Mets And Nunez Agree To Minor League Contract

At the International Herald News they write about the Minor League signing of Abraham Nunez:

Infielder Abraham Nunez agreed Monday to a minor league contract with the New York Mets and was assigned to Triple-A New Orleans.

The 32-year-old Nunez hit .210 with eight RBIs in 105 at-bats for Triple-A Nashville before the Milwaukee system released him Saturday.

A Reaction To The Randolph Comment

A reader of Shea Nation posted this response to the Willie Randolph article below and I felt that it should be on the main page of the site because it rings true and thanks man...now I can't get the MLK speech out of my head:

I just read your post, and O'Connor's article, and I have to say that this smells like desperation on Willie's part. I was born here, but am of Puerto Rican heritage, and have loved baseball since I was a little kid. My dad moved here a year before the Mets began, and they've been his team ever since. My favorite players growing up were Cleon Jones, Jon Matlack, Darrly Strawberry, Al Leiter, John Franco, Mike Piazza, Pedro and Carlos Beltran - not for their color, only for their play, both what they did, and what I HOPED they'd do. Didn't always get it, but that's why there are 30 teams competing each year. Willie, don't do the whole "race" thing- it minimizes what you stand for, your long list of off-field contributions and makes it easier for everyone to use whatever differences they possess as an excuse for their lack of success. The color of your skin didn't lose last season; the latin heritage of a majority of your players didn't lose last season; not playing up to expectations lost, and that is something that knows no color. As David said- win games, please, and let's all get past this...that darn Rodney King line keeps popping up in my head- "why can't we all just get along..."

If this was your post, please let us know what your name is so we can give you the credit you deserve.

Willie- PLEASE Don't Do This!!!!

Ian O'Connor at North Jersey writes about Willie Randolph and his reactions to the media and SNY production:

The Mets were about to pound the Yanks by an 11-2 count, and Randolph was working himself into a lather, preparing for a bigger-picture fight. He was defending his style of leadership, criticizing the Mets' own network, SNY, for framing an incomplete portrait of that style, and wondering if the color of his skin contributed to the perception that he's a manager who doesn't have ample control of his team.

"Is it racial?" Randolph asked. "Huh? It smells a little bit."

Asked directly if he believes black managers are held to different standards than their white counterparts, Randolph said: "I don't know how to put my finger on it, but I think there's something there. Herman Edwards did pretty well here and he won a couple of playoff [games], and they were pretty hard on Herm. Isiah [Thomas] didn't do a great job, but they beat up Isiah pretty good. ... I don't know if people are used to a certain figurehead. There's something weird about it.

"I think it's very important ... that I handle myself in a way that the [African-American managers] coming behind me will get the opportunities, too ... ."

Come on Willie... There is no reason why you should have pulled that card out of the deck. I know that us fans aren't trying to push you out of office because of the color of your skin. If last season had a color, then it would have been green, for the way it tied my stomach in knots and made me feel like throwing up! Besides that color, come on man. Look at the whole team. Does he think we want Santana, Reyes, Delgado, Beltran, Pedro and others off the team because of their skin color?

EDITOR'S NOTE - From David: I was hoping, no, praying, that it wouldn't come down to this, to making this about race. I am only speaking for myself right now, though I may as well be speaking for Jonathan and John, whom I know will agree with what I am about to say, just as we agreed with what John posted above. We are New Yorkers- whether we live there now, or were raised there, and that means that things like judging people by "color" or "nationality" are reserved for the very small minority, as the majority of us are, indeed, minorities of one kind or another ourselves. Willie Randolph, in spite of what you think about his management style and success, has long been a great role model in the game, not just for African-Americans, but for baseball fans, period; for Americans, period! He's someone who worked very hard to get where he is, and hasn't forgotten what it took to get him there! His foundation, in addition to the many other things he's involved in, shows this involvement each and every day! I personally loved his style of play as a Yankee, as I've said many, many times on this blog, and he is one of a handful of Yankees' that I actually could say I loved as players, a notch below my love for Mets' players themselves. When he became a Met, at the end of his career, it was a great moment, and I remember talking to Jonathan about it, and we thought it was a great move, as Willie could be like a manager on the field. When he was hired as our manager, we also thought it was a great move - never because of his "skin color," only because of what we felt he'd accomplish on the field. Let's see- on the walls above my desk are autographs of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Oscar Robertson, Willie Mays, Gary Carter, Tom Seaver, Pedro Martinez, Mike Bossy, Ted Williams- to name but a few- and you know what they ALL have in common? They were all great ballplayers that I've admired, and they are all part of my life in one way or another- some due to personal circumstances, most due to being a fan of their talents and achievements; the one thing they all have in common is that they wear a uniform! If anything, perhaps one might say that we're prejudiced against a uniform, be it Phillies, Braves or Yankees- and that, I would summize, is allowable in the world of fandom that we exist within. However, since Willie has worn the orange and blue, I'd say that the vast majority of Mets' fans (outside of the vocal few who seem to embarass any team in spite of everyone's good intentions) have accepted and embraced him as our manager- until the collapse of 2007. Willie is viewed by the vast majority of Mets' fans based on his contributions on the field, as manager of this ballclub, within the context of "wins and losses" and, for the most part, nothing more. I urge everyone in the media, whether you post on a blog, leave comments on a blog, write for a newspaper, broadcast for a network, or simply read/view one of those, to judge Willie simply on the merits of his on-field accomplishments as a manager with this ballclub. Taken by just those standards, especially from this point last season until now, his work so far is no better than that of Art Howe, another manager who was firmly on the hot seat as well.

Finally, we're also assuming that what was written in the article was 100% accurate, and having read O'Connor's work, I have no reason to assume that it's not. The one area where I'm willing to give a measure of doubt is tone- things like sarcasm, humor, etc., don't often translate well to the written word- I'm sure each of you have misread emails in your lives! However, comparing himself to the likes of Isiah Thomas and Herm Edwards is ridiculous- why didn't he throw Ray Handley, Bruce Coslet, Rich Kotite, Art Howe, Dallas Green, Jeff Torborg and, prior to the Super Bowl, Tom Coughlin? They received a hard drumming on their way out of town- and that, in essence, is what it means to manage/coach in ole NY - it's not about race, it's about victories!

We're going to try not to post any additional issues about "race" on this blog, just as we've stayed away from the ignorant comments regarding the international make-up of this club in years past; we urge everyone else, including Willie, to keep this about baseball, and nothing else! The best thing that could happen would be for the Mets to go on a winning streak, go 12-2 over the next 14 games or so, and let the talk of Willie's managerial demise subside. It's amazing what a nice win streak can do, and perhaps it will make this again about what we're here to discuss in the first place- BASEBALL!!!!

Church Finally Got What He Always Wanted

Anthony DiComo at Mets.com writes about Ryan Church and how his patience and Schneider's ear has paid off for him in the result of playing every day:

About not playing every day:

"He always got frustrated," Schneider said. "So I'd come and I'd sit there and let him vent. I just let the guy talk and I listened, and told him to stay positive."

On now playing every day:

One quarter of the way into this season, Church continues to lead the Mets in nearly every offensive category worth leading. His .307 average leads all regulars by no small margin, and his nine home runs are tops on the team. He's shown a knack for slugging, a proclivity for reaching base and a propensity for scoring once he gets there.

He's erased skepticism from a public that wasn't entirely ready to give up on Milledge, a then-22-year-old prospect who commanded higher expectations than Church ever did. And he's dissolved talk that he might not be fit to be a full-time player. Scrutinized all spring for an apparent inability to hit left-handed pitching, Church spent the season's first seven weeks constructing a .327 average and .551 slugging percentage against left-handers.

Reyes Effected By His Contract?

Joel Sherman at the New York Post writes about Jose Reyes and about the off chance that he might think that he under sold himself when he signed his contract in 2006 as to one of the reasons for his performance late last season and early this season:

One theory that has often floated about to explain why Jose Reyes has not been Jose Reyes for a while now is that he is upset at his contract. I never really did buy that theory. He received the deal during the 2006 campaign and played spectacularly to about the midway point of last year. Was it then that it dawned on him that he undersold himself? Also, let’s keep in mind that even if the New York Mets pick up his very affordable option in 2011, he is looking at nearly $30 million between now and then. Not as much as he could have made by a long stretch if he went year to year. But certainly enough to scrimp by on for a while.

That is just ridiculous. I mean if he felt like he got under sold then he shouldn't have signed the contract. Besides that is just stupid to think that that's the reason why he hasn't been his 2006 self. Anyway just thought that readers might like to see what some people are pondering when it come to Reyes.

Defensive Wizard Added To Minors

Adam Rubin at Surfing the Mets writes about the Mets signing former Marlins outfielder Eric Reed to a minor league contract:

The organization signed standout defensive outfielder Eric Reed and assigned him to the B-Mets. Reed began the season with the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque, where he went 2-for-17 with an RBI in four games. He was Marlins’ Opening Day center fielder in 2006 and recorded his first major-league hit that season at Shea off Jorge Julio, though Reed owns just a .098 average in 61 major-league at-bats.

Perez Comes Up Big

John Delcos at the Lo Hud Mets Blog writes about Oliver Perez and his biggest game of the season:

“Ollie got into a nice rhythm,” Randolph said. “I thought he could have gone further. When he’s locked into his rhythm, he is pretty tough to beat. When he’s feeling his confidence, he’s pretty good.”

“He was aggressive and didn’t give in,” Schneider said. “The turning point in the game was when Molina lead off that inning with a double and he shut them down. He got some big outs.”

Perez was the “Good Ollie.”

That's about the only thing you can say about his game, he was the good Oliver. I seriously thought the Mets were going to get beaten last night. I mean who could have blamed me. The way the season has been going and the way Perez has pitched the last three games before last night just screamed a loss. But I was pleasantly surprised.

NO, Jerry- Say It Ain't So!!!

Over at ClubhouseCancer, they show photos of Mets' fan, Jerry Seinfeld, taking in Saturday's Cubs game in Wrigley. Also included are some video clips of great moments from the show, focusing on baseball. All I can say is that he'd better be wearing Mets' underwear or else Kevin James and Ray Romano and Chris Rock are going to throw him out of the "Comedians for Mets" fan club!!!

Sexton For Delgado?

Eli Greenspan at Bleacher Report writes about Ken Rosenthal's latest writings and his opinion on trading Carlos Delgado For Richie Sexton:

With Carlos Delgado and Richie Sexson both struggling, Rosenthal suggests the idea of swapping the struggling first basemen. Delgado is hitting .228 with five HR, while Sexson is hitting .197 with seven HR. Sexson is making $14 million in the final year of his contract while Delgado is making $16, with a four-million dollar buyout for 2009. If the Mets were to include cash with the deal, it makes perfect sense.

A change of scenery is sometimes a good thing but I can't say that I would trade one struggling star for another. Besides Delgado is liked by his teammates and a disruption to the chemistry of the team could falter the energy that they displayed in the Yankee series.

EDITOR'S NOTE: From David - I saw the video of this, by Rosenthal, over at MSN.com, and I have to say it's a ridiculous idea. As bad as Delgado has looked at times this season, both offensively and defensively, he still has, in my opinion, far more upside then Sexton does, and he's well-liked in our clubhouse whereas Sexton isn't exactly "embraced", according to reports, in the Mariner's clubhouse. Trading my struggling part for your struggling part doesn't usually solve things - it just sets the struggling back even more!- D.R.

Let's Get Some Perspective on Being a Mets' Fan

I received an email yesterday, asking me why I was so "down" on this Mets' team right now, and didn't I know that only 2 teams in the NL had less losses then we did, and in the AL, only 2 teams had the same amount as we did, with everyone else having more; his point was, since everyone is having a "challenging" season so far, along the lines of parity in football, shouldn't I ease up a bit?

Let's use this example: my son comes home from school, with a note that I have to see the teacher. My wife and I go to school, and the teacher tells us that our son has been dropping "f-bombs" aimed at other students. When we quiz him, he tells us that half of his friends in school go up to girls every day and use such language; we return to school the next day, and scold the teacher, as, since everyone else is using such language, why should she single out just OUR son and it's okay, since everyone else is using it.

Obviously, the example is extreme, but you get the point- why should I, why should YOU, think that it's okay for the Mets to be playing poorly, or without fire (prior to the series over the weekend) just because other teams are?

Last I checked, we root for the Mets, a team that has, for the majority of their seasons, quite frankly, stunk. We've turned a corner under this regime, expecting to compete each and every season. The Wilpons are committed to this more than anyone, having the second highest payroll in the game, laying out hundreds of millions to build CitiField, and giving GM Omar Minaya an open account, practically, to go get whatever he feels he needs to make this into a first class, sustaining and thriving organization, a la the Yanks. Omar did JUST THAT, and those who at first criticized his trade of Milledge are eating their words (with a ton of salt, I hope) as we seemed to have an all-star, former all-star or future all-star at just about every position. Granted, there were always going to be weaknesses, primarily taking age into consideration, but this team was built to contend now, THIS SEASON, which is why the Milledge/Church-Schneider trade was made! If the owners expect us to contend, and we pay the money to the owners in the forms of various revenue streams, shouldn't WE be expecting our team to contend, regardless of how well or poorly other teams are playing???

Finally, I am happy that we found some "fire" this weekend, and I pray that we sustain that feeling, and that it translates into a long winning streak and greater on-field success, now and throughout the season. You'll forgive my scepticism, borne not of collapses last year and in 2006, but as a Mets' fan who has been disappointed too many times to count over the past 40 years. It doesn't mean I'm giving up - FAR FROM IT - I wouldn't post on this blog in my "spare" time if I did; I wouldn't travel around the West and East Coasts to see games if I did; and I wouldn't feel the sting of a loss so greatly, at times, that I have trouble sleeping that night, if I did; however, perhaps the biggest change, after last season's collapse, is that a bit of the optimism that every season brought has, perhaps, eroded. That's not to say it can't come back, and I'm sure that losing my father this past January has colored my feelings in ways I've yet to fully understand, but forgive me if, this one season, I wait for the METS to prove something to ME- and give me something to believe in, more than just having less games in the loss column than other teams does...

Umpire Says He Messed Up

Josh Alper at AOL Sports writes about the home run blunder last night and that the umpire admits that he messed up the call:

Umpires like Bob Davidson who, from home plate, overruled third-base umpire (and umpire in position to make the call) Mike Reilly's fair ruling of Carlos Delgado's shot. After the game, he offered this assessment of a job poorly done.

"I ----ed it up. I'm the one who thought it was a ---- foul ball. I saw it on the replay. I'm the one who ----ed it up so you can put that in your paper. Bolts and nuts, I ----ed up. You've just got to move on. No one feels worse about it than I do.

The HAPPY RECAP: Now THAT Was A Great Way to End a Weekend!!!

11-2...no, that's not Cliff Lee's record, nor the score to start the Celts-Cavs game- even though I watched every moment of the game, and the recap, and the Sportscenter recap, I STILL can't believe what we witnessed... the Mets' swept the two-game series in the Bronx, winning Sunday night by a wonderful score of 11-2...so much went right for a change, that let's get right to it!!!

First, the "homer that was a homer then wasn't a homer but really was a homer" by Carlos Delgado- as Joe Morgan said (and it really IS a freaky night when the majority of fans will agree with JM), unless the home plate umpire was 100% positive that the ball was foul, he had no right over-ruling the third base ump on that play - and, of course as we all know, it was, indeed a home run.

Second, everything that WAS wrong with this team, at least that we have all been decrying, was RIGHT tonite, and let's pray that this is the start of something great- AT LAST!!! Willie and Jerry Manuel argued with home plate umpire, Bob Davidson, and Jerry got thrown out!!! GO GET 'EM!!!!

Third, Jose Reyes went 2 for 5 with a homer and 3 RBI's!

Fourth,Carlos Delgado didn't let that horrible call cost him an at-bat, and knocked in a run with a single after making Wang sweat through a very long at-bat.

Fifth, Ryan Church made not one but two great defensive plays, and, oh yeah, hit ANOTHER home run, his ninth, and on national television no less. Call this Church's official coming out party!!!!

Finally, and perhaps most exciting, Oliver Perez went 7 and 2/3 innings, walking only two and striking out 4 on a night when, at first, it seemed like his usual early wildness would do him in early yet again. It looked like he took a bit of gas off his pitches, hanging in the 92 mph zone, but that was fine, as he got stronger as the game went on- and having that kind of lead later in the game, I'm sure, served to pump Perez up!

Tonite, all things went well for this team at a time when, admittedly, the Yankees' aren't exactly on fire; no matter, though, as any win against them is great for us, but 2 in a row, especially ending in a game as convincing as this one was, can be a great starting point for the next 3/4's of the season!!

Game Ball(s): THE ENTIRE TEAM & COACHING STAFF!!!!

Now go get those Braves!!!! (At least Chipper isn't playing in Shea!!) And enjoy the lights on the Empire State Building!!!!

The Happy Recap: Mets Beat Yankees!!! One Down...

Today was a good game- a really good game...some quick thoughts:

Maybe yesterday's clear-the-air clubhouse meeting meant something, after all, as the Mets beat the Yankees 7-4, with Johan Santana getting the victory and Billy Wagner the save!

Wagner backed up his words, closing the eighth and working the entire ninth to preserve the win! He's now tied with former Met, Jeff Reardon, for 6th all-time in saves with 367! Way to go, Billy!!!

Reyes and Wright homered- amazing how those 2 can make things (w)right all by themselves- practically!

On a day where, once again, he didn't have his best stuff, Johan managed to just be better enough then the Yanks' pitchers, and if you remove the homer hit off him in the seventh, he was pretty economical in his pitches- he just isn't hitting the mid-90's with his heater yet. He's got time- things are just starting to heat up! He was also pitching on 6 days rest, which must have upset his rhythm. Regardless, his numbers are good, and we've got more important things to stress about than his record or ERA at this moment in the season.

Carlos Delgado had perhaps his best at-bat of the season, and he's starting to look more like the hitter of "old" then the hitter of the past 40 or so games - and let's pray THAT continues! Nice insurance run- and man, did it make me feel a "bit" better about our chances...

No matter what Joe Girardi says, Schneider blocked that plate perfectly and Damon was OUT!! THIS is another reason why that Milledge trade continues to pay dividends for us!!!

Game Ball: (tie) - David Wright, Jose Reyes, Billy Wagner

For a boxscore from today's game, click here.

Tomorrow's game is at 8pm (EST) on ESPN. We'll be back tomorrow! One down, one to go...

Mets hold L-O-N-G team meeting; Olney Asks WHO Could Manage This Team?

Buster Olney, reporter/blogger extraordinaire from ESPN, discussed the team meeting the Mets held Friday, the day their first game against the Yankees was rained out:

The Mets held a team meeting Friday, which is not unusual. What was unusual was how long they took to hash out whatever it was they hashed out. Sometimes team talk for five minutes, or 10 minutes, or 15. Sometimes they'll meet for a few minutes, but keep the doors closed to reporters for awhile, for a cooling off period. But the Mets talked and talked and talked for 35 minutes, which is akin to a 1,000-page novel in the baseball world.

Olney, on why the meeting was called and Willie's status:

They are a team on the edge, a team seemingly without an edge, and in this spring after the Mets conducted arguably the worst collapse in baseball history, Willie Randolph is managing for his job.

More Olney, on who might be in line to take over if/when Willie is fired:

There is one pertinent question to all of this: If not Randolph as manager, then who?
There is no obvious answer, no John McGraw or Tony La Russa waiting in the wings. Not that this will necessarily deter the Mets; they fired hitting coach Rick Down last summer without really having any strong notion about how to replace him.

But the dynamics of this job make it among the most difficult in the sport: It's New York, with the inherent pressures; it's a team of some rising stars, but also a team of many veterans in decline, with their window of opportunity closing by the day; it's a team that probably is not going to win unless one of its core players, Jose Reyes, develops a connection with his manager; and it's a team that sways in the face of media and fan base pressure more than any other, with factionalized and knife-wielding management.

Who would be perfect for this job? Well, Vince Lombardi. But he's not available.

Tom Kelly? He has enjoyed his work since walking away as manager of the Twins, and I can't see him having patience for either the New York maelstrom, or for the necessary coddling of Reyes.

Mike Hargrove? Not a chance. He said last summer he was burned out, and that feeling would probably return after two hours with this team.

Jerry Manuel, one of the Mets' coaches? No way.

Ken Macha, former Oakland manager? No way. It couldn't be Phil Garner, for former Astro manager. Bobby Valentine is not available, and even if he was, it's unclear whether he would want the job, or that he would be wanted.

Cito Gaston? Well, he's been waiting more than a decade for his next chance, but it wouldn't happen with the Mets.

Olney asked if any Mets' fans have any ideas, and Jonathan offered this combo: Ken Oberkfell for manager, Whitey Herzog for bench coach, and Leo Mazzone for pitching coach- does that combo sound familiar?

If you aren't already an ESPN "Insider" I'd advise you to become one- that's the only way to read the daily columns by Olney, as well as Peter Gammons, Rob Neyer, Jayson Stark, etc., and Olney's daily recap alone is worth the price of admission!!

As I write this, the Mets are beating the Yankees 6-3 - crap - make that 6-4 - Santana has given up his third homer today!!! Ugh!!!

Klapisch Says It COULD Come Down to This: One of You Two is Fired - YOU Choose!

Over at the Bergen Record, reporter Bob Klapisch, a personal favorite of mine, the title of his column today says it all: "Mets Out of Control."

From Klapisch:

Although it might seem like the Mets are slogging along on that long, flat road to nowhere, they're actually reaching a tipping-point moment, when Jeff Wilpon calls Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph into his office and says: one of you two is fired. You choose.

Obviously, Willie was Omar's first pick and he's chosen, up to this point, to back him 100%, which is exactly what you'd expect of a.) a good employer, b.) a stand-up guy, and c.) the only person willing to give Willie a chance to manage, after being turned down for numerous opportunities over the years. However, at this point, it's also obvious that IF Omar were to receive the ultimatum that Klapisch suggests, he'd have to save his own job, and again, rightly so.

Billy Wagner was already spoken to by Willie, behind closed doors, admonished for sharing internal team problems with the media, just last week; yet again, yesterday, there was Wagner, for all to hear, taking some of his teammates to task for "disapperaing" when it comes time to speak to the media- and, again, Wagner was completely justified!! One has to wonder just how much Paul Lo Duca was really a "clubhouse cancer" instead of being what he might really have been, which is simply honest (I know- it's hard to accuse an admitted HGH user/distributor of being honest, but if the foo shits, or something like that...)

We've said it before, and Klapisch agrees:

Willie hasn't been able to get through to Delgado or Jose Reyes, can't seem to motivate Beltran (who still looks as if he's heartbroken the Yankees never made him an offer four years ago) and otherwise can't make nice (read: soft) guys like John Maine and Aaron Heilman and Oliver Perez realize it takes more than skill to get to October.

If a player has natural talent, and the team doesn't see good results as a function of that talent, either the player is dogging it, or the management can't get it out of him. With Reyes and Perez, you have two talents who have yet to realize their potential; with Delgado and Beltran, you have two players with superstar talent, one of whom hasn't been as consistent as he should be, or at least as his monster contract would want us to see him perform at (Beltran), the other a future hall-of-famer whose talents seem to have left him at 75% of his previous skill-level; and with Heilman (and previous relievers, such as Bell and Yates) it just seems as though nothing that pitching coach Rick Peterson does is having a positive effect. None of these situations are of Willie's doing, although he hasn't been able to penetrate Reyes' psyche deeply enough to get him playing at the next level, but he is the manager, and ultimately, as the saying goes, you can't fire the entire team, so someone must pay the price for this season's futility to date, last year's collapse and not reaching the Series in '06- and that man, obviously, is Willie. But who would replace Willie?

Not Wally Backman; the Wilpons are too conservative to gamble like that. Bobby Valentine is close to Minaya, but currently happy managing in Japan. There aren't even any short-term answers on the current coaching staff. Actually, that's been Randolph's undoing, not having a bad cop among his lieutenants, the way Joe Torre had Larry Bowa to get in Robinson Cano's face last year. The Mets are full of Canos – flashy, skilled, crisp-looking players, too many of them drifting along without a rudder. Once Pedro Martinez disappeared on the disabled list, Randolph was doomed. Without the energetic Pedro to patrol the room, the "certain guys" Wagner was referring to were free to divest themselves of the passion Randolph preached about.

Gary Cohen suggested Jose Valentine, who can at least get through to Reyes; many other blogs have called for former Met/current broadcaster, Lee Mazzilli; I've heard every name from Buck Showalter to Whitey Herzog - and none of those names seem to be the way to go. We have been making a case for Ken Oberkfell since our old Mets Trades blog began in early '06, and I still think, long-term, that a combo of "Obie" and pitching coach Leo Mazzone would be a better way to go, with a tough bench coach (and wouldn't Herzog be great in THAT role?)

Change seems inevitable at this point, as Willie has lost face in the eyes of the fans, the media and the team, and, after 4 years, it's not going to all of a sudden change for the better. Omar deserves the chance, as I've stated before, to continue to mold this organization into the perennial winner the fans so desperately deserve; the only choice, regretably, is to fire Willie and go in another direction.

Yes, I stated that I'd like to see Ken Oberkfell become the next manager, but that's only because I know that my first choice won't be interested. However, I WOULD like to make the following statement:

I WILL PERSONALLY PAY TO FLY BOBBY VALENTINE TO NEW YORK IF HE WILL AGREE TO MANAGE THE METS AGAIN - AND OMAR ACTUALLY OFFERS HIM THE JOB AND HE TAKES IT!!!! ARE YOU LISTENING, BOBBY???

Well, Folks, I am Truly Numb Tonite...Just Not "Comfortably" Numb...

First of all, before I get accused of over-reacting, todays loss to the Nats was just another shovel of dirt on the casket that's starting to form on this Mets' season - it's not a done deal, by any means, and we can, certainly, come back- but at this point, I just don't have the hope that I did for this season before it began...

Now let's get one thing straight- when we decry where the Mets are right now, and the job that Willie Randolph has done as Mets' manager, we are NOT judging the team on just this season, fair or not. We are taking into account everything that has transpired since 2005, Willie's first season, as well as the fact that, even when we had a better team then the current one, in 2006, we still couldn't get the key hit we needed to get into the World Series. One Carlos Beltran hit, instead of a strike-out, and it's true, things might be different; but the hit didn't happen, we didn't get to the Series, and after losing 3 of 4 to the Nationals, let's face it- it's looking like the odds of doing it this season are getting longer by the day. So where does this leave us?

Well, for starters, we're looking at a very flawed team, more so then I cared to admit to start the season. The contributions we've received from Brian Schneider and Ryan Church far exceed anything that we thought possible, and if you'll remember, we were quite high on both players in our pre-spring preview. Facts, however, are facts, so let's take stock of our current roster; David Wright is a bonafide superstar, and hopefully will remain our cornerstone for many years to come; Jose Reyes has been merely average since last season, and the great progress he had made has come to a grinding halt- as Jonathan said the other day, he's currently the third best shortstop in his DIVISION; Luis Castillo was overpaid and signed too long, probably in an effort to help land Santana- that deal is done, so perhaps it's time to eat that contract and move forward in another direction; Carlos Delgado might still rebound to have a semi-decent year, as he's shown flashes of better things lately, but he's not the all-star that he was and remains a hall-of-fame candidate on the extreme downside of his career; Moises Alou is still a great hitter, but at 42 isn't exactly a long-range solution; and Carlos Beltran remains an enigma, seemingly playing through pain at the cost of his own stats and status, and while admirable, as Kenny Rogers said, "you gotta know when to hold up and know when to fold up" and sometimes I think Beltran should just take a few days off to recover, as he is prone to major hot and cold streaks; John Maine, Johan Santana, Joe Smith, Scott Schoeneweis (yes, you read that right) and Billy Wagner have been incredible in the rotation and bullpen, respectively; will the real Duaner Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano, Aaron Heilman, Oliver Perez and Matt Wise please show himself; Mike Pelfrey has been improving by the start (thank goodness) and the bench, led by Marlon Anderson and Damion Easley, have been okay but a bit lesser than expected; finally, the addition of OF Angel Pagan, now on the DL, has been the biggest surprise this side of Church this season, but his starting job has been taken by Alou and Endy Chavez has replaced him as the first OFer off the bench, so we'll see how much longer he retains a place on the club.

Every day, someone else writes how managers (and, for that matter, pitching coaches) don't win games or lose games for their team; and yet, if one had to analyze the main differences between this years Marlins team, sans Willis and Cabrera, it would be the maturity of their manager, Fredi Gonzalez, and the addition of their new pitching coach, Mark Wiley. Gonzalez stresses fundamentals, and isn't out-managed; Wiley has merely taken what looked to be one of the worst, and least experienced, pitching staffs in the game, not just the NL, and has mediocre starters (like Mark Hendrickson) believing in themselve