Showing posts with label Jose Reyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jose Reyes. Show all posts
Monday, May 7, 2012
Can't Overplay the "Team" Stuff
Sometimes with these Mets you can watch the ugliest baseball you’ve ever seen. Pitchers slide on the grass. Batters swing at pitches that hit them when they’re not watching perfect strikes to the outside corner. These Mets can’t run either. But, before you can say “Jordany Valdespin”, they manage to come out with the win.
The sliding pitcher tonight was Bobby Parnell, a guy I hate watching just in general. He is one of the Mets I’d like to see join some other team. I’ve just never seen a player, pitcher or position player, have worse baseball instincts. But Parnell managed to get out of two jams he put himself into and the Mets lived on.
Ike Davis is another guy that hasn’t been able to hit a thing since his injury last year. He starts his swing as the pitcher unwinds. When he has finished swinging, the ball is just approaching the plate. Nobody you’ve ever seen since Little League has worse timing at the plate….but not this night…not in his last at-bat anyway.
Reserve catcher Mike Nickeas, who had to relieve Josh Thole late in the game after Ty Wigginton tried to take his head off at the plate, usually can’t hit a lick. And this night he was only facing Jonathan Papelbon, Philly’s elite closer. You can see where this is going. Nickeas had one of the best at-bats ever versus the big right-hander.
Even with Davis on third and Nickeas on second, it was still easy to figure that, with Valdespin at the plate and two outs, it was still looking pretty good for Philadelphia. But Papelbon grooved a fastball that Jordany was waiting for. Bang…zoom…the ball rocketed into the night. The Mets took the lead, 5-2.
Frank Francisco, the Mets closer, almost always looks confused. He’s a guy with all the talent in the world but his talent is matched by his insecurity most nights…just not this night. Francisco looked confident and he proved it by making a great play on a Rollins bunt before blowing away the next two batters and the Mets had beaten Roy Halladay and Papelbon.
You can’t overplay this “team” stuff.
But what a way to start a road trip! These Mets came to play baseball and when Thole got hurt, they really got fired up. I think a lot of guys took issue with Wigginton’s shoulder to Thole’s head. I know I did. I’m hoping for a nice high hard one tomorrow when Wigginton steps up to the plate.
These Mets may be short on talent but they’re a real team. There was good baseball all around. Murphy’s tough at-bats and Ike’s slap tag on Rollins, Turner’s turning that double play despite Victorino’s interference, Wright’s two ribbies early and Torres’s tough at bats all night long.
So where are they tonight?
The standings always really tell the story as to how good a team really is, or has been anyway, and the Mets are in third place in the NL East behind the surprise Nationals and the Braves, two teams that aren’t all that perfect either. It’s such a long season though.
The Nats will be without Jayson Werth, a bigtime hurt, but now it looks as if The Mets will be without Thole and Tejada, for a little while at least. The Braves have Chipper to keep healthy and the Marlins in 4th are just a game behind. The Fish have finally begun to play like a team themselves. They may have finally incorporated Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez, and Giancarlo, formerly Mike, Stanton and even Carlos Zambrano. The Fish will be moving on up.
But, I’m telling you, this “team” stuff can’t really be over-rated. You can see it and feel it. The Mets may not be the best all-around talent but they do seem to play tough one-run games, always historically an indicator of a good team. They’re tough in the late innings, as the Indians were tonight sweeping the Pale Hose.
Even the Knicks showed some of that “team” stuff in that win over Miami in Game 4. Amare melded with Carmelo, finally, and Bibby, of all people, made a huge shot from 3-point land. This is a team that’s fated to play without a strong point guard, it seems, but five guys playing as a team can overcome the obstacles and look for opportunities to win. For one night, the Knicks were able to overcome adversity and play as a team.
You see the San Antonio Spurs playing team basketball, and the Celtics too, the Bulls not so much. The Rangers in the NHL and the Devils too must be doing something right, and I guarantee you they’re both playing as teams. All those line changes in hockey demand a team concept by definition.
Back to baseball though, you see that camaraderie among teams that have played together for a long time, that easy and happy feeling that carries onto the field. You see it in these Mets, you see it in Texas, you see some of it in Cleveland now, and Baltimore too, a bunch of minor leaguers all coming together in the major leagues.
The Yankees? I’m still undecided on them. But most Yankees are free agents when you think about it but there still are Jeter and Cano who came from the minors. There had been Mariano too, and that catcher too…..yeah, you know who. Don’t think their loss doesn’t have some affect on that team feeling.
In the final analysis, though, winning is a combination of talent and teamwork, especially in baseball, given the length of the season. The finals always match this talent and teamwork versus that talent and teamwork. Invariably too, there are usually one or two guys who inspire the rest of the team to heights unknown.
The Rangers have Hamilton and Kinsler and Young, the Knicks have Pierce and Garnett and Allen, and maybe even Rondo. The Spurs have Duncan and Ginoboli.
The Mets have Wright.
Monday, December 5, 2011
On Dual Phenomena
The NFL is so strange. The Giants lose and everybody’s deliriously happy because they only lost by 3 points. Tebow wins again and everybody shakes their head. And a fellow named TJ Yates comes in for the Texans and makes the Falcons defense look like the rookies. Oakland does nothing against a Dolphins team that couldn’t do anything right for the first half of the season. And now they’ve won 4 out of the last 5.
Oh, and there’s more. How about Urlacher’s Bears losing to the Chiefs on a decently-blocked Hail Mary? How about Cam Newton having himself a career day in Tampa? And then there was the Bills C.J. Spiller fumbling at full speed at about the 15-yard line and then just barely recovering the ball in the endzone.
You can’t makes this……oh just yada yada….
But sometimes you get an inkling that something weird’s about to unfold. Take the Giants game. A lot of observers seemed to think the Giants could indeed beat the undefeated (and Super Bowl Champions) Packers. And I myself had a similar vision of Cam Newton having a monster day in Tampa. Sometimes there’s just something in the air.
There’s a different energy in the air too inside a football stadium. Some players latch on to it and use it to make plays. And nobody captures that something in the air as does Tim Tebow. The interesting thing to me is that Tebow hasn’t really had to do anything impossible while winning all these games for his Broncos. He’s just made the plays that he’s had to, um, every time.
Now some may say that there aren’t many quarterbacks who could have avoided that stupid Jets blitz of a couple games ago. But that’s not really true. Any QB with reasonable speed could have done that. Everyone comments on his size and his speed that he’s used on seemingly endless quarterback draws and sweeps and, well, just about anything else a quarterback could do with a football. And that is true.
But, all that stuff (the running skills) only works in an offense that maximizes the potential of a guy such as Tebow. No other team in the NFL uses that run-option stuff. It’s ironic that the guy who’s directing all the unusual stuff (head coach John Fox) has his background as a defensive coordinator. But it’s not so ironic at all really when you consider how difficult it is to stop that offense.
You have to guard against the run at all times, not so much the running of McGahee, which can be prodigious in itself, but the running of Tebow, and not just his runs down the field (which can also be prodigious by themselves) but his knack for buying time to get that ball to a receiver. It’s that infuriating elusivensess in the pocket and out of it too. Fran Tarkenton had it. Joe Kapp had it. Ben Roethlisberger sorta has it too as does Drew Brees. And each of those fellows has certainly had his impact on the game. But none of them presented the running down the field danger of Tebow.
Tebow can take it all the way. He’s a fullback-type runner with enough speed to get to the outside. He can score anytime he has the room. Defenses have to guard against the pass too, and, thus far, it seems as if the opposition has decided to take their chances against Tebow passing the ball. But they’re finding that, alas, Tebow can pass the ball a little too.
There’s something else too that Tebow brings to the table though. And that is fear, that visualization of your upcoming loss. Other quarterbacks have that too, of course. But their names are ones like Brady, Brees and Rodgers. All those names give a defense that expectation of imminent loss. Heady stuff.
While Tebow brings unusual talents to the table, it’s not as if other QB’s haven’t had the same skills to both run and pass the ball. Michael Vick comes most readily to mind. But Michael Vick has always been the round peg in a square hole. Every coach he’s had has tried to standardize Vick to the NFL, to make him run an offense for which the coach is most comfortable.
And Vick gets hurt a lot. Vick always seems to take some of the most formidable hits you’ve ever seen. Tebow, as much as he runs the ball, never seems to really get clobbered. Even as big as he is, he’d get hurt more often if he didn’t have a knack for absorbing the hits.
But the thing that’s really unique about this Tebow phenomenon is the offense itself. It’s not Tebow per se; rather it’s Tebow in an offense designed specifically to mazimize his skills. I give almost as much credit to Elway and John Fox as to Tebow.
It took a lot of moxie to take the steps they’ve taken. And, game by game, nobody’s handled Tebow as well as has his coach, whose direction has been most decidedly conservative, only asking his QB to do those things that Tebow most decidedly can do, and only when those things have needed to be done.
Okay, that’s enough about Tebow and the Broncos. His game is so much fun though, if only because the naysayers say it’s impossible, or now, that it can’t last, that NFL defenses will catch up. And I do think that defenses will indeed catch up but they’ll be defenses like Pittsburgh and Baltimore, with names like Polamalu and Suggs.
Another phenomenon though is leaving our fair town. His name of course is Jose Reyes. Our terrific Mets shortstop will be taking his fun game to Florida. And, while I can cry in my beer about it, I can be happy the Mets didn’t spend 17 mill per year for the next 6 years, which is what Jose got from the Marlins.
You had some bad luck, Jose, but you were aces.
Oh, and there’s more. How about Urlacher’s Bears losing to the Chiefs on a decently-blocked Hail Mary? How about Cam Newton having himself a career day in Tampa? And then there was the Bills C.J. Spiller fumbling at full speed at about the 15-yard line and then just barely recovering the ball in the endzone.
You can’t makes this……oh just yada yada….
But sometimes you get an inkling that something weird’s about to unfold. Take the Giants game. A lot of observers seemed to think the Giants could indeed beat the undefeated (and Super Bowl Champions) Packers. And I myself had a similar vision of Cam Newton having a monster day in Tampa. Sometimes there’s just something in the air.
There’s a different energy in the air too inside a football stadium. Some players latch on to it and use it to make plays. And nobody captures that something in the air as does Tim Tebow. The interesting thing to me is that Tebow hasn’t really had to do anything impossible while winning all these games for his Broncos. He’s just made the plays that he’s had to, um, every time.
Now some may say that there aren’t many quarterbacks who could have avoided that stupid Jets blitz of a couple games ago. But that’s not really true. Any QB with reasonable speed could have done that. Everyone comments on his size and his speed that he’s used on seemingly endless quarterback draws and sweeps and, well, just about anything else a quarterback could do with a football. And that is true.
But, all that stuff (the running skills) only works in an offense that maximizes the potential of a guy such as Tebow. No other team in the NFL uses that run-option stuff. It’s ironic that the guy who’s directing all the unusual stuff (head coach John Fox) has his background as a defensive coordinator. But it’s not so ironic at all really when you consider how difficult it is to stop that offense.
You have to guard against the run at all times, not so much the running of McGahee, which can be prodigious in itself, but the running of Tebow, and not just his runs down the field (which can also be prodigious by themselves) but his knack for buying time to get that ball to a receiver. It’s that infuriating elusivensess in the pocket and out of it too. Fran Tarkenton had it. Joe Kapp had it. Ben Roethlisberger sorta has it too as does Drew Brees. And each of those fellows has certainly had his impact on the game. But none of them presented the running down the field danger of Tebow.
Tebow can take it all the way. He’s a fullback-type runner with enough speed to get to the outside. He can score anytime he has the room. Defenses have to guard against the pass too, and, thus far, it seems as if the opposition has decided to take their chances against Tebow passing the ball. But they’re finding that, alas, Tebow can pass the ball a little too.
There’s something else too that Tebow brings to the table though. And that is fear, that visualization of your upcoming loss. Other quarterbacks have that too, of course. But their names are ones like Brady, Brees and Rodgers. All those names give a defense that expectation of imminent loss. Heady stuff.
While Tebow brings unusual talents to the table, it’s not as if other QB’s haven’t had the same skills to both run and pass the ball. Michael Vick comes most readily to mind. But Michael Vick has always been the round peg in a square hole. Every coach he’s had has tried to standardize Vick to the NFL, to make him run an offense for which the coach is most comfortable.
And Vick gets hurt a lot. Vick always seems to take some of the most formidable hits you’ve ever seen. Tebow, as much as he runs the ball, never seems to really get clobbered. Even as big as he is, he’d get hurt more often if he didn’t have a knack for absorbing the hits.
But the thing that’s really unique about this Tebow phenomenon is the offense itself. It’s not Tebow per se; rather it’s Tebow in an offense designed specifically to mazimize his skills. I give almost as much credit to Elway and John Fox as to Tebow.
It took a lot of moxie to take the steps they’ve taken. And, game by game, nobody’s handled Tebow as well as has his coach, whose direction has been most decidedly conservative, only asking his QB to do those things that Tebow most decidedly can do, and only when those things have needed to be done.
Okay, that’s enough about Tebow and the Broncos. His game is so much fun though, if only because the naysayers say it’s impossible, or now, that it can’t last, that NFL defenses will catch up. And I do think that defenses will indeed catch up but they’ll be defenses like Pittsburgh and Baltimore, with names like Polamalu and Suggs.
Another phenomenon though is leaving our fair town. His name of course is Jose Reyes. Our terrific Mets shortstop will be taking his fun game to Florida. And, while I can cry in my beer about it, I can be happy the Mets didn’t spend 17 mill per year for the next 6 years, which is what Jose got from the Marlins.
You had some bad luck, Jose, but you were aces.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
On Jets-Broncos and Mets Not-Stove
Everybody’s giving the Broncos no chance tonight against the Jets in Denver but I’m not so sure of that. A look at the Broncos’ last two wins indicates they can play any kind of game you want. Against Oakland, a 38-24 win, the Broncs fell behind so they had to pass the football. They did so very successfully. Against KC, they had the lead and nurtured it. They never had to pass the ball but one of Tebow’s passes did go for a touchdown. In both games, their special teams and defense played pretty well too, especially when they had to.
The Jets could have their hands full. Another thing that was obvious in reviewing the actual play-by-plays of those two games was the seemingly total inadequacy of Matt Cassell and his passing game against the Broncos defense. Carson Palmer for Oakland had some success, especially early, but then failed in the clutch to deliver anything of value.
All that data indicates to me is that Mark Sanchez and his receiving corps will have to perform better than those of either the Raiders or Chiefs. Their running game will have to click too if the passing game is to succeed at all. While I’m confident the Jets can stop the deep throws from Elway to Decker and Royal, I question whether they’ll be able to stop the run. Their defensive ranking against the run is decidedly middling.
The other thing you hear about the Jets is their lack of a pass rush. That won’t help their cause tonight. The pundits say the Jets will put 8 in the box and have a shadow for Tebow. A lot will depend on how successful that shadow is. And I wonder who it’ll be. David Harris? Eric Smith? Those two are the leading Jets tacklers. But can they stop Tebow all night?
Another advantage might be in coaching. John Fox, the Broncos head coach certainly rivals Jets head man Rex Ryan in defensive acumen. He may have better tools too, especially in the pass rushing department. The Broncos have 24 sacks to the Jets 18 but I suspect the QB hurries differential might be higher than that. Sanchez could find himself scrambling a lot. On the offensive end, the Broncos have been decidedly conservative while the Jets and Schottenheimer, their offensive guru, will throw in a lot more passes whether they have the lead or not. Overall, I’d give the Broncos the edge in the coaching department.
Then there’s the fact that the game will be played in Denver. The only road game the Jets have won this year came against Buffalo. They just ran over the Bills. I don’t think they’ll manage that tonight against the Broncos. I wonder what kind of protection Sanchez will get if they can’t just run over an opponent. How will Sanchez handle the pressure? Will he be better than either Carson Palmer or Matt Cassell?
If the Jets have an advantage, it’s that they really need to win this game. They’re coming off an awful loss while the Broncos are coming off a high point. They have experience the Broncos do not. Both those points aren’t necessarily enough to hold off a young and talented team in their building.
The Jets are favored by 5. My guess is that they’ll eke out the win somehow. But I doubt that they’ll cover the spread. A lot will depend on how this game plays out in the first quarter. If the Broncos can stay close, they’ll be very dangerous.
The only other game in town right now is hockey, a sport I just never cared for. I don’t know how many ice skaters there are from Bayonne but my guess is not many. I mean, there are probably as many skaters as ponies, but Bayonne was definitely “non-pony country.”
The NBA we can apparently just forget about. No Knicks, no Nets….how will we manage to survive?
I’m with the owners, if only because I’m firmly against ticket prices going through the roof. And I’d like to see a more competitive NBA too. The players would say that their percentage of the profits has nothing to do with either point but I think they’re mistaken. In any case, it’ll be a Lawyers win over the NBA fans, by a score of about 123-11.
Then there’s hot-stove baseball, I guess. It’d be a lot more fun to follow the free-agents if my Mets had any money. They don’t. Everybody says Jose Reyes will have to play elsewhere. While it will be a shame, it may wind up being a good thing. The Mets actually do have a nice candidate to fill the shortstop position in Ruben Tejada.
The noise about trading David Wright is kind of interesting too. It wouldn’t be a bad thing. One reason I think he’ll stay is that his market value right now isn’t really what it was a few years ago. Besides, although Justin Turner can play his position, he’d be better off at second base, which will be vacant if Tejada plays shortstop full-time. If Turner had to play third base, second base will, I suppose, revert to Daniel Murphy, a scary prospect at best.
I’ll be following the pitching situation closely too, with an eye towards what will happen with Mike Pelfrey. I’d love to see him go but he’ll probably wind up staying. Once again, he’ll be the ace who just never seems to come up aces. I suppose he is an inning-eater extraordinaire but really, it’d be a nicer feather in his cap if he did better in a lot of those innings.
If the Mets could get some value out of a trade for Wright and Pelfrey, I’d feel pretty confident going into 2012. A couple of starters or relievers would be nice, commodities more needed right now than a third baseman who can’t really hit and a pitcher who can’t really win.
Then there’re the Yanks. They re-signed Sabathia.
The Jets could have their hands full. Another thing that was obvious in reviewing the actual play-by-plays of those two games was the seemingly total inadequacy of Matt Cassell and his passing game against the Broncos defense. Carson Palmer for Oakland had some success, especially early, but then failed in the clutch to deliver anything of value.
All that data indicates to me is that Mark Sanchez and his receiving corps will have to perform better than those of either the Raiders or Chiefs. Their running game will have to click too if the passing game is to succeed at all. While I’m confident the Jets can stop the deep throws from Elway to Decker and Royal, I question whether they’ll be able to stop the run. Their defensive ranking against the run is decidedly middling.
The other thing you hear about the Jets is their lack of a pass rush. That won’t help their cause tonight. The pundits say the Jets will put 8 in the box and have a shadow for Tebow. A lot will depend on how successful that shadow is. And I wonder who it’ll be. David Harris? Eric Smith? Those two are the leading Jets tacklers. But can they stop Tebow all night?
Another advantage might be in coaching. John Fox, the Broncos head coach certainly rivals Jets head man Rex Ryan in defensive acumen. He may have better tools too, especially in the pass rushing department. The Broncos have 24 sacks to the Jets 18 but I suspect the QB hurries differential might be higher than that. Sanchez could find himself scrambling a lot. On the offensive end, the Broncos have been decidedly conservative while the Jets and Schottenheimer, their offensive guru, will throw in a lot more passes whether they have the lead or not. Overall, I’d give the Broncos the edge in the coaching department.
Then there’s the fact that the game will be played in Denver. The only road game the Jets have won this year came against Buffalo. They just ran over the Bills. I don’t think they’ll manage that tonight against the Broncos. I wonder what kind of protection Sanchez will get if they can’t just run over an opponent. How will Sanchez handle the pressure? Will he be better than either Carson Palmer or Matt Cassell?
If the Jets have an advantage, it’s that they really need to win this game. They’re coming off an awful loss while the Broncos are coming off a high point. They have experience the Broncos do not. Both those points aren’t necessarily enough to hold off a young and talented team in their building.
The Jets are favored by 5. My guess is that they’ll eke out the win somehow. But I doubt that they’ll cover the spread. A lot will depend on how this game plays out in the first quarter. If the Broncos can stay close, they’ll be very dangerous.
The only other game in town right now is hockey, a sport I just never cared for. I don’t know how many ice skaters there are from Bayonne but my guess is not many. I mean, there are probably as many skaters as ponies, but Bayonne was definitely “non-pony country.”
The NBA we can apparently just forget about. No Knicks, no Nets….how will we manage to survive?
I’m with the owners, if only because I’m firmly against ticket prices going through the roof. And I’d like to see a more competitive NBA too. The players would say that their percentage of the profits has nothing to do with either point but I think they’re mistaken. In any case, it’ll be a Lawyers win over the NBA fans, by a score of about 123-11.
Then there’s hot-stove baseball, I guess. It’d be a lot more fun to follow the free-agents if my Mets had any money. They don’t. Everybody says Jose Reyes will have to play elsewhere. While it will be a shame, it may wind up being a good thing. The Mets actually do have a nice candidate to fill the shortstop position in Ruben Tejada.
The noise about trading David Wright is kind of interesting too. It wouldn’t be a bad thing. One reason I think he’ll stay is that his market value right now isn’t really what it was a few years ago. Besides, although Justin Turner can play his position, he’d be better off at second base, which will be vacant if Tejada plays shortstop full-time. If Turner had to play third base, second base will, I suppose, revert to Daniel Murphy, a scary prospect at best.
I’ll be following the pitching situation closely too, with an eye towards what will happen with Mike Pelfrey. I’d love to see him go but he’ll probably wind up staying. Once again, he’ll be the ace who just never seems to come up aces. I suppose he is an inning-eater extraordinaire but really, it’d be a nicer feather in his cap if he did better in a lot of those innings.
If the Mets could get some value out of a trade for Wright and Pelfrey, I’d feel pretty confident going into 2012. A couple of starters or relievers would be nice, commodities more needed right now than a third baseman who can’t really hit and a pitcher who can’t really win.
Then there’re the Yanks. They re-signed Sabathia.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Too Many Mets Scarecrows
I just got my call from JCP&L asking me to conserve electricity so, being a good citizen (or a not so bad one), I turned off everything but the fridge and Francesa (necessities are after all necessities) and have my PC running on the battery.
There’s a lot happening in the sports world on which to comment, even if not much of it can be positive. The Mets, fuggedaboudit, they’re getting worse, but at least the NFL lockout looks to be ending and we won’t have to contemplate the angry visage of DeMaurice Smith anymore.
I had thought they’d miss the first four games of the regular season. My thinking had been based upon the knowledge that the owners were insured for the first four weeks. But, what I didn’t realize (and neither did the owners apparently) was that the players were insured too, to about 200 thousand bucks per player.
That latter fact certainly accelerated the pace of negotiations. And this marks the first time in my life ‘ve ever been thankful for the insurance industry.
Now we can all get back to perusing our fantasy football magazines while sprawled on the beach listening to some baseball game. And that’s not all. The delay and shortening of the signing period means that our next few weeks will be chock full of surprises, who’s being signed, let go or just asked to take one for the team…..heh-heh.
Meanwhile, as the July 31st trading deadline approaches, Mets fans can wonder how bad things can really get without K-Rod and now probably Beltran. From the looks of things thus far, they can get pretty bad in a hurry, just from the thought of losing Carlos.
I know I’ve become inured already to the poor play and lack of talent on my favorite team. Looking at the bright side, maybe the Mets will finally do something about these pieces of dead wood that litter the roster.
It’s not even so much the really raw players that exasperate me. It’s the players that have been with the team for a long while now, the Pagans of the world and the Bay’s and the Pelfrey’s that just seem to keep stinking it up.
I had thought that Jason Bay might be coming out of his funk finally after almost two years of playing worse than anyone could ever have imagined. Alas, it was not to be. His big day a couple of weeks ago was just a cruel aberration, just another reminder of how much we’re truly missing while he flounders. I mean, it’s not just the poor performance per se, but the opportunity loss of what the man could be.
The entire Mets season kinda reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. The Wizard would have to be the GM Alderson or Manager Terry Collins. The lion looking for courage could be Jason Bay. The scarecrow looking for a brain would definitely be Angel Pagan. The tin man seeking a heart could be Carlos Beltran, that is, seeking another team to love him.
But the Mets have too many scarecrows. Angel Pagan heads the list of stupid players but there is also Mike Pelfrey and especially Lucas Duda. And that sometime closer Bobby Parnell isn’t the brightest light in the heavens either. Willie Harris and Scott Hairston have all the brains they need to play but just lack any discernible talent.
That being said, any professional baseball team needs at least a bit of production from all 25 players. On the Mets, it’s easier to identify the keepers for next year. It’s a much shorter list. In the outfield there are no keepers unless you count Beltran. I suppose he could return after a brief sojourn with the Phils or Giants or Brewers but I wouldn’t count on it.
The infield could be good though. Ike Davis at first base, Justin Turner at second, Tejada at shortstop (if Jose should go elsewhere) and David Wright at third would certainly be representative of a real live major league team. The starters except for Pelfrey are all pretty good too. The catcher, Josh Thole, has a lot of potential and is good enough to be a regular.
As dealing Jason Bay would be next to impossible without a deep discount of some kind, I look for him to continue playing, at the very least, a very steady left field. Maybe he could be viewed as one of those defensive specialists, who are usually found at shortstop or second base. If Reyes could be retained, a weak-hitting left fielder could be tolerated.
So the Mets need to get rid of the dead men walking. That means Duda and Pelfrey and Pagan have to go. They are symbols of losing baseball. At least Bay is a smart player, good outfielder and good on the basepaths and, presumably, in the clubhouse.
So we need two outfielders. Surely there are two outfielders that can be had on the cheap if necessary, players who would make us forget Angel Pagan, Lucas Duda and the horror of Daniel Murphy out there. Murphy has value though, for sure, as a utility infielder who can spell Wright at third, Davis at first and Turner at second.
A couple of relief pitchers are also needed. Izzy and Beato and even Parnell could be keepers but that’s about all. Of the rest of them, only Tim Byrdak has performed pretty creditably. Surely something could be had in return for Beltran and K-Rod, and maybe even a big guy with some power.
Those are just the obvious moves. If one gets imaginative, it’s conceivable that David Wright could be traded as both Turner and Murphy are capable of playing there, if not providing as much power. But at this point anyway, I’d rather see a couple of good outfielders. Wright is the only player on the roster that could provide any appreciable value in return.
Get rid of all the scarecrows. A wizard could certainly do it.
There’s a lot happening in the sports world on which to comment, even if not much of it can be positive. The Mets, fuggedaboudit, they’re getting worse, but at least the NFL lockout looks to be ending and we won’t have to contemplate the angry visage of DeMaurice Smith anymore.
I had thought they’d miss the first four games of the regular season. My thinking had been based upon the knowledge that the owners were insured for the first four weeks. But, what I didn’t realize (and neither did the owners apparently) was that the players were insured too, to about 200 thousand bucks per player.
That latter fact certainly accelerated the pace of negotiations. And this marks the first time in my life ‘ve ever been thankful for the insurance industry.
Now we can all get back to perusing our fantasy football magazines while sprawled on the beach listening to some baseball game. And that’s not all. The delay and shortening of the signing period means that our next few weeks will be chock full of surprises, who’s being signed, let go or just asked to take one for the team…..heh-heh.
Meanwhile, as the July 31st trading deadline approaches, Mets fans can wonder how bad things can really get without K-Rod and now probably Beltran. From the looks of things thus far, they can get pretty bad in a hurry, just from the thought of losing Carlos.
I know I’ve become inured already to the poor play and lack of talent on my favorite team. Looking at the bright side, maybe the Mets will finally do something about these pieces of dead wood that litter the roster.
It’s not even so much the really raw players that exasperate me. It’s the players that have been with the team for a long while now, the Pagans of the world and the Bay’s and the Pelfrey’s that just seem to keep stinking it up.
I had thought that Jason Bay might be coming out of his funk finally after almost two years of playing worse than anyone could ever have imagined. Alas, it was not to be. His big day a couple of weeks ago was just a cruel aberration, just another reminder of how much we’re truly missing while he flounders. I mean, it’s not just the poor performance per se, but the opportunity loss of what the man could be.
The entire Mets season kinda reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. The Wizard would have to be the GM Alderson or Manager Terry Collins. The lion looking for courage could be Jason Bay. The scarecrow looking for a brain would definitely be Angel Pagan. The tin man seeking a heart could be Carlos Beltran, that is, seeking another team to love him.
But the Mets have too many scarecrows. Angel Pagan heads the list of stupid players but there is also Mike Pelfrey and especially Lucas Duda. And that sometime closer Bobby Parnell isn’t the brightest light in the heavens either. Willie Harris and Scott Hairston have all the brains they need to play but just lack any discernible talent.
That being said, any professional baseball team needs at least a bit of production from all 25 players. On the Mets, it’s easier to identify the keepers for next year. It’s a much shorter list. In the outfield there are no keepers unless you count Beltran. I suppose he could return after a brief sojourn with the Phils or Giants or Brewers but I wouldn’t count on it.
The infield could be good though. Ike Davis at first base, Justin Turner at second, Tejada at shortstop (if Jose should go elsewhere) and David Wright at third would certainly be representative of a real live major league team. The starters except for Pelfrey are all pretty good too. The catcher, Josh Thole, has a lot of potential and is good enough to be a regular.
As dealing Jason Bay would be next to impossible without a deep discount of some kind, I look for him to continue playing, at the very least, a very steady left field. Maybe he could be viewed as one of those defensive specialists, who are usually found at shortstop or second base. If Reyes could be retained, a weak-hitting left fielder could be tolerated.
So the Mets need to get rid of the dead men walking. That means Duda and Pelfrey and Pagan have to go. They are symbols of losing baseball. At least Bay is a smart player, good outfielder and good on the basepaths and, presumably, in the clubhouse.
So we need two outfielders. Surely there are two outfielders that can be had on the cheap if necessary, players who would make us forget Angel Pagan, Lucas Duda and the horror of Daniel Murphy out there. Murphy has value though, for sure, as a utility infielder who can spell Wright at third, Davis at first and Turner at second.
A couple of relief pitchers are also needed. Izzy and Beato and even Parnell could be keepers but that’s about all. Of the rest of them, only Tim Byrdak has performed pretty creditably. Surely something could be had in return for Beltran and K-Rod, and maybe even a big guy with some power.
Those are just the obvious moves. If one gets imaginative, it’s conceivable that David Wright could be traded as both Turner and Murphy are capable of playing there, if not providing as much power. But at this point anyway, I’d rather see a couple of good outfielders. Wright is the only player on the roster that could provide any appreciable value in return.
Get rid of all the scarecrows. A wizard could certainly do it.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A Moment Made For Jeter and by Jeter
A Mets fan has it rough these days, all of which seem to be Yankee days. First, there was the 3000th hit by the most famous Yankee of them all, oh what is his name? Then tonight I got to watch as Robinson Cano won the Home Run Derby in Arizona with some really prodigious shots.
Oh well, at least I did get to see Jose Reyes interviewing Carlos Beltran before the festivities began on the MLB Network, one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a while.
But, truth to tell, I was really happy for Jeter on Saturday. If he had just dribbled a seeing-eye grounder for that long-awaited milestone, it wouldn’t have meant anything. But Jeter always had a flair for the dramatic and Saturday was certainly no exception.
It kills me to say so but the whole day validated all the ballyhoo and the high esteem he’s held in by every fan of Major League Baseball. I mean, really!
He needed two hits and he started his day off by getting the first one he needed right off the bat, so to speak. Then, with the whole world watching, and a great pitcher, David Price, on the mound, he had one of the best at-bats I’ve ever seen, fouling off pitch after pitch, taking the close balls, and then just driving that ball, no doubt about it, into the left-center field seats.
It was one of those moments you remember. I was in my garage workin’ out, one eye on the screen and the other on the mat. But I was watching every pitch. If he had struck out, it would have been a great at-bat. I jumped in the air as I heard the crack of the bat and watched that drive and heard that call.
It was a moment made for Jeter and by Jeter. Of course, there have been other Jeter moments, but everybody remembers two especially, his flip to the plate to nail the incredibly stupid Jeremy Giambi at the plate in a playoff game against Oakland and that flying leap into the seats in short left-center field to complete a catch that couldn’t have been made any other way.
But those other moments had been surprises, moments made by Jeter but not especially for him, as was his quest for that elusive 3000th hit. There had been the injury, then the rainout and the interminable questions about his feelings about the whole thing. When he stepped into that batter’s box for that second at-bat, he had to know the whole baseball world was watching.
And that’s why Jeter is a great player. When the pressure is on, he turns up his game. He feels he can make the play, no, not just can but will make the play. Other players don’t make that flying leap, other players don’t have the presence of mind to stay with that play in Oakland, one he admits to this day had only been made because the runner didn’t slide, and, even then, it had been a close thing.
I love watching Jose Reyes play but he wouldn’t have made either of those Jeter plays. He doesn’t have that presence of mind and he doesn’t have the kind of drive that would mean possibly sacrificing his body. Now don’t get me wrong. Jose will make a lot of plays that Jeter couldn’t ever make but Jeter will make every play he can possibly make. Jeter is in the game.
There’s a little hot dog in all the greats and Jeter is no exception to that either. But, to me, only hot dogs make those impossible plays.
Not that that 3000th hit was an impossible play. If anything, it was inevitable. But hitting the homer was something else again, and it was a moment that really cried out for something special. Jeter heard the call and made the most of it. He knew he could hit one in that spot so he did.
With every player on both sides hanging over the dugout, with many thousands watching live and millions taking it in on television, Jeter made the moment one worth everybody’s time. He knocked one over the wall. It was great, even the probably scripted Posada dash to the front of the congratulatory line and Mariano there too at the forefront, three old soldiers of baseball just really happy in the moment. The captain had done it again.
And, of course, he didn’t stop there. Jeter was on fire. He was 3 for 3 and 4 for 4 and 5 for 5 and the game-winner. What else? It was a glorious Jeter day, a great day to be a Yankee fan.
A total of 27 other players have reached 3000 hits, most of them notable names too, and all but two made it to the Hall of Fame. And one of those two, Pete Rose, should be in there too. The other is Rafael Palmeiro, not a Hall of Fame player to me, even discounting the juice.
The 3000 hit plateau is one that speaks of greatness and longevity. You have to be a pretty damned good player to be in the game that long, but other marks of longevity such as most consecutive games played
If Jeter hadn’t been assured of always having a place in New York’s hearts before Saturday, he has it now, no matter what follows, much as was and is the case for Eli Manning and Broadway Joe and Walt Frazier.
He may not finish his career as the leadoff man for the Yankees but will hardly matter now. Those other icons won titles but Jeter already had more titles than any of them. What he may not have had before Saturday was that one big day.
Well, he sure had one Saturday. Five for five, the 3000th hit a homer, and the game-winning hit to top it all off.
The 3000th after all had to come on a winning day.
(Christian Lopez made the day even more special by returning the ball he caught, passing up many thousands of dollars in the bargain).
Oh well, at least I did get to see Jose Reyes interviewing Carlos Beltran before the festivities began on the MLB Network, one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a while.
But, truth to tell, I was really happy for Jeter on Saturday. If he had just dribbled a seeing-eye grounder for that long-awaited milestone, it wouldn’t have meant anything. But Jeter always had a flair for the dramatic and Saturday was certainly no exception.
It kills me to say so but the whole day validated all the ballyhoo and the high esteem he’s held in by every fan of Major League Baseball. I mean, really!
He needed two hits and he started his day off by getting the first one he needed right off the bat, so to speak. Then, with the whole world watching, and a great pitcher, David Price, on the mound, he had one of the best at-bats I’ve ever seen, fouling off pitch after pitch, taking the close balls, and then just driving that ball, no doubt about it, into the left-center field seats.
It was one of those moments you remember. I was in my garage workin’ out, one eye on the screen and the other on the mat. But I was watching every pitch. If he had struck out, it would have been a great at-bat. I jumped in the air as I heard the crack of the bat and watched that drive and heard that call.
It was a moment made for Jeter and by Jeter. Of course, there have been other Jeter moments, but everybody remembers two especially, his flip to the plate to nail the incredibly stupid Jeremy Giambi at the plate in a playoff game against Oakland and that flying leap into the seats in short left-center field to complete a catch that couldn’t have been made any other way.
But those other moments had been surprises, moments made by Jeter but not especially for him, as was his quest for that elusive 3000th hit. There had been the injury, then the rainout and the interminable questions about his feelings about the whole thing. When he stepped into that batter’s box for that second at-bat, he had to know the whole baseball world was watching.
And that’s why Jeter is a great player. When the pressure is on, he turns up his game. He feels he can make the play, no, not just can but will make the play. Other players don’t make that flying leap, other players don’t have the presence of mind to stay with that play in Oakland, one he admits to this day had only been made because the runner didn’t slide, and, even then, it had been a close thing.
I love watching Jose Reyes play but he wouldn’t have made either of those Jeter plays. He doesn’t have that presence of mind and he doesn’t have the kind of drive that would mean possibly sacrificing his body. Now don’t get me wrong. Jose will make a lot of plays that Jeter couldn’t ever make but Jeter will make every play he can possibly make. Jeter is in the game.
There’s a little hot dog in all the greats and Jeter is no exception to that either. But, to me, only hot dogs make those impossible plays.
Not that that 3000th hit was an impossible play. If anything, it was inevitable. But hitting the homer was something else again, and it was a moment that really cried out for something special. Jeter heard the call and made the most of it. He knew he could hit one in that spot so he did.
With every player on both sides hanging over the dugout, with many thousands watching live and millions taking it in on television, Jeter made the moment one worth everybody’s time. He knocked one over the wall. It was great, even the probably scripted Posada dash to the front of the congratulatory line and Mariano there too at the forefront, three old soldiers of baseball just really happy in the moment. The captain had done it again.
And, of course, he didn’t stop there. Jeter was on fire. He was 3 for 3 and 4 for 4 and 5 for 5 and the game-winner. What else? It was a glorious Jeter day, a great day to be a Yankee fan.
A total of 27 other players have reached 3000 hits, most of them notable names too, and all but two made it to the Hall of Fame. And one of those two, Pete Rose, should be in there too. The other is Rafael Palmeiro, not a Hall of Fame player to me, even discounting the juice.
The 3000 hit plateau is one that speaks of greatness and longevity. You have to be a pretty damned good player to be in the game that long, but other marks of longevity such as most consecutive games played
If Jeter hadn’t been assured of always having a place in New York’s hearts before Saturday, he has it now, no matter what follows, much as was and is the case for Eli Manning and Broadway Joe and Walt Frazier.
He may not finish his career as the leadoff man for the Yankees but will hardly matter now. Those other icons won titles but Jeter already had more titles than any of them. What he may not have had before Saturday was that one big day.
Well, he sure had one Saturday. Five for five, the 3000th hit a homer, and the game-winning hit to top it all off.
The 3000th after all had to come on a winning day.
(Christian Lopez made the day even more special by returning the ball he caught, passing up many thousands of dollars in the bargain).
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Mets Doctors Strike Again
Has there ever been anything more boring than a Mets series against the Oakland A’s? I can’t think of anything offhand. I mean, really, the Yanks got the Cubs and then the Reds, interesting (in the case of the Cubs) or exciting (the Reds) opponents while we got the friggin’ Angels and A’s.
I wouldn’t mind so much if the Mets were having a little more success. But they’re not and the future doesn’t look too good either. The Mets doctors have struck again. Now we hear they totally blew the diagnosis and treatment of Ike Davis’s bruised ankle. The walking boot they recommended did nothing but inhibit blood flow to the affected area. No healing occurred as a result, and, oh yeah, there’s cartilage damage too.
I’ve had it with the Mets medical staff. Ike was the last straw for me. How many players do the Mets need to see get worse after visiting the Mets witch doctors before they make a change. Who recommended their staff in the first place, Madoff?
Ike Davis was the Mets most promising player. A bruise will now have Ike out until the middle of August. That’s unforgivable in light of their past failures with Beltran and others too numerous to mention. If Alderson wants to really cement his standing with Mets fans, he’ll do something about this deplorable Mets medical staff.
For his part, Davis will be finally getting a second opinion, demonstrating at the very least that he’s much smarter than the Mets management. Just to recap the situation, Ike Davis was the Mets leader in rbi’s and batting average when Wright came across to destroy his leg. It only happened at all because the gork pitcher Pelfrey made no attempt to help his fielders out with a fly ball to the mound.
Meanwhile, the Mets plod on at two games below .500. The rookies who had been hitting stopped. Several of their veterans stopped hitting too. Jose Reyes keeps truckin’ though and Justin Turner continues to be the luckiest ballplayer in the world. Last night, he won the game by getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 13th inning.
Of course, that only happened because Dickey was lights out and K-Rod blew the save in the 9th. As this is written, the last game of this colossally dreadful interleague setup is taking place and, predictably, it’s been pretty boring. I’m even getting tired of Gary Cohen, something I didn’t think was possible.
Thank God for Wimbledon tennis action and other real baseball action. Nothing I’ve watched in the last month was better than the Tsonga-Dmitrov battle I just witnessed and the Nats walk-off win against the Mariners was very cool too, with Nats reliever Tyler Clippard shutting the Mariners down for his offense in the bottom of the ninth.
Reyes just made a strong throw from shortstop to keep the speedy A’s second baseman Weeks off the basepaths. Set your DVD’s to “record”, Mets fans, because every at-bat , every nice play, every triple and every smile you see from Reyes this year might be his last in a Mets uniform.
Reyes wouldn’t agree to having contract talks during the season. I was nevertheless happy to see the Mets make the offer to talk. I’ve decided too that I’d rather see Reyes finish the season here than pick up a couple of prospects for him in some rent-a-player scheme devised by one of the real contenders for a World Series berth.
Even if the Mets wind up losing Reyes with no compensation received in return, we’ll at least get to see him finish his outstanding year in which he’s making his bid for MVP. And, by the bye, Reyes just scored again for the Mets, this time by reaching base on an error, moving right along on the basepaths and scoring on a, wait for it, Daniel Murphy 2-out rbi.
Pagan just made another bone-headed play in centerfield, bobbling a ball because he once again tried to do something he’s incapable of pulling off. Now there’s a guy I’d like to see traded. He’s a player who’ll never get better. He lacks focus, the Mike Pelfrey of the offensive side of the ball.
One exciting thing about this time of year is that I can imagine fantasy trades I’d like to see. For example, Mike Pelfrey to the Yankees for their doctors, Pagan to the Angels for a legitimate established relief pitcher, K-Rod to anywhere for a couple of hitting prospects with power.
While the Mets continue to plod along, it’ll be nice to see the NBA draft tonight, a draft most experts agree is short on talent but still, there must be some big guy out there that the Knicks could use to grab some rebounds and play defense while the most selfish player in the league, Carmelo Anthony, calls for the ball with three players draped all over him.
One of the keys I look for when a player is traded is the opposing coach’s reaction to the trade. George Karl, for example, the Nuggets coach, looked like a kid on Christmas Day when Anthony left for the Knicks, this despite his battling cancer. There’s been no more ecstatic reaction since that Bulls coach long ago couldn’t believe his good fortune when the stupidest GM in the league, Isiah, took the world’s stupidest center (Eddy Curry) off his hands.
So, now that the Knicks have Anthony and nothing else but Amare, they have needs all over the place. Anybody they draft tonight will have to fit a need. The Nets meanwhile will try to pretend they know what they’re doing. It’s just a matter of time before their ballyhooed acquisition of point guard Deron Williams goes kerplunk when he declines to sign whatever paper they put in front of him.
But even THAT might be amusing at least, more entertaining than this god-awful interleague play or another oops by the Mets (for lack of a better word)” doctors”.
I wouldn’t mind so much if the Mets were having a little more success. But they’re not and the future doesn’t look too good either. The Mets doctors have struck again. Now we hear they totally blew the diagnosis and treatment of Ike Davis’s bruised ankle. The walking boot they recommended did nothing but inhibit blood flow to the affected area. No healing occurred as a result, and, oh yeah, there’s cartilage damage too.
I’ve had it with the Mets medical staff. Ike was the last straw for me. How many players do the Mets need to see get worse after visiting the Mets witch doctors before they make a change. Who recommended their staff in the first place, Madoff?
Ike Davis was the Mets most promising player. A bruise will now have Ike out until the middle of August. That’s unforgivable in light of their past failures with Beltran and others too numerous to mention. If Alderson wants to really cement his standing with Mets fans, he’ll do something about this deplorable Mets medical staff.
For his part, Davis will be finally getting a second opinion, demonstrating at the very least that he’s much smarter than the Mets management. Just to recap the situation, Ike Davis was the Mets leader in rbi’s and batting average when Wright came across to destroy his leg. It only happened at all because the gork pitcher Pelfrey made no attempt to help his fielders out with a fly ball to the mound.
Meanwhile, the Mets plod on at two games below .500. The rookies who had been hitting stopped. Several of their veterans stopped hitting too. Jose Reyes keeps truckin’ though and Justin Turner continues to be the luckiest ballplayer in the world. Last night, he won the game by getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 13th inning.
Of course, that only happened because Dickey was lights out and K-Rod blew the save in the 9th. As this is written, the last game of this colossally dreadful interleague setup is taking place and, predictably, it’s been pretty boring. I’m even getting tired of Gary Cohen, something I didn’t think was possible.
Thank God for Wimbledon tennis action and other real baseball action. Nothing I’ve watched in the last month was better than the Tsonga-Dmitrov battle I just witnessed and the Nats walk-off win against the Mariners was very cool too, with Nats reliever Tyler Clippard shutting the Mariners down for his offense in the bottom of the ninth.
Reyes just made a strong throw from shortstop to keep the speedy A’s second baseman Weeks off the basepaths. Set your DVD’s to “record”, Mets fans, because every at-bat , every nice play, every triple and every smile you see from Reyes this year might be his last in a Mets uniform.
Reyes wouldn’t agree to having contract talks during the season. I was nevertheless happy to see the Mets make the offer to talk. I’ve decided too that I’d rather see Reyes finish the season here than pick up a couple of prospects for him in some rent-a-player scheme devised by one of the real contenders for a World Series berth.
Even if the Mets wind up losing Reyes with no compensation received in return, we’ll at least get to see him finish his outstanding year in which he’s making his bid for MVP. And, by the bye, Reyes just scored again for the Mets, this time by reaching base on an error, moving right along on the basepaths and scoring on a, wait for it, Daniel Murphy 2-out rbi.
Pagan just made another bone-headed play in centerfield, bobbling a ball because he once again tried to do something he’s incapable of pulling off. Now there’s a guy I’d like to see traded. He’s a player who’ll never get better. He lacks focus, the Mike Pelfrey of the offensive side of the ball.
One exciting thing about this time of year is that I can imagine fantasy trades I’d like to see. For example, Mike Pelfrey to the Yankees for their doctors, Pagan to the Angels for a legitimate established relief pitcher, K-Rod to anywhere for a couple of hitting prospects with power.
While the Mets continue to plod along, it’ll be nice to see the NBA draft tonight, a draft most experts agree is short on talent but still, there must be some big guy out there that the Knicks could use to grab some rebounds and play defense while the most selfish player in the league, Carmelo Anthony, calls for the ball with three players draped all over him.
One of the keys I look for when a player is traded is the opposing coach’s reaction to the trade. George Karl, for example, the Nuggets coach, looked like a kid on Christmas Day when Anthony left for the Knicks, this despite his battling cancer. There’s been no more ecstatic reaction since that Bulls coach long ago couldn’t believe his good fortune when the stupidest GM in the league, Isiah, took the world’s stupidest center (Eddy Curry) off his hands.
So, now that the Knicks have Anthony and nothing else but Amare, they have needs all over the place. Anybody they draft tonight will have to fit a need. The Nets meanwhile will try to pretend they know what they’re doing. It’s just a matter of time before their ballyhooed acquisition of point guard Deron Williams goes kerplunk when he declines to sign whatever paper they put in front of him.
But even THAT might be amusing at least, more entertaining than this god-awful interleague play or another oops by the Mets (for lack of a better word)” doctors”.
Friday, June 17, 2011
One Mothful of an If
Lately I’ve been asking myself, “can a team be really serious about winning a pennant, or these days, just making the playoffs, if it has only one lefty relief pitcher? That, of course, is secondary to the other big question, namely “Why should I care”?
I mean, really, the Mets are now just the Buffalo minor league team with a few ringers named Beltran and Reyes and Bay. But they’re one hell of a minor league team! They proved that again last night when first baseman (using the term loosely) Duda muffed the grounder that gave the hated(by me anyway) Braves the win.
So, once again, the Mets fell below .500. And it’s not the end of the world. As Collins said after the game, they beat two of their best pitchers and finished the road trip 6-4. But, to me, it would have been great if all of Chipper’s heroics went for naught and if K-Rod could have come through with another save in that spot.
But he couldn’t. He parked a pitch around belt high and over the plate and some Braves nobody belted a 2-run homer for the tie in the ninth, setting the stage for Duda’s frolics at first base, or more accurately, about 10 yards out from that bag. Geez, Tejada could’ve had it too.
And that sequence of events is a lot like a lot of other events of the same nature that have happened to these ridiculous Mets. But it’s ok. They’ve also had those days when the pitching was great and the hits just kept coming. And I’ll take triples over home runs just any old day.
One wonders how long these guys can keep it up. The most prominent of “ these guys” would have to be Justin Turner. I mean, really, you can stick him in at second or third, and he just hits with men on base nearly all the time. He surely has more ribbies per at-bat than anyone else on the planet.
To me, the second “guy” is Reuben Tejada. I liked him even last year when he couldn’t hit to save his life. But, this year, he’s killing the ball, especially for him based on last year’s performance. He’s a natural at second base and plays shortstop in a pinch, that pinch one that may be experienced quite quickly, either this year or next.
Then there’s crazy Daniel Murphy who, it seems, will either win one for you or lose one for you in either the most unlikely or embarrassing way. You really don’t know what you’re going to get from Murphy, and, while that may not be a good thing, it surely is interesting to watch.
The catcher, Josh Thole, would probably be right up there with Murphy. Besides holding down the most difficult position on the field, he also seems to hit in the clutch. And he’s lucky, because most of the big hits I recall are just little Texas-leaguers down the line. You can’t over-estimate the value of luck.
And then there’s Duda. He’s not one of the “guys”yet. But he could become one really easy. He’s big and could be dangerous at the plate, if a home run is what you need. The problem with Duda Is that he never seems to really come through. A check on his BA reveals a paltry .139 average. But for him at least, it’s still early. He’s had 36 at-bats.
To me, Pagan isn’t really far removed from the rest of the bunch. He can be pretty exasperating for a veteran player. He surely won’t be on any of my favorites lists until he stops making mistakes on the bases. That drives me crazy. He’s supposed to be an asset on the bases.
Of course, there are the pitching “guys” too. They’re all coming through. Niese, Dickey, Gee, even Parnell, they’ve all been pleasant surprises. And thank the baseball gods for that! Without the excellent pitching in the last couple of weeks, that right around .500 clip could have been a lot worse.
The upcoming schedule is really ridiculous. Interleague play will be bringing us the Angels and the Oakland A’s. I don’t even know what to say about that! The only good thing about it is that we’ll play without a designated hitter, as always in National League baseball, while those teams will have to figure out a way of fielding nine and still maintaining a viable lineup.
But then it’ll be at Texas and at Detroit. That seems like bad luck to me. They’re both pretty much at the top of the heap in the American League. But, at the very least, we should enjoy seeing how Daniel Murphy will react to being a designated hitter. The man without a position will finally have his spot.
The only sure thing is that this team will probably be broken up. Beltran, K-Rod, and maybe Reyes will be gone. That’s the only move that makes sense, especially for a franchise having its financial troubles. But, as each player move will just be a rental for the receiving team, the Mets can’t even expect much in return that will help the team this year.
As that’s the case, life after the All-Star break for Mets fans could be pretty bleak. Tejada can move to shortstop and probably lead off as well. That’ll free up second base for Turner. And all that’ll be lost will be all those hits, all those triples, and all that excitement.
I’d hate to think Duda is the only answer to spell Beltran in right field. Jason Pridie, still another one of the lesser “guys”, is hitting just .234 as this is written, and, while he can provide some pop, he’s no Carlos Beltran. (Not that many others are).
If Jason Bay starts providing some pop, the absence of Beltran might not be so conspicuous, especially after Wright and Ike Davis return to the lineup. But that’s one mouthful of an if.
I mean, really, the Mets are now just the Buffalo minor league team with a few ringers named Beltran and Reyes and Bay. But they’re one hell of a minor league team! They proved that again last night when first baseman (using the term loosely) Duda muffed the grounder that gave the hated(by me anyway) Braves the win.
So, once again, the Mets fell below .500. And it’s not the end of the world. As Collins said after the game, they beat two of their best pitchers and finished the road trip 6-4. But, to me, it would have been great if all of Chipper’s heroics went for naught and if K-Rod could have come through with another save in that spot.
But he couldn’t. He parked a pitch around belt high and over the plate and some Braves nobody belted a 2-run homer for the tie in the ninth, setting the stage for Duda’s frolics at first base, or more accurately, about 10 yards out from that bag. Geez, Tejada could’ve had it too.
And that sequence of events is a lot like a lot of other events of the same nature that have happened to these ridiculous Mets. But it’s ok. They’ve also had those days when the pitching was great and the hits just kept coming. And I’ll take triples over home runs just any old day.
One wonders how long these guys can keep it up. The most prominent of “ these guys” would have to be Justin Turner. I mean, really, you can stick him in at second or third, and he just hits with men on base nearly all the time. He surely has more ribbies per at-bat than anyone else on the planet.
To me, the second “guy” is Reuben Tejada. I liked him even last year when he couldn’t hit to save his life. But, this year, he’s killing the ball, especially for him based on last year’s performance. He’s a natural at second base and plays shortstop in a pinch, that pinch one that may be experienced quite quickly, either this year or next.
Then there’s crazy Daniel Murphy who, it seems, will either win one for you or lose one for you in either the most unlikely or embarrassing way. You really don’t know what you’re going to get from Murphy, and, while that may not be a good thing, it surely is interesting to watch.
The catcher, Josh Thole, would probably be right up there with Murphy. Besides holding down the most difficult position on the field, he also seems to hit in the clutch. And he’s lucky, because most of the big hits I recall are just little Texas-leaguers down the line. You can’t over-estimate the value of luck.
And then there’s Duda. He’s not one of the “guys”yet. But he could become one really easy. He’s big and could be dangerous at the plate, if a home run is what you need. The problem with Duda Is that he never seems to really come through. A check on his BA reveals a paltry .139 average. But for him at least, it’s still early. He’s had 36 at-bats.
To me, Pagan isn’t really far removed from the rest of the bunch. He can be pretty exasperating for a veteran player. He surely won’t be on any of my favorites lists until he stops making mistakes on the bases. That drives me crazy. He’s supposed to be an asset on the bases.
Of course, there are the pitching “guys” too. They’re all coming through. Niese, Dickey, Gee, even Parnell, they’ve all been pleasant surprises. And thank the baseball gods for that! Without the excellent pitching in the last couple of weeks, that right around .500 clip could have been a lot worse.
The upcoming schedule is really ridiculous. Interleague play will be bringing us the Angels and the Oakland A’s. I don’t even know what to say about that! The only good thing about it is that we’ll play without a designated hitter, as always in National League baseball, while those teams will have to figure out a way of fielding nine and still maintaining a viable lineup.
But then it’ll be at Texas and at Detroit. That seems like bad luck to me. They’re both pretty much at the top of the heap in the American League. But, at the very least, we should enjoy seeing how Daniel Murphy will react to being a designated hitter. The man without a position will finally have his spot.
The only sure thing is that this team will probably be broken up. Beltran, K-Rod, and maybe Reyes will be gone. That’s the only move that makes sense, especially for a franchise having its financial troubles. But, as each player move will just be a rental for the receiving team, the Mets can’t even expect much in return that will help the team this year.
As that’s the case, life after the All-Star break for Mets fans could be pretty bleak. Tejada can move to shortstop and probably lead off as well. That’ll free up second base for Turner. And all that’ll be lost will be all those hits, all those triples, and all that excitement.
I’d hate to think Duda is the only answer to spell Beltran in right field. Jason Pridie, still another one of the lesser “guys”, is hitting just .234 as this is written, and, while he can provide some pop, he’s no Carlos Beltran. (Not that many others are).
If Jason Bay starts providing some pop, the absence of Beltran might not be so conspicuous, especially after Wright and Ike Davis return to the lineup. But that’s one mouthful of an if.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Hope for the Future
Okay, so I tried something new, using a pen and paper instead of a PC. What I wound up with was 1000 words or so on paper. Then I went to sleep. Now it’s two days later and, even if I wanted to transcribe it, if I could read it, it’s old news now, or, even worse, commentary on old news.
So let’s try again. The Mets still win a couple, lose a couple. LeBron James is still damned if he does and if he doesn’t, the Yanks are still second best, well, maybe third best now, and some nag will undoubtedly win the Belmont Stakes this Saturday.
That Mets game last night was really fun to watch. It had everything, some good pitching, some good hitting and lots and lots of highs and lows.
Mike Pelfrey is cursed. Either he’ll lose the game all by himself or he’ll get help. Last night he got help. The usual suspects provided the help, Reyes and Beltran, Pagan and Paulino to name a few. But, after taking a nice lead, their relievers lost it for them anyway.
I don’t like the way Collins handles pitchers. He either inserts a new pitcher before the one on the mound gets in trouble or he stays with a pitcher clearly in trouble much too long. He thinks it’s character building. I think it’s just stupid.
Last night Pelfrey pitched a gem for six innings. That’s all the opportunity he got. Collins decided it was time for some of the worst relievers in the game to finish it for him. And oh, they finished it all right. The first reliever called upon, the lefty “specialist” Byrdak promptly walked the first batter, Prince Fielder, and got yanked.
Then Parnell managed to pitch his way through the seventh without too much incident, setting the stage for the Mets big inning in the eighth. But, rather than let Parnell continue, Collins brought in Pedro Beato, who had pitched the day before. And it showed. He had nothing, no fastball, no slider, no fight. He just quit. He figuratively said, “You don’t pitch me two days in a row”.
Beato promptly walked the forty-year old Counsell. Right at that point I would have pulled his butt. But not Collins, he wanted to see Beato build character. Beato did manage to get a ground ball out of Rickie Weeks though, a ball that could have been a double-play with a better infield. That minor gaffe was enough to rattle Beato, who then gave up a single to Morgan and a double to Braun, scoring two. Only then did Collins go to Isringhausen, who wasted no time at all in letting Prince Fielder tie the game with a humongous home run to straight-away center.
I chalk last night’s loss up to Collins. Instead of going with the hot hand, he goes with the cold one. And it’s not the first time. Instead of pulling closer to that magic .500 mark, the Mets lost one that should have been in the bag.
Everybody thinks the Mets relative success this year is solely due to Collins. What a joke! Whatever success they’ve had is due to some good players, players who were unproven but good nevertheless. Turner, Pridie, Thole, Tejada, these young players are tough. And the starting pitching has been good too.
While it could be that Collins is one of the reasons they’re playing so well, that’s not really a lock. And I’m willing to give Collins the benefit of the doubt in that regard but he’s bad with pitchers. He needs to get better.
The Mets need some power and some help in the relief corps, starting with a lefty who knows how to pitch. Every time I see Byrdak, I think “here we go”. As the Mets won’t be spending any money in the near future, the Mets have to use their existing assets to get better in the long run.
But they can get a power hitter and a reliever or two without getting rid of Reyes. Reyes is a large piece of the Mets very identity. Although his value is undoubtedly the highest it will ever be right now, the Mets should not make a deal until it’s proven they can’t re-sign him and that the return for him is significant, meaning multiple high-quality prospects.
Wilpon’s unfortunate comments certainly point to the Mets not re-signing him. But just as the Yankees overpaid by nearly double Jeter’s actual worth to re-sign him, so the Mets should regard Jose Reyes. He’s the straw that stirs the drink, not Wright or Santana or Beltran. The team should be willing to pay some premium to keep him in a Mets uniform.
Only if re-signing him is virtually impossible should the Mets deal him. If they must deal him, they must get value. Beltran and K-Rod should also draw some suitors this year from any number of contending teams. They can fully expect to get some power and relief pitching in return.
All of which means there is hope for a better Mets team in the future, one probably featuring pitching and defense rather than power, although some power would be nice. It certainly appears at this juncture that power will not be forthcoming from either Jason Bay or David Wright.
Jason Bay is holding the bat too tightly. He’s got to loosen up that grip and just whip that bat around. His stance is actually better than it was last year when he led with his elbows. He’s just got to relax. He has to swing at the first hittable pitch too rather than taking a strike. Until he shakes this slump, he should forget about having “good” at-bats. He’s got to break out, and not necessarily with home runs.
Meanwhile, NBA fans will see the real LeBron tonight. Baskets? …..he’ll make them. Rebounds?....he’ll get them. Assists?....maybe not so many but some timely ones to his partners named Wade and Chris Bosh.
So let’s try again. The Mets still win a couple, lose a couple. LeBron James is still damned if he does and if he doesn’t, the Yanks are still second best, well, maybe third best now, and some nag will undoubtedly win the Belmont Stakes this Saturday.
That Mets game last night was really fun to watch. It had everything, some good pitching, some good hitting and lots and lots of highs and lows.
Mike Pelfrey is cursed. Either he’ll lose the game all by himself or he’ll get help. Last night he got help. The usual suspects provided the help, Reyes and Beltran, Pagan and Paulino to name a few. But, after taking a nice lead, their relievers lost it for them anyway.
I don’t like the way Collins handles pitchers. He either inserts a new pitcher before the one on the mound gets in trouble or he stays with a pitcher clearly in trouble much too long. He thinks it’s character building. I think it’s just stupid.
Last night Pelfrey pitched a gem for six innings. That’s all the opportunity he got. Collins decided it was time for some of the worst relievers in the game to finish it for him. And oh, they finished it all right. The first reliever called upon, the lefty “specialist” Byrdak promptly walked the first batter, Prince Fielder, and got yanked.
Then Parnell managed to pitch his way through the seventh without too much incident, setting the stage for the Mets big inning in the eighth. But, rather than let Parnell continue, Collins brought in Pedro Beato, who had pitched the day before. And it showed. He had nothing, no fastball, no slider, no fight. He just quit. He figuratively said, “You don’t pitch me two days in a row”.
Beato promptly walked the forty-year old Counsell. Right at that point I would have pulled his butt. But not Collins, he wanted to see Beato build character. Beato did manage to get a ground ball out of Rickie Weeks though, a ball that could have been a double-play with a better infield. That minor gaffe was enough to rattle Beato, who then gave up a single to Morgan and a double to Braun, scoring two. Only then did Collins go to Isringhausen, who wasted no time at all in letting Prince Fielder tie the game with a humongous home run to straight-away center.
I chalk last night’s loss up to Collins. Instead of going with the hot hand, he goes with the cold one. And it’s not the first time. Instead of pulling closer to that magic .500 mark, the Mets lost one that should have been in the bag.
Everybody thinks the Mets relative success this year is solely due to Collins. What a joke! Whatever success they’ve had is due to some good players, players who were unproven but good nevertheless. Turner, Pridie, Thole, Tejada, these young players are tough. And the starting pitching has been good too.
While it could be that Collins is one of the reasons they’re playing so well, that’s not really a lock. And I’m willing to give Collins the benefit of the doubt in that regard but he’s bad with pitchers. He needs to get better.
The Mets need some power and some help in the relief corps, starting with a lefty who knows how to pitch. Every time I see Byrdak, I think “here we go”. As the Mets won’t be spending any money in the near future, the Mets have to use their existing assets to get better in the long run.
But they can get a power hitter and a reliever or two without getting rid of Reyes. Reyes is a large piece of the Mets very identity. Although his value is undoubtedly the highest it will ever be right now, the Mets should not make a deal until it’s proven they can’t re-sign him and that the return for him is significant, meaning multiple high-quality prospects.
Wilpon’s unfortunate comments certainly point to the Mets not re-signing him. But just as the Yankees overpaid by nearly double Jeter’s actual worth to re-sign him, so the Mets should regard Jose Reyes. He’s the straw that stirs the drink, not Wright or Santana or Beltran. The team should be willing to pay some premium to keep him in a Mets uniform.
Only if re-signing him is virtually impossible should the Mets deal him. If they must deal him, they must get value. Beltran and K-Rod should also draw some suitors this year from any number of contending teams. They can fully expect to get some power and relief pitching in return.
All of which means there is hope for a better Mets team in the future, one probably featuring pitching and defense rather than power, although some power would be nice. It certainly appears at this juncture that power will not be forthcoming from either Jason Bay or David Wright.
Jason Bay is holding the bat too tightly. He’s got to loosen up that grip and just whip that bat around. His stance is actually better than it was last year when he led with his elbows. He’s just got to relax. He has to swing at the first hittable pitch too rather than taking a strike. Until he shakes this slump, he should forget about having “good” at-bats. He’s got to break out, and not necessarily with home runs.
Meanwhile, NBA fans will see the real LeBron tonight. Baskets? …..he’ll make them. Rebounds?....he’ll get them. Assists?....maybe not so many but some timely ones to his partners named Wade and Chris Bosh.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Roll With the Punches
Here it is a holiday weekend, a fun 3-day weekend, Memorial Day weekend. If there’s a better 3-day weekend, I don’t know about it. The opening of the NJ Shore season, better weather ahead, memories of fun times, games and barbecues…what could be better than that?
And there’s baseball of course, even if you’re a Mets fan. I’m now watching the Mets-Phillies Sunday game and the Mets are helping me feel even better about the weekend. They have jumped off to a 4-run lead in this one, Niese seems to be cruising along, and, at least right now, it seems the Mets are all making pretty good contact with the ball.
Beltran just crushed a 380 foot double to left center and, despite all the troubles with the rest of the lineup, Beltran has been like a rock all season, him and Reyes, and it’s sadly ironic that those are two guys who won’t be Mets next year.
Now Bay and Murphy have followed with hits and it looks as if the Phillies Worley will be finished soon. Wow! Amazing! Now Pagan has stroked a liner to right, scoring Beltran and Bay and it looks as if a rout is on. It’s 6-0 and even these Mets will have trouble giving this game back.
Now it’s 8-zip, even Josh Thole having contributed to another 4-run inning, and the Mets cup runneth over. It’s about time. Since their opening win against the Yanks, it’s been lose 3, win 1, and lately even the relief staff has faltered. Since Wright and Davis have both been on the DL, it’s been the bizarro world in Metsland.
As the prospects for Wright’s and Davis’s return soon aren’t that good, it looks as if we’ll be seeing a lot more of these rookies, and so far, at the very least, it’s certainly been instructive, if nothing else. Justin Turner has been an eye-opener. If it hadn’t been for Turner, the Mets could have lost all their games. He was an RBI machine there for a while.
Turner had become the second baseman after the failure of Brad Emaus but, when Davis and Wright went down, he had to spell Wright at third base. That opened up the second base spot for Reuben Tejada, who’s a real magician with the glove. Murphy has been spelling Davis at first base and, while he’ll never be confused with Keith Hernandez, he’s been almost passable, although Jose Reyes may disagree after having been charged with at least two errors on throws that most first basemen would have made.
At this point though, any expectations I might have had for this season have been pretty much dashed. A team can’t possibly absorb all these injuries without a negative effect. So any win will be a welcome win, and somewhat of a surprise. But this team, despite everything, continues to be entertaining, although I’m probably more easily amused than are most people.
Jonathan Niese has now gone 5 full innings and he’s just rolling along. With Dickey down with a fascia tear, and Chris Young down with a shoulder for the season, and Pelfrey being up and down, maybe it’ll be Niese we’ll soon be calling the ace of this staff. Now that’s a scary proposition.
But newbie Dillon Gee has been pretty impressive in a starting role, sporting a 3.83 ERA at present and most teams would take that kind of performance in a heartbeat, especially for a number 5 starter. As long as Capuano can keep his end up, the staff really isn’t that bad.
The relievers should bounce back after their recent letdown. And that might be the most important ingredient of all. When that part of their game was holding up, the Mets were tough down the stretch, making all the plays they needed. But, of course, the reverse was true as well.
There should be some very entertaining baseball coming starting today with Pittsburgh coming to town for four games. But the Pirates aren’t the patsies they used to be. They may indeed have more proven major-league players than our Mets.
What is the true nature of this Mets team? Are they a AAA level team with a few ringers or are they a playoff-contender level major league team with more AAA fill-ins than would be optimal? Are they the team that lost 3 for every one victory or was that the result of great pitching opponents in Philadelphia and Chicago?
A family barbecue had interrupted these inane musings and now it’s Tuesday. The Mets won their finale against the Phillies and they beat the Pirates in their opening game. They did it without Jose Reyes and without Jason Bay. They banged out a zillion singles and just one double while Dillon Gee, Isringhausen and K-Rod limited the Pirates to 3 runs.
What does that mean though? The opposing pitcher was one Charlie Morton. The Pirates have been the perennial National League doormat. Their current 24-28 record is better than they’ve been in a dog’s age.
Willie Harris batted leadoff and played third base. Daniel Murphy batted cleanup. Pridie played left field and Tejada was at shortstop for Reyes. The amazing Justin Turner moved back to second base. It would be easier to laugh outloud at that lineup if they hadn’t promptly gone out and won with it.
It’s all been pretty mystifying. I don’t know what to root for anymore. Reyes will be out for a week now because of a death in his family in the Dominican Republic. Things can’t get much worse.
Even after the win last night though, I asked myself if I really enjoyed watching it. The word that best describes their success is “ephemeral”. Fans shouted for the Mets to keep Reyes the other night. Will they be able to do it?
It’s all very temporary. What you see today may not be here next week, never mind next year. Mets fans would be well-advised to roll with the punches.
And there’s baseball of course, even if you’re a Mets fan. I’m now watching the Mets-Phillies Sunday game and the Mets are helping me feel even better about the weekend. They have jumped off to a 4-run lead in this one, Niese seems to be cruising along, and, at least right now, it seems the Mets are all making pretty good contact with the ball.
Beltran just crushed a 380 foot double to left center and, despite all the troubles with the rest of the lineup, Beltran has been like a rock all season, him and Reyes, and it’s sadly ironic that those are two guys who won’t be Mets next year.
Now Bay and Murphy have followed with hits and it looks as if the Phillies Worley will be finished soon. Wow! Amazing! Now Pagan has stroked a liner to right, scoring Beltran and Bay and it looks as if a rout is on. It’s 6-0 and even these Mets will have trouble giving this game back.
Now it’s 8-zip, even Josh Thole having contributed to another 4-run inning, and the Mets cup runneth over. It’s about time. Since their opening win against the Yanks, it’s been lose 3, win 1, and lately even the relief staff has faltered. Since Wright and Davis have both been on the DL, it’s been the bizarro world in Metsland.
As the prospects for Wright’s and Davis’s return soon aren’t that good, it looks as if we’ll be seeing a lot more of these rookies, and so far, at the very least, it’s certainly been instructive, if nothing else. Justin Turner has been an eye-opener. If it hadn’t been for Turner, the Mets could have lost all their games. He was an RBI machine there for a while.
Turner had become the second baseman after the failure of Brad Emaus but, when Davis and Wright went down, he had to spell Wright at third base. That opened up the second base spot for Reuben Tejada, who’s a real magician with the glove. Murphy has been spelling Davis at first base and, while he’ll never be confused with Keith Hernandez, he’s been almost passable, although Jose Reyes may disagree after having been charged with at least two errors on throws that most first basemen would have made.
At this point though, any expectations I might have had for this season have been pretty much dashed. A team can’t possibly absorb all these injuries without a negative effect. So any win will be a welcome win, and somewhat of a surprise. But this team, despite everything, continues to be entertaining, although I’m probably more easily amused than are most people.
Jonathan Niese has now gone 5 full innings and he’s just rolling along. With Dickey down with a fascia tear, and Chris Young down with a shoulder for the season, and Pelfrey being up and down, maybe it’ll be Niese we’ll soon be calling the ace of this staff. Now that’s a scary proposition.
But newbie Dillon Gee has been pretty impressive in a starting role, sporting a 3.83 ERA at present and most teams would take that kind of performance in a heartbeat, especially for a number 5 starter. As long as Capuano can keep his end up, the staff really isn’t that bad.
The relievers should bounce back after their recent letdown. And that might be the most important ingredient of all. When that part of their game was holding up, the Mets were tough down the stretch, making all the plays they needed. But, of course, the reverse was true as well.
There should be some very entertaining baseball coming starting today with Pittsburgh coming to town for four games. But the Pirates aren’t the patsies they used to be. They may indeed have more proven major-league players than our Mets.
What is the true nature of this Mets team? Are they a AAA level team with a few ringers or are they a playoff-contender level major league team with more AAA fill-ins than would be optimal? Are they the team that lost 3 for every one victory or was that the result of great pitching opponents in Philadelphia and Chicago?
A family barbecue had interrupted these inane musings and now it’s Tuesday. The Mets won their finale against the Phillies and they beat the Pirates in their opening game. They did it without Jose Reyes and without Jason Bay. They banged out a zillion singles and just one double while Dillon Gee, Isringhausen and K-Rod limited the Pirates to 3 runs.
What does that mean though? The opposing pitcher was one Charlie Morton. The Pirates have been the perennial National League doormat. Their current 24-28 record is better than they’ve been in a dog’s age.
Willie Harris batted leadoff and played third base. Daniel Murphy batted cleanup. Pridie played left field and Tejada was at shortstop for Reyes. The amazing Justin Turner moved back to second base. It would be easier to laugh outloud at that lineup if they hadn’t promptly gone out and won with it.
It’s all been pretty mystifying. I don’t know what to root for anymore. Reyes will be out for a week now because of a death in his family in the Dominican Republic. Things can’t get much worse.
Even after the win last night though, I asked myself if I really enjoyed watching it. The word that best describes their success is “ephemeral”. Fans shouted for the Mets to keep Reyes the other night. Will they be able to do it?
It’s all very temporary. What you see today may not be here next week, never mind next year. Mets fans would be well-advised to roll with the punches.
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Happy Mets Fan
Before I get distracted by one more thing, let me get started here. It’s a rainy day, second day in a row actually, and I’ve had “alls I can stands” from indoor projects that I don’t even know how to do. And I’d really like to talk about, you guessed it, the Mets.
Okay, first an overview. The Mets are about a quarter way through the season (along with everyone else) and, beginning now, nobody can still say, “it’s early” and get away with it. I mean, before you know it, it’ll be June. That’s not early. The Mets are 19-21. The Yanks are 20-18, so they’re two games back of the Yankees. That’s not too shabby.
All the hitting I expected from this team in pre-season has arrived. Reyes and Beltran are tearing up the league. Wright and Bay are doing their plodding along but still pack some punch in a lineup. Ike Davis is hurt now but had been doing his best Carlos Delgado impersonation, without the smile and the notepad.
Who am I missing? Well, let’s see, the number 2 hitter is now Justin Turner and, since he knocked in 5 runs yesterday against the Astros, I really can’t pick on him too much. Josh Thole will spell him in the number two spot against righties and that’s all good too. Both these guys make contact, a la Luis Castillo, but with more power and much better timing as to just when they poke something.
The omnipresent Daniel Murphy is all over the place on the right side of the infield, spelling Davis now but also had looked pretty darned good at second, at least, better than everybody had once thought. And he’s at least nominally productive, scoring or driving in a run about 26% of the time. This stat, one of my favorites, just totals runs and ribbies divided by at-bats. Wright’s percentage is just 28% while Reyes’s average is only 22 ½ %, surprisingly enough. Since Reyes is batting at .310 with a .831 OPS and 14 steals though, his low production percentage can only be attributed to some pretty poor production both behind and in front of him.
Overall though, the Mets are 10th in runs scored which puts them in the top third of the entire league. Their pitching has held up admirably, especially in the relief category. Statistics for the season don’t really reflect that though as their poor start has mired them at just 24th in the league in ERA. It also reflects the poor starting pitching in general balanced only by really fine relief pitching.
It surprised me to find that the team leader in strikeouts and ERA is Chris Capuano at 34 and 4.78 respectively. Pelfrey is the leader in wins but with just three to his credit. Without getting too far into it, all the starters have been relatively bad, except for Chris Young, who’ll be out for the rest of the year.
But that doesn’t deter me from being optimistic. Except for Dickey, the starters are all beginning to come around. Ask yourself which starter makes you feel that the team has no chance that day. Pelfrey, Niese, Dillon Gee, Capuano and Dickey, I’ll take that rotation any day of the week. They’re all capable of at least keeping the team in the game.
With K-Rod closing, Isringhausen setting him up and Taylor Bucholz finishing up games, the Mets hitters have been paying attention for the entire game. I don’t have the stats on it but these Mets hitters seem to get better as the game wears on. I’m beginning to think the most important component of a team may very well be the quality of the relief pitching.
There’s nothing more demoralizing than losing games late because your relievers stink. That Houston team is the perfect example. They just wilt down the stretch. The Mets never seem to think they’re out of it, all of which makes it very easy to watch the entire game.
I won’t let myself get too excited about Santana’s return to the rotation though. I won’t let myself think too seriously about their chances for a wildcard either. As all one ever hears is that the Mets will be trading Beltran, Reyes and Wright away by the break, why should I let myself in for a letdown?
The Mets minor leagues are depleted of any real talent though. If Alderson and company think it’ll be necessary to trade any or all of them, Beltran, Reyes or Wright, I could very well live with the decision. What I don’t want to see is trading Wright and keeping Reyes or vice-versa. They should either both stay or both go.
Wright and Reyes have been the heart and soul of the Mets. It’d be too painful to split them up. In the back of my mind too, I can’t help thinking that they are both as responsible as anyone for the team’s frustrations these many years. Both have been spotty players overall, Reyes mostly because of injuries and Wright because of his failures to drive in runs in big spots. Wright gives every indication of being a head case. Who’s more erratic than David Wright?
As I’ve been a Mets fan as long as they’ve been in existence, I do think about the future too. It’d surely be nice to beef up the entire organization with young talent, especially in the pitching area. Each one of their trade candidates is marketable enough to garner some real talent in return. I’ll sacrifice 2011 for a team with a bright young future.
I’m pretty sure now that Sandy Alderson’s entire management team has been really professional. They’ve made prudent decisions on player acquisitions and don’t fill the news with scandal. The same can’t be said for their counterparts in the AL East.
And, speaking of the Yanks, it must be hard for Posada not to link himself with Jeter and Mariano, transferring their talents to himself.
Okay, first an overview. The Mets are about a quarter way through the season (along with everyone else) and, beginning now, nobody can still say, “it’s early” and get away with it. I mean, before you know it, it’ll be June. That’s not early. The Mets are 19-21. The Yanks are 20-18, so they’re two games back of the Yankees. That’s not too shabby.
All the hitting I expected from this team in pre-season has arrived. Reyes and Beltran are tearing up the league. Wright and Bay are doing their plodding along but still pack some punch in a lineup. Ike Davis is hurt now but had been doing his best Carlos Delgado impersonation, without the smile and the notepad.
Who am I missing? Well, let’s see, the number 2 hitter is now Justin Turner and, since he knocked in 5 runs yesterday against the Astros, I really can’t pick on him too much. Josh Thole will spell him in the number two spot against righties and that’s all good too. Both these guys make contact, a la Luis Castillo, but with more power and much better timing as to just when they poke something.
The omnipresent Daniel Murphy is all over the place on the right side of the infield, spelling Davis now but also had looked pretty darned good at second, at least, better than everybody had once thought. And he’s at least nominally productive, scoring or driving in a run about 26% of the time. This stat, one of my favorites, just totals runs and ribbies divided by at-bats. Wright’s percentage is just 28% while Reyes’s average is only 22 ½ %, surprisingly enough. Since Reyes is batting at .310 with a .831 OPS and 14 steals though, his low production percentage can only be attributed to some pretty poor production both behind and in front of him.
Overall though, the Mets are 10th in runs scored which puts them in the top third of the entire league. Their pitching has held up admirably, especially in the relief category. Statistics for the season don’t really reflect that though as their poor start has mired them at just 24th in the league in ERA. It also reflects the poor starting pitching in general balanced only by really fine relief pitching.
It surprised me to find that the team leader in strikeouts and ERA is Chris Capuano at 34 and 4.78 respectively. Pelfrey is the leader in wins but with just three to his credit. Without getting too far into it, all the starters have been relatively bad, except for Chris Young, who’ll be out for the rest of the year.
But that doesn’t deter me from being optimistic. Except for Dickey, the starters are all beginning to come around. Ask yourself which starter makes you feel that the team has no chance that day. Pelfrey, Niese, Dillon Gee, Capuano and Dickey, I’ll take that rotation any day of the week. They’re all capable of at least keeping the team in the game.
With K-Rod closing, Isringhausen setting him up and Taylor Bucholz finishing up games, the Mets hitters have been paying attention for the entire game. I don’t have the stats on it but these Mets hitters seem to get better as the game wears on. I’m beginning to think the most important component of a team may very well be the quality of the relief pitching.
There’s nothing more demoralizing than losing games late because your relievers stink. That Houston team is the perfect example. They just wilt down the stretch. The Mets never seem to think they’re out of it, all of which makes it very easy to watch the entire game.
I won’t let myself get too excited about Santana’s return to the rotation though. I won’t let myself think too seriously about their chances for a wildcard either. As all one ever hears is that the Mets will be trading Beltran, Reyes and Wright away by the break, why should I let myself in for a letdown?
The Mets minor leagues are depleted of any real talent though. If Alderson and company think it’ll be necessary to trade any or all of them, Beltran, Reyes or Wright, I could very well live with the decision. What I don’t want to see is trading Wright and keeping Reyes or vice-versa. They should either both stay or both go.
Wright and Reyes have been the heart and soul of the Mets. It’d be too painful to split them up. In the back of my mind too, I can’t help thinking that they are both as responsible as anyone for the team’s frustrations these many years. Both have been spotty players overall, Reyes mostly because of injuries and Wright because of his failures to drive in runs in big spots. Wright gives every indication of being a head case. Who’s more erratic than David Wright?
As I’ve been a Mets fan as long as they’ve been in existence, I do think about the future too. It’d surely be nice to beef up the entire organization with young talent, especially in the pitching area. Each one of their trade candidates is marketable enough to garner some real talent in return. I’ll sacrifice 2011 for a team with a bright young future.
I’m pretty sure now that Sandy Alderson’s entire management team has been really professional. They’ve made prudent decisions on player acquisitions and don’t fill the news with scandal. The same can’t be said for their counterparts in the AL East.
And, speaking of the Yanks, it must be hard for Posada not to link himself with Jeter and Mariano, transferring their talents to himself.
Monday, May 9, 2011
On Hitting and Just Looking
Hitters hit. It’s an axiom as old as baseball itself. It’s as true today as it ever was too, albeit somewhat diluted by steroid usage, the differences in home ballparks and the odd manager who keeps moving a batter around in the lineup.
I read the other day that only about 10 percent of players are being tested for steroids. That means that we’ll continue to see some big surprises, maybe even bigger than the shock to us all when Manny Ramirez tested positive. But the really smart cheaters won’t get caught. And, as long as the situation prevails, we’ll continue to see wildly aberrant performances. Some presumed hitters won’t hit.
Then there’re the ridiculous differences in the dimensions of ballparks. San Diego and New York Mets hitters won’t hit quite as well, or for as much power as those lucky enough to call Colorado or Philadelphia or Texas their home ballparks. In the course of a 162-game season, there isn’t a level playing field.
Then there are the odd brainiac managers who think they will re-invent the wheel. They’ll bat leadoff hitters third and vice-versa, not to mention moving lefties down against lefty pitchers and so on. It’s a manager’s prerogative of course to set the lineup and many of them totally abuse the responsibility.
There can be other variables involved in a batter’s performance too, not the least of which is a batter changing teams, moving from a small media outlet to a much larger one. I’m thinking of course of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez moving from Tampa Bay and San Diego respectively to the craziness of Boston. Or, closer to home, there were the first-year failures of Carlos Beltran and, more recently, Jason Bay.
Some short-term poor performances defy any explanation. Take David Wright. Here’s a great hitter who just won’t swing the bat, a guy who seems to have lost all confidence at the plate and a guy who has so far steadfastly refused to change his approach, either to stand closer to the plate or, from time to time, to stop swinging up at the ball.
Of course, there is something to be said for ignoring suggestions too. Take Derek Jeter. Try as he might to change his stride in order to get that bat around quicker, which just about everyone thought his 37-year-old wrists, arms and reaction-time just couldn’t do anymore, he just couldn’t do it. The very minute he stopped thinking, he started to hit again, in a very big way.
Then there is the curious case of Curtis Granderson. He was taught to change his approach so that he’d hit lefties better. He so far has been able to do just that. And, so far at least, he’s proven adaptable in just about every way. He’s been moved around in the batting order to no effect. He just keeps hitting and many of the balls he hits go a long way.
So it must be ego. A guy with just a touch of ego can take a good suggestion and run with it. He’ll recognize a shortcoming in his game and try to do something about it. The David Wrights of the world will not change. The little voices in their heads say no. You’ve been successful before. You’ll be successful again.
Do I have a point here? Actually, to be perfectly honest….no. It’s just that the entire subject of hitting is fascinating, in large part because it’s totally perplexing.
I have forgotten one other big variable and that is the manager’s approach to hitting, specifically that of wearing the opposing pitcher down by taking as many pitches per at-bat as possible. Terry Collins is obviously a very strong proponent of taking pitches. The David Wright’s of the world take the pitches in the middle of the plate and swing at balls in the dirt after taking two strikes.
The approach should be a little more specific than just taking as many pitches as possible. A batter has to have the opportunity to swing at a ball down the middle, no matter that it’s the first pitch, especially when facing pitchers with great control, the Cliff Lee’s and Tim Lincecum’s of the world.
Making matters worse for the Mets, many of the great pitchers in the game reside in their division, in Philadelphia and Atlanta and Florida. Take pitches against these teams and lose. Why even play the game? Just roll over and play dead. That’s exactly where you’ll be anyway. There are no rewards given out at season’s end for number of pitches taken.
Terry Collins strikes me as one of these guys who will treat everybody the same. He’ll treat David Wright the same as he’ll treat a Jason Pridie or a Justin Turner. Well, that’s just great. But it doesn’t work. David Wright is a hitter. Carlos Beltran is a hitter. Too many of the others are just not. All the players can’t be treated the same way.
There are enough obstacles to hitting. The pitchers are getting better. They’re all developing new pitches. The strike zone is made artificially big by umpires who just want to go home early. Added to that stupidity, there are the vindictive umpires who’ll continue to punish any player who has the temerity to question them. Ask Ike Davis about that phenomenon.
Given the Metsies incredibly bad start, a Mets fan really can’t be too unhappy with their current position. The players playing for contracts have been great. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are proving themselves worthy of big money. They’ve been hitters, are hitters right now and will probably be hitters in the future.
But Reyes swings at strikes. So does Beltran, no matter whether it’s the first pitch or not. Pitchers are afraid to walk Reyes. It’s the worst case scenario for them. Beltran is too smart for pitchers to have their way with.
A walk is not as good as a hit, David. Not feeling confident? Sit yourself down.
I read the other day that only about 10 percent of players are being tested for steroids. That means that we’ll continue to see some big surprises, maybe even bigger than the shock to us all when Manny Ramirez tested positive. But the really smart cheaters won’t get caught. And, as long as the situation prevails, we’ll continue to see wildly aberrant performances. Some presumed hitters won’t hit.
Then there’re the ridiculous differences in the dimensions of ballparks. San Diego and New York Mets hitters won’t hit quite as well, or for as much power as those lucky enough to call Colorado or Philadelphia or Texas their home ballparks. In the course of a 162-game season, there isn’t a level playing field.
Then there are the odd brainiac managers who think they will re-invent the wheel. They’ll bat leadoff hitters third and vice-versa, not to mention moving lefties down against lefty pitchers and so on. It’s a manager’s prerogative of course to set the lineup and many of them totally abuse the responsibility.
There can be other variables involved in a batter’s performance too, not the least of which is a batter changing teams, moving from a small media outlet to a much larger one. I’m thinking of course of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez moving from Tampa Bay and San Diego respectively to the craziness of Boston. Or, closer to home, there were the first-year failures of Carlos Beltran and, more recently, Jason Bay.
Some short-term poor performances defy any explanation. Take David Wright. Here’s a great hitter who just won’t swing the bat, a guy who seems to have lost all confidence at the plate and a guy who has so far steadfastly refused to change his approach, either to stand closer to the plate or, from time to time, to stop swinging up at the ball.
Of course, there is something to be said for ignoring suggestions too. Take Derek Jeter. Try as he might to change his stride in order to get that bat around quicker, which just about everyone thought his 37-year-old wrists, arms and reaction-time just couldn’t do anymore, he just couldn’t do it. The very minute he stopped thinking, he started to hit again, in a very big way.
Then there is the curious case of Curtis Granderson. He was taught to change his approach so that he’d hit lefties better. He so far has been able to do just that. And, so far at least, he’s proven adaptable in just about every way. He’s been moved around in the batting order to no effect. He just keeps hitting and many of the balls he hits go a long way.
So it must be ego. A guy with just a touch of ego can take a good suggestion and run with it. He’ll recognize a shortcoming in his game and try to do something about it. The David Wrights of the world will not change. The little voices in their heads say no. You’ve been successful before. You’ll be successful again.
Do I have a point here? Actually, to be perfectly honest….no. It’s just that the entire subject of hitting is fascinating, in large part because it’s totally perplexing.
I have forgotten one other big variable and that is the manager’s approach to hitting, specifically that of wearing the opposing pitcher down by taking as many pitches per at-bat as possible. Terry Collins is obviously a very strong proponent of taking pitches. The David Wright’s of the world take the pitches in the middle of the plate and swing at balls in the dirt after taking two strikes.
The approach should be a little more specific than just taking as many pitches as possible. A batter has to have the opportunity to swing at a ball down the middle, no matter that it’s the first pitch, especially when facing pitchers with great control, the Cliff Lee’s and Tim Lincecum’s of the world.
Making matters worse for the Mets, many of the great pitchers in the game reside in their division, in Philadelphia and Atlanta and Florida. Take pitches against these teams and lose. Why even play the game? Just roll over and play dead. That’s exactly where you’ll be anyway. There are no rewards given out at season’s end for number of pitches taken.
Terry Collins strikes me as one of these guys who will treat everybody the same. He’ll treat David Wright the same as he’ll treat a Jason Pridie or a Justin Turner. Well, that’s just great. But it doesn’t work. David Wright is a hitter. Carlos Beltran is a hitter. Too many of the others are just not. All the players can’t be treated the same way.
There are enough obstacles to hitting. The pitchers are getting better. They’re all developing new pitches. The strike zone is made artificially big by umpires who just want to go home early. Added to that stupidity, there are the vindictive umpires who’ll continue to punish any player who has the temerity to question them. Ask Ike Davis about that phenomenon.
Given the Metsies incredibly bad start, a Mets fan really can’t be too unhappy with their current position. The players playing for contracts have been great. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are proving themselves worthy of big money. They’ve been hitters, are hitters right now and will probably be hitters in the future.
But Reyes swings at strikes. So does Beltran, no matter whether it’s the first pitch or not. Pitchers are afraid to walk Reyes. It’s the worst case scenario for them. Beltran is too smart for pitchers to have their way with.
A walk is not as good as a hit, David. Not feeling confident? Sit yourself down.
Monday, April 18, 2011
C'mon Alderson Do Something!
Well, the Mets and Terry Collins pulled out all the stops to finally win a game after about 7 excruciating losses in a row. They did it not by eliminating relief appearances per se but by inserting starters in relief roles. Gee, do you think Terry is sending a message?
I get it, Terry. Hopefully, some of your relievers are tuned in. The one true reliever Collins did use was K-Rod, and, after providing a little angst of his own, Rodriguez finally closed the game and the losing streak out. Thank the pitching gods he didn’t choose to throw a strike to Chipper, the Mets-killer. I’ll take a little angst, and Chipper on first, rather than a game-tying dinger just about anytime.
Meanwhile, Dillon Gee finally got his chance and absolutely made the most of it. Assuming that yesterday’s performance wasn’t a total aberration, that makes three starters Mets fans can count on half the time. Those would be Dickey, Niese and Gee. The supposed ace of the staff is still doing his best John Maine impersonation and Chris Young will hopefully return soon.
The lineup I so looked forward to seeing in the spring has yet to take the field, thanks of course to the fragile one, poor baby Jason Bay. God forbid his intercostals should give a little twinge. Meanwhile, even without Bay’s seeming abdication of his responsibility to the Mets, two players I thought I could count on, Angel Pagan and David Wright, have totally stunk out the joint.
Wright plays only for himself. No matter what the situation, he’ll be swinging for that right field fence every time up. This isn’t lost on opposing pitchers, of course, so they’ll keep taking advantage of Wright’s stupidity and arrogance. So Wright will just keep striking out or flying out to right until he’s hopefully traded.
Angel Pagan has been horrible. He looks totally uncomfortable at the plate, all scrunched up in his ridiculous crouch, taking the good pitches while waiting for a suddenly timid Reyes, except for yesterday, finally attempt a steal. Reyes finally seems to have gotten over his hesitation and hopefully a resurgence of Pagan’s bat will follow.
Of course, all things haven’t been bad but you can’t win if only 3 or 4 players are pulling their weight. The only Mets anyone could possibly be happy with have been Ike Davis, Carlos Beltran, Josh Thole and Jose. None of the second basemen are working out, neither the vapid David Murphy nor the light-hitting Brad Emaus. I make myself sick rooting for Willie Harris to get another big hit. That’s totally absurd. I can’t sustain any interest this way. I’d rather watch some more pleasant comedy series.
I just heard that Bay will give things a try this Thursday against Houston. What a guy! I just wish Madoff had taken Bay’s millions. He certainly hasn’t done anything to deserve such good fortune. To quote Ralph Kramden, “the applicant is a BUM”.
Things are seldom as bad as they seem though. After all, the opponents have been mostly tough ones, the Rockies, the Braves and even the Marlins have very good pitching. In fact, the only putrid series result was the loss to Washington, a team that, while better this year than in previous seasons, is still not the equal, all things considered, of the Mets.
Another disturbing thing has been the Mets propensity for making the big mistake. Daniel Murphy has the baseball instincts of a cockroach, not that that makes any sense at all, but I did pick the right bug. There’s no rally killer like the guy with his head up his butt on the bases.
But Pagan has looked terrible in center and Beltran has looked awful in right. Is Willie Harris really our best outfielder? Omigosh!
Notwithstanding all the Mets foibles, they have to look better against the upcoming Astros, D-Backs and Nationals than they have versus the Rockies and Braves. Maybe all the Mets will get their confidence back when matched against opponents they think they can beat, starting with Mike Pelfrey, who never seems confident about anything.
Not that he should. That he won 15 games last year is a mystery to me, except that I do recall his ball sinking a lot and yet still maintaining control. That guy is gone. On a team that needs some leadership, the veterans are badly letting their teammates down. Of the core players, only Jose Reyes has shown himself to be the same guy he was in some (well, a couple anyway)of his wonder years.
And I wonder how much Collins has to do with this lackluster play. Is he one of those managers that veterans find impossible to play for? That was supposedly his history. And I could well believe it. You won’t find a more boring speaker, one who says the same thing over and over and over again. I find myself wishing he’d use a synonym once in a while.
In any event, this Mets team is clearly not having a good time, not enjoying the game, and not playing aggressively. They’re playing like a bunch of guys just going through the motions. It’s really hard to watch a team like that. Compare that lassitude to the Rangers or the Rockies or even the Phillies. There’s just no comparison.
And let’s stop the nonsense about Daniel Murphy. Yeah, yeah, he’s a nice guy, I’m sure, and nobody tries harder, yada yada, but the man can’t play the game. How many years of stupid clumsy baseball do we have to see from this guy before we get him out? I’ve had it with Murphy; his time is up.
Bring back that smooth-fielding little guy who played second base last year. Luis started to hit toward the end of the year and he was a terrific defender to watch, a guy who could turn the momentum of a game with a magic glove and good arm.
Come on, Alderson. Do something.
I get it, Terry. Hopefully, some of your relievers are tuned in. The one true reliever Collins did use was K-Rod, and, after providing a little angst of his own, Rodriguez finally closed the game and the losing streak out. Thank the pitching gods he didn’t choose to throw a strike to Chipper, the Mets-killer. I’ll take a little angst, and Chipper on first, rather than a game-tying dinger just about anytime.
Meanwhile, Dillon Gee finally got his chance and absolutely made the most of it. Assuming that yesterday’s performance wasn’t a total aberration, that makes three starters Mets fans can count on half the time. Those would be Dickey, Niese and Gee. The supposed ace of the staff is still doing his best John Maine impersonation and Chris Young will hopefully return soon.
The lineup I so looked forward to seeing in the spring has yet to take the field, thanks of course to the fragile one, poor baby Jason Bay. God forbid his intercostals should give a little twinge. Meanwhile, even without Bay’s seeming abdication of his responsibility to the Mets, two players I thought I could count on, Angel Pagan and David Wright, have totally stunk out the joint.
Wright plays only for himself. No matter what the situation, he’ll be swinging for that right field fence every time up. This isn’t lost on opposing pitchers, of course, so they’ll keep taking advantage of Wright’s stupidity and arrogance. So Wright will just keep striking out or flying out to right until he’s hopefully traded.
Angel Pagan has been horrible. He looks totally uncomfortable at the plate, all scrunched up in his ridiculous crouch, taking the good pitches while waiting for a suddenly timid Reyes, except for yesterday, finally attempt a steal. Reyes finally seems to have gotten over his hesitation and hopefully a resurgence of Pagan’s bat will follow.
Of course, all things haven’t been bad but you can’t win if only 3 or 4 players are pulling their weight. The only Mets anyone could possibly be happy with have been Ike Davis, Carlos Beltran, Josh Thole and Jose. None of the second basemen are working out, neither the vapid David Murphy nor the light-hitting Brad Emaus. I make myself sick rooting for Willie Harris to get another big hit. That’s totally absurd. I can’t sustain any interest this way. I’d rather watch some more pleasant comedy series.
I just heard that Bay will give things a try this Thursday against Houston. What a guy! I just wish Madoff had taken Bay’s millions. He certainly hasn’t done anything to deserve such good fortune. To quote Ralph Kramden, “the applicant is a BUM”.
Things are seldom as bad as they seem though. After all, the opponents have been mostly tough ones, the Rockies, the Braves and even the Marlins have very good pitching. In fact, the only putrid series result was the loss to Washington, a team that, while better this year than in previous seasons, is still not the equal, all things considered, of the Mets.
Another disturbing thing has been the Mets propensity for making the big mistake. Daniel Murphy has the baseball instincts of a cockroach, not that that makes any sense at all, but I did pick the right bug. There’s no rally killer like the guy with his head up his butt on the bases.
But Pagan has looked terrible in center and Beltran has looked awful in right. Is Willie Harris really our best outfielder? Omigosh!
Notwithstanding all the Mets foibles, they have to look better against the upcoming Astros, D-Backs and Nationals than they have versus the Rockies and Braves. Maybe all the Mets will get their confidence back when matched against opponents they think they can beat, starting with Mike Pelfrey, who never seems confident about anything.
Not that he should. That he won 15 games last year is a mystery to me, except that I do recall his ball sinking a lot and yet still maintaining control. That guy is gone. On a team that needs some leadership, the veterans are badly letting their teammates down. Of the core players, only Jose Reyes has shown himself to be the same guy he was in some (well, a couple anyway)of his wonder years.
And I wonder how much Collins has to do with this lackluster play. Is he one of those managers that veterans find impossible to play for? That was supposedly his history. And I could well believe it. You won’t find a more boring speaker, one who says the same thing over and over and over again. I find myself wishing he’d use a synonym once in a while.
In any event, this Mets team is clearly not having a good time, not enjoying the game, and not playing aggressively. They’re playing like a bunch of guys just going through the motions. It’s really hard to watch a team like that. Compare that lassitude to the Rangers or the Rockies or even the Phillies. There’s just no comparison.
And let’s stop the nonsense about Daniel Murphy. Yeah, yeah, he’s a nice guy, I’m sure, and nobody tries harder, yada yada, but the man can’t play the game. How many years of stupid clumsy baseball do we have to see from this guy before we get him out? I’ve had it with Murphy; his time is up.
Bring back that smooth-fielding little guy who played second base last year. Luis started to hit toward the end of the year and he was a terrific defender to watch, a guy who could turn the momentum of a game with a magic glove and good arm.
Come on, Alderson. Do something.
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.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Beyond the Croaaroads
The Mets are scary bad. And the worst of it is that the guys who need to perform the best when it counts wind up doing the worst. I’m talking about Jose Reyes and David Wright especially but even Mike Pelfrey could qualify, depending upon your point of view.
Reyes was dreadful at shortstop. Wright was horrendous at third. (I know, I’m struggling for adjectives for bloody awful or, in Italian, “disgraziada”. Pelfrey hasn’t shown much for quite some time now but I was sure hoping it was a temporary thing, his lack of any stuff that can get outs.
So I’ve finally come down to earth. The Mets have some talent but they spit the bit when it counts, when the game is on the line. And you could say it was just one of those things, it was Atlanta where bad things always seem to haunt the Mets. But there is a pattern of failure among these “core” Mets. I miss Delgado….the Mets miss Delgado.
Delgado used to perform in the clutch, Delgado and his silly little notebook, recording the details of every single at-bat, scowling at his failures and lighting up the stadium with that wide smile of his….yeah, I think the Mets miss him too.
The most prestigious batter is now Beltran, Beltran, who hit all those homers for Houston way back before the Mets signed him, Beltran who could play center in his sleep, always gliding, moving fast but not really seeming to, and bangin’ the ball around the yard with pretty good regularity.
But there is that at-bat against Wainwright in his history too. And he was part of the collapses that mark this franchise. And let’s not forget his penchant for trying to steal third all the time, at the worst times, and almost always failing to do so.
Beltran went hitless yesterday. He’s now batting .215. You can’t really lead with numbers like that. He’ll come on eventually, it is to be hoped, but it’ll be too late. And I’m not even trying to pick on Beltran. But the Mets needed something last night.
The best player for the Mets yesterday was Luis Castillo. He managed 2 of the 6 hits they got and didn’t make any critical errors, as did Wright and Reyes twice. Josh Thole, the new catcher, got a big hit in a big situation. That’s just two of the eight positions in the lineup though.
Everybody picks on Castillo. I even belittled him mercilessly when he dropped that third out popup by Arod last year. And maybe he doesn’t have the range that you’d like to see. But he’s a pretty nifty second baseman more often than not. He’s usually doing the right thing at the right time, something you can’t really say about Reyes, most notably, but also Wright and Beltran.
The future of this franchise looks good though. Ike Davis, for example, has been remarkably clutch this year despite his miscue last night. Josh Thole looks very promising at the all-important catcher position. And they look to be guys who’ll lift their game when it counts.
But, for now, it’s just Reyes and Wright and Beltran. Jason Bay is hiding out somewhere and I don’t think any of the Mets are sorry about that. He almost never delivered of his promise either. He wasn’t the spectacular failure of an Ollie Perez but he was more of a quietly consistent one. And his DL stint makes it easier to field 3 pretty good outfielders. That’s assuming Francoeur is good, of course, but he’s dangerous only if he gets a fastball over the plate. Great arm though.
As a team, these guys just don’t measure up. When the chips are down, when they find themselves in Atlanta or Philadelphia or Florida, or when they’re playing another determined team, they come out second best.
When your stars fold up their tents, when they keep swinging over any pitch that breaks, when they fail to make the big double play because they don’t feel like making that tough throw to first with a guy in their face, when they make side-arm throws that go astray or make throws without setting themselves because it looks so good when it works, that’s when the game is over.
Much as the game was over last night. Maybe they just don’t like Takahashi. God knows that Japanese fellow was trying his best. But his teammates let him down, time after time after time. It became difficult to watch. It was that ugly.
I’d sit Reyes for a while. He looks like a guy who’s tired, who’s not having fun, who’s a little tired of playing the game. Wright was never a slick third baseman but it seems to me that he’s getting worse. I’d sit him more often. But there isn’t even a backup for third base on the roster, as unbelievable as that might seem.
I’ll be looking to the future now. I’m guessing Omar Minaya will be gone and I suppose the broom, when it comes on by, will take Jerry Manuel right along with him. That move seems inevitable, although the GM Minaya has a couple of years left on his contract. If the 16 mill Ollie Perez situation doesn’t take him out, it’ll be the 16 mill Jason Bay mistake.
I think some trades of any of these “core” guys are warranted. There have just been too many failures. I would trade Reyes in a minute. He doesn’t even steal bases anymore. Then I’d look to unload Bay and then Beltran. They’d have to be more successful somewhere else. I’d trade them while their residual value is still pretty high. Bay’s fortunes especially could reasonably be expected to soar in another city. Boston comes immediately to mind.
The Mets are beyond the crossroads. There have been several of them actually. The Mets missed the right path every time. It’ll be no different in Philadelphia.
The Mets need a drastic change.
Reyes was dreadful at shortstop. Wright was horrendous at third. (I know, I’m struggling for adjectives for bloody awful or, in Italian, “disgraziada”. Pelfrey hasn’t shown much for quite some time now but I was sure hoping it was a temporary thing, his lack of any stuff that can get outs.
So I’ve finally come down to earth. The Mets have some talent but they spit the bit when it counts, when the game is on the line. And you could say it was just one of those things, it was Atlanta where bad things always seem to haunt the Mets. But there is a pattern of failure among these “core” Mets. I miss Delgado….the Mets miss Delgado.
Delgado used to perform in the clutch, Delgado and his silly little notebook, recording the details of every single at-bat, scowling at his failures and lighting up the stadium with that wide smile of his….yeah, I think the Mets miss him too.
The most prestigious batter is now Beltran, Beltran, who hit all those homers for Houston way back before the Mets signed him, Beltran who could play center in his sleep, always gliding, moving fast but not really seeming to, and bangin’ the ball around the yard with pretty good regularity.
But there is that at-bat against Wainwright in his history too. And he was part of the collapses that mark this franchise. And let’s not forget his penchant for trying to steal third all the time, at the worst times, and almost always failing to do so.
Beltran went hitless yesterday. He’s now batting .215. You can’t really lead with numbers like that. He’ll come on eventually, it is to be hoped, but it’ll be too late. And I’m not even trying to pick on Beltran. But the Mets needed something last night.
The best player for the Mets yesterday was Luis Castillo. He managed 2 of the 6 hits they got and didn’t make any critical errors, as did Wright and Reyes twice. Josh Thole, the new catcher, got a big hit in a big situation. That’s just two of the eight positions in the lineup though.
Everybody picks on Castillo. I even belittled him mercilessly when he dropped that third out popup by Arod last year. And maybe he doesn’t have the range that you’d like to see. But he’s a pretty nifty second baseman more often than not. He’s usually doing the right thing at the right time, something you can’t really say about Reyes, most notably, but also Wright and Beltran.
The future of this franchise looks good though. Ike Davis, for example, has been remarkably clutch this year despite his miscue last night. Josh Thole looks very promising at the all-important catcher position. And they look to be guys who’ll lift their game when it counts.
But, for now, it’s just Reyes and Wright and Beltran. Jason Bay is hiding out somewhere and I don’t think any of the Mets are sorry about that. He almost never delivered of his promise either. He wasn’t the spectacular failure of an Ollie Perez but he was more of a quietly consistent one. And his DL stint makes it easier to field 3 pretty good outfielders. That’s assuming Francoeur is good, of course, but he’s dangerous only if he gets a fastball over the plate. Great arm though.
As a team, these guys just don’t measure up. When the chips are down, when they find themselves in Atlanta or Philadelphia or Florida, or when they’re playing another determined team, they come out second best.
When your stars fold up their tents, when they keep swinging over any pitch that breaks, when they fail to make the big double play because they don’t feel like making that tough throw to first with a guy in their face, when they make side-arm throws that go astray or make throws without setting themselves because it looks so good when it works, that’s when the game is over.
Much as the game was over last night. Maybe they just don’t like Takahashi. God knows that Japanese fellow was trying his best. But his teammates let him down, time after time after time. It became difficult to watch. It was that ugly.
I’d sit Reyes for a while. He looks like a guy who’s tired, who’s not having fun, who’s a little tired of playing the game. Wright was never a slick third baseman but it seems to me that he’s getting worse. I’d sit him more often. But there isn’t even a backup for third base on the roster, as unbelievable as that might seem.
I’ll be looking to the future now. I’m guessing Omar Minaya will be gone and I suppose the broom, when it comes on by, will take Jerry Manuel right along with him. That move seems inevitable, although the GM Minaya has a couple of years left on his contract. If the 16 mill Ollie Perez situation doesn’t take him out, it’ll be the 16 mill Jason Bay mistake.
I think some trades of any of these “core” guys are warranted. There have just been too many failures. I would trade Reyes in a minute. He doesn’t even steal bases anymore. Then I’d look to unload Bay and then Beltran. They’d have to be more successful somewhere else. I’d trade them while their residual value is still pretty high. Bay’s fortunes especially could reasonably be expected to soar in another city. Boston comes immediately to mind.
The Mets are beyond the crossroads. There have been several of them actually. The Mets missed the right path every time. It’ll be no different in Philadelphia.
The Mets need a drastic change.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Relief Needed - for the Mets and Jersey
Aah, another July in New Jersey, smack in the middle of a hot streak that’s gone on for about a week already, what more could we want? Relief, you say? Well, we might get some from the weather but not from the Mets, who seem locked in on this “win one, lose one” pattern for quite a while now.
That pattern was achieved against the Washingtons and Floridas of the world. One would have to think the Cincinnatis and Atlantas, the upcoming set of series, of the world would make things even tougher. And so it seemed last night as the Mets lost the Reds opener, 8-6, mostly because of Mike Pelfrey and Joey Votto.
Joey Votto now has 21 homers and 59 rbi’s and he’s hitting .318. He hit two of those last night and that second one that gave the Reds an insurance run in the 6th after the Mets came within a run of tying the game in the bottom of that ridiculous fifth inning. Pelfrey was pretty bad last night, something that hasn’t happened to him for quite some time. He gets a pass from me for being 10-3 and helping keep the Mets in the race all season.
But Mike looks ridiculously hittable lately to me. That fact, along with his penchant for walks, sours me on his prospects for the rest of the season, and I no longer am entertaining any fantasies about him winning 20 games. I had been thinking for a while that he’d be challenging Johan for dominance. But I don’t think that anymore.
Santana had a pretty miserable June himself, but he really looked pretty good in his last outing on July 1st. Even though he didn’t pick up a win, as, once again, the Mets didn’t hit in his behalf, he showed he hasn’t lost his fastball altogether and showed the command of an ace, giving up just 1 run over 6 complete.
I’m counting on Santana in the second half. I don’t want to put all my marbles on Jonathon Niese, who went 4-0 in June, but is just a second-year (for all intents) guy. And, as much as I’ve loved the performances we’ve gotten from the knuckleballer, R.A. Dickey, I just can’t seem to muster any real faith that his ridiculously good season can continue.
Dickey got smacked around by the Marlins back on June 28th to end his 6-game winning streak. I thought, “Well, that’s the end for him.” But then on July 3rd, he came right back to pitch great against the Nationals, going 7 full innings while allowing no earned runs.
K-Rod lost that one for him, but, once again, K-Rod gets a free pass from me too, as he’s been pretty damned consistent if a little less than lights-out. Ideally, he could stop scaring everyone half to death all the time before he finally extinguishes the fire he’s started. But, realistically, who’d you rather have as your closer?
That leaves Takahashi to discuss. He’s been still another mostly pleasant surprise all season long despite his getting banged around by Detroit and the Marlins before righting his ship against the Nationals. Word is that he’s supposed to go back to the bullpen. But that’s if and when the Mets acquire another starter and I won’t be holding my breath on that happening. Yeah, I know, “ye of little faith.”
But really, if I can look forward to winning a game with any of these Mets starters, I’m not going to be really upset. And God only knows what Omar will give up for another real-live starter. I mean, this is the guy who traded away Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore and (gasp) Cliff Lee for Bartolo Colon. (I heard that just the other night from Cohen and I still can’t believe it).
Yeah, a large portion of our success will depend upon these relievers holding up. Perpetual Pedro has been great, more or less, but then there’re some question marks from a consistency standpoint. Parnell’s been better than okay after his return but Igarashi and Nieve have been a little disappointing. And I never expect too much from Dessens, who always looks older than me.
(Uruguay has just tied the Dutch at 1-1 on a beautiful long strike from Forlan. I thought they’d have no chance without Suarez, he of handball fame).
With John Maine and Ollie Perez still on the roster though, albeit on the disabled list right now, it’ll be very difficult to justify picking up another starter. I could better imagine Omar picking up a reliever. After all, that is what the Mets need right now. If they pick up another starter, they’d just move Takahashi to the pen. But there’s no guarantee he’ll be better in the pen than he’s been as a starter.
In any event, the Mets are currently two games behind the division leading Braves and at their current winning percentage, they’ll likely win 90 games. I don’t think that will be sufficient to win the division. It’s definitely wildcard territory, I suppose, but just barely in all likelihood.
(Netherlands just missed a scoring opportunity; maybe they will actually lose this World Cup right here).
(Unbelievable! The Dutch just scored on a dribbler deflection).
It’d sure be nice if Reyes gets back in the lineup really soon. Especially against a high-scoring team like the Reds, we need Reyes in there. The Mets missed his defense bigtime the other day and Ruben Tejada just doesn’t inspire me (or the Mets apparently).
At least Angel Pagan is back, and Jason Bay seems to be playing with more confidence. He seems less tentative and less content to settle for a walk in big situations. But, even with Wright, Pagan and Bay swinging torrid bats, against the Cincinnatis and Atlantas of the world, we still need to get Reyes back in there to win.
We need relief, in the bullpen, in the lineup, and most certainly from this horrible Jersey July.
HTML Hit Counters
That pattern was achieved against the Washingtons and Floridas of the world. One would have to think the Cincinnatis and Atlantas, the upcoming set of series, of the world would make things even tougher. And so it seemed last night as the Mets lost the Reds opener, 8-6, mostly because of Mike Pelfrey and Joey Votto.
Joey Votto now has 21 homers and 59 rbi’s and he’s hitting .318. He hit two of those last night and that second one that gave the Reds an insurance run in the 6th after the Mets came within a run of tying the game in the bottom of that ridiculous fifth inning. Pelfrey was pretty bad last night, something that hasn’t happened to him for quite some time. He gets a pass from me for being 10-3 and helping keep the Mets in the race all season.
But Mike looks ridiculously hittable lately to me. That fact, along with his penchant for walks, sours me on his prospects for the rest of the season, and I no longer am entertaining any fantasies about him winning 20 games. I had been thinking for a while that he’d be challenging Johan for dominance. But I don’t think that anymore.
Santana had a pretty miserable June himself, but he really looked pretty good in his last outing on July 1st. Even though he didn’t pick up a win, as, once again, the Mets didn’t hit in his behalf, he showed he hasn’t lost his fastball altogether and showed the command of an ace, giving up just 1 run over 6 complete.
I’m counting on Santana in the second half. I don’t want to put all my marbles on Jonathon Niese, who went 4-0 in June, but is just a second-year (for all intents) guy. And, as much as I’ve loved the performances we’ve gotten from the knuckleballer, R.A. Dickey, I just can’t seem to muster any real faith that his ridiculously good season can continue.
Dickey got smacked around by the Marlins back on June 28th to end his 6-game winning streak. I thought, “Well, that’s the end for him.” But then on July 3rd, he came right back to pitch great against the Nationals, going 7 full innings while allowing no earned runs.
K-Rod lost that one for him, but, once again, K-Rod gets a free pass from me too, as he’s been pretty damned consistent if a little less than lights-out. Ideally, he could stop scaring everyone half to death all the time before he finally extinguishes the fire he’s started. But, realistically, who’d you rather have as your closer?
That leaves Takahashi to discuss. He’s been still another mostly pleasant surprise all season long despite his getting banged around by Detroit and the Marlins before righting his ship against the Nationals. Word is that he’s supposed to go back to the bullpen. But that’s if and when the Mets acquire another starter and I won’t be holding my breath on that happening. Yeah, I know, “ye of little faith.”
But really, if I can look forward to winning a game with any of these Mets starters, I’m not going to be really upset. And God only knows what Omar will give up for another real-live starter. I mean, this is the guy who traded away Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore and (gasp) Cliff Lee for Bartolo Colon. (I heard that just the other night from Cohen and I still can’t believe it).
Yeah, a large portion of our success will depend upon these relievers holding up. Perpetual Pedro has been great, more or less, but then there’re some question marks from a consistency standpoint. Parnell’s been better than okay after his return but Igarashi and Nieve have been a little disappointing. And I never expect too much from Dessens, who always looks older than me.
(Uruguay has just tied the Dutch at 1-1 on a beautiful long strike from Forlan. I thought they’d have no chance without Suarez, he of handball fame).
With John Maine and Ollie Perez still on the roster though, albeit on the disabled list right now, it’ll be very difficult to justify picking up another starter. I could better imagine Omar picking up a reliever. After all, that is what the Mets need right now. If they pick up another starter, they’d just move Takahashi to the pen. But there’s no guarantee he’ll be better in the pen than he’s been as a starter.
In any event, the Mets are currently two games behind the division leading Braves and at their current winning percentage, they’ll likely win 90 games. I don’t think that will be sufficient to win the division. It’s definitely wildcard territory, I suppose, but just barely in all likelihood.
(Netherlands just missed a scoring opportunity; maybe they will actually lose this World Cup right here).
(Unbelievable! The Dutch just scored on a dribbler deflection).
It’d sure be nice if Reyes gets back in the lineup really soon. Especially against a high-scoring team like the Reds, we need Reyes in there. The Mets missed his defense bigtime the other day and Ruben Tejada just doesn’t inspire me (or the Mets apparently).
At least Angel Pagan is back, and Jason Bay seems to be playing with more confidence. He seems less tentative and less content to settle for a walk in big situations. But, even with Wright, Pagan and Bay swinging torrid bats, against the Cincinnatis and Atlantas of the world, we still need to get Reyes back in there to win.
We need relief, in the bullpen, in the lineup, and most certainly from this horrible Jersey July.
HTML Hit Counters
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The Mets and Everything Else
I just can’t focus on baseball anymore. I don’t know what it is. Well, yeah, actually I do. The Mets are playing in the worst stadium in the world out in Puerto Rico against the Marlins and everybody on the team seemed as if they were sleeping.
It’s not just that the Mets lost. It was how they lost. Reyes actually mishandled a ground ball on that awful artificial turf, J. R. Dickey’s knuckler wasn’t knuckling in the high heat and humidity, and, wonder of wonders, Jason Bay actually hit a homer. That was when I was sure I was in the bizarro world.
Anyway, it didn’t feel like a major league game, it didn’t look like a major league game, and it smelled like something very distasteful, except to dogs, who of course will eat anything and usually leave whatever’s left on my lawn.
Two more of these and I’ll begin throwing up.
Truth be told, I’m getting a little concerned. When Santana doesn’t pitch like Santana, there’s every reason to worry. When Angel Pagan isn’t playing, I fret a little more. And the fellow playing second base concerns me a little (Tejada).
But then I remember we’re still not into the break, and, all things considered, if you had told me the Mets would be in contention at the break back in May, I would’ve been thrilled. Those were really the dog days of Gary Matthews and Mike Jacobs, John Maine and Ollie Perez, Reyes batting third, and Omar and Manuel worrying big-time.
Everything they’ve done since those meager times has worked. Ike Davis, Takahashi (who pitches tonight), Jonathan Niese, Reyes back leading off, and all is Wright with the world, heh-heh.
So why worry? Enjoy and try to forget about the soccer for a while.
Watching Japan and Paraguay take it into overtime, or extra time to be exact, I’m thinking it might be more exciting to get on my roof and remove the disgusting wet leaves from behind the chimney. After watching just about every game, or pieces of every game, I’ve come to one conclusion…soccer’s fun to watch if either team has any real strikers.
Otherwise, it’s watching grass grow. As excited as I was to see the U.S. team do so well, they were lucky to score , pouncing on rebounds more often than not. They had teamwork, no doubt, they played hard, but the closest thing they had to a striker, Altidore, just never seemed to get anything done. He could run, he could jump, he could spin, he could do everything but look like a striker.
If he were a wide receiver in football, he’d be Braylon Edwards, a guy who can do all those great athletic things, but catching the ball is not usually one of them.
And soccer needs to take advantage of technology. Either use instant replay on goal chances or get refs who can see, or who don’t cheat. They’re worse than the MLB umps behind the plate if that’s even remotely possible. The officiating in FIFA’s premiere event has been horrendous, costing the U.S. at least two goals and practically eliminating England from the tournament.
Watching the Dodgers play the Yankees the other night, Jonathan Broxton, the great Dodgers closer, got no strike calls on the corners while Mariano Rivera struck a Dodger out on a ball at least a foot outside. It’s disgusting really. The only reason there isn’t more of an outcry is that the baseball season is so long. And they say the calls tend to even out. I say….not always.
At least Wimbledon’s been exciting. I’ve been half watching those matches and it’s nice to have a changing of the guard, which seems to be happening to a large extent, especially on the women’s side. Venus Williams just lost to an unknown with great legs named Pironkova and Clijsters just lost too. And I’m watching now a great match between a Kanepi and Kvitova.
Of course, Serena’s still in there so I’ll be sure to NOT watch the final. Watching her match against Sharapova, it was kind of amusing to see her waste one of her hateful , baleful stares at the umpire for what she perceived as a bad line call, only then to realize that she could challenge if she so desired, which she of course did not. If only she were half as classy as her sister Venus…..
Japan and Paraguay are in a shootout as this is written. I wonder if the umps can screw this up. Paraguay scores on their first attempt. (This is pretty cool). Endo now scores for Japan. Paraguay goes up 2-1…just barely. Japan ties it. So far the shots have been great. Paraguay scores once again as the goalie guesses wrong. Now Japan misses, hitting the bar. Things look bleak for Japan. Paraguay hits again. Japan has to put this next one in and does, right down the middle as he fakes the goalie out. Now Paraguay calmly puts their last shot into the net. Cool finish for sure.
On the LeBron front, the Nets just dumped Xi, thank God, and increased their number under the cap so they can grab two premium free agents. If you think they have any chance of landing LeBron, you’re really an optimist, and really nuts.
I still think King James will wind up in Chicago. And good riddance. I can’t imagine what brand of team basketball would ever be played with a James on the team. I know one thing. Whoever gets him better have a center. If not, they won’t be getting past LA.
But soccer, tennis, basketball and football are only background music, especially prior to the Fourth Of July. I’ll just feel better when the Amazin’s are back in the good ol’ USA and back in a real live major-league stadium, if not the friendly confines of CitiField.
And a nice pick-me-up for the dog days of August would be a big, live-armed pitcher.
It’s not just that the Mets lost. It was how they lost. Reyes actually mishandled a ground ball on that awful artificial turf, J. R. Dickey’s knuckler wasn’t knuckling in the high heat and humidity, and, wonder of wonders, Jason Bay actually hit a homer. That was when I was sure I was in the bizarro world.
Anyway, it didn’t feel like a major league game, it didn’t look like a major league game, and it smelled like something very distasteful, except to dogs, who of course will eat anything and usually leave whatever’s left on my lawn.
Two more of these and I’ll begin throwing up.
Truth be told, I’m getting a little concerned. When Santana doesn’t pitch like Santana, there’s every reason to worry. When Angel Pagan isn’t playing, I fret a little more. And the fellow playing second base concerns me a little (Tejada).
But then I remember we’re still not into the break, and, all things considered, if you had told me the Mets would be in contention at the break back in May, I would’ve been thrilled. Those were really the dog days of Gary Matthews and Mike Jacobs, John Maine and Ollie Perez, Reyes batting third, and Omar and Manuel worrying big-time.
Everything they’ve done since those meager times has worked. Ike Davis, Takahashi (who pitches tonight), Jonathan Niese, Reyes back leading off, and all is Wright with the world, heh-heh.
So why worry? Enjoy and try to forget about the soccer for a while.
Watching Japan and Paraguay take it into overtime, or extra time to be exact, I’m thinking it might be more exciting to get on my roof and remove the disgusting wet leaves from behind the chimney. After watching just about every game, or pieces of every game, I’ve come to one conclusion…soccer’s fun to watch if either team has any real strikers.
Otherwise, it’s watching grass grow. As excited as I was to see the U.S. team do so well, they were lucky to score , pouncing on rebounds more often than not. They had teamwork, no doubt, they played hard, but the closest thing they had to a striker, Altidore, just never seemed to get anything done. He could run, he could jump, he could spin, he could do everything but look like a striker.
If he were a wide receiver in football, he’d be Braylon Edwards, a guy who can do all those great athletic things, but catching the ball is not usually one of them.
And soccer needs to take advantage of technology. Either use instant replay on goal chances or get refs who can see, or who don’t cheat. They’re worse than the MLB umps behind the plate if that’s even remotely possible. The officiating in FIFA’s premiere event has been horrendous, costing the U.S. at least two goals and practically eliminating England from the tournament.
Watching the Dodgers play the Yankees the other night, Jonathan Broxton, the great Dodgers closer, got no strike calls on the corners while Mariano Rivera struck a Dodger out on a ball at least a foot outside. It’s disgusting really. The only reason there isn’t more of an outcry is that the baseball season is so long. And they say the calls tend to even out. I say….not always.
At least Wimbledon’s been exciting. I’ve been half watching those matches and it’s nice to have a changing of the guard, which seems to be happening to a large extent, especially on the women’s side. Venus Williams just lost to an unknown with great legs named Pironkova and Clijsters just lost too. And I’m watching now a great match between a Kanepi and Kvitova.
Of course, Serena’s still in there so I’ll be sure to NOT watch the final. Watching her match against Sharapova, it was kind of amusing to see her waste one of her hateful , baleful stares at the umpire for what she perceived as a bad line call, only then to realize that she could challenge if she so desired, which she of course did not. If only she were half as classy as her sister Venus…..
Japan and Paraguay are in a shootout as this is written. I wonder if the umps can screw this up. Paraguay scores on their first attempt. (This is pretty cool). Endo now scores for Japan. Paraguay goes up 2-1…just barely. Japan ties it. So far the shots have been great. Paraguay scores once again as the goalie guesses wrong. Now Japan misses, hitting the bar. Things look bleak for Japan. Paraguay hits again. Japan has to put this next one in and does, right down the middle as he fakes the goalie out. Now Paraguay calmly puts their last shot into the net. Cool finish for sure.
On the LeBron front, the Nets just dumped Xi, thank God, and increased their number under the cap so they can grab two premium free agents. If you think they have any chance of landing LeBron, you’re really an optimist, and really nuts.
I still think King James will wind up in Chicago. And good riddance. I can’t imagine what brand of team basketball would ever be played with a James on the team. I know one thing. Whoever gets him better have a center. If not, they won’t be getting past LA.
But soccer, tennis, basketball and football are only background music, especially prior to the Fourth Of July. I’ll just feel better when the Amazin’s are back in the good ol’ USA and back in a real live major-league stadium, if not the friendly confines of CitiField.
And a nice pick-me-up for the dog days of August would be a big, live-armed pitcher.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Can't Be Distracted from Good Mets Baseball
Just like old times watching Aaron Heilman on the mound for Arizona trying to save it for the DBacks. He walks Jeter, walks Swisher….let’s see, there must be a Yankee he’s willing to pitch to. If he decides to pitch to Teixeira, it could get ugly.
Teixeira goes to 0 and 2. Now a foul ball. He gets Teixeira on a hard ground ball to first but the runners move up. Arod then sac flies Jeter…tie score…blown save… Heilman strikes again. He walks Cano intentionally. Let’s see if he can push the Yanks out of reach totally for an Arizona comeback.
Oh baby! He gets Cervelli to 0 and 2. He might just get out of this with just the blown save. And he does it! He strikes out Cervelli on a hard outside fastball. I’m glad the DBacks have him though. I had enough Heilman for several lifetimes as a Met.
Meanwhile, actually several hours ago, the Mets won again. And R.A. Dickey won again! It looked easy for him too. But Manuel didn’t let him finish it out. He figured K-Rod needed the work, they pointed out from the booth, a booth that actually contained Jerry Seinfeld for a while today. Perfect….Keith, Jerry and Gary Cohen. Nirvana.
But it’s been hard for me to concentrate on baseball at all, what with all the soccer action. (Granderson just hit one out for the Yanks to put them ahead). Watching the Americans squander opportunity after opportunity was driving me to distraction. When Donovan finally kicked in an easy one off a rebound, it was long overdue but no less welcome.
What a finish! It’s great to hear some nice things about this American team after two relatively lackluster performances against England and then Slovenia. But the win yesterday not only got them into the second round, it got them first place in Group C, which gives them Ghana and not Germany. That will probably wind up being big.
I can’t say though that I think Ghana will be any easier than any of the other tough games the Americans have played. On both offense and defense, they seem rather ordinary. They either get lots of lost scoring chances or let in an easy one, or give the crooked officials (I now, that’s way harsh but really) a chance to take the scores away.
But they wound up winning Group C. Pretty amazing, considering England was in the same Group C. Not that I found the Orange particularly good. So maybe the USA is for real, whatever that might wind up meaning. To me, the South Americans look pretty good in this tournament but I suppose we’ll be finding out in good time who’re the real soccer powers in 2010.
Another distraction from baseball for me has been Wimbledon. There’s nothing quite like warm weather and good tennis and white togs on everybody. But today’s action was ridiculous, one match going into a quite ridiculous number of sets in the longest match of all time. And it actually wound up being boring. That’s way too long….go with the tie breaker
Then there’s the drama surrounding LeBron James as to where he’ll be packing his sneakers next year, and almost as much intrigue as to how the NBA Draft will play out, for our local Nets especially. I’m thinking LeBron will wind up with Chicago when all is said and done. He’s from Cleveland, and Chicago’s not that far from home, compared to New York. And things worked out pretty well for Michael Jordan in Chicago.
What a way to make them forget Jordan! Play in the same town, win a few Championships and it’ll be Michael Who? I think Miami will be too hot, New York or New Jersey will be too iffy, and LA will be too slick. It’ll be Chicago.
And as for the Nets, unless Rod Thorn is the best actor in the world, he doesn’t sound sold on any of the players that will be there for his turn at number three. So there’ll be a trade in the Nets future. It’s anybody’s guess who they may be eying. I keep reading about power forwards they might want, and how the top available guys just aren’t optimal.
Maybe new Nets owner Prokhorov will bring in a big Russian, someone along the lines of the gigantic Russian in Rocky III. At least it would be more interesting.
Despite all the background noise though, it would be hard to be totally distracted from the Mets. They’ve been playing great baseball for quite some time now, and, as the core of this team has come on, Reyes and Wright especially, so have the Mets.
Reyes was big again last night, leading off the game with a big triple and then getting stranded but Reyes wasn’t done yet. With two outs in the third, he singled, stole second and scored the game’s first run when Wright delivered a big double. In the 5th, he hit a long homer to right, longer than you’d have thought possible.
Detroit finally managed to get him out in the 7th but by then the game was over. Dickey was rolling and the Tigers were toothless. So it wound up 5-0 at the end of things and the Mets were never threatened. They had achieved another CitiField win, a commonplace event in this remarkable 2010 season.
So Wright and Reyes have been finally fulfilling expectations. Jason Bay, even with his four hits the previous night, still seems too happy to walk in every at-bat, a trait that really isn’t that easy to understand from a guy who’s supposed to drive in runs.
But all’s well for the Mets. Except for the latest muckraking concerning Johan Santana, just about everything’s looking good. I’m hoping Pagan isn’t too seriously hurt after his removal from the game yesterday. Angel Pagan has been amazing.
So good in fact that Mets fans are now hoping Beltran just stays right where he is.
Teixeira goes to 0 and 2. Now a foul ball. He gets Teixeira on a hard ground ball to first but the runners move up. Arod then sac flies Jeter…tie score…blown save… Heilman strikes again. He walks Cano intentionally. Let’s see if he can push the Yanks out of reach totally for an Arizona comeback.
Oh baby! He gets Cervelli to 0 and 2. He might just get out of this with just the blown save. And he does it! He strikes out Cervelli on a hard outside fastball. I’m glad the DBacks have him though. I had enough Heilman for several lifetimes as a Met.
Meanwhile, actually several hours ago, the Mets won again. And R.A. Dickey won again! It looked easy for him too. But Manuel didn’t let him finish it out. He figured K-Rod needed the work, they pointed out from the booth, a booth that actually contained Jerry Seinfeld for a while today. Perfect….Keith, Jerry and Gary Cohen. Nirvana.
But it’s been hard for me to concentrate on baseball at all, what with all the soccer action. (Granderson just hit one out for the Yanks to put them ahead). Watching the Americans squander opportunity after opportunity was driving me to distraction. When Donovan finally kicked in an easy one off a rebound, it was long overdue but no less welcome.
What a finish! It’s great to hear some nice things about this American team after two relatively lackluster performances against England and then Slovenia. But the win yesterday not only got them into the second round, it got them first place in Group C, which gives them Ghana and not Germany. That will probably wind up being big.
I can’t say though that I think Ghana will be any easier than any of the other tough games the Americans have played. On both offense and defense, they seem rather ordinary. They either get lots of lost scoring chances or let in an easy one, or give the crooked officials (I now, that’s way harsh but really) a chance to take the scores away.
But they wound up winning Group C. Pretty amazing, considering England was in the same Group C. Not that I found the Orange particularly good. So maybe the USA is for real, whatever that might wind up meaning. To me, the South Americans look pretty good in this tournament but I suppose we’ll be finding out in good time who’re the real soccer powers in 2010.
Another distraction from baseball for me has been Wimbledon. There’s nothing quite like warm weather and good tennis and white togs on everybody. But today’s action was ridiculous, one match going into a quite ridiculous number of sets in the longest match of all time. And it actually wound up being boring. That’s way too long….go with the tie breaker
Then there’s the drama surrounding LeBron James as to where he’ll be packing his sneakers next year, and almost as much intrigue as to how the NBA Draft will play out, for our local Nets especially. I’m thinking LeBron will wind up with Chicago when all is said and done. He’s from Cleveland, and Chicago’s not that far from home, compared to New York. And things worked out pretty well for Michael Jordan in Chicago.
What a way to make them forget Jordan! Play in the same town, win a few Championships and it’ll be Michael Who? I think Miami will be too hot, New York or New Jersey will be too iffy, and LA will be too slick. It’ll be Chicago.
And as for the Nets, unless Rod Thorn is the best actor in the world, he doesn’t sound sold on any of the players that will be there for his turn at number three. So there’ll be a trade in the Nets future. It’s anybody’s guess who they may be eying. I keep reading about power forwards they might want, and how the top available guys just aren’t optimal.
Maybe new Nets owner Prokhorov will bring in a big Russian, someone along the lines of the gigantic Russian in Rocky III. At least it would be more interesting.
Despite all the background noise though, it would be hard to be totally distracted from the Mets. They’ve been playing great baseball for quite some time now, and, as the core of this team has come on, Reyes and Wright especially, so have the Mets.
Reyes was big again last night, leading off the game with a big triple and then getting stranded but Reyes wasn’t done yet. With two outs in the third, he singled, stole second and scored the game’s first run when Wright delivered a big double. In the 5th, he hit a long homer to right, longer than you’d have thought possible.
Detroit finally managed to get him out in the 7th but by then the game was over. Dickey was rolling and the Tigers were toothless. So it wound up 5-0 at the end of things and the Mets were never threatened. They had achieved another CitiField win, a commonplace event in this remarkable 2010 season.
So Wright and Reyes have been finally fulfilling expectations. Jason Bay, even with his four hits the previous night, still seems too happy to walk in every at-bat, a trait that really isn’t that easy to understand from a guy who’s supposed to drive in runs.
But all’s well for the Mets. Except for the latest muckraking concerning Johan Santana, just about everything’s looking good. I’m hoping Pagan isn’t too seriously hurt after his removal from the game yesterday. Angel Pagan has been amazing.
So good in fact that Mets fans are now hoping Beltran just stays right where he is.
Friday, June 4, 2010
It's the Core, Stupid!
A day of rest, that’s just what the Mets needed, and that goes for their fans too. I know I surely needed one. That last loss to the Padres was excruciating. One strike away from the win they were, and just little David Eckstine at the plate. Oh well.
I won’t be picking on anybody today, not even Ollie Perez. I’ll try to stay away from Gary Matthews too. The fact is that they’re just a .500 team, one among many it seems in a league that’s showing a lot of parity this year. Once you accept that simple truism, the team is a really interesting one to watch, even when Keith (Hernandez, the 3rd guy in the booth) takes still another day off.
I mean….what other team has every player on it being almost psychotically streaky . Name me one everyday player who shows any consistency. Bay? Certainly not. Reyes? Oh please. Wright? I don’t think so. When Barajas, the catcher, leads the team in rbi’s, that’s pathetic, I’m sorry, even if the total number is pretty high.
Yeah, I guess Castillo and Ike Davis have been consistent, but even as good as they’ve been, their total potential impact just isn’t that great (although Ike has won a few games for them, come to think of it).
Right now, for example, Reyes is hot. Francoeur is hot too but those two are five spots apart in the batting order. Even Reyes doesn’t steal home that often. He may have stolen 2nd and 3rd and induced a balk to get home once or twice, but it’s a 162-game season. They just, as a team, don’t score that many runs(17th), especially when Santana’s on the mound.
A typical batting sequence might have Reyes getting on, Castillo moving him over, Bay striking out and Wright popping up. They just don’t put things together that often. And they don’t get big hits. But when the pitching is good, as very often it has been, the whole team plays a lot better, not at the plate certainly but in every other aspect.
Their core players are just not getting it done, or, I should say, haven’t got it done so far this year.
Bay, for example, is hitting a respectable .295 right now and leads the team in runs scored but his OPS is just .829 while his average career OPS is .892. He’s the type of hitter that hits a lot of long balls that get caught. When they’re not caught, it’ll be a double. He just hasn’t been able to get that ball over the wall this year. I hate to say he’s got “warning track power” but that’s been his story this year.
David Wright is hitting .267. He’s got a marginally better OPS than Bay, and 9 home runs, which is probably better than many fans expected, but he just hasn’t produced as often as you’d expect. If he were better in big spots, the low batting average wouldn’t make as much of a difference, but alas, he’s been the guy who strikes out, the guy who pops up, the guy who makes that final out.
Reyes’s numbers are very revealing. He’s batting a paltry .248. And, even with 30 runs scored, that’s just not enough from a player such as Reyes has been. It surprised me to discover that Reyes’s career average OPS is .764, pretty impressive for a shortstop, but his current OPS is a ridiculously poor .638. That’s 150 points off his average.
That’s the real story of the Mets season thus far. That’s not what you’ll read in the news stories though. You’ll hear about Perez refusing to get sent down and Francoeur fixing his swing, even though he’s always fixing his swing. You’ll see stories about Pelfrey, who has been a great revelation this year, or Takahashi, who has generally been good wherever they’ve put him in the rotation. You’ll see stories about the need for another starter, arguably the biggest Mets story of the year.
But it’s all baloney. The Mets are currently 12th in ERA in both leagues, just two spots down from the Yankees, who can boast of possessing Sabathia and Burnett and Pettitte and Hughes. And that nice ERA number has been achieved despite the woes of John Maine and Oliver Perez, both who have been predictably horrible.
The pitching staff deserves kudos for their resiliency, at the very least. A big reason for that is the fact that the Japanese duo of Takahashi and Igarashi have been great, although Igarashi obviously returned to active duty too soon after his injury. Recently R.A. Dickey, the knuckleballer from the minors, has been great. Niese, before he got hurt, had been a pleasant surprise.
The Mets now have a rotation of Santana, Pelfrey, Niese, Takahashi and Dickey. That’s not too shabby. On the relief side there are K-Rod and Feliciano, and Igarashi, who should return to form soon. Then take your pick of Nieve or Mejia or even Dessens. Valdez has been a disappointment, but, in the grand scheme , it’s been a small thing.
Another huge distraction has been Carlos Beltran’s continued absence from the lineup. But Angel Pagan has done a great job in centerfield. He’s also been pretty damned good at the plate, presently sporting a .784 OPS. I consider him a mini-5-tool-guy. The guy does everything pretty darned well.
So I don’t pay too much attention to the stories. The real problem has been the core, or what’s left of it, after the loss of Beltran and Delgado. I’ll ignore the melodrama surrounding the return of Niese and who’ll get dropped from the roster as a result. It just isn’t that significant. Gee, maybe they’ll drop Matthews, who’s deserved a much worse fate than he has thus far experienced.
Reyes has to keep his recent hot streak going. Bay has to start hitting the ball with authority. Wright has to hit the ball more often.
It’s the core, stupid!
I won’t be picking on anybody today, not even Ollie Perez. I’ll try to stay away from Gary Matthews too. The fact is that they’re just a .500 team, one among many it seems in a league that’s showing a lot of parity this year. Once you accept that simple truism, the team is a really interesting one to watch, even when Keith (Hernandez, the 3rd guy in the booth) takes still another day off.
I mean….what other team has every player on it being almost psychotically streaky . Name me one everyday player who shows any consistency. Bay? Certainly not. Reyes? Oh please. Wright? I don’t think so. When Barajas, the catcher, leads the team in rbi’s, that’s pathetic, I’m sorry, even if the total number is pretty high.
Yeah, I guess Castillo and Ike Davis have been consistent, but even as good as they’ve been, their total potential impact just isn’t that great (although Ike has won a few games for them, come to think of it).
Right now, for example, Reyes is hot. Francoeur is hot too but those two are five spots apart in the batting order. Even Reyes doesn’t steal home that often. He may have stolen 2nd and 3rd and induced a balk to get home once or twice, but it’s a 162-game season. They just, as a team, don’t score that many runs(17th), especially when Santana’s on the mound.
A typical batting sequence might have Reyes getting on, Castillo moving him over, Bay striking out and Wright popping up. They just don’t put things together that often. And they don’t get big hits. But when the pitching is good, as very often it has been, the whole team plays a lot better, not at the plate certainly but in every other aspect.
Their core players are just not getting it done, or, I should say, haven’t got it done so far this year.
Bay, for example, is hitting a respectable .295 right now and leads the team in runs scored but his OPS is just .829 while his average career OPS is .892. He’s the type of hitter that hits a lot of long balls that get caught. When they’re not caught, it’ll be a double. He just hasn’t been able to get that ball over the wall this year. I hate to say he’s got “warning track power” but that’s been his story this year.
David Wright is hitting .267. He’s got a marginally better OPS than Bay, and 9 home runs, which is probably better than many fans expected, but he just hasn’t produced as often as you’d expect. If he were better in big spots, the low batting average wouldn’t make as much of a difference, but alas, he’s been the guy who strikes out, the guy who pops up, the guy who makes that final out.
Reyes’s numbers are very revealing. He’s batting a paltry .248. And, even with 30 runs scored, that’s just not enough from a player such as Reyes has been. It surprised me to discover that Reyes’s career average OPS is .764, pretty impressive for a shortstop, but his current OPS is a ridiculously poor .638. That’s 150 points off his average.
That’s the real story of the Mets season thus far. That’s not what you’ll read in the news stories though. You’ll hear about Perez refusing to get sent down and Francoeur fixing his swing, even though he’s always fixing his swing. You’ll see stories about Pelfrey, who has been a great revelation this year, or Takahashi, who has generally been good wherever they’ve put him in the rotation. You’ll see stories about the need for another starter, arguably the biggest Mets story of the year.
But it’s all baloney. The Mets are currently 12th in ERA in both leagues, just two spots down from the Yankees, who can boast of possessing Sabathia and Burnett and Pettitte and Hughes. And that nice ERA number has been achieved despite the woes of John Maine and Oliver Perez, both who have been predictably horrible.
The pitching staff deserves kudos for their resiliency, at the very least. A big reason for that is the fact that the Japanese duo of Takahashi and Igarashi have been great, although Igarashi obviously returned to active duty too soon after his injury. Recently R.A. Dickey, the knuckleballer from the minors, has been great. Niese, before he got hurt, had been a pleasant surprise.
The Mets now have a rotation of Santana, Pelfrey, Niese, Takahashi and Dickey. That’s not too shabby. On the relief side there are K-Rod and Feliciano, and Igarashi, who should return to form soon. Then take your pick of Nieve or Mejia or even Dessens. Valdez has been a disappointment, but, in the grand scheme , it’s been a small thing.
Another huge distraction has been Carlos Beltran’s continued absence from the lineup. But Angel Pagan has done a great job in centerfield. He’s also been pretty damned good at the plate, presently sporting a .784 OPS. I consider him a mini-5-tool-guy. The guy does everything pretty darned well.
So I don’t pay too much attention to the stories. The real problem has been the core, or what’s left of it, after the loss of Beltran and Delgado. I’ll ignore the melodrama surrounding the return of Niese and who’ll get dropped from the roster as a result. It just isn’t that significant. Gee, maybe they’ll drop Matthews, who’s deserved a much worse fate than he has thus far experienced.
Reyes has to keep his recent hot streak going. Bay has to start hitting the ball with authority. Wright has to hit the ball more often.
It’s the core, stupid!
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