Tonight at 11PM ET on THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN Podcast on Blog Talk Radio, I will be joined by Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest and NY Baseball Digest Live.  So join us after the Mets-Tigers tonight on Blog Talk Radio for your Mets post game talk.

If you can’t join us live, you can always hear the podcast right here at Kranepool Society (lower right hand side bar) or at our Blog Talk Radio show page or download the show on iTunes.

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Last night I was fortunate enough to be a part of the fastest hour of radio ever on The Kult of Mets Personalities with the crew of Kiner’s Korner and Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest. We spoke of our late friend Dana Brand, and then we got into our thoughts on the soon to be minority owner, David Einhorn.

To me Einhorn missed his mark yesterday to get Mets fans behind him, all he had to do was say he was investing not only $200mil to bail the organization out but he’s also throwing in an additional $45 mil for the sole purpose of buying out Jason Bay’s contract and as for Jose Reyes, “Jose, have your people call my people”.

Born in Jersey and raised in Milwaukee and a neighbor to the Selig’s this is no co-winky-dink that he was brought in as a minority owner of the Mets. Plus he’s not paying $200 mil for a good parking spot and a cushioned ball park seat; he’s here to fix what’s broken and to take over the whole operation.

As we discussed on the podcast last night, Einhorn made his money taking over companies that were swimming in red ink and making them solvent again. The Skill Sets have proven that running the Mets and investing money is way beyond their “Skill Sets” level.

Listening to Boomer and Carton this morning, Carton was his buffoon self mocking Einhorn on his voice and not being very tall, one thing Carton forgot is Einhorn is as ruthless as any organized crime capo or any so called “Gangsta” . I worked on Wall St for a few years and the only business that is close to it in ruthlessness and taking people down and not giving a shit is the drug trade.  As we’ve seen over that the past few years, Wall Street guys like Einhorn just don’t give a fuck on whom they have to step over to win. If Einhorn has to jack up Freddy and Uncle Saul and smack the shit out of Jeffey to make the Mets profitable for him to takeover when (not if it’s when) the Skill Sets have to sell, he doesn’t want to buy a loser.

Einhorn has said he will be in the background and not heard from. I remember a ship builder from Cleveland saying that nearly 40 years ago in the Bronx. That $200 mil Einhorn is putting down is no gift, it’s a down payment.

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I’ll be calling in to Mike Silva’s NY Baseball Digest Podcast on Blog Talk Radio tonight at around 10:30pm to talk about the Subway Series and whether it has “jumped the shark” or not.

Can’t get on Terry Collins for letting Mike Pelfrey start the 7th inning as Pelf had pitched a strong 6 innings. It’s easy to second guess after the game got away from the Mets in that inning and the intentional walk to Texiera backfired on Collins as he didn’t know that A-Rod has great numbers when the batter in front of him has been IW’ed.  Even with those numbers, I fear Tex more than I do A-Rod at this point. Rodriguez looks worn down to me.

Sucks to lose 2 of 3 to anyone and beating the Highlanders would have been sweet as the writers and YUCK announcers have beaten the Buffalo Mets angle to death.

Oh well, on to Chicago

Keep Gary Carter in your thoughts and prayers

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I will be a guest on Mike Silva’s NY Baseball Digest Live on Blog Talk Radio at 8:20PM ET

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For your listening pleasure check out the podcast from The Kult of Mets Perosnalites on Blog Tak Radio. Last night Mike Silva of NY Baseball baseball Digest was their guest.

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As first reported by Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest, the NY Mets have signed LHP Tim Byrdak to a minor league deal. Byrdak and Taylor Tankersley will compete for the LOOGY role for the Mets left vacant by the loss of Perpetual Pedro Feliciano.

For his career, Byrdak has been quite effective against left handed hitters with a line of .202/.296/.380. Before last season he was a predominantly ground ball pitcher but since 2008 his GB/FB ratio has gone from 1.10 to 0.93 to .054 last season. Becoming a fly ball pitcher should help Byrdak working at Citi Field but as long as he pitches against left handed hitters only.  Right handed hitters seem to find a base open frequently with Byrdak proven by a .400 OBA fuel mostly by walks.

If the Highlanders had signed Byrdak, I bet one of their more studious bloggers would make a case for his Hall of Fame candidacy. By the way, and keep this on the downlow PLEASE!!!!! I have been in constant contact with Bronx Bastards President Branch Randy Rickey Levine about trading for Ollie Perez to fill the Highlander rotation.  I took Cliff Lee’s Baseball-Reference page and put Ollie’s name and info on it and Levine was quite impressed. Please, please keep this between you, me and the lamppost, don’t let this info out, we are very close to an announcement.

The Mets have really stepped up their community involvement this winter, on Wednesday the held Citi Field Kids and on Thursday they announced the opening of the Mets Starlight Site Care Room at New York Hospital in Flushing which will help children with chronic and life threating diseases with their treatments. While Terry Collins, Josh Thole and Jose Reyes were at NY Hospital, R.A. Dickey, Dillon Gee, Bobby Parnell and Mike Pelfrey went to the FDNY Training Center on Randalls Island. The players traded in their double knits for bunker wear and went through some fire fighting drills. Parnell and Gee should have had an advantage here as both their dads are fire fighters. MediaGoon has some great pics and video of these events posted on Mets Police. I want to make a t-shirt with that pic of Jeffey Skill Sets in his bunker gear.

When Chris Young signed his deal with the Mets, before it could be official he had to go through the ritual of drinking the sacred Sandy Alderson Kool-Aid from the Tug McGraw chalice (the one Mets artifact that Charlie Samuels didn’t pilfer and sell on eBay) “Do you believe in the NY Mets”? asked Alderson, I DO IDO responded Young. “Do you renounce Philadelphia, Atlanta, Florida and Washington as teams that are superior to the Mets”? Alderson questioned, YES!!!!!!! Your excellency YES!!!!! Cried out Young, and with that Alderson raised the chalice to the sky and said “In the name of Seaver, Hodges and the Holy Joan Payson, received thy gifts as You Gotta Believe” and with that Young took a sip of the Kool-Aid and felt a rush throughout his body and suddenly his right hand, like it had been possessed, started striking the front of his thigh violently.

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God almighty I’m so sick and tired of this and it seems I’m not the only one. Bob Ojeda it seems took an ax and gave Jerry Manuel 40 whacks. The night before when asked about the Toxic Ollie situation, Ojeda gave a great reply by saying he fought through three work stoppages to get guys like Ollie Perez the right to make a decision to either go to the minors or not because of tenure. Ojeda then said that he will keep his opinion on what Ollie is doing to himself which to me says while he defends OP’s deciosn to invoke his refusal to go to Buffalo, he would love to ring his neck for being a selfish prick.

Mike Silva over at NY Baseball Digest has a post about the Mets players not taking losing personally and how they get this from the manager and management, here is my comment that I posted on Mike’s site:

 The players are taking their queue from management as the owner has not countered the claims that the team has money trouble. When players see Ollie Perez come back just as bad as when he left and know the only reason he’s here is the money he’s due. Same with Castillo. Now the team has 3 catchers on the roster as no one will pull the plug on Rod Barajas with either a trade or his release. Same with Jeff Francouer. Then you have Alex Cora who for all his “leadership” qualities produces next to nothing on the field.

Same reason Jerry Manuel still has a job the Wilpons would rather lose and pay a manager than try to win with a new manager while paying his replacement.

 The fans are on to this con set by the Wilpon’s no wonder they were friends with someone like Bernie Maddoff.

Even when this team wins, we don’t enjoy it as Mets fans are preoccupied with the awful in game moves by Jerry Manuel. Now it seems he is losing the clubhouse, especially after Grandstand Cora took Mike Pelfrey to task for his jovial behavior in the clubhouse. That should be the managers’ job in fact why not just make Grandstand the bench player/manager since he so full of piss and vinegar? The guy should do something to earn his $2mil a year than to just be a grouch. Oh and speaking of Grandstand Cora, it seems as per Kevin Kernan that Johan Santana and Frankie Rodriguez were sharing a smile as well in the clubhouse but Grandstand Cora must have had his hearing aid off:

After Tuesday’s loss to the Diamondbacks, Rodriguez and Johan Santana were seen laughing in a corner of the clubhouse. A few minutes later Mike Pelfrey was joking with a group of reporters. Alex Cora yelled in the direction of Pelfrey’s locker and reporters to “show some respect.”

I just want the Skill Sets to be honest with us about whether or not they have the coin to compete for big ticket items. If they can’t, it’s no disgrace; in fact it may be to the Mets advantage. Just think, how happy was the fan base when we saw the home grown infield this season? How great is it to watch Ike Davis and Jon Niese and Josh Thole?  The franchise is 323 games BELOW .500 since its inception so losing is not a deterrent for Mets fans but indifference; lack of a plan and deceit from ownership will not be tolerated. So com’on Skill Sets free your conscience, the truth shall set you free.      

So now what, well there are reports today that the Mets are looking to move Jeff Francouer. That’s a good start. Next should be sending Rod Barajas somewhere and letting Josh Thole catch when RA Dickey, Jon Niese and who ever the fifth starter is and then give Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey to Henry Blanco. Let Chris Carter be the 4^th outfielder, I know his arm is atrocious but his bat is wasting away on the bench. I love defense but I’m willing to sacrifice some of it for offense. Then it’s time for the obvious move, relieve Jerry Manuel of his position as manager. It doesn’t make sense to bring in a big name manager right now, give the job to Ken Oberkfell or Tim Teufel as interim managers but if Omar Minaya is more than a figurehead he needs to go into the clubhouse along with Jeffey Skill Sets and let the team know it’s time for a change and jobs are on the line no matter what kind of contract you have.      

Awwwww who am I kidding this will never happen, I’m so fucking delusional,   forget that motto of Prevention and Recovery that real motto of the New York Mets is “Same Shit, Different Day”

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Jason Fry has a great post on the events of last night game in D.C. and the fact as Mets fans we are on the edge of our seats when the Mets have a late inning lead. Part of it is our paranoia over the bullpen but the bulk of our fear is the way Jerry Manuel misuses his relief core. I also find it hysterical that some of the comments on that post are chastising fans for calling our the managerial flaws of Jerry Manuel with the simplistic refrain old “hey the team is winning he must be doing something right”  but the don’t list what those “right things”. Folks the Mets are winning in spite of Manuel, it helps that D-Wright has found his game elite game and Angel Pagan has matured and that Big Pelf, Jon Niese, Ike Davis and even Ruben Tejada have mature and given this team the shot of young blood we have been craving.

By the way Manuel should be fired for even thinking of replacing Ruben Tejada at second base with Luis Castillo when Castillo comes back. Even I don’t think Manuel believes that but it’s more like another of “Jerry’s Games” to force the front office to make a move, like he did with Ollie P and John Maine, remember he is a Gangsta’

Believe it or not the Washington Nationals are on the verge of signing El Duque. I guess Luis Tiant ask for too much money.

The first primary is complete and Howard Megdal received 65 % approval vote at Amazin’ Avenue and 68 % approval at NY Baseball Digest. Proving that Met want what Howard has pledged to deliver LOGIC, TRANSPARENSY, and PASSION .  Next weeks primary is set and your voting places are at the AabFab Metsgrrl site and at Mets Minor League Blog. It’s your constitutional duty as a Mets fan to vote and remember id Howard were the Mets GM today, Ruben Tejada would play every day and Oliver Perez would be his baseball Ambassador to Mexico.

I have no baseball games this weekend so I am watching this great Germany-Argentina World Cup match then Mets-Strasburg then off to Lend Me A Tenor on Broadway. Life is Good.

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I guess we are so used to seeing an authoritarian pitcher in Johan Santana that when he’s not striking out guys at a 9K per game clip or watch that walk rate creep up last three years we ask “Have we seen that last of Dominant Johan”  when we should be asking “are we watching the re-invention of Johan”

Mike Silva has a great post on this today at NY Baseball Digest looking at the different scenarios that have made Santana less than the dominant pitcher we know and love.

I will say this for Santana, he has terrific focus and he is one of the smartest pitchers in baseball, if he has to compensate for a lack of velocity and the inability to over power a batter, I’m confident he can figure out a way to go after the hitters with a different strategy. We are seeing his Fly Ball rate dropping and his ground ball rate inching up so you could see Santana concentrate more in keeping the ball lower in the strike zone and pitching to contact.

We also have to understand that at the age of 31 most likely we have seen the best of Santana. That’s not to say he’s done or on the down side not in the  least, what we could be seeing is a solid pitcher but he may not be the can’t miss option he’s been for the majority of his career.

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Ladies and Gentlemen I am proud to announce that Howard Medal has accepted the call of duty and will run for General Manager of the New York Mets. The Eddie Kranepool Society whole hardheartedly supports Mr. Megdal’ candidacy for this very important office, please read this press release from Megdal Headquarters:

On Monday, June 14 at 11 AM, Howard Megdal, writer for SNY.tv, MLBTradeRumors.com, New York Baseball Digest, and Poet Laureate of Amazin’ Avenue, will reveal his decision concerning an electoral campaign to become the next General Manager of the New York Mets. Mr. Megdal will make a statement and take questions from the media.

The event will begin promptly at 11 AM on the fourth floor of the Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway (at 45^th Street). At the conclusion of the event, lunch will not be served.

Megdal, 30, would be making his first-ever run for General Manager of the New York Mets. His career-to-date has included a wealth of relevant experience, however, including writing about the team for the New York Observer, authoring a definitive profile of Cowbellman, and finding several different rhyme schemes for the phrase “Big Pelf”.

Megdal also understands the fan perspective. He is also a Mets partial season ticket holder, attended David Cone’s 19 strikeout game on October 6, 1991, and served one day as a political prisoner over his love for the New York Mets during Phillies Hat Day at Beck Middle School in Cherry Hill, NJ.

WHAT: Announcement/Media Availability by Howard Megdal

WHEN: MONDAY, JUNE 14, 11 AM

WHERE: New York Marriott Marquis, Fourth Floor

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