ICE - Who Would Break It?

While the Mets are off today, there is no time for idleness...they may take a break, but this blogger doesn't.

So, tonight, a good friend of mine pulls a Pat Benatar-like question and asks me,..a Hit Me With Your Best Shot --and this question, literally is....

Bottom 9, runner on 2nd, 2 outs, who would you most want hitting for the Mets?

Reyes?

Wright?

Delgado?

Beltran?

(he says....NONE)

You know, when firing on all cylinders, I would throw a dart as they are all good. But as this snapshot of time is relevant, I would probably go with Daniel Murphy (patient at the plate) or Fernando Tatis. Ideally, a switch hitter like Beltran would be the ideal one to walk up holding the lumber, but he looks at too many third strikes.

The dynamics of the team need to change...the bugaboo now is the LOB factor cited too many times in this blog and being overheard from the typical Man on the Street.

Let's Go Mets!

39,339; 14; 3 - OK, Let's Play a Numbers Game....

So, the first, 39,339, is the number of people who came out to the ballpark today (I am not in that figure). The second, is the number of men left on base for today's game, 14. The "3" is the number of men left on base in the bottom of the 9th with two outs.

Let me clarify, that 39,339 can also be used as the LOB for this year.

Is this baseball? Granted, a 9-12 record isn't dwindling to no-mans land, but you need to do two things in baseball with asses....

1) Put them in seats (see the first reference of the 39k figure)
2) When Asses are standing on the bag, they need to rotate counterclockwise, at 90 feet multiples until they pass a 5-sided shape called home plate. Each time that happens, its a score. So, for the Mets faithful, LOB isn't the determiner of Wins....

OK, tomorrow is a day off...Batteries on this hybrid are being recharged....

What Is It?

I'm writing this as the bottom of the 9th is about to happen, and, in hoping the Mets follow the Phillies with their knack of a come from behind win, I am inclined an "L" is in the cards.

I think I know whats wrong with the team. It's simple.

The Mets are....
Stuck in a labyrinth with
an inverted course that
is turned inside out and
upside down and also
reversed in another
time warp where everyone
is going backwards as time
decelerates.

(OH, and we need pitching and hitting).

Logic Defied - Logic Defined? As Archie Bunker Would Say...."WHATEVER"

When you have a hard time beating the worst team (Nationals) and then come back and whoop the best (or one of them - Marlins) with a 1-hitter from your starter who was having a boat load of trouble, then you have the consider that this is the conundrum of baseball.

(The Nationals and last year's World Series Champs staged a 13-11 battle tonight as well).

Bright spot was in Omir Santos' granny. That helped propel confidence.

A good friend of mine had an idea...to do a shake-up...not sure I fully agree, but, here goes...Cliff Lee (P, Indians) for Daniel Murphy, Ramon Castro and two others. I like Lee....love Murphy.

The pitching definitely is still a question mark despite Maine's performance. It isn't as strong as the Milwaukee Braves duo in the 40s/50s...Spahn and Sain (then pray for rain)...we can't (yet) say Santana and Maine (then pray for rain).

On another note - an actual reader of this blog had a bit of a mini gripe (all in fun) that I slammed #47 (Glavine and Fossum - no, don't go back to the Spahn / Sain thing...these two are far from it)...He gently brought up that he wore #47 in Pop Warner football and kept it through college during intramurals. Lord, forgive me for sullying a number. (Glavine and Fossum STILL suck no matter what letter, number or symbol are on their back. My friend in Pop Warner, well, he admits he was no star either).

I Can't Think of a Title....so, Please Ad Lib Your Own

Adam Rubin's article today, really sums it up. Click

I think we should call it Ollie's Follies...it seems more like a song and dance when he pitches. Time to make a move. (Oh, and designating THE ((pronounced THEEE)) Casey Fossum for assignment doesn't count). To interject and get off the point, Casey Fossum sounds like a Charles Dickens/W.C. Fields type name. Seeing a "47" on a back of a Met conjures up Glavine. UGH!

Ollie needs to be moved out of the rotation and we need to bring in (via trade) a semi-solid band aid. The question is WHO?

As I write this, it's a Sunday night, and I have no idea. Perhaps when I dream (nightmare?) tonight about the Mets it will come to me...OH! I just got a good idea...Nick Swisher -- or maybe even Jose Canseco. See Stats: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/04/26/2009-04-26_ollie_rocked.html -- Footnote - his ERA was ONLY 27.00 - which is eerily lower than Chen Ming Wangs.....

2 W's Against W

These last two games were confidence builders. I know a win against the lowly Montreal Expo---er, Washington Nationals is like beating up the little kid in front of the drugstore and taking his lunch money, but this happened to the Mets a few times the last few days...why not reciprocate?

Still the deal of leaving men on base - this time 8 - is an ongoing issue, but Beltran had a good game and so did Murphy - defensively (you read that right).

I was very impressed with the hustle from Left Field to get that ball and to throw out the semi-speedy Anderson Hernandez at first...This should exonerate Danny from his previous gaffes.

OK, I raved a lot about CitiField in a few recent posts, now it's time for some validation. MT, who has guest blogged a few times here went to his first game. Here is what my fellow colleague (poor bastid and I are in the same profession AND Mets fans!) had to say...

Sun was brutal today. Of course, Murphy put on a clown show but what annoyed me more was Beltran not backing him up on the play until after the ball went behind the Mets left fielder.I called (Elijah) Dukes missing that fly ball in the first. The guy is all about how he looks and doesn't play the game the way it should.Wright, Church and the team played well. Pelfrey was effective and the bullpen got it done! Go Mets!

MT is right...more Dukes is a great big hot dog...See ya soon! I welcome your comments....

Excited About a Nationals Win? Is This What It Comes Down To?

Never thought I would be happy about the Mets pulling off a W against a team that can barely get out of its own way, but tonight's game was a must to ensure a total collapse is in the cards.

Let's face it, the Mets are only two games under 500, which isnt bad, but a few of those losses were senseless.

Was impressed with Johan shutting down the side twice and a total of 10Ks. The lingering bug-a-boo is the inability to hit with runners in scoring position and as a result, tooooooo many men left on base.

Simple to say, this needs to be worked on. Perhaps stealing a few bags (love the double steal Jerry...take heed from this scribe and deploy).

Onward. Upward. Let's hope Pelfrey is able to pitch well.

Cardinals Made the Mets Their Own Altarboys...

I know the headline is a bit vile, but it basically describes how the St. Louis Redbirds basically owned and dominated the Metropolitans today in an afternoon contest (oh, sorry for using the word 'contest' - you have to be competitive to qualify). Mets lost the last 4 after winning the previous 3 of 4.

So today's post brings an interesting exchange. I posted on my Facebook page...

"I wonder if Beltran's 3-Run HR will spark a come from behind rally..."

And got some pretty interesting, erudite, snide (accurate) and realistic replies. Names here are changed to initials to protect the guilty.

L.T. 4:29pm April 23 - Snore. Bring on the football season already.

D.T. at 4:37pm April 23 - Doubt it.

L.S. 4:45pm April 23 - "A bigger concern PITCHING!!!!Can we find any?"

T.S. at 5:09pm April 23 - "I'd be happy if it sparked fewer LOB's on the box score."

P.T. at 5:09pm April 23 - "Do the Mets know they can advance more than 1 base on a hit? They take the term base hit literally. Frustrating and boring to watch right now."

M.B. at 9:45pm April 23 - "Time to place a call to Pedro and Ben Sheets."

P.T. (again!) at 9:51pm April 23 - "..and Manny and Brian McNamee."

M.B. (again!) at 9:53pm April 23 - "...or Nick Swisher. (That's my second Swisher joke today!)"

Putting all this together, I agree...need a few high caliber hot players like Swisher (he's a walking OBP dude) and Ben Sheets, if the wing gets better, I think would be an interesting pick up.

Any base running coaches out there that can teach guys (who hold a bat on their shoulders when its an X- and 2 count?)

Grapes are getting sour -- and so is the tone of my fingers hitting the keyboard. Time to rebound against the lowly Nationals.

Nothin' to Say 'Cept

I feel like the Mets are getting beat up too many times...and not by great teams.

Didn't get a chance to see too much of tonight's game, but there are some outfield woes - Church's inability to play the carom off the wall.

Day game tomorrow...Let's see if there can be a rebound. Livan is pitching - this could be a good litmus test.

Casey Fossum? Casey Stengel? Glavine's #47 - A Curse WORSE than "13"

Was feeling good. 4-0, Ollie WAS having a good game, then he collapsed like a house of cards. They bring in Casey Fossum (WHO????) when I see he's wearing #47, the thought was, OH, great, another Glavine. Sure is! Walked in a run ...

Casey Stengel would have said "Can't anybody here play this game???" The answer is NO!

Time for a Random Met - Choo Choo Coleman - Is He Better than the "7" Train???? You Decide for Yourself...

Yogi Berra got a lot of the headlines with his famous Yogisms, but one of the original Mets, Clarence "Choo Choo" Coleman certainly deserves a spot in everyone's hearts...

Read on...

Original Met Clarence "Choo Choo" Coleman is from Orlando FL. He was signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent in 1955. Choo Choo was drafted from the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1961 expansion draft. He would play parts of three seasons for the Mets, hitting .205 in 415 at bats. But Choo Choo is more famous for his character and personality than his playing ability. Ralph Kiner once asked Choo Choo "What‘s your wife‘s name and what is she like?" Choo Choo replied "My wife‘s name is Mrs. Coleman and she likes me, bub." Roger Craig once said: "Choo Choo would give you the sign and then look down to see what it was." Choo Choo definitely has cemented a place in Mets folklore.

Transactions

• Signed as an amateur free agent by Washington Senators (1955).
• Released by Washington Senators (1957).
• Signed by Los Angeles Dodgers (1959).
• Selected by Philadelphia Phillies from Los Angeles Dodgers in the Rule 5 major league draft (November 28, 1960).
• Selected by New York Mets from Philadelphia Phillies in the expansion draft (October 10, 1961).

See what kind of blog posts you get on days off -- and rainy ones to boot!

NY Times Article Says it All for Today's Game... Opportunities Are Wasted as Mets Let a Sweep Slip Away

It was a tanatlizer today, but for some reason, I knew the Mets were going to be doomed...it was a game that should be remembered...ah...no it shouldn't.

Sheff still looks a bit shaky with a glove on.

Read Ben's article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/sports/baseball/20mets.html?_r=1&hpw

Day off tomorrow to lick the wounds...then on to other diamond adventures.

Santana, A Win, Some Friends and A Great Day....

I always used to say (and still do!) a bad day at the ballpark is better than a good day at work...also, a bad seat at a game is better than a comfy seat in the office.

Today, while I did not have a bad seat, I got a chance to see Johan Santana pitch a gem at CitiField.

This guy's arm is amazing. I am amazed how consistent he is. This sums it up...on the ride home the bus was crowded. I gave up my seat to an elderly lady who was standing right next to me. She said..."Looks like you came from the game today." "Yes, I replied." She said "How did the Mets do?" "Wonderful. They won 1-0." "Who pitched?" she inquired and I told her "Santana, and it was a great performance. He really shut the Brewers down and dominated." ...To which she said, "Ahhhhh Santana.... (pause) .....its nice to see SOMEONE finally living up to and beyond the hype!"

This game was a true pitchers duel. Take nothing away from Yanni Gallardo - he matched Santana K for K and Hit for hit. But Santana came up the winner....Cora's bunt was the key. At the same time, my good friend (Thanks for the ticket, S.W.- a friend since we both were young) said it was amazing that the winning run was influenced by a third string catcher, Omir Santos.

On another personal note, it was great to see another friend of mine at the game, B.B....he worked on one of my teams at a recent job and he is a true Mets fan...Wishin ya luck bro!

Back tomorrow...and now we are 1 game over .500...more to come!

500 Homers - 300th Post and a Win...

A night of milestones - both unexpected.

Gary Sheffield got his first HR as a Met and it was # 500..when you saw the way the players embraced him, it was electrifying. Tell me there is no animosity in the clubhouse...seems the players like him. Until he does otherwise, he should be a Met that should be saluted. Ironically, that homerun came off the Brewers - the team he broke in with.

Is it me, or are the Brewers a bit on the stout side? Prince Fielder is listed at 270 and Pitchers Seth McClung (250) and Todd Coffey (240) certainly look bigger than that...if so, lay down the bunts and watch em scramble.

For this blogger, this is the 300th post to Ultimetfan1969 since it started in Mid 2006. I would say during that time, I had about 10-15 friends step in and write guest blogs...

I'm heading for the game tomorrow...lets see the Amazing's win! This time a leading victory vs. a come from behind.

My First Game at CitiField....METS, that is....

Wonderful place to watch a game...however, I got caught in the cold swirls of the winds...and so did the Mets.


Was a little disappointed to see them lose AGAIN to the Padres....especially since the Pads have picked up a lot of players that other teams released...REtreADRES should be the name of the team...but these retreads steamrolled us.

Next in person game for me is this Saturday and I hope to have better news.

First W at CitiField

W
Now it's part of the Mets DNA in their new castle.

I only got a chance to watch a little of the game tonight in the 7th inning, but what I saw was hustle ball - the way baseball is supposed to be played - the way the Mets SHOULD play routinely.

Taking advantage of 10 straight balls, they loaded the bases and took advantage of poor throws, bad pitching and when Jose Reyes scored from first on a gaffe - why, that brought it to a nice conclusion.

Box score is here: http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=290415121

Tomorrow will be my first official Mets game at CitiField...Can't wait!

Mets Need a Savoir

Hi All --

I'm a bit jammed today, but a fellow Mets Maniac who stepped up to the plate a few times in the past to write, MT, is back...here is the blogpost for today...

Okay, so here we are seven games into the 2009 season, and our beloved Mets are just plain pathetic.

Am I the only one who thinks John Maine should be our number two starter? Why are they giving Pelfrey so much credit?Defense aside, the Mets really need an offensive spark - a savior, if you will.

Per the following ESPN article - http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sweetspot/0-1-44/Mets--Sheffield-to-get-outfield-start.html - my prayers have been answered.

I am confident that if Gary Sheffield is afforded enough ABs, he can re-emerge as a deadly power hitter and help the Mets win some ball games.I am not liking what I've seen from the Mets so far, but maybe it's still a little too early to criticize them.

Thoughts?

New Home - But We Got PadCasted

Brand new home. Doors open. The Friars come in and vandalize our new house. It was a relief and long awaited debut and the enthusiasm is there.

Wright's HR...nice...Loss - not so. Jodi Gerut came from nowhere and basically hit us all in the Gut...(first player to EVER lead off in a new ball park with a homer).

I was impressed, but Pelfrey needs to get the rust out and the Mets lost to a team that was basically a doormat in the NL last year (I know, they swept the Metropolitans at the end of the year).

Turn it around...back on Wed.

Sorry...not that creative today.

Ramblings (And Shamblings)

Where do we start? The bounce out of Daniel Murphy's glove today at first appeared to be innocuous (the Mets could make up a run, right?) -- uh, not today. I like Murphy, and, personally think he's on the same trajectory as Wright and Reyes en route to making this a dynasty. But, a rookie mistake, IS a rookie mistake....BUT, two hands are what you use to trap a ball...At the end of the year, this is a loss you look back on --- If you miss the playoffs or wild card by, dare I say - One game...

On to better things...tomorrow night, the MOST anticipated night in Mets history since....(1964?) - the Metropolitans officially move into their new digs.

Let's start a solid winning streak at home!

That's all for now--- PLAY BALL

The Marlins Triangle (9th Inning)

Seems like every time the Mets play the Marlins, things are good up until the 9th inning. To wit, there IS NO sure thing, even with an 8-2 lead.

I have found implosion, then resurrection to be routine in these situations, and, to quote Jerry Manuel, it seems to be a high wire act.

Nice to see Livan Hernandez pitch very well, and was glad that the Mets have a side-armer in Darren O'Day. Easter tomorrow, so we are hoping for a W and for our pitchers to put "eggs" across the board.

The Mets of Sisyphus

Those pesky Marlins for some reason are foreboding to the Mets and the contests are usually tantalizing obstacle courses. Give a little, take a little, give a little, tie the game. Get Jeremy Reed to tie the game and then va-voom, the Marlins come back in the dip of the final frame and take it.

Reminds me of a story we had to read in Intro Philosophy in college - it dealt with Sisyphus. Well, I'll let Wikipedia pick it up:

As a punishment from the gods for his trickery, Sisyphus was compelled to roll a huge rock up a steep hill, but before he could reach the top of the hill, the rock would always roll back down again, forcing him to begin again.[2] The maddening nature of the punishment was reserved for Sisyphus due to his hubristic belief that his cleverness surpassed that of Zeus.

Remind you of today's loss to the Slippery fish? The Rock here is a run...ever elusive.

This is the Ollie We Paid $36 Million For...

With all due respect to the great Oliver Hardy, who in my opinion was one of the comic geniuses of all-time, our Oliver Perez couldn't have bumbled more that our pal at the left did. Wait - let me change that, he bumbles MORE!

(Keep in mind, Mr. Hardy was acting and wasn't this way in life. However, Mr. Perez looks good in the beginning and then the bottom drops out).

I was kicking myself for the first few innings for NOT picking him up as a starting pitcher in a fantasy league, but then all of a sudden, I had the feeling of validating my gut instinct.

I won't drone on here, but performances destined for a routine collapse were a focus of elimination by Mets management. (Remember Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoenweis?).

The Metropolitans definitely overpaid on this one. Today's loss was expected. Good, let's move on, but keep in mind, I don't want to see Mr. Perez twiddling his tie and say, "hmmm hmmm hmm....pardon me, Mr. Omar, I seem to have made a faux pas."

Good Fever Going

Short note...Mets are doing well in a mini rally after being down 4-2 against the Reds. Manuel seems like he is "together" and working on some solid baseball strategy.

Today Sheffield says he's not ready yet to play outfield...let's see, $400k / 365 days = $1095.89 earned today for doing nothing - just think of that being 10 cokes, 10 pretzels and 10 hot dogs.

ShefSpeculations

Day off. No game. No facts, just pondering.

A good friend of mine via Facebook is a die hard Mets fan too. We were weighing in on the Sheffield influence (good / bad) and came to the conclusion that there was no downside risk. If he messes up - BOOM. Gone. We also wondered if his temper flared up, what would happen to the watercoolers. (Footnote - Paul O'Neill of the Yanks is the world's foremost champ on destroying them.

My Mets Amigo had this to say if Sheff pursued that route:

"if he busts watercoolers, contract is torn up and they are only 400k in the red (about 45 pretzels)" and the rest of the guys get together in the brand spanking new cushy clubhouse and laugh (while watching their personal replays on their personal flat screen tee vees) and chirp, "yo, did you see what that crazy mo'f'n' Shef did?"

Gotta love it. I rather Sheff crushes a few dingers when they are needed.

FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY!!!

I have been awaiting this day since the last pitch of the World Series last year. Baseball is back! And, it is going to be better than ever for the Mets this year.

Today's game was a plus and a feather in the cap (next to the interlocked NY logo). Santana pitched good. A few too many walks, but everyone is rusty coming from the warm clime and then going to Cincy where rain pounded the city.

A few blunders in the Reds outfield made for a few laughs...but, don't sell these guys short. They have a good team with several solid positon players.

The bright spot of the day? In these eyes, was Daniel Murphy's HR. Look for more of them!

Back tomorrow...no Mets game, but I will be watching others.

Hey Ollie - WTF???

Ollie - (and his fans)...

Please remember you are a "throw in" in the Xavier Nady trade... That performance today was beyond horrendous. I'm scared if this is what we are in for this year.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spmbar0512622672apr04,0,1249809.story

Ahhhhhh, I can't write anymore.

Keep in Mind...It's CitiField - NOT shefFIELD

Where do we start? Today was the first time the Mets walked onto a new field. For those keeping score, they walked on the Polo Grounds for the first time in'62, Shea in '64 and CitiField in '09.

So it was nice to see a "win" over the Red Sox as Manuel did a tune up before Monday's opening day. I was offered two tickets to the game, but unfortunately was unable to make it out there due to a few previous unbreakable commitments. (All I know is productivity for half of Metropolitan New York will be at a diminished rate from 1:10 p.m. on April 6 until the last pitch is tossed -- I plan to partake!).

News today also hinges on the signing of Gary Sheffield. Now, we all know he's a problem boy - and that's why Detroit let him go eating $14 million (stimulus $$$$ -?) of that contract and one HR shy of 500. Is this the makings of a dented can sale?

Omar was on WFAN today and basically summed it up, there is little downside risk. He's being signed at the Major League minimum (boy, we'd all like to have that!). So if he produces, we bought low and (can we? sell high. If he flops, cut bait.

Story in the Star Ledger: http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2009/04/sheffield_can_help_this_team_n.html

Now, my 2 cents...not a fan of Sheffield, but I do believe he can help the team as a pinch hitter and as a late inning defensive replacement. Would I go out and buy a Sheffield jersey? Nah. Do I think he will be around next year? Nah. Is he going to be part of the franchise? Nah. But, we need live bats and Yah - he's got one. Not for average. Not for clutch - just power. We are still trying to decide whether CitiField is a pitcher's or a hitter's park...I am hoping offensively, a hitter's and defensively, a pitcher's.

That's all for now...back soon!