Very interesting news coming from the Mets yesterday and today. First the team seems to be on the verge of locking up Jon Niese for the next 5 years, that will reward the lefty pitcher during his arbitration eligible years and buy back a year of his free agency eligibility.  This quite a progressive and proactive move by the Mets front office, something not seen in these parts in many ,many years.

Some reports have the deal at 5 years and $28mil, the 5 years is a big commitment to a pitcher who has suffered from fatigue and injury issues in his brief major league career but it speaks to the high esteem the front office holds Neise in.

During the winter there were rumbles that the Mets put Niese’ name out on the trade market (at the same time Billy Beane made it known that Gio Gonzalez was available in trade and of course the deal was made with the Nationals) that wasn’t an indication that the Mets were looking to rid themselves of the young lefty as some Mets fans jumped to that conclusion, it was more to see what was out there in trade for his valuable services as the Mets front office is trying very hard to add depth to the farm system.

Tying up Niese seems like a smart move by Sandy Alderson. As we see in this column by Mark Simon of ESPN, Niese put up some very impressive numbers involving K/9IP, BB/9IP and HR/9IP, add to that he is 25 years old and left-handed,  it’s hard for even the most jaded Mets fan to go against the front office in this move.   

Seems like the verbal kick in the ass that Mike Peflrey received last week when it was reported the club discussed however informally about giving Big Pelf his release,  has now made its way to Jason Bay as Mike Puma reports there has been some talk about Bay becoming a platoon player if he continues to struggle at the plate.  This should show Mets fans that last year’s getting to know segment of Sandy Alderson’ reign as Mets baseball boss is over and now we are entering the “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem” phase of rebuilding the Mets.

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Just when you thought you’ve seen it or heard it all when it comes to how the Mets do business comes word that team has denied Journal News Mets blogger Howard Megdal’ request for a media credential for the upcoming season. Megdal’s crime? Telling the truth.

According to Megdal, the Mets VP of Media Relations Jay Horowitz reason for reneging on the credential  was that “they don’t like his reporting” Megdal has tried to get a further explanation from the club but so far his request has fallen on deaf ears.

When the Mets claim that they don’t like the way Megdal reports they mean they don’t like the truth of their financial difficulties being made public. Megdal has written a book, Wilpon’s Folly” that looks in depth how the Wilpon’s have gotten themselves into a mess of debt that they may not be able to get out of, that could cost them ownership of the Mets.  It bothers the Mets greatly that Megdal, through hard work and dogged investigating, has laid out in full view, how the Wilpon’s were duped by Bernie Madoff and swindled out of the family fortune. What’s most bothersome about the Wilpon’s is they have not been forthright in telling how this great swindle has affected the operation of the Mets and Megdal with his thorough investigative work has uncovered the truth.

To call Megdal a blogger is like calling Martin Scorsese a guy who makes movies, Megdal is an accomplished author and freelance writer who has been credentialed by all the pro sports team in the area and his work has been published on ESPN.com, New York Times and MLB Trade Rumors.  I could see if Megdal wrote a book that was not factual and that the Wilpons could prove it but he hasn’t and they can’t so they’ve decided to go take the bully route and not allow Howard to have a credential thus not allowing him to enhance his livelihood. See Megdal does not do this for fun, this is his job, it’s how he puts food on his table and because he did what no other writer had the guts to do, and give Mets fans and the other readers the truth behind the crumbling Wilpon Empire he’s being punished.

I do not believe this edict came from anyone in the media or public relations department; it had to come from only one place, the owner’s office. The folks who work in the Mets PR department know how badly they need sell this product that is Mets baseball. The fan base not only has disdain for this ownership but distrust as well, banning Megdal from obtaining a media credential is not only petty, it’s stupid. Beyond his talents as a writer, Megdal is as passionate a Mets fan as there is which makes this even more of an underhanded nasty move by the club.  He’s not a go for free guy, no; he’s a paying customer and a frequent customer of the Mets product I might add.

The Wilpon’s just don’t get it, if they would have come out and told  the truth from day one about getting had by Madoff and that it would affect the operation of the team to where they’d have to adjust the way they do business, Mets fans would have embraced them. There is no more forgiving fan base than Mets fans. Ask Keith Hernandez about the standing ovation he received after he testified in the Pittsburgh drug trials? Or ask Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry about the way Mets fans treated them after their bouts with drugs and alcohol. Mets fans and Mets bloggers are good people and should be treated with more respect by this ownership, none more than Howard Megdal.

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Six pitchers to win a nine inning baseball game, welcome to the next re-invention of baseball, courtesy of The Genius.  The biggest impression I have of the post season is that we are now going from having a setup man and closer as your main relievers to having to have at least seven pitchers who can come out of your pen, game in game out.  Before the post season even started, Sandy Alderson made it known that rebuilding his bullpen would be job one.  

The story of Game one changes dramatically if Allen Craig does not come through with that huge pinch hit single to put the Cards ahead 3-2. The second guessers and LaRussa haters (I raise my hand) would have been out in full force. Just goes to show the difference between a genius and an asshole in baseball is a fair ball.

There was a terrific column by Adam Rubin on ESPNNY.com on how the readiness of Ruben Tejada could soften the blow of Jose Reyes leaving for greener (backs) pastures. Rubin quotes Mark Simon, ESPN’s numbers cruncher with stats that show me the Mets would be better off with Reyes leaving and Tejada taking over shortstop and using the money saved on pitching. Defensively you really don’t lose much with Tejeda (according to the metrics the Mets would gain with Tejeda at shortstop) it’s on offense where you lose the most.

“If you look at it from a WAR [wins above replacement] perspective, Reyes was a 6.2 last year via Fangraphs. Tejada was a 1.8,” Simon said. “The question would be: What is Tejada at his best … maybe a 3-WAR player? So there is a drop-off.”

You’d think that a healthy Ike Davis, David Wright (if he’s not dealt) with the fences of Citi Field lower and closers (and painted blue I hope),and a rejuvenated Jason Bay (a guy can dream can’t he) would make up for the offensive slack lost by the dearly departed Reyes   

I think this quote from an NL scout sums it up:

  Said one National League scout: “Tejada is ready to play every day. Save the money and go get some pitching. You’re not winning anything in 2012 anyway. Find out if the kid can do it. He really has improved with the bat and gotten physically stronger. He’s going to need a backup, though, in case he gets hurt or needs a day off”

As Mets fans, we need to root for three more Redbird wins in a row so we can get our off season started, the suspense is killing me.

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Here is today’s stream of (un) consciences in no particular order of importance or relevancy:

Why send Lucas Duda to the Instructional League to work on playing right field when he can just be left there for the next 45 games of the season.  While we’re at it, let Mike Baxter play some 1^st base and even a little centerfield as well. I don’t know if you’ve heard but the Mets are not going to the post season….shhhhhhhhhh……keep it on the downlow…….

It’s been a pleasure watching the maturation of Jon Niese as a pitcher and a player this season. Niese seems to be over his problems of fatigue and injury. His BB is down as his K/BB ratio is up to 3:1. He’s kept the ball in the park as well with his HR rate lower than last year but his hits to innings pitched is still high. He has become one of the young leaders of this team as he handled the disappointment of a loss due to the two errors of neophyte shortstop Ruben Tejeda like a seasoned pro.

Terry Collins has stopped with giving pep talks and is focused on watching who gives all and who gives none down the stretch of the season. Good move, I’m going to do the same thing, no more rally cries for Mets fans to support this team. If you can’t see the positive change this season in this organization, you’re not worth preaching to anyway.

When it comes to the 10^th Anniversary of the attack of September 11^th, the last thing I’m concerned with is what time the Mets are playing and what kind of caps they’ll wear. Quite frankly, the day should be a day of remembrance and reflection on the tragic events of that day and how that day has changed our lives forever.  

The news that ESPN 710 in Los Angeles will be broadcast New York Jets games this season made we wonder if the Dodgers and Giants ever broadcast games back to New York when the left after the 1957 season?

Jerry Reese is lucky he’s not the GM of the Mets or Highlanders as the outcry of his non-moves and letting key Giants players leave would be off the charts hysterical. Can you imagine the screaming headlines if Sandy Alderson or Pee Wee Cashman, after two seasons of not making the playoffs and losing a game in embarrassing manner to your biggest arch rival, stood pat while big time free agents signed with other teams?  Football may be the number one sport in America but baseball still rules the roost in NYC.

If you are not following Giants VP of Communications, Pat Hanlon on Twitter (@giantspathanlon) you are missing out. Hanlon is the loyalist of loyal Mara employees and will take on all critics of Big Blue. Rex Ryan gets a lot of pub for his outlandish behavior but he’s a wallflower compared to Giants Pat.

By the way, all the Giants fans that are ready to leap off the George Washington Bridge thinking this season will be a disaster calm the fuck down. Let the season play out before you leap off the bridge.

Congrats to David Wright as he passed Ed Kranepool as the All-Time Mets leader in Total Bases. See, I can take the high road sometimes.

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Last night while watching the Mets-Cards game and enjoying the return of Jose Reyes and short timer Carlos Beltran, I went back to a bad habit that I thought I had overcome, going on Twitter while watching the Mets. I tried breaking this habit because I couldn’t take the fill in the player’s name “You Suck” and then when said player comes through the same Tweeters comeback with fill in the player’s name “I<3 you”. It get tiring. Well last night I guess I’d had enough as Jose Reyes made his second great play at short. Bases loaded 1 out and Albert Pujols  at bat against Bobby Parnell and the Mets holding a 2 run lead. Pujols hits a ground ball at the 2nd base bag Reyes snares hit and touches the bag while trying to avoid getting wiped out by the runner gets a laser beam throw off to Lucas Duda for the double play. An outstanding play if there ever was one.

Now the play by play of than call by Gary Cohen was as usual perfect. Well to everyone but 1050 ESPN’s Don LeGreca. When I read that Tweet I was ready to scream, this guy works with arguably the worst play by play man in baseball in Michael Kay (John Sterling sucks as well, I know but at least Sterling is entertaining, Kay makes homicidal thought run through your mind) so I had to take matters into my own fingers and tweet back to Mr. LeGreca. He in turn tweets back that he is a big fan of Gary’s (don’t give that first name basis bullshit you just ripped the guy for an over the top call when in fact it was a great call and you look like a horses ass) and that wasn’t the point of the Tweet. Then what was the point? Saying the DP started by Reyes was routine? That makes you ignorant. Saying that Cohen’ call was “over the top” that just makes you look jealous and petty.

I think I’ll Tweet LeGreca back (before he blocks me) about he felt about his boss Kay and the way he not only ruined the Derek Jeter 3,000 hit call with his constant” listen to me try to make the moment mine” diatribe when Jeter homered and then how he went on to felate The Captain the rest of the game.

See that is the glory of Twiter, you say stupid shit and then your set straight. Let’s see who pisses me off tonight.

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I was so sorry I missed going out to Citi Field on Saturday and the tribute to Dana Brand at the location of where home plate of Shea Stadium was. I am honored to be a contributor to a book that has been published with essays by fellow Mets bloggers titled “Mets Brand” honoring Dana. All the proceeds of the book will be donated to Lynn Cohen’s Pitch for a Good Cause.

There seems to be this misconception about Daniel Murphy’s defense. I’m not proclaiming Murph is a solid defender but he’s not the liability some in the fan base make him out to be. The media plays into this as well, more the national drop ins on FOX and ESPN who have a tough time doing their homework before broadcasting games, mostly because of their disdain for statistical analysis. If you look at the numbers Murph is not a bad 1^st baseman, he’s a serviceable 2^nd baseman and an ok fill in at 3^rd base. His biggest problem is he doesn’t have the power that is needed to play a corner position but his production is perfect for 2^nd base. With David Wright ready to come back by the end of the week, figure Lucas Duda or Jason Pridie would have to be moved with Murph and Nick Evans holding down 1^st base and Justin Turner taking over 2^nd base with Ruben Tejada back to his utility role.

I’d love to spy on the meetings Sandy Alderson and his staff have when the subject of Jason Bay comes up. I just picture Alderson leaning back in his chair with his hands in back of his head offering a major bonus to anyone who can remotely solve this very expensive dilemma.  I have no idea how the Mets get away from Bay’s declining performance at the unbelievable price of $35 mil over the next 3 years.  That contract is untradeable unless the Mets were to eat at least half of that deal. Bay is troubled by his lack of production and he works hard to improve but you wonder what runs through his mind when each and every day he’s asked the same questions over and over again and now that the boos are reigning from the Citi Field stands, I’d be  surprised if he is in the lineup tonight, I’d bet we see Willie Harris in LF for the makeup game with the Fish.

We are in the throes of the Last Days of Mike Pelfrey. If he’s not dealt, he’ll be DFA. I’d be SHOCKED if Pelfrey is a Met in 2012.

I’m ready to add Angel Pagan in that equation as well. Pagan has had a tough season offensively and a lot of that has been due to injury but a decision will have to be made here as well with Pagan making $3.5 mil this year and looking at a bump in pay to $5-$5.5 mil. Is Pagan worth that much? I don’t think so.

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Ike Davis may still be out of action due to injury, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking time off from raising money for a great cause.

On Sunday night July 17^th at 7PM, Ike will host his first annual “A Night With Ike Davis” to benefit helping children stricken with cancer. This event will be held at Michael’s Restaurant in Brooklyn, (2929 Avenue R which is Midwood/Gravesend section of Brooklyn and by the way the food is outstanding) which shows that Ike has not forgotten his Brooklyn baseball roots as he was a onetime Brooklyn Cyclone.

Below are all the particulars for the event:

New York Mets star Ike Davis is stepping up to the dinner plate with Solving Kids’ Cancer (SKC) for the first annual “A Night with Ike Davis” charity event at Michael’s Restaurant in Brooklyn on Sunday night July 17th at 7 p.m.  All the proceeds from the evening will benefit SKC along with The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative. 

This family friendly dinner event will feature an up-close-and-personal Q&A session with Ike hosted by Linda Cohn of ESPN SportsCenter and will include several raffles and prizes for attendees along with a special auction featuring:

·         a chartered fishing trip with Ike;

·         the ultimate youth baseball experience at the Cooperstown All Star Village in Cooperstown, NY;

·         on-field access to Citi Field during batting practice (plus tickets, dinner) and other special Mets packages;

·         tour of MLB Network studios during a live show;

·         tickets to attend live tapings of Food Network’s Iron Chef, the Late Show with David Letterman, and several other shows;

·         limited edition sports memorabilia items like signed jerseys and baseballs; and many more one-of-a-kind items.

“A Night with Ike Davis” will also unveil and distribute a special T-shirt designed by a 10-year-old boy who is currently battling cancer.  His design submission was personally selected by Ike. 

Ike is familiar with how devastating cancer can be having lost his childhood friend, Mike Lio, to Ewing’s Sarcoma at just 22 years of age.  It is in his friend’s honor that Ike has chosen to host this charity dinner, with the hope that someday, a cure will help rid the world of all childhood cancers.

Tickets for the event are currently available by visiting www.solvingkidscancer.org; by calling (212) 588-6624.

About Solving Kids’ Cancer

Created by two fathers who lost children to pediatric cancers, Solving Kids’ Cancer™ is committed to significantly improving survivorship of the deadliest childhood cancers.  One hundred percent of all donations are used to find, fund, and manage clinical trials and scientific programs to rapidly develop the most effective treatments and cures.  Solving Kids’ Cancer is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity. To learn more about our work please visit: http://solvingkidscancer.org/give/events/#a-night-with-ike-davis-of-the-ny-mets

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What a day eh? I guess we will add to our “where were you” list our whereabouts when you heard that Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Special Ops. I found out while checking out Twitter while watching Mets-Phillies and fighting off sleep.

The news of that filthy fucking savage Bin Laden was dead  was a like a jolt of adrenalin.  As much as I was enjoying the superb  pitching of Chris Young,  the three man ESPN booth was killing me, plus after a weekend of putting furniture together, managing a baseball game (a 13-3 opening day win for my Babe Ruth team) and a 5AM wakeup call looming, I was ready to hit the sack. My wife and kids had already went to bed early as my daughter and wife volunteered  to work the Staten Island end of the 5 Boro Bike Tour with her Girl Scout troop and my son competed in a rifle sharp shooting contest upstate and left camp at 6:30 AM with my nephew in order to make out baseball game at 10:30AM, poor kid felt asleep on the couch and he’s to damn big now for me to carry him upstairs so I had to wake him up to go to bed. That sucks.

So with everyone but me and the cats off to sleep, I settle in to watch the rest of Mets-Phillies along with checking out Twitter. As I reading my timeline I keep seeing that President Obama will address the nation at 10:30 PM. WOW! This cannot be good, everything about it a Sunday, late at night, asking for clearance from the networks? First thing I thought was word of an impending attack on the U.S. and we need to get prepared. Then I thought that Gaddafi was dead. Good for the miserable scum bag. As my timeline was updating by the second, I realized this is much, much bigger. I switched on CNN and Wolff Blitzer knew what was going on but couldn’t say. Well, fuck you Wolff. I switch to MSNBC and some D-list anchor is on there and he is ready to report this unbelievable piece of news, when a director tells him in his ear piece not to. Mother fuckers! As I’m cursing out the news media I’m checking Twitter and the word on the social media street is OSAMA BIN LADEN was killed by American Special Ops. HOLLY FUCKING SHIT!!!!!! I switch down the dial to all places FOX News and lo and behold Geraldo Rivera is jumping out of his seat relaying the news that Bin Laden is dead, he then high fives a retired General who is in studio with him. At this point I run upstairs to wake up my wife to give her the news, she gets out of bed to join me in watching the President tell the world the American finally got its man.

I am so happy and proud the American Special Ops did this prick in and from reading how they did it solidifies the fact to the whole world that there is no dedicated and braver solider like the men and women of the American Military. That’s why this country with all the faults and bullshit we endure everyday can sleep at night knowing that the U.S. Armed Services is protecting us.  There are still a bunch of scumbag wanna-be tough guys in the Middle East that think they can take down America and win those 72 virgins they’ve been brain washed into believing are waiting for them, the only thing waiting for those mindless douchebags is a bullet to the head with USA engraved on it.

Meanwhile the Mets beat the Phuck Phaces in 14 innings as Chris Young outpitched Cliff Lee and Frankie Rodriguez, Pedro Beato, and Taylor Bucholz pitched 6.1 shutout innings and Ronnie Paulino, RONNIE PAULINO!!!! Went 5 for 7 in his Mets debut as the Mets salvage a win in Philly.

I’m happy the Mets won , but there are not the news of the day and I don’t think they mind it at all.

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  Tonight at 10PM ET I will be hosting the Baseball Bloggers Alliance Baseball Talk Podcast on Blog Talk Radio. My guests will be Jonah Kerri, author of the book The Extra 2%, How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First (published by ESPN Books/Ballantine Books) and Jerry Crasnick, baseball columnists for ESPN.com and Baseball America   

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Jonah Keri’s new book “The Extra 2% How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Team From Worst to First” (Ballantine/ESPN Books Hardcover) hits books store today, a day many baseball devotees have been waiting for.

The book chronicles the rise of the Tampa Bay Rays, under the management skills of Stuart Sternberg and Mathew Silverman, using their expertise in economics learned from their days together at Goldman Sachs.

The Rays were once the most disrespected franchise in baseball, on and off the field. You could say the Rays were an undervalued commodity being that their continuous last place finishes; their reward was drafting very high in the June entry draft and getting the best choices of the top American amateurs out there. Upon taking ownership of the club, Sternberg and Silverman put together a draft strategy, and acquiring players who were proficient in the defensive end of baseball.  

Sternberg and Silverman also changed the culture of the franchise by bringing in a positive dynamic to the front office and administrative staff who were beaten down under the Vince Namoli regime. They also did an intense rebranding of the team, first dropping the name “Devils” and going with just Rays as the team nickname as well as ridding themselves of the weird color designs on the uniform.  

While Sternberg and Silverman have been successful with the Rays on the field, they are still fighting an uphill battle off the field, dealing with issues of an antiquated and hard to get to ballpark and a depressed economy in Central Florida, which has kept attendance down.

Sternberg has also been linked to becoming owner of the NY Mets as he is not only a Brooklyn native and Westchester resident but he is a lifelong Mets fan and season ticket holder still to this day.    

As a Mets fan, this book is of great interest to me (and it should be to you as well) as the franchise is entering uncertain times due to money problems of ownership that has been chronicled all winter and that we have a new front office headed by Sandy Alderson whose management style is the bench mark for what Sternberg and Silverman have used in Tampa.

The Extra 2 % can be obtained through Amazon, Barnes & Noble (both on line and the good old brick and mortar) and all book stores. No matter how you buy your books these days (Kindle and Nook) I recommend highly that you either buy or download The Extra 2 % today.

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