So it just happens that Jeffey Wilpon en route to St Lonesome to watch some of his prized farm hands with GM in training John Ricco in tow, makes a pit stop in Atlanta maybe to watch his team play but most likely to buy a pair of high class kicks, but anyway while he was in town taking in the ball game, his manager for the next month, Jerry Manuel felt this was as good as time as ever to show Jeffey Skill Sets where is daddy’s hard earn cash is going. First J-Man inserted Luis Castillo and Jeff Francoeur in the lineup, because I don’t know if you’ve heard (come closer to the screen because this info needs to be kept on the downlow) the Mets still think they are in contention for the post season shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don’t let the rest of the NL know shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Pat Misch made every Mets fan who wondered why he wasn’t given the call up earlier the answer to that query by getting pounded harder than an British Heavyweight . But just as Jeffey Skill Sets and Executive in Training Ricco were ready to leave, Manuel sent a note to them to hang in for another inning or two as he had a really big surprise for them. So Jeffey grabbed another cotton candy and went back to his seat.

So now it’s the bottom of the seventh inning and the Mets down five runs and Jeffey on his eighth Coca-Cola is getting antsy as he’s seen enough of this listless team and all he can think about is watching Nickelodeon on the TV of the St. Lonesome Motel 6 when all of a sudden the visitor’s bullpen gate opens and on the big screen at the Ted this video appears and the crowd let’s out a collective gasp:

“One singular sensation, every little step he takes……………….

IT’S…..IT’S……OLLIE PEREZ…………………

Welllllllll Jeffey drops his Coke, Cotton Candy and his Mets Build A Bear. Ricco drops his Baseball General Managing for Dummies book and both men stare at the Mets manager as he stands on the top step of the dugout laughing his lame duck ass off.

For the first time in a month Ollie Perez takes off his Mets Snuggie to enter a game and throw live pitches. Oh and did Ollie ever throw a live pitch to Brian McCann. McCann just missed the first offering by OP, I guess he was still startled by the Resurrection but he made sure he got a hold of the next pitch and launched it over the right field wall for a home run. Ahhhhh so good to see Ollie hasn’t lost a step in his month layoff; if he’s anything, he is consistent. Of Perez’ 29 pitches 14 were K’s not bad. With only 17 home games left in this scintillating Mets season we can only hope that J-Man uses OP in a few of those games as Perez is such a fan fave we all want to express our feeling for him.           

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If there is anyone in the Mets front office who feels Luis Castillo should remain a Met, their opinion had to have changed after last night. I don’t care if you are a relative of Castillo’, his actions after driving in Ike Davis for a come from behind walk off win proves he hates being here as much as Mets fans hate that he’s here. Talk about irreconcilable differences, there is no reason to put Castillo or Mets fans through this loveless marriage anymore. Let’s do it for the kids. By the way check out Greg Prince’ post on last night’s game at FFIF and tell me you don’t feel like crying. Misery in Winning, that’s Mets Baseball.

Is Wayne Hagin kidding with his gushing praise of Jeff Francoeur ? After Francoeur knocked in David Wright with a Sac Fly in the 2^nd inning, Hagin went Radio Ga-Ga over Frenchy. I’d have given Howie Rose $100 bucks if he slapped Hagin in the head after his ridiculous remarks.

A must read for all Mets fans is Adam Rubin’ 3 part expose of the failings of the Mets under the Skill Sets/Minaya regime.  From reading this series I take it that Jerry Manuel will be fired as soon as the team is mathematically eliminated from contention (even though we all know the season is over NOW)  Minaya will either be caned or reassigned and I’m leaning towards reassignment. John Ricco will be the GM and Wally Backman the manager. The organization will find a way to either deal off Oliver Perez and Luis Casitllo or just release them and that money ($18 mil) will the equivalent of a free agent signing. The organization will make Backman the focal point of the team in order to sell tickets. Will it work? We won’t know until this time next year.

In  Rubin’ report he mentions how little money the Mets have spent on draft picks and in the International market for free agents. I had the pleasure of speaking with Wilbur Miller, a Pittsburgh Pirates fan and a fan poster on Bucs Dugout about the recent leaks of the financial statements of the Pittsburgh Pirates on my THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN Radio Show last night and one of the items we talked about was the Pirates under the ownership of Bob Nutting and Frank Coonley have spent $23 mil in 2008 and $21.2 mil in 2007 on player development.  The Mets in turn have spent a mere $14 mil the last three seasons on player development. That’s $4mil less than the money they will pay Perez and Castillo combined next season.  After listening to my interview with Miller you tell me who is more optimistic Miller the Bucs fan or me the Mets fan?

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Tired of railing against this organization, who again screwed over the Mets fans by playing last night’s game in the rain, which made the field conditions so dicey that even Joe Morgan could see it was stupid to play with puddles (which I named Lake Wilpon) in the infield. How about poor ol’ Luis Castillo? He thinks Jerry Manuel put him in the lineup last night to boost the offense, when in reality management forced Manuel to put Gimp in the game hoping he’d break an ankle on that marsh of an infield.

Joe DeMayo put on his investigative fedora and found out that word on the street is the Mets will sign Matt Harvey, Greg Peavey and Drew Martinez. It may take a lot of these to get the deals done though.

Why wouldn’t the Mets pick up Jose Reyes option for 2011? You’re not going to trade him off this season as his trade value is not very strong and you have no one to replace him at short stop. The guy that has me concerned is David Wright, whose roller-coaster season is the ultimate head scratcher.  When Wright is on, there aren’t many better than him in baseball but when he falls into these awful funks at the plate as he is now, (how far outside of home plate can you stand that you’re not out of the batter’s box?) and you fuse that with the general malaise over this team, it makes for a toxic stew that pushes the fan base over the edge. Part of Wright’s problem, in my view, is he tries to hard. It seems he takes it like if he doesn’t do it, no one else will. What he lacks is a mentor, and I’ve mentioned this numerous times, Wright still misses Cliff Floyd terribly. Wright needs a veteran player who has been around the block a time or two who he can talk to and who can be honest with him when he fucks up. HoJo is the favorite uncle who takes Wright to Nathan’s and a ride on the Cyclone and gets him a candy apple for the ride home. Maybe David needs some tough love to straighten himself out. I’d love to get inside his head for a moment to find out how he really feels about the direction of this organization and if he wants to be a long term member of the Mets family.

As a Mets fan and as someone who has watched him beat the Mets ass for years, I should hate Chipper Jones and not give a shit if he comes back from knee surgery. But I can’t. I admire the shit out of him as he took everything the Mets fans threw at him and gave it back. With a smile. He kicked our ass for years, but I still have to tip my Mets cap at him if this is Larry’s Last Stand.

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If I worked in the Mets payroll department, when it’s time to cut the players paychecks, I would put Robert Allen Dickey’ name on the check for Ollie Perez and put Perez name on Dickey’ digits. Obviously OP has no shame or is just as ignorant as we Mets fans make him out to be, that he still picks up his check for doing absolutely nothing positive for this team while R.A. Dickey goes out start after start and lives the journeyman’s dream season in the Big Leagues.

At some point doesn’t professional pride resonate with Perez, where he sees that going to Buffalo and then heading to St. Lonesome in the winter to work on being a pitcher, instead of the thrower he has become? Then again you would have to have a little bit going on between your ears and OP seems to be lacking in that, so he is relegated to the Mets version of the NYC Board of Education’s “rubber room” where they send teacher’s who can no longer handle a classroom and pay them full salary and benefits while they figure out what to do with them.

If I were the manager of the Mets, I would take all of Perez’ belongings from his locker and leave them in the janitor’s closet and give the locker to Pat Misch. How is OP not embarrassed by the fact, the club never even gave it a thought of giving him the ball today against the Phillies ? Ollie Perez, have you no shame?

For the first time in his Mets career, Luis Castillo and Mets fans are on the same page, yes Luis, you got to go! What other team has players begging for their release or trade and are STILL ALLOWED TO PLAY!!!!!! Castillo and Francoeur want to leave, so why haven’t they been granted their wish?

It’s not often these days we hear from Omar Minaya, and when we do, we realize why he shouldn’t speak in public. When asked what Frankie Rodriguez said to him about the incident with his babies moma’s daddy, Omar the Orator said:

“He said he feels really bad he let the organization down. He let himself down and his teammates down,” Minaya said. “To me, that’s an apology. Did he use that word? I will not tell you that, but I will tell you that he does not feel good.”

Omar, what the fuck are you talking about? Did he apologize or not? And did you, as the GM of the team, tell him he had better apologize to his teammates especially to those teammate whose wives and children were in that room to witness what happened? I would hope that Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes, who both said their wives and kids were there at the time all hell broke lose, would confront him on what happened. Prove me wrong Mets players, I say no one has the balls to call out K-Rod on this.

I hope Pat Misch pitches a great game today as he has earned the right for this start and anything that puts it up Mets management’s ass is fine with me.

This is what is has come down to for me. Mets management has taken a forty six year Mets fan and has me rooting for the organization to fall flat on it’s face. I want Ollie Perez to pitch and get shelled. I want Jeff Francoeur to play every day and strike out four times a game. I want Jerry Manuel to keep lifting starting pitchers for an ineffective bullpen. I want David Wright to go to ownership and ask them “where are we going as an organization so I know if I should play out my contract and go elsewhere”. I want some other financial shyster to come along and steal the rest of the Skill Sets money so they are forced to sell the team (You suck Bernie Madoff why couldn’t wipe out the Wilpon’s I would have spoken up for you at your parole hearing if you did ) I want to burn this fucker to the ground and start over. I so fucking sick and tired and being so fucking sick and tired about this disaster of an organization.

Oh in case you haven’t picked up on it, I’m back from vacation.

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Not much in the way of Mets news but I guess we’ve all seen that Don Wakamatsu has been fired as Mariners manager,(but still has his career in Rap to fall back on) and Jerry Manuel lives on as the lamest of lame duck skippers. I see where Manuel now wants to sit Carlos Beltran who is not very happy about it. I guess he can’t tell jokes and juggle like Jeff Francoeur who persuade Manuel to give him more playing time. Maybe learn guitar Carlos and then serenade the ’Gangsta’ .

I agree here with Mathew Cerrone, Beltran needs to play but he needs to bat lower in the order and maybe move over to RF for now and let Angel Pagan play CF.

A fan is suing the Mets, MLB, Luis Castillo and just about anyone else he can fit on a legal brief for Castillo’s bat breaking and entering the stands and hitting this guy in the kisser. Who knew balsa wood could be so dangerous.  I bet this guy was either on his cell phone waving to a camera or just not paying attention. Sorry no litigation money for you!

Yesterday the Y-D Red Sox exploded for 11 runs in the bottom of the first inning against the Orleans Firebirds in the first game of the best of three East Semi-Finals on the way to an un Cape League 23-10 win. Red Sox first baseman Jordan Ribera who has a thick lower torso that generates a big power swing, homered twice in the bottom of the first and just missed a third home run in the eighth inning. I’m trying to finagle my way over to Orleans for game two tonight at 7PM

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I spent last night on Coney Island watching Wallyball and had the good fortune to meet up with Coop and Corey at the game. We were all excited over our beautiful Ike Davis bobble heads, well not exactly bobble heads more like bobble torso.

Greg Vaughn was also at MCU Park last night to see his son Corey play centerfield for the Cyclones and he was very cordial and accommodating to the fans signing autographs.

The Cyclones lost 3-2 to the Hudson Valley Renegades but they still hold a 7 ½ game lead over HV in the McNamara Division and an overall 30-14 record, the best in the NY-PENN League.

WallyBall in Queens in 2011 is gaining steam

While I was getting my Ike Davis bobble head looks Luis Castillo was playing bobble ball last night. The Mets are 7 ½ games back of the Bravos and 6 games ahead of the last place Washington Nationals.

Now the Skill Sets are looking to enter the world of the Squared Circle? It might be a good thing for Mets fans if Jeffey Skill Sets sees himself as a Vince McMahon wannabe. I’d love to see Jeffey get on a segment of Pipers Pit.

MLB Umpires fuck up again this time with the Infield Fly Rule. The beat goes on , the beat goes on.

The Howard Megdal for GM has reached the WWL and in his column has some great ideas as usual but where Howard and I differ is in dealing for Prince Fielder, who I believe is in the Guinness Book of Records as the World’s Fattest Vegan (Prince must be drenching his veggies in vats of Ranch dressing) at the expense of Ike Davis. NO NO 1,000 TIMES NO!!!!! By the way Howard Megdal will be my guest on my THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN Radio Show on August 17^th at 10PM ET. And speaking of THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN, there will be no new show this week or next as I will be on Cape Cod enjoying the beach and trying not to become shark bait. You can listen to previous shows on the show page on Blog Talk Radio or download the shows on iTunes. Don’t forget to vist the THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN store at Cafe Press. Yeah that’s right I’m like a Hunts Point Ho’ on the stroll

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Adam Rubin on ESPN NY has a fine column today that sums up the State of the  Mets organization and the non-moves at the trade deadline to a tee. Some excerpts that intrigued me are:

The reality is the Mets are not legitimately in a race right now. They entered Saturday trailing the division-leading Atlanta Braves by 7½ games and trailing the wild card-leading San Francisco Giants by 6½ games. Fifty-nine games remain on the schedule. Four teams, including the hard-charging Philadelphia Phillies, who acquired Roy Oswalt this week, are between the Mets and Giants.

Management can’t come out and say it but they know the Mets have no shot at the post season.  The Mets are what they are, a .500 team that plays like the best team in baseball at home but then plays like the Mets of 1962 on the road, hence the .500 record. Their play this season is a big improvement over last year’s crew who mailed in around this time last year at least this Mets team plays hard.

You can clumsily cite principal owner Fred Wilpon and his family supposedly being stingy for such a deal not materializing, but that would be misguided — even if ownership isn’t blameless. The bottom line is the payroll is still hovering around $130 million this season.

The better answer: If GM Omar Minaya had shown restraint in his other salary commitments — say, not giving Luis Castillo four years and $25 million or Oliver Perez three years and $36 million or guaranteeing seven years to Carlos Beltran — he likely would have had the flexibility to pull off an Oswalt-type trade now.

It’s far more about no discipline than no money.

That does not absolve the Wilpons.

Forget the Perez and Castillo contracts, the one deal Mets will be screaming about will be the Francisco Rodriguez deal, look it over if you dare but I must put a disclaimer that if you are pegnant suffer from high blood pressure or have a sleeping disorder, check with your doctor before viewing the details of K-Rod’s deal

Minaya’s stated plan when he took over as GM in September 2004 was to offset the draft picks forfeited for signing free agents by owning the international market. It sounded good, too. After all, how could a Dominican-born GM walk into any household in that country, throw around dollars and fail to persuade the teenager to sign with the Mets?

The problem? Ownership never threw around the money. After signing Martinez for $1.3 million in 2005, Minaya’s first full season as Mets GM, the organization did not have another seven-figure signing bonus for an international teenager until signing 16-year-old pitcher Juan Urbina, Ugueth’s son, last year.

The Mets knew Venezuelan Jesus Montero, who was coveted in trade proposals involving the Yankees in recent days, was a superior catching prospect to Francisco Peña, Tony’s son. Yet the Mets signed Peña in 2006 because he cost $750,000. The Yankees paid $2 million for Montero.

My question here is whose fault is it? Omar’s or the Skill Sets for the inability to not get any thing done in the International market? You would think having a Latino GM would place the Mets way ahead of other teams but as we learned when they were in pursuit of Carlos Delgado as a free agent, Scareface Bernazard was a little to “street” for Delgado so  I wonder how many more families were turnoff by the Mets resident hoodlum?

The Mets have not been blame-free in their draft conduct from an ownership perspective, either. With apologies to Chris Carter, the Mets essentially gave Billy Wagner  to the Red Sox last season for nothing, in essence to save $3.3 million (Wagner’s $2.3 million remaining salary and a $1 million buyout). As a result, when Wagner signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves last offseason, the Red Sox — not the Mets — got two first-round picks as compensation for losing Wagner, which they used on Ball State’s Kolbrin Vitek and Middle Tennessee State’s Bryce Brentz. (Remember those names a few years from now.

This is why Omar needs to be relived of his GM duties and the baseball ops needs a complete overhaul. Unlike any time in baseball, teams a coveting receiving draft picks for aging ball players. The new wave in baseball is to get younger and more athletic as the ban on PED’s is changing the game back to where pitching, defense and youth as the way to go. That’s not Omar’s bag, he’s still into old and ineffective which unfortunately describes Omar himself.

(Fred) Wilpon was sued Friday by the widow of a former employee of Wilpon-owned Sterling Equities. The federal suit alleges Wilpon bears fiduciary responsibility for investing his employees’ 401(k) funds in Bernard Madoff-operated funds. Sterling Equities called the suit baseless, but the potential liability — coupled with the Wilpon family’s own losses in the Ponzi scheme — has to create some hesitance to freely spend.

Yet even if the Madoff ordeal never occurred, it would be perfectly reasonable to expect the Mets to act conservatively from a financial perspective. Attendance is likely to plummet at Citi Field the rest of the season. A further erosion in the season-ticket base is expected heading into 2011.

You knew this was coming and the question is if Freddy Skill Sets loses this suit, which I believe is a class action suit among the Sterling Equities employees, and it cost him hundreds of million’s of dollars to pay, will he have to sell the Mets? I believe Freddy when he says he wants the Mets to be in his family for generations to come, but it may come to a head when he has to either sell or take on a partner. The Mara family owned the NY Football Giants on their own for years and years but when Tim Mara died his estate put his shares up for bid, that’s when the Tisch family got their half, so it’s possible the Skill Sets sell 49% of the team and keep the other 51 % controlling interest for as long as they can.

Yet even if the Madoff ordeal never occurred, it would be perfectly reasonable to expect the Mets to act conservatively from a financial perspective. Attendance is likely to plummet at Citi Field the rest of the season. A further erosion in the season-ticket base is expected heading into 2011.

The one MAJOR move the Skill Sets must make for next season is dropping the ridiculous pricing tiers that are an extreme point of contention with Mets fans. The whole Platinum, Gold, Silver, Value scale would work if the team was a contender every year and seats at Citi Field were in demand but the organization has none of these going for them. They tried going the corporate route and it hasn’t worked. Now they need to try and win back the fan base, the blue collar core who frequented Shea Stadium who stick by you through thick and thin. The Skill Sets have had their fling with the Metro area elite and must now realize it’s time to get the REAL Mets fan back to support the team.  The Mets fan has the upper hand here and now Freddy, Jeffey and Uncle Saul have to come to us with hat in hand, and ask for our hard earned dough. They have never gotten it though their thick skulls that Mets fans are not about the Championships (although we all want to win one or ten of them) but we’re all about playing hard and playing with pride. That’s the one saving grace with the 2010 Mets team they have that quality.

Next year the Skill Sets need to let fans pick their own ticket packages and also set aside seats in the promenade for 5 bucks a piece. They could also sell a “roaming ticket” no seat but you can walk around and stand in centerfield or down each base line sort of a standing room ticket, they need to be creative to win fans back in 2011, time to turn on the Skill Sets charm fella’s

Manager Jerry Manuel, asked if the inaction was a signal the front office was content with the team as presently constituted or if it was an indication the team is not really in the race, wisely did not want to touch the issue.

“That’s a tricky question,” Manuel said. “Trying to catch me, huh?”

Minaya did acknowledge the standings were a factor.

“That played something into it,” the GM said. “When you look at the standings, you just have to be careful.”

I can’t wait until October 4^th for the press conference announcing Wally Backman as the Mets manager for 2011

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Yesterday’s Mets-Dodgers game was so bad in so many ways. Besides the fact that David Wright is standing so far off the plate that he needs a canoe paddle to hit the ball and that he desperately needs a day off, and that Jerry Manuel has some form of Antention Decifict Disorder when it comes to writing a lineup (Luis Castillo MUST BAT 8^TH GOD DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) plus watching Manuel and St. Joseph of Torre match wits with the bullpen is like watching a four hour promo of the movie Schmucks For Dinner. Then to top off the whole afternoon of suck, the game was televised on FOX. Kenny Albert is not built for baseball. He kind of drifts off like he’s so fucking bored wishing it was winter so he can call football and hockey games. When Albert works both of those sports he’s solid but  on baseball he’s god awful. Eric Karros is a moron. Plain and simple, a moron. He makes no sense at all with any of his analysis especially when he thought pitching to Andre Either with first base open and one out with the winning run on thrird was a good move. Then there is Ken Rosenthal who I ask very nicely on Twitter, to shut the fuck up. For an “information guy” he brings you nothing except for some good old fashion Mets bashing. Yes we’re spoiled as we have the finest TV crew in baseball to enjoy almost every night, but at least if I’m going to sit through Jerry Manuel botching games and some pretty bas baseball this last month, I want to be entertained somewhat and only Gary, Keith and Ron can do that for Mets fans.

I’ll be shocked, SHOCKED if Jerry Manuel is the manager of the Mets come Tuesday night. If he is still the manager, then you know for sure the Skill Sets don’t care anymore. 71/2 back will soon be 10 games back and all out attention will be on Jets and Giants camp.

It’s so easy to kill Toxic Ollie for yesterday but Ollie is what he is. The only thing I can take out Manuel bringing in Perez was this was Manuel being insubordinate. It makes me think that Manuel told management he wanted no part of Ollie on this team and management told him to shut up and sit down as we are paying this balooka a ton of dough and Manuel said well then no problem I’ll make sure he comes into a tight situation and fucks it up. Manuel has managed this road trip like a guy is tired of his job and needs a change so the Skill Sets should do the right thing for him and the team and relive him of his duty.

The kicker today will be if the Mets are up or down by a lot today and Frankie Rodriguez pitches and after the game Manuel says “Frankie hasn’t pitched in awhile so he needed the work”

Jerry Manuel didn’t get on John Maine because he was John Maine. No Jerry Manuel got on John Maine because John Maine was pitching as John Maine right shoulder needed to be surgically repaired. Jerry Manuel liked John Maine but was mad because John Maine wouldn’t tell Jerry Manuel that John Maine was hurt. John Maine wanted the ball and tried to fight off John Maine’s sore shoulder. It didn’t work out for John Maine here as John Maine’ season ending surgery is likely to be the end of John Maine’ Mets career. So now Jerry Manuel has to find another John Maine to treat like shit like he did to John Maine.

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About last night:

So how many folks suffered a sprain or broken leg jumping back on the Johan Santana bandwagon?  I guess he’s back to being the Ace of the staff eh?

Funny I’m hearing any of the Carlos Beltran’ range is shot talk either ?

And how about Angel Pagan playing a mean right field? Let me help you with those bags Mr. Francoeur!

Even though Jerry Manuel was tossed from the game in the second inning, we still were treated to some “Jerry Ball” in the 8^th inning. With the Mets up 2-1, Jose Reyes leads off with a walk off Vicente (Jimmy “Super Fly” Snuka look a like) Padillia. Reyes procedes to steal 2^nd base. Luis Castillo then walks as well, so maybe the Mets are getting set for that elusive big inning we al have been waiting for. But hold on there you Earl Waever devotees, J-Man will have none of that big inning stuff, no way. From the bowels of Dodger Stadium, the Gansta’ sends word to Dave Jauss the pretend manager, to have Angel Pagan sacrifice the runners over. Pagan by the way has a .940 OPS with runners on base and an even more impressive 1.072 OPS with runners in scoring position. Some where in a retirement home in Florida, Earl Weaver lit up a Raleigh and muttered, “what a fuckin’ moron”

Not to be outdone, St Joseph of Torre decided to go reliever for batter in the inning helping the Mets and the struggling Jason Bay break the game open via Bay’s three run double. My eyes were bleeding after that inning.

Darryl Strawberry wants this current Mets team to turn back the clock and play like the 86ers. It’s a nice thought but it’ll never happen. This group is too fragile psychologically. When the going is good, they are all smiles and back slaps, but as soon as adversity rears it’s ugly head, they dive under the bed instead of meeting it head on. Part of it is the makeup of the team and part of it is the manager who plays not to lose (as we saw in last nights 8^th inning) Players are too cautious especially the relievers as the slightest slip could cost you a job. The front office takes a big brunt of this as well by telling the world that the team is solvent but still won’t pay off  or trade off non productive players. A big move for this organization is to DFA Fernando Nieve and bring up Manny Acosta. Then when Nieve clears waivers, they will resign him and send him to Buffalo and bring him back up sometime in August. So predictable.  The team mirrors it’s owner, it talks a good fight but lacks the balls to back it up.

Let’s hope Big Pelf fixed whatever was broken and pitches a gem today in LA LA Land

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THIS IS A PICTURE FROM TEN MILE RIVER CAMP SITE AND THAT IS THE SAME TYPE OF TENT I SLEPT IN THAT LAST WEEK

It’s good to be back especially with the concrete beneath my feet. A week in the wilds of Sullivan County is fine but for the life of me, I don’t get why anyone would want to live up there, especially in the winter, it’s the classic nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live here. So with a good wiff of the stink of the NYC Subway and a 1970’s like NYC heat wave in full swing, it’s time to look at our favorite baseball. This could be a rocky ride so as always fasten your seat belts.

All jokes aside, MLB has to be embarrassed by the umpiring crew in yesterday’s Mets-Giants game. Phil Cuzi really embarrassed himself behind the plate with his ameba strike zone and his overall unprofessionalism. His calling out Travis Ishikawa was bad but the call on Aubrey Huff’ worm killer in front of the plate that was clearly a fair ball, but 3^rd base ump Mike Easterbrook said it hit Huff’s foot. Not even close, and by the way, when did this trend of base umpires start overruling home plate umps on plays that are clearly the man behind the plates call? It’s an awful trend and Mike Port the man in charge of these inept arbiters needs to fix and fix it fast as MLB can not have another disaster of post season when it comes to its officials like it did last year.

As I stated in a Tweet last night, I am fully convinced that the role of “closer” is the most overrated position in all of sports. Unless you’re the Highlanders, paying a guy tens of millions dollars to pitch one inning is fucking ridiculous. The only difference right now between Frankie Rodriguez as a Met and Armando Benitez’ days of Metsdom is Rodriguez doesn’t run and hide after his hideous performance. As much as we scream and yell about the contracts of Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez, the Rodriguez deal is just as rancid. Frankie Rodz will make $11.5 mil in 2011 but the killer is in 2012 where Rodriguez has a $17.5 mil option ($3.5 mil buyout). The option kicks in if Rodriguez finishes 55 games in 2011 or 100 games combined in 2010 and 2011 or doctors declare him healthy in 2011. That’s $17.5 MILLION FUCKING DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For agita.

Did you ever think that the return of Luis Castillo from injury would be good news? Ruben Tejada is a nice player but he is showing he’s not ready for an everyday spot and Alex Cora shouldn’t even be in the big leagues but if he’s on the field once or twice a week tops is all he’s good for. Amazing, Castillo is now an upgrade in the lineup and in the field.

I want the Mets to win and make the playoffs but a part of me wants Oliver Perez to pick up right where he left off with the Mets so he can force the hand of Jeffey Skill Sets to finally prove to the fan base if the team is broke or not? If the team is not in monetary dire straits then when OP shits the bed, cut him and force him to go to the minors. You know and I know that Perez will still suck when he returns so why go on with this farce.

So much for Prevention and Recovery when it comes to injuries especially when Jose Reyes is concerened. Reyes will start tonight in Phoenix and I just hope he’s ready to play and this isn’t one of the Mets rush jobs we all are to familiar with.

Sure Jeff Francouer is a fabulous right fielder but instead of wondering how Jerry Manuel is going to get him at bats, it would be a better move would be to release him. I know all about the “chemistry” issues but how could you be a clear thinking Mets fan and not want Angel Pagan in the lineup everyday? The Mets can’t afford to carry Frenchy’s impotent bat as the team ranks in the bottom third of every offensive category in the National League. The only reason the team is still in shouting distance of the Braves is due to the pitching staff, but with the way this offense is stalled, Francouer’s right arm is a luxury the Mets can afford.  

It’s 11PM and I’m laying in a tent in the middle of the woods hoping that no bears or coyotes come into the camp site and rip me apart and I realize the Mets are in San Francisco. I pray my little bullshit AM/FM radio can pick up the 50, 000 watts of WFAN so I can listen to the game and keep my mind off of being becoming some savage animals midnight snack. I hit the on button and the game comes in loud and clear but there is a bit of a problem, No Howie Rose. There is Wayne Hagin and then I hear Ed (Grey Goose) Coleman but where the hell is Howie? I admit I don’t listen to many Mets games on the radio but when I do, I tolerate Hagin as I know Howie is right there for my listening pleasure. I don’t begrudge Rose of taking a bit of a vacation as he works Icelander games and folds right into Mets games but there needs to be a different voice in the booth when Howie’s not there. You can’t team up Hagin and Coleman together it doesn’t work. It’s not Sterling/Waldman bad as that is the worst tandem in the history of speaking but Hagin and Coleman are very close to unlistenable. Why can’t Kevin Burkhardt step in for Howie or Hagin when either is not available? I’m sure there is some SNY, WFAN mumbo-jumbo contract bullshit that forbids this from happening but some times the forces in charge need to think of the listener because if I’m switching off the radio then I’m not listening  to the endless ads on the broadcast and I’m sure the sponsors won’t want to here that.

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