As happy as last night’s win in the Mets House of Horrors made me I was even happier to read in today’s NY Daily News that Sandy Alderson , Jason Bay and R.A. Dickey were quoted as being interested in making a “It Gets Better” anti-bullying video like the one made by the SF Giants. The “It’s Gets Better” campaign focuses mostly on gay and lesbian teens that face awful discrimination and have a high suicide rate but it also includes all kids who are subjected to bully tactics by their peers. That part of it seems to be lost on the ownership of the Mets (shocking right?) as we see from a “team official”:

“We had already been looking around trying to find an organization to partner with on the bullying issue,” a team official said. “We are interested in inclusiveness. If you target one specific subset, what about the other groups that are bullied?”

Gee, I guess it’s a huge task to work with a group that is trying to help kids who are not only trying to come to grips with their sexuality and accept that’s who they are and not be ashamed and also work with kids who get bullied for no reason due to the inadequacies of the bully.

Thankfully there are stand up guys in the organization like Bay, Dickey and Alderson who have said they would lend their voices for this cause, Hopefully between them and  Mets fans there will be enough pressure put on the organization to get behind this cause.

Lisa Swan and Jon Levin over at Subway Squawkers are running a contest on their site, sponsored by Blimpies Sandwich Shops where you can win tickets to this Sunday’s Mets-Angels game at Citi Field.

Taryn Cooper gives her take on the future of Jose Reyes with the Mets by following the money.

Tim Smith would have been better off taking a sick day than writing this column. And you wonder why newspapers are going under.

It’s kind of refreshing to have a manager who plays his 8 best players on the field every night but I have to think the handling of Jason Bay and the fact that Bay sits more than he plays has to come to a head sooner or later. The biggest obstacle with Bay and his sudden inability to hit is that no one-Bay, Dave Hudgens, Terry Collins or  Sandy Alderson know how to get Bay back on the hitting track.

The Atlanta Braves have now gone to flooding the infield to slow down Jose Reyes and that didn’t work. What’s next kidnapping?

Matt Falkenberry has a great interview with The Immortal Chris “Maj” Majkowski the man who keeps the Mets on the air on WFAN

Ed “Rusty Jr.” Marcus has a great write up on today’s 34 Anniversary of the Midnight Massacre which I commemorate each year  by sitting in the dark all night in the fetal position crying like a baby. This day and the day Gil Hodges died are the worst days in the history of the NY Mets.

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Maybe I’m just getting old and cranky because I couldn’t care less if Jose Reyes is the starting shortstop for the NL in this year’s All-Star came. I really don’t get all the angst coming from Mets fans over Troy Tulowitzki leading the popularity vote that is the All Star starters. In fact do you really give a shit about the All Star game anymore? As a kid, I loved the All Star game because it was a big deal. Both leagues and league presidents made it more than an exhibition game is was a game for the winning league to brag about its superiority but now it just a bullshit exhibition game, that the players find any way they can to avoid playing in or if they are bound to play, leave as soon as they get an at bat or a pitching appearance. The TV ratings are piss poor as well so forgive me if I don’t get all bent out of shape if Jose Reyes is not the starting short stop for the NL , he’ll make the team as the Mets rep so Mets fans find something else to scream about.

Staying with Reyes, as great a season as he’s having  and the overwhelming support that he has from Mets fans who want him to be a Mets 4 Life, let’s be honest with one another, long term contracts hardly ever (maybe never) work out in favor of the team. As a Mets fan and especially if you are a t-shirt wearing, Don’t Trade Reyes protestor who will be miserable if the Mets either trade Reyes or not re-sign him, please tell me what the point of no return is? Do you keep Reyes at any price or do you have a ceiling on years and or money? Knowing that the ownership is swimming in the Red Sea of debt with a major civil suit hanging over their head at what point does it make sense to part with Reyes.

Reports are that now that the Entry Draft is done, Sandy Alderson wants to touch base with Reyes’ reps to see what they are looking for in years and money. The answer they give Alderson will determine if Jose is dealt or kept. Do I want to see him shipped out? No. Do I want him signed to a new deal by the All Star Game? Yes. But if the success of the season and the vision of an eye popping deal in his feature prices Reyes out then Alderson will have no choice but to trade him.

There comes a point where the fan base has to realize that this franchise has money problems and as much as we all wish the Skill Sets would sell and get out of our hair, we have no idea if or when that will happen. Sure most of the media who follow the team and have looked in depth at the Madoff-Piccard mess that has hurt the organization badly feel the Skill Sets are on borrowed time but we also have to come to grips that the team will not give Reyes anything close to a 7yr/$140+ contract. If Reyes’ agent goes in that direction, Alderson will excuse himself and call Brian Sabean and work out a deal. How can you blame him? If the Reyes camp works with Alderson and they can get creative with options and bonuses and deferred money then there is a much better chance of Reyes staying with the Mets.

I believe deep down, Jose wants to stay here, he lives here, and his kids go to school here and he has grown up as a Met. It’s all he knows. So I’m hoping what happens is both sides find some common ground and the team has the funds to make Reyes and Mets fans happy.        

I would stay firm on the length of contract if I were the Mets GM, at 5years. The money, as I said I would get creative but no more than $100-$110 million. Anything more than that in contract length and money would leave me no choice but to deal Reyes as miserable and heartbreaking that would be.

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As I mentioned yesterday, I took a trip to the South Bronx to watch the Highlanders-Indians game which was my first visit to the new Highlander Stadium, so I’d figure I’d give you  some of my observations of the ball park.

It’s big, very big much bigger than Citi Field and because of that you are much further away from the field than at Citi.

As soon as you head down the stairs of the 4 train you know you’re at HIGHLANDER STADIUM because the Highlander brand just suffocates you. Maybe suffocates is too strong or maybe as a Mets fan I wish Citi Field was as Mets-centric as Highlander Stadium. Hell, even the hot dog stand is named Highlander hot dogs. Every single inch of the place is decorated in Highlander colors and there is no mention of the old Baltimore Orioles , who became the Highlanders and then the Yankees. No its’ Yankees, Yankees and more Yankees.

They sell t-shirts for just about every member of the team and of course all the retired stars. I was very, very tempted to buy a MARTIN 1 t-shirt as I always admired Bill Martin and his style of managing. His off the field way left a lot to be desired for sure but as a manager Martin was as good if not better than anyone who ever ran a baseball team.

For me to get to Highlander Stadium is a breeze. I took the 10:30 AM ferry out of Staten Island, then walked up to Bowling Green to get the 4 train and I was in front of the ball park by 11:45. It takes me that long to get from my house to the Gowanus /BQE merge going to Citi Field.

There are no ushers at Highlander Stadium. There are security people and the Highlanders post a number you can text to report a problem in your section. I sat in Section 420B yesterday and while everything was fine there was this one young lady who kept getting up looking for friends of hers and blocked the view of some fans. One of the blocked fans must have texted the number given as a security guard with ear piece came to the section and went right to the row where this gal was and asked if everything was ok here. Pretty impressive.

The Stadium itself (it’s not a ballpark it’s a STADIUM) has no charm. As you walk in the concourse level is just like entering a high end shopping mall. There are many, many workers who hold up signs “How May I Help You” and whatever you’re looking for at the Stadium they can tell you where it is. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen at Citi Field.     

The food choices were ok I guess, there wasn’t a concession that I said I have to have that. The garlic fires looked enticing but the smell of the garlic was so overpowering I passed. There was a Boar’s Head deli which I guess is very good but I can have a Boar’s Head deli sandwich any time I want. Johnny Rocket’s? There’s one in the SI Mall. Brother Jimmy’s BBQ? I have that before NY Rangers games. Hard Rock Café? If there was ever an organization that was the antithesis of Rock n Roll it’s the Highlanders   So I settled for my favorite sausage and peppers hero.

As for the fans, I guess because it was a Sunday there were a lot of families mostly from NJ, Rockland and Orange County and beyond. Listening to some of the conversations, many were of the casual fan variety but the fan of the day had to be the woman in back of me decked out in here Rivera jersey, cap who cheered and cheered for Jeter and A-Rod who upon seeing a man walking down from the upper rows of the section with a Highlander jersey with the number 5 on it asked her the guy who was with her, “Who’s number 5” to make it worse the guy who was with her didn’t know. My son who was with me just stared ahead watching the action, shaking his head back and forth. That was the best part of the day.

Citi Field has a lot of warts, most of them brought on by ownership but the atmosphere at Citi is much better and more of a festive block party, hanging out in the back yard BALLPARK whereas Highlander STADIUM is a massive high rise apartment building  where no one knows your name and they like it that way.

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Since I had no plans for today myself and the heir to the Kranepool Society mis-fortune decided totake a trip up to the Boogie Down to see the Highlanders-Indians  game this afternoon.  Amazingly, this will be our first trip to the new Stadium. My second new stadium experience in three days as Friday night we ventured to Harrison NJ to see the NY Red Bulls with my daughter’s soccer team.  Tomorrow I will have a whole lot more on my experiences in both places.

Ah Murph!!!!!!! You make that play inning over and maybe the game and back to the magic .500 level of mediocrity but in order to get offense into the lineup, TC has to make these type of moves.

D.J. Carrasco has been pitching very well for Buffalo so he gets the call back to the big club and Dale Thayer goes back to doing whatever it is Dale Thayer does.

HoJo, really Hojo, stop with your critique of TC and the Mets handling of Jason Bay. You look very small and petty when you do this; you don’t hear Collins ripping you for ruining David Wright do you? Maybe you’re the one that screwed up Jason Bay beyond repair. There’s a reason you are no longer a member of the organization you know.

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Another solid start by Jon Niese  and his ever improving curve ball led the Mets to a series win over the Brewski’s . The same Brewski’s who have the best home record in baseball were a late inning Mets collapse away from being swept at home.

These Mets are perplexing to say the least. As much as the rash of late inning collapses infuriate us, this is not the same old Mets. Lose a four run lead and lose a game you should have won? No problem, come back the next day, forget yesterday and win the next game.  A post season berth this season is pie in the sky I know but the renovation of the mind set of this organization is progressing very nicely. The culture of the “woe is me attitude” had been eradicated, replaced with “keep plugging along”. It’s very refreshing.

Jason Bay seems to be a very nice guy who is working his ass off to get his bat back to where it should be. He knows what’s at stake and he has been a team guy when Terry Collins has approached him to either drop him in the order or to put him on the bench. His team first attitude is great. But this is big league baseball where winning and losing are paramount to what is to be accomplished and if Bay has to sit or be platooned or relegated to rehab in St Lonesome with a “wink-wink” DL stint, then so be it. Sandy Alderson said during the off season that salary will not determine who plays and we’ve seen that with the moves he’s made so far this season. Now comes word that Lucas Duda will be called up from Buffalo and Nick Evans will be DFA. Duda is not here to ride the pine; he will play some LF and 1B. Not sure if TC will go strict platoon with Bay/Duda or give Justin Turner and Ruben Tejada some days off and move Murph to 3^rd with Duda playing 1^st but what bringing up Duda does is give TC more flexibility and some much needed production from a corner position.

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These late inning collapses are wearing me out, and I’m sure the manager and players feel the same way. So how do the Mets stop this rash of late inning chokes? Beat’s the shit out of me.  Is Pedro Beato feeling the effects of the tendonitis in his right bicep that landed him on the DL? Is Izzy feeling the fatigue from back to back appearances? Is Dale Thayer feeling the effects of being Dale Thayer? What’s a manager to do? Maybe TC can go with Bobby Parnell and Manny Acosta a bit more but really so far this season it doesn’t matter who is in that bullpen, after a solid start the back end of the pen has become a problem and moving the pieces around isn’t solving anything.   

Jason Bay sounds like a guy who has given up. After reading these quotes it seems he asking Terry Collins to take him out of the everyday lineup:

 The underachieving Mets left fielder has been around long enough to realize every manager has a breaking point. Bay knows he needs to start hitting — or prepare for the possibility he will relinquish his everyday spot in the Mets’ lineup.

“That’s the reality of the situation we’re in,” Bay told The Post. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you that is not an option. I’m pretty aware of what’s going on.”

“It’s a results business, and this is a place where team-wise you need to win and you need to perform,” Bay said. “Regardless of who you are, you get enough chances and it’s like ‘OK, let’s go [in a different direction].’ That’s out of my control.”

Watching Bay’s AB’s last night you can see he has absolutely no confidence in himself as a hitter. In the 4^th inning he was HBP in his knee and never made an attempt to get out of the balls way. I guess he felt taking one for the team was the least he could do. In the 6th, after getting ahead 2-0, Bay missed on two fastballs, fouling them off. He then took another ball to get the count to 3-2. He fouled off another pitch he was late on and then took a called third strike. As the ump called strike three, Bay just looked at him calmly and asked where it was, the ump told him and Bay just shrugged his shoulders, got his glove and went to LF. It’s time for an intervention, either platoon Bay or talk to him and his agent about going to Buffalo or St Lonesome to work out his problems at the plate. He will not be released and he has zero trade value so this would be the best thing for the team and for Bay. Lucas Duda is ripping up Triple A pitching, he deserves a shot at the LF job.

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Why can’t every game be like last night’s Mets-Brewers game? A solid 6 inning by Chris Capouano in his return to Milwaukee, and 9 up 9 down by Beato, Izzy and Frankie Rodz add in a 2 run triple for Jose Reyes and you have a Mets fans paradise.

No way will Jose Reyes be traded by the Mets, no way.  Somehow, some way the Mets will sign Reyes to a new deal. When it was first mentioned that trading Reyes was on the same level as when Tom Seaver was dealt I thought that was ridiculous but now I can see that  the departure of Reyes could be the move, that straw that breaks the fan base’ back.  Mets fans of my generation will be very angry and maybe we won’t go to as many games or maybe we won’t make watching games on SNY a nightly event but even as distasteful a thought of not seeing Reyes at short, I’ll still call myself a Mets fan. It’s too late for me to switch my baseball allegiance but I could see the 30 and under crowd turning on the organization and heading elsewhere if Jose Reyes becomes an ex-Met due to money. This is a very serious issue that the Skill Sets, Minority Einhorn and Sandy Alderson have to seriously take into account when dealing with Jose Reyes. If the Mets let Jose Reyes go, then you might as well turn Citi Field into Old Trafford.  I can’t see Reyes wearing a diferent uni ,  I just can’t .

They did play soccer last night at Citi Field and it looks as if it was a success. The only problem I see is the fans are really far away from the pitch. It was smart of whoever put this match together to pick two teams from countries that make up the biggest percentage of the boro of Queens population, Ecuador and Greece.  The Ecuadorian players however, had issues with the MO-ZONE.

By the way, I am going to my first professional soccer game on Friday as my daughter’s soccer team got tickets for the Red Bulls-Revolution game at Red Bull Arena. One more venue to add to my list.

I bought one of these t-shirts. You should too.

Ok I’m out of ideas on what to do with Jason Bay and I think Terry Collins is as well.

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Tonight at 10PM ET on Blog Talk Radio, I will be hosting the Baseball Bloggers Alliance Baseball Talk Podcast. My guests will be Jeff Pearlman, author and contributor to Sports Illustrated and Zachary Ball of Pro Draft Central.

I will be discussing the news of Gary Carter’s fight with brain cancer, the lastest problems with the law and Lenny Dykstra and get Jeff’s take on the direction the Mets are headed in the near future

Zachary and I will discuss the MLB Entry Draft and look at some of the teams that made big news in the draft and a look at some of the picks made by the Mets

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All I know about Brandon Nimmo is what I‘ve read. He comes from Wyoming which is a state that doesn’t have High School baseball ( The population of the state of Wyoming is the same as Staten Island’s minus the Mob Wives)  so he had to play American Legion ball which, in the case of young men of Wyoming, is their high school team.  It seem that besides a headline writers dream last name, he’s athletic and has a quick bat, a strong arm and at 6’2 “185lbs so at 17 years old he should fill out another couple of inches and maybe 25-30 lbs.  He has speed even though he has had knee surgery and the Mets will have to go over slot to sign him.

I also know the Mets VP of Player Development, Paul DePodesta and Scouting Director, Chad MacDonald and his staff have followed Nimmo very, very closely and extensively and are confident that this young man will project into a solid major league corner outfielder with power, speed and a great throwing arm. All of this is pure speculation and DePo and MacDonald would be the first ones to tell you that. But they felt with the hours and hours of work and study and checking and cross-checking they have done on this prospect, will pay off in the years to come.

What we as Mets fans have is someone to watch grow over the next three-four years and to root for to make it to the big league’s as a Met and be that impact player, the front office feels he can be.

We don’t really need to analyze the picks the Mets make or speculate on whether they drafted a guy to early or too late because quite frankly, what the hell do we know about these players? The MLB Entry Draft is unlike the NFL or NBA Draft, we’ve seen (for the most part) the players who make the jump from college to pros and in those two sports, your first round pick better make a contribution to your team or you as GM or Player Personnel Director won’t be in the War Room much longer.

So let’s start off small here and hope that Nimmo and the Mets compensation pick RHP Michael Fulmer sign with the team (both players have commitments to University of Arkansas ) and head to the Gulf Coast League. On second thought, that’s not a small item, let’s hope Sandy Alderson can get the Skill Sets and Minority Einhorn to pony up the dough to sign these two kids, otherwise all DePo will have to show for his first draft for the Mets is a lot of frequent flyer miles.   

MLB either has to jazz up the telecast of this draft or scrap it altogether. What a bore. My wife sat on the couch next to me reading while I watched it drone on and on and said “I know you love baseball but my god how can you watch this”?  There was absolutely no juice, no bling, no posse and the only bad suit in the place belonged to Bud Selig. Just  dreadful.

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As most of you know, I have a strong dislike for the rent a cops at Citi Field ( and at MSG as well) as it seems in order to get a job as an usher, concessioner or security person you must have a lack of social skills and the inability to use common sense.   It seems last night at Citi Field, which could have been Tumble Weed Field as the crowd seemed to be “by invitation only” with all the empty seats that were shown coast to coast and to all the ships at sea, the powers that be, have had enough of the “Don’t Trade Reyes” crowd as we see here from this dispatch from Darren Meenan of The 7 Line who brought his “Don’t Trade Reyes sign with him on Sunday just as he did on Friday. On Friday the Mets were cool with the rally but it seems on Sunday night the retreated back to the same old management and Meenan and his sign were tossed from the ball park.

Think about that for a moment, the Mets are hemorrhaging in red ink, they are the laughing stock of baseball, and they are sitting on tens of thousands of unsold tickets, so you would think the last thing this organization needs is any more unwanted bad publicity but they are getting it now with the treatment of Meenan last night. 

Was I there when this incident occurred? No but I know from firsthand experience how the Green Jackets operate and quite frankly they haven’t changed since the days at Shea. They do have some fear in them though as I saw a fan try to slip a few bucks to one usher to get a seat in the Field Level and the usher nearly shit himself telling the fan ”no, no we can’t do that anymore, they’re watching us” Well, it’s about time.

I hope the Mets hear about what the staff did to Meenan last night and invite him back to Citi Field for free and with a limo ride door to door. The credibility that this team has with its fan base is at a low I haven’t seen since the mid to late 70’s. It’s time to retrain the staff at Citi Field in a crash course in customer relations or the only sign the Mets will have to worry about will be the For Sale sign outside the ballpark .

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