Saw this from Joe DeMayo on Mike Silva’s NY Baseball Digest about the Snakes looking to get out from under Eric Byrnes contract and maybe there is a match with Gimp Castillo as the O-Dog is looking at free agency. Long time readers of this site know I’m a Byrnes-ie fan for a long time and he is just what the Mets need. Also if you listen to our gabfest with Frankie the Sports Guy you will here me say that I would go after A J Pierzynski and platoon him with Shrek Castro. Adding Byrnes and AJ that would be a start in the atitude adjusment the Mets sorely need.

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Just because the Mets season is over doesn’t mean we close up shop here at The Eddie Kranepool Society no way, the venom  machine will keep on churning all off season beside what you expect me to do actual work? HA HA so let’s start with some of the Mets news of the day

 

Last night I had the pleasure of joining Frankie the Sports Guy and his Night of 1,000 Mets Bloggers as we commiserated, chastised and vented like the angry Mets fans we are. When you listen to the show you’ll notice we did a through job of beating the shit out all in the Mets organization who deserved it and maybe some who didn’t (collateral damage) but I’m sure you will find down right entertaining.

 

The only thing worse than Sugarpants Wright not coming through in a big spot is his allegiance to the Cranky Old Man/MILF Presidential ticket. Also disturbing is this exchange that I read in what I consider the be all end all of journalism Page Six of the NY Post:

 

  David Wright the Mets slugging third baseman preferred talking politics to baseball after his choke-prone team blew a last chance at the playoffs Sunday. That night, Wright, a Republican who has dined with President Bush at the White House, was chatting with Kelly Hocklass, an African-American woman, at Duke’s Sports Bar on East 19th Street. A spy said, “[Wright] professed his love for [John] McCain and ‘hot hockey mom’ [Sarah Palin] and then told [Hocklass], ‘I’m a white boy from Virginia. Who do you think I’m voting for?’ ” Wright also told her, “You are being fooled by [Barack] Obama because of the color of your skin.” But Hocklass told us the two were just joking around. “We were just having a conversation,” she said. “I wear an Obama pin and said to him, ‘Don’t tell me you’re a McCain supporter.’ We started joking about being Democrat versus Republican. It was a typical conversation at a bar and not serious. We’re friends.”

 

Now my question is did Sugarpants hook up with Ms. Hocklass and rock his white boy world? That’s one way of knocking some sense into him.

 

Speaking of  White errrrrr I mean Wright I agree with Ball Buster Onley who says in his blog that you have to pay for that Wright should call John Smoltz and hook up with the sports psychologist that helped him early in his career. Then he needs to get with a PR guy to help him watch what he says in public places as well.

 

I’m not much for polls unless there is a female dangling from one but I was pleasantly surprised by the results in the one that ran in the Daily News today. 59 % of those who voted said the blame the players for the latest choke job and I agree 1,000 % as they are the ones who didn’t come through. 36 % blamed Omar and only 2 % but the blame on J-Man and the Skill Sets.

 

Also the fans spoke out against breaking up “The Core” by overwhelming vote to keep Reyes/Wright/Beltran/Delgado as the nucleus also Dan Murphy got big approval rating but the highest mark of 91 % to keep him, wow really? Poor Scott Schoeneweis has a worse approval rating than our first retarded president at 91% to dump him.

 

I may have something on the NLDS ALDS tomorrow but I’ll ask a question for today. How upset will you be as a Mets fan if the Tampa Bay Rays win the World Series and Scott Kazmir gets a ring and maybe an MVP? 

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Okay I’m thinking a little clearer this morning and after digesting a lot of news from the previous home of the New York Mets I still can’t get over the run of emotions that fell over me and my fellow Mets fans yesterday, so let’s look at the what the day and the season brought us.

 

Really, were you shocked that the Mets lost yesterday? It very easy to kill Scott Schonewise and Luis Ayala but we know what they are, not very good journeymen pitchers and the result yesterday was as expected. No one in the bullpen stepped up after Billy Wagner went down with injury. You can questioned Omar Minaya for not making some magic deal to get a closer but who did you want him to get and at what price? You think teams a ready to help the Mets win? Most teams are like those classless Marlins who couldn’t find the decentcy to leave the field quickly ago the Mets could begin their closing ceremony. That is a direct reflection on manager Freddi Gonzalez who is in charge of a team that if it were disbanded today, no one would give a rat’s ass about.  What Freddi and his little band of douchebags need to remember is at some point the Marlins will be dumping them as they make too much money especially Freddi Gonzalez who will be fired eventually and I bet he will calling Omar Minaya for a job.

 

Maybe the NYPD and the Skill Sets Rent a Cops should have harrased the Marlins off the field the way they were treating Mets fans yesterday. One thing the Skill Sets have to do is work on having the security force treat the customers with respect. Of all the ballparks and arenas I have gone to none are as rude and nasty as the people who work at Shea Stadium, especially the ushers and rent a cops. What is quite amazing is the Skill Sets own the Brooklyn Cyclones and there is no better place to go to watch a game than Keyspan Park where the people who work there are very fan friendly.

 

No need to go over all the scenarios about what the Mets need to do to improve the team even the little privilege prick Jeffey Wilpon knows that the bullpen has to has to be demolished and built from back to front starting with signing K-Rod by any means necessary. I usually hate giveing big money to relievers but with a half decent closer the Mets would have been NL East Champs. With a healthy Billy Wagner, we are making plans for October baseball that’s not a losers lament over injuries it’s just a stone cold fact.

 

Of course Heilman, Schoenweis, Castillo need to go but as I said a week ago if Omar Minaya does not put Carlos Beltran‘s name out there and I think I’d bait another pole with Jose Reyes name on it as well. Again it doesn’t mean you have to or want to move these players but you have to see who grabs the bait.

 

Bring back Carlos Delgado has Mosies Alou written all over it. But it makes sense in that you’d have to give him $4mil to leave and $12mil to stay so for the $8mil difference so it’s worth the risk to keep him.

 

Petey I love you but bye-bye.

 

Even though I’m ok with J-Man coming back to manage the Mets, watching Wally Backman walk the field at Shea has me wondering why not Wally? In fact why not any ex-Met. Look at the coaching staff, not an ex Metsie on it. As much as Old School Dan Warthen did a good job I wouldn’t mind having Bobby Ojeda in the dugout next year.

 

(EDIT: Holy shite, how could I forget HOJO Bad Job outta me )

 

Enough with the negativity and angst and sorrow of the 2008 season let talk about the closing ceremony. Yes, it should have been done before the game as no one was in the mood for celebrating. In fact many people were leaving in the 8^th inning THE 8^th INNING ARE YOU KIDDING!!!!!!!! (I know I said no more angst) Be that as it may the ceremony was fantastic. As every player was introduced I had a story for each guy because everyone who passed through those bullpen gates I saw in person which led my son to say “Dad, you are really old” Yes, yes I am and yesterday was the only time I was glad to be an old timer.

 

There is no excuse for not mentioning Bobby Valentine’s name and for not including Nelson Doubleday, the Payson-de Roulet Family and even M.Donald Scumbag. They are all vital parts of Mets and Shea Stadium history.

 

Poor George Foster still can get any love at Shea 

 

Of course seeing Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, and my guy Eddie Kranepool was special and brought me to my feet but the guys who touched me the most were guys like Cleon Jones, who when he was introduced I jumped out of my seat clapping like a trained seal yelling out “Yeah baby, .340 in 1969 that’s what I’m talking about” and having my wife and kids hang their heads like oh God here he goes. When George “The Stork” Theodore came out I felt a rush go though my body because if any player sums up the Mets and the history of this franchise it’s The Stork, gangly, wore glasses, not very good but always tried hard. My son asked me how good the Stork was as a player and I told him he is most remembered as being part of the worst collision of outfielders in baseball history when he and Don Hahn slammed into each other face first. I think that says it all right there.

 

When Doc Gooden came out I felt very emotional. Not just because of the pain and sorrow he has suffered and brought on his family with his addictions problem or for the fact that he threw away a brilliant career. I welled up because I was happy he was home and the fact that I always have the memory of watching him pitch back in the 80’s when Shea was Shea. When a Doc Gooden start was must see baseball. When I had a pony tail ahhhhhh great times.

 

I think it is safe to say that not only is it a lock that the first great event at the Skill Set Pleasure Palace will be the retiring of number 31 and also we can assume that Mike Piazza will be wearing a Mets cap on his HOF plaque.

 

I was glad to see my man Eddie Kranepool get such a nice ovation as he is a forgotten man in Mets history just look at the record books and he still is at the top or in the top 5 or7 in many lifetime offensive categories.

 

The biggest moment though for me yesterday (besides talking with Steve Sommers of WFAN before the game) was talking to Tom Seaver. Yes that’s right I got to talk to The Franchise. It wasn’t a one on one but I‘ll explain.

 

I didn’t want to leave as I said last night so before we got to the exit I stopped at the Lodge section and told my family “one more time please one more time” so they said fine and we went back in. I see a handful of people looking up to the press level and who is leaning out but Tom Seaver and he was having the time of his life. He was joking and smiling and not living up to his reputation as a hard ass. He was talking about Shea and I said to him “Tom I don’t want to leave in fact I’m thinking of becoming a squatter” Seaver laughed and said “I know how you feel it is hard leaving this place but I’ve seen the new park and you won’t be disappointed” Now I didn’t want to have a debate with the Franchise over cost of tickets and food and other stuff as this was not the time for that this was Tom Seaver talking to the flock. I then told Seaver how hard it is to leave here as I spent 44 summers here and it’s tough to let go. Seaver then asks me what my favorite memory was. I told him besides the World Series games I will never forget the Imperfect Game and how I’d love to ring Jimmy Qualls neck. Seaver gave a big hearty laugh and said “You want to ring his neck? How do you think I feel? With that I waved to Seaver and thanked him and said “Will we see you at $iti Field”? “You bet, replied Seaver so with that I turned and left Shea with the thought that the last moment I spent at Shea Stadium was saying so long to Tom Seaver.  On the ride home I thought of what he said and I pictured Seaver in his vineyard working the land and I picture him contemplating the night of July 9^th 1969 and the single to LF that broke up the Perfect Game.  

 

Who the hell am I kidding, I’ll be at $iti Field by hook or by crook on opening day beacuase of my addiction to this team and what makes it worse is that they know it too. They know I can’t stay away even when they try to price me out they know I’ll find a way to get to the games. I’m a lost cause. No hope. How many days until pitchers and catchers? 

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I’m emotionally and physically tired so I’ll be brief here as tomorrow when I’m thinking a little straighter and maybe a little calmer I might be able to put some thoughts down in a posting but I will say today was painful on a few fronts. First the fans were very pumped up and Mike Francesa can shut his big fat pie hole as EVERY seat in the stadium was filled. With Omar back and as it looks that J-Man will return as well there are going be some big decisions made here as this team has to be broken up. There is no way in hell the team as it is structured today can come back. One year of shitting the bed could be made to be an aberration but two years in a row? There’s a problem. But I’ll expand on that tomorrow and on what was just an outstanding closing ceremony but right now I’m just trying to sort out the day and how hard it was for me to leave Shea Stadium today. We got to the park at 11 AM took some pictures (I hope to post some) walked around in the rain and did not leave Shea until 7:30PM. As we headed for the exit at Gate E I was holding my daughters hand and we stopped and looked at her and said ” I don’t want to leave yet” and she was like “Oh Daddy please we need to go” and with that she dragged me out of the  place where I have spent the last 44 years of my springs, summers and some falls and I thought of all the times I thought of Shea Stadium as my daughter thought of me leaving “It’s time to go” How many times did I say that about Shea and now how sad I am that it will be no more and how all of a sudden I don’t think the Mets need a new home the old was was just fine.

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Yeah, J-Man that was “GANGSTA’

Johan got his Mets card today. No matter what happens tomorrow (or Monday) Johan Santana can now walk proudly among Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Doc Gooden, Mike PIazza and the other’s of the Mets Pantheon after his Amazin’ performance today. It was Santana’s “Messier Moment” as he stepped up and gave his team just what it needed with a devastating change up and a passion that I’ve been pleading with this team to display. Who the hell knows what will happen tomorrow? Will the Big Game OP show up or will Special Ed OP appear? We don’t know but I do know this I can’t wait to get to Shea tomorrow.

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I’m at the point where just get this over with and let me enjoy tomorrow’s closing ceremony at Shea. Let me celebrate Ed Kranepool, Tom Seaver, Banner Day, Jerry Koosman, Carvel in a baseball hat, Agee’s catch, Cleon Jones catch on one knee, Ron Swoboda, Al Weis, Jerry Grote, popcorn in a Mr. Met meg-a-phone, Mrs. Payson, Jane Jarvis, Rheingold Extra Dry, Manufactures Hanover, RC Cola, The Upper Deck, Mr. Met, Mike Vail, Mike Jorgensen, Tug McGraw, Willie Mays, Willie Montanez, Teddy Martinez, Gulden’s mustard, the 7 train, the 1964 World’s Fair, Lindsay, Ralph and Murph, my New York, New Jersey and Fairfield County Chrysler Plymouth Dealer, Gil Hodges, Doc and Daryl, Mike Piazza, Keith Hernadez, Kid Carter, Dykstra, Backman, Mookie, WOR Ch.9, Karl Ehhardt, Bobby Valentine, Craig Swan,   just to name a few things.

Check out Baseball Digest Daily podcast today as they talk with NY Daily News Mets beat writer Adam Rubin who give you the low down on the Mets latest tank job.

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The Mets are in a pennant race right? Did anyone tell that to the Mets? Gary, Keith and Ron couldn’t believe that (a) Shea was not filled even though over 50,000 tickets were sold for the game and (b) it seemed like, as Kevin Burkhardt said ” A Tuesday night in May against the Pirates”. It just shows that Mets fan have zero faith in this team as the Shea Faithful are exhausted, they’re exhausted because you just can’t go game after game with a bullpen that’s the baseball version of the Molotov Cocktail as it blows save after save and an offense that goes to sleep after the 6th inning. Tonight  just felt very very strange like the players and the fans feel this season is a lost cause.

While watching the post game presser, Warlord Jerry looked as perplexed as the rest of us. He’s at a loss for words as well but he did let us know that Johan Santana demanded the ball for tomorrow which is admirable but you just get the feeling, “what’s the point” as I’ve said ad nauseum this team lacks a killer instinct and never plays with an edge and that attitude has seeped into the fan base which I feel at this point has no faith in this team to get the job done.

I’m tired and I’m going to bed I just had to get that off my chest. Thanks for listening.

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“fools in love they think they’re heros

‘cause they get to feel no pain

I say, fools in love are zeros

I should know, I should know

Because this fools in love again”

 

Last night was like the Mets sending me a message for yesterday’s post. They were saying “Okay you bloviating blogger, you think we have no grit, no piss and vinegar, no fight? How do you like this?”

 

Like it? I love it. You’d think I was asking for Championships even though I want that badly but all I ask my team to do is to leave it all on the field. If you can go into the clubhouse and sit there and reflect on what just happened on the field and you can say I gave my all and your fan base can say “Yeah we lost but it was not without max effort” you can’t bitch to much about your team and last night the Mets gave you every ounce of effort in that win. As far as I’m concerned with three games left, I have no idea how this is going to end up but last night I was proud to be a Mets fan as the team gave me everything I want out of my team, believe me I’m not here for the championships as I said I want them and want them badly but as long as my team shows it wants to fight I’m behind them 100 %

 

I guess Ryan Church showed me when I compared him to Rev Jim. That slide in and around home plate last night will be played on video for years to come.

 

How can you not love Warlord Jerry? When asked about Church not going to 2^nd on the double steal that landed Beltran on 3^rd, but then scored the tying run with his slide from College Point, J- Man said “ I could have strangled him, but he did a good job on that slid” and of Danny Murphy’s brain fart by bunting with two strikes, J- Man slammed his hands on the dugout railing clearly pissed off at either Murph or Luis Aguayo (I doubt Aguayo gets to come back as 3^rd base coach next season) but when Murph came back to the dugout he put his arm around the kid and gave him some soothing words like “You ever bunt with two strikes again I’ll take out my blade and cut your ass”.    

 

Petey gave you all he had in the tank and it was great that the Shea Faithful gave him a big hand as he departed and he acknowledged them as well. We can debate Petey’s influence on the organization and I don’t hide the fact I’m a Petey fanboy but you can’t deny his guts and guile when it comes to pitching.

 

Where did the Cubs find this Micah Hoffpauir? Nottingham Forest?

 

When someone asks you why you’re a Mets fan, just show them a clip of last nights 8^th and 9^th inning. I think I’m going to keep a clip of it myself for when I get disgusted with this team and then watch that to make me realize why I get excited every game night at 7:10 PM Ramon Hernandez and Robinson Cancel reek of Mets. I wish I had a video of my reaction to Church being called safe with the tying run. My two cats were sleeping next to the couch and when the ump made the safe sign, I leapt up off the couch and screamed YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS! My cats jumped up like they were electrocuted and ran upstairs to our bedroom and hid under the bed.  

 

The Skill Sets have to find some way to honor or give those fans who stayed at Shea last night a ticket gratis to $iti Field next year.  I tip my blue and orange cap to you for not just hanging with the team but sitting in that awful weather. When the big mouth commentators in this town question the support of the Flushing fan base we have you guys to hold up as an example of what being a Mets fan is about.

 

I see the Mets and the Parks Department are stepping up security for the last days of Shea so no one takes home any souvenirs without paying the Skill Sets ransom price and if you’re caught taking anything you will be prosecuted. I guess I’ll have to sit my kids down tonight  to get them to implement my plan to take something from Shea. I can’t do it now as I don’t need a police record this late in my life but what could happen to my kids? A JD card maybe?. (There is a whole segment of the reading audience wondering what the fuck is a JD card?)

 

Word is that Doc Gooden will be at Shea on Sunday so I’ll take that as an omen that every little thing in this pennant race is gonna be all right.

 

Win or Lose I’m pretty sure I’ll go through a box or two of Kleenex on Sunday. When my kids were very little after our last visit to Shea each year I’d say to them “Say bye-bye to Shea, see you next spring” Now there will be no next spring for Shea but for a new house that I don’t know if I’ll be welcome in and if I am welcome, I don’t know if I can afford to get into.  With the way things are going with the economy though the guy that the Skill Sets want to grace their new McMansion of a ballpark; the martini swilling, caviar eating, couldn’t care less of the action on the field empty Brooks Brother wearing suit failed executive may be fighting for a spot outside the ball park with the guy who thinks he’s Jimmy Hendrix and the guy with the sign and the cardboard box that says “Why lie, I need a beer”.

 

Speaking of the economy, it just proves my point that guys in shirts and ties always find a way to fuck things up.

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You would think I’d be used to this by now, I mean this isn’t the first and I’m sure it’s not the last time this team will kick me in the nuts and leaves me crying on the curb but this latest installment of Devastating Losses in Mets History Vol 25  hurts very much. It hurts even  more because after D-Wright struck out on a pitch that was so far up and out of the strike zone that left me with that stunned “How could you do this to me look” as if I saw my better half walking hand and hand with my best friend. I mean Sugarpants you were my rock, my guy, the person who I knew I could count on. When did you turn into Alex Rodriguez? A complier of stats that looks nice on the back of the baseball card but when I needed you, REALLY NEED you, you failed me. I still love Sugarpants and would not trade him anyone but for tonight anyway he’s sleeping on the couch.

 

Ollie P usually comes up big in these situations but last night, Special Ed Ollie showed up at the most inopportune time. The Mets needed a big 7 inning performance and what they got was OP flashback from his Pirate days and if in fact that was OP last appearance of the season it will cost him millions of dollars as the Mets might be better off with a draft pick that OP schizophrenic ass.

 

Then we have Ryan Church who has turned in Jim Ignatowski, once a promising player who we were happy to have but two miss diagnosis head traumas later he’s become a lost soul. Church not only can’t get a hit in a big spot put his play in outfield makes him look like he’s running on ice in Jimmy Choo’s . Warlord Jerry has no idea what to do with Church but at this point could putting Endy Chavez in RF be any worse?

 

The last three innings of last night game may just be what fans, players, and front office people dwell on during the long cold winter as the inability to get a hit in a big spot will be on the tombstone of the 2008 Mets. There is a lack of toughness on this team both physically and mentally and after listening to Omar Minaya with Mike Francesa yesterday I sense that Omar realizes that as well. His praise for Danny Murphy was to the point where he said he pointed out to the veteran players that Murph has the intensity he wanted in his team. There is no swagger to this team, they never get mad,  everybody takes losing in stride now I’m not saying they don’t care as they care very much I know that but just once I’d like to see David Wright not give the stock, cliché  answers he has taken from the Derek Jeter Book of Bullshit Responses, and say “This fucking losing is getting old and tired and I’m to blame as much as anyone here for not coming through in a big spot, but you what?  There are other guys here who need to strap it on as well we have to stop being nice guys and take on some of that scumbag persona like that Kranepool blogger guy “  It’s not his way we know but someone needs to challenge the guys in that locker room and they also need to be backed by managment unlike Paul LoDuca and Billy Wagner when they called out teammates. No matter what happens these next four games one thing Omar is going to have to work on besides reconstructing the bullpen is he is going to have to work on finding some players with a little piss and vinegar in them.

 

We have no idea which Petey is going to show up tonight. It could be vintage Petey who knowing how important a start this is, rears back and let’s fly like it’s the last game he will ever pitch or we could get fragile Petey who needs a session with Dr. Phil to get over his emotional problems. Hopefully J-Man has a Plan B ready for tonight.

 

Anyone want to bet me that Ramon Martinez plays 2^nd base tonight?

 

 

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Don’t forget before you tune into tonight’s Mets-Cubs game join me and Ed Kranepool on Mike Silva’s NY Baseball Talk at 

6PM

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