Yeah, Jose is hurt again and Murphy’s down too. And it’s true that Santana and Ike Davis won’t be returning soon. But look at the bright side. We’ll get to see even more guys moving up from Buffalo which, thus far, hasn’t really been detrimental.
And there really hasn’t been in a big dip in the standings. This Mets team keeps hanging around the .500 mark, not that they’re going anywhere. The Phillies have been playing light out and the Mets are 17 games behind. And they’re really not close to the Braves either for the wildcard.
The Mets have played gallantly under the circumstances and last night’s game may have been their finest effort of the year. With the entire infield seemingly playing musical chairs all game (which may have led to Murphy’s injury while playing second base), they hung close all game and won the game in the bottom of the ninth against one of the better closers in the National League.
In my last column, I just killed a couple of players, notably Pelfrey, Pagan and Duda. But after last night, Duda gets a reprieve. Pagan gets a nod for playing well last night but whether he’ll keep it going is anybody’s guess. And it would take a few perfect games in a row to change my mind about Pelfrey. He comes up the shortest when he’s needed the most, time after time after time.
It’s all about the future for our Metsies, the present having been rendered totally irrelevant. Sandy Alderson will have to make some sense out of this, um, mess? I hesitate to characterize this current team as a mess though. There are several pretty serviceable players on board. And the pitching hasn’t really been bad either.
I’d like to rid the roster of symbols of losing. To me, that means Pagan has to go. He may go to another team and shine for a while but I’m just tired of looking at him. The same goes for Pelfrey. Other than those two though, Sandy can keep the rest. There really is a whole lot to like about the way they play, especially when they just hit and hit and hit some more.
Next year can’t come soon enough. Ike should be healthy (finally), Turner at second, Tejada at short and Wright at third should be a fine infield. Josh Thole’s been a pretty good catcher.
Jason Bay is starting to relax at the plate, an important factor. Duda will be adequate in right field and Jason Pridie does enough in center to not be embarrassing. I’d rather have him there than Pagan if only because he’d appreciate it more.
Pagan seems to be pouting all the time. “Ewww, I;m batting second, ewww I’m batting 5th, ewww I’m batting first”..get rid of him. He’s one of the only fast men in baseball who can’t run the bases. And he messes up in centerfield about two games out of seven. The man’s a menace. (Maybe it’s the beard).
We’d still have good ol’ Daniel Murphy to spell just about anybody anywhere. But the spots he can fill adequately are first and second. In any event the man can hit and can be a roving utility guy and pinch-hitter.
Free agency? Who knows? After the pirates in bankruptcy court get finished pillaging the Wilpons, who can say what will be left. It’s a long shot that we’ll keep Reyes. I’m beginning to think it’d be acceptable to let him go, especially in the face of dwindled resources. We need other pieces more, such as in the pen and in the outfield.
If there’s a point to all this, it’s just that Mets fans should have already forgotten about 2011. Think 2012 and beyond. The lawyers (and judges) may have finished stealing by then.
What can we do in the meantime? Well, there’re the Yankees of course. And there’s the NFL Jets and Giants. And oh yeah, there’s Rutgers football. Heh-heh.
I like the Yankees a lot more now that I’m playing Cano and Granderson 5 or 6 times a week on my fantasy team. Cano has been unspectacular but really steady. Granderson has been great. While I expected him to have a good year, he has exceeded all expectations. While I could wax poetic about him, the best thing I could write would simply be his stat line, currently .273, 28 homers, 86 rbi’s, a nice even 100 runs scored and 22 stolen bases.
But Granderson is more than just his stats. He plays a nice centerfield, he’ll hit anywhere in the lineup, and he picks up the balls that get away from the opposing catcher. A nicer guy you’ll never find.
Cano is the anti-Granderson. He’s a study in lack of intensity. But it’s only a façade. It’s just that he’s such a good baseball player that he seems to not be trying….anywhere. In the field, he just floats around; at the plate he seems asleep until the last moment when he absolutely rips at the ball. His line is .295, 18 homers, 75 rbi’s, 71 runs scored and 8 stolen bases, not too shabby for a guy who’s sleepwalking.
The Yanks are in trouble though. If even CC can’t beat the Red Sox, nobody can, at least none of the Yanks. AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes aren’t really what the Yanks expected while the others are better than expected but worse than will probably be required. Colon, Garcia, Nova? I don’t think so.
It’s looking more and more like a Phillies-Red Sox World Series although I suppose the Rangers or Giants could insinuate themselves into the picture. I’ve been mourning the Pirates lately and wondering what effect their demise will have on two of my fantasy guys, McCutchen and Neil Walker, two very nice players, especially McCutchen, and did I mention the Mets could use a centerfielder?
The baseball season seems over. Look to the Jets. The Giants are just marking time.
And, um, Rutgers?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Aybar Si, Verlander NO !
It’s been almost too hard to digest, all these player moves, both for baseball and football, all of them seemingly concentrated in one short week. And, speaking of “hard to digest”, there are the actions of Justin Verlander.
As for Plaxico Burress, I think he’ll be the perfect second passing option for the Jets, the first being Santonio Holmes, who was the first player the Jets went after. Burress has been working hard at staying in shape and, because he had two years rest, he’s a younger 34 than he would otherwise have been.
As for the Jets failing to sign the best available cornerback, that may also wind up in their favor, but only if they manage to re-sign Antonio Cromartie, who may have been insulted by the Jets courting of Asomuga. But what about stopping the run? Who’s worried about that? Their #3 draft choice, defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis, has some kind of deportation threat hanging over him.
The Giants have been predictably boring, like their coach and just about everything else about them. Unless you think dropping veteran offensive linemen and lying to your best pass rusher is sexy, the Giants off-season moves have been almost non-existent. And that’ll teach us to balk at ticket prices.
It’s much too early still to worry about. The Jets will be competitive at least. The Giants seem to be rebuilding. Maybe they figure the Eagles, who did get Asomugha, will be unbeatable. The Jets don’t seem too worried about the Pats acquisitions of Ochocinco and Haynesworth but I’m thinking maybe they should be.
Meanwhile, in MLB action (or lack thereof for the Mets and Yankees), some of my favorite teams made some moves that could pay off bigtime down the stretch. The Rangers got the relief pitching they desperately needed while the Pirates picked up some real live major league hitters in centerfielder Ryan Ludwick and first baseman Derrek Lee.
Meanwhile, teams I don’t particularly care for, the Phils and Cards and Braves, were also active, the Cards getting Rafael Furcal to man their shortstop position and a few relievers to help them out in the pen. The Braves picked up speedster Michael Bourne to spark their sometimes moribund offense. The Phils didn’t need much but should get more big lifts from Hunter Pence than he’s already provided.
I won’t recap all the changes though. Maybe the biggest highlights from a New York perspective were the absence of any moves by the Yankees. While everybody but the genius Cashman could have sworn the Yanks needed some starters, the Yanks are standing by their Colon, Garcia, Hughes, Burnett semi-achievers.
The Mets of course picked up nothing but cash and a pitching prospect in ridding themselves of K-Rod and Beltran, not that that kept them from playing some very decent baseball over the last five games or so. And, after I really jobbed Pagan and Pelfrey and Duda and Hairston in my last column, those guys all started to produce a little, thus proving that every dog does indeed have his day.
The most interesting baseball happening of the weekend, though, had nothing whatever to do with moves. Game action became its own soap opera in the Angels-Tigers game Sunday afternoon. It had everything you’d ever want in a baseball game and even some hockey games. And it gave me even one more player to hate, a not insignificant event.
That player, if you want to call him that, is Justin Verlander. Verlander was incensed that Angel Erick Aybar should have had the unmitigated gall to threaten his no-hitter by attempting a bunt. Yeah, he admitted later, it was just 3-nothing and it was still a game, but still…..he thinks it’s “bush”.
Well, I think Verlander is a self-important lout and moves right up there with Roger Clemens in arrogance and self-aggrandizement. I don’t care about his no-hitter. No-hitters have become a dime a dozen. People watch baseball, you giant fool of a Verlander, for the artistry and action of a baseball game.
How often has a successful bunt thrown an opposing pitcher off his game? The bunt attempt makes the pitcher move his fat butt. It throws him off his rhythm. A pitcher has to not only throw 100 miles an hour but also has to field his position. A walk’s as good as a hit and a bunt’s better than a walk when it works. That Aybar’s bunt was successful (Verlander threw the ball away) and did eventually bring the Angels within 3-2 only proves the point that Aybar was right.
I’m not much on the etymology of names, but I’m pretty sure that when northern Europeans needed a euphemism for a jackass, it was “Verlander”.
Verlander later indicated from the dugout that he’d next time plant a baseball in Aybar’s kidney. If he does carry his threat through, the gloves should come off from the commissioner’s office.
What made all this even more compelling was that Verlander’s pitching opponent was none other than Jered Weaver, who earlier had proved that Verlander would only be the second fool of the day, albeit a more disgusting one. At least Weaver had a better reason for throwing at somebody. In his mind, the Tigers were showing him up, God forbid.
Although Carlos Guillen did indeed put on a show after his home run, it was only in retaliation for Weaver’s earlier stare-down with Magglio Ordonez, who hadn’t immediately started running after his dinger. He had in fact only been watching to see if his batted ball would be fair or foul.
But Weaver gave him the long hard look that wasn’t at all appreciated by Ordonez or his teammates so, later on, when Guillen also connected, it was pretty much written in stone that he would try to rattle Weaver even further. Of course, he did, Weaver came totally undone and immediately threw one at Avila’s head.
Weaver was ejected, setting the stage for the later histrionics. But Weaver’s anger, though misplaced, was at least understandable. Verlander’s anger was just a product of enormous vanity.
As for Plaxico Burress, I think he’ll be the perfect second passing option for the Jets, the first being Santonio Holmes, who was the first player the Jets went after. Burress has been working hard at staying in shape and, because he had two years rest, he’s a younger 34 than he would otherwise have been.
As for the Jets failing to sign the best available cornerback, that may also wind up in their favor, but only if they manage to re-sign Antonio Cromartie, who may have been insulted by the Jets courting of Asomuga. But what about stopping the run? Who’s worried about that? Their #3 draft choice, defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis, has some kind of deportation threat hanging over him.
The Giants have been predictably boring, like their coach and just about everything else about them. Unless you think dropping veteran offensive linemen and lying to your best pass rusher is sexy, the Giants off-season moves have been almost non-existent. And that’ll teach us to balk at ticket prices.
It’s much too early still to worry about. The Jets will be competitive at least. The Giants seem to be rebuilding. Maybe they figure the Eagles, who did get Asomugha, will be unbeatable. The Jets don’t seem too worried about the Pats acquisitions of Ochocinco and Haynesworth but I’m thinking maybe they should be.
Meanwhile, in MLB action (or lack thereof for the Mets and Yankees), some of my favorite teams made some moves that could pay off bigtime down the stretch. The Rangers got the relief pitching they desperately needed while the Pirates picked up some real live major league hitters in centerfielder Ryan Ludwick and first baseman Derrek Lee.
Meanwhile, teams I don’t particularly care for, the Phils and Cards and Braves, were also active, the Cards getting Rafael Furcal to man their shortstop position and a few relievers to help them out in the pen. The Braves picked up speedster Michael Bourne to spark their sometimes moribund offense. The Phils didn’t need much but should get more big lifts from Hunter Pence than he’s already provided.
I won’t recap all the changes though. Maybe the biggest highlights from a New York perspective were the absence of any moves by the Yankees. While everybody but the genius Cashman could have sworn the Yanks needed some starters, the Yanks are standing by their Colon, Garcia, Hughes, Burnett semi-achievers.
The Mets of course picked up nothing but cash and a pitching prospect in ridding themselves of K-Rod and Beltran, not that that kept them from playing some very decent baseball over the last five games or so. And, after I really jobbed Pagan and Pelfrey and Duda and Hairston in my last column, those guys all started to produce a little, thus proving that every dog does indeed have his day.
The most interesting baseball happening of the weekend, though, had nothing whatever to do with moves. Game action became its own soap opera in the Angels-Tigers game Sunday afternoon. It had everything you’d ever want in a baseball game and even some hockey games. And it gave me even one more player to hate, a not insignificant event.
That player, if you want to call him that, is Justin Verlander. Verlander was incensed that Angel Erick Aybar should have had the unmitigated gall to threaten his no-hitter by attempting a bunt. Yeah, he admitted later, it was just 3-nothing and it was still a game, but still…..he thinks it’s “bush”.
Well, I think Verlander is a self-important lout and moves right up there with Roger Clemens in arrogance and self-aggrandizement. I don’t care about his no-hitter. No-hitters have become a dime a dozen. People watch baseball, you giant fool of a Verlander, for the artistry and action of a baseball game.
How often has a successful bunt thrown an opposing pitcher off his game? The bunt attempt makes the pitcher move his fat butt. It throws him off his rhythm. A pitcher has to not only throw 100 miles an hour but also has to field his position. A walk’s as good as a hit and a bunt’s better than a walk when it works. That Aybar’s bunt was successful (Verlander threw the ball away) and did eventually bring the Angels within 3-2 only proves the point that Aybar was right.
I’m not much on the etymology of names, but I’m pretty sure that when northern Europeans needed a euphemism for a jackass, it was “Verlander”.
Verlander later indicated from the dugout that he’d next time plant a baseball in Aybar’s kidney. If he does carry his threat through, the gloves should come off from the commissioner’s office.
What made all this even more compelling was that Verlander’s pitching opponent was none other than Jered Weaver, who earlier had proved that Verlander would only be the second fool of the day, albeit a more disgusting one. At least Weaver had a better reason for throwing at somebody. In his mind, the Tigers were showing him up, God forbid.
Although Carlos Guillen did indeed put on a show after his home run, it was only in retaliation for Weaver’s earlier stare-down with Magglio Ordonez, who hadn’t immediately started running after his dinger. He had in fact only been watching to see if his batted ball would be fair or foul.
But Weaver gave him the long hard look that wasn’t at all appreciated by Ordonez or his teammates so, later on, when Guillen also connected, it was pretty much written in stone that he would try to rattle Weaver even further. Of course, he did, Weaver came totally undone and immediately threw one at Avila’s head.
Weaver was ejected, setting the stage for the later histrionics. But Weaver’s anger, though misplaced, was at least understandable. Verlander’s anger was just a product of enormous vanity.
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.
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