It's Not Pretty, But It's A Race!!

Okay- 2 days of agony and ecstasy, and we're in exactly the same place we were on Monday- 1/2 game ahead of the Phillies in the NL East race, with one more win (the Phils have played one less game) on the ledge looking out into the dreaded month of September.

Tuesday night's loss was enough to make the craziest Met fan cry; having that big of a lead only to see it crumble brought back the horrible memories of last September- it couldn't help but to do so!! The difference, however, came last night when even without his best stuff in the first 2 innings, the Mets' were still able to rally around their Ace, Johan Santana, and on the heals of that terrible loss, unlikely heroes - Daniel Murphy and Carlos Delgado- refused to let the Phils' gain the upper hand and pulled out a victory with clutch-hitting, character and heart- 3 things that were solely lacking last season, especially at this time of year.

Delgado's turn-around merits a new award- comeback player of the year within a season! No one, least of all us, expected this from Delgado, although we did predict a big year for him prior to the season. That quickly fell by the wayside, as we questioned everything from Delgado's eyesite to the condition of his hips to how quickly he seemed to have aged; and all for naught, as those terrible opening months of the season have been long washed-away by his incredible hitting and team leadership since the firing of Willie Randolph back in June (and man, doesn't THAT seem like a long, long time ago.) It's funny how quickly the summer months melted away, while April, May and June seemed to drag forever. I guess that's what the difference between going from a confused team to a pennant-contender will do...

But let's face it- all is far from "well" right now. Our bullpen still is a source of great angst, picture Doug "risk" Sisk times five - and the only hope is that the infusion of a few fresher arms on September 1st, when rosters can expand to 40, will help out this beleagured crew. Figueroa, Niese, the newly reacquired Rincon and Parnell could all be of great help, and possibly Muniz and Kunz as well. I'd rather see just some pitchers come up, and maybe one or two more bats for the bench (A. Reyes), because I don't want to see any more time taken away from either Nick Evans or Daniel Murphy, because they represent both our future as well as our present. (And so much, once again, for all of those nay-sayers who condemned our farm system for so long!) Pitchers like Heilman and Feliciano seemed to have been over-worked early in the year, and with the injuries to Maine and Wagner, it's good to know that some quality reinforcements are on their way (and don't take for granted the fact that no one has seen Parnell or Niese or even Rincon - at least this season) and those new arms will likely give us a few different looks out of the pen, well-needed at this point!

And a big shout-out to the Dodgers- or NOT!!! After being swept by the Phils, they are swept by the Nats - and here I thought I was going to possibly be able to see a Mets-Dodgers play-off game in L.A.!! Guess it's not to be this season...Manny and all!!

And a big WELCOME BACK to Bob Klapisch, one of my all-time favorite sportswriters, of the Bergen Record and ESPN, who is recovering from being hit in the eye by a baseball while pitching in a pick-up league game. He lives baseball in more ways then most, and I strongly recommend reading his first article since July, detailing the start of his journey back, by clicking here. His reference to "Tony C" - Tony Conigliaro - is a poignant one for me because he was one of my favorite players when I started watching baseball as a kid, and I had been hit by an errant curveball while playing catch in a friend's yard only to see my eye swell up like a balloon, with my dad praying for an easier time of it then that suffered by the old Red Sox outfielder. Thankfully, it was just some major bruising and swelling, but unless you've been hit in the eye with a ball and experience what Klapisch referred to, the falling down as if you've been shot while time literally stops, it's hard to understand the utter helplessness and numbness that such a shot makes you feel. And, if you want to read a great article about the late, great Tony C, head over to the SI.com archives by clicking here.

A few last thoughts- David Wright has been solid all-season long, emulating what an MVP-season is all about; Reyes and Delgado deserve consideration, but this year, it's all about Wright...Johan Santana should have a record of 17-5, but it was gratifying on a night when he didn't have his best stuff for the first few innings, the team found a way to rally around him and pull out a much-needed victory. If he had received the run support he deserved, he would be neck and neck with the D-Backs' Brandon Webb for the Cy Young award...back to Reyes- after last season's let-downs, he's back to 2006-form and is still the most exciting shortstop, and player, in the game - Ramirez might be a better power hitter, but Reyes remains the one person who can single-handedly change an opposing teams' gameplan around, a la Lawrence Taylor in the 1980's with the football Giants...and on that note, finding a way to compare Reyes and LT, I am OUTTA HERE!!! Have a great holiday weekend- we'll be back with more!!

"The Jack" Is Back

By Jack "the hack" Mason (Guest Blogger)

Now that David is back to posting, (welcome back, man- glad to read ya!), that means he can go back to posting my crazed thoughts, too- sorry, readers!

For today, we'll go with some random musings:

~So now that nearly 1/8th of our roster has the last name "Reyes" I wonder where Omar was when the Rays were acquiring Anthony Reyes from the Cards...

~If you would have told me in April that our season would depend on the contributions of Tatis, Evans, Murphy, Cancel, Stokes, A. Reyes, Easley, Ayala and Reyes, I would have guessed - "Last Place!" So I guess the preseason naysayers who couldn't wait to a.) rip Omar for being unable to put together a productive farm system and b.) those same naysayers who thought we traded all of our productive youngsters for Santana with the Yankees making the right decision to pass on the deal are all now looking at the standings, wondering when they might reverse themselves just like they are praying that their stocks will make substantial gains in the next week! Yeah- and gas is going to be $0.99 cents per gallon next week and the sky is pink!!

~Can the Nationals get any worse?? I guess they can if they don't even get to 60 victories. Manny Acta deserves better...but not Bowden!

~If the Marlins will re-sign Paul Lo Duca, who name was all over the Mitchell Report in addition to being linked to "youngish" women and some interesting gambling "issues" then why won't someone sign Barry Bonds? They are equally guilty of using PEDs, and PLD seemed to be responsbile for bringing others into the PED-fold, so to speak, so why is he a better signing then Bonds, who could still bring a potent bat to someone's line-up? Don't get me wrong- I'm NOT pro-Bonds- I just think the hypocrisy needs to end! And I actually like PLD a lot!!

~I loved the late Gene Upshaw as a Raider, and think he did great things for the NFLPA, but the way he ignored and glossed over the plights of retired vets certainly did nothing for his reputation. Our best wishes and prayers go out to the entire Upshaw family...

~David passed on a great book to me last week - "Spoke" A Biography of Tris Speaker - and it was great to read about this legendary centerfielder considering we never got the chance to see him perform.

~Macsine Agee pulled down the number "20" before today's game, the number her husband wore as a Met, and it was great to see his memory honored. Tommy Agee was a great player who retired too early due to injury, and anything to keep his memory alive is okay by me. Agee will always be a tough-looking, free-swinging outfielder and the sight of those eyebrows will always remind me of great times as a youngster in Queens, New York, in 1969, when we, for one season, became the center of the universe based on the heroes from the blue and orange and the green and white! There's still something about those uniforms that look so innocent and clean, and Agee will always remain a hero of mine who represents getting the best out of us, like his famous World Series catch.

~Ted Simmons and Jerry Koosman and Bert Blyleven belong in the Hall of Fame- I'm just saying - and, most of all, it's an absolute CRIME that one Gil Hodges is STILL not in the hall!!! And add Buck O'Neil to that list, too!!! Just my opinion...Simmons was a switch-hitter who hit over .300 a number of times, was an excellent fielder and a good power hitter, and if he played today, he'd be the best at his position in the game. Kooz was far better than his stats, he lost some time to the military and injuries and played for some horrible teams, just like Mr. Blyleven. And Hodges- he was a better player AND manager then Mr. Torre, and deserves to be in there a long time ago!!!

~If Ayala and Reyes don't help out the bullpen, I heard a rumor Omar was going to bring back Skip Lockwood and Ray Sadecki...

~And if that doesn't work, I heard Nolan Ryan said he can still throw in the high 80's, touching 90, so maybe it's time to bring the Alvin, Texas native out of retirement!

~I have NEVER seen one player turn his season around so dramatically as Carlos Delgado has - and neither have YOU! So there!!! I guess he's coming back next year, too...

~Oh where, oh where, has my little O-Hern gone, or where, oh where can he be???...and does anyone care anymore???

~Does Castillo know that he's not coming back to a starting role? How would you like to be shown up by a 38 year old bench player and a 26 year old journeyman - with Daniel Murphy needing a regular position next year, and second base seemingly being the best fit, can Castillo learn to sit home and count his "benjamins?"

~The Yankees got left in the dust by their first rounder, a Bore-us client, who chose to go to UCLA instead- makes me into an overnight UCLA baseball fan!!!!

~Chase Utley- it takes an entire season to be an MVP, not just a strong half! And Jimmy Rollins- you ain't so bad right now- or actually, you ARE so bad right now- keep it up, you fairweather player!

~Finally, its really great to be back and let's hope that this team continues to learn how to win and get used to it, so the play-offs will help lose the taste, once and for all, of last season's atrocity.

A Favorite Shea Memory- From 1973

My dad was born in Brooklyn, but was a die-hard Giants' fan, as I've mentioned in previous posts. In 1973, the year I turned 9, my younger brother, Michael, finally began accompanying my dad and I to games at Shea, and one of the most memorable of these was on August 24th, against those darned Giants! It was fun to see my dad rooting against the Giants, which had to be a LOT easier since Willie Mays was now a Met! It was also the days when Shea was basically a cement blob with green metal corrugated squares decorating the outside, and yet in all its ugliness, there was still something clean and inviting about the park- maybe it was just my age, but I always remember older Shea more fondly.

The starting pitchers were Jerry Koosman and Juan Marichal, a should-be Hall-of-Famer vs. a Hall-of-Famer, and best of all, the Mets won 1-0 in a pitcher's duel that went 10 innings!!! This was my first extra innings game, and both pitchers went the distance- something that wouldn't happen today, of course. What we didn't know at the time was that this would be Marichal's final appearance against the Mets, and he had to face his old teammate and friend, Willie Mays, which must have been very weird for him, to say the least. (Side note- I still maintain that Koosman should be in the hall, and I'll revist that argument in the weeks to come from a post I wrote about 2 years ago.)

I remember that Felix Millan, the Mets second baseman who was known to choke up so high on the bat, hit the single that knocked in, I think, Kenny Boswell for the only run. This was very gratifying to my brother, who had just received his first baseball bat from my dad a few weeks earlier- a blue Felix Millan autograph model. This game was my first live pitcher's duel, and that was the main memory of the game itself...however, the best parts of the non-game-related action was a.) being there with my brother for the first time, b.) being allowed to share a pretzel during the game and then getting my OWN pretzel on the way out (there used to be great pretzels for sale at the end of the game- do they still do that at Shea? I don't think so...) and c.) the line for the bathroom was about 15 minutes long and I remember holding it in because I didn't want to miss any of the action of the game- and that was the FOURTH INNING!!! Just a reminder- when you have to go...(LOL)

This wasn't my first memory of Shea, but it was my first game with my brother in tow, and for that reason, it's one of my most memorable! (It didn't hurt that I was able to buy the "revised" Mets' yearbook, a Rusty Staub button and a Jerry Koosman button, and I still have both, and a Mets' pennant, which finally succombed to age a few years ago).

In the weeks to come, I'll share additional Shea memories- and I'd love to publish some of yours!

August is almost over, and...

...the Mets are in first place by 1.5 games over the Phils...the only way last season becomes a really distant memory is for the Mets to dash the hopes of Phils' fans and beat them down the stretch and put even more distance between the 2 teams...

...the Marlins are now 5 back and falling, and their lack of defense and youth carried them further than anyone thought possible- kudos to the entire organization (and it's not over yet!)...

...the Mets have been able to bring up positive reinforcements, in the form of Daniel Murphy, Nick Evans, Argenis Reyes, Eddie Kunz, Brian Stokes and Fernando Tatis!!! Stokes and Tatis, of course, are recycled major leaguers, but Murphy, Evans and Kunz are all top AA prospects who never appeared anywhere in the 'Baseball America Top 100' and weren't given a second glance in the preseason by any NY sportswriters...although Joel Sherman of the Post tries to make up for that with his article today that lauds the Mets' youth and wonders where all of those supposed "great" Yankee prospects went...what a difference a summer makes, huh?...

...Carlos Lee of the Astros is one of the most under-rated talents in the game. He's hitting .314 with 28 homers and 100 RBI's - and hasn't played in a game in over a week!! The 32-year old Lee has 1001 RBI's lifetime, and when he is healthy again next season, look for yet another 100+ RBI season for this consistent (and over-looked) vet! Even though he'll basically miss almost 2 months of the regular season (he's out for the season), his final numbers in early August are enviable for an entire season!!! Who would have thought that the state of Texas would produce the 2 best RBI guys in the game (along with the Ranger's Josh Hamilton!)...

...speaking of Hamilton, he remains the best story of the season, hitting over .300, with nearly 30 dingers and over 115 RBI's...I just love how this story has played out, and with Nolan Ryan at the helm of the team and such great players as Kinsler, Young and Murphy around him, this team might finally have a chance at the play-offs in a year or two with the right pitching additions and the continued development of their top prospects. Nice to see the old Met succeeding yet again!...

...Oliver Perez is coming through big-time in his contract drive on the way to free agency, and you just know that someone is itching to give him $13 mil a season for 4-5 years, a la Carlos Silva, etc...let's hope that there's some way that the Mets can resign this Boras client, to a more reasonable contract for 3-4 seasons, as in combination with Santana, Maine and Pelfrey, we'd continue to have one of the strongest rotations in the game for a number of years to come...

...Speaking of Pelfrey, it was great to see him take it through all nine yesterday, in the shortest game the Mets have had all season. Even though they stink this season, it's still gratifying any time we beat the Braves, and showing off how far big Pelf has come in front of them is that much sweeter...yes, we all thought that it would have been better to send Pelf down to the minors to work on his pitches earlier in the season- BFP - or "before firing Peterson" - but under Dan Warthen's guidance, Pelf has taken off and he looks like the high first rounder he was drafted as and hopefully will continue on his path to becoming an ace! AND he's leading the team in wins with 12- go figure!!!...

...A lot of people thought Brandon Webb was slowing down after the all-star break- yes, he lost a couple of decisions and looked hittable two or three times- but it's only August 21st and he already has 18 wins (against 4 losses) and pitches again today in his quest for 20 before the end of the month- THAT would be a most impressive feat, and he's on pace to win 25 games this year. Talk about dominating!!! He and Cliff Lee are running away with their respective Cy Young Awards, making it more frustrating to see the lack of support Johan has received this season!!!...

...sorry that we've been away for the past month- I've left my job and am consulting right now, so time hasn't been an ally lately, and John Young is still in the process of moving from New York to Florida, and we hope to have him back at the helm soon. I'll be more regular from now on- promise!! - and will see you tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel!!!

Baseball Tonite (ESPN) Names Seaver "All-Time Greatest Met" - What a SURPRISE!!!

That's right- one George Thomas Seaver, to the surprise of exactly no one, was named the "All-Time Greatest Met" by ESPN's Sportsnation (via Baseball Tonite). The voting:

1.) Tom Seaver


2.) Mike Piazza


3.) Darryl Strawberry


4.) Dwight Gooden


5.) Keith Hernandez


6.) John Franco


7.) Howard Johnson


8.) Mookie Wilson


9.) Edgardo Alfonso


10.) Jerry Koosman

The only players I'd add to the list, in no particular order, are Gary Carter, Tug McGraw, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Al Leiter, Jerry Grote and Ron Hunt. I'd love to know who else received votes for this list!

On another note, yes, I'm back to posting, and will explain more soon!

Notes from B-Mets game

Mets Prospects is back to posting again... Sorry for the absence.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Bingamton Mets game tonight in New Britain. Bobby Parnell made the start tonight pitching 6 innings while allowing 3 runs on 7 hits. Personally, I am a big fan of Parnell. He has a very good fast ball, a pretty good change, but a pretty flat breaking ball from what I saw. His biggest problem was leaving his fastball up in the strike zone and that resulted in two big home runs. He looks good but very raw and needs more work until he will be ready for AAA or the Majors.

Mike Carp looked good tonight. He went 1 for 3 with a walk, a triple, and 3 rbis. There was actually an overthrow on his triple so he ended up scoring. The ball seemed to carry off Carps bat very well as he hit all his balls to deep parts in the outfield and most of the time it went a lot farther then it looked, always a good thing.

Kunz looked pretty good but a little wild as he walked 2, struck out 2, and gave up a hit while recording his 27th save.

Prior to the game, I showed up nice and early to interact with the players. Fernando Martinez did not play tonight but he said that he thinks he will play tomorrow night. He did however take batting practice and boy does he look good using the entire field. He was also real nice and signed autographs for everyone. Carp signed for only a short time because he was so busy trying to practice first and outfield. By the way, Mike Carp and Shawn Bowman look exactly the same. Bowman even ran by saying, "Sorry, I'm not Carp." The nicest guy though was Eddie Kunz. He signed before and after bp making sure everyone was happy. I asked Joe Hieptas if he was planing to catch again and he said that ship has sailed which cracked up Kunz. (Pictures: Martinez top, Kunz bottom)

Quiet Down Everyone! I'm Watching The Scoreboard

If you look under "staff writers" you see the authors who regularly post there thoughts on Shea Nation and then you see my name. You would think you would actually need to write something to be considered a writer but thats what I love about Shea Nation. We don't let things like that bother us. I'm on the tail end of a 75-day roadtrip that is taking my friend Troy and I to all 30 Major League ball parks. We're creating an epic documentary that we hope will be coming out sometime before the season ends. At any rate I have obviously been keeping close tabs on all things Mets but have had little time to post my thoughts here at Shea Nation. I've posted one of the blogs from my own website below and hope to post more here as soon as the trip is over.

I found myself riveted to what was transpiring as I took a sip from the Bud Light I had just smuggled into the game.

It was a showdown for first. Mets vs. Phillies. All tied up at 1 in the eighth inning. I could hardly wait to see what happened next as the Mets came up to bat in the bottom of the frame. Did I mention I was sitting at Dolphin Stadium watching a Marlins game and was only 13 rows back from home plate?

So, anyway, when the Mets scored two runs in the bottom of the inning I did a small fist pump, which must have looked strange to everyone sitting around me considering nothing had happened at the game that was actually right in front of me.

This has become a common occurrence of late. I spend a lot of time scoreboard watching even though I’m in a ballpark I have never been to in a city that I most likely have never seen except from the local airport. This brings me to my point. I’ve seen a lot of baseball, but none of it holds a candle to baseball in New York. Of course I’m biased because of my love for all things Mets but I find myself daydreaming about our time in New York. A lot. If you don’t know what I’m talking about let me try to explain.

First of all, let’s not be confused. There are cities and then there’s New York. Let's say you grew up in the country and your taking your first big trip to the city. You tie old Bessie up to the fence post, plop on your straw hat, and say goodbye to the misses.

One of two things is going to happen when you roll into New York. You will either fall in love and want to move there or you will crap your pants and look for the first place to pull a u-turn and get the hell out of dodge. Of course in New York you can’t pull a u-turn without dying, so you’re pretty much screwed. I’m of the former group.

It had actually been a while since I got to see New York like it’s meant to be seen. I spent my whole youth going to Giants and Mets games but rarely got to see any more of the city. As we were walking through the streets of Brooklyn with our own personal tour guide, I couldn’t help but feel awed to be in a city that has some real stories to tell. One of those stories is baseball, and boy does it have a lot of them.

While I was watching the Mets at Shea I started feeling sad. I had sat in that stadium more than 19 years ago with my Mom watching my first game. Now I was watching the game with my friends for the last time in the place were the Beatles played their last-ever concert. I started wishing we could spend the rest of our trip in New York.

I could hear the conversation. “Well, Troy, I’ve got good news and bad news. I will be watching 11 more games to finish out our BaseCrawl. That’s the good news. The bad news is I will be watching all of them at Shea Stadium.”

Of course we also saw a game at Yankee Stadium and while I have much less allegiance to baseball on that side of town I felt more sadness thinking how so much history would be nothing but rubble by the start of next season. The fans in New York care about their teams. They show up in droves to support them.

Later in our documentary, we hope to talk to an actual sports psychologist to help us explain why fans are so loyal to their teams. Why should we even care? How come I feel such a strong connection to my team? Why does my mood immediately brighten when they win, and why does my stomach actually sink when they lose? How come, in 2006, when the Mets were one game from the World Series and lost -- how come I didn’t have any appetite for three days?

New York baseball fans are like this, and it makes baseball in this city awesome to watch and be a part of. I felt a similar feeling in Chicago and I realize there are some great fan bases out there. It’s not the same. I apologize to the other 28 teams but New York is king here.

The day after the Marlins game, Troy and I relaxed on a beach outside Miami and symbolically waded in the Atlantic just to say we had done it. I was thinking about a lot of things, but of course not far from my thoughts was the fact that the Mets now stand alone in first place. Baseball may rule in New York but a new section of the country has taken over first place for hospitality and just plain good times on this trip. If you look at our interactive map you will see a stretch of our crawl that started in Asheville, North Carolina and ended in St. Petersburg, Florida.

I’m actually not going to say much about it because Troy is working on a blog that will explain what went down in Georgia, but I can speak for both of us when I say we will remember it for the rest of our lives and it stands out on a trip that has become so epic I cant imagine us not capturing it on film.

Thanks to the Rice family (Marshall, Maureen, Emily and Jake) for putting us up and putting up with us. I don’t know if I’ve seen a more beautiful setting than we saw in the mountains of northwest Georgia. I’m sad to leave it behind, but like Shea Stadium it has been good to me and I will always have the memories.

You can check out the rest of our stuff at www.basecrawl.com.

Meet the Mistakes

With sole possession of first place within their grasp, the Mets fumbled away their biggest game of 2008 to date. With the Mets holding a 5-2 lead in the ninth, the Phillies exploded for six runs off the Mets’ bullpen and held on for a stunning 8-6 win at Shea Stadium last night.

The lowlights:

- On a third inning double by David Wright, third base coach Luis Aguayo waved Endy Chavez home with nobody out, Carlos Beltran on deck, and a red hot Carlos Delgado in the hole. Chavez was thrown out on a play that wasn’t close. Even more puzzling than Aguayo’s decision was the majority opinion from the SNY booth that sending Chavez was a smart play early in the game, essentially because we were taking the game to them, forcing the issue, or whatever other clever idiom for aggressive play you want to insert here. I am a huge fan of the Mets broadcasters, but there is no situation, in any inning, in any game, in any ballpark on earth, where sending Chavez with nobody out and Beltran and Delgado due up is smart baseball.

- Stunningly, in the seventh inning, Chavez was again waved home with nobody out and Beltran and Delgado due up. And again, he was thrown out on a play that wasn’t close. Look, everyone’s entitled to a bad night, but the fact that anyone employed as a major league 3rd base coach is capable of making that mistake twice in one game, well, sort of blows my mind. Heads up Matt Galante, your title of Human Windmill is in jeopardy.

- The top of the ninth inning was a torturous one for the Mets. Duaner Sanchez began the frame and left after allowing three singles without retiring a batter. With the bases full, Sanchez was relieved by Joe Smith, who got Carlos Ruiz to hit the ball on the ground, but a high hop combined with the speed of Shane Victorino running from first base left Jose Reyes with only one play: to first. Apparently, Reyes didn’t get the memo, electing to try to beat Victorino to second. Everyone was safe and Jayson Werth scored from third.

The worst was yet to come, as So Taguchi looped a two-run double over a leaping Endy Chavez, on which Chavez might have been positioned shallow enough to slap Taguchi’s hand as he rounded first. Then, with the game tied, Jimmy Rollins laced a double to left, scoring two, and giving the Phillies the lead for good. For good measure, three batters later, Pedro Feliciano dropped a potential inning-ending double play ball on the transfer, allowing Philadelphia to score one more insurance run. Aaron Heilman came in for Feliciano to close out one of the ugliest innings in recent memory for the Mets.

You can’t help but wonder why Johan Santana didn’t have the opportunity to start the ninth, having just worked his way through the heart of the Phillies’ order in the eighth. After the game, Jerry Manuel told reporters that, looking at Santana’s history, there were very few times he had crossed the 100-pitch barrier, and that was something Santana was “not familiar with.” Actually, Santana has thrown 100 or more pitches 13 times this year, and did so 21 times last season. Actually, Santana has thrown 100 or more pitches in 34 of his last 50 starts, so I’m not quite sure what Jerry Manuel’s definition of familiarity is. Nobody’s asking Manuel to put Santana in with no reinforcements ready, but wouldn’t it have made sense to let him have a crack at it with Sanchez ready to come in at the first sign of trouble? If there was ever a time to let your ace try to close one out, wasn’t it last night?

- Also, I was a little disturbed by Manuel’s postgame claim that, even though the doctors had advised against it, he would have used Billy Wagner if Wagner himself had said he was ready to go. First of all, isn’t that the kind of thinking that has earned the Mets so much scrutiny for the handling of the Ryan Church situation? And second of all, couldn’t he have just said “no,” to save Wagner from some people questioning the severity of his injury, something that is now all but inevitable? I hate to seem like I’m beating up on Manuel here because I think he’s done a very good job in his tenure here, but last night was certainly not Manuel’s best as a manager.

I don’t think the Mets could negate all the strides they’ve made over the last three weeks with one loss, even if it was to the Phillies, and even if first place was on the line… but last night, they sure gave it a shot.

Aaron

The Happening

(Editor's Note: We welcome guest blogger, Aaron Schuldiner, to the team today. We hope to have Aaron up-to-speed as a full-time blogger soon, and enjoy his first post! Welcome, Aaron- put up your feet, grab a cold one, and watch the hottest team in the game! Thursday will be here before we know it!)

"The Happening"

By Aaron Schuldiner (Guest Blogger)

What a difference a month makes.

When Mike Pelfrey woke up on the morning of June 15, the Mets sat seven games behind the first-place Phillies and two games below .500. Pelfrey’s record was a paltry 2-6, and patience with him was wearing thin among Mets fans. In his wildest dreams, could Pelfrey himself have dreamed that he would soon begin a six-game winning streak that would culminate in 16 straight scoreless innings and a curtain call from the Shea faithful? Could he have imagined that members of the New York media would be drawing comparisons between himself and Brandon Webb?

Even more impressive than any numbers or comparisons is Pelfrey’s newfound mound presence. There was a time when Pelfrey was apprehensive about pitching to contact, but that was clearly behind him Sunday night, as he forced 14 groundouts with a sinker that was purely masterful. For most of his time in the majors, Pelfrey had tried to live on the black, presumably because he didn’t have the faith in his stuff to go after hitters consistently. That Mike Pelfrey is also a distant memory, as he has grown more and more willing to challenge a hitter to get out of a jam.

For the Mets, it’s as if there’s something in the air in Flushing. Maybe this is what M. Night Shyamalan had in mind when he wrote The Happening… Something in the air, so potent that it could prompt five straight games in which Met pitchers allowed three or fewer hits, a modern Major League record. Something that could facilitate the belated birth of the "Mike Pelfrey" everyone hoped to see. Something powerful enough reverse the perception of an entire city. Something so contagious that it even could’ve fixed Victor Zambrano in five minutes… Ok, so maybe that’s an ending too shocking even for Hollywood. Nevertheless, the latest twist in the Mets’ season is one that even the most optimistic fan couldn’t have seen coming. If this is indeed baseball’s version of The Happening, then this team is visibly confident that this story will have a much better ending than its counterpart.

Consider this: During their 6-0 homestand that concluded Sunday night, the Mets posted an ERA of 0.67, outscoring Colorado and San Francisco 31-4. Consider that over the same stretch, the Mets backstop duo of Ramon Castro and Brian Schneider scored as many runs as the Mets’ opponents combined. Consider also that the last time the Mets won nine in a row, it was en route to the 2000 World Series. There’s still a long way to go for this group, but there’s an air of optimism in Flushing these days that has been missing for some time now, and that in itself is quite a happening.

Praying for Church

A few moments ago, on the Dibble and Kennedy show on XM Radio (channel 175) they were discussing Ryan Church's injury, and they speculated that Church's season might indeed be finished. I'm not jumping to any conclusions, nor should you, but with injuries of this nature, specifically any neurological injury, caution has become the way of life, as it should be (well, except for sending your concussed outfielders across country.) If the migranes that he's been having are found to be an extension of the concussions, Church's treatment might necessitate a long stretch away from physical activity. He has suffered from migraines for a long time, according to Church, and the weather has gotten a lot more humid on the east coast, which exacerbates migraines as well.

Unfortunately, I had a major neurological problem last summer, and the doctor's wouldn't let me do any physical activity for more than 8 weeks, as certain positions caused vertigo (called, ironically enough, "positional vertigo") and there's no need to exascerbate the condition by extending oneself physically. I am praying for Church right now, as I know how frustrated he must be, and he's a father and husband, "professions" far more important than that of baseball player.

If he comes back at this point, even for a few games at the end of the season, we'll be a better team for it.

More importantly, we wish Ryan Church a speedy and complete recovery, and hope to see him HEALTHY in the blue and orange soon!

Moises Alou, by the way, is supposed to play in a few rehab games this week- and hopefully he'll be back by this weekend (how many times do we have to hear THAT?!)

Mets Get Their "A-Rod"

The signing period for Latin American free agents began on July 2nd, and the Mets signed their own "A-Rod", Dominican third baseman Aderilyn Rodriguez, whom they gave a half million dollar bonus to in exchange for his "John Hancock." It had been rumored that the Mets were going to sign another Dominican third baseman, George Drullal, but that apparently has not happened. I just hope that Aderilyn's girlfriend is not named either "Cindy" or "Madonna." Not exactly the cache of signing Michael Inoa, like the A's did, but I'm sure Omar and company are not done yet.

CitiField Pics & Other Notes

Happy belated fourth! After a brief "vacation" from posting, the Mets are now .500 with Pedro taking the mound today with the chance to FINALLY push us over the .500 mark and go 3-1 against the hated Phils - nothing would make us happier!! And a BIG SHOUT-OUT to Mets' owner, Fred Wilpon, for coming up with the patriotic stars-and-stripes caps that all 30 teams wore over the weekend (although listening to the Phils' broadcast, you'd never know that Wilpon had anything to do with this, let alone create it.) Although the navy caps look a bit too much like Yankee navy, they're for a great cause (medical care for returning military vets) and look darn stylish, to boot! You can order yours by clicking on the MLB ad on this site, and a large portion of the $$ goes to the veteran's fund! Way to go, Fred!!!

We asked a few weeks ago if Carlos Delgado should see the optometrist, as his ability to see balls at night seemed to be waning- and lots of people agreed- and yet he's still not wearing glasses or contacts!

Is anyone a better fielder in the outfield - and I mean at all three positions - then Endy Chavez? He can move from center to right to left and never fail to impress with his natural baseball instincts. If we could somehow get more offensive support from first base and second base, I wouldn't care so much if Alou ever came back, as I love Endy's defense in left with a HEALTHY Ryan Church in right! And the bench comes through again on a night when Wagner blows another one- that's six blown saves, the difference between third place and first place in the standings right now. As much as I love Wagner, the sole All-Star so far, now is the time to move him to the Rays, Rangers or Brewers for a nice prospect package and bring Kunz up to the majors. And F-Rod is a free agent after this season, and the Sporting News already ranked the Mets as his number one suitor- and who are WE to disappoint TSN??

Brewers GM Doug Melvin was on the "endangered species" list just a few short weeks ago; now, after trading 3 (possibly 4) prospects to the Indians for number one starter, C.C. Sabathia, his position seems to be safe once again. At the end of the year, if the Brewers are in the top 15 clubs in the game (record-wise) they will receive 2 picks (2 first rounders, 2 sandwich) for free agent starters Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. Either one would look great in Mets' pinstripes; after signing Santana to his record deal, you'd think we'd have no shot at either pitcher - however, with Oliver Perez about to claim a 4 or 5 year deal from some club (and his agent is Scott Boras, so you just KNOW someone will meet his terms), the 3-5 million more per year necessary to sign a Sabathia or Sheets isn't so implausible when you remember that Delgado and Alou's deals (as well as Pedro) will expire at the end of this season, too. Making for an interesting offseason, and it's still only early July! Now, if the Brewers do not make the play-offs, they will have traded their 2007 first rounder and 2-3 additional young prospects for what amounts to a 3-month rental of C.C., and will swap prospects they know for those they don't (above-mentioned compensation picks). And yet Omar gets so much negative pub, but last I looked, Gomez was still a work in progress, Mulvey, Humber and Guerra weren't tearing up the minors, and Santana is locked up for the next 6 years. And the Mets will still have an excellent nucleus to build around at the end of this season, with a lot more quality prospects then they've been credited with (see Flores, Wilmer and Gee, Dillon) and once again, our future is looking brighter then our present (and we're still not out of things by any means in the NL Least! That's the craziness of this season, and that's what winning a few games will do to a Mets fan- false bravado all around, thank you!

The following pics of CitiField were sent to me this weekend by my Mets "angel" - she knows who she is - as we thought you'd like to see how well construction is progressing! Enjoy the pics- back with more later!

Inconsistency

from MetsLifer.com
That is the one word I would use to describe this Mets team. Inconsistency.
Yesterday's game was one of the ugliest baseball games of the year. 3 errors and a horrendous pitching performance coupled with insomnia-plagued bats equals a massive defeat.
John Maine looked like a little league pitcher. You know how in little league pitchers have no control and basically every batter gets to a 3-2 count. That was Maine yesterday. Walks, hits, inability to get batters out.
Maine is starting to remind me of Al Leiter in the fact that he can't pitch well in the first three innings. Remember how Leiter would give up 3 runs in the first inning and then pitch a shutout the rest of the game? That's Maine except that he's not pitching shutouts in the remaining innings.
Is Pelfrey really becoming our second best starter? I shutter at the thought.
Wake up bats! The Mets have lost 5 out of their last 8 games and except for the 15 run smack down of the Yanks on Friday afternoon the Met bats are MIA. If they don't start hitting we could easily find ourselves 8 games back and 5 games under .500 before the All Star break.

NYFS Lists Updated Mets Prospects List

Brian at NYFS ranks the success of the top 13 prospects in the Mets' system over the past few weeks.

At number one is shortstop Wilmer Flores- are we looking at the person that makes Jose Reyes an outfielder or trade bait, or is Flores our next centerfielder? It's far too soon to contemplate Flores' status in the hierarchy of our minor league system, and as Brian said,

"let’s just hope for his continued success, sit back and enjoy the show."

Rounding out the top five are F-Mart, Eddie Kunz, Nick Evans and Michael Antonini.

Another great story worth following is the continued improvement of Mets AA starter Robert Parnell, whose pitching maturity seems to finally be catching up with his 94mph+ heat (1 or fewer runs in 6 of his last 7 games). Parnell is still only 23, young for a power pitcher, and his growth combined with his high ceiling makes him another AAer to watch closely!

Finally, Jon had sent a link to a story/boxscore about former top prospect Shawn Bowman about 12 days ago, and I didn't have time to post it prior to today. Back in 2004, on the way to a Spring Training game, Jon was speculating about what might happen when Bowman becomes major league-ready, as he felt his glove and power potential rivaled, and possibly surpassed then-rookie David Wright. Nice to see Bowman, who is getting healthy after a long spell of back problems, might be on the road back to top prospect status again. If he does, we'll have a backlog of talented corner infielders, for a change - and wouldn't THAT be nice!

NYFS Agrees- Mets' Minors In Better Shape Then Projected!

Over at the always informative NYFS (New York Future Stars) Ed Tsunoda examines the Mets' minor leagues, and agrees with both Fred Wilpon and this site regarding the quality of the Mets minor leagues.

From NYFS:

Earlier this week, Fred Wilpon stated the Mets minor leagues are in much better shape than what is being reported, and has been taken to task by some of the media for it. It has also been a popular past time to bash Tony Bernazard for the disarray in the Mets system. But maybe those guys know what they are talking about.

~and~

But, the Mets have a ton more talent than is being reported, and a lot of it is flying under the radar, because their early season stats are affected by the Mets development strategy, which puts their top players at levels where they play against much older more experienced competition. The young players are asked to fight thru those struggles to learn more and faster about themselves as players and what it takes to succeed against the toughest competition. And, you have to take that into account when perusing the stat lines and deciding whether or not a guy is 'a prospect', because of the disparity in age and experience.

They utilize the example of SS Wilmer Flores, the Mets' 16 year old shortstop (that's SIXTEEN- do YOU remember YOUR maturity level at that age???) who is playing in a league, with Kingsport, where the average age is 20!

In their post, they include a large list of players who are younger (sometimes far younger) then the average age in the leagues they are playing within, which consists of 30-40% of the starting players at each level. That's an amazing statistic, and one that can't be over-looked when comparing stats this season. I've heard a lot of people already getting down on F-Mart - and he's not even 20 years old yet!!! He's come back from injury on fire, and if he keeps it up, you'll see him starting in left field come September.

Finally, the closing of the NYFS post wraps things up beautifully -

So the next time someone tells you how thin and depleted the Mets farm system is, you can pull out the same quote as Fred Wilpon, and while people may think you don't know what you're talking about either, it may well be in the end that both you and Mr. Wilpon are smarter than the average bear.

I couldn't have said it better, Ed

Delgado has 9 RBI's in First Game of Subway Series- I Kid you NOT!

A few hours ago, Jack Mason was calling for Carlos Delgado to be waived- and then he hits a 2-run double, a grand salami and a 3-run homer, and he sets a new Mets record, breaking Dave Kingman's record of 8 RBI's in one game from 1976 AND it tied the record with Roy Howell of the Blue Jays for most RBI's by a visiting player in the history of Yankee Stadium! At his current rate of production, mapped out across an entire season, he'd have 26 home runs and 88 RBI's. Unfortunately, we don't know, from week to week, which Delgado we'll have, and he's had some power bursts but is still hitting below .250 and remains so inconsistent that all today will do in some fans eyes is tease us with what could have been. No matter how you slice it, he won one game for us single-handedly against the Yankees and for that feat he's back in my good graces...if only for one game (LOL). And imagine if we HAD signed Posada to a 4-year deal like Omar wanted to do during the offseason- THAT would have been the worst signing of the year, for sure.

Break Up the "Mess"

By Jack "the hack" Mason (guest blogger)

Okay- here we go- 4 games against the hated Yankees in 3 days, and I've had about all I can take with this roster. Sign Andy Phillips...DA Claudio Vargas...bring up Tony Armas...DA Trot Nixon??? Even getting back Ryan Church just isn't enough to turn this team around. Let's face facts- we're a flawed team- scratch that- we're a flawed "half" of a team. Until we get rid of fat-cats like Delgado and Castillo, we'll never be the team fans expect for $140 million of our hard-earned money, transferred to the pockets of the Wilpons to be distributed to these fat-cats.

Therefore, here are my suggestions for what to do with this roster:

1.) Put Carlos Delgado on waivers; bring up Mike Carp. I've heard all about how Mike Carp can't field, can only be a power bat off the bench, etc. I also heard that Mike Jacobs was a catcher, not a first baseman, and was too small to be successful at first. Last I looked, Jacobs had 18 homers and 47 RBI's - and his average is .236 - but his overall stats are far better than Delgado, and he makes a TON less money! So bring up Carp and admit your mistake in Delgado! What's the worst that can happen? Carp proves to be either a AAAA player or better suited for DH action, and we bring up Ike Davis next year to take his place? I'm okay with that, too.


2.) Put Luis Castillo on waivers; trade for the Astros' Mark Loretta, who is older than Castillo but plays as if he's younger and let him be our second baseman for the rest of the season.

3.) Trade Fernando Martinez, Brant Rustich, Anderson Hernandez and Aaron Heilman to the Oakland A's for Rich Harden and Mark Ellis (if we don't get Loretta, or instead of Loretta, as Ellis is a much better player). I know Harden's injury history, but Rick Peterson can fix that in only fifteen...okay, scratch that- but even with his trouble staying healthy, I still think Harden would be the missing piece in a rotation that would include Pedro, Johan, Pelfrey and Maine. And don't get angry that I'd consider trading the "future" - F-Mart - as he still hasn't done anything to prove that his "hit king" nickname is anything more than just wishful thinking at this stage.

That leaves us with one too many starters, so -

4.) Trade Oliver Perez, Nick Evans and Billy Wagner to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jeff Niemann or Edwin Jackson, a player to be named later and minor league centerfielder Desmond Jennings. Jennings is a Gomez type, excellent fielder, steals bases, projects as a lead-off hitter and could be someone capable of moving Beltran to left field. The Rays can either sign Perez or take 2 picks for him; Wagner replaces Percival as closer and ensures a big-game closer is available to them for the play-offs, and Evans offsets Jennings. Jackson is a fastballing prospect who still hasn't gotten his act together in the AL after much was expected from him as top Dodgers prospect, but still brings heat in the mid-90's level. Niemann was, along with Pelfrey and Verlander, expected to be a top-of-rotation starter who still hasn't made it to the bigs as quickly as the other two; he's 6'9" and has a heck of a fastball, but he, too hasn't put it all together and big things are still expected of him. One of the two should make it as the fifth starter for the Mets once Pedro retires, after the '09 season (most probably) and Jennings could be up as quickly as 2010.

5.) If no trade can be worked out with the Rays, we can trade Perez, Wagner and Evans to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second base prospect, German Duran, catching prospect, Max Ramirez and pitcher Michael Main. The Rangers have TONS of prospects, and need pitching desperately. Perez and Wagner will give them innings and saves, respectively, and we'd receive some immediate AAA help in the face of three players who might be major league ready halfway through the '09 season.

Finally, make room in '09 for as many youngsters as you can- Kunz, Munoz, Niese, etc, and focus the team on young, exciting players - at least we'd have something to root for, and wouldn't be as angry when we don't win a game due to an error by Castillo or a whiff by Delgado. It would sure beat rooting for the team we have now!

Editor's Note (From David): Obviously, unless Perez has a few good outings, he's not going to be worth much on the trade market. That being said, the Rangers DO need pitching, have money, and have shown Boras that they're willing to sign his clients to big contracts. I like the idea of getting some of those top youngsters from the Rangers, as they are laden in top talent at the AA and AAA levels right now. However, I still doubt that Omar will break up this team, knowing that they are only 44 home games away from opening Citi Field and no one wants a team that won't contend in their first season. I don't necessarily agree with that philosophy, as if there was EVER a season where they are guaranteed a ton of sell-outs, it's the first season, whether they contend or not. Therefore, if they can do a quick rebuild, and contend in 2010 and beyond, I'd think that was the best way to go. Just my opinion...

Mets Interested in Dominican Third Baseman

Over at Saber Scouting, they post the projected "Top 15 Latin American Prospects" who will be available for "just money" as of July 2nd. From this list, writer Kiley McDaniel speculates that the Mets will be interested in a Dominican third baseman, George Drullal, amongst others.

Here's there write-up on Drullal:

14. George Drullal, 3B, Dominican Republic Drullal is another under-the-radar prospect with some enticing upside. Drullal shows a solid swing, some power potential, and enough athleticism to profile as a pro third baseman. He is more raw than the hitting prospects listed above him, but not that many 16 year old hitters look much like they do at 25, so at this juncture of the rankings, you’re looking for elements you want to bet on. The Mets are heavily rumored to be the team that likes Drullal the best and his bonus could be as high as $700,000, which apparently is the buzz price for players of this ability.

I'm not too excited about adding another third baseman to the organization, even if he won't be major league-ready for another 4-6 years, as I'd like to think that Mr. Wright will be manning the hot corner for at least another 10 years for the Mets. I hope that Omar and company will go heavily after some of the better pitching prospects as well, like Michel Inoa, who seems ticketed for the Oakland A's, for a signing bonus of $4.25 to $4.5 million (yikes- so THAT's what the A's have been hoarding their money for!) and Adis Portillo, a big kid for a 16 year old (6'3") who can pick up additional velocity (88-92) as his body continues to grow. Signing Inoa for that kind of money is something that Omar should have been involved in, as if he becomes a top-of-rotation starter, no one will remember how much money it took to sign him; they will only remember that we DIDN'T!

Dates to Remember:

July 2- Signing Period begins for Latin American Free Agents

July 31st - Major League Trading Deadline

August 1st -Annual Met Fan "Why Didnt' We Get..." Day

Klapisch & Peterson on "Slower" Santana

In his latest column for the Bergen Record, reporter Bob Klapisch ponders Johan Santana's diminished speed and what it means for him and the Mets.

From Klapisch:

Something’s missing, isn’t it? It’s not just his 7-6 won-loss record that’s disappointing, or that the Mets’ have won only nine of the 16 games Santana has started. Some of that mediocrity has been beyond the left-hander’s control, including a lack of offensive support in 3-1 and 2-1 losses to the Braves and Padres, respectively.

But a closer look at the numbers reveal that Santana has simply become an easier mark. As his fastball erodes, his swing-and-miss ratio has declined, as well, leaving him more vulnerable than ever to fly balls – and with increasing regularity, home runs, too. Despite pitching in the lighter-hitting National League, Santana has already surrendered 14 blasts this year, and is on a pace to exceed the career-high 33 that he allowed with the Twins in 2007.

The radar-gun tells the story. Where Santana used to regularly light it up at 94-95 mph, the lefthander now averages 90-92 mph, according to the Mets’ radar gun. That means the gap between his fastball and change-up has narrowed to approximately 10-mph. The illusion factor, while still formidable, is no longer pure magic.

Klapisch discussed Santana with former Mets' pitching coach, Rick Peterson:

“That’s been the foundation of Johan’s career, swings and misses are what he’s been about,” said Rick Peterson, former Mets’ pitching coach. Speaking by telephone on Thursday, Peterson believes Santana has the maturity to accept his diminishing velocity and the work-ethic to put a new battle-plan into place.

Yet, as someone who mentored Santana during the first half of the season, Peterson admitted, “the margin for errors becomes smaller” without the blistering heat.

With or without his 2004 stuff, Peterson insists, “Johan has the wherewithal to make any adjustment necessary”

With 6 years left on his contract, and at the young age of 29, it's horrible to think that Johan is already on the downside of his prime. Prior to his acquisition, many people speculated as to Santana's health, after giving up a career-high 33 homers last season, as well as his diminished velocity (down 2-3 mph). If somehow he were able to turn it up a notch, as we've all been waiting for now that it's "hot" out, this situation becomes moot and the blue and orange brigade rests easier. If not, the next 6 years will be the longest 6 years of our lives. It's not like Santana has been bad this season - quite the opposite- he just isn't that dominant starter that we all expected, and maybe that's 50% our fault, putting unreal expectations on Santana, believing him to be the saviour who would throw the team on his back and drag us back to contention on the heals of last season's collapse. His ERA is below 3, but his 7-6 record is what most fans are fixated on, fairly or unfairly, it's just the way it is. Years ago, when Craig Swan had a sub-3.00 ERA for a bad Mets team, the only thing most fans saw was his 8-15 record (or thereabouts) and didn't embrace him as our new "ace"- at least Santana has the track record prior to coming onboard to make it plausible that we've yet to see his best...

If 1 in 4 Top Prospects Make it, Our Future Offense can be Great!

By Jack "the hack" Mason (guest blogger)

Okay- we've drafted a bunch of mature position players in the draft a few days ago, including Ike Davis, Reese Haven and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, we have 4 high-ceiling position players in AA, Mike Carp, Nick Evans, Daniel Murphy and F-Mart, we have a very young catching prospect in F-Pena (give him a break - he's only 18) and some very interesting lower league players like Wilmer Flores, who's probably 4-5 years away. Although Omar and company have taken a lot of heat over the last few seasons for what has been dubbed a "weak" minor league system, it seems to me that we will soon be able to reap the rewards of some excellent positional players within the next year or so, and the talent levels at the lowest levels are anyone's guess, but I'd bet that they are laden with some very interesting and talented young players.

It's unrealistic to expect any General Manager to get a middling team into contention, sign a lot of major league free agents and at the same time develop a strong minor league organization; and yet that is what Omar has been attempting to do, and so far he's delivered a team that contended the past 2 years, regardless of the final outcome; has signed a ton of free agents but still drafted cleverly (Mulvey was included in the Santana deal, as was Latin American pick-ups Gomez and Guerra) and gets no credit for a great move such as letting Tom Glavine go but offering salary arbitration, which netted a second first round pick and a sandwich pick - and Glavine is injured and debating whether or not he'll be able to pitch again this season, if at all.

Now, if at least 2 of the 9 players I just mentioned pan out according to their potential, that would give us a very nice core of players at the major league level, as Wright, Reyes and Beltran are locked up long-term, as is Santana, and I'm sure Maine will end up being a Mets-lifer as Pelfrey might as well. Combined with some of our minor league relievers, the future seems brighter to me then most have alluded to, and Fred Wilpon's comments about their minor leagues might end up more prophetic then people gave it credence -

"Contrary to what you all are reporting about our minor leagues, our minor leagues are in much better shape than what's being reported. But there's a process that goes on. And there's an organization. People are working hard to produce in the minor leagues and, hopefully, produce at the major-league level."

Imagine if Davis, Murphy and Pena all make it to the bigs within the next 3 years- what a nice core we'd have then! We're like the Yankees' of the early 1990's - except we're competing much sooner then they did. So give Omar and company a break, and enjoy the upcoming 4 games against the Yankees- we should be in for some very interesting baseball!

Editor's Note (from David): Right after Jack posted this, we received the following comment, posted anonomously, from someone who claims to be a major league scout. We thought it was worth repeating, as it seems his thoughts are more middle-of-the-road then either the naysayers or Wilpon is:

I've been a minor league scout for 22 years, and I've never worked for the Mets, but my sons are both Mets fans and asked my opinion about the Mets minor league system. Overall, it's not as optimistic as Fred Wilpon believes, nor is it as bad as some would say. They await break-out performances from Martinez and Pena, and their pitching, beyond Niese and Kunz, is on the thinner side. However, I agree that they did draft some interesting bats in the recent draft, and if I had to bet on any of the 3 bats at AA, I'd bet on Murphy- Carp hasn't proven himself as a fielder, and Evans doesn't grade out as an all-around hitter. Murphy seems to pick it well, has a good eye, good hands, knows the strike zone and has the type of swing and strength that translates well to the majors. Figure him as a 25-30 homer guy, 85-100 RBI's and decent defense. He's also a good character guy, from what I've heard - I've only seen him play about two dozen times and haven't spoken to him, but of those that I know who have, they all agree that he's a "gamer" type. It's too early to really "grade" Pena or Flores, but both look to have very interesting upsides, and as for Martinez, who knows with him? For how well he's been promoted, I've yet to see him take over a game or a pitcher. The Mets minors, to me, is no worse then 14-16 other teams, and may have a lot of "sleepers" spread throughout the organization. I still like Rustich and Vineyard, pitchers with Savannah who have interesting arms- though I thought Rustich would be more advanced now, coming from UCLA- he has to learn how to use his height to better advantage. But to say the Mets have a "bad" minor league system is unfair. Middle of the pack, definitely- possibly higher, yes, I'd say with some success for Brooklyn's first year players and if Martinez gets hot, definitely. Bad, no, not in my opinion...

Mets' Mourn the Passing of a Truly Good Man

On Tuesday, long-time Mets' staffer Jim Plummer passed away from a heart attack after undergoing kidney and liver transplants a few days prior. As regular readers of this blog know, my own father died this past January, after complications from a kidney transplant, and I know how difficult this is for his family, wife Tee and son Jonathan. Although I never met Plummer, someone very close to me worked with him and knew him for over 15 years, and described him as "the kind of guy who always made you laugh." He was beloved by a huge spectrum of ex-Mets and current Mets, from Dwight Gooden to Billy Wagner. His most recent position was Director of Corporate Sales, and his first role in the company was as Nolan Ryan's bat boy in 1965 in his home state of Virginia where he knew various members of Wagner's family.

From the Mets website, by Marty Noble:

The passing of a man who had been affiliated with the club since 1965 and in its employ since '76 unsettled the organization, because Plummer essentially was beloved by all he touched, as suggested by the words Joe Torre once used to introduce him.

Borrowing a line from an old Sara Lee marketing campaign, Torre said, "Everybody doesn't like somebody, but nobody doesn't like Plum."

Plummer began his tenure with the Mets as a batboy for the club's Class A Marion affiliate in Virginia when Nolan Ryan was in his first season as a professional. He became the team's general manager at age 18 and moved to New York and Shea Stadium in 1976. Plummer had served in a number of roles for the club. He was director of corporate sales at the time of his death.

People who we lose are never replaced in our lives the way a player is replaced on a roster, and when someone of Plummer's magnitude, who obviously touched the lives of so many over the years, is no longer in our daily lives, his loss looms that much larger and the hole we feel that much deeper. We don't hear about the Plummer's of the world, because they don't make for controversial copy or sell papers, as the old saying goes; but people like Plummer are the backbones of organizations, the heart and soul of a family and define the definition of a "good person."

Our prayers and thoughts go out to Jim Plummer's family, his Mets' family and all who knew him. Your lives are that much better for knowing him, and his memory will remain strong inside of each of you, therefore keeping a part of him alive, for many, many years to come...

Jackie's New HOF Plaque- A Fitting Tribute to a Great Man!

Although it was delayed a month, it was worth the wait as the Baseball Hall of Fame, in conjunction with Rachel Robinson, honored her late husband, Jack Roosevelt Robinson, with an updated plaque commerating not just his statistical achievements but his social achievements as well. For more on this well-earned ceremony, check out FoxSports. I hope that there will be a fascimile of the new plaque in the Jackie Robinson rotunda at CitiField, or at least something acknowledging his social contributions in a similar fashion. Knowing Fred Wilpons' regard for JR, I am sure there will be.

In the meantime, here is a look at the original plaque, as well as the new one:

(I can't wait to see the new plaque when I head to Cooperstown in September- and I'll shoot LOTS of photos!!)