Everybody hits. That’s been the theme for this Thursday afternoon Mets game versus the Cards in Port St Lucie. Just to give you an idea, it’s 16-3 Mets in the eighth.
The new second baseman has gone 4 for 4 as has David Wright. Angel Pagan has been having a monster game. But I’ve been really impressed by this centerfielder Dendecker who so far has made an over-the-shoulder catch on the track and, oh yeah, he also smacked a home run.
Jesus!
I’m out of synch again. Everybody else is worried about the 2 basketball games tonight. After all, it is the greatest basketball tournament in the world. Just ask TNT or TBS or TRU. But not me. I’m watching the Mets, listening to Keith throw the baloney with Gary, and just now enjoying watching Bobby Parnell strike out a Cards batter.
It’s really too bad some more of these rookies can’t make the team. Twenty-five man rosters are really difficult to determine. Right now, it looks as if there’ll be 6 outfielders and seven infielders, two catchers and ten pitchers. I know it sounds like a lot (25) but it isn’t. Too many promising rooks go back down.
I’d love to see this Dandecker guy do his thing in the outfield, especially if Carlos Beltran has to be rested about half the time. But I shouldn’t complain, there will be at least a few adds to the roster, from the minors and free agency too. And I like them all. What a surprise, right?
The Mets current depth chart shows Chin Lung Hu backing up Reyes at short, Daniel Murphy backing up Davis at first and Luis Hernandez, the glove guy, backing up a brand new face (and maybe bat) named Brad Emaus (rhymes with Remus they tell me). David Wright appears un-backed up at the corner but Murphy could probably spell him too. One gets the feeling that they’ll all get a lot of playing time.
New in the outfield will be Nick Evans backing up Beltran in right, baseball legacy Scott Hairston spelling Angel Pagan in center and strongman Lucas Duda backing for Jason Bay in left. It’s really a pretty solid outfield.
I wonder about the catching depth behind relative newcomer Josh Thole. Pete Nickeas hasn’t shown a whole lot yet and Ronnie Paulino just got here after some paper issue. If there is an obvious weakness, it’s behind the plate.
Chris Capuano didn’t do anything to hurt his chances today. He pitches like a really experienced fellow, which he is. And all his stuff was down, um, when it did stay down. Along with the other free agent, Chris Young, they’ve been looking more like the two and three guys in the rotation rather than number 5 starters.
My only fear about the pitching is that the current number 1, Mike Pelfrey, isn’t really a number one ace. R.A. Dickey, the knuckleballer, isn’t a number one either despite his great showing so far. Jonathan Niese hasn’t had a great spring either. Most of my hopes will be for the two free agents and Dickey. Niese and Pelfrey will have to show me something. In terms of mental toughness, Pelfrey and Niese don’t really cut it, as talented as they may prove to be.
The relievers look pretty good to me too. Missing is Perpetual Pedro but D.J. Carrasco could be the setup guy the Mets have needed for years. He has experienced good success with the White Sox and Pittsburgh. Bobby Parnell and Manny Acosta looked pretty good last year and one Taylor Bucholz, another experienced pitcher, is now listed as the number 5 reliever. K-Rod of course will continue to be the closer….not too shabby at all.
Everybody says the lineup depends solely on Beltran but I don’t think so. The problem will be yanking him in and out of the lineup. I’m actually wishing the Mets would trade him before his perceived value goes totally in the hole. Any other power hitter would do in his place, especially one with good knees. As much as I sympathize with Beltran’s problems, and he’s always played pretty hard, he’s more of a chronic problem now than he is an asset.
My brother tells me the Mets have no chance, also that the fantasy value of even Mets stars such as Wright and Reyes will be way down because of the weak lineup around them. He’s a Yankee fan though, which is to say the only good players are ones that have done it for years, that players such as Pagan and Jason Bay and Ike Davis have little worth. I disagree. And it’s even easier to disagree on a day like today when the Mets score 16 runs.
We’ll see how his Yankee old guys do this year, especially Arod and Jeter and Posada. On the pitching side, we’ll see if Mariano still has it at 42. (I don’t think so). I anxiously await the demise of the Yankees, who have hung too long with all these players. And this will be the year the Red Sox show them just how old they really are.
The Yanks may still make the playoffs but whether they’ll prevail past the first round is very questionable. The pitching isn’t there and the lineup is old. An old lineup usually looks older in the dog days of August. We’ll see, but the picture isn’t a promising one for the Yankees. One through five as a whole, I’d be happier with the Mets starters.
And so far nobody’s counting on anything from Johan Santana, who’ll return after the All-Star break or thereabouts. How’d that be for a shot in the arm?
Yeah, the Mets are undervalued and the Yanks quite the opposite. What’s new under the sun? Surely that’s been the case lo these many baseball seasons. I may be forced to concede eventually that the best team in New York resides in the Bronx.
But not yet, not yet.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
On the Joys of Spring Training
I love spring training. The games themselves aren’t much to write home about but the experience as a whole certainly qualifies for at least some exposition.
There’s the weather in Florida, of course. There’s enjoying the company of baseball fans. There’s having nothing particular to do all day except for the game, if you want, or the beach, if you feel adventurous. There’s even the pool if you just want to sit around and read the papers.
But, if you do get bored, there’s always the game. The game isn’t just hits and runs and pitching either. It’s more about the whole aura. The game is just the centerpiece for everything else on the table.
There’re the fans, the silly Grandma’s and Grandpa’s, the kids running around (early) or just taking it easy (later on). You get to watch them politely ask for autographs and players actually accommodating them with a smile, especially the rookies, who just can’t believe their good fortune.
There are the wise guys too, of course, but in a nice way, who’ll chide you about your team affiliation, especially if the answer is the Mets.
Everybody is relaxed, the players, the coaches, the umpires and even the fellas helping you find your seat. As one fellow put it when asked as to his team interest, he thought a moment, gave a little shrug, and simply said,” I’m a baseball fan.”
There’re all the accoutrements of the game too, of course, the hawkers, the pretzels, the beer, the ice cream and the hot dogs. But there is also the green sprawl of the outfield grass, the finely manicured infield, even the signs on the outfield wall. And it’s all whispering about baseball.
There’re the pretty girls, of course, all gussied up in their hardball finery, shorts and tees mostly that you won’t see on any website, stuff you can see your sister wearing, just the kind of outfits you don’t see at the mall. They actually have to be pretty so you’d notice.
Best of all, It doesn’t matter who wins the game. October is too far off to worry about. Everybody’s still in the hunt. There’s Opening Day coming up. They’ll all be 0-0. And anything can happen in baseball. The Mets proved that in ’69 and ’86 too (and I even got Roger McDowell’s autograph). The Giants won it all last year.
You can go to Jupiter and see the Marlins or Cards, and whoever they’re playing, or you can run up to Port St Lucie, about a 45-minute drive from West Palm. But you won’t escape the Red Sox fans. They’re everywhere.
West Palm is the best place to stay, even if you’re south of both parks. It gets you closer to the beach and the airport and all other points south. If you’re not a beach person, there’s the track or casino down towards Miami.
Digital Domain Park is a beautiful place to watch a ball game. You can get in for 5 or 6 bucks and relax on the berm, which is too simple a name for such a beautiful place. At the Mets park, it occupies the entire outfield, providing a soft sloping green background to all the festivities inside the fences.
You can sit in a box behind home plate for around 20 bucks. You can park for five dollars. This is the way baseball was meant to be.
As to specifics, I got the biggest kick out of seeing Jim Leyland in the flesh, one of my favorite managers of all time. But I also got to see Magglio Ordonez, a fantasy favorite, and Matt Holliday too. There was Miguel Cabrera the brute and Albert Pujols the gentleman. And Chipper Jones showed some star-power moves from yesteryear.
For the Mets, I saw no Jose Reyes, no Carlos Beltran. K-Rod looked awfully good though. Jason Bay was trying out some new things at the plate and I was happy not to see him leading with his elbows anymore. Whether or not that’ll be worth 16 million a season remains to be seen, as does just about everything else in spring training.
A guy in the seat next to me pointed out that the Mets of last year were just two games out at the All-Star break. And they were the Mets without Beltran. But they did have Johan Santana, and they got remarkable performances out of some pitchers, especially one with a weird knuckleball, and a first baseman named Ike.
What happened after that was predictable, I suppose, as GM Minaya was on his way out the door and the Wilpons gave him no more money to foolishly spend at the break. Their sitting on their hands seemed to kill whatever spark the team had shown throughout the first half. And Carlos Beltran did nothing to slow their long inexorable plunge in the standings.
But it’s a new year and a new management. The stars are back, David Wright and Jose Reyes, and Francisco Rodriguez too, hopefully a kinder, gentler K-Rod, except on the mound. A lot depends on Carlos Beltran’s knee holding up, but he has no alternative but to play hard in his contract year. And Jason Bay can’t possibly be worse than he was last year.
It’s spring and renewal time, a fresh start for all living things, and even the Mets qualify there.
Everybody talks about the second base problem. If the worst it can be is Luis Hernandez, that won’t be significant. Otherwise, the lineup is sound and the defense should be just as good as it ever was. The pitching situation is a question mark but it’s not the question mark it was last year.
The risks taken with Young and Capuano were sound ones no matter the result but hope springs eternal and a real fan dreams of something more. I think there’s a reasonable chance that wishes will come true.
After all, it’s the spring. We’ll be right there. Watch our smoke.
There’s the weather in Florida, of course. There’s enjoying the company of baseball fans. There’s having nothing particular to do all day except for the game, if you want, or the beach, if you feel adventurous. There’s even the pool if you just want to sit around and read the papers.
But, if you do get bored, there’s always the game. The game isn’t just hits and runs and pitching either. It’s more about the whole aura. The game is just the centerpiece for everything else on the table.
There’re the fans, the silly Grandma’s and Grandpa’s, the kids running around (early) or just taking it easy (later on). You get to watch them politely ask for autographs and players actually accommodating them with a smile, especially the rookies, who just can’t believe their good fortune.
There are the wise guys too, of course, but in a nice way, who’ll chide you about your team affiliation, especially if the answer is the Mets.
Everybody is relaxed, the players, the coaches, the umpires and even the fellas helping you find your seat. As one fellow put it when asked as to his team interest, he thought a moment, gave a little shrug, and simply said,” I’m a baseball fan.”
There’re all the accoutrements of the game too, of course, the hawkers, the pretzels, the beer, the ice cream and the hot dogs. But there is also the green sprawl of the outfield grass, the finely manicured infield, even the signs on the outfield wall. And it’s all whispering about baseball.
There’re the pretty girls, of course, all gussied up in their hardball finery, shorts and tees mostly that you won’t see on any website, stuff you can see your sister wearing, just the kind of outfits you don’t see at the mall. They actually have to be pretty so you’d notice.
Best of all, It doesn’t matter who wins the game. October is too far off to worry about. Everybody’s still in the hunt. There’s Opening Day coming up. They’ll all be 0-0. And anything can happen in baseball. The Mets proved that in ’69 and ’86 too (and I even got Roger McDowell’s autograph). The Giants won it all last year.
You can go to Jupiter and see the Marlins or Cards, and whoever they’re playing, or you can run up to Port St Lucie, about a 45-minute drive from West Palm. But you won’t escape the Red Sox fans. They’re everywhere.
West Palm is the best place to stay, even if you’re south of both parks. It gets you closer to the beach and the airport and all other points south. If you’re not a beach person, there’s the track or casino down towards Miami.
Digital Domain Park is a beautiful place to watch a ball game. You can get in for 5 or 6 bucks and relax on the berm, which is too simple a name for such a beautiful place. At the Mets park, it occupies the entire outfield, providing a soft sloping green background to all the festivities inside the fences.
You can sit in a box behind home plate for around 20 bucks. You can park for five dollars. This is the way baseball was meant to be.
As to specifics, I got the biggest kick out of seeing Jim Leyland in the flesh, one of my favorite managers of all time. But I also got to see Magglio Ordonez, a fantasy favorite, and Matt Holliday too. There was Miguel Cabrera the brute and Albert Pujols the gentleman. And Chipper Jones showed some star-power moves from yesteryear.
For the Mets, I saw no Jose Reyes, no Carlos Beltran. K-Rod looked awfully good though. Jason Bay was trying out some new things at the plate and I was happy not to see him leading with his elbows anymore. Whether or not that’ll be worth 16 million a season remains to be seen, as does just about everything else in spring training.
A guy in the seat next to me pointed out that the Mets of last year were just two games out at the All-Star break. And they were the Mets without Beltran. But they did have Johan Santana, and they got remarkable performances out of some pitchers, especially one with a weird knuckleball, and a first baseman named Ike.
What happened after that was predictable, I suppose, as GM Minaya was on his way out the door and the Wilpons gave him no more money to foolishly spend at the break. Their sitting on their hands seemed to kill whatever spark the team had shown throughout the first half. And Carlos Beltran did nothing to slow their long inexorable plunge in the standings.
But it’s a new year and a new management. The stars are back, David Wright and Jose Reyes, and Francisco Rodriguez too, hopefully a kinder, gentler K-Rod, except on the mound. A lot depends on Carlos Beltran’s knee holding up, but he has no alternative but to play hard in his contract year. And Jason Bay can’t possibly be worse than he was last year.
It’s spring and renewal time, a fresh start for all living things, and even the Mets qualify there.
Everybody talks about the second base problem. If the worst it can be is Luis Hernandez, that won’t be significant. Otherwise, the lineup is sound and the defense should be just as good as it ever was. The pitching situation is a question mark but it’s not the question mark it was last year.
The risks taken with Young and Capuano were sound ones no matter the result but hope springs eternal and a real fan dreams of something more. I think there’s a reasonable chance that wishes will come true.
After all, it’s the spring. We’ll be right there. Watch our smoke.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Mets Win !! A March Tale
I have to admit I’m psyched. The greatest American game is a month away. And this could be a magic year for the Mets. I’m starting to feel it.
Imagine…Imagine a team with broke owners and no bigtime pitchers going on to win 90 games to eke out a playoff spot. Imagine a team that’s close at the All-Star break being lifted by the return of its star pitcher from injury.
Imagine a team whose second-year guys play like seasoned veterans. Imagine a team whose bargain- basement pitching acquisitions go on to win 30 games. Imagine a team whose hard-luck pitchers of the year before suddenly start to win the games they lost the previous year.
Imagine a healthy Jose Reyes in his contract year stealing 60 bases and scoring 130 runs. Imagine a Carlos Beltran limping along to get big hit after big hit in key spots down the stretch. Imagine a Jason Bay totally turning around his miserable performance of his first year in New York.
Yeah, I know. That’s a lot of imagining. But why not us? Maybe the bad luck has gone the way of Omar and Jerry. Maybe the Mets will be as lucky as their owners are not. Maybe this season will be the lucky one, the rabbit’s foot year.
Ya gotta believe. Tug McGraw had it right.
I was in the stands for Games 2 and 5 of the 1969 World Series. The Mets beat the Orioles in five games. But that team wasn’t expected to win. Their lineup was pretty suspect. Their pitchers were young, even if they had names like Seaver and Koosman and Gentry et al.
That ’86 team was expected to win but even they had to get lucky to even make it to the Series, getting by a Houston team in startling fashion. They won it all only after an easy ground ball got by a first baseman who had manned his position very adequately until that very moment. His name is legend, of course, and Bill Buckner will always be remembered in baseball lore because of it.
Yeah, I know….what about the Phillies? Well, what about them? Pitching, pitching and more pitching is what they have. But I tell you to ask any fantasy player about the reliability of pitching, especially those coming off a big year, a year in which those arms gobbled up a lot of innings.
Let’s take a closer look. Halladay will be 34 in May. In his last five years, he’s thrown way over 200 innings each year, and last year he threw an incredible 250 innings. It’s a similar story for Cliff Lee whose innings pitched for the last three years have been at around 220. He’ll be 33 in August. Roy Oswalt will be 34 in August. He’s been a horse too over the years but ask any horseman about the dependability of horses.
Cole Hamels is their number 4 pitcher and he’s younger than the big three at 27 but also logged over 200 innings last year. But, for anyone with any memory of 2009, fragility thy name is Hamels. Surely he could be good this year, but then again so could Mike Pelfrey.
Their number 5 Blanton isn’t in the same class as the others but is still a pretty fair arm, but his ERA last year was 4.82. Kyle Kendrick is listed in the Phils depth chart as a number 6 starter who sported a 4.73 ERA in 2010, not too shabby but not too far removed from average either.
An injury to any one of the big three (and to put Oswalt in the same class as Lee and Halladay is sort of specious to begin with) puts the Phillies well within striking distance. And, even discounting the possibility of injury, what about a good guy just having a bad year? It happens all the time. Ask Jason Bay.
And what about just having bad luck on the mound? Ask Johan Santana about that. Santana had more no-decisions and losses last year than just about any hurler in the league, never mind one who sported an ERA under 3.00.
An injury, some bad luck, a loss of form (ask A.J. Burnett about that), or some bad luck brings the Phils right back to the pack. And it’s a pretty good pack of pitchers in New York. Pelfrey’s ERA was 3.66 and he went 15-9 despite one truly bad month. Niese was at 4.20, Dickey was at 2.84 and had almost as bad luck as Santana when it came down to runs scored for him.
The probable number 4 pitcher will be Chris Young, still a relative youngster in terms of innings pitched but a solid veteran nevertheless with a career ERA of 3.66. Dillon Gee is an unknown quantity at Number 5 but did manage to sport a 2.18 ERA in limited action last year. Pat Misch is a possible number 6 and managed a 3.82 ERA in limited action as a starter and reliever.
The numbers aren’t all that bad. If the pitching holds up, as it did all last year, the Mets could be formidable this year. They’ll almost undoubtedly score a lot more runs. With Beltran returning and Reyes playing more games, with Wright just being himself and Bay returning to form, the Mets have at least four very dangerous guys in the lineup.
And that’s not even counting centerfielder Pagan, Ike Davis and Josh Thole, the first baseman and catcher respectively, who figure to improve off some pretty fair results last year.
Jose Reyes could have a monster year. He lights up at the mere mention of his upcoming free agency. Wright could too after bouncing back last year from his disastrous 2009. With Beltran back, opponents will have to pitch to David.
The team with no money and no pitching but with a solid lineup, good team speed and a sound defense could just go a long way. Ask Tug McGraw.
Imagine…Imagine a team with broke owners and no bigtime pitchers going on to win 90 games to eke out a playoff spot. Imagine a team that’s close at the All-Star break being lifted by the return of its star pitcher from injury.
Imagine a team whose second-year guys play like seasoned veterans. Imagine a team whose bargain- basement pitching acquisitions go on to win 30 games. Imagine a team whose hard-luck pitchers of the year before suddenly start to win the games they lost the previous year.
Imagine a healthy Jose Reyes in his contract year stealing 60 bases and scoring 130 runs. Imagine a Carlos Beltran limping along to get big hit after big hit in key spots down the stretch. Imagine a Jason Bay totally turning around his miserable performance of his first year in New York.
Yeah, I know. That’s a lot of imagining. But why not us? Maybe the bad luck has gone the way of Omar and Jerry. Maybe the Mets will be as lucky as their owners are not. Maybe this season will be the lucky one, the rabbit’s foot year.
Ya gotta believe. Tug McGraw had it right.
I was in the stands for Games 2 and 5 of the 1969 World Series. The Mets beat the Orioles in five games. But that team wasn’t expected to win. Their lineup was pretty suspect. Their pitchers were young, even if they had names like Seaver and Koosman and Gentry et al.
That ’86 team was expected to win but even they had to get lucky to even make it to the Series, getting by a Houston team in startling fashion. They won it all only after an easy ground ball got by a first baseman who had manned his position very adequately until that very moment. His name is legend, of course, and Bill Buckner will always be remembered in baseball lore because of it.
Yeah, I know….what about the Phillies? Well, what about them? Pitching, pitching and more pitching is what they have. But I tell you to ask any fantasy player about the reliability of pitching, especially those coming off a big year, a year in which those arms gobbled up a lot of innings.
Let’s take a closer look. Halladay will be 34 in May. In his last five years, he’s thrown way over 200 innings each year, and last year he threw an incredible 250 innings. It’s a similar story for Cliff Lee whose innings pitched for the last three years have been at around 220. He’ll be 33 in August. Roy Oswalt will be 34 in August. He’s been a horse too over the years but ask any horseman about the dependability of horses.
Cole Hamels is their number 4 pitcher and he’s younger than the big three at 27 but also logged over 200 innings last year. But, for anyone with any memory of 2009, fragility thy name is Hamels. Surely he could be good this year, but then again so could Mike Pelfrey.
Their number 5 Blanton isn’t in the same class as the others but is still a pretty fair arm, but his ERA last year was 4.82. Kyle Kendrick is listed in the Phils depth chart as a number 6 starter who sported a 4.73 ERA in 2010, not too shabby but not too far removed from average either.
An injury to any one of the big three (and to put Oswalt in the same class as Lee and Halladay is sort of specious to begin with) puts the Phillies well within striking distance. And, even discounting the possibility of injury, what about a good guy just having a bad year? It happens all the time. Ask Jason Bay.
And what about just having bad luck on the mound? Ask Johan Santana about that. Santana had more no-decisions and losses last year than just about any hurler in the league, never mind one who sported an ERA under 3.00.
An injury, some bad luck, a loss of form (ask A.J. Burnett about that), or some bad luck brings the Phils right back to the pack. And it’s a pretty good pack of pitchers in New York. Pelfrey’s ERA was 3.66 and he went 15-9 despite one truly bad month. Niese was at 4.20, Dickey was at 2.84 and had almost as bad luck as Santana when it came down to runs scored for him.
The probable number 4 pitcher will be Chris Young, still a relative youngster in terms of innings pitched but a solid veteran nevertheless with a career ERA of 3.66. Dillon Gee is an unknown quantity at Number 5 but did manage to sport a 2.18 ERA in limited action last year. Pat Misch is a possible number 6 and managed a 3.82 ERA in limited action as a starter and reliever.
The numbers aren’t all that bad. If the pitching holds up, as it did all last year, the Mets could be formidable this year. They’ll almost undoubtedly score a lot more runs. With Beltran returning and Reyes playing more games, with Wright just being himself and Bay returning to form, the Mets have at least four very dangerous guys in the lineup.
And that’s not even counting centerfielder Pagan, Ike Davis and Josh Thole, the first baseman and catcher respectively, who figure to improve off some pretty fair results last year.
Jose Reyes could have a monster year. He lights up at the mere mention of his upcoming free agency. Wright could too after bouncing back last year from his disastrous 2009. With Beltran back, opponents will have to pitch to David.
The team with no money and no pitching but with a solid lineup, good team speed and a sound defense could just go a long way. Ask Tug McGraw.
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