You just couldn't get rid of me! You know what I'm sayin'?
Let’s start with the bad news, because it’s always smart to end on a high note!
In an exclusive report in the NY Post, Mike Puma discovers Fred Wilpon’s intent regarding Omar in 2010, and it ain’t pretty. Puma quotes Wilpon as saying “Am I going to bring Omar back next year? Absolutely. That’s a fact.”
But wait, there’s more! Omar had a little to say about Jerry Manuel, “Jerry is my guy, we work well together.”
So you heard it here…second – it’s looking more and more likely that both Omar and Jerry will be back to their respective roles in 2010. Remember readers, aspirin does not cure the pain within your heart.
Thole in action
There’s some good news this morning as well, and it comes via Adam Rubin’s “Surfing the Mets” blog. In another exclusive report, Rubin has some details on a few September call-ups. According to Adam, Josh Thole (C), Eddie Kunz (RP), and Nick Evans (1B/OF) will highlight this season’s call-ups. One has to wonder if Thole breaks out if he’ll get a chance to start at catcher next season!
I only took very snippets of the stories in the Post and the Daily News – so make sure to check out the links above for extended reports!
49 comments
CaseStreet
8/23/2009-9:36am at 9:36 am (UTC -4)
The New Kids on the Block! Anyone else deserve the call-up?
Mr North Jersey
8/23/2009-9:40am at 9:40 am (UTC -4)
Prismo you should of titled that as “Breakin News: Minaya’s Back in 2010″ or something similar you would of got a ton of hits from SportsSpyder. Still great post I can hear the keyboards just typing away opinions on Minaya returning.
prismo
8/23/2009-9:50am at 9:50 am (UTC -4)
Maybe I’ll change the title, but not to that. I just feel it would compromise my integrity. Wilpon said Willie was the Mets’ manager two days before he fired him. I just don’t trust Wilpon’s telling the truth, and I have to be careful with my wording.
Mr North Jersey
8/23/2009-9:58am at 9:58 am (UTC -4)
I see what your saying but isn’t it just a statement of fact to say that Wilpon was quoted as saying Minaya will be back in 2010 in title?
The title would not be inaccurate he did say that. That is the bait to get the hits without misleadinng people.
You could then say what you just posted above about how you don’t trust Fred Wilpon to follow through.
sabermetrician
8/23/2009-10:01am at 10:01 am (UTC -4)
Agreed, just a statement of fact.
prismo
8/23/2009-10:24am at 10:24 am (UTC -4)
I’m fine with what I changed it to.
A title of “Wilpon says ‘Omar’s back in 2010′” is truthful.
A title of “Omar’s back in 2010″ is not necessarily truthful. This is the one I wanted to avoid.
sabermetrician
8/23/2009-10:02am at 10:02 am (UTC -4)
Mark my words:
The Mets will never make the playoffs with Jerry Manuel at the helm.
Mr North Jersey
8/23/2009-10:06am at 10:06 am (UTC -4)
Let me add that if Wilpon really did say Willie is his guy 2 days before he got fired. Doesn’t this have more weight in the sense Minaya’s future will be Fred’s call unlike the Willie firing which can be argued was Minaya’s call not Fred’s?
prismo
8/23/2009-10:31am at 10:31 am (UTC -4)
The only excuse I can make for Wilpon was that after being asked the question about Omar, he had no choice but to say what he said. Maybe he went too far, but he couldn’t have said what we all wanted to hear…it’s still August after all.
Mr North Jersey
8/23/2009-10:36am at 10:36 am (UTC -4)
You know, maybe Fred Wilpon was serious when he said Minaya will be back in 2010. Why does it have to be that he was painted into a corner?
prismo
8/23/2009-10:40am at 10:40 am (UTC -4)
Obviously it doesn’t have to be that way. But it’s a strong possibility. I realize that you really want Omar back next season, but these quotes don’t yet confirm that he will be.
Mr North Jersey
8/23/2009-10:50am at 10:50 am (UTC -4)
??? I really want Omar back???
I am simply replying to the idea that Wilpon said what he did cause he was cornered.
What I “really” want is of no consequence.
prismo
8/23/2009-10:43am at 10:43 am (UTC -4)
All I’m saying is that no matter how Fred really feels, this is what he would’ve said. It’s the best PR move regardless of if he wants Omar back next season.
Mr North Jersey
8/23/2009-11:18am at 11:18 am (UTC -4)
Guys help me out. over at MC’s blog he says “… frankly, i don’t take wilpon’s statement to mean the future is a given… if you recall, he said the same thing about Willie Randolph around two days before willie was fired…”.
Now my memory is suspect at best so I am trying to find an article that matches this statement but all I can find so far is the following:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/sports/baseball/17cndmets.html
On Friday, when speculation that Randolph’s job was in danger again began to intensify, Minaya refused to guarantee that Randolph would remain as manager, saying only that he had his support and the support of the team’s owners. By the end of the weekend, Minaya would not say that. During his three-minute interview with reporters after Sunday’s doubleheader, Minaya did not use the word “support†once and was more noncommittal about Randolph’s future and that of the coaching staff than he had been at any time.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06232008/sports/mets/mets_owner_knew_willie_was_out_116844.htm
Mets owner Fred Wilpon knew on Sunday that Willie Randolph would be fired on Monday, after flying to the West Coast to manage one more game.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=a9aggCxw_ba8&refer=amsports
“I know I screwed up,” Wilpon told reporters at SportsNet New York’s Manhattan studios. “I should have said, `wait a second.”’
I really would like to read the article that quotes Wilpon saying he gave Willie a vote of confidence so if you come across the link I’d greatly appreciate it if you would add it here.
trs86
8/23/2009-12:18pm at 12:18 pm (UTC -4)
He did do it but it was much earlier. Maybe like 2-4 weeks earlier if I remember correctly. I will try and find the link.
trs86
8/23/2009-12:21pm at 12:21 pm (UTC -4)
Mets general manager Omar Minaya voiced support for Willie Randolph on Friday night as speculation swirled that the embattled manager’s job could be in jeopardy.
“Willie Randolph is our manager. He has my support, he has our ownership support,” Minaya said during New York’s 6-5, 13-inning loss to the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, the Mets’ fifth straight loss. “That’s what I’m going to tell you. I’m here to support Willie, our ownership supports Willie.”
metsfan4decades
8/23/2009-1:01pm at 1:01 pm (UTC -4)
Yup, this is my recollection as well. I don’t think the Wilpons were quoted one way or another just before the Willie firing. We know Omar was.
If you can believe Willie, you know he asked Omar right before getting on the bus to go to the airport on that fated west coast trip – ‘don’t make me get on this but if you’re firing me’. And Omar replied to him he was not firing him.
So….I have to agree with previous poster that yeah, Wilpons could be quoted as saying both will be back now, but I wouldn’t bet on that as gospel.
dentulous
8/23/2009-11:47am at 11:47 am (UTC -4)
well, there goes any hope for 2010……
With those two goons at the helm, there is no way we sniff the playoffs. The only hope is an interesting (fantastic) off season.
trs86
8/23/2009-12:16pm at 12:16 pm (UTC -4)
Did we sniff the playoffs in 2006, 2007 and 2008?
trs86
8/23/2009-12:15pm at 12:15 pm (UTC -4)
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/08/jump-off-the-lowe-train-please.html
Great read.
metsfan4decades
8/23/2009-1:10pm at 1:10 pm (UTC -4)
I’ll agree with that. Emotions aside, those are the facts….
gategem
8/23/2009-2:26pm at 2:26 pm (UTC -4)
I recall that before the Lowe, Garland, Ollie, etc. signings took place MetsGeek analyzed the value of the relevant free agent pitchers using advanced stats and came to the conclusion that signing Lowe was the best direction to go in and that Ollie didn’t warrant a multi year contract any more than say Wolf did. I do not know if the Mets would have been able to sign Lowe for say three years at 15 million per if the offer came earlier in the game. I’m not clairvoyant enough to know what Lowe and Boras would have done.
It comes down to relevant value. Is Lowe a better value at 15 million per versus Ollie at 12 million per? What has Lowe given the Braves this year versus what Ollie has given the Mets? We have to ask ourselves what will occur over the next three years and how will Lowe pitch in his fourth year? I for one don’t know the answer since my flux capacitor cannot be fixed.
trs86
8/23/2009-12:23pm at 12:23 pm (UTC -4)
When it’s too late
Krod, Wagner, Putz, Feliciano, Stokes, Green.
Wow what a pen.
metsfan4decades
8/23/2009-1:08pm at 1:08 pm (UTC -4)
What could have been….
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:25pm at 1:25 pm (UTC -4)
Watching the Phillies play is pretty admirable, as much as I hate to say it. They are just a well oiled machine. I mean look, they’re facing Ollie and what do they do? They play him perfectly, and the first 3 hitters have 8 pitch long at bats. It sucks, since the rivalry has picked up, the Phillies have flat out owned us, and its sickening. Look at Citi field and all the red in the stands!
trs86
8/23/2009-1:37pm at 1:37 pm (UTC -4)
As much as Ollie sucks today, I don’t think your statement of the Phillies have owned US as true. We won the series last year 11-7 and the current year it’s 5-7. So if you want to say they have owned the division, owned the standings. But it would be nonfactual to say they owned us.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:38pm at 1:38 pm (UTC -4)
From a mental standpoint they have owned us. When it counts, they own us.
trs86
8/23/2009-1:40pm at 1:40 pm (UTC -4)
Hmmm, that is not what you said. So wait a minute when the series is 11-10 us counting today as a loss, how exactly are they owning us mentally? They own us in the standings, just not on the field.
trs86
8/23/2009-1:40pm at 1:40 pm (UTC -4)
And another thing, how is them beating us when we are down 15 games as when it counts? LOL.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:42pm at 1:42 pm (UTC -4)
No, what I meant by that was, even though the Mets have had better in season record, they’ve still beaten us late in the season and down the stretch.
trs86
8/23/2009-1:43pm at 1:43 pm (UTC -4)
Then that is not owning us.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:46pm at 1:46 pm (UTC -4)
Well let me ask you this, if you didn’t research the record mets vs. phils since ’07, who appears to be winning? Idk how you can say the Phils haven’t owned us. They talk smack, and then proceed to take the division in the last couple of weeks, then win a world series, then murder us in ’09. By my standards, that is ownership.
trs86
8/23/2009-1:48pm at 1:48 pm (UTC -4)
They own the division that we play in. Period. It does not mean that they own us on the field. They do show to on us head to head no matter what you say, the stats don’t show it.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:52pm at 1:52 pm (UTC -4)
There’s more to baseball than just stats! If you take the mental aspect, I feel as a Mets fan that we are inferior to the Phillies, idk how you feel, but regardless of reg season record, I feel like the Phillies will beat us when it counts.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:27pm at 1:27 pm (UTC -4)
Do those 3 at-bats not just some up this rivalry….jeez, the only reason I’m watching is to see Pedro. Ollie is just an embarrassment.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:37pm at 1:37 pm (UTC -4)
2/3 of an inning 6 runs, getting taken out with a 3-0 count to the opposing pitcher..what will that get you? 3 years 36 million! F***!
As a hitter against Ollie, what motivation do I have to swing the bat before I have 2 strikes on me? He’s going to throw 2 balls minimum, and he’s probably not striking me out.
trs86
8/23/2009-1:38pm at 1:38 pm (UTC -4)
What is clear is that Ollie can’t pitch with a leg injury. His concentration is not good enough to pitch injured.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:40pm at 1:40 pm (UTC -4)
TR with all due respect, you’re making excuses. This is a massacre At this point all we can ask is that the Phils have some mercy.
trs86
8/23/2009-1:42pm at 1:42 pm (UTC -4)
Why do I need to make excuses? Ollie is not very good and the Phillies should not show us mercy. LOL
But fact is he has not pitched this badly until the last 2 starts when his leg was injured. If you remember it was his leg that was bothering him out of the gates and he pitched sucky. That is not an excuse it is fact. You can say he would still suck without the injury but in fact he had some decent starts this month until then.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:44pm at 1:44 pm (UTC -4)
What..5 innings 2 runs? That’s good? No matter how healthy he is, it’s always true that Ollie will walk you at any time if you want a walk.
trs86
8/23/2009-1:44pm at 1:44 pm (UTC -4)
Did not walk a batter last game.
trs86
8/23/2009-1:46pm at 1:46 pm (UTC -4)
And yes I think 5 innings 2 runs shows a lot of promise. It’s not enough innings but it is something to work with. It’s not a bad ERA.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:49pm at 1:49 pm (UTC -4)
If you think 5 innings 2 runs is good, then there is no need to continue this discussion. Ollie is earning ace money, and 5 inn 2 runs is a mediocre start you’ll take from your 5 pitcher against a good team. Just because it gives you a good era, it still kills your bullpen.
gategem
8/23/2009-1:43pm at 1:43 pm (UTC -4)
And how do you characterize the times Ollie fails when he is healthy?
trs86
8/23/2009-1:45pm at 1:45 pm (UTC -4)
A bad pitcher, I said he was bad. Just not this bad.
gategem
8/23/2009-1:54pm at 1:54 pm (UTC -4)
Fair enough.
BTW If he is injured to the extent that it’s affecting his pitching motion then he shouldn’t be out there since situations such as I describe have been know to cause major arm injuries (similar to Dizzy Dean ruining his career trying to pitch with a bad toe). If it’s a matter of a nagging or minor injury affecting his concentration that is a potential problem since in a long season the majority of players suffer through these types of injuries. I don’t know the answer in this case so I won’t rush to judgment.
whataputz
8/23/2009-1:59pm at 1:59 pm (UTC -4)
You don’t have to rush judgment, because I will…Ollie stinks! Healthy..stinks! Injured..stinks! Hot outside..stinks! Cold outside..stinks! April..stinks! June..stinks! September..stinks! Get my point? Ollie owes us a very big 2010 season, because my patience with him is gone.You’re not doing the team a favor trying to pitch when you clearly can’t. A loss is a loss. Just because he tried to play doesn’t mean the bullpen will not get burned today.
trs86
8/23/2009-1:48pm at 1:48 pm (UTC -4)
And regardless, Pedro still sucks.
gipperpdx
8/23/2009-4:55pm at 4:55 pm (UTC -4)
Wow – Omar AND the Tinkerer back again??? Geez….I guess you keep your job with the Wilpons no matter what you do…as long as you don’t insult Pee Wee Reese or any other of the glorious Dodgers – all hail the Dodgers!