Long Live Shea!

Lowe to the Braves

2009-01-13T18:20:00.000-05:00

I had yet to post about the debate between Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez, but now it is a moot point. Lowe is going to the Atlanta Braves with a four year deal, leaving the Mets with just Oliver Perez out of the two that Omar was hoping to sign to fill the hole in the rotation.

This is a huge move for the Braves, whose rotation was in complete shambles. Turning the Mets down to go to those hated rivals, having to face him a few times a season, I know I will come to hate Lowe now. As I'm sure Braves fans hate Oliver Perez for how much he managed to beat them, so if we see some Perez vs. Lowe matchups, that could be interesting.

Of course, we are dealing with Scott Boras here, and it remains to be seen whether the Mets will be willing to give an offer that Boras and Perez find acceptable, but the Mets may have to act with a bit more desperation now. Having to settle for a guy like Randy Wolf or Jon Garland to fill that hole in the rotation is not something I would feel comfortable with.

I have been in support of Ollie's return since the end of last season. Yes, he can be inconsistent and dangerously bad. But he seemed to do his best in big games, and that is why I love him. Division games, playoff games; this is when we need him.

Overall, would Lowe be a better pitcher? Probably. He's a safer choice, for sure. However, I think Perez has more potential, comfortable with the team after being here for a couple years, and can be on the top of his game when it matters most. Hopefully Omar does what he must to bring him back, because I really don't want to see the team have to go to one of the fall-back options.

Winning is Still Sweet

2009-01-12T23:37:00.000-05:00

As for most sports fans, my weekend was spent watching the great NFL playoff games. Among the excitement, however, was my New York Giants, the defending Super Bowl champions, being eliminated, with a loss to Philadelphia of all teams.

Normally I would be pretty mad and upset, maybe a couple days until it goes away. I don't deal well with losing. Especially after Carolina lost, the road back to the Super Bowl was looking good. They just had to take care of the Eagles, who despite their win streak, I had not been (nor am I yet) impressed with, and then host the Cardinals, who despite their turnaround in the playoffs, I still could not possibly see them coming to the Meadowlands and winning.

Unfortunately, the Giants came out and played one of their worst games of the season, and all it takes is one in the NFL playoffs to be done. Not only was Eli horrible, but the Giants coaches (mainly Coughlin and Gilbride) seemed to be doing their best to make it more difficult for them to win with bad decisions and worse playcalling. I hate to say something like I would have done a better job, but never can I remember a game where so many times I wanted the Giants to do something, watched them do the exact opposite, and fail seemingly every time.

But enough about that. I had to talk about the Giants, but it all circles back around to the Mets. About one year ago, in the offseason going into the most important and most desparate Mets season ever for me personally, my Giants claimed Super Bowl victory in an amazing defeat of the Patriots. I couldn't help but blog about my joy and excitement.

Well, we know how the story of the 2008 season finished for the Mets, and it was heartbreaking for me. I'm still struggling to embrace the Mets right now going into 2009. My point is, as I said before, normally I would be very mad and upset about the Giants losing, especially to Philadelphia. But strangely, I wasn't. Sure, I punched my desk a couple times and was pretty disappointed after the game ended, but I got over it pretty quickly.

There was only one thing I could attribute this contradiction to my typical reactions as a crazed sports fan, and that was that the Giants were still the Super Bowl XLII champions. That great feeling of a year ago is still there, and going through this entire season as the defending champions was amazing.

As I was going through my period of complete dismissal of the Mets this past October, I thought to myself that all this torment heartbreak cannot possibly be worth a hopefully eventual championship ring. But the Giants, in their playoff loss, proved to me just how sweet it is to hoist the trophy.

I feel like all I need is just one World Series run by the Mets. Just one championship that I can celebrate. From then on, no failures could ever hurt as much as they do now. I'm not going to beg for the Mets to go out and win this year; I did that last year, and that clearly didn't help any. I just have to wait patiently for that day to come. Until then, I just have to take the bad with the good, and hope that one day this will all be worth it.

Bring on the 2009 season.

Redding to the Mets

2009-01-09T16:49:00.001-05:00

After a bit of speculation, it appears that starting pitcher Tim Redding is the Mets' newest acquisition, reportedly agreeing to a one year, $2.25 million contract. This by no means is a fix to the rotation, as he will likely only be coming in as competition for the fifth spot in the rotation with Jon Niese.

As I heard the rumors, I was excited at the prospect of adding Redding. Not that he's a big time acquisition, but I think he could be a decent end of the rotation guy if Niese is not ready to pitch at the Major League level with consistent success. Maybe it has to do with the name Redding also being attached to an outstanding baseball family in my hometown as I was growing up, but I've always liked Tim.

Looking at his game log from last season, while the numbers aren't much (10-11, 4.95 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and about a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio), one thing you see is a 3-1 record against the Phillies (plus a 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, no decision). And that's pitching for the Washington Nationals. Sign him up!

However, one area of concern, especially with this team, is that in 33 starts, only two lasted longer than six innings. A big part of the blame for the bullpen woes the previous two seasons have been that they are getting worn out from overuse because, with the exception of Johan, the starters are not pitching deep enough into games.

This is not the kind of pitcher we want as a starting pitcher for a full season. He's turning 31, so it's not like you can hope for much better. If Niese can be reliable, and can pitch deeper into games, Redding may be better off as a long man in the bullpen or an emergency starter. But he does give us more options, and that's always a good thing.

A New Closer

2009-01-08T20:08:00.000-05:00

The season had not even ended yet, and he was our guy. Billy Wagner had gone down with a career-threatening injury, and certainly he was not going to be our closer in his final year of his contract, nor would the team be comfortable giving him a new contract and having him as a big question mark in the closer role.

The chase was on. Francisco Rodriguez, affectionately known as K-Rod, was about to break the record for most saves in a single season. He had also just become the youngest player to record 200 career saves. And he just happened to be in the final year of his contract with the Angels, with indications that he would not be returning to Anaheim.

K-Rod was to be our top priority as the offseason began. The Angels confirmed they would not try to re-sign him. Then it was up to Omar to come in and get his man. Three years and $37 million, quite a bit less than what K-Rod had hoped for. It was time to rejoice as for the second straight offseason, the Mets were bringing in a tremendous new pitcher who had previously wore #57.

I, as surely most Mets fans are, am pretty excited for the new #75 to come to town. He brings a great amount of excitement and passion to this team, besides the ability to close better than anyone right now (Mo Rivera might still have a case).

There are concerns with his health, however. His odd delivery can be worrisome, as well as a recent decline in his velocity. However, he began working at his delivery last season to make it less stressful, and the adjustment may have been responsible for the decrease in velocity. As he becomes comfortable with the new delivery, the velocity will hopefully go up. Overall though, I'm not too concerned. The concerns are for his future, but we have him right now. He successfully closed more games than anyone in history last season. That is the K-Rod that we have right now, and hopefully for the remainder of the three year deal. After those three years, then his health and velocity can be re-examined.

K-Rod obviously brings excitement for the fans to have him closing out games. However, he is just taking over Billy Wagner's role (but a bit of an upgrade), which he wasn't so bad at. It was getting to Billy that got us into so much trouble, plus the complete lack of anyone to reliably close games when he was out. Omar still had another trick up his sleeve, and he would use it to make a pretty shocking move which has me even more excited than this deal.

Good Riddance, Bullpen

2009-01-06T15:47:00.000-05:00

There was no possible way that Omar Minaya could send a relatively similar bullpen out on the field in 2009. After the 2007 season, I could agree with him giving them the benefit of the doubt. I'm all for giving second chances. Losing streaks happen; these were all players who were productive in the past who just happened to get cold at the same bad time, plus they were without the key component of the 2006 bullpen in Duaner Sanchez.

In retrospect, it was a wrong decision, as the team suffered the same problems in the 2008 season, even with Sanchez back in the mix. After the second "collapse" (2008 wasn't much of a collapse, but it's easy to lump it together with 2007), something had to be done. The fans would begin to riot if Omar didn't make much of an effort to change, even if he still thought these guys deserved a chance, and he would certainly be out of a job when they continued to struggle again.

The bullpen was obviously the biggest change the fans wanted to see, and Omar wasted little time in giving us what we wanted. I'm not even going to talk about the acquisitions right now. Last year I wrote about how happy I was to see Guillermo Mota traded away for basically nothing. Addition by subtraction. Some players just needed to go.

Aaron Heilman was projected as a great starter. He was converted to a reliever where he was unhappy but performed. Now, he had become our biggest liability. He was the first that had to go and probably our easiest to move. I wish him well in Seattle if they allow him to be a starter again. But good riddance.

Then there is Scott Schoeneweis. I thought he would be tougher to move because of his contract. But like Mota, we were able to find somewhere to dump him off in return for someone that will probably hardly be worth anything to this team. He needed to go. Good riddance.

Unfortunately, you cant just dump the bad pieces in an attempt to rebuild. The one piece of our bullpen that I loved and wanted to see return was Joe Smith. However, he had to be packaged into the deal that rid us of Heilman and brought in our great new set-up man. I will certainly miss him.

That leaves Pedro Feliciano, Duaner Sanchez, and Brian Stokes as the returning members of our bullpen. Stokes did a fine job in his role last year, but I am still wary about a full season of production in the bullpen from him. Feliciano I would like to see gone, but it seems like Omar doesn't want to have too much of a turnover, and will hope that he returns to form. Sanchez also struggled last year, but I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. After being away from baseball for so long with the injury, his pitches and his stamina may not have been what they should be. I expect to see him return to form in 2009, but if not, then it will be time to move on.

In the upcoming days, I will discuss the key additions to our bullpen, which I am very excited about.

A Fresh Start and a Look Back

2009-01-05T15:00:00.001-05:00

Call it a New Years Resolution if you want, although I've always been against such an idea. But with the new year, I feel a need for a fresh start, and it begins with returning to my blog. Not only will I begin posting again, but I am committing to at least one post per day. There's really no reason for not updating daily.

With such high expectations (and demands) coming into last season, the Mets drove me straight into a brick wall in late April/early May, stripping me of all motivation and desire to continue with my blog devoted to the team I so desperately wanted to see succeed in its final year at Shea Stadium. It took me quite awhile to recover (or rather, for the team to recover so I could as well), and when I did, I decided not to return to my blog out of fear that I would just be run into another brick wall and stop posting again.

I would have been right.

One positive thing I could take out of last season (if I even can) is that it tested my love and devotion to the Mets as much as possible. Never before, and I doubt never again, will I be as down on the Mets as I was at the end of the 2008 regular season. It was a cumulation of the past three seasons, in which I wanted nothing more than to see the Mets win a World Series that I could remember with Shea as their home, from the Beltran strikeout to the "devastating" Glavine performance and to every loss by our bullpen, right down to Scott Schoeneweis and Luis Ayala on September 28th, which was followed by the closing ceremony for Shea Stadium.

As Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza closed the center field fence and the lights dimmed, it was as if I was closing the door as well. I was leaving along with Shea. I wanted nothing to do with this team anymore. All the pain and heartbreak was just not worth it. I could not devote myself to this team anymore.

The only reason I could watch the playoffs was so I could watch the Devil Rays (yes, I still call them the Devil Rays), my favorite team besides the Mets, in their first season out of mediocrity and into the playoffs. Their incredible run to an AL pennant came crashing down with a World Series loss, but not just to any team.... to the Phillies. The Phillies were World Series Champs. Forget the Mets, I swore off all of baseball right then and there.

Yet, once all the offseason buzz began, I couldn't help myself. There I was, searching for information on the Mets' offseason plans, figuring out the best way this team could turn it around for 2009. Searching for hope after all the hope was just sucked out of me. I couldn't stay away.

So, here I am, once again eagerly anticipating the upcoming season. I still don't know if I can watch a game when the season rolls around, especially the opening game at Citi Field. I fear seeing any footage of Shea being taken down, as I don't want that to be the final image of my memories of it. I'm certainly not prepared to attend any home games, and stand in the parking lot that is the ghost of Shea Stadium. But what I do know is that one day, I will be ready to fully embrace the Mets again. I will accept Citi Field as my home eventually. And one day, I hope this team will reach the ultimate goal and make this whole wild ride worth it.

Lets Go Mets.

Happy to look foolish.

2008-04-27T16:06:00.000-04:00

Two days ago, I was quite frustrated, and went on a pretty pessimistic rant. I fully expected the Braves to complete a sweep on the Mets at Shea. But two days later, they have beaten both Tim Hudson and John Smoltz to win the series 2-1.

I didn't have the chance to watch the two wins, so I can't say how well they played, but the fact is they scored their runs and they won their games. Now, I probably look foolish for going on a premature rant, but I'm happy to be proven wrong. I can only hope that in the Mets' locker room on Friday, they shared similar thoughts, and will use that six-game stretch as motivation to turn things around and continue moving forward.

Way to go, Billy Wagner, for capping off 9 hitless innings to start the season, which hopefully won't be the closest thing we get to a no-hitter at Shea. Unfortunately, he snapped his streak by giving up a single in his tenth inning of work, but a job well done nonetheless.

Way to go, Carlos Delgado, for hitting two home runs on Sunday. He came close on a deep fly ball earlier in the series, but he finally got two more over today to triple his season total. We always end up saying this, over this season and last when Delgado has a good game, that hopefully he's turning it around now. But that would obviously be a big boost to the lineup.

In the "what else is new" department, Moises Alou, who's return was just around the corner, is getting an examination of a swollen ankle. Will he or El Duque ever play in a game this season?

The Mets will now play the Pirates. Coming off these two wins, they should get a nice winning streak going, and gain some momentum heading into a tough West Coast trip.

Ranting about the Mets

2008-04-25T23:10:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with my usual updates, but I've been so frustrated at how the Mets have been playing that they've basically sucked the enjoyment and motivation out of me. After the team's fifth loss in their last six games, I needed to vent. The following was written in response to a friend, a Yankees fan, who compared my recent short fuse to the thinking of a Yankees fan:

...

I do have high expectations and demands this season. I so badly want to see them celebrate a championship at Shea before they tear it down.

But even then, it's not just the fact that they're losing. And you really can't understand unless you've been watching every game like I have. Every game is just so damn frustrating to watch. We can't get more than 2 hot hitters in the lineup at any given time. We leave so many runners on base without scoring, our offense can't do anything right. Beyond Pedro getting hurt in his first start, Maine and Perez are doing bad so far. Our bullpen is just horrendous, they've given up 3 grand slams already. And our manager seems to prove every day that he's an idiot.

Oh yeah, and there's still this collapse thing still fresh in our memories. We rightfully had some pretty high expectations last year, and we got our hopes crushed hard. This was supposed to be a fresh start, put all that behind us. But besides Johan, it's just been a continuation of that collapse.

The Mets got no-hit in 8 out of 9 innings tonight at home against the Braves. We still have to face Hudson and Smoltz, and the way we're playing, it's very likely we get swept.

I know it's still very early in the season, and too early to give up. But it is so unbelievably frustrating watching this team. I hate to have that mentality of the Yankees earlier this decade, but this is the third year in a row where we supposedly had the best team in the NL, and we're going nowhere but down. And I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.

I already had bitterness at the start of the season between the collapse from the year before and it being the last year at Shea. And they are just playing so atrociously, it's making me sick.

...

This is obviously a much more negative side of me than I've been showing with my previous postings. Especially in regards to Willie Randolph, who I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt while everyone else blasts him, and that part of the rant was more of a reflection of the general consensus rather than my own beliefs, although it is getting harder to turn the other cheek.

But it is so hard to be optimistic right now. The last thing I want to be like is a Yankees fan, but this season means so much to me, and the signing of Johan Santana gave so much hope. I truly believed at the start of the season that the Mets were going to win the World Series this year. I was as optimistic as could be, especially considering the collapse of last year. But my optimism has been shattered.

All I can do is wait, and hope that we can turn this around before it's too late. I'm not going to give up. But I am panicking.

Belated Brewers recap

2008-04-15T20:49:00.000-04:00

The big story of this past weekend's series against the Brewers was easily Nelson Figueroa's season debut on Friday.

Born in Brooklyn, Figueroa grew up a Mets fan, and was drafted by the team in 1995, although he did not make it to the Majors with them. With a 4-10 career record, he last pitched in the Majors in September 2004, with his last win coming in August 2003. After traveling around the world, pitching in various different countries, Figueroa got a 2nd chance in the U.S. with the Mets. He was called up on the third day of the season, after Pedro Martinez went on the DL. After two relief appearances, he made his first start on Friday.

It was a long time coming, and he surely took advantage of the opportunity. His final line was 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, and of course, a win.

It was great to see the smiles on his face, with a dream coming true, and three years of work trying to get back to the Majors paying off. His family was in attendance, and SNY kept showing them cheering loudly for him. Nelson also gave a nice salute to them as he walked off the field after the 4-2 victory.

These moments are so wonderful, as it takes away from the daily grind of the long season, and gives the game a more personal feel. We're not just rooting for teams, we're not just rooting for players; we are rooting for people. This story was great, and congratulations to Nelson Figueroa.

Another big story of the series was Johan Santana, however this one was a bad story. Johan lost his previous start because the offense did not give him any support. Saturday, Johan lost his start because he pitched poorly. Obviously, he's not going to have a great start every time, and I can look past this one poor start. But it was pretty disheartening to watch.

Johan was removed from the game in the 7th after giving up a three-run HR, his third HR of the day. It wasn't all that bad of a day outside of the HRs, and two errors by David Wright certainly made his day harder. But the long balls were definitely troublesome, especially in his Shea debut.

After losing Game 2 5-3, the Mets would go on to lose the series with the Brewers winning 7-5 in one of the most aggravating losses I've ever seen. Oliver Perez was bad. After giving up 2 runs in the top of the 1st, the Mets would give him six runs over the first three innings, but then Perez gave the four run lead back in the 4th. He would be taken out in the 5th after allowing two baserunners that Jorge Sosa kept from scoring. However, Sosa would give up 2 runs in the 6th, and the Brewers added an unearned run in the 7th.

More frustrating than the pitching was the hitting, which is saying a lot considering they scored 7 runs. After getting 6 of them in the first three innings, the Mets would score just 1 run with 13 baserunners from the 4th to 8th innings. They hit into a double play in each of those 5 innings. The worst of it was in the 8th, facing the hated Guillermo Mota. The Mets started the inning with two singles to get runners on 1st and 3rd, but then Luis Castillo grounded into a double play, taking himself out at first followed by the over-aggressive Brady Clark at home. The next two hitters would walk to load the bases, but Delgado would pop out to end the inning. Eric Gagne, who has been terrible so far this season, earned his second save of the series with a 1-2-3 9th.

I was pretty furious by the end of that 8th inning. Quite often I get angry, annoyed, or disappointed by the team, but I don't remember ever boiling for so long. But the season continues on.

Congratulations to David Wright for his 100th career home run.

The Brewers bats were relentless with 14 runs with 3 home runs in their two victories. They have quite a dangerous, powerful lineup, although their pitching staff is certainly questionable. I didn't get too good of a read on the team outside of that, but I'm thankful that there's only one more series with them.

4/15: Pre-Game Report

2008-04-15T18:55:00.000-04:00

Jose Reyes returns to the lineup after taking a few days off with his injury, and with his return comes a shake-up in the lineup. With Luis Castillo struggling, and after Angel Pagan did a great job replacing the two at the top of the lineup, Castillo drops to 8th in the batting order. However, it is not Pagan batting second, but rather Ryan Church has been moved up into that position.

This would not be as surprising if the Mets were facing a right hander today, as Willie Randolph has put Church above Pagan against some righties. But Odalis Perez, a lefty, will pitch for the Nationals, yet Willie still chose to put the left-handed hitting Church second. It seems like an odd move, but I think Pagan is pretty valuable batting 6th behind Carlos Delgado. I certainly missed his presence lower in the order when he was batting 1st and 2nd. The move also moves Church out from in between the left-handed bats of Delgado and Brian Schneider. I don't know how permanent this will be, so it will be interesting to see what kind of lineup Willie sends out tomorrow.

Of bigger news though is the reactivation of Duaner Sanchez from the DL. Sanchez was a major part of the bullpen's success in 2006, and his absence may have helped lead the bullpen to falter down the stretch in 2007. He last pitched in a Major League game on July 28, 2006. It will be great to see him back.

Carlos Muniz was sent back to the Minors to make room for Sanchez. Muniz did a tremendous job in his three games filling in for Matt Wise, throwing 4 scoreless innings with just 2 hits and 2 strikeouts.

Finally, the Mets will be honoring Jackie Robinson today. All the Mets will be wearing #42.

A recap of last series will come later today. Enjoy the game.

More notes: Ryan Church, Claudio Vargas

2008-04-11T15:22:00.000-04:00

Something really annoyed me during this past series, and it wasn't just the Phillies. It was Ryan Church coming up to bat with Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" playing over the loudspeakers. And it wasn't just a one time thing, it was most of his at bats, and I think it's safe to assume that it will be most of his at bats in the future.

"Crazy Train" is a great song, I won't deny that. But when I'm watching a Mets game, that is the absolute last thing I want to hear. If you're not aware, a certain third baseman in Atlanta named Larry also uses that as his walk-up music. For me, the association between that song and Mets games is a strong evil and hatred. I cringe every time I watch a Mets vs. Braves game in Atlanta, and I hear that music come on in the background, because it means that I'm about to see the person who I might just hate the most in this world. And usually, when that music comes on, he gives me even more reason to hate him, as he always seems to kill the Mets.

And now, I'm going to be forced to hear that music many more times this season. And at my beloved Shea Stadium, too. I don't cringe quite so much, knowing that it's Ryan Church coming up, and not Larry Jones. I'll get used to it soon.

But that song really should be banned at Shea. It represents pure evil for Mets fans. The guy even named his kid "Shea" because of how much he kills the Mets. Though I'm not sure, I assume Church used that song when he was in Washington, so I can't blame him for wanting to stick with it, or the organization for wanting to let him be happy and comfortable coming to the plate. That pretty much leaves no one to blame. But for the time being, it drives me crazy, and I had to vent.

I did hear it played on the organs the one game, and that was awesome.

In other news, the Mets signed pitcher Claudio Vargas to a Minor League contract. I don't have much of an opinion on this deal. I don't trust Claudio Vargas to be much help to the Mets, but it seems that he won't be plugged right into the rotation to fill the hole left by Pedro and El Duque. Instead, he will start at the minors, likely as a backup plan in case Nelson Figueroa doesn't work out as the replacement 5th starter. He could even help out in the bullpen if need be. I have no problems with this deal, and if he ends up not helping, that it's not hurting us much.

Figueroa will pitch today at home against the Brewers to start the series. Johan Santana will face the Brewers' ace, Ben Sheets, tomorrow, with Oliver Perez wrapping up the series on Sunday.

Taking down the Phillies 2-1

2008-04-11T00:37:00.000-04:00

Well, we lost the important one, but in the end, the Mets are up 2-1 on the season series against the Phillies.

First up was the emotional Opening Day. Willie Randolph took a lot of heat for his quick hook of Oliver Perez, and his post-game comments regarding why. But I have to side with Willie here, for once. Although he had pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, he had a lot of control problems throughout. I really don't think he was pitching well that game, although he was getting out of trouble. He came out of the game after throwing 94 pitches, and with runners on 1st and 3rd. It really didn't seem to me like a bad move at the time, and Joe Smith came in to get out of it to keep the Phillies off the board. The move worked, at least for the time being; perhaps Willie was putting too much pressure on the bullpen, but he has to have faith in his guys and not give up on them this early, whereas the fans are free to criticize and see the bullpen as a failure all they want. Anyway, Oliver Perez still hasn't given up a run, or even an extra base hit, in two starts, so that's great to see.

But then, we lost to the Phillies in typical fashion. The bats went to sleep, and the bullpen blew the lead. Scott Schoeneweis loaded the bases in the 7th, but should have gotten out of it, but Carlos Delgado threw a should-be inning-ending double play into Chase Utley's back, and 2 runs would score on the play, with a 3rd later in the inning. Then Aaron Heilman gave up another two in the 8th to give a cushion to the Phillies' lead that they didn't need, and they won 5-2.

Of note though are the two injuries that quietly happened in that game. Luis Castillo exited the game after the 4th inning with soreness in his knee. More importantly, Jimmy Rollins came out in the 8th after injuring his ankle. Neither injury was serious, but both would miss the rest of the series, and considering it was the struggling Castillo compared to the reigning MVP Rollins, that would certainly help us out more.

It turned out that it would help us a lot more. In Game 2, the Mets would score six runs in the third inning, with only one being earned, with help by two errors by Rollins' replacement, Eric Bruntlett. The game was certainly odd, as we scored 8 runs on just 5 hits, with 9 walks and 4 errors from the Phillies. I'll take the win any way we can get it though, and the 8-2 victory to snap the 9 game losing streak against the rivals felt good.

The rubber game was by far the highlight of the series, though. Like Perez, John Maine wasn't at the top of his game, but he got the job done, going 6+ innings while allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, although 5 walks. However, it would be problems for Aaron Heilman once again. He came in in the 8th inning with a 3-1 lead, but immediately gave up a lead-off HR to Ryan Howard. That was followed by a walk, a single, and an RBI groundout to tie the game. It was looking like it would be another typical blown game to the Phillies. But he got out of the inning, and the game would soon be going to extra innings.

It would also soon be time for Scott Schoeneweis to make his appearance. I want to give him a second chance, a fresh start this season. But so far, he has continued to struggle, and has continued to deserve the boos from the home crowd. However, today was hopefully the day when he turns it all around, as he would leave the game to an ovation. He came into the game in the 11th inning with runners on first and second, one out, and the two big lefties coming up for Philadelphia. He got the ground ball from Chase Utley though, and nobody was in Damion Easley's way, so the double play was turned. He also got Ryan Howard out to lead off the 12th. Getting those two batters out is obviously a big key to beating this team, and especially getting Utley out in that situation was huge. Hopefully Mets fans won't be so quick to boo him next time.

Finally, the game would end in the 12th, and what more can be said about Angel Pagan. After a two out double by Jose Reyes, Pagan lined one up the middle to bring Reyes home in a close play at the plate to end the game and give the Mets the 4-3 win. I, and most Mets fans, had high hopes for him replacing Moises Alou after a great Spring Training, and he is far exceeding expectations. After the 3-5 day with 2 runs scored an an RBI, he is now batting .370 with 9 RBIs, both leading the team, as well as 8 runs, which is tied for Delgado at the top. It's going to be tough to take him out when Alou comes back, but with what Alou can bring, and as good as Ryan Church has been playing as well, it's going to be tough to keep him in. With all the problems on this team though, this is a welcome one, for sure.

And what more can be said about Shane Victorino. While not as flashy as the big three of Rollins, Howard, and Utley, I saw him last year as a great complement to them. He just seemed to do everything right to beat us, between finding ways to get on base, great baserunning, and great fielding. He earned a spot on my fantasy baseball team this season, which is saying a lot considering how much he made me hate him last year. Although he's started off slumping at the plate, he proved to be an extremely dangerous force in the outfield, especially now moving to CF with after Aaron Rowand left. Atlanta may have let Andruw Jones go, but now there is Shane Victorino in Philadelphia.

Final season opener at Shea.

2008-04-07T22:16:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow will certainly be an emotional day for me, as the Mets will play their final season opener at Shea Stadium. Since they're playing against the Phillies, too, it could easily be a wide range of emotions. Oliver Perez will interestingly be opposed by Jamie Moyer, who was also born in 1962 (although they didn't start playing at Shea until 1964, the connection to the beginning of the franchise is still there).

It was recently announced that the Mets will continue to honor the Shea family name, as the stadium bearing that name is prepared to be replaced. The Shea family will be on the field tomorrow for a pre-game ceremony in which a Shea logo will be unveiled alongside the retired numbers beyond the left field fence, and it will also be placed in Citi Field next year.

I hate the whole idea of corporate sponsorships of ballparks, but I understand that it is one of those unavoidable, necessary evils these days, in order to generate more revenue (and we really could have done worse than "Citi Field," so I'm not too annoyed). Obviously though, I am quite pleased to see that they will be preserving the Shea legacy with this logo. Many years down the road, I'll be able to go to Mets games and see that logo, and be reminded of all the great memories that Shea Stadium has provided me. Hopefully it will have a nice place next to Casey Stengel's #37.

Disgust out of Atlanta

2008-04-07T00:58:00.000-04:00

As usual, the Mets had trouble in Atlanta. We had started to turn that streak around the last couple seasons, in which the Braves actually failed to win the NL East, so hopefully this isn't a bad omen.

I was looking forward to John Maine's first start of the season. He had a break-out season last year, and I'm looking forward to this year with great excitement for him. Unfortunately, he just didn't have it on this day. He lasted just four innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and three walks. We still had a chance to come back though, but the bullpen went on to allow another seven runs, including a grand slam given up by Jorge Sosa when it was clear from the previous batters that he had no control that day. Sosa probably should have been pulled prior to facing Kelly Johnson, but I won't criticize Willie Randolph for it. Nor will I get down on John Maine. I fully expect him to come back strong in his next start.

And of course, there was the ridiculous call by the umps. For those who didn't get to see it, the Mets were down 4-1 in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and one out. Jose Reyes hit a shot to left-center that bounced into the diving fielder's glove, which should have scored two runs, but somehow the umpire said he caught the ball. It was perfectly clear to me watching it happen live on television that it bounced; it hit so far in front of his glove that I couldn't even call it a trap. Angel Pagan obviously saw it bounce, and took off from second to score, so was easily doubled off at second to end the inning.

In a rare display from Randolph, although it was impossible not to, he ran out onto the field and protested quite strongly. The umpires got together, and thankfully, for my sanity and the protection of any breakable items surrounding me, they reversed the call. Ryan Church, who was actually passed by Pagan at third because he saw the out call and stopped (a whole other situation), was allowed to score, and Pagan was put at third where he would eventually score anyway on a groundout by Luis Castillo to bring the score to 4-3. Although, in the end, it proved to not matter that much, as the Braves went on to win 11-5, but at the time, that would have been a huge killer to this team if that call had stood. I'm also quite surprised that Bobby Cox somehow managed to not get himself ejected in that inning.

I was looking forward to facing Tom Glavine. I knew his comments after the last game of the season, where he said he was not devastated following his 7 run, 1/3 IP, season-ending performance, were taken too harshly by Mets fans, including myself. And he got a chance to explain himself and his rationalization in a pre-game interview on SNY. But I still can't help but feel utter, complete hatred towards him. And I so badly wanted to take it to him this series. But the weather wouldn't cooperate, forcing the first game to be rained out and postponed. This pushed Tim Hudson back to what would have been Game 2, and they decided to leave John Smoltz in as the starter in the final game, because they didn't want him to come off the DL and pitch in Colorado. So that meant that Tommy was the odd man out, and Mets fans will have to wait a bit longer to have some revenge.

I was looking forward to Johan Santana's second appearance, and first against the Braves. However, after averaging 7 1/4 runs in the first four games, the offense disappeared this game. Johan gave up just one run in 7 innings, along with a double and two fine defensive plays. He also got his first loss as a Met, leaving the game losing 1-0. The Mets would be able to add a run in the ninth, but not before Aaron Heilman gave up a two-run HR to Mark Teixeira. And with that 3-1 victory, the Braves swept the Mets in the 2-game series.

Not a whole lot has changed with the Braves; Larry Jones is still a Met-killer, and I still hate him. The biggest change from last year though is he's not the only one who will kill us. Mark Teixeira batting behind him is looking just as scary, if not scarier. I still have to say they are the third best team in the division, but that gap is looking smaller than I thought.

Johan, Pedro, and winning the first series.

2008-04-03T16:36:00.001-04:00

This is the first in what should be a season-long series of posts in which I recap and discuss the Mets' previous series. In addition to what I think about what the Mets did, I will also look a little bit about what I think of the opposing team.

First off, Opening Day. It felt like a long time coming. The pitching match-up was Johan Santana against Mark Hendrickson and the Marlins. As I wrote earlier, it's hard to get worried about that match-up, but on the other hand, it would just be that much worse if we lost. But the "$137 million eraser," as Ron Darling put it, removed the lingering feelings from last season.

Johan was great. Pitching 7 innings, he gave up 2 runs, all on one HR, and just 3 hits, with 8 strikeouts. Asking for anything more from him, especially on Opening Day, would just be greedy. The home run, of course, is something to think about though, as he has had a bit of a problem keeping the ball in the park, despite his tremendous success in the past. That is one reason why I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do with the Mets, with a home stadium that tends to keep fly balls contained. Coming from the hitter's park in Minnesota - besides just facing a National League lineup - that factor could really make his numbers look even better.

With all the excitement building up to Opening Day, and then the results, Monday was a wonderful day. Not only did the Mets win 7-2 on a great performance by Santana, but the Phillies were 0-1, the Braves were 0-2, and the Yankees had their home opener rained out.

Oh, how quickly moods can change.

Pedro Martinez began Game 2 by hitting Hanley Ramirez, then giving up a 2-run HR to Dan Uggla. Then he gave up a solo HR to Luis Gonzalez and an RBI triple to Ramirez in the 2nd inning. Pedro was struggling. But then, with one grab of the hamstring, things were so much worse. He left giving up 4 runs and 4 hits in 3 1/3 innings, an ERA of 10.80. The news would come the next day that he would be out at least 4-6 weeks with a mild strained hamstring.

The Mets got back into the game though as their bullpen kept the Marlins off the scoreboard, tying it 4-4. But in the end, the unlikely hero was Robert Andino, as he hit the walk-off HR off Matt Wise in the 10th. After all the excitement of the day before, all I could feel on this day was depression. The mood had completely changed. I don't think the loss of Pedro will hurt too bad as far as our win-loss record is concerned, but it certainly stings mentally and emotionally.

What better way to relieve the pain though than a 13-0 victory the following day to win the series. Oliver Perez was brilliant, throwing 6 shutout innings, also with 8 strikeouts. Already with a 10-0 lead, there was no need to stretch him out any further in his first start. Nelson Figueroa (Pedro's replacement on the roster), Pedro Feliciano, and Billy Wagner all got their first innings of work of this season in a no-pressure situation. The dominating win should definitely make the players feel better as they travel to Philadelphia. A loss could have really hurt, after what happened the day before.

The pitching outside of Pedro was obviously great. The offense was pretty good, too, though. You can't say enough about Angel Pagan right now, stepping up into the 6th spot in the lineup with Moises Alou out. He went 4-for-10 with 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored in the series, getting us started in each of the first two games. Other new acquisitions Ryan Church and Brian Schneider also did a great job. Carlos Delgado struggled in the first two games, but he went 2-for-5 with an RBI yesterday, so I won't give up on him yet. All the way up and down the lineup, we performed pretty well, obviously, with 24 runs scored.

The Marlins certainly lost a lot with Miguel Cabrera and Met-killer Dontrelle Willis being traded away to Detroit. They still remain a team that I don't feel comfortable playing, though. They have a lot of solid young talent that can burn you throughout the whole lineup. But I think, like last season, it may not matter, as you can just hope to put up more runs than they do with that shaky pitching staff.

Roster set, baseball is just around the corner!

2008-03-30T13:30:00.002-04:00

For most teams, including the Mets, the regular season is getting ready to begin tomorrow. It's been a long wait, but it's finally here. Which is good, because I can't wait much longer.

Johan Santana will make his debut tomorrow in Florida at 4:10. Thankfully, he will not be opposed by the Met-killer, Dontrelle Willis, although I have a good feeling that if we are to reach our ultimate goal, we're still going to have to go through him. Instead, he will face Mark Hendrickson, who really doesn't put much fear into Mets fans' hearts, but you can't underestimate this Marlins team. The Marlins really couldn't find a better opening day starter than Mark Hendrickson though?

Anyway, it appears that the roster has been finalized. Most noteworthy is that Mike Pelfrey, after impressing in Spring, will be our fifth starter, although that probably has more to do with Orlando Hernandez's health than anything. El Duque will likely begin the year on the DL, then take over the fifth spot when ready.

Also, Joe Smith will take the final bullpen spot. I really enjoyed watching him last year until he tired out, as I'm sure most, if not all, Mets fans did as well, so I'm excited to see him back on the team. Finally, Brady Clark grabs the last bench spot, which I am happy to hear. As I wrote towards the beginning of Spring Training, I was rooting for him to get that last spot.

So here we go. Just one more day of waiting. The only thing left is to see if we'll be half a game up or down on the Braves.

Moises Alou out 4-6 weeks

2008-03-05T21:03:00.000-05:00

It has begun. Injuries have been the big story this Spring Training for the Mets, and now we know for sure that one key player will be out at the start of the season. And it's really no surprise who (sorry to those who bet on El Duque, though).

Moises Alou is expected to be out for four to six weeks for hernia surgery.

Probable replacement Endy Chavez has yet to play in a Spring Training game as he is also currently dealing with an injury. However, he should be seeing some action soon, so hopefully he will be able to take over in left field by the start of the regular season.

This certainly also opens the door for Angel Pagan to make the Opening Day roster. He got some Major League experience the last two seasons with the Cubs, and has been very impressive so far in Spring Training. He may very well have been earning the last bench spot on the roster anyway, but the Mets now need to have another outfielder for Opening Day.

Mike Pelfrey vs. El Duque

2008-03-03T16:24:00.000-05:00

The acquisition of Johan Santana supposedly pushed Mike Pelfrey back out of the starting rotation, either to a bullpen role or back to AAA. However, it looks like the Mets may have to make a decision on their fifth starter for the start of this season.

In two Spring Training appearances now, Mike Pelfrey has looked great, pitching 5 shutout innings and allowing just three hits. It was easy to turn against Pelfrey last season, after his 0-7 start. I never gave up on him though, and I kept watching him with hope that he would start to turn it around. He then went on to win 3 of his 4 starts in September.

Orlando Hernandez had much more success during last season than Pelfrey. However, he was rather injury prone, and that is already carrying over into this season. He has been very limited in camp so far due to his injuries, and has yet to pitch in a game. I wouldn't be surprised if he was still not ready by the time the regular season rolled around, meaning Pelfrey would probably be the fifth starter by default.

But what about if, or when, El Duque is healthy again? Obviously, it's too early to tell for certain. If he can get in some work in Spring Training games and shows success, they could go with the more experienced Hernandez, especially if the Mets are unwilling to put him in the bullpen. But if Pelfrey continues his success through Spring Training, and maybe even through the beginning of the regular season, it's going to be hard to pull him from the rotation. I think he may have turned a corner last September, he seems to have grown a bit and learned from his disastrous start last year, and he may be ready to take on the big leagues now. And I would really like to see what he can do, instead of just waiting for El Duque to get hurt again.

Of course, if we have the rotation of Johan, Pedro, Maine, Perez, Pelfrey, then that begs the question of what to do with El Duque. They say he won't go into the bullpen, but that may be what is best. Remember him pitching out of the bullpen in the White Sox's World Series run? He'll be just fine out there. It's Pelfrey's time to shine.

Baseball is back!

2008-02-29T22:24:00.000-05:00

It was so great hearing that SNY Mets jingle today. The Mets played their first home Spring Training game of the season, and their first televised Spring Training game of the season. And, of course, it was Johan Santana's first appearance.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been a good start. They are 0-3 now against Major League teams, plus a tie against a college team. Johan Santana gave up a three-run home run to Juan Gonzalez in his first inning of work.

But I'm not going to be critical or worried about Spring Training results, especially this early on. Sure, winning is sweet, and I would like to see us putting up wins, but results don't matter yet.

This certainly didn't seem like an ordinary Spring Training game though. Usually, I'm excited for it to start up just so baseball is back. But today was more about seeing Johan pitch than it was seeing the Mets back on the field. He caught a couple tough breaks, then gave up a bomb to Juan Gonzalez. But if he's going to give one up, at least it was someone who you have to feel good for. Of course, then Albert Pujols hit a home run off Duaner Sanchez, and he's someone who I have really soured on.

It was also nice to see Fernando Martinez out there. He got thrown out trying to steal second, but again, beyond results, it was good to see him running and being aggressive. And along with that, he had the play of the game, with a great diving catch down the left field line. That was fun to watch.

One last point: I think I'm rooting for Brady Clark to take the 5th bench spot on the roster. Ruben Gotay would be good, too, but I think Clark would be a solid backup right-handed outfielder.

Pitchers and Catchers in Port St. Lucie

2008-02-14T18:48:00.000-05:00

More important than any roses or boxes of chocolate, Johan Santana and the other Mets pitchers and catchers reported in Port St. Lucie, Florida, to begin Spring Training!

As happy as I still am about the Giants winning the Super Bowl, I still can't help but to look forward with great excitement towards this 2008 baseball season. And baseball is finally, officially, right around the corner.

As my excitement grows about the addition of Johan, I'm starting to also get excited about a much less talked about addition: the return of Duaner Sanchez to the bullpen.

After being injured for the entire 2007 season, and being pretty much completely off the radar, it's easy to forget how big of an impact he had on this team. He was probably our most reliable pitcher in the bullpen leading up to Billy Wagner in 2006 until the Curse of the Taxis struck again (although we got Oliver Perez as part of a last-minute desperation trade before the deadline because Sanchez got hurt, so it wasn't all bad). I loved watching Duaner pitch, and I always had great confidence in him whenever he came in a game.

Then, obviously, we ran into a bit of bullpen issues at the end of 2007. The Mets' bullpen completely fell apart with guys like Joe Smith and Guillermo Mota having to take innings that Duaner Sanchez would have handled in 2006. I hate to think of the what-ifs, but who knows how things would have been different at the end of last season with that extra anchor in the bullpen helping to take the pressure off not just down the stretch, but for the whole season.

Duaner is looking good and ready to come back strong in 2008. Like Guillermo Mota getting traded for essentially nobody seemed like a new acquisition, so does Duaner Sanchez coming back to this team after over a year on the disabled list. Say what you want about Johan taking pressure off the bullpen by pitching deeper into games; just having Sanchez return will naturally take some pressure off the bullpen and make it better.

First Spring Training game in 13 days.

New York Giants: Super Bowl XLII Champions!

2008-02-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

With all the excitement of Johan Santana finally becoming a Met, I'm going to have to step back for a second to celebrate some football happenings.

The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 17-14 yesterday to win Super Bowl XLII! And boy, what a game it was. Probably the greatest Super Bowl that I've ever seen, regardless of the fact that my favorite team ended up the winner. Plus, certainly the best single play in the Super Bowl I've ever seen. I still cannot believe that Eli got away from that sack, and then just an amazing play by David Tyree catching the long pass.

I've also liked the Patriots since I was a kid, and they're my second favorite team, so I'm not going to sit there and rip on them for missing out on perfection. I've been rooting for perfection since early in the season, not expecting it would be the Giants who would have the opportunity to stand in their way in the end.

This was such an improbable finish to the season. The Giants were really sloppy in the regular season; I didn't even think they deserved to make it, but they got into the playoffs thanks to there only being about five teams in the whole NFL who actually deserved the shot.

But what I could see through their struggles was great potential. I was saying all season they could beat any team in the league - including the Patriots - if they could play well for a full four quarters. Throughout the entire season though, all the way up through Week 17 where they nearly ended the Patriots run right then and there, they never showed that they were capable of playing the full four quarters.

But what was a loss on paper may have turned out to be the biggest turning point of their season. They still came out with a very bad first quarter against the Buccaneers, but then they went on to dominate that game. Then the Cowboys. Then the Packers. Each game the team improved, and Eli played as well as he's ever played in that stretch of games.

It was the potential that I saw finally being reached. Three weeks earlier, I had very little confidence in this team being able to make some noise in the playoffs. Now, they were getting ready to play the Patriots in the Super Bowl, and I wasn't even intimidated by them.

The Giants had nearly beaten the Patriots in Week 17, even should have beat them. Now, Big Blue was as hot as could be, with a ton of momentum on their side. After interceptions and fumbles plagued the regular season, Eli had not turned the ball over once in the three playoff games. Their confidence couldn't be higher. And Tom Brady was coming off his worst playoff performance of his career.

All season I believed that the Giants could beat anyone. Not only did I think they could win, I thought that they would win.

One amazing game later, one unbelievable drive later, I was experiencing perhaps the happiest moment in this sports fan's life. My Giants had pulled off arguably the biggest upset in history to become the Super Bowl champions. And I never doubted them over the past three weeks.

I was four years old when the Giants last won the Super Bowl. I have nothing but faint memories of celebrating the victory. That's more than what I have for the last Mets' World Series though, which came when I was just six months old. Since then, both of my favorite teams had only reached that final stage once, following their 2000 seasons. And both of their performances were so horrid that I've tried my best to erase them from my memory.

The New York Giants have finally come through. I have truly celebrated and appreciated a Super Bowl victory by my team. That metaphorical bottle of champagne has been popped.

New York Mets: You know what you have to do now.

Nearly official....

2008-02-01T18:51:00.000-05:00

What an agonizing 74 hours. Finally, Johan signed on the dotted line, and all that is left is a physical.

Wow, would that not be the ultimate stomach punch, if the deal broke off because of a failed physical? I shouldn't even be bringing this up. I need to find some wood to knock on now.

I couldn't care less about what the specific numbers of the deal are. Johan Santana officially being a Met is right around the corner, hopefully everything getting settled tomorrow.

I cannot wait for Opening Day.

Finally....Johan Santana....is a NEW YORK MET

2008-01-30T01:21:00.000-05:00

Two things:
1. WHOO!
2. Finally.

What a long offseason it's been, wanting nothing more than to finally see the headline come across my computer screen. I was frantically refreshing web sites today just waiting for it to happen, and then it finally did.

Pure elation is the only way to describe the way I've felt over the past 14 hours since the news broke on USAToday.com. I feel like I can't even write a proper post with these emotions.

The deal is as it was rumored earlier. The Mets give up Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey. A wonderful, small price to pay, as far as I'm concerned, as I was prepared to lose Fernando Martinez. Being able to get Johan while still holding onto Martinez is almost like getting two deals in one. I assume that if the Twins demanded that Martinez be added to the deal, the Mets would have added him and made the deal, but they were able to use time to their advantage, as no other teams were prepared to step up as the Twins were approaching their deadline.

It all still depends on the Mets and Johan agreeing to a contract extension, but as Mike and the Mad Dog were discussing after the deal, there's no way the Mets can back out of this now. It would be a nightmare, a crushing blow to Mets fans if the front office decided it was unwilling to agree to Johan's terms. Basically, whatever he wants, we have to give it to him.

The ultimate goal here is to win a World Series one last time in Shea Stadium before it's torn down. I was just a mere six months old when they won in 1986, and I want nothing more than to watch my Mets celebrate a World Series championship at the stadium I love. That's what has made me so devastated the last two seasons, and why I have been so desperately wanting Johan for 2008.

This is our year. Please make it happen. If we win this season, then everything that happened today and will happen in the coming days with the contract talks, will be completely worth it, no matter what happens beyond 2008.

The offer for Santana?

2008-01-10T14:08:00.000-05:00

The reported offer the Mets are trying to get Santana for is Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Phil Humber, and Kevin Mulvey, and the Twins want Fernando Martinez added to that package (Minnesota Star Tribune).

That's basically our entire list of top prospects there. Especially Fernando Martinez, who I've been really looking forward to seeing. Our five top prospects does seem pretty steep for just one pitcher, but when it's Johan Santana, the Twins have the ability to demand.

This will pretty much go along with my previous post, but things have been real quiet lately and I felt the need to post something, anything. As much as the trade scares me, I still have to say "Yes" to it. Getting Johan would mean so much to this team.

The thing is though, both of our corner outfielders are short-term (unless Ryan Church turns out better than expected, or Moises Alou gets five years younger), so having Fernando Martinez ready to step in in a year or two in one of those spots would have been great to see. So if this trade happens, both of those spots will need to be replaced by free agent pickups. Alou may be in his final year of baseball, and Church could easily fail to produce the way we need, so next offseason could be rough. This is where I regret the Milledge trade.

Of course, if Santana were to come in and help us win the World Series, then all those problems go away.

Johan Santana

2008-01-03T17:32:00.000-05:00

From the very first day of this blog, I've made it pretty clear that I really want Johan Santana coming to the Mets. I had originally hoped to just wait it out and sign him next offseason without having to give up anything, but it seems that if he's traded this offseason, that team will be signing him to a long contract extension. So if we want him next year, we're likely going to need to get him for this year, too.

And I can't really complain about that either, as long as we don't have to give up too much. I would like nothing more than to see the Mets celebrate one last World Series on the field at Shea before they move into Citi Field. And based on the rest of the pitching market, if we don't get Johan, that's going to be a tough goal to accomplish.

Early rumors said that the Twins were demanding Reyes, and Omar, rightly so, refused. Negotiations have been bragging out for quite awhile now though. They seem to be at a stalemate with the Red Sox and Yankees, and the other 26 teams are basically non-contenders for him.

Of course, if we won't include Reyes, getting Johan will come at quite a high price in prospects. I'm willing to give up pretty much anyone besides Reyes and Wright, and Omar has made it pretty clear that he feels the same way about those two. If we can get a guy like Johan Santana and sign him to a long-term contract, then the future is already there, we don't have to wait for these prospects to possibly develop.

Then again, Johan is one player, compared to probably four we'd have to give up. But chances are very low that any of those players will come close to the value of Santana, and we'd probably be lucky to even have two of them become solid contributors for our team.

So I say, go for it. If only the Twins will accept.

Late thoughts on the Lastings Milledge trade.

2008-01-03T17:18:00.001-05:00

November 30, 2007: The New York Mets trade Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church

The first impression of this trade is definitely a puzzling one. There were a lot of trade rumors going around, and most included Milledge, so I expected him to get dealt. However, all of those rumors circled around him being traded to boost our pitching staff. So when I saw this trade, two things came to mind: 1) This is all we traded Milledge for? and 2) Now what are we going to do to boost our pitching staff?

I suppose if you look at the first question, the trade starts to look better the more you think about it. We traded a developing outfielder for another young outfielder plus our new starting catcher (which means no more Johnny Estrada, but that trade was still more than worth it just to get rid of Guillermo Mota).

I always liked Ryan Church, but I don't really know enough about him to know how he will compare to Milledge as our right fielder. The justification from Omar Minaya seems to be that Ryan Church will be a better player in the present, to help the win now approach. Milledge certainly has a brighter future, but I'm not so certain that the potential will be realized. Losing Lastings doesn't really sting me too badly.

However, that is where the second question comes in. I had no problem trading him for pitching help, and was eagerly anticipating seeing which pitcher we would get for him, be it a guy like Dan Haren or even the mighty package for Johan Santana. However, now we are seeing some guys slip off the market and others where the front office is struggling to put a package together for. I don't like to think about what could have been, but I can't help but wonder what could have been done with him, and what will not be able to be done now that he's gone.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T01:19:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone.

I apologize for not keeping this up to date over the past month. Maybe the RIP posts wore me out, I don't know. Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse.

I'm not one for New Years resolutions, but it's about time that I get back into this.

Here's to 2008, the last year of Shea Stadium. Let's send it out with a bang in more ways than just one.

R.I.P. Sean Taylor

2007-11-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

Two R.I.P. posts in a row, what is going on here.

Rarely will I feel the need to make a post about something unrelated to baseball, but I think this qualifies. As a Miami Hurricanes fan, I've always liked Taylor, despite his on- and off-the-field issues in the NFL. He had a ton of talent, and it's very disheartening to see him go.

Brian Pata was killed last November. Kevin Everett is lucky to even walk after his life-threatening injury while playing for the Bills this season. Now Sean Taylor dies after being shot. And on top of that, the Hurricanes are having their worst season in recent history. It's been a very difficult last 13 months for Miami fans. Even the Dolphins are currently winless this season.

R.I.P. Sean

R.I.P. Joe Kennedy

2007-11-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

Joe Kennedy, 28-year-old pitcher, died this morning. It's being reported that it may have been a brain aneurysm.

I still remember Darryl Kile's death five years ago and how much it touched me, despite not having much prior care for him besides that he was a pitcher for a team I liked. You don't expect anyone to die at such a young age, but when it's a professional athlete, someone who you've followed for some years and who you would expect to be in great condition, it's even more shocking (although obviously not as shocking as someone you know personally).

Kennedy is now the third MLB player to die in the past 14th months, so while still shocking, the mortality of professional athletes is sinking in more. This one hits a little bit more than the others, on a personal level.

I'm not a bobble-head collector. I only have two, and I got them both from a free giveaway. One is Tiki Barber, and the other, as you can probably guess, is Joe Kennedy.

Joe Kennedy is obviously a strange bobble-head to have. It's not even from a Major League team. It's actually from his Class A-Short Season Minor League team, the Hudson Valley Renegades, a farm team for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I've gone to a lot of their games over their games over the 14 years they've been in the area. I don't remember exactly why, but at one game I went to, they had a Joe Kennedy bobble-head day. Kennedy pitched for the team in 1999, when they won their only league championship.

I still have my Joe Kennedy bobble-head somewhere. Sadly, his career and life ended all too soon. Rest In Peace.

Mets trade Mota!! (for Estrada)

2007-11-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

Well, past Lo Duca and Torrealba, the Mets seem to have gotten their catcher, and it's Johnny Estrada. But that's not even the best part.

Guillermo Mota is gone!

I would've been more than happy to get rid of Mota for nothing. I'd be glad if we even paid to get rid of him. But not only did we get rid of him, but we also got a piece of the puzzle back in return!

Now, Estrada isn't one to get all too excited about. Neither were the other options, though Estrada probably even less so than those. But considering these other options, Estrada comes with much less commitment than guys like Paul Lo Duca, Yorvit Torrealba, or Ramon Hernandez would have taken. Plus there's the huge added bonus of not having to deal with the liability that is Guillermo Mota. One less bullpen problem to deal with.

So, we secured left field, second base, catcher, and our bench, plus added by subtraction in our bullpen. Now it's time to focus on the starting rotation.

Back and forth, back and forth....now I can sadly say with clarity (I think), goodbye Lo Duca.

EDIT, 11/21: I'm no expert on contracts and arbitration and all that, so I'm not exactly sure how this works. But it seems like Estrada is not necessarily definitely going to be with the team next year. The Mets can still find a better option at catcher and choose to not give Estrada a contract for next season. Basically though, the deal takes away any worry about filling the hole, as it is currently filled by Estrada, but if we can upgrade without giving up too much, then there's no problem losing Estrada. And we still don't have Mota or his contract.

Luis Castillo re-signs

2007-11-19T23:27:00.000-05:00

The Mets have locked up their second baseman, and it's Luis Castillo sticking around. There was talk about David Eckstein, and I would have liked him, because I like the kind of player he is. But I've always liked Luis Castillo, too, and I think he fit in well last year. It would have been exciting to have Eckstein, but I think we're just as well off as Castillo.

It's a four year deal though, and I think that's a bit too much of a commitment. But it seems like Eckstein was looking for the same kind of thing, so I guess Omar didn't have much choice there. We'll see how it works out.

Roundup: Glavine to Braves, Lowell and Rivera re-signing

2007-11-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

Well, Tom Glavine is headed back to the Braves, concluding what was pretty expected since the end of the season. Now if only they could somehow bring Greg Maddux back as well, that would be pretty cool. Or pretty annoying. Anyway, this officially leaves a hole in the starting rotation for the Mets, so hopefully no more deals fall apart at the last minute for Omar.

In other news, it's reported that Mike Lowell has agreed to re-sign with with the Red Sox. There were some reports that the Yankees were interested in getting him to play 1B, so I'm glad that won't end up happening.

Also, Mariano Rivera is reportedly close to re-signing with the Yankees. It would have been really interesting to see what would have happened if he hit the market, where he would go (if not too obvious that it would be the Dodgers). But like Posada, I'd rather see him back in a Yankees uniform.

Nevermind Torreabla

2007-11-18T02:18:00.000-05:00

Well, so much for that. Just when I was getting ready to welcome in Yorvit Torreabla, apparently discussions broke off suddenly. After reports that they reached an agreement on a deal, something happened that prevented it from being finalized.

So, it looks like it's back to the drawing board for Omar. And that's probably not a good thing. I honestly wasn't too excited about Torrealba, but there's not a whole lot to get excited about with the available catchers.

This could mean they try to fall back on Lo Duca, but it's been becoming more and more obvious that the Mets don't want anything to do with him. So, this likely means the Mets will now look to sign someone with lesser value than Torrealba, or have to acquire someone via trade.

Alex Rodriguez signs with....the Yankees?

2007-11-15T20:46:00.000-05:00

Well, that was uneventful. But either way, I'm relieved to see him off the market, so we can put all this talk about him and the Mets behind us.

It would have been interesting to see him hit the market and see what would have happened. But in a way I'm glad he ended up staying. Keep the bad guy in the Evil Empire. Even though I want to see the Yankees suffer, I'd rather root against him as a Yankee than root against him as a member of a different team. And I'd rather see him in New York than somewhere else like Los Angeles anyway.

So, all the hype and wonderment surrounding A-Rod this offseason, and it all ends rather quickly and boringly, although with an unexpected twist. The important thing though is that on Opening Day 2008, David Wright will be the starting third baseman for the Mets.

Castro/Torrealba

2007-11-15T12:44:00.000-05:00

What a roller coaster ride. And I hate roller coasters. First Lo Duca is "as good as gone." Then Omar was "optimistic" about re-signing him. With Posada signing with the Yankees, I thought the door opened even more. Now it looks like the Mets are close to deals that would mean the end for Lo Duca in New York.

Ramon Castro is currently very close to re-signing for two years, if the deal isn't already complete. Talks are also heating up between the Mets and free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba. While that's not nearly as definite as Castro coming back, I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen.

Obviously I would have preferred Lo Duca to stay, but I had come to accept the fact that he was likely to be going, so I'm prepared for that. I always saw the 2nd best solution was to re-sign Castro, and sign another average catcher to split time. I'm not sure how much production to expect from Torrealba, but it seems that's what would happen here.

I'm looking forward to yelling "YORVIT!" whenever Torrealba does something good though.

EDIT: Looks like Torrealba is about as close to a done deal as Castro. Bye Paulie.

Posada remains with the Yankees

2007-11-13T01:22:00.000-05:00

Reports are out that Jorge Posada is re-signing with the Yankees for four years. Enjoy him at the end of that contract.

More importantly, now that that is out of the way, the Mets can focus on their own catching situation without worrying about going after Posada. Most likely that may mean intensifying talks with Paul Lo Duca.

I'm glad Posada is staying with the Yankees, because he's one of those long-timers that I can appreciate, even if I do hate them. And I'm also glad because it greatly increases the chances of the Mets re-signing Lo Duca now that that big name is no longer available.

What about Glavine?

2007-11-12T18:50:00.000-05:00

What do the Mets do about their most trusted starter from last season?

If the Mets let Tom Glavine go, then his career in New York will have ended leaving fans with a sour taste in their mouth, to put it nicely. Three horrible, inexcusable starts when the team needed him most, when they were counting on him to help right the ship. Especially his final start, the last game of the season, giving up 7 runs while recording just one out; words can't even describe the hatred and disgust towards Glavine at that time.

And he did it all with seemingly little care. His words were: "I’m not devastated. I’m disappointed, but devastation is for much greater things in life."

As for Glavine returning, I have mixed feelings on it. On the one hand, after the way he finished the season, particularly his final game, the disrespect he showed to all the devastated Mets fans with that quote, the rumors the previous offseason about him going back to the Braves, and the rumors already starting about him going back to the Braves in the upcoming offseason, I was sick. I basically said, "Fine, go back to the Braves, I never want to see you in a Mets uniform ever again."

Of course, tempers have a tendency to calm over time. So, on the other hand, Glavine is a great pitcher, and the way he ended last season will have no effect on the way he pitches next season. He should once again be a reliable arm in the rotation. And if we go through the offseason unable to acquire another pitcher, and Glavine leaves, then we enter next season once again with a very weak starting rotation.

I guess it depends on what other moves we make. If we sign a guy like Carlos Silva, or trade for a guy like Joe Blanton, then the need to keep Glavine lessens. I do not want to see a guy like El Duque or Mike Pelfrey be asked to be the 4th starter on this team. I'd prefer it if they weren't even asked to be the 5th.

I guess the bottom line is, I wouldn't be upset to see Glavine leave, even if it is to go back to the Braves, where he "belongs." I wouldn't mind at all if I didn't see him in a Mets uniform ever again. But we have a glaring weakness in the rotation if no other pieces are added. If that hole is filled by Glavine for one more year, then I'm also fine with that.

Then we can sign Johan to fill the hole next year.

Poll Results: Close, but yes to A-Rod

2007-11-09T17:28:00.000-05:00

You can't really draw anything conclusive about a poll with just 11 votes, but I suppose something can be said about the split decision. MetsBlog.com polls about the issue, which do draw a great amount of votes, have had fairly split results as well. So I'm getting the sense that there is a nice split between those who would love to have the player regardless, and those like me who just want to stay away.

I just hope that if we do get A-Rod, that subsequent polls won't show a great majority of people who are happy we got him, because it's easy to think differently after you have the player than when it's still in question.

Wright and Beltran win Silver Slugger, too; shut up, Larry.

2007-11-08T17:20:00.000-05:00

To go alongside their nice new Gold Glove awards, David Wright and Carlos Beltran now also have Silver Slugger awards for last season. Congrats again, guys. Again, Omar, please don't disrupt David Wright.

And now Larry Jones (you will never see me refer to him as "Chipper") is saying he's "shocked" that Wright won the Gold Glove, obviously saying that he was unworthy of winning the award. In Larry's defense (not that he deserves to be defended), it doesn't seem like he meant to come out and say it publicly, more like he was just talking with a Braves blogger and he published it. And honestly, I was a bit surprised Wright won it as well. But the point still stands: shut up, Larry.

Instant Replay a likely addition.

2007-11-08T15:54:00.000-05:00

The purist I am, I've always been pretty opposed to the idea of instant replay in baseball. Now, GMs are trying to make it happen. And honestly, I'm actually in favor of it.

The proposal would allow instant replay only to help determine home runs calls: whether they are fair or foul; whether or not it actually cleared the fence/line; and whether or not a fan interfered with the ball.

These are calls that could easily make a huge difference in a game. Obviously the biggest memory that comes to mind is Jeffrey Maier reaching over the fence to give a home run to the Yankees in the playoffs against the Orioles.

I don't think that it hurts to take the human element away in these situations and leave it up to instant replay to decide. It's always a controversial decision to make, and at least one of the managers has to come out of the dugout to argue his side with the umpires. It would be a good thing to make sure they get the call right, with little to no possibility of controversy, especially in a big playoff game.

The only thing I worry about with this is the foot-in-the-door aspect. If Bud Selig, who is strongly against instant replay, relents for this change, it could then make it easier for GMs to push for more replay use, and then it could get into the area where I would also be strongly against it. Things like fair or foul down the line calls, safe or out calls, etc. Baseball purists everywhere would cringe.

David Wright and Carlos Beltran win Gold Gloves

2007-11-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

And of course this circles back around to A-Rod.

Yup, David Wright is now a Gold Glove Third Baseman, already, at the age of 24, and the
Mets are giving serious discussions to moving him to an unfamiliar position. Not that he needed the award to make it official that his talents shouldn't be moved, but there's something a bit concrete for you to consider, Omar.

Of course, there still is a bit left to be desired from him as a defensive 3B, mainly with his throwing, and you can't ignore the offensive production that A-Rod brings. But this just helps the argument that bringing A-Rod to the Mets to disrupt this team's makeup is a bad move.

Congrats to David Wright and Carlos Beltran.

Is Lo Duca staying or going?

2007-11-05T23:52:00.000-05:00

About a week ago, I read that FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal said Paul Lo Duca was as good as gone. Today, Omar Minaya told the AP that he was "optimistic" about re-signing him.

I guess this is what the Hot Stove season is all about. Words going one way one day, then going another way the next. You can't really trust much of what you hear until it's made official.

We've already locked up Moises Alou, Damion Easley, and Marlon Anderson for next season, and this is another re-signing I would like to see put behind us, because I just don't see any worthwhile upgrades at the position.

Miguel Cabrera available.

2007-11-04T19:14:00.000-05:00

MLB news is pretty slow today, so I'll take a look at the availability of Florida's Miguel Cabrera. The Marlins may need to trade the young superstar, and while the Mets are probably nowhere in the running to trade for him, it still has impact as he is a divisional opponent.

There's no doubt that Cabrera is a phenomenal young player. And looking at the other great young players on that team - guys like Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, and Jeremy Hermida - it would be great from a Mets standpoint to see him gone, because that team scares me. Of course, they could end up getting even more great young players back and become even more dangerous, but it's hard to replace someone like Cabrera.

That said, I can't stand Cabrera. As much as I want to like him, since I like the young makeup of that team, he just makes it so hard for me to want to root for him. I just can't stand his attitude on the field, right down to his ridiculous use of eye black. He reminds me of Manny Ramirez, in the bad way. The kid has amazing talent, and he strikes fear in you when he's your opponent, but he is someone who I would never want on my team.

But I would still rather have him than Alex Rodriguez.

Lo Duca and the Catching Situation

2007-11-03T14:56:00.000-04:00

As much as I hate to say it, it's looking more and more like Paul Lo Duca will not return to the Mets. It's a shame, because I don't think there's anyone on the market who will give us a significant improvement there, and he is a great team leader. Sure, he has some anger management problems (and I loved his fiery Italian eyes), and that probably turned off the front office, but he was still great for this team in the clubhouse. It won't be easy to replace that, and I don't know if it's worth losing that for a minor improvement at the position.

The best available option right now seems to be Jorge Posada. He's a free agent, but the Yankees have supposedly already offered him a big contract. The loss of Joe Torre might influence to leave, but it doesn't seem like that will be enough. In order for the Mets to take him, they will probably have to offer a bigger contract than the Yankees, which would be 3 or 4 years and quite a bit of money. And at his age, that's not a commitment I want to see the Mets make.

Our best option may be just to promote Ramon Castro to the starters role. He's put up great offensive numbers as a backup for us. Although we may still want to sign another catcher to maybe platoon with him and help him out, as Castro hasn't started more than 57 games at catcher in any of his nine seasons in the majors, and Mike DiFelice certainly isn't the one to fill such a role.

If the rumors are true....goodbye Paulie, thanks for the memories.

Alou and Easley returning

2007-11-02T17:16:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to post a quick comment about some transactions from a couple of days ago.

First, picking up Moises Alou's option to bring him back next year. He was a great bat for us in the middle of the lineup when healthy, and he wasn't a bad defensive player. I also think he's a good clubhouse presence, too, so I'm glad to see he'll be returning. It also gives us a bit of flexibility with our RF situation now that LF is secure.

Also, Damion Easley re-signed for another year. He was a great utility man for us last season, hopefully this year he won't get hurt though. He's a valuable player off the bench, and I'm also glad to see he'll be returning.

First up: Alex Rodriguez

2007-11-02T13:51:00.000-04:00

The first topic I would like to discuss is Alex Rodriguez. This is a pretty huge issue right now with the magnitude of player that A-Rod is, and there's a bit of discussion going around about the possibility of the Mets going after him.

First off, obviously, Alex Rodriguez is the best hitter in baseball, and should go down as at least one of the best of all time. If you can add a player of his caliber to your team, that's going to be tremendous.

I can't really comment on the economics of it, because I don't know too much about that, but I'm pretty sure the Mets would be able to handle it, and he would be a huge marketing presence for the new stadium being built.

But where I have a big issue is what he does to the makeup of the team. This is David Wright's and Jose Reyes' team right now. I don't think I've ever been as big of a Mets fan as I have been these last couple of years because of those two. I was honestly never a big fan of Mike Piazza, but I absolutely love watching Wright and Reyes play together.

That being said, if A-Rod comes in, he completely overshadows Wright and Reyes in the spotlight. Suddenly A-Rod is the focus of the team, and as we've seen since he signed his ridiculous contract with Texas, that tends to be a negative focus. No longer would it be the fun, easy to love team built around Wright and Reyes. I really do not want to see that happen.

Not only that, but if A-Rod comes in, one of those two would have to switch positions, and it would likely be Wright. Reyes has proven to be too valuable at Shortstop, and we remember how that switch turned out when we brought in Kaz Matsui. I'm sure A-Rod would prefer to go back to SS, but he would pretty much have to go to 3B, causing Wright to move to 2B or 1B where his wild arm won't hurt him.

Again, going back to my reluctance to change, I don't want to see Wright change positions. I love seeing him at Third Base, despite the problems he sometimes has with making his throws. It just wouldn't be the same seeing him at 2B or 1B. Of course, my favorite former Met of all-time, Edgardo Alfonzo, switched from 3B to 2B, but he came up playing both positions, and it was Mike Piazza's team.

I just strongly disagree with bringing in Alex Rodriguez and changing this team around so harshly, besides the fact that I hate him. I want to see the Mets win the World Series with a team based around the core of David Wright and Jose Reyes. I also see value in keeping Luis Castillo as the 2nd Baseman, and see great difficulty in getting rid of Carlos Delgado at 1B for next season, so there's not much to be done there. I'd rather see the front office save it's money and strongly go after Johan Santana next offseason. We have a great team already, we don't need this drastic change.

Welcome to my blog.

2007-11-02T13:24:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog! This will predominately be a blog for me to discuss the New York Mets, but I will also take the time to discuss other major topics in baseball and other sports.

The meaning of the title, Long Live Shea, is a reflection of a character trait that comes out strongly for me when it comes to sports. Although I may not be old enough to truly appreciate the past, I hate to see the traditions and values of the past broken or changed. A big example of this is the fact that the Mets are currently building a new stadium, Citi Field. Most everybody seems to be very excited for this, even quite a bit saying "Good Riddance" to Shea Stadium. I've been a Mets fan all my life, and Shea has been a part of that the whole time, and I am upset and even a bit angry to know that it's about to be torn down at the end of next season. I don't know if I'll ever be able to appreciate Citi Field as much as I do Shea Stadium, even with all of its upgrades.

Anyway, what you can expect from this blog is a lot of opinions and reactions to news stories, games, and transactions regarding the Mets. Right now it's the offseason, and so there is plenty to talk about with the team needing to make some moves to get back into contention for next season, and there's some big names floating around in Alex Rodriguez and Johan Santana. So, thanks for checking out my blog, and I hope you enjoy it and stick around!

Long Live Shea, and Long Live the Mets!