Good to see the Mets have Gil Meche on their radar, as the stories are flying fast and furious tha the Mets and Royals are looking to become trade partners at the winter Meetings.

I like Meche as a pitcher to fill the 3 or 4 spot in the rotation. He throws a heavy fastball and a nice curve that induces a lot of ground ball outs. His biggest draw back is his walk rate. His BB/9 rate last year was 4.5 with a career mark of 3.65, which if he stays at is tolerable. Meche also had some health issues with his back and shoulder fatigue.

The Royals are looking to dump Jose Guillen and his $12 mil salary. The interesting thing with Guillen is how does it affect Fernando Martinez ? F-Mart is again sitting out time from his Winter League team, due to blisters on his hands. His manager is no other than Moises Alou who of course advocates giving your hands a golden shower to toughen them up. I bet Tiger Woods has hands like tree bark, who knew Eldrick Woods was such a freak? But, I digess…. 

What does Mets management think of F-Mart? Do they still hold him in high esteem as a top prospect and the LF of the future or do they look at them as a talent that will never reach full potential? If he still in the Mets plans as a big leaguer the could go with Guillen and allow F-Mart to finally show he can play a full baseball season without getting hurt where he loses large chuck of playing time. With the names we’ve been hearing, Guillen and Pat Burrell it looks as if the Mets are still looking at F-Mart as the long term LF option. If it comes down to either Guillen or Burrell I’d rather keep Angel Pagan. 

Of course it all goes out the window if Matt Holiday becomes signable but I doubt that will happen.

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Are you guys staying up late to watch our hero’s on the Left Coast? I see that L-Hern had nothing last night but a batting practice fastball and we now have A-Hern back could L-Millz be far behind for a Back to the Future retro ?

Congrats to Big Pelf on becoming a first time Daddy.

It seems I’ve hit a nerve with some readers on calling out D-Wright for not charging the mound after Brad Thompson whizzed a pitch at his head, and I will say that I am stunned that some of you guys think he did the right thing by not going after Thompson. All I can tell you pacifists is the Mets have a rep around baseball as a bunch of pussies who when they are challenged never step up not just to fight but when times get tough they wilt like flowers in a rain storm. Thing will never change until the team grows some balls and if you think that is neanderthal thinking well it is and I don’t apologize for that and if you don’t like it then kiss my hairy cave man ass.

Thank God for the New York Fottball Giants to take my mind off this awful Mets season

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Just coming bck from the Magic Kingdom and looking at video of today’s Mets 9-0 win over the Cards and a few things stand out for sure:

When does the training staff take a hit here a la Tony B after the latest hammy buster by Jon Niese. I feel bad for young Niese as he has to go under the knife to fix his ripped hamstring this on top of the news that Gary Sheffield’s hammy is barking (it seems Sheff felt it wasn’t worth his while to run out a ball in the gap for double due to this leg problems and you want to know why this team is in the shitter?) and Jose Reyes “cramp” is now scar tissue. With all the pulled muscles and miss diganosies the whole training and strength and conditioning staff needs to be looked at.

I’m starting to wonder about Daivd Wright? How the hell didn’t he charge the mound and pummel the shit out of Brad Thompson after that fastball wizzed by his head? Don’t give me this “he held his compsure for the good of the team bullshit” this team is going no place but home after Oct 3rd it would have done the team some good to see the face of the franchise show some mettle.

Please excuse the more than usual spelling errors as it is 12:45 AM and I’m beat

Later

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I’m proud to report that our 13 year old Babe Ruth team is still alive in the playoffs after a fine 13-6 win in a double elimination game. It was so nice to see our big gun mix his fastball and change up for strikes and keeping his walk total at a minimum. After 5 innings he started to tire and I had to make a decision to ride him two more innings or take him out and go to the pen. I opted for the pen and maybe it was my infielders not getting much work and the game going on for two and half hours, they were a little sloppy late but in the end made the plays when needed so we live to see another day. As for my big pep talk, after a 20 minute warm up I went to exchange line ups and go over ground rules, I had the team assemble in the outfield and on my way out to meet them I was going over my speech I looked at the kids sitting in a circle laughing and joking with each other and decided to scrap the speech as it would do more harm than good. It’s an amazing bunch of kids as the take they wins and losses the same, in fact their biggest conceren is what we are going eat after a game. Isn’t it great to be a kid?

 

 

40 years ago today I was sitting in my living room with my parents waiting for the event of a lifetime, man walking on the moon. I was 11 years old and from what I can remember, the lunar module landed in the late afternoon but Neil Armstrong didn’t step on the moon surface until night time (10 PM ) I do remember my father waking me up to see this as I fell asleep on the couch as he didn’t want me to miss this unbelievable piece of history. No one could believe what they were seeing and the thing a lot of people feared was the astronauts getting stranded on the moon. In fact President Nixon had a speech already to address this if it happened.

I’m really sad to hear of the passing of Frank McCourt whose life story laid out in Angela’s Ashes is just one of greatest books ever written. I had the pleasure of meeting Frank and Malachy McCourt as they did their show ”A Couple of Blaguards” and it was a thrill and privilege to meet him and I’m honored to be known as a “blaguard” myslef .

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After watching Big Pelf suffer through another bad outing and a partial melt down on the mound where I think it’s now at least three straight stats that D-Wright had to go to the mound early to have a heart to heart with Pelf.  Add the struggle back from injury to John Maine,  Bobby Parnell’ difficulty making pitching adjustments the second time around,  Ollie P being Ollie P, Tim Redding not rehabbing correctly from off season surgery, not dealing with J J Putz injured elbow and back to the reporting to pitchers and catchers in late February when Johan Santana seemed to be on a training schedule that did more harm than good and the whispers that maybe it was a mistake caning The Jacket, Old School Dan Werthen should be squarely in the cross hairs of management to be the first coach relived of duties by the end of the weekend.

As much as Rick Peterson is one of the great pitching minds around it wasn’t a mistake to fire him during the season and when Old School Werthen came on board he made a difference but it seems to me that Werthen is either fed up or just out of ideas on how to get the best out of the Mets pitching staff. The most telling non-move from last night that brings me to this conclusion was the fact that Werthen never left the dugout in the first inning when Pelfrey was struggling with his command especially his fastball that was up, up and away, even Gary Cohen couldn’t believe that Werthen never came out after first Wright then Santos went out to check on the young righty as the situation was crying for an old head intervention. Maybe Werthen has given up, maybe he’s tired of going out there and spewing the same old advice, maybe he’d love to put his foot up Pelfrey’s ass but management is holding him back. Whatever it is, it’s a problem and one that needs to be addressed not for this season as this season is over but for 2010 and beyond.

Are you getting the vibe that J-Man may not want to be fired as Mets manager? Last night during his post game presser Manuel made a joke at the expense of the Mets medical staff, that validated those of us that have questioned the front office, the training staff and the doctors.  When asked about Gary Sheffield leaving in the 5^th with a leg problem, Manuel said “They’re calling it cramps,…. surgery is Thursday” and then he let out a laugh which translates to me Manuel saying to the fans “you guys are right this organization is a joke” After realizing that his boss will not be happy with his comment (J-Man has been called on the carpet about talking about making trades to bring in reinforcements) he tired to get SNY to not air the footage, fat chance Jerry besides you said nothing that we weren’t thinking ourselves.

Last night looks to be Tim Redding’ last appearance as a Met word in the NYDN is Redding will be released and another move in the minus column for Omar. I said back in spring that Redding looked fat and out of shape but just his track record alone should have been a red flag for the Mets to sign him. But don’t worry Julio Lugo is working out at the Mets academy in the D.R. and will be here once he passes waviers. The longggggggggggggggggggggg summer continues.

The headline on Adam Rubin’ story says” Mets Deny Claims That Jose Reyes Suffered A Set Back in Port St. Luice” The Mets are also denying that today is Saturday, water is wet and the organization is in FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All  Recogntion) mode.

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Shades of ’07 last night as the Mets scored a bunch of runs early then the offense shout down and the bullpen , well not the entire bullpen just that Putz who pitches the 8^th, gave one away. If Saturday made you made then last night must have broke a blood vessel in your head.

 

First off, Livan Hernandez was hotter than a jalapeño after the game as he wanted to finish the inning and I have to say I can’t blame him as Livan wants to live up to his reputation as work horse. He threw 127 pitches in his last start but also got an extra days rest for this one and at 103 pitches he’s just hitting his stride.

 

But J-Man decided to make the move but he brought in his best reliever not named Rodriguez to finish the inning in Bobby Parnell. Why not bring in Brian Stokes in that spot with his exploding fastball and save Parnell for the 8^th inning? I know JJ Putz had this incredible bullpen session with Old School Dan Werthen earlier in the day but lets face it Putz is an MRI patient ready to happen. His velocity is down a bit and his pitches are as flat as stale beer so maybe that bone spur he took a shot for is effecting him? How long will it be until Putz hears the words “Dr. Andrews will see you now”

 

Outstanding work by Landon Evanson at Bugs and Cranks with this interview of Dr. Ron Taylor the standout reliever on the 1969 World Champs. Of all the Q & A’s in interview this is made my day:

 

   Who was one player, or what was one aspect of that ‘69 Mets club that has never gotten just due for their contributions to that championship? Lost in the shuffle, so to speak.

 

Jerry Grote. He was an All-Star catcher, and he was the one that made that pitching staff great.

 

What was it that Grote did that made the pitching staff great? Was it calling games or handling the staff in pressure situations? What was it that Grote did that was so important to New York’s success?

 

We had confidence in the pitches he called, we very rarely shook Jerry off. And coming into a big game, in the World Series or in the playoffs, he would go out to the mound to meet you and support you.

 

Did you see Gary Sheffield running first to third last night? My legs hurt just watching him. The 40 year old Sheff is not built for everyday wear and tear.

 

How depressing a scene was PNC Ball Park last night? Rows and rows of empty seats as far as the eye can see. I know the Pirates have stunk for almost two decades but from what you hear the ballparks is a gem so between that and the nice weather you’d think they could get at least 25,000 fans to come out to see our Metsises.

 

 

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Obviously I’m extremely happy with the win last night especially with Livan Hernandez pitching like a prehistoric pitcher actually finishing a game, who does he thinks he is Roy Halliday? But we all need to remember that the opponent was one of the worst baseball teams to call it’s self a major league team since the Mets played in the Polo Grounds. I really didn’t want to piss on the parade here as I really enjoyed watching Livan Hernandez pitch as he couldn’t break a pane of glass with his fastball but his breaking ball had so much movement it looked like the ball was made of J-ELLO so it was a real pleasure watching that performance but it was the Nationals.

Hard to rate the first appearance of Fernando Martinez as the kid went from Buffalo to a plane trip to NYC to $iti Field in a matter of hours so you can just imagine the type of out of body experience he was going through but at least we know that he will be stationed in right field for at least the next two weeks so we can gauge him better by then.

From what I ‘ve read about Wilson Valdez he is all glove no stick which is fine as the Mets need to shore up the middle of the infield and all he cost was money. Being that it’s Johan against the Nationals tonight does Valdez get the start over Ramon Martinez tonight? I’d say so.

I better see Daniel Murphy at first base tonight. The kid can’t get out of his slump sitting on the bench.

Ollie Perez did nothing in Buffalo last night that would rush his return back to Flushing. The one thing in OP’s favor is that Tim Redding has been underwhelming to say the least .Interesting that the Mets have not announced the starting pitcher for Sunday game in Florida as with the day off Thursday they could skip Redding and go with Livan.

Great post by Ken Davidoff on his evaluation of Omar Minaya. I don’t want to say Minaya is an enigma but my mood on him changes almost weekly. Omar handling the DL infuriates me. Omar the talent evaluator is a plus in my book. Omar the public speaker makes my ears bleed. Omar the dumpster diver is without peer. When it comes time to seal the big deal, even the most anti Omar detractors will agree he has always closed the deal which brings me back to Daniel Murphy.

I really like Murphy and I want him to show what’s in that bat of his and the fact that he looks so comfortable at first base has me hoping he will break out with some big hits . J-Man and Omar need to sit down and decide to either let Murphy play everyday at first for the next two three weeks and then decide if he stays at the big league level or goes to Buffalo. As I say I like Murphy a lot but this is the big leagues and if it’s a question of the league having caught up to Murphy or the fact that he has been scared by playing left field then the brain trust has to make the determination if Murphy is THE GUY for first base or if he’s not and go out and make a deal for a big bat.

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A game like last night’s  could only be won against at team like the lowly Washington Nationals. NINE WALKS!!!!!!!!!!! What is this Little League? Even the usually on target Bobby Parnell was off his game last night as he could not place his fastball down and off the plate.

 

I give J- Man credit for he has much more patience than I’d ever have with the way the front office keeps making him play short handed to the point that Livan Hernandez and Mike Pelfrey wore spikes last night in case either pitcher would be needed to pinch run or hit. How embarrassing would it have been if the Mets went to extra innings with a chance to win the game and the choice of the bench to hits was either Livan or Big Pelf?

 

I’m trying to figure out the rational for not DL’ing Reyes now instead of waiting until Friday? Does Omar feel the Nats are so bad he only needs 23 players to beat them? Does Omar feel that Reyes is not hurt as badly as he is letting on and wants him to “man up”? I hope that’s not the case because one thing you can say about Jose Reyes is he never comes out the lineup so he really must be hurting not to be back on the field. As far as Reyes calf injury and now Ryan “The Red Headed Step Child” Church with a hurtin’ hammy maybe it’s time to review the Mets training staff and the stretching routine they’re using.

 

Carlos Beltran is going for an MRI today and lucky for him the Mets are home as the only place they can go for MRI’s is in NYC

 

Of course the red caps that were worn around MLB were for a good cause in helping veterans through the sale of the caps to baseball fans but did all the players have to wear them? Red does not go with everything especially blue and orange. The Mets uni last night looked like an explosion at the Dutch Boy factory.

 

Even the most critical Omar observer (Rich?) has to admit he hit a gold mine by signing Gary Sheffield. But just how long this will last is the question.

 

Rumor has it, there was a kid on the NY Thruway this morning with his thumb out and a cardboard sign that read $iti Field on it.

 

Congrats to Sonia From The Block on being named to the Supreme Court. Judge Sotomayor as you remember she issued an injunction back in 1995 against MLB to stop the owners from implementing a Collective Bargaining Agreement and then opening camps with replacement players saving the game from embarrassment.

 

 

 

 

 

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Last night was a tough one but I’m trying to keep a positive outlook (which is very very difficult) as Livan Hernandez was outstanding throwing strikes in a great bounce back start of his stinker in SF. Wright and Beltran are still carrying the team on their offensive shoulders and lo and behold Daniel Murphy was Gold Glove caliber at first base (just makes J-Man putting Jeremy Reed at first look more stupid) I didn’t see the bot of 8^th as I passed out and when I woke up at 1AM saw the results and turned over for four hours of sleep but from looking at the Gameday charts it looks like JJ Putz was throwing hard as his fastball was low mid 90’s so that is encouraging but when your offense is lacking protection for your big boys your pitching walks a slender tight rope. Add in the fact that the Hollywood Bums are a good baseball team that has not lost a step from the loss of Manny and are tough to beat at home. That being said I don’t have a good feeling about going into Boston this weekend. It didn’t take much for my positive outlook to turn to shit.

 

One area that I will roast the front office is another in the many episode of not getting injured players looked at and put on the DL. Reyes should have been sent for tests while in SF or LA as I know those two major cities have competent doctors and MRI machines that work very well. From Church’s mishandling from concussion to Delgado being flown across the country with a hip that needed surgery to the newest fuck up with Jose Reyes now looking like a DL candidate makes the Mets look amateurish and is one of the reasons fans have no faith in Omar Minaya and his board of directors.

 

On that note with Reyes looking like he will be gone for awhile and Alex Cora gone for a couple of months as well, how about going after Jeff Keppinger or even Ramon Santiago of the Tigers? Or Nick Green on the Red Sox it’s time for Omar to get to work.

 

I’ll have a lot more to talk about tonight on Pro Baseball Central so join us at 9PM EDST live and call in with your rants and raves at (646) 595-4462 If you can’t join us then listen to the podcast on our PBC site or on the upper right on this page.   

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Larry Jones needs to shut the fuck up, Beltran was safe at 3rd. Finally the Mets get a call in their favor from these inept umpires, and I don’t give a rats ass what Larry thinks of $iti Field and how he misses Shea what I’d like to see is a Mets pitcher nail him in the ribs with a fastball. I am so sick and tired of the fawning over of Larry Jones.

Can we just put Carlos Delgado on the DL already? what are the Mets waiting for? They’ve played three games now with a short bench, Delgado’s hip is still sore and won’t get better without rest. Please let’s not make him fly cross country and then DL him.

Great not only are the Mets wearing there miserable black unit tops but the Braves have decided to wear their Midnight Blue tops. Fucking stupid!

I guess Jose Reyes admitting that me made an awful base running blunder last night is progress.

Can’t kill J-Man on taking Big Pelf out in the 7th. He was in a zone and pitching great but the Mets have to be careful of over using him.

I don’t know what is higher on the douchebag meter the streaker or the asshole taking the video screaming “that’s my boy, that’s my boy” I will say nothing is as funny as over weight security guards risking a heart attack chasing a guy on the field

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