Hassidic Brew

Crappy title that has nothing to do with the blog post...just wrote it so I could wake up. What a disaster of a game.

I think the Mets DEFENSE is lacking big time - yesterday Argenis Reyes was never in the right place and a lot of balls were getting by the shortstop. Today, F-Mart has a horrendous gaffe in center field.

One thing that goes through my mind...remember Willie Randolph? Yeah. The guy before Jerry Manuel....Not many know where he wound up - yes. Still in baseball and a bench coach for the Brew Crew.

As you recall, he was fired at 3:00-something a.m. by an E-mail.

Wonder what is going through his mind now. Surely a few "I told you so" chuckles.

Gotta Be A Diehard Fan No Matter What

Over the last few weeks, my fellow fans have been (MYSELF INCLUDED) second-guessing rather than second-basing.

Tonight's game was just another in throwing the hands (and stomach contents) up in futility. There was a glimmer of hope in the 9th with 5 straight hits, but it never materialized. I got bit psyched when they had to resort to Trevor Hoffman. Don't think I am a Hoffman "fan" - it amused me that he had to get ready in a jiffy. Going from a 10-3 lead to 10-6...End result was egg on the face. 1 Pitch. 1 Double Play. 1 Game Ending. 1 Fan (me / you) coming back again tomorrow to watch.

Notes...This is a one liner, but what the hell were the Mets thinking letting Mark DeRosa slip away? He's a good lunchpail player. Cardinals got him for a song - like 2 notes.

SEE - I do have more than 1 reader!....A good friend of mine posted a comment about the loss yesterday..."I'm for taking up a collection: We need to get Jerry Manuel: a Berlitz guide to English, and a truck load of ACTIVIA (win or lose) just to get through a postgame without freaking my ears out."We need to catch somebody on a bad day..." WTF?

See Ya At The Ball Park

3rd Game v. Yankees

Tough to watch. Mets should "OWN" Chien-Mien Wang. As I write this, he is outpitching Livan. Not that Livan is Cy Young timbre, but when Wang's ERA is higher (or so it seems) than Livan's real age, and your team isn't clobbering him, there needs to be some righting of the ship.

Brewers tomorrow. Glad to get back to regular baseball. Interleague is the Three-Card-Monty of all sports.

A Picture is Worth 1 Hit (Well, That's all the Mets Were Able to Muster Against the Yankees

A 1-hit shutout to our cross town rivals.

Ugh.

Saw a graphic that was haunting. (I may be off by 2-3 on each range, but you will get the idea)...Mets his 26 HR at CitiField since opening day. Opponents - 36.

What's wrong with this picture.

Everything.

This team reminds me a bit of the scab football (and baseball) players during the strike many years ago.

What's In A Name? (Uhhh...Not Much, Especially if it's Elmer)

When I was a kid, a good friend of mine (full disclosure, also a Mets fan, but this is unrelated -- Until now) told me that historically, kids named "Elmer" never succeed.

His theory became correct tonight, at least for Elmer Dessens. Who? My point exactly. Serves about 20 pitches, two of them reached the seats and 3 runs came home.

Granted, Yanks C.C. Sabathia pitched a gem, but Jerry Manuel needs to evaluate putting in low-experienced -- (just typed the word talent and erased it) arms against a tough team. Actually, Dessens does have experience...traveling -- as he has had short stints with many teams.

I'm happy with taking one of the three games.

RedBirds Migrating South

I had the pleasure today of securing a tough ticket and getting a chance to see Johan Santana v. Chris Carpenter at CitiField. In the beginning, Santana looked - eh. Plus the umpire's strike zone was a bit suspect. Cards took an early lead and then the Mets came alive. No home runs (surprised?) but the air was on the electric side as fans were pumped. Omir Santos is becoming a favorite as is Nick Evans.

Pujols, the best player in the game today was virtually shut down. I thought it was interesting to see K-Rod get six strikes on the first six pitches he threw, then appeared to pitch around Pujols. Smart idea considering down by 1 run in the 9th.

The team is turning the corner and it's time to beat up the boys from da bronx.

"I Don't Think You Do" - This is a POSITIVE Headline - Read On....

The headline of this blog sort of sounds pessimistic - but, if we are playing Jeopardy! the question is "What did Jerry Manuel reply when asked if you take Fernando Nieve out of the line-up.

It has been three starts and he has pitched brilliantly. Tonight, a shut-out performance and keeping the first place Cardinals at bay is no easy task. I know it seems odd that Nieve was a cast-off, but Oliver Perez got more chances that Steve Howe did with his problems. Let's put Ollie out to pasture. (Heck, they did it with Duaner Sanchez whom they messed the whole dynamic of the team with back in 06).

Tonight's game was a milestone win. A confidence booster and one the team should be proud of. The stat that jumped out to me was 8 for 13 with runners in scoring position. Usually when we see these stats as of late, or, **Gulp** bases loaded, the numbers are anemic. How anemic? Mario Mendoza-like.

Welcome back to Nick Evans, who was a reclamation project. He went 7-for-75 in the minors before a fete of hitting. Hope its contagious.

Fernando, I hope you keep your momentum and poise - and keep winning.

Tomorrow its a matinee - Santana and Chris Carpenter. I'm there!

It Ain't In the Cards - That is, With Mets Shuffled Line Up To Beat Pujols...

I opened my mouth (too wide, too boastful) in the elevator today...saw a Mets fan and three Cardinal fans and asked them if they were prepared to lose tonight. They said no. They held their ground - Joe Piniero held the Mets bats in silence.

I got a very interesting email today from a good friend, Mister Earl (some may call him Speedo). He has been a fan since Casey Stengel trotted out to the mound at the Polo Grounds to check on 20-game loser, Al Jackson.

Here goes...interesting points...(this was written before the Cards game tonight and I did not adjust any numbers)

Anyone who does not enjoy watching how these underdog replacement Mets battle (only 1.5 out of first despite all the injuries, drama and human error) is just bitter about the past.

These Mets are unpredictable, fun, gritty and tenacious. A no-name like Omir Santos is more lovable and more clutch than Paul LoDuca ever was.

Alex Cora plays with his finger in a splint.

The butcher of left field, Daniel Murphy, is our new first baseman. Fernando Martinez is about 3 years away from his first shave...Luis Castillo turns boos into cheers because he has heart and does not avoid the glare of the reporters lights. David Wright either strikes out or hits a frozen rope. I have no problem with that.

Jerry Manuel is cool and crazy at the same time. A perfect fit for the improvisational strategy that is required to make guys work through mistakes and make the players believe they still have a job to do.

Ryan Church is seeing clearly now and reminds me of Fred Lynn.

Gary Sheffield was supposed to be washed up, too old and a clubhouse cancer. That toughness is not materializing from thin air. If Lenny Dykstra was nails, Shef is an industrial strength locking bolt.

Omar is shuffling guys like a dealer at a Las Vegas table. Even Sean Green looks like he's figured it out. Mike Parnell is on the clock. All our pitchers from Venezuela (Santana, Rodriguez and even Nieve) are the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Win or lose... I love dese freakin' guys

We Gave The Birds The Bird

Going into tonight's game, well, I thought we were going to have to OD on Alka Seltzer...but the fizz was in the Mets bats (Omir Santos, Luis Castillo) and legs - good running efforts and aggressiveness by Razor Shines.

On WFAN today Mike Francessa (rhymes with incessant) kept talking about how the team that was fielded for the starting line-up had 10 less home runs that Albert Pujols. Mr. F, I will be happy to remove the egg from your face.

Omir Santos faced the St. Louis hurlers with no fear going 4 for 4 -- here's a stat to ponder, he only saw 8 pitches tonight.

Luis Castillo made a bold run home and challenged (barely beat the tag) of Rick Ankiel's arm.

Cardinals are a tough team and then the next stop is the Yankees. (Oh, enough of Interleague). Personally, I would say today's game was a turn back the clock (2005-07) when the Mets played with a lot of hustle every night. Beltran's trip to the DL isn't pleasant, but everything came together and they rallied.

On paper, with their top starters, the Mets are the best. But the paper has been crumbled with the loss of Beltran, Reyes, Delgado...Putz....etc.

Twas A Ray Day (Again)

Didn't get a chance to watch much of this contest today - save for the first inning, but when I got back and looked at the box score...I just had to reach for the Pepcid.

Another game blown by the bullpen and this is something like 1-7 over the last several occasions where the starters weren't able to go the distance.

I know we exorcised the spirits of Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoenweis away, but this is bad. Wright put some wood on the ball and IRONICALLY, the Mets gave up only two walks. One from Takahashi (kind of expected) and one from Felciano - who has been a tad overused.

Meanwhile the Rays gave 5 free passes, yet the Mets would go home 4 runs shy.

The good news is that Interleague play is over *GULP* until next week's series with the Yankees.

I am wondering now if CitiField is built over an ancient Indian Burial Ground...hard to hit a home run there. Hey, BJ Upton has been quite effective..why not consider him for next year.

Santana - Mets Bats Defying the Laws of Physics - Runs

Another Santana starts, another game where the Mets bats seems to go Rip Van Winkle...3 hits, 3 doubles total. 1 Run.

Usually when the ace takes the mound, the bats are alive....There was some hustle in the game, but the breaks didn't go the right way. A rain delay...well....that's not cool.

I'm beginning to like Omir Santos...slowly I think he's rounding into the everyday catcher.

Speaking of promising players, let's revisit Fernando Nieve...A good friend of mine had the following quip (and he has been a fan since he was a kid in '62):

The Natural.Fans are missing a great comeback story in Fernando Nieve. Drafted as a skinny 170 pound prodigy at 16 who struggles through a roller coaster of expectations and false starts the minors as property of the Astros, Nieve is claimed by Minaya and gets an opportunity to finally get it right, 50 pounds heavier at 220 and more mature.At only 26, he shows signs of maturity and confidence to step into a pennant race. Stay tuned.

He's got a point~

Nieve Snowed The Rays

Are we on to something? Is Fernando Nieve for real? I hope so. His performance tonight was stellar - 6 innings, 1 run. Seems like they haven't figured him out yet. Maybe he's our version of Cliff Lee? Minors one year - solid performance the next.

One wonders if the Mets acted to quickly by cutting Ron Villone, Freddy Garcia and maybe one or two others from Spring Training.

In any event, the victory was warranted and Schneider and Church did some good offensive damage.

Let's keep our eyes open with Fernando. And, the quartet of Green, Feliciano, Parnell and K-Rod seem to be effective.

Mid afternoon game tomorrow!

He HUFFed and He Puffed and He Blew OUR House Down

Second Straight Night Aubrey Huff invoked damage on the Mets.

Going into the 9th, when K-Rod loaded the bases, we all knew it was ALLLLL Over. The Mets rallied a few times and had good moments, but the Birdseye view (from my couch) wasn't that great. (Not to be a fair weather fan, it would have been stellar if they won).

Many have heard me praise Aubrey Huff - Now it's time for the Mets to get their nemesis, make him an ally (and a nemesis to other NL teams).

Livan once again had a no decision. Is that good? No.

Tomorrow its the Rays...I haven't looked at the sked lately, (Cardinals next week) but the Rays who were once a carpet are now a red carpet. Something to look at.

Mets better not LOOK at them, but rather play them well.

Mets are the Statues for the Birds

Sometimes you are the bird (Orioles), sometimes the statue (Mets) and you know what birds do to statues?

Mets weren't bad tonight - however, I HOPE Omar Minaya is scouting players for next year -- or for that matter, later this year.

Take Aubrey Huff - (yeah, I know I mentioned him a few times before here) - he can clock the ball a bit and is still young enough to be productive.

Can Pedro Felciano be blamed for the loss tonight? Sure. If you want, but let's face it, he was in the last 7 of 9 games. He has a good ERA and tough to hit....What else? Nick Markakis did well tonight and I can see this kid going places....Jose Reyes Return? I heard "Around the All Star Break." This is going to be tough.

A good friend (former business client) gave me a boost today when he said he thought the Mets could come back and win the pennant. Gotta like friends like that!

Squeeeek.

I didn't get a chance to SEE the game, but heard the last inning or so on the radio and it sounded like K-Rod may not have been that invincible. He was lucky to get these guys out as he hit the heart of the order and these guys bring wood.

Good to rebound after a day's rest.

Leakings in the press were that Santana had a bit of knee trouble. In the pre-game comments, that was news to Santana too.

Love the press. To quote Jim Bouton in Ball Four, "Consider the Source."

On The Eve....30 Years Ago - Mets-Orioles - NOT to be Missed....June 15,2009 - Mets / Orioles --- TO Be Missed

I was just puttering around some baseball stats and happenings and pondered that 30 years ago, the hottest ticket around was the 1969 World Series where the Mets were playing the vaunted Baltimore Orioles. Brooks Robinson...Jim Palmer...Boog Powell...Dave McNally and the list goes on.

Tomorrow, the Mets begin a series with the O's in interleague play. Both teams are struggling to win. The O's have some good players and I hope Omar Minaya will be in attendance to scout a few. Aubrey Huff, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, Brian Roberts - I would welcome any of these guys to the Mets. The two teams have a history of doing some trading/dealing...John Maine, Kris Benson and a few others come to mind.

I doubt the series between the two will have the word "World"next to it come October. (Hope I'm wrong - hell, I'm a blogger, of course I'm wrong!). But it would be good to see some recovery and an upward momentum like we had earlier this year.

Saying this out loud as I type: LET's GO METS!

Interesting Date - June 15...Checking BaseballReference.com, look at some of the interesting things that happened. Ironically, only two games are being played today...

1902 - Corsicana defeated Texarkana 51 - 3 in a Texas League game. Nig Clarke of Corsicana took advantage of the small park and hit eight home runs. Some telegraph operators, thinking there was a mistake, reported the score as 5 - 3.

1938 - Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds stunned the baseball world by pitching his second successive no-hitter in five days, defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers, 6 - 0, as Brooklyn played the first night game ever at Ebbets Field. In front of 38,748 fans, including spectator Babe Ruth, Vander Meer struck out seven and walked eight, including three one-out walks in the ninth inning. A force at home and a fly ball ended the game. Vander Meer no-hit the Boston Braves, 3 - 0, on June 11.

1949 - Eddie Waitkus of the Philadelphia Phillies was shot by 19-year-old Ruth Steinhagen at Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel. She will later be placed in a mental hospital. Waitkus battled for his life and came back to play the following season.

White Flag Up....We Surrender....Please Invoke the 10 Run Rule During a ShutOut

If Nancy Pelosi mentions waterboarding one more time, I am going to make her watch the last 10 Mets losses. WE have been waterboarded and tortured with horrible play (AND luck).

In all of my years as a diehard fan, today's game was one of the hardest to watch...In fact, I could only watch the first few innings. If it was a rainy day, I would have stayed in, but it was so sunny that I decided to go outdoors.

Johan was off his game and allowing 9 runs was uncharacteristic of his performance, but, as you have also witnessed, the Mets defense has been terrible. (Worse than that - BELOW suck level).

Heard a stat that said something like the Mets team average with bases loaded was .111. That is anemic. It makes Bobby Sands look like Walter Hudson.

First, I have not been a proponent of extended interleague play. This isn't new, it was blogged about last year. Maybe one series against a rival and then another 3 game series is OK, but it's old now.

My hat goes off to the Yankees...they played well and showed class by sitting some of the stars and giving the B squad a shot.

What's next for the Mets? A serious overhaul. Here's a quick, down and dirty shooting from the hip who they should acquire to help the team....Who do you give up? Doubt anyone wants walking wounded....

P - Cliff Lee
C - Keep Omir ...
1B - Aubrey Huff
2B - Mark DeRosa
SS - If Reyes doesn't return, maybe Edgar Reneteria? I dunno
3B - Wright Stays
OF - Ben Zobrist, Eric Byrnes (he'd do good in NYC) and I like this kid on the O's - Nolan Reimold.
Manager - Hmmmmm - Dusty Baker? I was a fan of his before the Mets went with Art Howe.

I know the list above isn't the be-all, end-all, but it sure feels good being a GM on a Sunday night.

Day off tomorrow (oh, and today wasn't???)....Let's see what transpires as we move forward.

Keith Hernandez basically summed it up. "Throw out today's loss. It is easier to take than the Castillo pop-up-drop."

Ramblings...We need a modern day version of the Reverend Herbert Redmond of Brooklyn's St. Francis Roman Catholic Church who told his flock in 1955 when the great G.H. was slumping...."It's far too hot for a homily. Keep the Commandments and say a prayer for Gil Hodges." It's a shame NYC's new Cardinal is a Cardinals (or Brewers?) fan.

This Crazy Game Called Baseball

Logic.

Throw it out the window, and when it lands on the street, pounce up and down on it like there is no tomorrow.

Who would have ever thought that a Houston Astros castoff in Spring training would tame the Yankees and keep them at bay? Even the folks who are addicted to picking longshots would have hopped off that bet if you GAVE it to them.

Nevertheless, Fernando Nieve, another in the long line of Mets obscure fill-ins made us believers. Held Jeter, A-Rod and co to a mere four hits, and conversely, the Flushing Ferocious Mets clubbed 17 hits...count em...thats a lot...about doubled their average.

One thing that kind of irked me watching the game on TV there wasn't any loud cheering. I mean, this is a bigger rivalry than Coke and Pepsi....than Vanilla vs. Chocolate, Scuffy vs. Pinebrook. Surely the fans could have risen to the occasion. Maybe I'm just to passionate about baseball. (I hope I'm judged that way by my peers and enemies). If that's the case, then I am going to be making some noise at the ballpark...Cheer the team on peeps, we need to rally and get over the Castro Catastrophe.

Tomorrow, we are gonna get ya A.J. Burnett....WATCH OUT!

Luis Castillo's New Photo

Plain and simple, Castillo is a goat. To give up all the Mets worked for, and succeeded, to lose it in the 9th, to make a fundamental error. Unacceptable.

Taking the lead from the Yankees three times - no one will remember.

Beltran getting on base four times and working through 36 pitches. Forgotten. Ryan Church's 3 RBIs. Really?

Joba struggling to get a strike (and the Mets getting many on by walks)...zzzzzzzzzzzzz

It all comes down to a goat-warranted easy out blunder. Sure, there were two men on base, but this was enough.

OK Omar, now, the philosophical question...What was wrong with Orlando Hudson? (So you don't have to look it up, Castillo is presently batting .277 to Hudson's .307).

The team, despite my ranting, played valiantly, but no one exalts in a loss.

Phillies 2009 = Mets of Late 80s

Too good to be true. Mets leading by several runs..Redding pitching nice. Then, Takahashi, the 40 year old rookie (Couldnt they have waited at least ONE more year?) comes in and gives it all up. (Sadly, he didn't get the loss, though he should have).



The stat that wraggled me was that the Phillies have 20 (YAH, Twenty) come from behind wins this year. That means with 35Ws they were only leading in 15 of these games. Good rallying, wrong team.

Was Cole Hamels right this past winter? I don't want to answer that now -- would rather wait till there are definitive stats, but Jerry needs to make a shakeup.

It ain't all doom and gloom...its just a matter of being outscored.

Parnell Spills It (Phils Win It)

Cole Hamels gets battered for 11 hits and 4 runs....what happens next, you would expect a win for the Mets?

Yeah, you know the drill.

I'm just speechless....they were doing so well and it feels like as you are about to get a birthday cake, someone comes in and steps in it (barefoot, no less). There go the candles, there goes the W.

A former co-worker set me straight - told me to be happy to take 2 of 3 and not be greedy.

Here's the box score...you may curse when you see Parnell giving up the gopher to Utley.
http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=290610121

And, On June 9, CitiField Was Transformed Into a Band Box

Prior to the game I was listening to WFAN and the talk was about how hard it was to hit HRs in CitiField...Mike Francessa was blabbering stats comparing the Yankees having 90+ and the Mets only 34 in their respective new parks.

Then the talk got into "if Wright played at Yankee Stadium, he'd have more than the three he has now."

Lots of moot points.

But, tonight, the CitiField law(s) of Physics were altered as 7 Wall Balls occurred. 4 by the Phils, 3 by the Mets..wanna know what was more miraculous? The Mets showed heart the whole way and KRod shut them down.

Please, I hope this is THE turning point. I haven't thrown in the towel.

Seatbelts, HERE...Getcha Seatbelts

Fans, fellow friends, Mets followers...Tonight I was going to write about WHO the Mets should get at each position as either a back-up or full time player, but it got late and my brain feels like the Mets have been playing, so I will spare ye lone reader.

All I have to say is buckle up for the next few...it's going to be a doozy.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ to W

I think I figured out a simple way for the Mets to win. All I gotta do is take a nap.

This morning I did a 35 mile bike ride, ran a few errands and at about 1:28 p.m. (game time, 1:30, closed my eyes while the Mets game started. A mere 28 minutes later upon awakening, the score was 5-0. The team continued the momentum. And, I am glad for that.

We Mets fans have been suffering like the Dow...a 400 point loss, a 25 point gain, a 300 point loss, a $20 gain...etc.

Never did I ever think that beating the Washington Nationals (remember, folks, these were once known as the lowly Expos -- the place that has the ill fitting roof or such in their former stadium....(looks like it was the Mets that caved before the roof).

An anecdote I once heard about actor Wayne Knight (Newman in Seinfeld) had various jobs in his life...one was as a private investigator. What he goes on to describe, reminds me of how it feels to beat crappy teams: "One assignment I had to was to trail a man with a three-legged dog -- that's when I knew I had to do something else."

Day off tomorrow, but I heard the Mets announcers say that coming up, the Mets will be playing teams with winning records (save for the Pirates and one other) until the All-Star break. Time to get serious. AGAIN.

WasherWomanRantings (well, ME)... Don't you wish the following players were still back with the team...Mo Vaughn, Bret Saberhagen, Kenny Rogers, Mike Hampton? Aw right... I didn't mean that...

WTF? - NO, Not What You Think It Stand7-s For (But It Should)

Where are the Fundamentals?

I admit, I turned this game on late -- bottom of the first and saw a 3-0 score. I was astonished. Had the game on a bit, ran a mini errand, came back, 7-0, and their "ACE" was throwing a 1-hitter.

Is there any difference between the '62 Mets and the '09 Mets? YES....Emil Brown (whoever he is) probably makes more in one season that the entire club did then. At least with the '62 team....AHHHHH I'm just gonna bag it here and go to bed.

NY TIMES Headline: "Mets Lose Putz for 10-12 Weeks" ---OK, What I Want To Know is How Is He Going to Pee?

Some players lead the league in hits, some in home runs, others in triples. The Mets are leading the majors in an unenviable category...no, not hit batsmen, nor is it high ERA, but rather Men on the DL. For position players, it means we won't be seeing the likes of Reyes, Delgado, Church, Ramon Martinez and Angel Pagan...for pitchers, these arms are on the shelves: JJ Putz, Oliver Perez and Billy Wagner. If you are counting, that's 8.

Latest victim is the much ballyhooed JJ Putz. If you recall I did a post about pronouncing his name a mere few days ago. Last year, same thing, his season was curtailed, while in 07, he was unhittable.

Ben Shpigel chronicles the injury and adds a few good observations in his article with the headline that is going to have many a truck driver blushing, "Mets Lose Putz for 10-12 Weeks"

Ironic that tonight's win against the Nationals (interjection here - NO one seemed to be at the game tonight - looked like it was fans of the Ebola disease who showed up - uh, not many) that the Mets rallied and won.

We are all guilty of analyzing each play, each game, each win, each loss. Just glad the team showed heart.

Carlos Beltran said the other day about the loss to the Pirates, in essence, both teams put out fields of healthy men. 'Cept many of these Mets never played with each other, let alone against a bad team.

Jerry - more infield practice! Call for it!

Pirates Make Pelfrey Walk The Plank

Disgusting sloppy game.

I don't know what's up or why no one is hitting or scoring or fielding or pitching. Pelfrey looked TERRIBLE...He choked....looked like he swallowed that old mouthpiece.

How do you lose 3 games to the Pirates? My 9 credits in philosophy can't even address this. (Isn't there a school of philosophy that proves things don't exist? -- help me find it and erase these 3 losses).

Last year I went to a day game against the Bucs at Shea and the Mets lost like 13-3. Fans were leaving around the 4th inning...

NY Times Game Coverage (Barf Bags are to the left). http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/sports/baseball/05mets.html?hpw

No Spahn. No Sain. But Glad We Got Rain

Tonight's contest was rained out. But the landscape tomorrow afternoon should be a bit interesting as the Bucs lost some clout in McLouth who is now heading towards TedTurnerville.

I think all parties were happy for nature's way of stepping in and calling time-out.

I would love to see some of the big names come back soon. Bugs Bunny was right - you CAN'T tell the players without a scorecard. And, for some of these replacements, you can't tell em how to play baseball.

I don't want to sound old, but fundamentals should be brought back.

Pirates SHOULD Be the Pyrites

The team out in Pittsburgh is one of the weakest, EXCEPT when they play the Mets. The word Pirate conjures a tough warrior, but the term Pittsburgh in front of it conjures up Pyrite the flaky mineral.

I dunno what to say...the REAL Mets must come back....unless they were hijacked by Somali Pirates?

Meet me half way and win the next two.

Dictionary Quiz - How Do You Define and Pronounce "Putz"

Well, there are two ways. If you get everyone out and quell the opposition in the seventh, eighth, and, when needed in the ninth, it's simple...."pootz"

BUT, if you get in a game against the second to last place, oh-so-woeful Pittsburgh Pirates (no slander meant there to my good friend, D.G. who is a huge Bucs fan...by the way, D.G. who is in the insurance biz, do you have a policy for the Pirates winning?) - and give up 4 hits, three earned runs, a walk and no K and not even recording an out, then the pronunciation is like it is spelled P-U-T-Z (Check the validity here via dictionary.com)

We all knew this would happen, that J.J. would be throwing J.unk, J.unk and get pounded during one outing at some point. ALL relief pitchers implode at one juncture or another.

Going from 5-0, to 5-3 (Livan pitched good, I thought) and then 8-5, something is askew.

For those who want to work on their gagging reflex, here's the box score. Games like these come back and haunt. Mets, you gotta be Ghost (er, Pirate)-Busters. Get the next two!