The Mets get hammered in this town for a multitude of offenses and in most instances, the bludgeoning is warranted but when it comes to the decision by J-Man to work Jose Reyes into the 3 spot of the lineup, the criticism is not only unwarranted but it’s also senseless.

In today’s NY Post, avid Mets hater Joel Sherman (there are lot’s of Mets haters in MSM, Jon Heyman, Bill Madden, Tom Verducci and of course their Emperor Mike Francesa) has a full page column today take the Met to task for batting Reyes third, even though he admits it’s out of necessity and just something Manuel pulled out of his ass:

 The shift is a reaction to Carlos Beltran’s knee surgery, which will cost him at least a month of the season. Without Beltran to hit third, Manuel fears the lineup lacks length if he simply has David Wright bat third and Jason Bay fourth. The order would dip precipitously at No. 5, likely with Daniel Murphy. In addition, Manuel wants to preserve Reyes’ legs and feels batting him third will translate to fewer steal attempts to limit the risk of having runners thrown out in front of your best RBI men, Wright and Bay.

Sherman goes on in the article to give his hypothesis on why this is bad idea, but gives no solution, which of course there isn’t any. If Carlos Beltran were of sound mind and knee, this would not even be an issue but as we know the best laid plans of mice and Mets never go as planed and so they have this situation to make the best of the lineup until Beltran gets back.

Sherman lays out the answer to the why part of Reyes hitting third when he mentions Daniel Murphy hitting fifth. Murphy is not a #5 hitter. He’s a perfect #2 but the problem is Luis Castillo is also a perfect #2. And there is the problem; the Mets have two #2 and two #1 in Reyes and Angel Pagan.

From the rumbling’s from St. Lonesome, Beltran is progressing nicely and should just miss just the first month of the season (I know, I know you’ll believe it when you see it) so when he comes back Reyes moves back to the #1 spot and Beltran back to #3 and the team will live happily ever after. I hope.

Posted under Uncategorized

Jason Bay has arrived in Port St. Lonesome and Adam Rubin sat down for a Q & A session with the newest Mets left fielder. Some interesting nuggets in this piece, like Bay was on his high school curling team and his school did not field a baseball team. So Bay played in what I guess would be Babe Ruth/Legion ball and not only made the big leagues but became a star. That’s impressive.

It becomes somewhat astonishing how many times do the GM and Manager of the Mets open their mouths, they cause Mets fans angst. The latest is from J-Man, about stud pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia being in contention for the 8^th inning set up job. It’s not so much that Manuel said this  (I would hope that this years Manuel Night at The Improv a/k/a post game presser on SNY will be sponsored by Account Temps) it’s that Omar Minaya didn’t call bullshit on this ridiculous way of thinking.  From all accounts Mejia is a sold pitcher who projects to a top of the rotation arm; all he needs is to mature both as a pitcher and as a young adult being that he is just 20 years old.  One never knows if J-Man is serious or he just likes fucking with us Mets fans.

“But doctor you were supposed to remove my appendix but you took out a kidney instead” and the doctor said “Hey, nobody’s perfect”

I stop into a bodega in Alphabet City last night to get a little Cintron and rum, seems like the Mets like a little Cintron too.

Freddy Skill Sets: Hello Sand-a-la !

Sandy Koufax: Hello Fred, what’s up?

FSK: It’s that time a year again! So when am I going to see my favorite high school buddy this spring?

SK: Fred, last time we were in high school the guy the school was named after was still alive (Lafayette) what do you want from me?

FSK:   you know what I need from you, come down for the day Judy will make a nice brisket, you, me, Saul, and David will play a little Mah Jong , Jeffey will make us those nice drinks we like with the paper umbrellas in them and we can make jokes about Jay Horowitz’ big noggin’

SK: HA-HA-HA you know making fun of Horowitz never gets old HA-HA-HA-HA

FSK: See, what a time eh? Oh and one other thing ……….. 

SK: Yeah, yeah I know talk to your pitchers……..every year Fred, every year you want me to talk to these guys especially that Perez character. You know who he reminds me of Freddy? Remember that kid in the 5^th grade Herbie Lipschitz who ate the Elmer’s Glue and had Tourettes?

FSK: OOOOoooooooooohhhhh my God yes HA-HA-HA hooooooooo Sandy you know my bladder ain’t what it used to be, don’t make me pee my pants….HA-HA-HA-HA  I know Ollie is a bit meshugana  but he’s got a live arm so what do you say? You coming down or what?

SK: hey for you Freddy, sure why not.

FSK: you’re a mench Sand-a-la, a real mench !

SK: by the way how is that statue of me coming along? I think right outside the Rotunda will be a nice spot for it.

FSK: We’ll talk Sand-a-la, We’ll talk………..

Posted under Uncategorized

Before we all go off the deep end here about J-Man contemplating batting Jose Reyes in the 3 hole, let’s remember that (a) this is only because Carlos Beltran will be out until May (cross fingers and toes) and (b) when Beltran comes back, Reyes goes back to the lead off spot. The bigger problem with the Mets lineup is too many square pegs and round holes.

I’ve tossed around a few lineups and the problem I have is not who leads off as the Mets have three guys (Reyes, Castillo and Pagan) who are terrific leadoff men. They also have two nice #2 hitters in Castillo who gives you OBP and Daniel Murphy who hits with some pop. I’m intrigued about Reyes in the 3 spot because with Bay and Wright behind him you know he’s going to see strikes.

So if I were the manager I’d put this lineup out as much as I could this spring to see how it works.

Castillo

Murphy

Reyes

Bay

Wright

Francouer

Barajas/Blanco

Pagan

Pitcher

I’m a little concerned with the 7-8 spot. Barajas is feast or famine and Pagan is the square peg in the round hole I spoke about in the beginning. He’s more a 1-2 hitter but as we see without the potent bat of Carlos Beltran, there has to be some improvisation with this Mets lineup.

Posted under Uncategorized

Poor Omir Santos, the guy shows up early to camp looks around at the large stable of catchers the Mets accumulated over the winter and thinks to himself  “none of those guys have anything on me”  Well sorry to burst your bubble Senior Santos but the only squating behind the plate you’re going to be doing is in the International League backing up Josh Thole.

The Mets reach a deal with Rod Barajas for a base of $1mil with incentives that could double his contract.  Barajas and Henry Blanco are now the top battery mates for Mets pitchers and both are a huge upgrade defensively from last years broken down model of Brian Schneider, Shrek,  Ninja Turtle and Santos.

Remember at the end of the season J-Man and Old School Warthen put alot of the blame of the inability of the Mets pitchers to cut down on walks and not hit their spots consistently on the catching corp.

Give the Mets some love here as the got Barajas for their price and upgraded the catching position as well

Posted under Uncategorized

My question to Kevin Kernan is was Jerry Manuel drinking out of a brown paper bag when he made this statement ?

Tip o’ the Mets cap to The ‘Ropolitans for this tip

Posted under Uncategorized

  21 days until pitchers and catchers

It looks like Fernando Tatis is retuning for a third season with the Mets. Please hold your applause until the end, thank you. If you look at the offensive numbers on Tatis’ Baseball-Reference page you might be inclined to say this is a good deal for the Mets.  I’ll go as far as say I’m happier with Tatis coming back just for the fact that it means that Carlos Delgado’ career as a Met is done.  Last night on Twitter I was angry about the Tatis return but by this morning I’m more, “eh, whatever”. I’m tired of ranting about the off season and the mish-mosh ways of the organization, that has both the fan base and media baffled, I guess it’s time we just let it play out, we’ll have all summer to scream and yell.   

Look at this from John Smoltz point of view, what was good for Pedro Martinez could be good for him as well. Why sign with a team this early when you can workout on your own, play golf, even do some TV if you like and then wait to see the pitching landscape during the season and make the best deal you can.

As much as I can’t stand the way ownership and the front office fuck up and the on field personnel play like amateurs, there is no way I could ever, ever root against the Mets. I don’t care if a loss meant that the Jeffey, Omar, and J-Man all get the boot, I would never and have never rooted against the Mets. If I didn’t root for the Cincinnati Reds when Tom Seaver was traded and pitched against the Mets, I’m sure as hell not going to root against them now. Root against the Mets? Never in a million fucking years !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t understand J-Man saying that Fernando Nieve is the front runner for the 5^th spot in the pitching rotation? Not to get to worked up over the 5^th spot (when spots 2-4 are not exactly the Rocks of Gibraltar) but where does Jon Niese or Nelly Figs fit with this team? How about Bradley Holt or Dillon Gee? Why is J-Man so against competition? Why am I full of questions?

No matter what happens this season, I’m rooting hard for my boy Daniel Murphy to put up big time numbers. No one on this team works as hard as Murphy and I just hope his hard work pays off and he just hangs in there until Wally Backman gets the job with the big club. Am I a Daniel Murphy fanboy? Yes. He is everything we Mets fans want in a player. Shows up for mini-camp when he’s not required to (Jose? Jose Reyes? Are you here? Come out, come out ,wherever you are!) will be the first guy at St Lonesome waiting for the gates to open for spring training (it will be neck and neck with him and D-Wright) and is working hard to improve at the fourth positions the Mets have assigned him to. How can you as a Mets fan not root for this kid?    

No Pro Baseball Central tonight but I will be on the with Kenrick Thomas and his Real Sports Talk Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio tonight at 10PM ET.

There is a group NYRNation that is planning a FIRE GLEN SATHER rally outside of Madison Square Garden on Sunday March 7^th  at 5PM before the Rangers-Sabres game. It is getting very ugly at MSG as the Rangers find themselves in the middle of 10 teams look at the 7 and 8 spot in the NHL playoffs. In fact the Rangers are a mirror of the Mets. Underachivers, Bad Management, Clueless Owner!

Posted under Uncategorized

….oh yeah, where was Jerry Manuel yesterday? Not at the Bay Day ceremonies that’s for sure. How about David Wright? Carlos Beltran? Johan Santana? Alex Cora? (you know  the heart and soul of the Mets), Charlie Samuels? (good thing Samuels wasn’t there he’d have had Bay decked out in a black jersey and the shitty black cap with blue brim. Bad enough Bay wore the snow white jersey and not the pinstripe that we heard was all the rage this winter but he did have the blue hat) but seriously, the manager couldn’t fly in from Cali to greet his new LF’er? Doesn’t D-Wright keep a flop flat down in Gramercy Park? I’m sure the Skill Sets could have splurged for a room and air fare for Beltran and Santana and the wifies for a week end in NYC and appearance at the Bay presser.

If it’s a point where one or two of these guys had prior engagements, then couldn’t you have found a day when either J-Man or D-Wright could be on hand? For Christ sake, Rod Gilbert was there (I guess it was an open bar)

Pat Reily has always said the thing that keeps teams from winning is The Disease of Me and after seeing no one but Omar, Jeffey, Dave the Shyster and the ubiquitous  Jay Horowitz yesterday ad $iti Field, I’d say the Mets org has terminal Disease of Me.

Posted under Uncategorized

Now that the site is up and running again and that fact that I’m jonesing for a  posting, lets call this a late night lighting round:

Once upon a time, Marco Scutaro was Mets bloggers favorite player, mostly due to his success in Triple A. I wish I had the posts I wrote from back then as I was calling for Scutaro to be brought up from Norfolk to play 2B for the Mets and when was called up, I thought I had some juice. It was my Big Balls moment.

But Scutaro played sparingly for two not very good Mets teams and it was about that time we were fed up with Robbie Alomar and felt Scutaro had the tools to takeover at 2B. But the Mets but him on waivers after the 2003 season and Billy Beane claimed him for the A’s and it set off a bit of a bloggers firestorm around these parts. Ahhhhhhhh good times!

Now Scutaro has signed with the Red Sox, a move made by” cut from the same Billy Beane cloth”, Theo Epstein  to play shortstop for the Old Town Team.  It’s good to see both me and Scutaro are still kicking around.

In another move to kick Omar Minaya in the nuts, the Mets have signed former Reds GM Wayne Kivsky to be an Asst’ GM. If you listened to our PRO BASEBALL CENTRAL show last week, Joe McDonald said he had info that the Mets have a plan in place if (when?) the Mets get off to a bad start, to ax Omar and J-Man and put a new GM and Mgr. in there place. Looks like the GM part of Plan B is in place.

First, Placido Polanco goes back to the Phuck-Phaces and now Chone Figgins signs with the Mariners. And Rogers Castillo sighs in relief.

The news I’ve been waiting to hear, the KC Royals are looking to move RHP Gil Meche and LF David DeJesus and both would look great on the Mets. Then I’d go trade for Aaron Harang and sign either Joel Pinerio or Jason Marquis to give myself a fighting chance to be a contender in 2010.

That’ it for now but I will leave you with something I posted on Facebook:

“Why do I have a feeling that the NY Mets will start the 2010 season like the NJ Nets? If there was a stock called “The Mets will suck in 2010″ I’d empty my bank account to buy it”

Posted under Uncategorized

I’m still numb from reading this last night via Jon Heyman:

 

Toronto’s request of the Mets for star pitcher Roy Halladay was for top outfield prospect Fernando Martinez, young pitchers Bobby Parnell and Jon Niese and shortstop prospect Ruben Tejada, sources tell SI.com.

 

The Mets responded with a resounding no.

 

 I don’t know what is more stunning that J.P. Ricciardi would take a player plagued by so many injuries he has a handicap plate on his two wheeler, a dime a dozen reliever, a LHP who could be a back end starter maybe, and a teenager for one of the premier starting pitchers in all of baseball or that the Omar Minaya TURNED THIS DEAL DOWN!!!! Well Omar turning down the deal is not stunning in fact (that’s scary) but Ricciardi even offering that to the Mets? Does he hate being with the Blue Jays that much? Is there a secret pact with Minaya to hire Ricciardi as Tony B’s seat filler at $iti Field next year?

 

Ricciardi didn’t even ask for the best prospects the Mets own in Brad Holt, Wilmer Flores, or Jenrry Mejja. 

 

Then after the reports of Minaya turning down this offer Omar holds a news conference during last night’s game that he and J-Man are safe and sound in their jobs.

 

I will now douse myself in gasoline and light my sorry ass on fire.

Posted under Uncategorized

 

 

 

 

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.

Posted under Uncategorized