Posts Tagged ‘Mets’

Mets’ Rodriguez apologizes for attack (AP)

August 15th, 2010
Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez has apologized to teammates and fans for a physical altercation at Citi Field this week that resulted in his arrest and a team-imposed two-game suspension. Rodriguez joined the Mets Saturday and recited a contrite statement before New York played the Philadelphia Phillies.

Luis Castillo Acknowledges 2010 Is His Last Season As A Met

August 15th, 2010

New York Mets fans have finally heard what they may have wanted to hear the past few seasons. Luis Castillo is calling it quits on New York. The New York Post's Dan Martin has quoted the Mets second-baseman as saying "I can’t be here anymore. I know I’m not going to be here next year."

Castillo is a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner. Recently, Jerry Manuel doesn't see the same Castillo as in years prior. Instead, the Mets have turned to a rotation of Reuben Tejada and Luis Castillo at second-base. 

Tejada is a rookie and Castillo has been in the Major Leagues for 15 seasons. The playing time seems to be equal since their time splitting. Castillo is unhappy because of this, but has not requested a trade from the Mets.

There is still one year left on Castillo's contract out of four years worth $25MM. He was packaged in a deal for Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs that was rejected at the trade deadline. He could always opt for retirement if the Mets or any other Major League Baseball team does not give him what he desires. 

There has been no comment from the Mets front office or Omar Minaya on Castillo's unhappiness. It will be interesting to see how his demeanor plays in the clubhouse. Mets fans fear that this could start a chain reaction of people expressing their disinterest with the team. 

Ever since last year's Subway Series, the Mets have wanted to oust Castillo for dropping the game-winning out against the New York Yankees. Maybe Luis Castillo could get an offer from the Yankees for a bench role. Although a bench role is what he despises currently with the New York Mets. 

Tejada seems to only have a nice flashy glove and the Mets still may have to make a move to improve at second-base, so getting rid of Castillo is only the start to finding the right person for the job.

Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez are not what they use to be. The Mets are carrying dead-weight on the team and fans are counting down the days until they both come off the books for free-agency.



Mets Hope Shutouts Keep Coming Against Phillies

August 14th, 2010

Check out Sammy's video preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2egK0V_FMk

NEW YORK: The theme for the Mets this season has been, lose heartbreakers or shut opponents out. In fact, the Mets have now compiled the most shutouts in the Majors this season with their one last night, 18.

Against the Phillies, they just don't allow anything. The Mets' last five wins against the Phillies have been shutouts, including all four games at Citi Field.

Last night, the string continued, behind R.A. Dickey's one-hitter. Once again, the Mets would be denied a no-hitter, as the only hit off Dickey was a Cole Hamels sixth-inning single.

It might be difficult for the Mets to shut out the Phillies tonight though, as they will rely on minor league call-up Pat Misch.

He made his Mets debut on June 24, 2020, and appeared in 22 games for them, while starting seven. In the seven starts, he went 3-3 with a 4.69 ERA.

This season in 23 starts for Triple-A Buffalo, Misch was having a good season. He was 11-4 with a 3.23 ERA and had a more than four-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Going for the Phillies will be their ace Roy Halladay, whom the Mets faced on Sunday and lost to.

Trailing 6-2 after three, the Mets staged a rally but fell one short, losing 6-5. The Mets got to Halladay for five runs on nine hits in seven innings of work, although he did strikeout 10.

Overall, Halladay has had a great first season with the Phillies, going 14-8 with a 2.34 ERA.

Tonight's Mets lineup will look very different than last night's. Whenever a right-hander is on the mound, the Mets will have a younger lineup, being all of their young players are lefties.

Tonight's lineup should feature Ike Davis back at first base, Fernando Martinez back in right field, and Josh Thole back behind the plate. Perhaps Luis Castillo will get the start over the struggling Ruben Tejada at second base.

The Mets are working on a good home stand so far, having gone 3-1 against the Rockies and Phillies. All three wins have been shutouts, and their last two games have been complete-game shutouts.

It has been shutout-mania this season at Citi Field for the Mets, and they'll hope that Misch can continue the trend tonight.



Player moves
RHP Francisco Rodriguez taken off restricted list (violation)
LHP Pat Misch recalled from Triple-A Buffalo
RHP Ryota Igarashi demoted to Triple-A Buffalo
LHP Raul Valdes demoted to Triple-A Buffalo

Pat Misch vs. Philadelphia (career)
0-1, 5.09 ERA, 17.2 IP, 14 hits, 7 BB, 16 SO

Roy Halladay vs. New York this season (2 starts)
2-0, 2.81 ERA, 16 IP, 12 hits, 2 BB, 16 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)

April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

Aug. 6: Philadelphia 7, New York 5
Aug. 7: New York 1, Philadelphia 0
Aug. 8: Philadelphia 6, New York 5

Aug. 13: New York 1, Philadelphia 0

Mets lead series 6-4

The End of Larry "Chipper" Jones

August 14th, 2010

Please be sure to check out Mets Paradise and our forums for everything Mets!!!

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Yesterday news broke that Atlanta Braves third baseman Larry "Chipper" Jones had torn his ACL and would require season-ending surgery. Recovery time for the surgery is about six months, so if all goes well, Jones would be ready in time for the start of the 2011 season.

However, even before this injury Jones was contemplating retirement at the end of the season. This injury may change things around in many ways.

His agent BB Abbott said, "It's not something he'll decide immediately. He's going to need to hear everything about the injury and rehabilitative process. He'll probably make his decision from there. I can assure you it's not something that's going to be a knee-jerk decision."

Jones could look at this injury and think that he's had a great career, and coming back for an injury like this at age 38 will just be too much. The fact that Bobby Cox won't be returning to the Braves next season might make the decision to retire easier.

On the other hand, Jones might not want to go out like this. An injury ending his season, without having being able to fight for the playoffs or say goodbye to the fans might just be too hard for him to walk away from.

For what I know of Jones, I think the latter case is more likely. He is such a fighter and a great ball player that I don't think he'd want to go out like this.

Jones had always dealt with injury problems throughout his career, so I was figuring he was going to get hurt at some point down the stretch. But to see an injury to him like this, even for a Mets fan, I feel bad for him.

 

**Read the rest...**

New York Mets 2010: The Ship Be Sinking…

August 14th, 2010

 

   

Well, up until now, I haven't felt compelled to put anything down on "paper" when it came to the New York Mets, as the majority of my thoughts can be found in my post game reports that I share with Matt Dagastino on the New York Mets Audio Minute, over at Lexy.

However, for some reason, as I sit and think about where this team is currently situated, I can't help but to reflect over the last few days about the annual mess that this franchise seems to get themselves into, year in, and year out.

I won't even go into how ownership doesn't know how to produce a winning baseball franchise—at least not yet.

I'll start with Jerry Manuel. My first example starts with the lineup that he is putting out there for the upcoming game against the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that the Mets MUST defeat, in order to remain in contention for any type of playoff berth in the National League.

Here is your bottom of the order, Mets fans: 5)Mike Hessman, 6) Jeff Francoeur, 7)Henry Blanco, 8) Rueben Tejada, and of course, the pitcher hits ninth. Now, as a Mets fan, you could probably pick apart any piece of this equation, but I'll center in on the number five spot, and Mike Hessman.

Now, there's nothing wrong with Hessman, per se. The problem is your potential National League Rookie of the Year candidate, Ike Davis, should be hitting in that spot, and not a career minor leaguer. I understand that Ike may struggle against left-handed pitching, but tonight's opposing starter, Cole Hamels, is no Sandy Koufax. He's 7-8 on the season, and 2-6 lifetime vs. the Mets. Davis should be playing, period.

As Jerry continues to mix and match an often times over-matched lineup, he has failed miserably to find an eighth inning guy to get the ball to the recently incarcerated Francisco Rodriguez.

In the two-plus years that Manuel has been the skipper, he has not found the guy to get the job done. Some of the blame goes squarely to him, and some of it doesn't. Omar Minayatakes a hit, because he failed to bring in that guy to get the job done. Having said that, let's go back to Tuesday night's 6-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies, which was the catalyst for the now infamous FamilyGate, involving K-Rod and his common-law father in-law. Instead of staying with Hisanori Takahashi(who I am not a fan of) to finish the eighth inning—as he pledged to the media that this was “the guy”, Manuel got an itchy trigger finger, and decided to bring in Manny Acosta, who is certainly not proven in New York to be ready for prime time. Subsequently, Acosta gives up the grand slam to former Met Melvin Mora—his third home run of the season—and the Mets lose. What a shock there. We Mets fans know what happened in the clubhouse after that.

Jerry Manuel has time and time again failed to deliver, and he will pay the price at the end of the season. Unfortunately, ownership has made the repeated mistake of allowing Omar Minaya to keep his job through contract extensions, and allow him to make more crucial mistakes, going forward.

In the four years since Game seven of the 2006 National League Championship Series, where the defining moment of Carlos Beltran's Met career still lies, Minaya and this group has failed to deliver a playoff team, as they choked in 2007 and 2008, and wilted earlier than expected in 2009, due to injuries. We all see what's going on this year. So, in those 4 years, the Wilpons, in their sheer incompetence, have issued not one, but TWO contract extensions to Omar Minaya. When was the last time you were rewarded for failing to meet your goals on your job?

Unfortunately, Mets fans—and I have used that word a lot here, it doesn't look as though things are destined to change in the future. David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran have to proven to be players that are All-Star caliber, but not championship caliber. Johan Santana can only do but so much by himself. We have seen the Wilpons make fundamental mistake, after fundamental mistake, and unfortunately(there's that word again), it will continue, under their regime. After all, they are real estate tycoons, who happen to own a baseball team. At the rate they are going, by the time the All-Star Game reaches Citi Field in 2014, they will be paying you to come to the ballpark. Once again, “the ship be sinking.”

Bullpen Woes: New York Mets In Dire Need of Some Relief

August 14th, 2010

Throughout the season, the Mets bullpen situation has certainly been a sticky one. Even its past most reliable names have not come through for the team this year.

A bullpen is comprised of pitchers who can come into a game in various situations to provide a reliable effort to help hold down the fort. The Mets haven't seen nearly enough of that this year.

Instead, the bullpen has provided them with constant headaches and question marks. Its been ugly on so many levels. Coming into the year, Pedro Feliciano and Fernando Nieve were expected to be two of the Mets elite late-inning arms. Fingers could be pointed at manager Jerry Manuel for incorrectly using the guys, but their numbers have looked like pure misery.

Feliciano has been a go-to specialist for years now in the Mets bullpen. He's led the NL in games pitched for two years in a row and currently leads the league in that category now. Overall, he hasn't  quite been himself. It goes beyond the solid ERA that has masked his weaknesses.

Feliciano is getting pummeled by right-handed hitters and his control has been off, helping achieve a lowly 2-6 record and whopping 1.75 WHIP. He's been more wild than expected and gives up more big hits than he ever has.

Nieve was demoted a long time ago, and has useful as he was expected to be, the consistency wasn't there. He put up an ERA of 6.00 in 40 appearances.

Right-handers Manny Acosta and Bobby Parnell have seen work, and while proving to be effective, they have been prone to giving up big runs every now and then.

Same goes for lefty Raul Valdes who has a 4.73 ERA in 31 games. Ryota Igarashi has been awful having allowed 17 runs. Mets fans also couldn't be comfortable with seeing Ollie Perez pick up innings out of the bullpen either.

The one bright spot of middle relief is journeyman Elmer Dessens who has put up the most quality pitching in relief for the team. Nobody thought he would be a key factor to this Mets bullpen.

Francisco Rodriguez is another story. He's blown a handful of saves, but has otherwise been very effective. Now he has earned himself a spot on the restricted list after his assault of a family member after a game earlier this week.

K-Rod's anger debacle is yet another problem that this bullpen simply doesn't need a this point. 

The 2010 Mets bullpen has been one of the biggest hindrances on team success. The bullpen could be attributed to many losses. It doesn't help that the Mets have been prone to putting up few runs in close games, but it is worse when the bullpen frequently can't maintain a lead.

It is time for some serious changes in the bullpen. They need more leadership, fresh arms, and more experience.

Everything amounts to the Mets being in serious need of a bullpen shakeup. It doesn't matter at what position they are in or what stage of the season it is. A change could make a huge difference at this point. Unfortunately, there aren't too many resources at the teams disposal.

It may be time to see southpaw Pat Misch recalled to the Mets. He has big league experience and pitched in the AAA All-Star game this year.

The Mets should test the waiver wire for relievers as well. One name circulating is lefty Mike Gonzalez. The Orioles have placed him on waivers due to his lack of control this year. He could be the type of pitcher the Mets need.

Disregarding his 2010 stats, which aren't that much worse than what the Mets put up, and he's been decent. Gonzalez had his best years in the National League with the Braves and Pirates. He's posted a career 2.50 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Primarily an NL pitcher, he could easily produce again in the confines of Citi Field.

If moves aren't made to address the bullpen now, the Mets will certainly be on the prowl for help in the off-season. It just doesn't look like the current bullpen staff will help the Mets push up the standings. A shakeup to that one aspect of the Mets could make some kind of difference as the team heads into mid-August.

MLB Attendance Down 701,000

August 14th, 2010

For the first time this season since I have been tracking the MLB attendance at baseball-reference.com, the attendance has declined over 700,000. Not surprisingly, we haven’t heard any reports from baseball commissioner Bud Selig about how well the game of baseball is doing.

Only 12 teams have shown an increase in attendance during the 2010 baseball season. The numbers should continue to drop as teams drop further out of the races, school starts again, and college and pro football start in about a month.

Attendance would have fallen more if not for the new Target Field in Minnesota showing an increase of over 561,000 more fans than in 2009 for the Minnesota. The Colorado Rockies, with an increase of over 163,000, and the San Francisco Giants, with over 108,000 more fans this season, are the only three teams with an increase of over 100,000 more fans than in 2010.

Seven teams have drawn over 100,000 less fans in 2010 than in 2009 with the New York Mets topping the list with a loss of over 341,000 fans. The Toronto Blue Jays, with a loss of over 273,000 fans, the Indians, drawing over 271,000, and even the Milwaukee Brewers, who Selig used to own, have drawn over 217,000 fewer fans.

Twelve teams are drawing 1,000 fewer fans per game than in 2009 with the New York Mets losing over 6,200 fans per game while Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians losing over 4,000 fans per game while the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles are drawing over 3,000 less fans per game.

The Yankees are averaging over 46,000 fans per game while the Cleveland Indians are the worst drawing team with about an average of 17,000 fans per game.

The Florida Marlins could move to the positive side in attendance since they have lost only 38 fans per game and are only a minus 2,249 for the season.

Over 700,000 fewer fans represents a huge loss for the major league baseball. Those 700,000 fans, assuming they would have spent $20 at each game, means a loss of $14 million for baseball.

Baseball is averaging 408 fewer fans per game which, if using the $20 per fan benchmark, represents a loss at each game of $8,160, which multiplied 81 times for each home game comes to a loss of $660,960 for the season.

With 11 major league teams at least 10 games behind the division leaders and three teams at least nine games behind the division leaders, that could be 13 teams out of the division races very soon.

On a more positive note five division races are showing a separation of two-and-half games or less between the first and second place teams which should boost attendance. The AL West is the only race not hotly contested but not by no means over with the Angels seven-and-half behind the Rangers.

The Tampa Bay Rays have lost over 98,000 fans despite being the thick of the AL East race.

These are the attendance gain or loss numbers for all the division leaders:

Yankees: +38,839

Twins: +561,382

Rangers: +96,386

Braves: +43,264

Cardinals: -14,617

Padres: 88,012

The totals for all the last place teams in each division:

Orioles: -176,399

Royals: -149,108

Mariners: -68,584

Nationals: + 63,477 ( most of increase could be attributed to Stephen Strasburg pitching in home games)

Pirates: +71,064 (this is a surprise considering the Pirates have lost seven more games than at this point last season)

Diamondbacks: -27,879

In summation, these numbers mean that general managers will have to be even more careful to not sign free agents for exorbitant sums.

They will be careful to not take a risk on injury prone players like Ben Sheets who earned $10 million from the Athletics despite winning only four games in 20 starts and is now out for the season and is not likely to pitch at all in 2011. They also paid Coco Crisp $5 million to play in only 41 games so far and he will fall short of playing in 100 games.

Another example is Kevin Millwood earning $12 million this season with two wins in 23 starts. The Mariners have paid out big bucks to players like Milton Bradley (hitting .205 for $11 million in 2010) and Chone Figgins, who is hitting .253 for $8.5 million but is hitting .310 since the All-Star break.

The Mets are paying Carlos Beltran over $19 million and he only recently played in his first game of the season. Jason Bay is earning $8 million to hit six home runs.

Then there is the case of Carlos Zambrano, who has either pitched badly or been suspended this season for $18.8 million, despite winning only three games.

Kosuke Fukudome is earning $14 million in 2010 and hit .189 in June and .162 in July, but is hitting .421 in August.

Baseball is going to have to stop the insanity of these long-term contracts because the fanbase isn’t there to support such extravagant spending.

New York Mets Welcome Phillies To Citi Field, Working on Shutout String

August 13th, 2010

Check out Sammy's video preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9xHB81eJjg&feature=youtube_gdata

NEW YORKThe last time the Philadelphia Phillies came to Citi Field, they left without scoring a run. No, not just the last game they playedthe entire series they played back in May.

As you all should know, the Mets, for the first time in their history, from May 25-27 shut a team out all three games of a series.

It was a time when the Mets were trying to resurrect their season, and the Phillies were looking for their offense.

Now, two-and-a-half months later, the Mets and Phillies meet at Citi Field headed in opposite directions. While the Phillies have found themselves since, the Mets have dug a deep hole to try and climb out of.

The Mets did win their home series against the Rockies, perhaps due to the youthful energy, but time is running out with 48 games left to play.

These two teams played an important series in Philadelphia last weekend, and the Phillies won two of three. Now, the Mets must enter this series with the same sense of urgency. If they don't win the series, they can pretty much end hopes of a 1973-type comeback.

Before his last start, the Mets would think they're in great shape to start the series, but R.A. Dickey pitched his worst game as a Met against these Phillies on Sunday.

In only three innings, Dickey allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two home runs.

The Mets put together a solid rally against ace Roy Halladay, but fell one short, falling 6-5.

There was a thought that the Mets may have brought Dickey back on one day of rest, but they instead have given him a full four.

Even with the season-worst start, Dickey's ERA is still a stellar 2.65. Dickey didn't have a good knuckleball, and the Phillies were getting to him early in counts, smacking around hard hit after hard hit. He'll have to change the program tonight, and maybe Citi Field will work to his benefit.

Pitching for the Phillies will be Cole Hamels, whose last start came against the Mets on Saturday. He pitched a heck of a game in seven innings of work.

He allowed one run on six hits, while striking out 11. He didn't walk a batter, either, but the effort was all for naught. The one run he allowed was a seventh inning home run to Jeff Francoeur, as Hamels was defeated by Johan Santana.

The Mets will continue on tonight without their star closer, Francisco Rodriguez. After getting charged with third-degree assault on Wednesday night, K-Rod was placed on the restricted list for two days without pay.

It didn't matter in yesterday's win, as Santana went the distance. As a knuckleballer pitching on normal rest after having thrown only 60 pitches in his last start, Dickey is capable of doing the same if he's effective.

The Mets lineup will look a little different tonight. David Wright will return after getting yesterday off, following a four-strikeout performance.

Against the left-handed Hamels, expect Jeff Francoeur in right field and Henry Blanco behind the plate. Perhaps Ike Davis will sit in place of Mike Hessman, but that's not a given.

The Mets, with yesterday's shutout of the Rockies, notched their Major League-best 17th of the season.

Four of them have come against the Phillies, including all three games played between the teams at Citi Field. The Mets will hope for more shutout magic behind R.A. Dickey tonight.

Player moves:
RHP Francisco Rodriguez placed on restricted list for two days (violation)
RHP Ryota Igarashi recalled from Triple-A Buffalo



R.A. Dickey vs. Philadelphia this season (Two starts)

1-1, 4.00 ERA, 9 IP, 15 H, 4 BB, 7 SO


Cole Hamels vs. New York this season (Two starts)


0-2, 2.03 ERA, 13.1 IP, 15 H, 1 BB, 14 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)
April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

August 6: Philadelphia 7, New York 5
August 7: New York 1, Philadelphia 0
August 8: Philadelphia 6, New York 5

Mets lead series, 5-4.

New York Mets, and Their Fans, Should All Be Like Johan Santana

August 13th, 2010

What Johan Santana did today for the New York Mets was nothing short of amazing, and this is a franchise that knows from amazing.

Much the same way he pitched a gem when the Mets needed a win at the end of the 2008 season, Santana came up huge a day after the Mets saw another eighth-inning lead disappear, only to have their closer, Francisco Rodriguez, arrested for assaulting his father-in-law near the clubhouse after the game.

Do we have a Flushing Zoo on our hands?

Thursday afternoon's game was an afterthought for many in the media, who took the K-Rod incident and the blown game Wednesday to sharpen their knives and call for the heads of Jerry Manuel, Jeff Wilpon, Fred Wilpon, Omar Minaya, and just about everyone connected with this team short of Mr. Met and the Cowbell Man.

Meanwhile, Santana (who has his own personal issues to worry about) took the ball and went to work. Set-up man? Closer? He didn't need them. In a game where the Mets desperately needed a win, to win a series and to get back to .500 and keep alive whatever hopes they have of staying in the playoff hunt, Santana did it all. Nine innings, four hits, two walks, 10 strikeouts, 115 pitches. No runs.

It was the Mets' 17th shutout of the season. Again, as I said yesterday, that a team with 17 shutouts is only .500 tells you all you need to know about how bad the offense has been, especially lately.

But it wasn't just Johan. Coincidentally, Carlos Beltran went 3-for-3 and had an RBI sac fly. Jose Reyes had two hits and scored a run. And, wouldn't you know it, the Mets won. Think those factors had anything to do with it?

It was a tremendous win. Beltran showed signs of life. But the big story was K-Rod, who is on the restricted list for two days and could likely be suspended by the team as well.

If there wasn't blood in the water, it's crimson now. If people weren't burying the Mets before, they're piling on the dirt in spades.

I expect it from the media. Objectivity is a quaint relic these days. It's all about opinions, second-guessing, bluster and bombast, and who can yell louder than the next guy. It's about pushing people's buttons and polls and number of page views and blog comments.

What bugs me the most is how many Mets fans seem to revel in the bad news. It seems that if the Mets aren't good—and when I say "good," I mean unquestionably good—these kinds of fans would prefer the Mets to be horrible, so they can freely rage at the organization and its players. Quick to bury them, to dump them, to call for people's jobs and demand trades.

If the Mets are somewhere in between, like they are now (.500 is the definition of in between), these fans can't handle it. We can't revel in the team's superiority, but the team isn't awful, either, and with 48 games left, there's still a chance they can make a run...

Nah...let's just bury them. It's simpler that way.

To me, these people aren't fans. They're critics. They're cranks.

I follow the Mets and watch their games to enjoy them. If the team is bad, it's bad. If it's great, it's great. If it's somewhere in the middle, I watch and root for them to get in the race. I cheer for my team. I boo the opposition.

I can't see how fans who are so quick to bury and belittle and tear apart this team—their team—get any joy out of being a Mets fan. There's no belief. No hope against hope. Just miserable people wallowing in their misery. They should all hang out together with Joe Benigno with T-shirts emblazoned with their credo: "Oh, the pain!"

I'm a realist. I understand that it's a tall order for the Mets to rally back and make a playoff run. This team has holes that management refused to fill. It's far from perfect. They need a bunch of guys to collectively get their acts together, and soon.

But the Phillies and the Rockies and other teams in recent years have shown that you can make up games in a hurry. Seventeen shutouts gives me hope. Santana gives me hope. The possibility of Reyes, David Wright, Beltran, Angel Pagan, Ike Davis, Josh Thole and (hopefully) Jason Bay finding their groove at the plate together gives me hope.

Quick story: I was a freshman at Boston University when the Mets won it all in 1986. I remember watching Game Six in a friend's dorm room with a bunch of people, and when Boston took the lead late, the Sox fans—real and bandwagoneers—took off for Kenmore Square to celebrate.

I stayed and watched with my pal Tim, a Sox fan. He anticipated Boston's first World Series in 69 years. I had nothing but hope.

What a feeling it was to stand outside the elevator doors on our floor later in the evening, after the Mets rallied to win, waiting until those doors opened, to see everyone who ran out to celebrate slinking back. Oh, how good it felt to stick it to those who thought it was over.

That's kind of how I feel now. It may not happen, but how good will it feel if the Mets somehow do put it together and make the playoffs? To stick it to everyone who said they were done?

Santana isn't giving up anytime soon. Neither am I.

As for whether we have a Flushing Zoo, you'll recall there was a Bronx Zoo, where the manager hated the team's star player, where the star and the captain hated each other, where the owner made as many headlines as the team. That team won two World Series.

I've always liked the zoo.

New York Mets, and Their Fans, Should All Be Like Johan Santana

August 13th, 2010

What Johan Santana did today for the New York Mets was nothing short of amazing, and this is a franchise that knows from amazing.

Much the same way he pitched a gem when the Mets needed a win at the end of the 2008 season, Santana came up huge a day after the Mets saw another eighth-inning lead disappear, only to have their closer, Francisco Rodriguez, arrested for assaulting his father-in-law near the clubhouse after the game.

Do we have a Flushing Zoo on our hands?

Thursday afternoon's game was an afterthought for many in the media, who took the K-Rod incident and the blown game Wednesday to sharpen their knives and call for the heads of Jerry Manuel, Jeff Wilpon, Fred Wilpon, Omar Minaya, and just about everyone connected with this team short of Mr. Met and the Cowbell Man.

Meanwhile, Santana (who has his own personal issues to worry about) took the ball and went to work. Set-up man? Closer? He didn't need them. In a game where the Mets desperately needed a win, to win a series and to get back to .500 and keep alive whatever hopes they have of staying in the playoff hunt, Santana did it all. Nine innings, four hits, two walks, 10 strikeouts, 115 pitches. No runs.

It was the Mets' 17th shutout of the season. Again, as I said yesterday, that a team with 17 shutouts is only .500 tells you all you need to know about how bad the offense has been, especially lately.

But it wasn't just Johan. Coincidentally, Carlos Beltran went 3-for-3 and had an RBI sac fly. Jose Reyes had two hits and scored a run. And, wouldn't you know it, the Mets won. Think those factors had anything to do with it?

It was a tremendous win. Beltran showed signs of life. But the big story was K-Rod, who is on the restricted list for two days and could likely be suspended by the team as well.

If there wasn't blood in the water, it's crimson now. If people weren't burying the Mets before, they're piling on the dirt in spades.

I expect it from the media. Objectivity is a quaint relic these days. It's all about opinions, second-guessing, bluster and bombast, and who can yell louder than the next guy. It's about pushing people's buttons and polls and number of page views and blog comments.

What bugs me the most is how many Mets fans seem to revel in the bad news. It seems that if the Mets aren't good—and when I say "good," I mean unquestionably good—these kinds of fans would prefer the Mets to be horrible, so they can freely rage at the organization and its players. Quick to bury them, to dump them, to call for people's jobs and demand trades.

If the Mets are somewhere in between, like they are now (.500 is the definition of in between), these fans can't handle it. We can't revel in the team's superiority, but the team isn't awful, either, and with 48 games left, there's still a chance they can make a run...

Nah...let's just bury them. It's simpler that way.

To me, these people aren't fans. They're critics. They're cranks.

I follow the Mets and watch their games to enjoy them. If the team is bad, it's bad. If it's great, it's great. If it's somewhere in the middle, I watch and root for them to get in the race. I cheer for my team. I boo the opposition.

I can't see how fans who are so quick to bury and belittle and tear apart this team—their team—get any joy out of being a Mets fan. There's no belief. No hope against hope. Just miserable people wallowing in their misery. They should all hang out together with Joe Benigno with T-shirts emblazoned with their credo: "Oh, the pain!"

I'm a realist. I understand that it's a tall order for the Mets to rally back and make a playoff run. This team has holes that management refused to fill. It's far from perfect. They need a bunch of guys to collectively get their acts together, and soon.

But the Phillies and the Rockies and other teams in recent years have shown that you can make up games in a hurry. Seventeen shutouts gives me hope. Santana gives me hope. The possibility of Reyes, David Wright, Beltran, Angel Pagan, Ike Davis, Josh Thole and (hopefully) Jason Bay finding their groove at the plate together gives me hope.

Quick story: I was a freshman at Boston University when the Mets won it all in 1986. I remember watching Game Six in a friend's dorm room with a bunch of people, and when Boston took the lead late, the Sox fans—real and bandwagoneers—took off for Kenmore Square to celebrate.

I stayed and watched with my pal Tim, a Sox fan. He anticipated Boston's first World Series in 69 years. I had nothing but hope.

What a feeling it was to stand outside the elevator doors on our floor later in the evening, after the Mets rallied to win, waiting until those doors opened, to see everyone who ran out to celebrate slinking back. Oh, how good it felt to stick it to those who thought it was over.

That's kind of how I feel now. It may not happen, but how good will it feel if the Mets somehow do put it together and make the playoffs? To stick it to everyone who said they were done?

Santana isn't giving up anytime soon. Neither am I.

As for whether we have a Flushing Zoo, you'll recall there was a Bronx Zoo, where the manager hated the team's star player, where the star and the captain hated each other, where the owner made as many headlines as the team. That team won two World Series.

I've always liked the zoo.




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