It’s not the loss that has me pissed, it the way it happened that makes me wonder if under the stewardship on Mr. Jerry Manuel, this team can make the post season as the manager has absolutely no feel for in game managing.

First there was the lineup. With both Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan ailing, was it wise to give Jason Bay the day off? I’ve advocated giving Chris Carter some playing time but again the manager has to have a feel for knowing when to play guys and when to let them sit, you can’t keep Bay out the line up when your two offensive catalysts are sitting. Wouldn’t giving Bay a game off in Puerto Rico be more beneficial since he wouldn’t have to run on an artificial turf laded outfield?

Then we have this whole “I wanted to get Johan out on a positive note” line of bullshit? Santana pitched his best game in over a month and not just that he is still the Ace of the staff. Maybe it’s just a figurehead title but can you imagine Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, CC Sabathia or Cliff Lee coming out of a game like last night? I know Johan said he wanted to stay in the game but acquiesced to the managers move, maybe he should have demanded to stay in I bet those pitchers I mentioned would get into a fist fight with their skipper to finish a game like that.

The 9^th inning was just a pure disaster as Manuel let Ryota Igarashi, a guy who walks as many batters as he strikes out, pitch in bases loaded spot one out and Ryan Zimmerman up. I can buy the notion of saving Frankie Rodriguez for the save spot as the Mets are the road team, but if you’re not going to use Bobby Parnell in that spot, then why is Parnell here?    

You could hear the disgust in Ron Darling’ voice as Igarashi fell behind 2-0 to Zimmerman by throwing tow breaking balls, when the situation called for challenging the hitter with fastballs. That’s why this situation cried out for Parnell to be brought in. If Zim hits a 98 mph fastball for a game winning hit, tip your hat and move on. I just wonder if Igarashi would have walked in the winning run, would that be grounds for the manager’s dismissal?

It won’t be truly the year of the pitcher until a Mets pitcher throws a no-hitter. Last night was almost the night as Jon Niese, he of the defective hammy, was a 3^rd inning Chris Denofia double away from Mets immortality. It’s coming I can feel it, or maybe that’s Western Omelet I had for breakfast.

I would guess that Johan Santana being 31 yrs old and coming off a couple of injuries would lose a bit off his fastball but I don’t think it’s the end of the world or the cause for him to be winless in his last in all but one of his last eight starts. Kevin Kernan was a way off base about Santana this morning, even with the great breakout season of Big Pelf, Santana is still the Ace of the Mets staff. Wake up Kevin, pitchers wins are so 1960’s.

Why didn’t Mets management throw that skanky-Yankee fan Lady GaGa out of Citi Field yesterday? Believe me when it comes to looking at women in a bra and panties I’m the last guy to complain but Lady GaGa doesn’t have enough going on to pull that look off, like these lovely ladies.  Keep your clothes on you no talent bitch.

When it came time to step up, John Maine did just that. Or maybe it was the fear of seeing Jerry Manuel yank Ollie Perez after 3.2 innings that scared Maine straight or should I say scared the movement out him as Maine, still unable to hit 90 mph on the radar gun with his fastball, had his fastball dancing like Bo jangles Robinson. It was a fine piece of pitching by Maine.

I’m sure we can all agree that it’s “the pitching stupid” that has set off this Mets revival, but don’t overlook the aggressive way the team plays on defense and on the bases. The team is starting to figure out how to use the vast gaps of the $iti Field outfield. The players have adopted this terrific bust your ass attitude when it comes to base running. Balls hit in the gap are not taken for granted as before. How many times last year did we see Mets batters hit one to gap and watch them jog into second base? Now the mindset is go for three. This might backfire once in a awhile but most times this aggressive type of base running will pay great dividends. At least once this year, Frenchy will throw someone out on at 1^st base on one hopper to RF.

I will concede that Daniel Murphy’ days as Mets first base man are over. But what has me pissed is Mets fans acting like Murphy is a leper. When Ty Wigington was a Met he was a folk hero and Murphy is cut from the same blue collar cloth as Wiggy. When he gets healthy, Murphy will play in some extended spring games and then do some rehab games at Bingo or Buffalo. I would think the plan is to make Murphy into a super sub where he can fill in at LF, or 2^nd, 3^rd or 1B. Yes I know Murphy was awful in left field but working in the minors and with the work ethic he has I’m sure he could become serviceable in the outfield. I guess all you Murphy haters enjoy watching Frank Catalanotto.

Remember Mike Bacsik who pitched for the Mets back in 2001-2002 ? Bacsik came to the Mets as part of the Robbie Alomar deal with the Indians. Bacsik had a nondescript career with the Mets and his claim to fame up until a few days ago was giving up Barry Bonds 756^th home run. I saw Bacisk’ name on Twitter so I started following him and found out that he was a sportstalk radio host and show producer, was is the key word as Bacsik was canned from his job at KTCK in Dallas. Bacsik lost his job due to his rants on his private Twitter page during the Mavs-Spurs game the other night. I saw some of Bacsik’ Tweets that night and they were quite amusing especially his complaints about the officiating of the Mavs-Spurs playoff series in which he Tweeted about NBA Commish David Stern and his refs sucking. It was when Bacsik Tweeted about the “dirty Mexicans” in San Antonio that he got his ass in a sling. Bacsik claims he was at a bar and drinking heavily while watching the game and Tweeting. So if anything Bacsik is guilty of TUI, Tweeting Under the Influence. Bacsik is hoping to get his job back though by playing the Rickey Bobby card, asking the little baby Jesus for forgiveness.

The Mets and NY Water Taxi have brought back the service to $iti Field after a one year hiatus. This was my favorite mode of transportation to Shea. It took a bit longer than by car but it was much more enjoyable. When I saw they were bringing the service back and it was free I was jumping for joy but then I read the fine print, the boat is a one way trip. Why? The best part of the ride was the return trip. You could sit outside have a cold drink and just chill. My guess is the free one way trip is a way to gauge interest in fans taking the water taxi to the game and maybe after a few trips one way and having to fight the crowds of the 7 train back to the city, fans will clamor for round trip service and not mind paying a fee. I hope it happens as I’d be a frequent sailor.

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.

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

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

 

 

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 .

 

 

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

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.