“It’s wonderful to meet so many friends that I didn’t used to like.” Casey Stengel
Here’s what you missed on Wednesday, July 15, 2009:
- This Day In Mets Infamy With Rusty 7-15-09 by rustyjr
- Morning Open Thread by CaseStreet
- Pedro is a Philly…What do i do with my Pedro Jersey?? by dirtysanchez
- How to get the Mets Movitated For The Second Half by dirtysanchez
- Mets in the Papers by CaseStreet
- Pedro Martinez Press Conference by CaseStreet
- The Dirty Scoop: Huff for a Scruff by trs86
- Angel In The Infield by GravediggerHebner
You got something to say? Say it on The Real Dirty Mets Blog!
50 comments
stickguy
7/16/2009-8:49am at 8:49 am (UTC -4)
Good times. Baseball (real games that count) is back!
Come on, and admit it. Even the depressed crowd that has written off the season (if not the next generation) missed seeing games.
Fresh start baby. They haven’t lost in a week, right? We are in the home stretch to the trade deadline, so pretty soon there will some fresh faces on the team, and hopefully some better play!
Now, let’s just see if Berroa (still don’t understand why, but c’est la vie!) can lead them to a miraculous comeback.
17-10 over the next 27 against the softer teams. No problem, right?
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-8:55am at 8:55 am (UTC -4)
well, they are well rested now and should put up a decent fight until the reserves come back. I still think this team can get teh job done..obviously with some help from the DL squad and stuff but what im really looking for in the second half is an improvment in defense and funtimentals. Also jerrys teams perform better in the second half so thats something to keep an eye on too.
stickguy
7/16/2009-9:02am at 9:02 am (UTC -4)
Jerry. Man, what a buzz kill Dirty. Thanks.
j/k dude.
stickguy
7/16/2009-9:03am at 9:03 am (UTC -4)
come to think of it, not j/k. Jerry really is a buzz kill!
Joe R
7/16/2009-9:15am at 9:15 am (UTC -4)
Lets Go Mets!! Here we go. I guess a realistic approach would be in my mind, and obviously give or take a few games, I would say if we manage to not drop anymore than we are now in the next
2-2 1/2 weeks maybe hope will surface. This of course is counting on both Beltran and Reyes back in the lineup every day with ZERO setbacks!! If Reyes is still a month away and Beltran continues to battle this knee issue I dont see this team holding on. They did a decent job of holding on minus the last week and a half of the first half where we were 1 back going into Philly. In basically a week it went from 1 back to 6 1/2. A little depressing but oh well.
So basically imo we need pretty much everything to work out PERFECTLY to have a realistic shot. That includes Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, and I will throw Putz in there coming back as scheduled and, sad to say, producing at a high level.
What also goes sort of under the radar due to the offensive struggles and will be a HUGE part is our starting pitching. I dont care if we get all our players back, if we pitch like we did the last month or so we are going no where, no matter how many runs we score. Pelfrey needs to pitch like a number 3, which is fair, because imo he’s not a number 2 at this point. Maine needs to come back and pitch like he is capable of. Livan….ugh idk.
So imo if all this goes as planned and Johan has his typical second half we will see post season ball!!!! A lot to ask considering nothing has gone right, so a complete 180 may be alot to ask. YA GOTTA BELIEVE!!
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-9:21am at 9:21 am (UTC -4)
I agree…ALOT has to go our way this half adn i think it will. Philly is the hunted, not the hunter this year and i think the pressure will get to them.
darknova306
7/16/2009-9:31am at 9:31 am (UTC -4)
I doubt the Phillies are going to fold under the pressure. How’d they look under the pressure of playing in the WS? Those players are winners and our guys have shown nothing but ineptitude when it matters.
I don’t see Pedro doing much for them, but they’ll still probably go back out and get another pitcher. If they do that, we’re pretty much toast regardless.
Suffice to say I have little confidence going into the second half. Prove me wrong, Mets!
stickguy
7/16/2009-9:37am at 9:37 am (UTC -4)
agreed that the Phils aren’t going to have a problem with confidence. If the Mets are to catch them, it will be due to their pitching issues, or them getting injuries.
Just don’t bank on picking up games because they panic when they see headlights in the rear view mirror!
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-9:51am at 9:51 am (UTC -4)
based on what? What makes everyone so confortable that the phillies will succeed in a situation they have never been in. Yes they played in the WS and thats a different kind of pressure than trying to hold onto post season play. In the WS you leave everything on the field as there is no tomorrow. During the season…anything can happen and the way they have kept everyone in the division in teh race, they will not have the luxury of resting players or going “all out” because they have to keep some reserves for the post season fight. If the phillies were as good as everyone thinks they are..we should be 12 back and burried. We are only 6.5 back with 2 months left to play…pressure is on the phills.
stickguy
7/16/2009-9:58am at 9:58 am (UTC -4)
I didn’t say they were an awesome team, or that they didn’t have issues. Plus, they have tended to be streakyover the lst couple of years.
SO sure, they can be caught, but based on performance when it counted (must win situations), they don’t seem to fold under pressure.
ANd I disagree about the pressure. The team that is 6.5 back and fading has the pressure, not the one with the big lead!
Joe R
7/16/2009-10:27am at 10:27 am (UTC -4)
Agreed and we all saw what they did the last 2 years. Yes maybe you can argue there wasnt pressure on them ,since we were the favorites, until they got within a few games with a few to play but they still delievred and won.
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-11:25am at 11:25 am (UTC -4)
as most of mets fans have already thrown in the towel, the pressure is on the phillies to not put a mets in 07. Why is the pressure on us if most of the fan base has already quit on the team with 2 months left in the season?
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-9:41am at 9:41 am (UTC -4)
the reason why i think they might fold under the pressure is the month of june. We only had 9 wins in the whole month of june and on july 1st we were only 2 games out of 1st. Dont you think the team that people portray the phillies to be would have ran away with the division already and burried us. They have let the marlins..THE MARLINS to stay in it and they could potentially be leading the nl east by next week. So yes i dont think philly is as good as people make them out to be and i think they are feeling a different kind of pressure than they felt in the WS.
I have confidence going into the second half..i still think we have a reasonable shot to get the job done imo.
darknova306
7/16/2009-10:02am at 10:02 am (UTC -4)
I don’t think it was pressure that did them in last month. June was brutal to them because their pitching was a mess. They’re starting to make moves for pitching, Lidge is back and looks better than he did in June, and the Marlins (in my opinion only) are better than you give them credit for.
This actually seems erily (sp?) similar to June of 2007. We seemingly couldn’t win a game, but the competition behind us was just as inept, so the lead didn’t really increase or decrease much. Let’s hope the Phillies have the same end that we had in 07… but I really don’t see that as terribly likely.
I think the real pressure is on us to stay close enough in the race until we start to get healthy.
stickguy
7/16/2009-10:02am at 10:02 am (UTC -4)
THey played lousy in June becasue Ibanez was out, the pitching was erratic, and the offense sputtered a bit.
Not sure how any of that translates to feeling “pressure”
If anything (and this is based on some quotes from the team), they might have underperformed a bit due to “anti-pressure” That is, they got too relaxed and comfortable (remind anyone of a certain other team we all know and mostly love?)
So, I guess we will see if they get get serious and turn it on, or start getting tight and spit the bit.
Just finishing a 9-1 homestand (with all that pressure of a lousy home record hanging over them) might give a window into whether the pressure is getting to them.
Joe R
7/16/2009-10:29am at 10:29 am (UTC -4)
True and what pressure are we TALKING about here lol? Can we get to a game behind them in September before we talk about pressure and the Phils!! Until we do so the pressure is on us.
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-11:42am at 11:42 am (UTC -4)
i disagree..the marlins are right on their coat tails. Maybe its me but philly is in no means a dominant team. They have holes, just like we do. We will begin to close up our holes soon and keep in mind, we are getting fresh players for the stretch while philly will have their season long players that are tired with all the stress of actually pitching to their numbers(unlike 07/08). Pressure is on them because the Mets will make a run at them..you can bank on that.
darknova306
7/16/2009-11:56am at 11:56 am (UTC -4)
When are we getting these fresh players? Do any of them have a timetable right now? I know Delgado is hitting off a tee and Reyes is gimping his way through agility drills, but is there really an expectation that we start getting these guys back soon enough to matter?
wannybackstra
7/16/2009-12:01pm at 12:01 pm (UTC -4)
Reyes will be back as soon as cortisone injections are approved by the FDA for daily usage.
I’m skeptical of any player’s health when their “improvement” coincides with a cortisone injection. See Putz, J.J.
Sure, his symptoms (pain) is treated by the cortisone but the injury is not.
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-12:14pm at 12:14 pm (UTC -4)
I dont really like the cortizone shot remedy but the reality is they will come back eventually. Delgado supposidly is early august, Maine end of june, tron/reyes early august, putz/wagner in september. We are only two weeks away from the end of july and begining of august and thats when we will start to get our guys back. Philly needs to win in order to keep its lead on us and im sorry im not convinced they can do it consistantly.
darknova306
7/16/2009-12:16pm at 12:16 pm (UTC -4)
Exactly, and we don’t need Reyes playing with an injury that could get worse while sucking down cortizone. Let him heal absolutely 100%, even if it means shutting him down until next season. Not worth risking an important part of the offense to try and make an improbable run this year.
Cortizone injections typically directly precede DL stints, or so I’ve seen this season.
Joe R
7/16/2009-9:53am at 9:53 am (UTC -4)
I agree. I havent seen any evidence of the Phils folding or caving under the pressure. Listen if we are hoping that we are going to be 7 out with 17 to go and they will fold like we did 2 years in a row….um….I doubt it. So unless they consistently really play bad the whole second half it will be tough to catch them…not impossible…but realistically tough. This is why I feel if we fall the next two weeks or some of our guys arent back I feel we are finished. Im not counting on a month or month and a half of nearly flawless ball to catch them. So in order for us to take the division we need to play solid, near perfect fundamental ball, get our guys back soon and they must produce, and this MUST BEGIN TONIGHT!! There are only 2 1/2 months left and if we think the next month or so we can “tread water” until we make the miraculous 1 month push lol I dont see us winning squat.
It begins now and I hope Jerry has changed his tune and relays this message to whatever lineup he puts on the field.
prismo
7/16/2009-9:56am at 9:56 am (UTC -4)
Jerry has no problem changing his tune.
Zing!
Joe R
7/16/2009-10:22am at 10:22 am (UTC -4)
Haha! Very true
CaseStreet
7/16/2009-9:27am at 9:27 am (UTC -4)
I agree Joe. The pitching has to resume pitching well. It’d be nice to have our 5 starters all back and on point.
Joe R
7/16/2009-9:46am at 9:46 am (UTC -4)
Yes…it really was the perfect storm the first half. Every year since forever I have been concerned about the starting pitching and every year they prove me wrong except this year when we needed them the most lol Amazing!
mrbill
7/16/2009-10:09am at 10:09 am (UTC -4)
The starting rotation is not good enough this year. The only one we can count on is Santana and he’s had problems too.
Joe R
7/16/2009-10:24am at 10:24 am (UTC -4)
What if Maine and Perez start to deliver like they once did, and OH dare I say LIKE THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO!!!
CaseStreet
7/16/2009-10:51am at 10:51 am (UTC -4)
i think we’re due for some really good pitching.
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
I think we are due for a playoff appearance! lol
mrbill
7/16/2009-11:11am at 11:11 am (UTC -4)
We are OVERDUE…
darknova306
7/16/2009-12:00pm at 12:00 pm (UTC -4)
We got the playoff appearance we were due for in 06. We’ll be due again sometime around 2013-14.
There's Always '09
7/16/2009-1:18pm at 1:18 pm (UTC -4)
Dark,
You are now world famous. Saw you post something on thetropolitans.com. It was aired on SNY during Mets Weekly and they showed a thread that you commented on.
Congratulations!
metsfan4decades
7/16/2009-10:02am at 10:02 am (UTC -4)
I agree also. It’s all going to come down to pitching with the Mets.
mrbill
7/16/2009-10:07am at 10:07 am (UTC -4)
Starting tonight with Perez…. LOL
The mets do not have the pitching to compete for the playoffs. And if this was the only problem it would be one thing but, they also have offense and defense issues.
Joe R
7/16/2009-10:23am at 10:23 am (UTC -4)
Yeah great start lol or maybe its the beginning of our changed good fortune! Yes another aspect that has to go perfectly for us! Ugh
metsfan4decades
7/16/2009-10:42am at 10:42 am (UTC -4)
Well, I’m keeping my fingers crossed with Ollie.
Hey, I can dream, can’t I? LOL.
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:03am at 11:03 am (UTC -4)
Yes you can, Yes you can!! Its so sad that our expectations with Ollie have set astandard that if he gets to the 6th without givibg up more than 4 runs we are thrilled!! Def worth all the money we are paying him!
Kingman 26
7/16/2009-10:05am at 10:05 am (UTC -4)
Off topic, but if you have not seen the ESPN.com story on Willie Mays Aikens—and if you are old enough to remember the 1980 World Series and his career—check it out….must-reading.
fongy2
7/16/2009-11:12am at 11:12 am (UTC -4)
Read it. Solid story.
Willie Aikens is another
former Met who never wore
the uniform.
stickguy
7/16/2009-10:24am at 10:24 am (UTC -4)
I did see an interesting quote from CHolly manual the other day (local paper). basically, he compared the Pils (last years model, related to this years performance) to the 2007 Rockies.
basically said they weren’t really that good (certainly not great), but they both got hot at the right time, and the Phils managed to run the string out 1 more series and won the WS.
Not a bad analysis, and something to consider when annointing teams as a dynasty (as most Phils fans already have done).
darknova306
7/16/2009-10:46am at 10:46 am (UTC -4)
“something to consider when annointing teams as a dynasty (as most Phils fans already have done).”
Funny how they can claim a dynasty after barely squeaking out two division titles and lucking into a WS win. Aren’t dynasties a bit more dominant and long-term than that? Let’s see this success sustain itself for a while before talking ‘dynasty’, Philly. LOL
mrbill
7/16/2009-10:54am at 10:54 am (UTC -4)
The mets are on the way to have a dynasty of their own. The collapse dynasty…Haaa
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:02am at 11:02 am (UTC -4)
Yeah we are…We were a few good weeks of bullpen execution to making the playoffs 3 years in a row…like the Braves of the 90′s lol
darknova306
7/16/2009-11:02am at 11:02 am (UTC -4)
Shut your mou…er yeah, that’s actually not far from the truth, unfortunately. We’ll turn it around eventually…. I hope….
fongy2
7/16/2009-11:09am at 11:09 am (UTC -4)
If this season ends as it appears
it will and Omar does more rebuilding
than retooling,it will be remember
as an era of missed opportunities.
With just one or two moves,this
group could have won at least one
if not two Championships.
Thats the worst part,missed chances.
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:36am at 11:36 am (UTC -4)
Sort of agree…but I really will conclude if someone asked me 15 years from now what happened? Our bullpen was a joke and collapsed and then we had a ridiculous amount of injuries. At this point I truly wouldnt even mention Omar because imo it wasnt his fault.
Yes I have screamed for another outfield bat when it was clear Alou was done…yes another solid starter would have been nice….Dunn I consider a mistake but the bottom line is it can be directly aimed at the bullpen which no one could have foreseen being so horrid. This year way too many injuries.
If this year played out with zero injuries and we still missed the playoffs or got bumped out early I would then blame Omar for sure for not getting another bat when we all knew we needed it!
fongy2
7/16/2009-11:40am at 11:40 am (UTC -4)
Well atleast the injuries and Madoff
buy Omar another year!
They are acceptable
excuses but excuses
none the less.
CaseStreet
7/16/2009-11:37am at 11:37 am (UTC -4)
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever. But you can ask anybody from my neighborhood, and they’ll just tell you this is just another Bronx tale.
fongy2
7/16/2009-11:41am at 11:41 am (UTC -4)
Cute! Good Movie,
misses out on greatness
because of all the
Yankee stuff!