So after game after game of bullpen mismanagement, Jerry Manuel is looking for more relief help because let’s face it, Manuel goes through relievers like Larry King  goes through wives (and sister in laws) as six arms in the pen is not enough for the Great Pitching Arsonist.

I have no problem adding another reliever, in fact as impressive as Josh Thole has been in his cameo appearance, a third catcher is too high end an item for the Mets to carry around and a swap of Thole for a pitcher, Pat Misch or Dillon Gee should the call over Manny Acosta, it  is the move to make.

As Manuel and the Mets fans cry out for Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt, or a solid reliever, if you believe the story in yesterday’s NY Post, it’s not going to happen. The story in the Murdoch rag states that the Skill Sets aren’t very flush with dough. In fact after reading this story, it may be safe to say, if you’re a fan of home grown talent, you may in luck as home grown means cheap labor and that’s what the Skill sets may be all about for the

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I guess we are so used to seeing an authoritarian pitcher in Johan Santana that when he’s not striking out guys at a 9K per game clip or watch that walk rate creep up last three years we ask “Have we seen that last of Dominant Johan”  when we should be asking “are we watching the re-invention of Johan”

Mike Silva has a great post on this today at NY Baseball Digest looking at the different scenarios that have made Santana less than the dominant pitcher we know and love.

I will say this for Santana, he has terrific focus and he is one of the smartest pitchers in baseball, if he has to compensate for a lack of velocity and the inability to over power a batter, I’m confident he can figure out a way to go after the hitters with a different strategy. We are seeing his Fly Ball rate dropping and his ground ball rate inching up so you could see Santana concentrate more in keeping the ball lower in the strike zone and pitching to contact.

We also have to understand that at the age of 31 most likely we have seen the best of Santana. That’s not to say he’s done or on the down side not in the  least, what we could be seeing is a solid pitcher but he may not be the can’t miss option he’s been for the majority of his career.

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While the baseball world was drooling over the debut of Stephen Strasburg, and let me say, all joking aside Strasburg’ pitching was mesmerizing, but there was another story of strapping young men playing ball in Flushing. First Mike Pelfrey continues his coming out season and THANK YOU, THANK YOU to whoever pursued Jerry Manuel to allow Big Pelf to go out for the 9^th inning. The site of Fernando Nieve in that situation would have brought me to tears, and then we had the walk off bomb by Ike Davis, who launched the ball into the far reaches of the Pepsi Porch, the spot we’ve been told no Mets player could ever hit a ball, to win a game that had 1969 written all over it. That was the type of game the Miracle Mets of that year used to win and around this time during that season, Mets fans felt there was something happing here, what it is ain’t exactly clear, and that’s how I feel about this vintage of Mets, if they can ever figure how to succeed away from Queens, well this summer could be pre-ty, pre-ty, pre-ty special around here.

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Saturday ramblings in no specific order:

While I applaud Jerry Manuel for yanking John Maine the other night and showing that if you don’t perform you’re gone, Manuel went a bit too much and it show how much he really can’t stand Maine when it was reported to Manuel that Maine said “he wanted to pitch so badly he’d go out and throw left handed” to which Manuel said with his Gangsta’ laugh “That’s not out of the question , he might have more stuff lefty” funny line but said at the wrong time. There’s nothing to joke about here with this team. The only fans buying tickets to Mets games at $iti Field are the opposing teams fans.  If you’re a Mets fan why would you want to sit in $iti Field and get ridiculed for three hours. Mets fans have been on an island the last few years, the players and management couldn’t care less that everyone who knows us as Mets fans repeatedly asks us the questions about the team failure and get the badgering for the failure of this team and organization. I don’t mind it from friends and family but it’s the front running douchebag Highlander fan who’s knowledge of the team goes as far as wearing a 2 JETER t-shirt and that the organization has won 27 World Series and if you’re a true Highlander fan that person should embarrass you as well.

David Wright has argued more third strikes this past month than he has his whole career combined. At some point the home plate umpire needs to tell Wright, “it’s not me, it’s you” The “hasn’t been good since the beaning” theory is starting too look spot on after each Wright at bat. Maybe it’s not Hojo’s fault but I just wonder if a different voice would help Wright at this point ? It’s just too easy to pitch to David right now. Start him off with an inside pitch and work your way outside, he won’t stride toward the outside at all. The ground out he hit against Rivera to finish the game was the pitch he used to go to right center with, now with this too long swing of his you get a little fart of a ground ball.

Benny Agbayani left the Chiba Lotte Marines because of the way the treated Bobby Valentine. Mike Hampton on WFAN yesterday said Valentine was the best manager he ever played for.  John Franco and Mike Piazza have said the same about Bobby V. You think any of the current Mets will have such loyalty to Jerry Manuel when he’s given his walking papers?

Let Bob Melvin or Terry Collins finish the season and then bring back Bobby V in 2011.

Kevin Russo ? Who the fuck is Kevin Russo? Now every year when this played out Mayor’s Trophy series is played we’ll have to read a Where Are They Now feature on Kevin Russo as he works as a valet parker at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.

Welcome back Uncle Elmer.

So Roy Oswalt has agreed to be traded, good for him, would he be a fit on the Mets?  Hummm  tough to say. At first glance you’d say of course but he’s 32 yrs old with a history of back trouble and his contract runs through 2012 with $15 mil for this year and $32 mil the next two years but there is a $2mil buyout in 2012. It’s not the money that would scare me off but the back issue would and the fact that Oswalt is a countryboy and played in a city that watches baseball until football training camp opens so that would be a concern as well but what would it take personnel wise to bag Oswalt ? Would the ‘Stros take a big bag of junk like Ollie Perez and Luis Castillo ? Or Perez and Fernando Martinez (can we all agree it just isn’t going to happen for this kid?)  and a low level busher?    Like I say the point is moot the Skill Sets won’t pay the money.

It may be ridiculous that the Highlanders have this ban on iPad’s and laptops by fans coming into The Mall on River Avenue and they are ridiculous with their law and order policies on what you can and can not bring into the park (I want to know how much of a kickback security gets from the bowling alley across the street for holding bags? What’s the number for NYC Consumer Affairs ?) but really why do you need to use a laptop or iPad as a fan during a game ? Sit back and watch the game don’t make a job out of it.

Time to finish things off on the parquet floor starting tonight, as pissed as I am over the Mets who cower under the bed when things get tough, I have to make a 180 degree move as a Celtics fan. The C’s are so confident they border on cocky but when Paul Pierce looks in the camera and tells Celtics fans that “we’re coming home to finish this off” and ends it with a wink , I believe him, I mean he is The Truth right? But what I love is the way the team leaders are not afraid to call out anyone on the team, I still laugh at Big Baby Davis after fouling in a bad spot in the game and getting called out from the bench by Kevin Garnett yelling “ I know , I know I fucked up, I fucked up”   Can I get David Wright to do that just once?

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Reports out of Mets camp is Jose Reyes has a doctor’s appointment today to go over results of a blood test he took during his physical. Yeah I ain’t buying either. Something is very fishy here.

 First of all the game is at 1PM, so why not see the doc either at 9AM or in the afternoon ? It’s not like Reyes is going to go a full 9 today. Why can’t the sawbones come to Mets camp to see Reyes or even co-ordinate with the Mets training  and medical staff to handle this in camp?   Besides it’s Thursday, everyone knows that doctors take off on Wednesday to play golf. 

Reyes says this had absolutely nothing to do with his legs that his hammy is dandy so that makes this trip to the doctor even more curious.

You would think with the teams track record on medical issues and the fragile psyche of  it’s fan base the front office would handle this a bit differently.  

So now let’s add Beltran’s knee, Escobar sore arm, Frankie Rodz pink eye to this mystery doctors appointment of Reye’s to the legend of the Mets front office reign of error

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Great job by both Mike Silva and Dave Singer to post this video of the at bat Dae-Sung Koo had against the Big Doofus in the Mets-Highlanders game of May 25th, 2005

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The Mets have annouced Livan Herndez has been released and Billy Wagner has been activated for tonights game. No word on who replaces Hernandez in the rotation but here is a look at the people lined up at $iti Field for the pitching audition

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I guess I’m not missing much from  our Mets? I see that Johan gave the Mets innings they needed due to Nelly Figs either sucking or missing so Buffalo so much he pitched like shit trying to get back there but the Mets could not hold a lead as Sean Heilman and Frankie Rods gave up the lead and the game to El Hombre and his Posse.

And now what, Luis Castillo tripped over a glve and is out with a sprained ankel? So who plays second base? Berroa? Tatis? Murph???????????????????

I’m not even thinking of the Mets right now as I’m in the happiest place on Earth or so the Disney staff keeps telling me over, and over, and over again.

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Back from a day at $iti Field and a Mets 9-7 victory that was nearly blown by the bullpen (Sean Green in particular) and a 5th inning melt down by Big Pelf, who was cruising after 4 innings inducing ground ball out after ground ball out but in the 5th he unraveled, then got back on track in the 6th and 7th. Pelfrey would be a psychologists delight.

I was sitting in the Pepsi Porch today and after the Tatis homer the Home Run Apple did not go up probably due to the fact it hasn’t had a lot fo work this season and after the Schneider HR must have thought it’s day was done. A bunch of kids sitting in back of us started chanting “APPLE, APPLE, APPLE” and then the whole ball park joined in to scream “WE WANT THE APPLE” We had to wait until the end of the inning to get our second Apple raising of the game.

Tonight at 10 PM EDST  I will be a guest on Frankie The Sports Guy radio show tune in by clicking here.

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I am on my way to $iti Field to root on our Mets to take three of four from Cards and tonight on PRO BASEBALL CENTRAL I’ll have wrap up of the game plus our guest will be Ben Kabak of River Ave Blues and we will discuss the state of the Highlanders and look at this weekends match up with the Mets at $iti Field Join us live on Blog Talk Radio or listen later to the podcast right here at Kranepool Society or at our Pro Baseball Central site.

I’m starting to sense among  Mets fans that there is a loving embrace for lack of something better with this team of B-listers.  It has become the type of team that suits it fan base better one in which the media and other outside forces mock and belittle and the team picking up on this is developing and us against the world mentality. I mean seriously how could you call yourself a true orange and blue Mets fan and boo this bunch?

Mets fans have always declared “bring up the kids” well the best of the kids are here, F-Mart, Murphy, Evans, Parnell I’ll even throw Santos in the mix  even if he’s not technically “a kid” so now we have to back them up to booing no yelling remember they’re our kids

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