In the latest missive from the WWL, Peter Gammons is trying to sell the fact that the Skill Sets are not swimming in cash as it appears:

{The Mets don’t have the kind of money everyone thinks, especially having to pay Billy Wagner $10M next season. They will spend to get a starter, a reliever and a bat to supplement Ryan Church in right and the Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis platoon in left.

No one knows what impact the economy will have on baseball, especially in New York, but someone is going to pay a price for the national debt increasing by $450B in October. The Mets are not going to jump over the luxury tax threshold, so they will continue to build around David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, figure Mike Pelfrey will continue his quantum leap forward, and do their best to fill in around them.}

So a team that owns a television station, has a brand new ball park in the most populous city in the country and has sold all his suites and will draw a minimum of 3.5 mil fans has no money to improve the team? And tell me what the National debt has to do with the Mets finances? Sorry Gammo I’m not buying it. I’m not ready to go out and buy a pennant because I don’t think building through free agency is the answer but don’t you dare insult the Mets fan base and cry poverty. By the way to read the whole article you have to pay to read it.

Saw this post on Beyond The Box Score where they ranked the ten best center fielders in baseball and Carlos Beltran ranked #2 while Grady Sizemore beat out Beltran for the top spot. Here is the comment on Beltran:

2. Carlos Beltran (53 off, 13 def, 66 tot) – No matter what the Manhattan-based publications tell you, Beltran is one of the ten best position players in the world.  He gets on base, hits for power, steals bases without being thrown out, plays center field, and runs down everything out there.  Given what Manny and Tex are going to sign for this year (and what Andruw Jones signed for last year), his $18MM yearly salary is a steal.

Since Jerry Manuel took over, the Mets haven’t just been good, but wicked good. As a result, Mets playoff tickets are out there as the team looks to play into October.

After last year’s collapse, the Mets rebounded from the Willie Randolph era with Manuel taking over and revitalizing the players. Carlos Delgado had a MVP-like year and this one of Carlos Beltran’s better years, which is surprising after having his knees scoped this past offseason.

It’s one reason why New York Mets tickets have been as hot as Broadway tickets and New York Giants tickets.

Now all the Mets have to do is hold serve over the next 14 games and make an October run.

Only the New York Mets can go 6-1 on a road trip and have the fan base hold their chest and moan in agony, why? The bullpen of course. Ah yes the Mets bullpen the underachieving child in a family of successful children. Why can’t Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoenewies, Duaner Sanchez, Joe Smith and Pedro Feliciano be the pitching equivalent of Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Daniel Murphy? Now we have another adopted child from DC in Luis Ayala who could not believe is good fortune to go from a group home in the Nations Capital to the Buena Vista Social Club. Hopefully the new surrounding rejuvenates him and a couple of sessions with Dean of Old School Warthen get him straight as the call to the pen is literally all hands on deck.

What I’m about to write may get me flamed worse than any forest fire in Cali but I have to let it out. I have a hard time hating Larry Jones and the Atlanta Braves. In fact it’s so strange because all the teams I root for I have a deep despise for their arch rival. The Boston Celtics, I puke at the site of Purple and Gold. The NY Rangers, I would love to get the chant “BEAT YOUR WIFE POTVIN, BEAT YOU WIFE” as a ring tone. The NY Football Giants, “How about those Cowgirls”? but when it comes to the Braves a team I should have a deep seeded hatred for, I have admiration. Most of that is for the front office especially John Shuerholz who took a franchise that was nothing but TV programming on a little bullshit cable channel and turned into a model sports franchise. So it was interesting to read Ray Glider’ piece in the NY Times this morning about Larry Jones and his last trip to Shea Stadium. Jones was a guy who got what NY was all about and he played the heel role better than anyone who strode through Flushing. As a kid Mets fans were known for acknowledging great players from other teams. Of course when the Giants and Dodgers came to town Mets fans still had a glow in their heart for Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax but also when the Pirates came in Willie Stargell was revered as well. Times change and fans are more hostile than back then but I always felt that Mets fans respected Larry Jones and I know he appreciate the passion of Mets fans.

Ryan Church played 5 innings last night and went 0 for 2 but the best part is he felt great in the field no headaches or dizziness. Mojo Nixon also played last night and looked fit as well. The only problem is they both not pitchers.

But a pitcher who did a rehab last night was Ambiorix Burgos who may become a big player come September 1

Due to last nights heist of a Gold medal of America anorexic gymnast Nasta Linkum to undeveloped Chinese gymnast He (She?) Kexin, I will be boycotting the Wo Hop Chinese Restaurant for 2 weeks. I’d boycott something Australian as well but what has that Penal Colony given the world?

Joe West is a big fat tool for calling A. Reyes out at first base saying he made a baseball move toward second base, Argenis flinched his shoulder left in the direction to second base and yes according to the rules he could be called out but sometimes you have to use the pea size brain that God gave you for more than contemplating if you want a glazed or Boston cream dount.

I watched the last two innings of the Brewers-Astros game last night and the look on Brewski manger Ned Yosts face while watching C.C. (Carniverous Creature as that is one big fella) Sabathia as he closed in on the 130 pitch mark. Sabathia got Hunter Pence to fly out for the first out of the inning. C C then gave up a single and then J J (lots of initials on the M B’s) Hardy booted a ground ball that could have been a game ending double play but instead it left the ‘Stros with 1 st and 2^nd 1 out. Darin Erstad reached base on an infield hit and now the Astros had the bags juiced with one out and Yost’s sphincter tightens by the second. Mike Maddux went out to talk to Sabathia and Yost paced the dugout floor as Mark Loretta came to bat. Loretta got a SAC Fly to left and now there were two outs. Miggy Tejada up and he walks. Now Yost is on the top step of the dugout like a guy on a roof top getting chased and has to make a decision jump to the next roof which is about 10 feet away or just stay and fight. Yost takes on the mob and let the leftie Sabathia face Lance Berkman from the right side. It pays off with Berkman grounding out 3^rd to 1^st but it was the 130^th pitch of the night for C.C. The MRI will be on Thursday.

Happy Birthday RJ.!!!!

Even though the 12-0 and 9-3 games that the Mets have won this week are a welcome respite from the nail biters and “Please God Let Aaron Heilman Turn Into Dennis Eckersley” games we have been subjected to this season nothing is a better gauge of what your team is made of than when it gets down and dirty in a one run game and last night even with it’s scary moments the Mets had a (gulp!) Championship look to them. The Reyes Boys (Memo to Mark Malusis: When it comes to breaking down baseball personnel you’re clueless if you think Gimp Castillo at this point is better on the Mets than the A. Reyes/Damien Easley platoon then you’ve watch way too much of Robinson Cano) and Carlos Beltran flashed leather and arm in big D plays and Big Pelf had a bounce back game. Yes I know it was the Pirates and I swore I wouldn’t let myself get all pumped again about this team but when they do the little things that you need to win, I just can’t help myself.

I’ve thrown some stones at Billy Wagner here but you have admire the guy for saying screw minor league rehab and is forcing his way back as the closer. Wags knows the team needs him and as long as the medical staff clears him and Old School Dean Warthen gives the seal of approval then Wags will be activated on Monday. Then it looks like Eddie Kunz will go down for a couple of weeks but would come back on Sept 1.

Speaking of coming back, Ryan Church is playing in the GCL as a DH and hopefully by tomorrow will be in the outfield, same with Gimp Castillo who the rumor mill has it has been dealing with some medical issues with his wife.  I’m sure there is some kind of rule that both players have to be activated at a certain time but as it stands now there is no rush for either guy to come back before Sept. 1. As vital as Church’s bat has been early in the year with Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis both swinging potent bats (and don’t forget Nick Evans who has platooned with Murphy and started to hit) and Carlos Delgado’s deal with the devil still paying off, the Mets have the luxuary to let Church and Castillo take their time getting back. Depth it’s a good thing.

Well I see the roller-coaster is still running strong. Win one, lose one. Last night was the same up and down ride. Petey started rocky then found the low strike zone and induced ground ball outs. That was good. D-Wright sucked in the field and on the base paths. Yeah that’s right I wrote D-Wright sucked last night, I’m allowed to. That doesn’t mean I’ve fallen out of my man crush on Sugar pants (My WRIGHT 5 jersey is on a hanger awaiting my appearance at Shea on Saturday night) but the facts are he made an awful error at third and an inexcusable base running mistake by not knowing how many outs there were. If Carlos Beltran did that there would have been an opening at WFAN as Joe (Bada Bing, Bada Boom) who have had an aneurism but for the Golden Boy we look away. Not right, right Wright?. If Warlord Jerry feels David needs a day off then just give him one. I admit that as the “team leader” it nice to defer to him but if J-Man feels he needs a mental health day then give him one this afternoon

The Mets should be embarrassed by the on going Ryan Church concussion episode as they really have failed Church from the first time he suffered a concussion in spring training to his second one in Atlanta. Just by doing a Google search of “concussion experts” I found a page to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine page where the deal in the treatment and study of brain trauma. Also I found a story on former SF Giants catcher Mike Matheny who suffered a concussion in a home plate collision and then suffered from more problems from taking fouls balls of his mask behind the plate. In the article Dr. Micky Collins has a quote that I feel sums up the Church case to a tee:

“With a single concussion, you’re going to recover“,  The problem is when you have a  concussion and undergo these chemical changes, you’re a lot more vulnerable if you have second  before the first is recovered”

Shame on the Mets for not doing their homework on this matter.

Daniel (Oh Danny Boy) Murphy is making his presences felt early in his call up to the point where he and Dan Evans will form a platoon in LF with Fernando Tatis playing RF it looks like and Endy Chavez doing what Endy Chavez is equip to do be a fourth outfielder and defensive specialist.

Thank God the Rockies signed Livan Hernandez because I’m sure Omar had him penciled in for Saturday nights start.

Speaking of which don’t give me Claudio Vargas or Brian Stokes or Nelly Figs. No give me Jon Neise  and let me see the future.

Word is Scott Schoeneweis and Dirty Duaner have both cleared waivers and that Brian Giles was claimed off the wire to a team with no name (M-E-T-S ?) I wouldn’t mind taking a flier on Giles for Schoeneweis.

Once I figure out what bag my camera is in I’ll post some picks from Fenway but now I intend to relax and watch Johan Santana try to salvage this series from the Pads.

The best move Omar Minaya made yesterday was standing on the sidelines and doing nothing but take phone calls. Could the Mets use a Jason Bay or Manny Ramirez, (forget Jr. Griffey) of course but Minaya felt the price was too high player wise and he has realized it’s time to let the farmhands grow up to be Mets. I think a lot of fans feel the same way. It’s funny that when a player comes up through the teams farm system the fans seem to be more tolerant of mistakes and of lesser play than they are of guys who sign here for big free agent  money like Carlos Beltran or a money driven trade like Carlos Delgado and Johan Santana. So let Jon Niese, Dan Murphy, Eddie Kunz and the Teen Aged Hitting Machine come up and make their  debut in a pennant race. It may not pay off this year but it could pay huge dividends down the road. Mets management has finally come around to the mind set of build a team that will contend for a few years instead of the one and done approach the Skill Sets have been famous for during the reign. The Phillies and Marlins did nothing to have us take notice so with two months of baseball left let the race begin.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jerry Remy yesterday in Hyannis. He was appearing at a restaurant there for a local Cape Cod radio station and I ask him about Manny being traded and he was hoping that Manny would not be delt. I asked about clubhouse reaction to the latest Manny Being Manny episode and Remy felt they have all seen this before so it’s nothing new it’s more management being disrespected than anything that fueld this deal. After Manny said that the Sox didn’t deserve him that set off the front office who felt the team has been around over 100 years and they will still be around another 100 years Manny or no Manny. I think the players were relived as well that Manny is gone even if his bat can not be replaced but his lack of hustle and desire and his disrespect for Terry Francona had become a major issue. 

Go get’em tonight Petey!!!!!!!!!!!!

As much as I love being here on vacation I MISS THE METS!!!!!!! I miss watching and listening to Gary, Keith and Ron and I almost miss Yalloff and Mazzilli (I said ALMOST)