It would be trite to quote Charles Dickens to open up a blog post about the Mets.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Trite? Yeah. Accurate - partly.
This was no ordinary season. Far from it. The Oliver Tolerance/Intolerance capped off what was one of the most see-sawed of emotions for a Mets fan. The big burst of wins in April/June - with the ebb of many heartbreaking losses.
It seems to be that the day before the final season, there is a big hope. '07 - Maine almost pitched a no-no, then Glavine tanked it with that Godforsaken first inning. In '08, Santana pitched a gem and then they lost in their final game at Shea. Yesterday, a nice W. Today....Typical Ollie - Walks in the winning run in the 14th.
Stan Laurel used to say, "I'm Sorry Ollie." Stan, so are we....so are we.
Rumor has it we are going to be replacing Jerry and Omar. I want someone who will be a rainmaker and get the most from their players, much like Buck Showalter has done with the lackluster Orioles. Minaya, well, he was a genius when he came on board and got Pedro Martinez and a few other good veterans to come to town, but he got lackadaisical -- and so did many of the players.
There are a few bright spots for the future. Ike Davis has shown he can play. Lucas Duda looks like he may swing a good bat and propel the cowhide with the maple ash. The heroes on the team, it goes without saying - Angel Pagan, R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi. Unexpected icing. Bring them back. Thole looks like he will develop into a good catcher.
It remains to be seen what the lineup will look like but if the above players can mesh and get it together, they can turn a once bad nucleus into a nuclear bomb that produces Ws and gives other teams Agita.
Who should go? Ollie. Castillo. Beltran (yeah, I said it), Maine and a few more ignobles. Who should come? Well, a lot of players, but we need to jerryrig the management (and send Jerry Manuel to pasture) and get the Wilpons to open their pocketbook. There are a lot of good players that are under the radar that would be perfect. (Think of the Jeff Keppingers - a former Met - of the world.
It's just 107 days before catchers and pitchers report....Oh, Ollie, that doesn't include you.
Showing posts with label Angel Pagan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Angel Pagan. Show all posts
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Friday, June 05, 2009
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!
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!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wikked - We Beat the Sawx (Hearken Back to '86)
Like Gaul, this blog post will be divided in 3 parts...As far as drawing sequiturs between them, that's up to you -- I ain't the brains of this outfit - you are! (That's why you read UltiMETFan1969 with wreckless abandon).
So, first of all, I am not a fan of the Red Sox. Only players I really admired were Ted Williams and Carl Yaz (who was a relative of a late friend of mine, BJMZ). Tonight's victory was a symbol of a long rivalry and a triumph for all mankind. Going back to (I think) '06, the Sox swept the Mets in three. I still have not forgiven that!
Interesting stats...coming into this game, the Mets had ZERO Home runs on the road trip. That's hard to believe. HR's don't WIN games, but they are a catalyst...How are we going to fill the missing folks..Reyes out, Church looks like he may be out a day or two...and, Ramon Martinez? Puh-leeese...
Now the third part...as you know a good friend of mine, ML was a Mets fan in the Casey Stengel era. He and I have an instant message conversation maybe a few times a week relating to our fave team. Today, he sent me an interesting email, which he has allowed me to post...check it out....
If I could live through 40-120 I can certainly live through being a measly game and a half out of first place in May, after sleep-walking on the west coast.
Here is exactly what happens:
Murphy gets a glove from Wilson and learns to enjoy taking infield practice again. Amazingly, he snaps out of his slump.
Luis Castillo continues at a .280 clip and is solid as the two hitter. Jose Reyes returns in June, takes a minute, then gets hot as a firecracker in July, bouncing triples off the crazy angles at Gil Hodges/ Choo Choo Coleman Field
David Wright is David Wright. He and Shef become the clubhouse leaders. Remember the hug after home run 400? That was significant.
Carlos Delgado rests.Carlos Beltran never runs into another error where the ball drops in his area.
Ryan Church never misses another base and Angel Pagan is a better hitter than people give him credit.
Oliver Perez and Brian Schneider are traded to the Texas Rangers for an insurance infielder.
Sean Greene will be Fed Ex'ed to AAA Buffalo in early July and Dillon Gee gets his minutes.
Putz and KRod do their thing. By September 3rd, Billy Wagner is pleasantly effective as a middle relief man, augmenting Pedro Feliciano from the left hand side.
The Phillies lead the division by 9.5 games in early September. The Mets, channeling 1969, catch fire and catch them at the wire... in truly amazing fashion, in a pennant drive for the ages, forty years after catching and passing the Chicago Cubs.
Jerry Manuel is suddenly a genius.
You heard it here first.
So, wisdom of many! Let's go Mets!
So, first of all, I am not a fan of the Red Sox. Only players I really admired were Ted Williams and Carl Yaz (who was a relative of a late friend of mine, BJMZ). Tonight's victory was a symbol of a long rivalry and a triumph for all mankind. Going back to (I think) '06, the Sox swept the Mets in three. I still have not forgiven that!
Interesting stats...coming into this game, the Mets had ZERO Home runs on the road trip. That's hard to believe. HR's don't WIN games, but they are a catalyst...How are we going to fill the missing folks..Reyes out, Church looks like he may be out a day or two...and, Ramon Martinez? Puh-leeese...
Now the third part...as you know a good friend of mine, ML was a Mets fan in the Casey Stengel era. He and I have an instant message conversation maybe a few times a week relating to our fave team. Today, he sent me an interesting email, which he has allowed me to post...check it out....
If I could live through 40-120 I can certainly live through being a measly game and a half out of first place in May, after sleep-walking on the west coast.
Here is exactly what happens:
Murphy gets a glove from Wilson and learns to enjoy taking infield practice again. Amazingly, he snaps out of his slump.
Luis Castillo continues at a .280 clip and is solid as the two hitter. Jose Reyes returns in June, takes a minute, then gets hot as a firecracker in July, bouncing triples off the crazy angles at Gil Hodges/ Choo Choo Coleman Field
David Wright is David Wright. He and Shef become the clubhouse leaders. Remember the hug after home run 400? That was significant.
Carlos Delgado rests.Carlos Beltran never runs into another error where the ball drops in his area.
Ryan Church never misses another base and Angel Pagan is a better hitter than people give him credit.
Oliver Perez and Brian Schneider are traded to the Texas Rangers for an insurance infielder.
Sean Greene will be Fed Ex'ed to AAA Buffalo in early July and Dillon Gee gets his minutes.
Putz and KRod do their thing. By September 3rd, Billy Wagner is pleasantly effective as a middle relief man, augmenting Pedro Feliciano from the left hand side.
The Phillies lead the division by 9.5 games in early September. The Mets, channeling 1969, catch fire and catch them at the wire... in truly amazing fashion, in a pennant drive for the ages, forty years after catching and passing the Chicago Cubs.
Jerry Manuel is suddenly a genius.
You heard it here first.
So, wisdom of many! Let's go Mets!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The Tone Changes
So, I am a positive, upbeat person, but the way the Mets played early on this year, the only way to write about was to criticize, lament and try to prevent that tear from falling in your beer.
Today, the Mets took the Rockies again and extended their winning streak to 8. Hope is eternal. Delgado, whom I was willing to trade for a fungo bat and a few practice baseballs earlier in the year, has come around and is connecting. Fernando Tatis is the latest of Mets sensations which earlier in the year included Ryan Church and Angel Pagan. (side note, where IS Angel Pagan these days? Perhaps paling around with J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon? No one has mentioned him at all of late save for "he's on the DL.:
The asset the Mets have is that the underheralded players, a la Damon Easely and the aforementioned chaps in the preceding paragraph all have the capability to turn the game around. That is what makes baseball exciting.
We have to see what is up with Pedro after today's game. And, tomorrow, it is Pelfrey, under the lights on the night game. (wonder if CowBell Man is going to be at the game tomorrow?)
Today, the Mets took the Rockies again and extended their winning streak to 8. Hope is eternal. Delgado, whom I was willing to trade for a fungo bat and a few practice baseballs earlier in the year, has come around and is connecting. Fernando Tatis is the latest of Mets sensations which earlier in the year included Ryan Church and Angel Pagan. (side note, where IS Angel Pagan these days? Perhaps paling around with J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon? No one has mentioned him at all of late save for "he's on the DL.:
The asset the Mets have is that the underheralded players, a la Damon Easely and the aforementioned chaps in the preceding paragraph all have the capability to turn the game around. That is what makes baseball exciting.
We have to see what is up with Pedro after today's game. And, tomorrow, it is Pelfrey, under the lights on the night game. (wonder if CowBell Man is going to be at the game tomorrow?)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
