Last night I was hoping against hope that John Maine could find the fire in his belly and morph back to the pitcher that at one time had been considered a potential Cy Young award candidate. Well for all of you that didn’t stay up for the game yesterday, last night was not that night . No, unfortunately was doing his best Mike Torrez impersonation, giving up eight runs in 3 innings of work in what would eventually be a Rockies 11-3 rout of the Mets. The question lies is is there something wrong with Maine, whether it is physically or psychologically – or both? Once again John looked erratic. His fastball barely topped 90 m.p.h and his off speed pitches were nowhere close to being deceptive. in between pitches (and giving up hits) Maine looked unwound. He was jittery, sweating profusely and just all around uncomfortable. We all know that John has the reputation of being too hard on himself, but last night looked as if he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I wondered out loud last night if John has anymore minor league options left on his contract. If so I do believe that for the sake of the team – as well as his career he should be sent down to Buffalo like Steve Traschel did in ’00 to work on his mechanics and try to find himself. Do you agree or disagree ? And by the way doesn’t Jerry have his best “feets don’t fails me now”  look on his face during last nights press conference?
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                                                                    ” John is no longer the ” Maine” man !”
And with that said …… HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!
Happy Birthday wishes go out to in my opinion, one of the better pitchers to come out of the dark times that spanned from ’77-’83, Mark ” Bombs Away” Bomback (1953) In his brief Mets career that was solely the ’80 season, Mark compiled a decent 10-8 record with what at that time would be considered bloated e.r.a of 4.09. Mark was also known for his proficiency for giving up the long ball.
New York Mets sold Brooklyn Dodger legend Duke Snider to the San Francisco Giants on April 14, 1964.
New York Mets released all around dumb-ass pitcher, Grant Roberts on April 14, 2005. Who could forget the infamous picture taken by that mentally unstable baseball groupie which showed Grant toking on a bong pipe ( look I am all for legalizing it , but don’t be stupid enough to get yourself black mailed for it!). Grant also reportedly tested positive for steroids which led the Mets to release him from his contract.
And the Mo Vaughn tidbit of the day – He is reading ” Managing Base Ball for Dummies”> He figured if Jerry Manuel could get a job managing , why can’t he ?!
Tonight Jonathan Neise is scheduled to pitch against the Colorado Rockies , so hopefully we can right the ship tonight !
38 comments
metsfan4decades
4/14/2010-7:27am at 7:27 am (UTC -4)
I watched that entire debacle last night. Was disappointed at the Met play all the way around. Less than crisp defense, offense not clicking yet. Without pitching, we’re in real trouble here.
Maine keeps saying his arm feels fine. I have to take him at his word there.
Can his mechanics really be that bad? My eyes tell me yes. Nothing he tried to throw was working last night. Jokes aside – and we had plenty last night – it’s almost painful to watch. On his post game interview with all the frustration coming through, he sounded as if he himself had no clue at all what was wrong and how to right the ship.
After ST, Maine was the pitcher I had the most concerns about – even more so than Ollie. He never really put it together at all in ST. I wasn’t sure but most seem to think he has options left. If yes, I really think they need to send him back down to work on whatever is wrong. We can’t leave him up here to try and do that. It’s so obvious to me his confidence is completely shot right now.
ceetar
4/14/2010-7:43am at 7:43 am (UTC -4)
TIVO asked me to change the channel to record the Daily Show. How could I say no?
rustyjr
4/14/2010-7:51am at 7:51 am (UTC -4)
You’re lucky my dvr threwup
gategem
4/14/2010-8:32am at 8:32 am (UTC -4)
Over the years we have seen pitchers after injury and especially after surgery come back with less velocity on their fastball. Today, with the advancements in orthopedic surgery, we actually expect the athlete to come back to his former self. Years ago we would expect just the opposite. But even today some pitchers just do not return to their pre-injury form. This could be the case with Maine. If it is then all we can say is adios.
prismo
4/14/2010-7:42am at 7:42 am (UTC -4)
Anyone else worried that if the Mets keep losing, Omar may trade some of the farm for a start in a last-ditch attempt to save his job?
metsfan4decades
4/14/2010-7:45am at 7:45 am (UTC -4)
I don’t even know if it’ll be a last ditch effort to save his job that will prompt any moves or just an effort overall to attempt to fix what’s right.
We’re in a bad place right now. Hardly any team is going to be looking to trade this early in. Not unless they are in a rebuilding mode this year. In that case, it’s gonna cost us. And yes, I’m afraid just what it might cost us.
ceetar
4/14/2010-7:45am at 7:45 am (UTC -4)
Not really, because if just Maine was the problem, if there was one easy fix..
Not that I think things are that dismal, but it’s obvious that there is, and has been, something wrong with this team. One of the reasons to fire Manuel is to change that culture. But even bad teams don’t play the way the Mets play over these stretches, so it’s kinda unexplainable.
Maine’s velocity..except dozens of posts by ‘experts’ all over the place that will tell you all sorts of things, likely none of which will be true.
prismo
4/14/2010-7:48am at 7:48 am (UTC -4)
I agree that Maine isn’t the only problem. But the whole guise of a last-ditch attempt is that it rarely works.
rustyjr
4/14/2010-7:50am at 7:50 am (UTC -4)
I’d say Omar would be crucified if he did another Bartolo colon deal again
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-8:22am at 8:22 am (UTC -4)
And hopefully this would take place before the paperwork on the deal was finalized.
rustyjr
4/14/2010-8:25am at 8:25 am (UTC -4)
Hey kong I’m listening to weather report – the jaco years on cd – it beats listening to boomer & the ass
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-8:29am at 8:29 am (UTC -4)
I AGREE!! Love Wayne Shorter.
I would rather listen to Jaco vomit after a night out than listen to WFAN this morning!
gategem
4/14/2010-8:40am at 8:40 am (UTC -4)
Both of you gentlemen probably have tales and personal experiences to relate that would be a lot more entertaining than watching the Mets play these days.
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-8:54am at 8:54 am (UTC -4)
LOL! I sure do, and I am VERY sure Rusty does!
However sir, I have enjoyed hearing of your experiences of the Playboy Club in the 70s and Casey Stengel’s use of pitchers on the great early 50s Yankee teams, so don’t sell yourself short!
saltygary
4/14/2010-8:30am at 8:30 am (UTC -4)
For the sake of a much needed tangent, the colon trade was not a bad idea. The team was being moved and they had a ligitimat shot at the playoffs. He gave hope to a fanbase that was hopeless for too long.
rustyjr
4/14/2010-8:35am at 8:35 am (UTC -4)
I know but that’s prime back against the wall Omar
saltygary
4/14/2010-8:31am at 8:31 am (UTC -4)
I would be shocked if the wilpons let that happen.
prismo
4/14/2010-8:23am at 8:23 am (UTC -4)
All eyes are on Maine, but Mets were 1-8 with RISP yesterday. Ugh.
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-8:26am at 8:26 am (UTC -4)
Would have had to go 8 for 8 to even be in the game.
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-8:25am at 8:25 am (UTC -4)
Starters-26 ER in 36.2 IP. A tidy ERA a hair above 6.5.
I wonder if my concerns about the pitching at the end of spring training make sense now??
No, Ollie and Maine’s velocity that least week of spring training meant nothing.
rustyjr
4/14/2010-8:28am at 8:28 am (UTC -4)
Has the float been sold for scrap yet ?
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-8:31am at 8:31 am (UTC -4)
No, Stick and I are retrofitting it for the Junior Core next year.
rustyjr
4/14/2010-8:32am at 8:32 am (UTC -4)
Gotcha will it have a bidet and a beer cooler ?
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-8:44am at 8:44 am (UTC -4)
LOL!
Absolutely, in the below decks lounge.
Also we are installing a film room so the players can try to get prepared.
Also a sauna, jacuzzi, and masseuse to help relieve the horrible stress these guys are under after a WHOLE WEEK of the season.
rustyjr
4/14/2010-8:50am at 8:50 am (UTC -4)
Where’s our massuese ? can we hire Julie Alexandria !?!
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-9:02am at 9:02 am (UTC -4)
As the Joker said in The Dark Knight, “We’re going to have tryouts!”
She will be invited to the first round of tryouts.
ceetar
4/14/2010-8:43am at 8:43 am (UTC -4)
still doesn’t make sense, because Spring Training isn’t real.
Perez’s injury wasn’t his arm, so it’s not unreasonable to suspect that his velocity will be back. Of course, who knows what affect messing with his arm angle and what not has. Same could be said for Maine, who as I pointed out yesterday, did throw 91-92 last year after the injury. Maybe he just needs to build up his arm strength to get there? *crosses fingers* I don’t know if I can deal with all the lame-brained experts telling me about his velocity. I don’t even know if anyone knows for sure anything about it. They always say “You can’t teach a guy to throw hard”.
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-8:50am at 8:50 am (UTC -4)
Well, in all seriousness, ignoring what we have seen–since the first week of March–is what is most definitely lame-brained here.
Maybe Ollie and/or Maine were using PEDs when they threw 95??
You cannot teach a guy to throw 95 when he tops out at 90, and even then only on a few pitches.
For the less than lame-brained, the pitcher’s opposite field double was literally a textbook example of what I have been saying since late March. If that pitch had been 2 mph faster, it would have been missed, or a foul ball. The lower velocity allowed the pitcher to get around on it just enough for it to be an opposite field double.
Optimism is one thing; blind denial is a very different thing.
To paraphrase Goldie Hawn as she, Chevy Chase and her chauffeur were driving straight towards a big truck, “….disgrace is all that lies ahead.”
rustyjr
4/14/2010-8:51am at 8:51 am (UTC -4)
Wow a seems like old
times reference
ceetar
4/14/2010-9:08am at 9:08 am (UTC -4)
Well, the other thing (and Santana does this ALL the time and it bothers me) as no one ever treats the pitcher as capable of all. Sure, he probably could’ve blown that by him, but he wasn’t exactly trying to get him out either. Just throwing and hoping he got himself out. just a bland fastball.
who knows..not me. Something needs to be done and this is why we needed smarter people than Warthen/Manuel.
trs86
4/14/2010-8:55am at 8:55 am (UTC -4)
I don’t think any of us said that our SP would be great and I was really worried about Maine from the beginning. Pelfrey looked good as did Niese, Perez looks like he could be righting the ship and I am not really worried about Johan. Take out Maine from the rotation and the line is 4.78. Still not great but slightly better than league average. So we at this point desperately need to replace Maine with league average.
rustyjr
4/14/2010-9:01am at 9:01 am (UTC -4)
Who would ever figure that Maine would be the weak link
trs86
4/14/2010-9:01am at 9:01 am (UTC -4)
Me and 4D. LOL.
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-9:05am at 9:05 am (UTC -4)
Perez looked like crap and like another who has also lost his velocity, and Niese pitched an OK 6 innings.
Johan got shelled last time out.
udontmesswthejohan
4/14/2010-9:11am at 9:11 am (UTC -4)
Well, that opening game of the road trip doesn’t bode well for my 4-2 prediction, and I skipped LOST to watch that pathetic effort.
Anyway, look, I know I’m not alone here, but the most discouraging thing about that effort last night was watching Maine’s body language. I’m so sick of watching the guy with his head in his hands sitting on the bench on the verge of tears. Something is mentally wrong with this guy.
Kingman 26
4/14/2010-9:15am at 9:15 am (UTC -4)
Yes sir, the main problem with Maine’s head is how close it is located to his right arm.
udontmesswthejohan
4/14/2010-9:23am at 9:23 am (UTC -4)
I wonder if we can still throw out the ST stats and the faulty PSL radar guns.
stickguy
4/14/2010-10:41am at 10:41 am (UTC -4)
I still don’t see him getting sent down until he gets a few more starts.
But, there is a simple solution (and if someone else already said it, I apologize, since I skipped the thread being in a rush!)
Just skip his next turn. Keep the rest of the rotation on the normal 4 day rest cycle. Just work on some intensive BP stuff (mechanics, mental, strength, whatever it takes). Basically a little mini Ollie bootcamp!
If that doesn’t help, then you move to plan B, C or X.
at least it keeps Johan on his normal work.
And, you get to see another start out of whatever MiL guy (Stoner? Gee? Misch?) would be next in line to replace him.