It was a move long overdue. In fact give John Ricco credit for getting a live body for Jeff Francoeur  but the organization shouldn’t have stopped there. It’s quite clear that again for the third season in a row the Mets have rolled over and died. How Jerry Manuel gets to fill out a lineup card today for the Mets is a smack in our Mets fan faces. Sure it doesn’t matter anymore this season but by firing Manuel and Omar Minaya today would send a message that a tidal wave of changes are coming. But I have absolutely no confidence that inept bullshit ownership has the balls to do this.

A real owner who owned this close to one BILLION dollar company would go into that clubhouse and rip the living shit out of this team. But that won’t happen.  The only passion comes from the fan base. It’s not just a matter of screaming and yelling in fact screaming and yelling wouldn’t have any effect on this team anyway. If the owner would just go into that clubhouse and tell this team the truth that they are an embarrassment and what has him baffled is they don’t seem to mind that they are saddled with this label. The owner would also be of the right to let them know that this little Country Club mentality that has infected the clubhouse will be dismantled. The owner should then go on about how there will be a new GM and manager next year and if this new management team says to me that (pointing at players) you, you or you need to go, then you got to go. The owner should also stress that his office is closed to any player who has a baseball related issue, all of those inquires must go through chain of command from manager to general manager. If you have a personal or family issue as the owner, he should let them know he will help him as best he can.

As fans we can talk about who to cut, who to trade for, who to sign as a free agent but all that talk is a waste of words and oxygen unless ownership either cleans out the front office and makes a concerted effort to change the perception that the organization is clueless, leaderless and headed on the fast track to nowhere.

By a show of hands, how many of you Mets fans out there are still wearing your Mets gear in public?  Not many I see. I can’t blame you as it wears you down to wear your WRIGHT 5 or REYES 7 and have to answer inane question after inane question about the team. I don’t know about you but I’m worn out from answering question after question about why this organization is so bad and can’t get out of its own way.  All I can tell them is “Blogging about the Mets ain’t easy “

All you need to know about the player’s view of the team is in this Tweet from Steve Popper. First Rod Barajas now Francoeur, if the players don’t want to be here then why should I buy a ticket or watch SNY or wear drape myself in Mets regalia? Why do I feel the chasm between the team and fan base exists because the Mets fans take this much more personally than the players do? Did you see the smile on Francoeur’ face last night when he spoke to the media about being sent to Arlington? When was the last you smiled as a Mets fan?

I’ve seen some of the Tweets of Mets fan who are actually upset that Jeff Francoeur was dealt to the Texas, are you fucking kidding me?

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At this point in the Mets season, my mood has gone from outrage to amusement. The outrage was over the start of the second half of the season when the team decided it was time to pack it in, the amusement is listening to players and the GM tried to tell us the team is still in contention. ROFLMYFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Listening to Omar Minaya discuss the Mets, is like hearing a child try to explain why filling the bathtub with water and Jell-O was a good idea. You’re so pissed off at them as you survey the situation but the more they try to explain themselves and try to wriggle out of bad situation, it starts to become comical.

Omar is trying very very hard to convince the fan base that this team is still in contention when we all know this team talks tough but when it comes down to fighting for a post season spot, they are a collection of conscientious objectors. As much as I’m a fan of D-Wright just once I’d like to hear him say in his after a loss post game statement, that the team needs to get some players who are mentally tough. Who is he worried about pissing off? The manager is clueless and the GM insults our intelligence and the owner is scare shit to be seen in public. Please can someone just say the truth in that clubhouse? Is it that hard to say it? The truth will set your sorry ass’s free.

I bet if Omar came out and said “All this mess is on me. I miscalculated on a lot of the personnel here and I gave out contracts that will haunt me and the organization. I’ve learn a valuable lesson about over paying players and with the help of my front office staff, we are ready to regroup and re-invent they way personnel moves are made with this team”  If he would make a statement like that, I bet talks of fan boycotts would go away. In fact if he made a statement like that and was retained by ownership for another year, the out cry for his head, would die down a bit. But if he keeps going with this tired comedy act of his then he needs to be shown the door. 

I think it has finally sunk into Luis Castillo’ head that he has no future here in Queens. I do feel for the guy for at least he puts up a fight to get in the lineup and has some pride unlike the miserable fuck, Oliver Perez, who is no different from Bernie Madoff as first class scam artist.

See if the organization had the brains and passion of Taryn Cooper Mets fans would never complain again (SHOCKING!!! I know) last night she organized the Citi Field Sit Out where fans were asked to NOT attend last night game. Coop herself made the sacrifice of not using her tickets or putting them up for sale. The protest I’d like is where everyone shows up at Citi Field and in the third inning we all get up and walkout. I wonder if State run SNY TV would cover something like that?

I’ve always been a fan of the HBO show Hard Knocks, but having the Jets and Rex Ryan on this season had made the show appointment TV. Last night was outstanding and the more I watch, the more of a Rex Ryan fan I’m becoming. I always though Ryan was just a big blowhard but the way he interacts with his coaches and players is classic. He pats players on the back and he tells them when they suck. His confrontation with a D-lineman on the bubble after he finds out that DE Ropati Pitotua blew out his Achilles was riveting as he tells the lineman about Pitotua’ injury and asks him if “he wants to make the fuckin’ team or do I have get someone off the street” was Happy Rex morphing into Darth Vader Rex. Special Teams coach Mike Westoff needs his own show, he’s the Paulie Walnuts of Hard Knox.

For your reading pleasure please read this post by Ms. Jacqueline Conrad at Cardinal Diamond Diaries about her Grandmothers influence on her becoming a baseball fan.

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My biggest problem with Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel is neither of these two challenge any of their players publicly. I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do but desperate times call for desperate measures.   The cool, calm way is just not working and Jerry trying not to throw anyone under a bus in the press isn’t working  either, so maybe it’s time for some tough love and start calling guys out by name.  If your Manuel, you know your job is on the line and if these underachievers don’t kick it in gear soon, you’ll be out of a job and maybe that’s what Manuel wants. Maybe J-Man has had it with this team and organization that he can just play out the next month and a half get released and go home?  It could be the players are taking their cue from their skipper. That’s why Jerry Manuel has got to go. Let Dave Jauss finish out the season but a message needs to be sent this isn’t a fucking country club and no one is set for life in Flushing.

Same with Minaya, how does he stay so calm? At some point shouldn’t he address the team and read the riot act? Doesn’t it bother him that just about every Mets fan thinks he’s a shit ass GM that only knows how to throw money at free agents and sign over the hill players?  Does he enjoy being in charge of a team that is made the punch line of jokes in all of baseball?

What about the owner? Does Jeffey Skill Sets enjoy be called a douchebag by me and other fans? Doesn’t get he ever get pissed that he is portrayed as a buffoon and spoiled little rich kid that evey Mets fan wants to punch in the face?

Is there anyone associated with this organization that ever gets mad? Besides Crazy Freddie? If ownership had a quarter of the passion and fight of it’s fan base, this team wouldn’t be in the sad position it’s in now.

You know what makes it worse? The Phillies and Red Sox have been decimated by injuries but both teams are still in the think of a pennant race. You know why? Because their players have boulders for balls unlike our Mets who I hate to say it, are cowards and I can call them cowards and losers and any other name I want and any of the MSM can show this post to the players, GM, or owner and they won’t do a damn thing about it.

Hey Omar, Hey Jerry, Hey Jeff, Hey David Wright any of you guys feel froggy, then leap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Doesn’t 2006 seem like eon’s ago? Think about it, just four years ago the NY Mets were the NL East Champs and we Mets fans felt this was the beginning of a long prosperous run. Boy, were we wrong. Somehow, someway the organization has lost its focus and in turn has lost the trust of the fan base. As much as I enjoyed watching the Mets Hall of Fame induction ceremonies yesterday and the fact that the HOF and museum at Citi Field is exceptional and no one loves the history of this franchise more than I do, but it’s time to put that energy of bringing back the past, and move it towards building a solid organization for the future.

Quite frankly, I couldn’t care less who the next Mets HOF inductee will be and whose number could or should be retired or what kind of promotional days should be added to the schedule. I want the focus of ownership to be on building a minor league system that is the envy of baseball. I want the ownership to prove to me their not destitute by going over slot on draft picks they believe are worthy of such a contract. I want ownership to bring in the best and brightest executives in baseball to run this team and turn it into a perennial pennant contender. I want ownership to get rid of the deadwood on the roster.

I’ll be back at Citi Field a few more times this summer because I’m an addicted to the Mets and to baseball (Wednesday I went to Mets-Cards, Friday I was at SI Highlanders-Connecticut Tigers, tonight I’m going to Brooklyn Cyclones-Hudson Valley Renegades, Wednesday morning I leave for 10 days on Cape Cod just in time for the Cape Cod League Playoffs. If the Red Sox were home there would be a side trip to Boston for a game at Fenway as well oh yeah this on top of coaching baseball from the end of March to the end of July ) but guys like me are few and far between. It’s time for the Skill Sets to get their house in order and change the culture of this organization fast, this will be the most important off season in Flushing since the Wilpon/Doubleday ownership take over. The Skill Sets have to see a change of philosophy is needed. They can’t be that ignorant can they? Can they?

James Kannengieser at Amazin Avenue has his Five Ways to Improve The Mets and I’m sure we all agree on these each of them. What I can’t understand is this, when it comes to Toxic Ollie and The Late Luis Castillo what is the justification from ownership for not cutting both of them loose? Isn’t there anyone in these organizational meeting with a pair of balls to stand up and tell Jeffey Skill Sets it’s time to put the team ahead of the ledger sheet? Does Jeffey understand how much respect he would gain from the fan base if he came out and did a mass release of Perez, Castillo, Francoeur and Cora? Then tell the fans this is just the beginning of the organizational purge. Ah who am I kidding Jeffey Skill Sets is fucking gutless.

The Mets Police is now The A’s Police. Back in the mid 70’s when the Mets were awful, I was infatuated with the Cincinnati Reds Big Red Machine. I even subscribed the Reds Alert which was a weekly fan mag. So now through the great MLB Extra Innings package, I’ve been watching the Reds as they fight the Cardinals for the top spot in the NL Central. Maybe I’ll change this site into the Ed Armbrister Society. 

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I don’t know who I’m sick of hearing about more LeBron James or Cliff Lee? In Lee’s defense, it’s not his fault as he is no where near a self promoting Ring Leader of a media circus, that LBJ is. As much as Cliff Lee would be an injection of adrenaline to both the Mets pitching staff and it’s fan base, I feel the price for Lee will be too expensive for the Mets. Not monetarily but player wise.

I am enjoying watching the Mets this season unlike any Mets team that’s been assembled since 2006. I love watching a home grown infield and the fact that Angel Pagan a one time farm hand that returned home, and is playing All-Star caliber baseball. On the pitching side, how nice is it to see Mike Pelfrey grow up before our eyes, his lasted slump not withstanding? Jon Niese also pitching better than his scouting reports said he would.  Even Bobby Parnell coming back from a trip to Buffalo looks more grown up on the mound as well. It makes rooting for this team much more fun than when the roster is constructed of mainly mercenaries. That’s why I hope Cliff Lee goes to the Twins or Rays.

I’m sure some of you think that’s very short sighted of me to feel like that way and you may be right, maybe Josh Thole, Wilmer Flores and Jenry Mejia (the three players it would take to land Lee) never flourish in the big leagues and I know some say don’t fall in love with prospects but I guess I’m smitten by the Mets farmhands. I see Ike Davis and Jon Niese making a strong case for Rookie of Year and Ruben Tejada and his supersonic range at 2^nd base (not even his natural position) and then Josh Thole comes up and shows a productive bat (his at bats against the Second Coming of Christ a/k/a Stephen Strasburg have raised Thole stock even higher) and his handling of R.A. Dickey and his magical knuckle ball has him pushing Rod Barajas for playing time.  Then there is the financial situation of the team.

This is the great mystery that surrounds this franchise. Are the Mets broke, solvent or just keeping their heads above water? No one knows. I don’t think the Skill Sets are a bunch of brokesters but they’re not exactly livin’ large either. So even if you trade your fine farm fresh products for Cliff Lee, what’s the odds you’re going to sign him long term? Not very good if you ask me.

That’s why Ted Lilly makes the most sense to try to acquire. I’m sure the Cubs would take F-Mart and a minor league pitcher of lesser renown for Lilly.

Lilly is a perfect Citi Field pitcher as he is an extreme fly ball pitcher. His velocity has been down early in the season but like Johan Santana he is coming off injury and little by little getting some speed back on his fastball that in the second half of the season should benefit him by making his change up more effective. A rotation of Santana, Big Pelf, Lilly, Neise and Dickey looks very solid to me.

Sure Cliff Lee would be a huge score but I don’t want to pay the high price in kids. Get Lilly and a reliever either Chad Qualls or Matt Lindstrom and take your shot.

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Rough one last night in San Diego. Kevin Corria connected twice to Jerry Hariston Jr in the end zone for 2 TD’s and David Eckstein kicked two extra points to lead the Padres over the Mets 18-6. Adrian Gonzalez had a big night of defense as he sacked Raul Valdes and Ryota Igarashi in the end zone for safeties. The Mets scored on a Jose Reyes punt return but the 2pt conversion failed.  

If I’m Ollie Perez or Scott Boras I’d welcome a trip to Buffalo as to not have to face the media and a very angry fan base when the Mets get back to NYC to open a three game series with the Fish on Friday. I’d love to get a press pass for the Friday game just to ask Ollie on question:

“Oliver? Steve Keane from the Eddie Kranepool Society” How does it feel that Mets front office, players and fan base are so disgusted by your selfishness that they would rather see you hogtied with an athletic cup shoved in your mouth stuffed in the trunk of a car parked on Fountain Avenue in East New York Brooklyn”

Ollie: “Brooklyn? Shit I don’t want to go to Buffalo what makes you think I want to go to Brooklyn”

Hey while you’re watching Big Pelf lose 1-0 to the Padres tonight how about joining me on THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN as I open the phone lines to the listeners tonight to talk Mets and all things baseball at 10PM ET on Blog Talk Radio. The call in number is (646) 727-2465. No hands waves or being told You’re Lawst on this show, we’re caller friendly

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Even if the Mets take the next three from the Phuck Phaces as the series starts tonight at $iti Field, it looks like Jerry Manuel could still be out as manager of the Mets. There are some serious cracks in the foundation.

First there was the confrontation between Frankie Rodriguez and Randy Neimann the bullpen Sunday night. At first glance, I chalked this to shit happens in the heat of battle but upon closer inspection it seems Rodriguez is getting annoyed by the way Maunel is using him and made it known when the call came in to get up and get warm. It’s not really known what was said but I could guess that Rodriguez made it known that he’s getting tired of the way he’s being used, getting up, sitting down, being told you won’t be used then having to get ready and come in and get a 5 out save as it seems he’s not just saving games but saving the managers job.

The second incident has to do with a couple of “prominent Mets” upset that Darryl Strawberry has been in the clubhouse trying to help players relax and focus on winning. I mean we can speculate on who’s “wittle feelings” were hurt that big bad Straw. It’s not like Straw said anything critical of inflammatory:

  “He was saying you’re better than last place. He told them it was ‘rough’ watching them play, but you’re better than what you showed,” a Mets insider said. “Some of the guys who don’t know Darryl that well, don’t know he still bleeds Mets blue might have thought it (his advice) was too tough.”

“If they don’t know Darryl they might have wondered why he was coming on so strong,” the spy said. “He is sincere. He still cares. That’s why.”

WOW if they think that was too tough they’d cry like a baby reading what I write. I don’t think it’s Wright or Reyes doing the complaining as they’ve been around and know what Strawberry and all the 86’ers mean to the organization and the fan base but it would be leader-like for Wright and Reyes to step up and defend Darryl and his fellow World Champs and tell those who are complaining to shut the fuck up. If I ever find out who the players are who are crying about Strawberry in the clubhouse, I promise to expose these frauds for the fucking losers that they are.

It’s these little outbursts that show whether the manager is losing his team or not and add this in with the Maine blowout and the total misuse of his bullpen and the fact that David Wright was benched and Jeff Francoeur gets his name in the lineup every day and produces nothing but failure tells you it’s time to let Jerry Manuel go.

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With all the talk of canning Jerry Manuel, isn’t that just a smoke screen to cover up the inactivity of the Mets front office? I use the term “front office” instead of just signaling out Omar Minaya who in my opinion has been de-nutted by ownership. If Omar was axed today, it wouldn’t bother me in the least, same with the manager, but until someone on the inside tells us the story of who is actually making the personnel decisions around here, I have to put all the blame on the Skill Sets for the team not making moves to show the players and the fans they want to win.

Mets fans are in a much better position than the players, who have no choice but to show up every day, the fans, they can go spend their time and money someplace else. That’s the beauty of living in NYC, plenty of options here to spend those discretionary funds.

So fine you fire J-Man, who is coming in Bob Melvin? I have no clue what Bob Melvin can do to shake this up. If you make a change why not give Ken Oberkfell the job, and let him bring Ricky Bones with him to be the pitching coach. Obbie has been a loyal Skill Sets solider and Bones has plenty of knowledge of the younger arms in the system  as he like Obbie has been in the org for awhile, so that  would seem to be the move to make.

Look in a perfect world, I’d want the return of Bobby Valentine as my first choice. BV seems to like being on the tele but the allure of running a big league team and his return as a long lost hero would be just the thing to make BV say yes to the job but the Skill Sets are so stupid that they can not comprehend that by offering a sweet deal to Bobby V it would rejuvenate the team and the fan base. If the Mets announced today that BV will be the new manager I’d guarantee they phone and internet lines at the $iti Field ticket office would be overloaded. The only guy right now that can knock LeBron James watch over the back page is Bobby Valentine.

What about Kid Carter? Sure he went about things the wrong way when Willie Randolph was ready for the firing squard but I’m not mad at him. His personality and his stature as a former Met with a World Sereis ring and a plaque in the Hall of Fame gives him instant cred in the clubhouse and with the fan base.

Until the Skill Sets get it through their numb skulls that the fan base is now leaning toward apathy and have voiced their displeasure with the way this team operates by coming down with a chronic case of alligator arms when it comes to buying tickets, they need a big splash to reinvigorate things in Flushing, if not the only lines on 126^th and Roosevelt will be for a tire change or a new car radiator.

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…where Hector was the first of the gang

with a gun in his hand

and the first to do time

the first of the gang to die. Oh my.

Hector was the first of the gang

with a gun in his hand

and the first to do time

the first of the gang to die. Oh my.

So, what now? I’ll say this, making a managerial move at this moment would just be window dressing. I’d like to see and new face in the mgr’s office sure,  but right now there is not a baseball manager alive (or dead) that could get this team to play better. The decay of the Mets starts at the top with Jeffey Skill Sets and I’ve beat this horse to death, resurrected it and beat it’s ass again. I’m not going to waste your time and mine going over my distain for management. But the masses are looking for a scalp. Talk radio, the message boards any place Mets can voice their wrath, are looking for a trophy. It’s like The Passion of The Mets, where we all stand in front of $iti Field screaming “ CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM” .

The anger and nastiness from the Mets fan right now is not out of hate but the biggest show of love you could ever see or hear. There is a thin line between love and hate for sure. That’s passion, something that the owners of this team sorely lack. Jeff Wilpon and David Howard do not posses a baseball soul, that’s why they can’t understand us. The improvements at $iti Field while pleasing to Mets fans, we must remember these rich fat ass’s had to be embarrassed in order to make it right.

The new message that ownership needs to hear is that while the passion of rabid Mets fan still burns white hot, that flame could go out very soon. Hate is still passion, but when the fan base turns apathetic, that’s failure and the Wilpon’s, Saul Katz and David Howard are on the express lane with an EZ-Pass  to failure.

Ok we fire Manuel and who takes over, Bob Melvin? Tim Tuefel? Joe Frazier ? Does it matter? The best  move the club could make today is assign Jenry Mejia to Bingo, bring up Ike Davis to play first base everyday, release Mike Jacobs and Fernando Tatis. Then send John Maine to Dr. James Andrews for a full physical evaluation. If every thing checks out a-okay, then give him a copy of this book, if that fails then time to release him. Show your fan base you’re not broke or cheap by releasing Luis Castillo. Put Ollie Perez on waivers and when he clears assign him to Buffalo (I don’t know if they can do this but I’m so fucking mad, spittle is flying out of my mouth just typing this post) in essence my message to Mets management is do something, show me you actually give a fuck about this franchise and in turn give us Mets fans a reason to buy a ticket and go to $iti Field. Last night the Orioles had just under 14,000 fans at Camden Yards. Monday they had less than 10,000 the reason they had 4,000 more fans last night was two fold, rookie stud pitcher Brian Matsuz was on the mound and the team was giving away t shirts. Someone in the Mets front office has to have a scintilla of common sense to see the Mets and $iti Field are headed in that direction.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you Skill Sets. Pretty soon every day will be like Sunday.

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Lot’s of posts on this site have been made taking Mets management to task but today I want to start this one with some praise and thanks.

My son and I were supposed to be at Citi Field yesterday enjoying Opening Day but due to the Easter weekend we could not lay my mother to rest until yesterday.  I offered my tickets to various friends but none wanted them under the circumstances and a more than one person told me to contact the Mets and tell them of my situation and see if they would exchange the tickets for another game.  So I called the Mets ticket office to see if they could help me out.

The seats were in the lower level and cost me $190 so I couldn’t just eat the cost, so it was worth a shot.

The ticket agent I spoke to offered me his condolences and then asked me  to hold so he could get a supervisor to help me. The supervisor came on and also offered a kind word and told me “no question, Mr. Keane we will refund your  ticket and credit your credit card for the full amount” and with that he said “On behalf of the New York Mets, we offer our condolences”

Thank you to the Mets ticket office and to the Mets organization for their help, understanding and kind words.

I didn’t get to see much of yesterday’s game but after seeing highlights and reading various sites, I figured I’d comment on a few items:

It looks as though the Mets have taken the fan base’ advice and Met-trifed Citi Field. Moving the Shea Stadium Home Run Apple was a tremendous move. Although I enjoyed sitting at the picnic tables in back of the bullpen with the Apple tucked away in the back, the Apple is now in a proper place out in the open.

I love that there is a Gil Hodges Entrance and a Tom Seaver Entrance as well. The Mets Hall of Fame looks like it’s a must see place and the player imagines on banners hanging from the lamp posts are a great touch as well. I can’t wait to see these things in person.

I got a letter from the Mets with the location of my brick on the Fan Walk. It’ s in the spot with the Game 6 of the 1986 World Series plaque and it reads METSFANS4EVER KEANE FAMILY STATEN ISLAND.  So please no spitting, or gum or cigarette butts on my brick. Thank You.

It’s safe to say no other fan base but the Mets fan would boo the training and strength and condition staff. In fact I don’t think any other fan would know the names of it’s training and strength and conditioning staff.

Hurray for the new guys as Jason Bay, Gary Mathews Jr and Rod Barajas had big days with the bat.

The Marlins looked very 2009 Mets-ish with their sloppy defense.

Not the best welcome back for Mike Jacobs with 2 K’s and being lifted for defensive purpose by Fernando Tatis.

One win down and nineteen more to go for Johan Santana. Santana pitched to the ballpark as we got ten outs via fly ball and five K’s with a nice mix of the fastball/changeup that kept the Fish batters off balance. The man knows how to pitch.

Those new cream colored pinstriped  uni’s should be the one and only home uniform.  How can anyone say the black uni tops and those disgusting black and blue hats look better ?

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