait to see him again.

It’s not our starting pitching that concerns me it’s more about the offense our boys just can’t seem to get it going. We have gotten some great hitting form Murph and Wright but suddenly they cool off. Buck has also had some very good at bats but ya gotta think he is getting tired, I mean why do they keep putting him out there night after night and use so little of Recker is beyond me. Anthony has come thru for us with timely hitting and has proven he can call a good game so why doe he not play more? In the days of Thole (who is doing really well by the way) and Nickeas/ Shoppach there was a nice balance of catching between them we need that with Buck and Recker. Meantime Travis d'Arnaud has been givin the ok to begin what is called weight-bearing rehabilitation exercises, but his foot will remain in a boot for about another week after coming back to NY the other day to get an update at the Hospital for Special Surgery, no idea when we will see him behind the dish

Ike Davis has been up and down although he has been picking it up over the last few games is hitting .292 or 7-24 with a double, a home run and seven RBI over his last seven or eight games and has had multi-RBI games in three of those games. Murph is working like a beast trying to figure out why he has not stayed consistent, I mean the kid is determined to get it all worked out. Ya see, with Murph baseball is a kind of a science with many moving parts he analyses, puts all the parts together and then takes em apart again. If you were to talk to Daniel about baseball he would show you that very few understand the mechanics of it all better than he does listening to him talk about hitting is an experience I wish all of you could have it is just amazing. Duda has had his moments but also has work to do but I still think he will break out big time very soon. As Murph put it watch out for “The Dude” I am certainly not concerned about DWright there is just no doubt he will bounce back no worries there.

My next concern is our outfield, Collins has tried just about every combo possible out there but it just is not clicking, Duda is good not great Rick Ankiel is outstanding in center and Byrd is doing a decent job as well, but right is still a question although ya gotta love Byrd’s arm and Baxter is an excellent athlete. I dono about Valdespin he has done ok but has not had to show us much out there yet, Collins has not really shown us much of Juan Lagares so who knows what he can bring. It’s just a mix of good talent that can’t collectedly quite put it all together and make up a great outfield.
I keep hearing about the Mets going to go after some big shot outfielder before the deadline but we have heard that tired old story too many times before. The really good news is Kirk Nieuwenhuis out in AAA Vegas, I have been keeping close tabs on him and have been tellin you guys how well he has been doing out there and it just keeps getting better. Kirk now has eight homers in his past 14 games, including twice on Tuesday which gives him eight long balls in his past 14 games and is getting very close to coming back to our lineup and how great would that be. Kirk is a killer outfielder and if now that he has started hitting well, oh boy! Tip of the ole hat to Wally Backman and the job he is doing with Kirk I never had any doubt that would happen and Kirk himself said that although he was disappointed in himself getting demoted he knew very quickly after getting to Vegas that was the place for him to be and get better and he has done that for sure. Backman told Collins that the homers Kirk is hitting are not the result of the pitcher friendly conditions out there and that they were legitimate. Wall went on to tell Terry he felt that Kirks swing is getting a lot better he is more aggressive with two strikes which had been killin him before.

Congrats to my boy Kevin Burkhardt who will join the NFL Fox broadcast team this year and join up with John Lynch and Erin Andrews work some games with them from the sidelines, KB replaces Dick Stockton. One thing for sure havin KB will bring some excitement and maybe even a new element to the games not to mention some badly needed fresh blood to the NFL announcing situation. This summer Fox will also use Kevin to call a couple of the Fox Mets games as well making watching those Fox broadcast watchable. It won’t be SNY but a heck of a lot better than it is now.

 

[sonny10305]

So last night I watched this game being played by the Washington Nationals and they were playing a team that had players that really looked Mets, I mean they were even wearing Mets uniforms but these guys were hitting the ball into the outfield, home runs and really playing crisp baseball so I figured nah…that can’t be the Mets right? Then the team won the game 10-1 so I knew no way was that the Mets. Question is who were those guys and what have they done with my Mets?

Seriously how fun was that? I mean us Mets fans really deserved that game And I got my wish from yesterday when Anthony Recker was finally put in a game and he delivered as I knew he would great job Tony my boy.

Murphy hit his League leading 19th double

As I mentioned yesterday Jonathon Niese threw a bullpen session yesterday threw about 40 pitches and said he felt great and was ready to go on Saturday. Great news!

More good news Matt den Dekker is ready to get into games. Matt will DH in a back-field game in Port St. Lucie tomorrow, was so do it today but it’s raining in Florida today

Jeurys Familia news was not as good he had the surgery to remove loose bodies and bone spurs in his elbow and the recovery time on that will be about four months so he is done for the season. Expect him to be ready for winter ball and then return in the spring all the best to Jeurys.

Murph and a bunch of the guys took some of their time off in Washington to visit Bethesda Army & Naval Hospital the boys were so moved and impressed by the wonderful people they visited and were “Moved by their spirit and determination and it was an Inspirational and humbling experience.”








There was some time for golf as well, no no Jay the other way the other way, oh dear poor Jay another senior moment.

 

[King Gumby VIII]

The Nationals and Mets game has been postponed due to rain. No makeup date has been announced.
Next games at Washington (July 26-28, Aug. 31-Sept. 2).

 

[sonny10305]

The Nationals and Mets game has been postponed due to rain. No makeup date has been announced.Next games at Washington (July 26-28, Aug. 31-Sept. 2).

Actually it will be made up as part of a split doubleheader July 26 in Washington

The biggest disappointment for me and Justin Turner was that he was going to play in left field to fill in for Duda who had a tight quadriceps muscle. Justin was psyched about going out and playing there but Mother Nature had other ideas. Hopefully Collins will give JT another shot soon Justin is a terrific ball player and needs to find a way to get into the games more often. He can play all four infield positions and of course we know how good a clutch hitter and RBI machine he is off the bench. I love that kid!

The other down side to that rain out is we have yet another makeup game to add to that growing list. It does not look good for a game today with heavy rain expected in NY all day. There are two day games with Florida on Sat and Sunday perhaps they will fit in a double header there. More on that later today. Of course no one wants the rain to go away today more than Matt Harvey who is scheduled to pitch, the incredibly intense contender in him is in need of some revenge

So draft day one has left us felling pretty good so far with a lot of enthusiasm over pitcher Andrew Church getting the pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. I have not seen him pitch yet but others who have told me that although his fastball clocks in the low 90s he throws a mean curveball and changeup with a plus breaking ball. This kid could be a solid middle of the rotation starter for us.
Also selected was Dominic Smith who is a left-handed hitting first baseman that has had some playing time in the outfield, he is just a kid who will turn 18 next week. He has been described as a very good all-around player, a plus hitter with plus power. The plan for Smith is for him to be represented by MVP Sports and if the Mets do not sign him, he is committed to attend University of Southern California

 

[sonny10305]

My man Kirk Nieuwenhuis got the call last night and he is on his way to NY
He said “I will miss the guys in Vegas but I am pumped to get back to NY and help my team”
Kirk has been on fire the last few weeks let’s hope he is here to stay this time.
I expect Kirk to be in today’s lineup prolly in center field. Rick Ankiel is gone to make room for Kirk.

Checking in on Matt Harvey and it looks like he is gonna be is fine. All her needed last night was a little chiropractic adjustment thingy on his hip. Matt told the first base coach that he was feeling a little tightness in his back right around his hips so he left the game. But he is confident he will be fine for his next start. Meantime in spite of everything ya gotta say Shaun Marcum pitched a heck of a game taking over for Matt.

I loved loved that play by Murph at the plate mowing down that catcher, it was awesome we don’t see much of that anymore. Great effort Murph!

KB greets what I guess was a member of the Marlins last night,

 

[sonny10305]

Update on above post Kirk will not be in the lineup today
Lineup will be Quintanilla, Valdespin, Wright, Murphy, Baxter, Davis, Recker, Lagares, Niese

Anthony Recker will introduce his new at bat music today: which is "30 seconds to Mars."

Lucas Duda not in today Terry wants to go easy on Lucas after that recent quadriceps issue especially after that 20-inning game.

So happy to tell you that The Toronto Blue Jays called up Josh Thole from the minors yesterday and Josh is back in the big leagues where he belongs Josh will reunite with R.A. Dickey

 

[Ninja108]

Little late to the program but kudos to your MEts for sweeping the Yankees. That series (Mo blown save aside) highlights the problems we have right now which have only been reduced a little bit by having a couple of our bats come back.
IMO,sportwise the NY baseball teams are not going to be sitting pretty for the next couple of years.

 

[Ninja108]

Ike Davis is being demoted...and not happy about it at all.

 

[syam24]

Swept by the Marlins again, same problem. NO HITTING, especially when it counts. If Murphy and Wright don't hit, for the most part, nothing happens. Wasting some pretty good pitching.
Glad to see someone is going to replace Dick Stockton. He's been horrible for years, with numerous mistakes. Even more happy to see Kevin Burkhardt getting the gig!!

 

[sonny10305]

The very first day I met Ike in the Cyclones locker room I immediately liked him cause he was just one of those kind of guys you immediately take a likening to. I have followed his career over the years and always considered him to be one of the ones who would achieve greatness. But the last two years have not been good for Ike and yesterday it all came down around him. We saw it coming over the last couple of days; Ike had started to show signs that he was regressing back and he was not moving forward in his quest to get better. During that 20 inning game when Ike was pulled what most of us thought was rather early it was clear it would soon be over and Ike was going to be demoted. Then for most of us the big blow came in Sunday’s game when once again he was pulled from the lineup after just a few at bats I for one said it was just a matter of time now. The very last at bat that Ike took on Sunday was unquestionably the worst I had ever seen him take; the swing was completely gone he was not even looking like a pro ball player any more. So when the word came down yesterday it was no surprise because at that point it had become a matter of when not if.

Over the last few months many of us tried to convince Ike that AAA was going to be a good thing for him he need the change and Wally Backman was going to help Ike turn it around, but Ike would have none of that he did not want to go he insisted that he was going to turn it around here in NY and that was that. Well for a while there it started to look like maybe he was right he showed signs of coming back; it was slow but steady what seemed to be progress in his at bats. But then this last week he started to regress again confused and taking desperate swings at balls that should not have been swung at going back into his depressing lack of focus and clearly had past the point of no return he had to get away from here he had to get help but none of us wanted to tell him that cause we all know it was not what he wanted to hear and we feared we would make things worse by pushing him on it.
So the boss did it for us and to tell you the absolute truth although I love that kid to death and I know how much pain this is for him I absolutely know in my heart of hearts it is the right move for Ike and that he will bounce back and return to the Ike Man we all love.

Now those of us who love Ike will now gather around him giving him all the support we can muster; the trick will be to convince Ike that this move is a good thing and for him to embrace it and make a conscious decision that he is going to take full advantage of this opportunity to turn it all around; a big plus for Ike is that he has a lot of friends in AAA Vegas many of the guys he has played with in the past who I am sure will give him a ton of support so that makes us feel good just knowing he is among so many friends.

Gosh, as I write this I am beginning to think I am making this look like an eulogy rather than a positive thing; that’s only because Ike is so disappointed in himself that it hurts me to see him like that. This is a very good thing we all agree to that I know no one who does not feel that way and I know that after a few days or weeks Ike will agree and we will see him take charge of his career and be back in NY sooner than later.

I of course will be in regular contact with Ike and keep you guys informed on how he is doing

 

[syam24]

As you said Sonny, it appeared like he might be coming around, but then regressed a bit. I'm hoping he will find his mojo again in Las Vegas, this organizatioin is counting on him to be a middle of the order guy for a long time. The lineup as configured now is Murphy, Wright, and a bunch of occasional get a hit guys. These current changes are not much, but don't see anything else that can be done. A trade for better hitters will require giving up any decent prospects in return. D'arnaud injury sure put a hurtin' on things, too. With him healing for the future and Wilmer Flores, hopefully, a good bat, and if Ike can return to form, the future is brighter, especially with the young pitching developing. Will need some pieces to fall into place for the Mets for a change.

 

[sonny10305]

Syam, As a matter of fact both Duda and Nieuwenhuis spoke to Ike about how well going to AAA worked for them and we know he is in good hands. They will waste no time with Ike who is expected to be in the lineup when Vegas plays Tacoma at home today.

 

[sonny10305]

Ike did not play in last nights game he needed more time to settle in and prepare; so Wilmer Flores played first base and Ike will officially join the team today. Meantime Wally Backman is looking at up to a month to get Ike back in shape but it could be sooner. Wally has already thinking that there's a lot more mental than there is physical wrong with IKe. Wally wants to begin by clearing his head from everything. Wally knows as I have said many times that Ike was getting too many different people giving him a lot of different information, which is part of the reason he is so messed up. I love Wally’s thinking I could not agree more.
Wally has also watched a mess of tape on Ike going back to when Ike first went to the big leagues from the minor leagues and saw that he has made to my changes, too many. The philosophy will be to try to get Ike back to what he did that got him to the big leagues in the first place. Ike is going to get total attention on a daily basis with one-on-one work with Wally and batting coach George Greer. Wally feels that it will be important for Ike to figure it out going from “ground zero”. Wally wants Ike to tell him how he feels and he can tell him what he sees. Ike and Wally have worked together before and believes they will be able to reach a happy medium where Ike can start feeling good about himself.
Wally pointed out that there’s a lot more pressure in the big leagues than there is in AAA where he can relax a bit and find his swing. Wally already has thoughts on what Ike needs to do like that stance he kept changing, Wally believes there’s what he called “an in-between” which is where he’s squatting and he’s so spread out, thing is when he’s that spread out, he’ so strong anyway, but you still have to transfer your weight cause when you’re that wide, you can’t transfer your weight. So Wally has to help Ike find that happy medium. In addition there is pitch recognition which is another thing Ike struggled with and needs to fix.
Listening to Wally yesterday confirms my belief that Ike is in the right place, I have always admired Backman's approach and teaching methods and I know absolutely that he will figure out what is wrong and get Ike back to where he needs to be which is something that apparently Terry Collins and his staff could not do.
Go Wally, Go Ike, can’t wait to hear “Start me up” at Citi field again.

 

[sonny10305]

Ok so as expected the Mets got pounded by the Cards; well what did you expect if we can’t beat the struggling Marlins how are we to beat the Cardinals. But forget all that I was pissed and in a very bad mood before the game even started as soon as I saw the line up with Murphy at first. Collins has made some dumb moves with the lineup but this beats all. Why in the Hell would you take Murphy out of second base and move him now? The kid has been working his tale off at that position and doing a more than adequate job at it improving every day. It’s not as if there were no other options Duda could have easily moved there and platooned with Turner its Lucas’s natural position or what about Satin? But Collins said he did not want to move Duda cause it might cause Ike to worry that his job was in jeopardy WYTF? Does Terry even know Ike who could care less about who fills in for him while he is away plus Ike would be one of the first to agree that moving Murph was a boneheaded move. Everyone but Collins understands that Murph has “found it” at second and is solid with the glove, he can rake he can hit why the fuck mess with his head? Although Daniel did have a really bad play that costs us runs with that ball he “tackled” a play he will tell you should have been made; he made a bad play it happens to the best of em even multi Gold Glove winner DWright makes them. But I don’t want him improving his game at first I want him to continue improving at second. The other reason numb nutz Collins gave for not moving Duda was he did not want to mess with his momentum in paying the outfield. THEN WHAT ABOUT MURPHY?? Is that not the same thing???

Now we come to Valdespin at second; I have no problem with Spin playing second in a situation where for whatever reason Murph could not play but if you listen to Collins reasoning it makes you shake your head and wonder if Collins is making poor choices or is he under some sort of pressure to do these things from guys like Alderson. Terry said he wanted Spin to get better and so he needs to learn by paying more often, he wants to teach him the right way to play. WHAT!!! Teaching a player to play is something you do in AAA or winter ball or in spring training the way that Murphy learned to play first and second; you don’t “teach” at the major league level.

This Murphy/ Valdespin move is making me crazy so unnecessary and stupid it goes beyond comprehension. Collins also said he would bounce Daniel back and forth between first and second and use Turner and Satin as well. HEY ASSHOLE; Daniel Murphy is your second baseman leave him the fuck alone. Murphy of course is taking it as I would have expected he is a go with the flow kind of kid and will tell you that he is just so blessed to have a job in the majors and will do whatever is expected of him; but that’s our Murph it’s what I would expect him to say he is and always will be a team player

Now we come to Davis, yesterday I told you guys how dedicated Wally Backman is to making Ike better and get him back to form all good news there however Ike has still not responded mentally to the demotion he is still bitter and that could be detrimental to his development we are all hoping he quickly sees the advantages he has now and will embrace thus change more than he is. He still believes he is a major league baseball player and does not belong in AAA. My concern is that his “I am too good for this” attitude will irritate Backman and trust me irritating Wally is something you want to avoid at all costs. But as someone reminded me of last night Wally is very understanding and will probably let Ike vent and feel sorry for himself for a while before he lets it bother him Lets all hope that Ike changes his attitude really soon cause he is in the best place he can be right now and as soon as Ike sees improvements in his game he will warm up a little more to the whole demotion thing.
He did play yesterday batting cleanup and going 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts and 2 BBs getting comfortable not making a whole lot of adjustments right out of the box.

Can you see the difference in his stance here?




With Backman



Here he is taking ground balls yesterday; by the way it was 93 degrees in Vegas




Zach Lutz had a great return his first day back from the DL with a walk-off 3-run HR.

 

[Sausy]

It was disappointing after a number of good starts to see Jeremy Hefner roughed up yesterday, though as sonny mentioned there was the Murph error and also Wright missed a chance at a double play, muffled the ball at third for a bit but did get the out at first. Moved runners up though so it eventually cost us. These mistakes happen, though. The biggest thing however is these Mets as presently constituted need to click and pitch well, keep the game close, play virtually mistake free baseball. Right now things just look glum for our boys, we'll have a whole lot more starting pitchers in the pipeline....Wheeler, Montero, Mazzoni, Syndegaard,Mike Mulvey, Robles, our newest second round pick Andrew Church, and I'm sure there's one or two I've missed but even the closest major league potential bat Wilmer Flores has several main flaws...lack of speed and real defensive skills. Matt den Dekker is another potential great glove/strikeout prone bat..I really wish Kirk Nieuwenhuis or Matt would show they can make contact..... strikeouts are going to happen but we need players who at least have some clue about the strike zone and aren't wildly undisciplined as even if Ike gets back to being the player we all know he can be if he gets himself right in AAA he'll strike out some. Duda does, Buck does, Wright does as well so we need to develop more players who get the bat on the ball. Or trade for them this offseason.... but don't expect off the bat a huge spending rush. Sandy Alderson has said recently the Mets have several areas where they will target spending acquisitions...and with next year's set budget and potential raises to people like Ike(I don't think they'll non tender him as rumored, they'll still work for the next year or so with him to see if he can be the core player they envision) and Murph. They will have considerably more freedom to make acquisitions but for reasonable money, not big long term contracts. Mets feel until they can get better record wise, and correspondingly get more people to come to Citi Field, they cannot make too big a jump in salary levels...even Alderson said with the market the Mets should aim towards being in the higher end of salaries but will not mortgage their future risking long term contracts that will blow up in their faces. Flores may hold appeal to some teams thinking he could change positions, combined with one or two young pitchers we may be able to trade for a impact bat at a reasonable salary, relatively young and under control budget wise for awhile. But the offense has to evolve.... they have to at least score enough to help out our starting pitchers win when they make quality starts.

I don't like the Murph move to first, and Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins really aren't handling this well. Valdespin is going to be himself.... talented and occasionally electric and dynamic but there's always going to be some of the crap that just isn't team oriented. Duda should play first and Murph should remain at second....in fact Murph's improvement at second has been tremendous. He may never be a gold glove defender there but he makes a lot of tough plays and looks far more comfortable over there the more he plays. What is alarming though is how quickly Miguel Tejada went from being a major component of our future to not even being considered among Sandy Alderson's current Mets core. Some people have speculated it's basically a psychological move to push Tejada to not take his position on the club for granted...he his slid this year offensively and defensively...previously thought to a mature and heady beyond his years, and skilled fundamentally, there is no reason why he should be playing this year so often like in a cloud and when he returns from the DL, whether playing at CitiField or Las Vegas he had better get his head out of his ass and start playing right again or as the message implies he won't be part of the future direction of the Mets. Tejada disappoints me even more than Ike's regression or Lucas Duda's... he was never going to be a big home run threat, he was always intelligent with his decisions on the field and what he lacked in explosive speed his predecessor Jose Reyes had, he just looked like he was a good, solid major leaguer who should be that way for a long time and yet looks completely lost and undisciplined this year.

Always interesting take sonny has on Ike and we know he'll keep us informed about Ike's progress. Along with everything sonny mentioned I read today how they have tried to eliminate the hitch in Ike's swing to cut back on movement and help him react to the pitch selection more readily (sonny's a pitching guy, he'll delve into all that I'm sure). It's going to be a work in progress, and Ike won't get called back in a week or two.... they are seriously going to try to get him going again, and the more good habits he develops and maintains at Las Vegas the better the chances he keeps doing the same when he's called up again. Maybe a month, maybe more but one thing seems certain the Mets want Ike back to succeed, and not a moment before they believe he's ready to do that.

 

[sonny10305]

What a thrill to see Dillon Gee have such a great night he seems to over that tendonitis which was ailing him no signs of that last night those cards were completely fooled did not know what was comin at them he was throwin strikes and I mean in every one of his pitches I did get a little worried there in the 6th when he seemed to lose focus a bit which we have seen before but he came out of that and that was a joy to watch and he is making lot easier for the Mets to decide on who stays and who goes eventually with Wheeler coming up but no one will be demoted right away because of all the makeup games we have comin up we will run with a 6 man rotation for a bit

I hope all of you guys enjoyed the above post by my boy Saucy, so intelligently written and fun to read. Saucy can sometimes be the calming force here to offset some my post where I yell scream rant and rave I get a little passionate about my Mets and my Italian passion sometimes gets shall we say intense.
To be fair Saucy has his Italian moments here as well

Saucy mentioned Alderson and what he should be doing to help the team win, a possibility that keeps coming up is promoting guys from the minors but Sandy is holding off on that he wants to see what he has here now, we have Nieuwenhuis and Lagares out there in the outfield and we need time to see what we are gonna get outta those two guys I agree with KB it would be nice to see them side by side everyday let’s see what they can give us. The Mets also want to see just what the heck they can get outta Valdespin we know he has some talent but lately he has been a bust at the plate plus he is so unstable I mean ya just never know what that kid is going to do and he can be a real train wreck on the bases just does not think things thru look form example the other day when he tried to steal third with two outs; what a dumb ass move that was I am sure he learned not to do that in little league for heaven’s sake. Right now we gotta get him off second base and move Murph back Duda was taking ground balls at first yesterday but no real signs of change there Lucas needs to be at first
We have no short stop to bring up so it will be Quint for now till we see how Tejada heals he is beginning to show signs of improvement by the way. Maybe we will see Wilmer Flores and pitching wise there is off course Montero who we will prolly see before the month is up.

Saucy also wrote about the hitch in Ike Davis’s swing it was the very first thing that Backman addressed he wanted to fix all that movement, I mean it was up down back and forth with his hands moving all over the place. Wally explained to Ike the need to quiet down his swing shorten it even. Also pointing out how Ike was guessing so early making it easy to be fooled by the off speed stuff. Isn’t it interesting how it took like one day for Backman to pick up on Ike’s problems with his swing and yet the clowns back here seemed clueless on how to fix it. I’m just sayin.
And the adjustments are already showing signs of improvements Ike was the DH last night went 2-5 including a double and brought in a run. What is also very important is that Ike has finally begun to accept his new role seeing the advantages of Vegas. Of course he would rather be doing that here but clearly Wally is far better at helping Ike than anyone here in NY and thank goodness Ike recognizes that. Knowing he is in a better place mentally over his demotion is Hugh lemme tell ya.






Speaking of all those makeup games; Jay Horwitz had an idea that maybe we could play some split doubleheader against two different teams on same day. He gets those ideas when he is hard at work

 

[syam24]

Why are games like last nite's so far and few???? Need to bottle the pitching (which in general has been decent), and especially, the hitting. 3 bombs in one game, jeez! Now we just need to get an occasional it with men on base (like the first innning) more often. Nice win, we need morrrreee! Let's go Mets!

 

[Sausy]

Love everything sonny said, and just when I'm about to post trying to be positive...games happen like Saturday

Then, just when I'm at wit's end with my boys, and might have an Italian moment my boys do something like the other night and get me all excited again! Mets look lifeless, down 3-0 coming into the bottom of the ninth on a lousy homestand with only one bloody win to show for it Sunday afternoon Then Marlon Byrd opens with a long home run to left, and Lucas Duda patiently works a walk.... John Buck lashes a single to right... we have a possible huge rally going now! Omar Quintanilla places a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, then Kirk Nieuwenhuis, struggling since his recall from AAA Las Vegas to the Mets, sends everyone home in deliriously happy fashion taking struggling usual set up man Carlos Marsol deep into the second deck of right center with a screaming three run blast to win the game, 4-3. I felt so good for Kirk, with all his troubles since losing his effectiveness after such a great couple of months to open the season last year. I bet sonny who counts Kirk as a good friend jumped out of his seat like I did..bet syam and our other Met fans did too! Kirk got better than whipped cream from funster Justin Turner...got an apple pie in the face! Which is great because Kirk replied he loves apple pie! Gutty game from Jeremy Hefner who went five, got in trouble but never broke, ending very toughly....great relief for a change afterwards. Now a much happier flight to Atlanta.. and Tuesday a doubleheader with Matt Harvey in the first game and in the nightcap the long awaited debut of phenom Zach Wheeler!