Attention Mets Fans: Today is Primary Day for Howard Megdal’ run for General Manager of the NY Mets. This is an unprecedented run for office but then again no one of with the impeccable credentials of Howard Megdal has ever thrown his blue Mets cap into the ring.

Think of the some of the former GM’s of the Mets, George Weiss and Johnny “Grandma” Murphy have the taint of Highlander blood, Joe McDonald who lacked the guts to stand up to the Plantation owner M. Donald (HOCKKKKKK-TOOOOO) Grant when Tom Seaver was run out of town, Bing Devine who could have made us a contender but ran back to St. Louis like a homesick summer camper, the late Bob Sheffing, who was dead even when he was alive, Frank Cashen who couldn’t handle the Wild Mets of the 80’s as he got all bent out of shape when a little bit of champagne was spilled on a airplane ride back from winning the NL Pennant in Houston, Joe McIlvaine who was and still is a terrific scout but was never around when Freddy Skill Sets whistled (that may be a badge of honor instead of scorn) Al Harazin who I think sold aluminum siding for Bill-Ray before he was given the keys to the Mets castle, Hound Dog Steve Phillips who taste in trollops was as bad as his eye for ballplayers, Jim Duquette who didn’t fight hard enough to sign Vladimr Guerrero when the ex-Expo was laying out on a silver platter for him, and then of course we have the incumbent Omar Minaya who at the end of day, you know what I mean, has been pushed to photo copying and fax duty in the Mets front office as Jeffey Skill Sets and John Ricco run the baseball ops.

None of those men have put in the time, effort and passion into the New York Mets like Howard Megdal has. He has sat through the rain delays at Shea Stadium when it was just us, a few hundred fans (maybe a few homeless folks too) and the soothing sound of Jane Jarvis playing Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head. He has eaten, Schickhaus, Kahn’s, Ball Park and Nathan’s Hot Dogs at Shea and Citi Field. He’s wash those dogs down with an RC Cola and Coke and now that swill that call Pepsi. His parents banked at Manufactures-Hanover and sat around deciding which Plymouth dealer to visit NY, NJ or Fairfield County? Howard wore a Lindsay Nelson style jacket for his Bar-Mitzvah. He went to Banner Day, Old Timers Day, and all the Sunday doubleheaders. He’s vacationed in the Catskills with Mr. Met, Lady Met and Baby Met.

The fact that a man like Howard Megdal has put aside his writing and broadcasting career to run for GM of the Mets to restore what is missing from this organization, which has lost it way. Do not let this recent run of prosperity sway your thinking. Howard will restore everything that has been missing for years in the Met front office, LOGIC, TRANSPARENCY, PASSION.

So vote today in the first primary which will be held at Amazin’ Avenue and NY Baseball Digest. Voting starts today and runs through this Friday.

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I wrote a piece for NY Baseball Blog on the Vuvuzela and if you’ve seen or read anything on the World Cup you what that is but did you younger Mets fans know that a simallar version of Vuvuzela was a staple at Shea Stadium back in the day?

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Lot’s of posts on this site have been made taking Mets management to task but today I want to start this one with some praise and thanks.

My son and I were supposed to be at Citi Field yesterday enjoying Opening Day but due to the Easter weekend we could not lay my mother to rest until yesterday.  I offered my tickets to various friends but none wanted them under the circumstances and a more than one person told me to contact the Mets and tell them of my situation and see if they would exchange the tickets for another game.  So I called the Mets ticket office to see if they could help me out.

The seats were in the lower level and cost me $190 so I couldn’t just eat the cost, so it was worth a shot.

The ticket agent I spoke to offered me his condolences and then asked me  to hold so he could get a supervisor to help me. The supervisor came on and also offered a kind word and told me “no question, Mr. Keane we will refund your  ticket and credit your credit card for the full amount” and with that he said “On behalf of the New York Mets, we offer our condolences”

Thank you to the Mets ticket office and to the Mets organization for their help, understanding and kind words.

I didn’t get to see much of yesterday’s game but after seeing highlights and reading various sites, I figured I’d comment on a few items:

It looks as though the Mets have taken the fan base’ advice and Met-trifed Citi Field. Moving the Shea Stadium Home Run Apple was a tremendous move. Although I enjoyed sitting at the picnic tables in back of the bullpen with the Apple tucked away in the back, the Apple is now in a proper place out in the open.

I love that there is a Gil Hodges Entrance and a Tom Seaver Entrance as well. The Mets Hall of Fame looks like it’s a must see place and the player imagines on banners hanging from the lamp posts are a great touch as well. I can’t wait to see these things in person.

I got a letter from the Mets with the location of my brick on the Fan Walk. It’ s in the spot with the Game 6 of the 1986 World Series plaque and it reads METSFANS4EVER KEANE FAMILY STATEN ISLAND.  So please no spitting, or gum or cigarette butts on my brick. Thank You.

It’s safe to say no other fan base but the Mets fan would boo the training and strength and condition staff. In fact I don’t think any other fan would know the names of it’s training and strength and conditioning staff.

Hurray for the new guys as Jason Bay, Gary Mathews Jr and Rod Barajas had big days with the bat.

The Marlins looked very 2009 Mets-ish with their sloppy defense.

Not the best welcome back for Mike Jacobs with 2 K’s and being lifted for defensive purpose by Fernando Tatis.

One win down and nineteen more to go for Johan Santana. Santana pitched to the ballpark as we got ten outs via fly ball and five K’s with a nice mix of the fastball/changeup that kept the Fish batters off balance. The man knows how to pitch.

Those new cream colored pinstriped  uni’s should be the one and only home uniform.  How can anyone say the black uni tops and those disgusting black and blue hats look better ?

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11 days until pitchers and catchers

Yesterday I hopped over to Mid-Town Manhattan (where miraculously  there was no snow on the ground when I left about four inches of the white stuff on my walkway in Staten Island) to attend a meeting of the Casey Stengel Chapter of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR). It was there that I met up with Dana Brand who was one of the guest speakers at the event.

As I greeted Dana I asked him “So are you ready for pitchers and catchers” ? He gave me that look you give the dentist when he says “would you like Novocain or gas”?  Dana was not the only Mets fan in attendance that had that same queasy feeling bout the 2010 Mets season.

I never thought it could happen but the Wilpon’s have now displaced the Dolan’s of MSG as the worst owners of a NYC franchise.  I thought I despised Jeffey Skill Sets more than most but after talking to the Mets fans yesterday, I see I have competition.

By this time in the winter, as a baseball fan ,Super Bowl Sunday signals the home stretch of winter and knowing that spring training is around the corner. Usually for Mets fans we start to think of April and opening day, and opening day is usually cold. But we never cared about the cold. We wore Mets sweatshirts under our Mets jackets and figured our Mets gloves and the knit Mets hat we got last season on Fan Apprecitaion Day would shied us from the elements. We were just happy to have a ticket and a seat to root for our favorite baseball team. But from what I’ve read and heard from Mets fans this winter,  I have a feeling opening day at $iti Field will not be a hot ticket, in fact I figure the longer you hold out the better your chance to get a prime seat for below cost.

Where and when did this all go wrong? I’m starting to think the demolition of Shea Stadium will become our Curse of the Bambino, or Billy Goat.

When a team opens a new ballpark, the fan base is usually fired up about the new home and the great amenities so you’d think as Mets fans we’d be happy about all there is at $iti Field. But the more I talk to Mets fans and the more I think about it, maybe we should have stayed at Shea. Shea was a pitchers park and no one screamed to pull in it’s fences. But after one season at $tit, the cry is, “the outfield fence is too high” “the ball doesn’t carry” “the fences need to come in” what we’re really saying is “this place sucks, we want our Shea Stadium back”. Face it Mets fans we hate change and we hate $iti Field.

Now I ‘d say it’s mostly us old timey Mets fans that hate change and I know I’m of that crowd, it surprises me that I’m like that with the Mets as I embrace progress with everything else in my world. I guess I need one small part of the old world to stay with me. I still want pinstripe unis with no name on the back and blue caps with and orange NY. I want organ music instead of ear splitting pop shit, and this from a guy who still listens to Black Sabbath albums with the volume on 10 but at a baseball game I want to here the Mexican Hat dance played on a Thomas organ. I don’t want to be told to “Clap my hands” I’m not a idiot I know when to clap and when to cheer and when to say “AH SHIT!!”. I want my teams National League heritage to be displayed and educate fans of where we came from how our lineage evolved from the days of John McGraw and Mel Ott and Carl Hubble to Bobby Thomson and Willie Mays along with Zack Wheat and Joe Medwick and Dolph Camli and Jackie Ribinson and Duke Synder. NYC was always an NL town until now that the Wilpon’s let that distinction slip away and for that they should be ashamed of themselves.

Jeff Wilpon has not only surpassed Jim Dolan as the most spoil son of a rich man in NY sports but he is close to reaching M. Donald Grant status as a franchise killer. But we shouldn’t put the blame all on young Jeffey, I put  90% of the fiasco that is now the NY Mets on Fred Wilpon. Freddy has the power to tell sonny boy, “I’m sorry but you are in way over your head here my boy, it’s time for me to find a real baseball man to run this franchise and bring it back to respectability and to being a championship baseball team”. If Fred Wilpon does not step up and do what is right for the NY Mets franchise, he will become as hated here as much as Walter O’Malley. The only difference is Mets fans might be wishing he move himself and team someplace else.

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Mets fans of a certain age are mourning the death of another Shea Stadium icon, Mets organist extraordinaire Jane Jarvis passed away yesterday at the age of 94 at the Llian Booth Actors Home in Engelwood NJ where she lived since 2008 when a crane accident displaced her from her Upper East Side apartment in Manhattan.

Ms. Jarvis had a slew of musical credits on her resume but to Mets fans she was the lady whose sweet tones of the Thomas organ filled our summer days and nights at Shea Stadium.

Rest in peace Sweet Lady Jane whenever I hear the Mexican Hat Dance I’ll think of you.

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As I get ready to watch the New York Football Giants play the Carolina Panthers, in what could be the last game at GIANTS Stadium, I got to thinking how I have no emotional attachment to that Stadium like I had with Shea Stadium, when the last summer of Shea was a six month wake.

Now maybe it’s that fact that I’ve spent many more days at Shea than I have at Giants Stadium, even though I’ve been to many games there in the past 34 years but there is just not that attachment to the Meadowlands like I had with Shea and from the looks of things, I don’t think many Giants fans do either.

A lot of that non-emotion has to do with the fact that there are a lot of Giants fans who have never been to the Stadium. Think about that as Mets fans. For years, there was a huge waiting list for Giants season tickets, in fact season tickets were left in wills and estates to carry over from family to family. I’ve been lucky between my brothers and friends, I usually get to 2 games a year at Giants Stadium but there is a huge population of Giants fans who have never seen Big Blue play live and in person.

When the Last Days of Shea were upon us, the blogs and news media outlets were full of stories by Mets fans of the joy of growing up going to games at Shea Stadium. For all the complaining we Mets fans did about Shea from leaky pipes, to floods in the bathrooms, to no concourse space and on and on, when the last day at the ball park came, we cried like babies. Something tells me there will no tears shed for Giants Stadium today. I guess that’s one more reason why baseball is better than football, much more emotional.

Another Giants related story that had me thinking Mets was the story in the News about Wellington Mara and the day Giants Stadium opened and how happy he was that the Giants finally had their own home. Mr. Mara ran the Giants for years and when his nephew Tim Mara joined him in ownership, the team took a downward turn. I remember my brothers debating the Wellington/Tim Mara spilt as Wellington wanted to build through the draft and Tim was more of a showman and wanted to go after big name players and thus there was a huge spilt. It wasn’t until Pete Rozelle stepped in and told both Mara’s for the good of the NFL they needed to find someone to run the football operations of the team, and get the Giants back as NFL title contenders. Isn’t that where the Mets are today?

Freddy Skill Sets is not involved in the day to day moves of the Mets, he has turned the team over to his son Jeffey, who in turn has David Howard, the noted house shyster as his consigliore, neither one of them know anything about running a baseball team. They have a lame duck GM in Omar Minaya and a lamer duck manager in Jerry Manuel and now have a team with assets of close to $1 billion dollars but a team that no one wants to play for and is disrespected through out baseball.  What they need is a George Young, a guy to come in a run the baseball ops the right way, with a plan to build a solid foundation. This is not some small market; pocket the revenue sharing, type of franchise. This is a franchise with outstanding financial and fan support resources, what it lacks is leadership and until young Jeffey and Shyster Dave are removed from the day to day doings of the baseball end, the Mets will continue down the path of failure.

The fan base is not just angry but hugely disappointed in the direction this franchise is headed. The easy thing to do is abandon ship but we never will, this team is too much a part of us to that. Guys like me have to much invested here, but that doesn’t mean as fans we just sit back a take it.

I’d love to sit here and wave blue and orange poms-poms and praise the signing of Kelvin Escobar and R.A Dickey and Ryota Igrashi but there is so much more that needs to be done and I don’t have any faith in the front office to get it done.

I feel sorry for Omar Minaya. His biggest mistake as GM to me was hiring his friends into top jobs. It doesn’t work. From Tony Bernazzard to Ramon Pena to Bingo mgr Mako Oliveras to Julio Franco to Luis Aguayo they all failed at their jobs and they all failed Minaya. Now some of you are saying “see too many Latinos” but if you can look past your bias, you’ll see it’s more of guys that Minaya grew up through the ranks from player to scout to front office person throughout baseball that he surrounded himself with and it could just cost him his job. Add in the fact that Minaya is real old school when it comes to evaluating talent and maybe his way of thinking is outdated in today’s baseball.

Ownership and the front office can try to con us with “the team will be better as all those who were injured will be back healthy “ propaganda but their non-action speaks louder than words and the really need to do something to stem the tide of pessimism that they have cast over the franchise.

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Lynn Cohen works tirelessly for her Pitch In For A Good Cause foundation and as her last event of the season she has a deal for you  remember, there will come a day during the winter that you wish you were at a ball game even to watch this bunch of slugs :

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I’ll be honest here I watched very little of last nights Mets game. The game of the night was at The World’s Most Famous Arena that was a loud as I’ve heard it in years. When the Garden Faithful are in full voice it is one of the most intimidating buildings to play in kind of like Shea Stadium in the 80’s. I’m sure $iti Field will be that way in 30 years when it’s falling apart and the Board of Health closes the Shake Shack.

 

From switching back and forth during between periods and commercials of the Rangers-Caps game it just seems that every game that is not a Johan Santana start are all the same. Starting pitching stinks, no one can get a big hit, and a miscue or two in the field. So I guess I really didn’t miss much last night.

 

What more is there to say? J-Man will alter his lineup today with Dan Murphy getting a day off (WOW how the fan base has turned on this kid. Folks it’s not his fault ) in favor of Sheffield, Omir Santos gets the start behind the plate (take your time getting back Brian Schneider) and Beltran will go to the 3 hole with Rob Deer, I mean David Wright going down to 5. But really who cares? Unless Livan Hernadez goes 7 innings today odds are the Mets will lose again today.

 

The worst part here is I’m not even mad anymore. It’s three weeks into the season and I’m borderline apathetic about this team. You know how they say a team takes on the personality of its manager ? Well I’m close to becoming a fan taking on the personality of my favorite baseball team by not giving a shit if they win or lose.

 

Let’s face it sure it’s April but what have we seen so far that says this season won’t end like the last two? The last two editions of the NY Mets talked the talked but could never walk the walk and this one looks headed in the same direction.

 

The good thing about a complete failure of this team is all of the Anti-Omar contingent (and the numbers of loyalist to this group grows with every uninspiring loss) will get their pound of flesh as anything less than a Wild Card berth would have to trigger a total house cleaning.

 

I can’t believe I just wrote that. It’s April and I’m contemplating cleaning house in Flushing but how else can you think as this Mets team is so uninspiring.

 

You must check out Dave Singer’s NY Sportsdog for his Keith Hernandez “Slumpbuster” I want one to wear this weekend at $iti Field.

 

Check out Brooklyn Mets Fan as he has video of his interview with former Mets star and graffiti artist Dwight Gooden and also check out the pilot of a show he’s pitching to SNY called “Stars and Fans of the NY Mets”

 

Don’t forget tonight Pro Baseball Central at 9PM EDST on Blog Talk Radio.

 

   

 

 

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Sorry about the technical difficulties but a big thank you to Joe Mc Donald for putting it on the lift and changing the spark plugs. We are farrrrrrrrrr behind so here we go:

 

The only thing better than the Mets winning on opening day is winning on opening day when the next day is an off day as my pals who are Highlander supporters are all walking around aimlessly muttering “What the fuck, what the fuck” after going 0-1 <dancing like Michael Flatley>

 

I am calling for an all out boycott of FOX Game of the Week this Saturday and every Saturday the Mets are not a participant if they black out the Mets-Marlins game in NYC. The biggest problem he is the dipshit Marlins management starting the game at 6PM due to a concert that’s schedule for after the game. Be that as it may, this black out rule is total bullshit and even though FOX has a contract with MLB and has this exclusive window, it would be nice if the Used Car Salesman would step up and come to the aid of the one franchise that walks lock step with every edict handed down from his office and get FOX to lift the ban in NYC. The game is not scheduled to be televised in South Florida (let that roll around in your head for moment a local baseball game not televised. Yeah I’m stupefied too) but I guess all five Marlins fans don’t care but not us Mets fans as I’m ready to take hostages if I miss an hour of Saturday’ game.

 

Good post by The Mets Police on the Mets management dropping the ball (which they do as well as the ’62 team) in not putting more historic markings in the parking lot that was once Shea Stadium.

 

Tim Marchman (one of my fav writers and I do miss the NY Sun sports page) has a great column on WSJ on the cutting back of sports coverage in newspapers. In cities like Pittsburgh the Post-Gazette may not even send a beat guy on the road to follow the Pirates and even the Old Grey Lady is cutting back on-site reporting. Marchman points out how bloggers and other web based writers have really taken over in covering games either being at the games or just covering them from TV but are able to file a story or opinion as soon as the game is over. It is stunning to guy of my generation who had to wait to get the NY Post when it was an afternoon only paper, to read about games on the West Coast, now I can read those stories with my Cheerios, first thing in the AM.

 

Quick observations on yesterday’s game:

 

I was nervous in the first inning as Johan had trouble with command but he adjusts brilliantly after that to pitch a gem.

 

Yes, The Gangsta’ left a ton of guys on base but please come off the ledge and stop with the “here we go again” lament at least until the end of this series 

 

Highlander fans won’t tell you to your face but they love our Daniel Murphy because he reminds them of Don Mattingly and it kills them that they have Douche Bag Rodriguez and we have not only D-Wright but Danny Baseball.

 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE I’m beeeggggggggggggginnnnnnnnnngggggggggggg you NO MORE BLACK UNIFORMS!!!!!!! And ditch those two-tone hats!!!!!!! Mex and Ronnie hit it out of the park, the Mets gray roadie is CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!

 

Now that’s a bullpen!             

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I was thrilled to come home yesterday and see that my copy of Greg Prince’ book “Faith And Fear In Flushing” had arrived. As soon as I saw the front cover I knew that this is THE book for Mets fans to add to their library as nothing sums up Mets fandom like the picture of Gary Carter and Ray Knight hugging after Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and the bottom picture of Yadier Molina watching Aaron Heilman’ pitch in the 9^th inning of <reaches for a Kleenex> Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS go out of Shea Stadium. Best of times, worst of times indeed and isn’t that what being a Mets fan is all about?

This book is more about what it’s like to be a Mets fan and how it is that we became a fan of this team. In fact Greg, shows we are more than fans, this team in imbedded in our DNA we are so hooked we couldn’t leave if we wanted to.

My family and friends know how I live and die with the Mets and they get their jollies by asking me “What team would you root for if the Mets cease to exist”?  I usually turn red and start cursing as that is akin to asking which of my two children I love the most.  As there are no other kids I could ever love like mine and I could never live and die with another team like I do with the Mets.

As far as I’m concerned this book is a must read for all the younger Mets fans. You guys need to know the history of this organization. You need to see your roots. As much as we all love David Wright and Jose Reyes you need to know about Roy Staiger and Teddy Martinez. As much as you all wear your 31 PIAZZA and 17 HERNANDEZ you have to learn about 31 PARKER (Harry) and MILLAN (Felix) and by reading Faith And Fear In Flushing you will be a better educated Mets fan.

This book is for the REAL Mets fan. The fan who couldn’t wait to attain drinking age to have a cold Rheingold  or  open a bank account at Manufacturers Hanover or pick out a car at your NY, NJ Fairfield County Plymouth dealer. The fan who feels that the 7 train is the ultimate stretch limo. The fan who sits in the Upper Deck of Shea and brings his sandwich and can of soda (placed in the freezer the night before and wrapped in tin foil for the ride to Shea) The fan who no matter how bad things are going in there life can smile at the sight of Mr. Met and feel secure that Gary Cohen and Howie Rose are on the job brings us the sights and sounds of Mets baseball. The fan who could sit and listen to Jane Jarvis play the Thomas Organ and for all of us who look to the late great Tug McGraw when things look hopeless and say YA GOTTA BELIEVE!    

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