I’ll watch it and you may watch as well but really other than Phillies fans and Rays fans does anyone care about the World Series anymore? Has MLB under the bumbling Used Car Salesman and the worst television network on earth FOX destroyed what was once the crown jewel of  American sports?

Forget about whether kids are watching or care about the Series an unscientific poll of my 13 year old and his friends will tell you they not only haven’t watched a single pitch they are more concerned about their up coming basketball season and the Friday Halloween Dance. It’s not that they are not baseball fans as out of 15 boys in my sons class 12 play organized baseball and they are all die-hard Mets or Highlander fans but when you have homework and practice for whatever sport is in season but the time 8:45 or 9:00pm rolls around your looking at some serious sleep time.

I not a big fan of Bob Raisman but he did lay out today in the NY Daily News all that is wrong with MLB taking Rupert Murdoch’s billions and selling it s soul to FOX. There is no reason in the world that the World Series shouldn’t begin at 7:30pm East Coast Time. First off, no network should put on a pre game show for any sport. In this day and age by the time first pitch, kick off, tip off or face off comes around fans are well versed in what’s in store for that nights game. Do you think I rely on Jeanie Zelasko for my baseball information HA! HA!

It not just kids who are not following the World Series it’s adults as well. Every morning when I come in to work my co-workers ask me who won and what were the highlights as out six or seven guys that want to know none of them have watched one pitch of this series. Most of it is no Mets or Highlanders but even without the locals in it they all tell me the same thing, the game is on too late and they’re not staying up until midnight to watch it.

You would have to think that someone in MLB has to have at least a sliver of common sense and is reading and listening to the fans (have you heard  anyone say the y LIKE the late starts and early morning finishes of these games? I didn’t think so) and bring it to the attention of the Used Car Salesman. If the Mets were to announce that all night home games were going to start at 8:45 PM how many games would you go to? Figure three hours minimum for a game so you’d get out of the ball park at quarter to midnight, then by the time you get out the parking lot and home you would have enough time to take a nap and go to work  so of course the Mets or any team would not be stupid enough to schedule games at that time but for the championship of MLB they do and then wonder why no one is watching.  

We have this new system at work to sign in and out via computer and you have to be on time as the punch in clock is no joke,  so since I like to walk from the ferry to work every day (about a mile) I’ve been getting up at 5:15 in the AM. Then last night, since my  kids had  a couple of after school activities, by the time my wife drives them and picks them up it usually means it’s a take out night so last night was Chinese. Now add  those two elements  to watching the World Series in a reclining chair, I have to come clean and say I saw about three innings of last nights game before I was comatose. If it wasn’t for the cat looking for a late night snack and sitting on my head I might still be sleeping but I woke up in time to hear Doofus Joe tell me not to forget to join him and Mc Fullofshit on Saturday for Game 3.

So what did I miss? Well the Phillies taking a page out of the Mets book of failure by leaving ducks on the pond at an alarming rate. BIG GAME James doing another fine job. Rocco Baldeli slamming into Carlos Ruiz at the plate and the next inning resting on one knee during play stoppage as he fights fatigue; something that has ailed him all season and I missed the biggest story of the post season David Price’s coming out party.

We are supposed to go out for dinner on Saturday night so I’ll be sure to stop off at Starbucks on the way home for some high octain java to keep me awake for Game 3.

I’m pretty happy with the configuration of the new Mets coaching staff. I like Randy Niemann in the bullpen and with the departure of Guy Conti that closes the book on Petey’s return. I think the tandem of Neiman/Warthem will be a real plus for the Mets. The Alomars, and HOJO coming back is good news as well. Luis Aguyo goes back to player personnel as he was sorely miscast as a 3^rd base coach and  I feel sorry for Ken Oberkfell who looks to be re-assigned to manage the Buffalo Bisons after making it up to the big club. As for Razor Shines, he’s a J-Man ally which helps out the Warlord and he managed in the bushes so he gets a chance to command the third base coach’s box but I think more importantly he gives J-Man and sounding board.

All the speculation about which way Omar will go to reconstruct the Mets for ’09 is giving me a head ache already.  Obviously the most important add/subtract is in the pen. Next is a back of  the rotation starter, then 2^nd base (I’m a supporter of signing Orlando Hudson ) then the corner outfielders ( It’s not all his fault due to the concussions but the Milledge/Church-Schnieder deal sure doesn’t look like a steal now does it?) and then I’d bring in a new first string catcher. My first call would be to Ken Williams on the South Side and ask about AJ Pierzynski (I know I’ve gone over this earlier) and Bobby Jenks.  Make a package of Schenider/Heilman/Castilo/  and cash to pay the bulk of Gimps contract for the pair of Sox.

Randy Newsom is a minor leaguer playing winter ball in Venezuela and he writes about his experiences there on Dugout Central. It’s a worth while read.

Ron Darling will join Mike the Bloviator as guest listener as no one but the Great Bloviator gets to speak on his show. Yesterday Francesa went into a rant condemning Congressman Dennis Kucinich for looking into allegations that the Highlanders and the City of NY of undervaluing the value of the land the new Highlander Stadium is built on to pay less property tax. Francesa threw a fit questioning Kucinich for sticking his nose into this and saying who cares what the Highlanders and the City did to get this stadium built. So in the world of Mike Francesa, rich people cheating the government out of tax revenue is fine and anyone who questions it is a commie rat bastard. Spoken like a true Republican that he is.

Big League Stew has a post on what to do with Doofus Joe and Tim McFullofshit as now it seems the rest of the blogesphre is finally hip to what I’ve been saying for a few years not only does has this duo reached the peak of suckitude and in the case of Doofus Joe, become so disinterested in broadcasting baseball that it looks like it’s time to for both to step away from the broadcast booth. I think this will be the last of these two smug assholes after the World Series I’d be shocked, SHOCKED if FOX didn’t shakeup its awful baseball coverage.

More on the shake down of the Cape Cod League by MLB Properties this from the New York Times. Looks like my Chatham Athletics t-shirt, cap and sweatshirt are collector’s items.

Mike Silva plays the “Hate Card” with the Mets and their rivals. Hey, Mike the fan base ain’t exactly in love with the team either. Not me though, I usually keep a level head when it comes to the Mets <whoa, that lighting bolt nearly hit me!>

Ah!!!!! why can‘t they all be like last nights game. No irritable bowels. No wretching. Just pleasure watching your ACE take car of business. Oh and muchas gracias to Geovany Soto for that three run bomb in the 9^th yesterday. The cuchifritos are on me baby.

I read a lot of stuff and I write down a lot of stuff and stuff just flies into my spacious head so here is some of that stuff in no order or no rhyme or reason:

The Mets are scaring the living shit out me with their treatment of John Maine. The more I keep hearing that he can’t do further damage to his shoulder the more I feel he will be making a trip to Dr Andrews office in the near future. Just goes to show that the fans, manager and front office have no faith at all in the bullpen.

Now don’t tell me that you won’t go after K-Rod because it may cost too much. Don’t lay that bullshit excuse on me. I’m not totally sold on signing K-Rod but it has nothing to do with money, as the Skill Sets are making enough money to bail out a bunch of mortgage lenders. Even if you think the money K-Rod will be asking is outlandish please for once blow a little smoke up my ass, and tell me the bullpen will be upgraded by any means necessary.

There has to be more to the release of Al Reyes than saying it was loss of velocity.

Looks like Gimp Castillo will be the getting the bulk of the playing time at 2^nd base. I love Argenis Reyes’ glove and his pluck but Castillo is league average in the field and he’s a better bat. Even though Brain Schneider hit two bombs last night, the 7-8-9 in the Mets line up is a black hole, and puts tons of pressure on the guys ahead of them and that’s a big part of the Mets late inning offensive woes.

I told you this week during my morning walk to work as I got to Wall St,  Boulevard of Broken Dreams was on my iPod. Today when I passed there my iPod died. I need to find a new route to work.

How much will it bother you if the Mets make the post season as the Wild Card rather than NL East Champs? Last week it bugged me but the more I look at to paraphrase that Crazy Old Bastard who runs the Oakland Raiders, “Just Make The Post Season Baby”.

Shout out to Kathy Foronjy. I swear to God I am going to take fucking hostages at the Dunkin’ Dounts on Murray St some day. First I was shocked as there were only two people ahead of me on line there this morning as the incompetent staff is so fucking slow that the line is always out the door. Then a woman in front of me spoke limited English as did the worker behind the counter. The customer wanted one of those unappetizing sandwich on flat bread that she could not pronounce and the worker could not understand what she wanted so me,  speaker of two languages Brooklynese and Profanity,  is trying to interpret for this duo while trying to order a simple Extra Large Coffee just milk.  “Fucking flat bread with vegetable spread” got lost in the translation.

I don’t get all this weepy stuff over Highlander Stadium closing and I really don’t get what the picture on the front of the NY Post today has to do with it either as that stadium has been gone for 35 years . As far as I’m concerned the House That  the Womanizing Boozing Home Run Hitter Built closed on September 30 1973. This edifice that’s closing in the South Bronx, The House That The Costra Nostra Made A Killing On, is a shell of it’s former self.

There are guys like me who rant and rave and then there are sane guys like Howard Megdal who make tremendous statements quick and to the point. Even I feel better after seeing this.

Even with my baseball team in the heat of a pennant race, I am looking forward to watching Rangers-Senators hockey tomorrow night on MSG

Also Manchester United-Chelsea on Sunday morning FSC.

Com’on folks broaden your horizons.

I usually look at Phil Mushnick as a “Get off my lawn” kind of guy but today he was dead spot on with his critique of Mike Francesa and Chris Russo. I felt sad for Francesa in away, as he is tired of fans of his show and others saying how bad he is as a solo artist. His rant about having three number one shows and how he’s been very successful just comes off as Mike being extremely jealous and petty of the attention that Russo is getting with his new gig at Sirius.  Francesa can be a big blow hard but I guess out of habit I turn the radio on at 1:05PM to his show but I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t feel he needs desperately needs and injection of youth and enthusiasm to his show fast.

I have no ambition to do any work today. It’s sunny and cool out so it is definitley a walking day so it’s pizza at Ben’s on Thompson St for lunch. Later, kids

{ I wrote this post at about 9AM this morning but forgot to hit the publish button. Yes, I’m an idiot) 

The Collapse2007 is dead and buried, thanks to a couple of grave diggers named Santana and Delgado. Johan Santana did what an ace does, prevents long losing streaks and then we have Carlos Delgado who has transformed himself in mid season, the likes I don’t think has been seen in baseball ever. I don’t have the time or patience to research it but if anyone can tell me different let me know what player has gone from shit to sugar in mid-season like Delgado? I mean those were M-V-P chants I heard last night from Shea right? I wasn’t sure as my head felt like it was injected with Novocain listing to Joe Morgan’s analyisis of the game.

So the Mets are in the same spot as they were before Friday’s game two games up on the Phellatios instead of being even. If you’re the Phellatios, even with two of three weekend you’ve got to be somewhat verklempt after last nights game because you are banking on the Mets folding up like a home mortgage lender and you find out that will not happen again for two reasons, the Mets strong starting pitching and new leadership in the managers office. Now that the Mets held serve they must, MUST beat the ever loving shit out the Nats and Braves this week, as if any lesson was learned from last year it’s take no opponent for granted as these two teams hate the Mets and will be at their best to try and beat them.

Pardon me for not panicking about Billy Wags being done for the season. Of more concern is  the up and down starts by Petey as the bullpen looks to be in descent shape but the starting rotation can not have another member go down. The pressure is on Santana, OP and Big Pelf to keep up their stellar starts but if Petey is not going to give the Mets effective starts then J-Man will have to act and from what we’ve seen so far if you perform you play is the Warlord Jerry’s Golden Rule.

Now if Wags is gone for the year then I don’t want to here a word about him or out of him until spring. Now I know I’m prick for saying that but I’m of the mindset if you’re injured and can’t play then get out of the way. Cold hearted yes but it’s the only way to go. Losers make excuses for poor play due to injury (see Highlander, New York, Girardi, Joe, Clueless) Wags is out. No problem.  Luis Ayala is doing fine and I also think Al Reyes will see some significant innings as will Ricardo Rincon. The Mets have the arms what is needed is the execution.

Do you get the idea that Warlord Jerry looks at Aaron Heilman like the Jets looked at Baby John in West Side Story? What is J-Man quote? “Gangsta’s take the field, ladies take the bus”? Looks like J-Man gave Heilman an unlimited Metro Card.

Same with Gimp Castillo, by playing Damien Easley in both games it shows J-Man was true to his word that he doesn’t care about contracts he is playing his best guys.

According to ESPN MLB Schedule the match ups the next four games, the Mets will see four LH starters (Jon Lanan-Odalis Perez for the Nats Denver School Superintendent Mike Hampton and Jo-Jo Reyes of the Braves) so my question How does J-Man get Danny Boy Murphy at bats? Out of the next four Murphy has to get at least one start and if a righty comes in, then Murphy should be put in for either Tatis or Evans which ever gets the start.

I guess for most of Metsfandom the turning point of last nights game was Carlos Delgado lost in the lights game winning single that scored a head first diving David Wright to give the Mets a come from behind win. But for me the turning point was the top of the 7th inning and the show of cajones by Petey. After giving up a first pitch home run to Yunel Escobar, the next five innings Petey was in control making pitch after pitch in the strike zone with marksman persicion. But then in the 6th, he got in trouble and let three runs score for the Braves to take a 4-3 lead. But Petey came out for the 7^th and this is where his cajones came into play. You can work on mechanics and arm slots and pitch selection but either you‘ve got balls or you don’t and what we know about Petey is he’s got platinum nuts. He got the Braves three up three down and the Mets in the bottom of the inning tied the score on Nick Evans double and Carlos Delgado infield single and some help from a suddenly inept Atlanta defense. At 100 pitches Petey should have been done as he did his job but he came out for the 8^th inning and after a lead off single was done for the night as Pedro Feliciano and Luis Ayala providing solid relief work. But as I say that top of 7 stands out to me as Petey being Petey and that should make all fans smile today.

Great move by SNY to put a camera in the tunnel leading to the Mets clubhouse. Just watching Fernando Tatis jump up and down like a kid greeting his teammates as they were coming off the field lends you to believe that there something special happening here. That and the site of Mets players led by Johan Santana wearing inside out rally caps shows that the fun is back in Flushing.

I love Tom Seaver like he was a member of my family but I really don’t need to hear him in the booth with Gary, Keith and Ron during a game while we are in a pennant run. If SNY wants to do an hour long interview with The Franchise I’d watched until my eye balls bled but while there is a game going on I don’t need to any convoluted bullshit in the booth .I also can do without Seaver belittling the Mets pitchers for not kissing his ring when he was talking to them about pitching, maybe if you came around more often Tom, they’d listen more closely. SNY mane up for though when they sent Mex and Darling to seats behind home plate for up close and personal analysis.

I kind of feel sad for Gimp Castillo as the Mets are hoping they can stash him away for  more 12 more days when the rosters can be expanded as J-Man really wants no part of him on the team. Even when he does come back it looks like just cameo appearances for Gimp.

Ryan Church on the other hand will be welcome back tonight with open arms and will most likely platoon (though not a strict platoon) with Fernando Tatis and the Gold Dust Twins keep their gig in LF.

I just knew that MLB and ESPN would do this to us. They have switched the September 7 Mets-Phillies game to 8:05PM Great. The next day is the first full day of school for my kids and its Johan Santana Bobble head Day (Night?) and it was supposed to be a Dyna-Mets Dash day. So thank you Skill Sets, Used Car Salesman, and the assholes in Bristol CT for fucking up a nice Sunday afternoon for me and other Mets fans.  

Funny I don’t feel “Fitty”? I had a very nice birthday it would have benn better if the Mets could have won (thank you Joe Smith and Scott Schoeneweis) but I did get some very nice gifts. A Mets t-shirt with the NY in a shamrock, Fay Vincent’s book on old ballplayers, the Shea Stadium DVD with the Essential Games and an baseball scoreboard that works off satellite like a GPS that give you up to date scores, standings and probable pitchers for all MLB games. We had dinner in Hyannis and watched the Sawx as I think it’s a state law that no other baseball game but Red Sox games can be shown in public.

I see where Jon Maine was yanked from last nights game with  shoulder soreness that Old School Warthen says it is not serious but they will still send Maine to NYC for a “picture” as J-Man likes to call an MRI so my guess is by Friday Maine’s arm will be amputated.

With teams asking too much for Omar and the Mets to give up, it looks like unless the price for Raul Ibanez drops alot the Mets wil go with Fernando Tatis as the everyday LF’er and call up Dan Murphy to add his bat and limited defensive skills. I know Omar lusts for Manny but the Mets do not have the chips for a deal to be made. Don’t worry Manny Mets fans we will have all winter to pursue the Manny Trail.

If anything the Mets look to need some bullpen help as Joe Smith and Scott Schoenwiess pitched awful last night as did Carlos Muniz and I am very disappointed in Muniz as he is getting his chance to show he belongs in the big leagues as he has not risen up to the task.

RHP Jon Neise was moved up to NOLA and looks like the guy who will take John Maine’s place if Maine is DL’d or even if the Mets decide to give him a start off.

Petey looks like he penciled in for Friday against the Astros with an 80 pitch limit let’s hope it not one and done for Petey.

Time to hit the treadmill as I had ice cream last night (hey it was my birthday) but now that I am officially an old man I have to watch my middle aged figure.