Let us raise a Chug-A-Mug of Rehinglod today to the Tampa Famous Rays for winning the AL Pennant last night and giving Jackie Autry a reason to go to the beauty parlor and don some swanky polyester as she dutifully halndled her job as honorary AL President flawlwssly. How great is it to be the widow of the Singing Cowboy, especially this time a year. You get to a trip to the ALCS and hand out a trophy and soon everytime Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is played another royalty check goes in the mail. Sweet,  but of course I digress. Today we salute one of our own,  Stuart Sternberg,  he of the Carnarsie Sternberg’s and holder of Mets season tickets and unabashed Mets fan who used a little of his fortune to purchase the Tampa baseball franchise from  crazy old Vince Namoli and thorugh shrewed drafting and good trades now has not only a championship trophy but a snazy new t-shrt and  cap.

Now all the Famous Rays have to do is beat those in-bred slouths from Philly so at least one of “us” will call this season fulfiling.

All I did when David Price came on in the 8th inning last night was think about why didn’t the Mets just give the closers job to Eddie Kunz when Billy Wags went down? Looking back I agree this is an all time second guess but Kunz was a set up man and closer on two NCAA Champions and was closing at Bingo and with the jackpot of Dan Murphy and to a lesser degree Nick Evans and Jon Niese the talent from that team was quite rewarding but really instead of Dollar Store relevers like Luis Ayala and Brain Stokes you wonder what would have been if Kunz and Bobby Parnell were given the roles of set up and closer with the full backing of J-Man and Omar?    I know one thing, it couldn’t have been worse.

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I’ve been out of my office all day as I had to go for a training class so when I get back I’m all set to write up a post on how I’m not worried about Billy Wags, done for the season and career as a Met due to Tommy John surgery. I was all set to say how I feel bad for Wags that he has to go under the knife and endure all the rehab that follows but I felt that with the way J-Man has mixed and matched his relievers and how guys like Brian Stokes and Luis Ayala have stepped up that maybe now that it’s a done deal that Wags is gone that the Mets will use this as “no respect” card to rally around.

 

Even if Wags is done for the year as much as I don’t even want to contemplate the 2009 season as we are up to our eyeballs in a fight for the division with the Phillies, I thought well there is Ayala, Stokes, Eddie Kunz  and maybe even a kid like Steven Clyene  who be as effective as a closer then I read Tom Verducci’ story on where have all the two inning closers gone and why hasn’t an organization stepped up and gone back to the Rolllie Fingers, Goose Goosage Bruce Sutter model of reliever. Then it dawned on me “Hey what about Ambriorix Burgos? Burgos is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and has been pitching in some minor league games and should be ready to go to winter league so throw Burgos in the mix with the other guys I mentioned and you know what? We are not in as bad shape as I thought. Then I see this in my Google Reader:

 

Mets Pitcher Burgos Arrested For Assaulting Girlfriend

 

We don’t know the whole story so I won’t jump to conclusion but if all this proves true then Burgos has got to be released. As this behavior can not be tolerated but I am willing to hear his account but I don’t know what he can say to justify his action. Right now Burgos is just a big fucking coward as far as I’m concerned.

 

 

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I stayed up to watch the Phillies fall to the Friars (the Padres play by play man kept calling the Padres that all night so now it’s stuck in my head) as Mets fans are happy Brian Giles turned down a deal to the Red Sox as he drove in the late inning runs to lead the Friars to the win. I then turned over to see J.J. Hardy beat the Dodgers in 10 innings so by the time I got to sleep it was about 1:30AM. I didn’t get up this morning until 9:30 which is like slipping into a coma for me. So by the time I rolled out of bed, went for bagels and the papers (yes I’m a dinosaur that loves to read a hard copy newspaper) had my coffee it’s now like 20 to 1. My day is thrown off terribly. With no baseball games to coach I’m not used to weekend morinings with nothing to do. I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to write about but the late start to my day (even on my day off I’m up by 6 AM) I’ll just give a couple of quick hits:

Kudos to Petey for a great game last night. Maybe, just maybe he can stay healthy for the stretch run and have a few more like last night left in him. Pitching back to back starts against the same team is very difficult even to a second division team like the Bucs so that makes last night start more impressive.

Don’t kill Eddie Kunz for last night, either J-Man uses this kid like he is conditioned to, to close or pitch the 8th inning or just send him back to Bingo. As Kunz said last night after the game he is used to pitching everyday or every other day last night appearance was his first in a week. This kid has been conditioned to close since college, so he is what he is so either let him pitch late innings here or send him back to Bingo but whatever the Mets do stop dicking around with the kid.

With the news that Billy Wags is not ready to get back to action, Omar and J-Man have to sit down and figure out what will be done about the late innings. One thing is for sure this mix and match of releivers has got to go. I guess we won’t know until tomorrow when Wags gets yet another MRI on his forearm/elbow but one thing is for sure the Mets need a game plan and if it involves taking either John Maine or Big Pelf to the pen then lets do it already.

Omar aquired Luis Ayala from the Nats for Anderson Hernandez early today. I guess Mel Rojas didn’t return his call.

D-Wright gets a day off today and Damien Easley will play thrid and bat third.

Joel Sherman had a column today on how the Highlanders will have a decison to make on the direction of the franchise and what to do with Captain Craptastic. Can you imagine the aggony of Highlander fans if Capt Crap ever was traded? How about to the Dodgers and Mr. T? We can only pray it happens. Also Sherman snuck in a comment about will the Steinbrenners even own the Highlanders after 2010. As soon as The Bronx Robber Baron takes his last breath, Pack A Day Hank, and Horse Whisper Hal will put the For Sale sign up so fast it will make your inter-locking NY cap spin. Remember what Peter O’Malley did so don’t think this is far fetched.

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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.

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Some days when I write a post it’s tougher to hit that publish button than others. Yesterday when I was ready to hit the button, I paused for a moment and re-read the post again thinking that maybe calling out the Mets relievers as a bunch of no balls sissy’s that I may have gone over the top. But I hit the button knowing that was just how I felt that no one has stepped up in time of adversity as you are supposed to do when injuries hit. Well, last night Warlord Jerry not only gave me his seal of approval of that post he in fact added to what I felt as he called out his bullpen dwellers by responding to questions of his pen by saying that he was ready to hand the closers role over to Eddie Kunz (until Billy Wags finishes his rehab and zeppole’s on Coney Island ) as he stated no one else has risen to the occasion. Which was the polite way of saying that the pen lacks testosterone. Then he laid out his plan to take either OP, John Maine, or Big Pelf into the pen for the rest of the season which was J-Man’s way of embarrassing the relievers. One bullpen bottom feeder, Scott Schoenewies, finally strapped on a pair of nuts and called a meeting of Men Without Testicles to see if any of his fellow arsonists are embarrassed enough to get some male enhancement and take the J-Man, Kranepool Society challenge and prove us wrong. 

 

It worked last night as J-Man brought in Joe Smith for the 8th and Pedro Feliciano for the 9th with Eddie Kunz warming away in the pen just in case. Give Warlord Jerry credit, if going to call out you players, it’s best to do it when your playing the worst team in baseball.  Joe Smith had tons of movement on his pitches last night and Feliciano after getting  lefty swinging Willie Harris  out he looked into the dugout toward J-Man waiting for him to trot out and raise his right hand high for Big Eddie. But J-Man just stared at Feliciano and made no movement, in effect telling the Other Pedro to show his balls to him and get out of the inning. And he did. Again it was the Nationals one of the suckiest teams I’ve seen a long time (the bloom is off the Manny Acta rose but the way) so let’s not wet our draws over the win last night. When I see the relievers taking on Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pat Burrell and beating their ass then we will have something to celebrate.’  

 

I had more stuff to spew venom about but I have a ton of stuff to do today soooooo I think I’ll do some live blogging tonight during Mets-Nats and the return of John Maine. I’ll also flip around to the Cards-Marlins game for some commentary on that one so hopefully I’ll see you later.

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UGHHHHHH! Back to Work This sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But before I hit the pile of work I have here on my desk (I need some real motivation here to get to work) a few observations:

 

The walking wounded are ready to come back as it looks like Gimp Castillo is ready to rejoin the big club in DC tomorrow. That means most likely that Argenis “The Other” Reyes will be sent back to NOLA until September 1 or the next time Gimp falls off his Rascal. Billy Wags will grab a hot dog at Nathan’s and a round of “Shoot The Freak” while rehabbing with the Cyclones in Coney Island, which spells the end most likely for Eddie Kunz on the big league roster. Me personally I’d send back Carlos Muniz who has been a huge disappointment to me as I thought he’d excel as a late inning guy but he just gets a reprieve until John Maine is activated on Wednesday. It looks like Brain Stokes off his start Saturday will stay as the long man in what is a mess of a bullpen. If there is one critsisim of Omar Minaya that is justified it is he has not upgraded the bullpen from last year and that was the main culprit in the Collapse of “07. Ryan Church is down in St. Lonesome and if that doesn’t make his head hurt hopefully he’ll bounce back but I don’t here much optimism coming from the Ivory Tower of Shea.

 

Sad weekend with both Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes passing away. Mac was a no hold bared comic who was extremely funny and that’s because he spoke the truth and didn’t give a shit who was offended. Hayes made one of the great records of the 70’s with the theme from the movie SHAFT (“Who’s the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks-SHAFT-You’re damn right”)  and later gained fame as Chef on South Park R.I.P. Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes!!!!

 

This whole PSL bullshit has me shaking my head. Today I read a story in the Post about NY Football Giants fans dipping into their retirement accounts and taking out loans to buy the PSL at the new Stadium. I understand that these folks have had the tickets for years and years but when you start raiding your IRA and 401-K for tickets to a sporting even that is just fucked up. Really I love the Mets more than any other team I root for but the Wilpons can kiss my Royal Irish Ass if they jack the price of tickets so high that I have to go into my pension for a loan to watch them. Anyone who does that needs their fucking head examined.

 

I love the site The Gowanus Lounge because it post shit like this that makes laugh until it hurts. I love when the Yuppies who took over Park Slope and gentrified it get riled up when they see unsavory behavior like this. Back in the70’s there would have been a line. for that.

 

Sure now that I’m back from Boston those egg heads a MIT figure out a way to hack into the Charlie Card.

 

I tune into the end of the Nats-Brewers game yesterday when I got home from Shea and Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton got into a discussion that proved they were both retarded.

L Millz was up in the top of the 12^th and Carpenter was going on about the shadows on the field and how tough it was to see the ball as a batter. Carpenter then made a statement that made my head snap, “Can you imagine these shadows if the Brewers make the post season and they have to play at 4 PM” HUH? Bob, the post season starts in OCTOBER where sunset in Wisconsin is at 6:30 PM not at 8:05 PM as it is now so  they shadows will be different if any and besides maybe it will be a cloudy day when the Brew Crew play did that ever cross your mind?  Shit, it could even snow for that fact and the roof will be closed. Did I tell you how much I love Gary, Keith and Ron?

 

Mets are on a 1PM today which will be a big help in me getting through the mounds of paper work on my desk.     

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I forgot to post about the bullpen. IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!! Wags or no Wags all this bullshit about who should close and who should set up how about this how about someone in the bullpen strapping on a pair of balls and stepping up and lead. I’m an Aaron Heilman fan and yes he sucks as a reliever and yes I feel he should get the start Saturday night if Jon Niese doesn’t but for the love of God will you stand up like a fucking man and take charge here! Between Heilman and Schoenewies I don’t know who I want to crack in the head with a folding chair first. Is there anyone in that bullpen who doesn’t pee sitting down? Can someone go up to Warlord Jerry and DEMAND to pitch the 9th inning. Go ahead Eddie Kunz don’t be shy, you could kick anyone ass on this team if they object SHOW ME YOUR BALLS AND DEMAND TO CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now back to my relaxing afternoon.

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Hi y’all just back from Boston and I must apologize for the lack of posts the last few days. We spent three days at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, a beautiful old hotel with a grand lobby ( I love hotel lobbies ) first class dining, fabulous accomodations and a great location (two blocks from Boston Common and three stops on the Green Line to Fenway Park) but the big draw back was the lack of internet serivce. The hotel charges $12 bucks a day for service and my WI-FI was picking  up weak signals from neighboring business and residence and since we spent hardly any time in the room, it didn’t pay to get service (nor did I have the time as Boston is a walking city and boy did WE WALK!!!!) as I just about made it through Baseball Tonight each night before falling asleep.

So since I was gone the Mets have hit a skid but the kids are arriving in Eddie Kunz and David Murphy joining Mike Evans and it looks like The Teen Aged Hitting Machine is close to joining the club as well. Billy Wags is on the DL and for some reason J-Man thinks Aaron Heilman can close. Maybe someday the light will go on in someone in someone in the Mets front office head and realize that Heilman should be a starter. He neither has the make up or stuff to close. His head and heart is not in it. I can see with Dirty losing velocity and no one else on this staff with closer qualities then why not just give the job to Kunz. Sure it’s baptism under fire but at this point what choice do the Mets have? at least Kunz has closer history and did pitch in pressure situations in college so what the hell let him close.

More tomorrow on my trip to Fenway  What a great time we had. We went to the game on Sunday and then went back Monday for a tour of the ball park. I haven’t been to Fenway in about 15 years and I have to give props to the current Red Sox managemnt for fixing the place up and making it a must see ballpark for any baseball fan.

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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)

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It sucks to lose two of three to the Fish but it’s the first series the Mets have dropped all month so no screaming and yelling here about that. The major story of the day is the trade deadline and it looks like the Mets usually major players on deadline day will be standing pat. Maybe Omar has finally gotten it through his head that collecting old guys is not the way to go as it seems in every phone call involving a Mets deal the names Jon Neise (great Triple A debut last night) Dan Murphy (looks like he will be a big time hitter but needs a position) Eddie Kunz (the 8th inning gate man in about two weeks for Billy Wags) and of course The Teen Aged Hitting Machine (who should be brought up to the big team just to let the training staff work with him on stretching his hammys and conditioning a la Jose Reyes when Jose was a puppy) So if Manny Ramirez is NOT to be a Met then hopefully Omar leaves the phone off the hook.

Here in Massachusetts the big news is Manny. It’s 24 hours of Manny. What has seemed to have broken the hearts of the Fenway Faithful was Manny saying the Red Sox “Don’t deserve a player like him” but after he made those remarks he kind of back tracked and professed his love for the city of Boston and the Red Sox fans. Be that as it may the hot story here this morning has Manny going to the Fish, with Jeremy Hermidia going to the Bucs and Jason Bay and John Grabow going to the Red Sox. From all indications this is a done deal and all that awaits ato make it offical is The Used Car Salesman Seal of Approval. This sucks on three levels, first the Mets have no shot at Manny like I said it seems that the Mets front office has wised up and is done dealing kids of geezers even for geezers who can rake but it looks like the plan is to let the flowers grow. Second, it sucks if he goes to the Fish as this pennant race in the NL East is a three team affair Manny or no Manny (how do the Fish do it? They have to be the worst team ever to be in position to win a division) Third, there is going to be one sad soon to be thirteen year old boy going to Fenway for the first time Sunday if there is no Manny in LF.

Tons of Red Sox fans here on the Cape as to be expected some Highlanders fans as well but very few Mets fans which surprises me I guess we are all saving up money to get tickets to $iti Field so no vacations this year. Loads of European tourists as that Euro is very strong. Here is what I find here and at home in NYC, the Euro’s are the most impolite people on the face of the earth. They cut in front of you on line, are clueless on where they are going, have no regard for other people and the words please and thank you are never ever spoken . Use of any personal hygiene products  have not reached that side of the Atlantic. Just two swipes of deodorant Pierre under each armpit is all it takes.

One story I forgot to relay about Saturday night at Shea. I was sitting in Section 40 of the Upper Deck and next to us was a guy with no arms. He asked the guys in back of him if they were going up to the concession stand to let him know as he wanted a beer. So one of the guys tells hem he’s going up so the arm less guy whips off a shoe and with his toes grabs a ten dollar bill out of his shoe and hands (foots?) it to the beer runner. The beer runner comes back with a beer in a cup and armless says to place it right on the empty seat next to him. My son is in the next seat over and my daughter the next over and they both stopped watching the game and were fixated on the armless man as they watched him lower his head to the beer cup, grip it with his teeth and proceed to drink his beer. But that wasn’t the highlight of the night. When Carlos Delgado homered, the armless guy whips off both shoes and claps his feet like a seal.

God I love Shea Stadium.

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