Kranepool Society :: A New York Mets Blog
A daily account of the trials and tribulations of the New York Mets. Contact me at sinymets@aol.com
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On the latest Sports Media Watchdog Podcast Mike Silva and I discuss Michale Jordan at 50, The NBA All Star Game, the legacy of LeBron James, Fred Wilpon and his new found cash, and the NY Highlanders dropping StubHub as they try to strong arm the secondary ticket market
The smoke from the Hall of Fame voting is still smoldering this morning as baseball fans are still venting outrage over the BBWAA sending none of the candidates to the induction day ceremony. There will be an induction day ceremony though as umpire Hank O’Day, one time owner of the NY Highlanders, Jacob Ruppert and Deadball Era player Deacon White were selected by the Veterans’ Committee for hall enshrinement. I sure hope those gentleman have big families who will show up at Cooperstown and spend some money so the shopkeeper, restaurateurs , and inn keepers can turn some kind of profit now that the BBWAA has ruined their big money making weekend.
My anger at the voting committee comes from a few different angles. The use of speculation other than facts when declaring who is a PED user and who isn’t is some of the most absurd logic I’ve ever heard outside of the U.S. Congress. The same folks who sit in baseball press boxes playing Words with Friends and updating their Facebook status are now the moral compass of baseball. Are you fucking kidding? I’d love to know how many of these scribes have ever padded their expense accounts. Oh sure none of them, yeah right not a “cheater” in the bunch. The BBWAA is the same body who voted Barry Bonds 7 MVP awards and Roger Clemens 7 Cy Young’s AND an MVP but now have decided it’s time to punish them for using performance enhancing drugs? Again, are you fucking kidding me?
My position on the use of PED’s has chanced just a bit. I’ve gone from “who gives a shit attitude” to the game as it’s played today with drug testing or as best as can be expected drug testing, is a much better game. I still stand by my claim that those who used PED’s when there were no rules in baseball against them are not cheaters. To me you’re a cheater if you break a rule or regulation and at the height of the Steroid Era there was nothing in the governing rules of baseballs that forbid the use of enhancing drugs, same as there were no rules about the use of Amphetamines or Lasik surgery both of which help in performance enhancement.
As the years have gone on I found that I’m glad drug testing is in place, even though it’s not foolproof and hasn’t stop some knuckleheads from using PED’s but the game is a better played game now than during the so called “Steroid Era”. MLB was coming off the abbreviated 1994 season due to a work stoppage that canceled the World Series and spilled over to the first month of the 1995 season; MLB had a real mess on their hands. So whether it was juicing the baseball or turning away from juicing players no one, writers and media included turned a blind eye to the McGwire-Sosa home run battle of 1998 or to Bonds who demolished baseball records with ridiculous digits and won 4 straight MVP awards as he grew to the size of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Balloon.
As a Mets fan I’m totally pissed off because as most Mets fans, I thought the organization was waiting for Piazza to make it to the HOF as to have a Mike Piazza Day at Citi Field. I was looking forward to seeing a number retirement ceremony along with induction into the Mets HOF and maybe a nice fan giveaway of a DVD of Mike Piazza’s Greatest Hits. If I’m the Mets (oh how I wish) I would still hold a day for Piazza this season complete with all the festivities I just mentioned plus a giveaway of a big foam hand with a middle finger sticking out and the letters BBWAA written on it from top to bottom. If Mets management wanted to have a day where Citi Field would be packed to the gills and be able to sell tickets at a high premium price, then schedule a Mike Piazza Day this season.
I miss good ol’ Stump
As a baseball fan you can’t ask for more that this first round division series has given us. Four series all going five games is a baseball fans nirvana especially for those of us who detest the NY Highlanders. It’s a good thing I have unlimited texting in my phone plan since my Highlander fan pals were relentless in their venting to me even though they know I’m rooting hard for the Orioles.
All season my Highlander buddies spoke about how the power display their team put on this season was good for plenty of oooo’s and ahhhhhhh’s but come the post season they will have to be able to manufacture some runs. Now me as a Mets fan rooting for a team that has the power of a 10 watt bulb, andwith the distain I look at customers at the bank who complain that the teller gave them all $100’s and $50’s when cashing a check, just wants to say why you no good greedy bastards. But what do you know; the Highlanders have had a world of trouble pushing a run across the plate with good old fashion small ball. The long ball though has saved their season and when you get past the dramatic way Raul Ibanez went about tying and winning Game 3, if not for those two knocks, the fish wraps and social media would be in a three alarm tizzy over the demise of the Highlanders.
Even if the Bronx Bastards win today and I think they will as CC Sabathia is only second to Derek Jeter on this team to show up when needed (sorry Ibanez still has a Philadelphia size horse shoe up his ass) and I think both of them will find a way to win this game, it safe to say those of the Highlander persuasion need to reflect on this series and if they are honest and clear thinking which is hard to find in that demographic , they will admit the days of champagne baths and championships the next few years will be few and far between. I have news for those of you in denial Highlander fans, the team you love to mock; the NY Mets are in better shape organizational wise than your Highlanders and that’s counting our broke ass ownership.
Hal Steinbrenner is no chip off the block, where Daddy George would spend to mask mistakes and take on contracts no matter what; Prince Hal has one goal in mind, to bring the payroll down to where he’s no longer paying into the MLB welfare system known as revenue sharing. With a minor league system barren of talent what will the Highlanders do? Does ownership have confidence in Pee Wee Cashman that he can rebuild the talent base a la Stick Michael and Buck Showalter? Why do I give a shit? Well, until this post season is done with, the Mets won’t be making moves so I guess I have nothing better to do but to eavesdrop on my neighbors who I thought had it all and find out they just might have less than me.
The Late Lamented Yankee Doodle
I really cannot figure out why anyone would root for the NY Highlanders. Sure the championship aura that is slammed down everyone’s throat is the major reason and I understand that the majority of Highlander loyalist are really fans of the championships and not the team itself but my God is there a more boring tight ass sports organization than the Bronx bastards?
I admit I follow very few of the Highlander beat writers on Twitter or bloggers for that fact but I read all the stories out of Tampa and a few of the blogs (until my head hits the desk from dozing off) and I feel like I’m back in the 6th grade reading about the Dewey decimal system or constellations of the solar system (I hated science when I was a kid, most my time in science class was spent surveying the girls trying to determine who was wearing a bra and who still wore t-shirts, my own little science lesson Ha! Ha!) The Highlanders are sooooooooooooooooooo uninteresting.
The Sainted shortstop, who not only lacks range in the field is inadequate when it comes to social situations as well. I love that Bobby Valentine gave him a poke over his overrated flip play back in 2001 ALCS. Instead of Jeter coming with a witty retort, pointing out that Valentine only saw what was on his TV since that’s where his ass was parked in front ofit for that post season, he gave the same lack of passion response he gives to every question.
Same with Alex Rodriguez, who quite frankly has turned into the clock watcher we’ve all had the displeasure of working with in our life. A-Rod has become a pick up my paycheck guy who cares more about which starlet he’ll share his lair with than his on field performance it seems. He has figured out that his contract is so toxic and he is so broken down that an act of Congress would be the only way to get him out of town, so why not sit back and enjoy.
You look at the Mets and what the team lacks in money it makes up in personality. Are there any Highlander players on Twitter? The only one I can think of is Nick Swisher but I’m sure his Tweets are monitored by the Steinbrenner Information Teams version of Bagdad Bob. I don’t see any of the creative Highlander fans on Twitter coming up with the best hash tag in Twitter history, thanks to Jed Smed who came up with the daily #MetsHashTags that trends around the world.
Maybe they are out there but where are the Highlander media folk or bloggers at spring training send back reports about the team and the goings on in camp? Didn’t the Highlanders get booted from last year’s post season in the first round? With a $200 mil + payroll would that be considered a colossal FAIL? Where are the critical commentaries? Isn’t there a story how the Core Four is about to be reduced to Core Two and eventually One once we know Mariano Rivera’s “secret”? Has there been a story where a reporter asks Joe Girardi about the improving AL East and what will it take for his team to make the post season? By the way can you even fathom, Joe Giradi taking questions from bloggers as Terry Collins did earlier this week? His flattop haircut would catch fire.
Now I know after I post this and some fans of the Bronx Bastards read it, the feedback I’ll get is that I’m an asshole and the Mets suck. They would be half right.
Highlander fans don’t yell Mets Suck not out of hate but out of fear. Don’t think the fans and the hierarchy of 161 St and River Ave are not just a bit nervous that the Mets will be not only a good baseball team but a story of the summer, because as we’ve seen with the NY Giants and the NY Knicks, New York loves a sports story, especially one with a great plot. The Giants with their 7-7 record and win or go home final four games of the season, topped off by a Super Bowl win will be chronicled in many to be published books. The ongoing saga of the NY Knicks and Jeremy Lin could turn out to be as big a story as Willis Reeds Champion Knicks, but if this Mets team shows it is not the downtrodden bunch that many make them out to be, it will be a Highlander nightmare.
As it is now, this past week it’s very close as to which team was featured on the back of the tabloids the most between the Knicks and Mets. One day it’s Jeremy Lin, the next it’s Johan Santana. It seems the only time the Highlanders get in the papers is when some trollop of Cashman’s comes forward.
Think of the story lines, if Mets play above the negative expectation, owner’s with debt up to their fake tanned foreheads cut more payroll than any team in history but the teams manager instills a confidence in his players that they are major leaguers and have to play like major leaguers. The Ace of the pitching staff comes back like no one ever has from a devastating shoulder injury to breathe life into the rest of the staff. The solid number two who possess a mesmerizing knuckleball and a spot on the NY Times Best Seller list wins baseball games and a Pulitzer. Ike Davis, David Wright, Lucas Duda and a back from the dead Jason Bay on the cover of Sports Illustrated as “Air Flushing” due to the resurgence in their home run hitting prowess. Mets sweep the Subway Series with one of the games a no hitter tossed by Mike Pelfrey and as the game ends, the Twitter servers blow up like the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks display.
Can it happen? Who knows? But, get your popcorn ready just in case.
One of the most underrated Mets players of all time Randall “K” Myers
Well we know one guy who won’t be the Mets closer next year, that’s Bobby Parnell. Reading the story in today’s NY Post it seems Alderson has seen enough of Parnell and the other candidates for Closer 2012 as well:
The presumed heir apparent, Bobby Parnell, has flopped and a fatigued Pedro Beato never really entered the equation. Manny Acosta has shown flashes of dominance, but there are still organizational questions about his makeup.
It has left Alderson far from certain the next Mets closer will come from within the organization.
“I’m not convinced of that,” Alderson said before the Mets departed Atlanta on Sunday. “Nor can I believe anybody else is convinced of that.”
Happy hunting Sandy.
File this one under, just when you thought you’ve heard it all. Ray Bartoszek wanted to invest in the New York Mets but the Skill Sets were head over heels with David Einhorn until they finally figured out that Einhorn was looking to fuck them over. By the time the Skill Sets tried to get back in with Bartoszek, it was too late; he had found a better investment for his cash, becoming a limited partner of the NY Highlanders. Bartoszek is a Mets fan who wanted to invest in the Mets but he now finds himself sitting back and waiting for a divided check and a seat to post season games. Some guys have all the luck.
The only team in baseball having a better October than the Mets are the SF Giants. The introductory press conference for Sandy Alderson proved a point on why the Highlander organization and fan base fear the Mets more than any team in baseball.
Highlander high strung manager, Joe Girardi was signed to a three year extension the other day and the reaction by the NY sports media was “that’s nice but did your hear? Sandy Alderson will hold a press conference on Friday”. To those too young to know this, there was a time around here that everyday was like yesterday, where folks walked around town with Mets hats and jackets and greeted one and other with “Hey, how ‘bout those Mets”. The Alderson era brings Mets fans hope and that has not been in abundance around here for a long time. Sandy Alderson also has a plan, another strategy missing in Queens as well, and most importantly he wants the same exact thing for the Mets franchise that we all want, respect and accountability.
Alderson knew just what to say yesterday. First when he talked about the NY Mets being an iconic franchise, my face was flush. I’ve gotten on my soap box time after time here about the Mets being the flagship team of the National League and how our lineage goes back to 1876 when the New York Mutuals played the first NL season and then of course in 1883 when our ancestors the New York Giants came to be. The NY Highlanders were not even a glint in Ban Johnson’s eye when NL ball was featured in NYC and for Sandy Alderson to acknowledge that made an outstanding first impression on me.
Alderson was asked about his choice for manager as Mets fans are nervous nellies because the reports and track record of Alderson’ is he goes for the weak silent type. After surviving the Dead Manger Era (Art Howe) and the Clueless Manger Era (Jeff Torborg) we waited to hear what our the new leader of free Mets world would say. When the words “I like a manager who kicks ass and takes names” rolled off his tongue, it was 1964 at the Ed Sullivan Theatre all over again. All I needed to hear was “and the Black uniforms and caps have already been shit canned” then I’d have had to been resuscitated. Alderson gets it. He knows that he not only has to build a winning team but he has to build an entertaining team and a team Mets fans want to embrace. Rooting for a losing team sucks but being a supporter of a team you can’t stand is heartbreaking.
Think about the dimension we are about to enter Mets fans. We have gone from a GM who had no time for statistical analysis of which he called “false hustle” which was really Omar Minaya verifying he was behind the times and quite frankly lazy as a GM, to a man who will use those numbers and a consensus from his staff and scouts on player evaluation for drafting, trading and free agent signing purposes. Welcome to the 21st Century Mets fans.
How lucky are the NY Highlanders? If it weren’t for Ron Washington not going with his best relievers in Game 1, we could be seeing the Bronx Bastards down 2 games to none and facing Cliff Lee with AJ Burnett going in a do or die Game 4? Oh well, I’ll be rooting hard for Cliff Lee to continue his magic and I’ll keep my Pete Broberg baseball card close by as well.
As the Phuck Phaces evened their series with the Giants, Phuck Phace Phans celebrated by acting like assholes by beating the shit out of each other. The disturbing part of the video is not the front running drunks acting the way front running drunks do, but check out the guy holding the little girl, now that’s a royal asshole.
Sandy Alderson will be back at $iti Field for a second interview, this time with Freddy Skill Sets and Uncle Saul. I guess Freddy wasn’t kidding about not having and office at $iti since Alderson was there last week and Freddy and Saul couldn’t meet with them then? Freddy and Uncle Saul should demand that Jeffey move all the beer cans and soda bottles he’s collected all season and cash in the nickels so they can have a bit of space for them to call home.
Ok, can we wave the “must interview a minority” rule with the Mets ? The Tigers refused the Mets request to meet with Asst. GM Al Avila, who by the way has a good rep as a talent evaluator. If any team in baseball has gone above and beyond with minority hires it’s the NY Mets .
Looks as though the Mets and Francisco Rodriguez will avoid speaking to an arbitrator and will settle their contract differences between themselves. Most likely outcome is Rodriguez will forfeit the cash owed while on restricted list for his full guaranteed contract and his back breaking team option in 2011. That option kicks in if Rodriguez finishes 55 games next season. Let’s see if the new man in charge has the stones tell K-Rod he’s not the closer anymore this way it will be easier to keep him above that 55 game landmark.
Oh I forget, Freddy’s Dead, not our Freddy but Freddy Sez of the Mall of the South Bronx fame. Freddy will be buried in a casket made by T-Fal and the Highlanders will wear frying pan patches on their uniforms. First the Voice of God, then the Bronx Robber Baron and now Freddy, will Freddy’s monument be made out of Teflon?
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The All Star break is over and we head for the second half of the season tonight on Pro Baseball Central we will discuss the Mets disappointing first half and what direction this team needs to take which  is one of the great complex question of our time, plus we will monitor the Mets-Braves game live. We will also talk about the NY Highlanders with our guest Rebecca Glass the author of the Highlander blog This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes. Join us live at 9PM EDST on Blog Talk Radio live or listen to the podcast at your leisure at our site or right here at TEKS.
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After The Used Car Salesman ranted and raved about Manny Ramirez going to the bushes to get in shape before ending his 50 game sentence the Phillies after signing Petey to a $1.5 mil deal was placed on the 15 day DL with a “strained (wink-wink, nod-nod) shoulder. This was done because Petey wouldn’t sign a minor league deal so the Phills skirted the issue with the bogus DL placement. Am I a bitter jilted Mets fan? YES. Yes I am. I’m not rational when it comes with Petey going to the Cheesesteakers I’m the jilted lover who will now try to make his life miserable.
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