There were a few interesting Mets news items so while I try to wake up and start to focus on the series with the Phuck Phaces let’s take a gander:

The Pedro Feliciano Highlander/Mets feud just won’t end. The Mets, particularly Old School Dan Warthen, seem to be the most level headed in this whole deal. Warthen told the truth, that the Mets felt giving Feliciano a multiyear deal was dumb since they worked the shit out him the last three years. Now Pedro has a broken heart and had decided to take his frustrations on, Ike Davis? What the hell did Ike do to you Perpetual Pedro? Very surprised by the way Feliciano has reacted. He always came off as muy macho. I guess when you don those Highlander pinstripes in turns you into a whinny bitch.

Speaking of Old School, it seems he’s like Felix the Cat as he unveils his bag of tricks, on wheels no less.

There are still plenty of tickets left for the Friday home opener and for Saturday’s game you could get a ticket for the less than the price of a Shake Shack burger. When I clicked on the Mets website I see they have now added a coupon for a $10 credit for food or merchandise to be used the day of the game you purchase tickets for. At least there is a sign of creativity coming out of Citi.

People ask me why I’m not a big Mike Piazza fan, well read this and click on the link to the radio interview of Piazza and Roger Clemens and that should explain why.

Posted under Uncategorized

But The New York Rangers have the biggest, BALLS OF THEM ALL!!!

I am totally drained and hoarse from attending last night’s remarkable NY Rangers-Boston Bruins game at MSG. I haven’t been this exhausted from screaming at a sporting event since Johan Santana beat the Marlins on 9/27/08 to keep the Mets to keep their post season hopes alive.

The Rangers looked like the rigors of this playoff push combined with another back to back game would take its toll on the Blueshirts. When the score got to 3-0 Bruins, many of the MSG customers turned on the team with boos. I was very disappointed in the play of the team but I’m not a boo’er, I’m more of a sulker when things go bad and just slump in my seat. So there I slumped looking at my watch trying to figure what ferry to get to get me home in time to catch most of the UCONN-Butler game (from what I’ve read this morning, I didn’t miss much as both teams lived up to their canine nicknames) when Vinny Prospal scored for the Rangers to make it 3-1. I figured, if the Bruins score again to make it 4-1, I’ll head for the 1 train to South Ferry, but 7 minutes later Prospal scored again to cut the Boston lead to 1 goal.

Now all this time, in the row in front of us are four Bruins fans, three of them were respectful but one was just an out and out asshole, who stood after each Bruins goal with a beer in each hand proclaiming the Rangers wouldn’t make the post season. Now it’s one thing to come into enemy territory and root for your team, it’s another to act like an asshole and inflame the home team rooters, especially in the Blue Seats of MSG. As the Rangers started to score goal after goal, the Bruin fans slumped lower and lower into their seats. When the Brandon Dubinsky tied the score with three minutes and change left in the 3^rd period, the Garden exploded and after the Gooooo-aaaaaa-llllll song was sung, the section pointed at Mr. Bruin and gave him the ASSSSSSSSSSSSSS-HHHHHHHHHOOOOOLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEE salute. When Michael Sauer scored the 4^th and game winning goal, well, all hell broke loose.

Two guys about 6’4 by 6’4 come running into the row I’m in and start screaming at the obnoxious Bruin fan whose beer muscles seemed have been deflated, Mr. Bruin then turned around and told the Ranger fan to fuck off, next you know fists were flying and Garden Security pounced on both guys. When order was finally restored, I turned to my son and told him, “Welcome to 1979”

John Tortorella said it in his post-game presser, “this team has balls” not just balls but big brass balls.

Posted under Uncategorized

The greatness that is R. A. Dickey, will be rewarded this Sunday night at the Mets Welcome Home Dinner, at the New York Hilton, as Dickey receives the Ya Gotta Believe Award. He is the press release issued by the Mets:

The New York Mets today announced they will hold their annual Welcome Home Dinner to benefit the Mets Foundation this Sunday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m. at the New York Hilton Hotel, located at 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue. 

Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson, Manager Terry Collins, coaches, and all 25 Mets players will be in attendance.

Pitcher R.A. Dickey will receive the Ya Gotta Believe award, named for former Mets pitcher Tug McGraw. The lefty reliever famously coined the phrase in 1973 as the Mets rallied to capture the National League pennant despite being in last place in August.  After being the first player cut during spring training in 2010, Dickey finished the season with an 11-9 record and a 2.84 ERA, seventh-best in the National League.  Dickey, who reinvented his career in 2005 with Texas by becoming a knuckleball pitcher, signed the first guaranteed contract of his career last winter, a two-year deal with a club option for 2013.

“It’s been a long journey for me,” said Dickey, Sunday’s winning pitcher who is scheduled to start the Mets’ 4:10 p.m. home opener against the Washington Nationals this Friday, April 8.  “My wife Anne always wanted me to continue to play. She didn’t want me to have any regrets.”

The Ya Gotta Believe award is given annually to an individual within or associated with the Mets family who has shown an exceptional commitment to the community, fortitude in overcoming adversity, and the spirit to believe that anything is possible.

For more information visit mets.com or by phone at (718) 803-4074.

Posted under Uncategorized

What’s not to like? 2 of 3 on the road from the Fish to start the season is as good as it gets. Last year the road was a scary place for the Mets who didn’t win a road series until beating the Orioles during last June’s inter league play. Not only was this an impressive road series victory but it was against a division rival that seems to give the Mets fits.

No one on the Mets roster can complain this weekend about playing time as Terry Collins used the whole roster, just about, in all three games.

What more can be said about Willie Harris ? A HR today a couple of doubles in his last game, and 4 RBI as well as Howie Rose said last night on the radio, “what took so long for the Mets to get this guy”

Ike Davis hit a blast in the 3^rd off Javy Vasquez who is just a mess on the mound, almost as much a mess as the Marlins D. It’s that god awful defense that holds the Fish back from being a legit contender.

Usually the April Fools gag that was perpetrated by the SNY employee who played the Family Guy clip mocking the Mets losing on opening day, would have the club say, see we can take a joke” but with all the negative vibe being generated from the ownership mess and unprofessionalism by the main steam media, whoever was guilty of the prank has to be fired immediately. If the organization is going to take a stand and stop allowing itself to be a patsy for no talent hacks like Fillip Bondy in the NY Daily Lupica, then this is a good place to start.

I don’t see how the Mets look bad as per the comments that Pee Wee Cashman made about Pedro Feliciano being “damaged goods”. If any one should be embarrassed its Pee Wee.  When Old School Dan Warthen heard Cashman’s comments I guess he got a laugh as he said “why do you think we didn’t resign him”? Didn’t Pee Wee know that Gary Cohen gave Feliciano the name “Perpetual Pedro” for a reason?  He led all of baseball in pitching appearances the last three seasons and to Feliciano’s credit, he asked for the ball everyday, the only real gamer on the club the last two seasons. Warthen knew Pedro was on his last legs (or arm) and I’m sure he recommended to Sandy Alderson to take a Pasadena on PP. Maybe someone in the Highlander front office could show Pee Wee the Baseball-Reference website, it might be helpful when he makes his next player move.

Jason Isringhausen felt a twinge in his back as he pitched in a minor league game today. Alderson comes up smelling like a rose once again.

Posted under Uncategorized

Have you come off the ledge? Good. If Mets fans are going to react to every game this season like they have over last night’s season opener, there will be a shortage of nitroglycerin pills in NYC hospitals by June.

Sure it sucks to lose on opening day (night?) and Big Pelf was far from good but some Mets fans are acting like the season just ended instead of just starting. Maybe it’s due to the Mets proficiency of winning on opening day or maybe it was the sheer dominance of Josh Johnson or maybe it’s that we are dying to root for a team that looks, acts and plays like a confident Major League Baseball team, but if you’re bringing a football mentality to this baseball season, you’ll get burned out by Memorial Day weekend. There’s going to be rough patches, and that’s when we’ll see what the team and the manager is made of. If I could give Terry Collins a bit of advice, don’t fall into that bad habit of saying the team how proud you are that the team played hard and never gave up, that’s not to be commended it’s to be expected. Collins did make a move that worked out nicely as Willie Harris 2 for 4 breaking up Josh Johnson no-no.

Big Pelf had a rough night; if that two seam doesn’t sink then he’s sunk.  Give Buck some credit on that at bat, he worked the count to his favor and proceeded to foul of pitch after pitch, not only seeing Pelf’s full arsenal of pitches but also frustrating Pelf to make that perfect out pitch, a sinking two seamer that Buck will either over swing at at strikeout or hit on the ground for tidy double play. Pelfrey came with the two seam but instead of breaking down and in it was up and away enough for Buck, who has power, to extend his arms and place the ball on row over the right field fence. As bad as that pitch was, it was the strength of John Buck that put it out of the park.

Pelfrey then fell into that lack of focus that he needs to get over if he is to be a top shelf pitcher as he let Omar Infante walk into second base with a stolen base in the 5^th . That was followed by a Hanley Ramirez single which ended Pelf’s night.

Posted under Uncategorized

Turned on my computer this morning to check my e-mail and lo and behold there was a message from Mets manager Terry Collins. What? You got one too? And you? You mean you all got an e-mail from the Mets skipper? Shit, I thought I was special.

The crux of the letter was that after years of awful baseball played in Queens, the Mets will now play the game the right way. In a roundabout way, Collins is letting us now that after his years as minor league coordinator his suggestions fell on deaf ears, that the organization was run by a bunch of clueless dolts who were fundamentally bad at teaching the fundamentals of baseball.

But now the time to talk about the season is done, it’s time to put up and show Mets fans that this is the dawning of the age of good baseball, the kind of baseball we, as paying customers don’t mind being priced gouged over (The Mets still don’t understand that the prices they charge for tickets and concession are, as Jimmy Macmillan would say, “TOO DAMN HIGH” you want to build goodwill with the Mets fans, you should have lowered your ticket prices by 50 %  and allow families to buy kids meals at the food stands at a discount) if the team does all the things that TC said in his opening day missive, the fans will come back. The problems the last few years in Flushing was the fans cared more than the players did about the team but it’s time to put all the horse shit of the past behind us, new front office, new manager, new attitude? I hope so. LET’S GO METS!!!!!!

I’ve always felt NY Ranger fans were the most passionate of all New York Sports Fans (I don’t want to get into the late season swoon by the Blue Shirts as I’m trying to have a positive day even though the Rangers are going into the tank and as I walked from the Subway to my office this morning, I had to deal with ice cold rain hitting my face, so far, so shitty) but I think the Mets fans have taken over the top spot. Yesterday afternoon, the Mets announced their opening day lineup:

Jose Reyes, ss

Willie Harris, lf

David Wright, 3b

Carlos Beltran, rf

Angel Pagan, cf

Ike Davis, 1b

Brad Emaus, 2b

Josh Thole, c

Mike Pelfrey, rhp

With the sight of Harris in the 2 hole and Thole in the 8 spot, a little bit of holy hell broke out on Twitter over this slotting. What other fan base is that passionate that they look at the opening day line up on the eve of the opener and go into shit storm mode? Had they waited to hear Collins reasoning maybe they wouldn’t be popping blood pressure pills today:

“Not only will Willie Harris start on Opening Day in left field in place of injured Jason Bay (left rib-cage strain). Harris also will bat second in Terry Collins’ first lineup as Mets manager.

The reason: Harris is hitting .267 with one homer, two RBIs and seven walks in 22 career plate appearances against Marlins ace Josh Johnson — good for a .500 on-base percentage.

“Strictly numbers,” Collins said about selecting Harris over Lucas Duda or Scott Hairston. “We talked about the importance of getting out of the gate. This guy [Johnson] is one of the best in the league, one of the best in baseball. And if you’ve got a guy who hits this guy, it would seem to me you should get him in there.”

Duda has never faced Josh Johnson, and Scott Hairston is 0 for 5 with a walk and two strikeouts vs. Johnson. If Jason Bay was healthy, all this fan angst would have been avoided as Angel Pagan would have been in the #2 spot and Bay in the 5 spot and Harris on the bench. By the way, to make things worse, Bay is 4 for 9 with a home run vs. Josh Johnson. Can’t we just enjoy the day, Mets fans?

Another stain on the Minaya/Manuel resume, Big Pelf pitched in pain last year.

Hopefully the Mets will be so good this season that Gary, Keith, Ron and Kevin Burkhardt won’t have to discuss the Skill Sets/Madoff financial fiasco. By the way, yesterday at work I listened to the Highlanders-Tigers game on WCBS. I don’t know how Highlander fans do it, listening to Suzyn Waldman made me want to punch someone in the face; the screeching of her voice was making my skin crawl. I thought she was just there to read commercial spots and give out of town scores? Yesterday, she wouldn’t shut up, even as I begged her through the radio (please you annoying yenta SHUT THE FUCK UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP) which kept my co-workers in a jolly mood. Sterling doesn’t bother me that much. Sure he is the worst play by play man in the history of sports broadcasting but for some strange reason I get a kick out him. Even his schmaltzy home run calls make me chuckle (“you’re on the Mark, Texiera” or “The Grandy Man Can” are so lame their hysterical) the TV side is no better as the male version of Waldman, Michael Applegate, is as much a shill as Sterling but nowhere near as entertaining. Mr. Applegate is in fact down right annoying and what pisses me off more is I have no choice if I decide to take in a Highlander game on TV I have to watch YUCK as MLB Extra Innings blocks the feed from the out of town team. Plus I’m spoiled as Gary, Keith, Ron and Kevin are the Gold Standard of baseball broadcasting.

Check out THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN Podcast on Blog Talk Radio or as a download on iTunes

Posted under Uncategorized