Yesterday at work I felt like a god amongst common men. You see where I work the ratio of Yankee fans to Met fans is probably 5-1, So I basked in the glory of my favorite team taking two out of three games from the cross town rivals ! But now we move on to yet another arch enemy, and dominant competitor – the Philadelphia Phillies !! Yes it seems like the pitching match ups should be even ( Dickey vs Moyer today, Takahashi vs Blanton tomorrow & Pelfrey vs Hammels on Thursday). But Jerry and Omar cannot fool themselves that we can get by with a rotation of Santana, Big Pelf, Takahashi and two question marks. With john Maine sidelined with tendinitis of the shoulder blade, Jon Neise’s balky hamstring and Oliver Perez’s hopefully permanent banishing to mop up duty, there are two gaping holes in our rotation. Lets face it ,he Mets need pitching and STAT!! We were all weary when Omar went through the entire off season without acquiring a front line starter , and now it is coming back to bite him hard on the ass ! So whose out there ? who could the Mets acquire?
Here is my list of possible candidates and in my opinion the probability that they will be wearing a Mets uniform sometime soon.
Dillion Gee 75%. The kid is 5-1 in AAA Buffalo – he might not blow away the competition, but he throws for strikes !
Zach Duke , 60%, Best pitcher on the Pittsburgh staff- but will the Pirates be willing to part with him?
Cliff Lee – 25% , He would be a great addition, but would the Mets be willing to sign him long term – especially when it seems like they are trying to keep payroll in check ?
Roy Oswalt – 50 % – The Mets have tried to trade for him in the past – but 1. who are they willing to give up for him .
and….
2. Would he waive his no trade clause for the Mets?
Last but not least we have Pedro Martinez.I think there is a less than 10 % chance we will ever see him pitching in a Mets uniform ever again. Yes he looked rejuvenated when he pitched for the Phillies for the last two months of the season – but that’s only two months !! Remember he was shelled in the post season against the Yankees. I just can’t see him staying healthy and effective for the remaining four months of the season.
                          ” Will one of these pitchers be in our rotation by August 1st?”"
And with that said … HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!
Today would have been the ninety first birthday of iconic Mets broadcaster Lindsey Nelson (1919). I have very vague memories of Lindsey, he left the Mets Broadcasting booth in ’78. But I remember the garish sports blazers that he would wear during telecasts. He made Uncle Floyd look like a fashionista !!
Also celebrating a birthday today is original Mets bak up first baseman , Jim Marshall ( 1931).
Sadly on this date in 2008 , one time Mets pitcher Geremi Gonzalez tragically died when he was struck by lightening while walking on a beach in Venezuela, He was 33.
On this date in 2004, The Mets released utility infielder Ricky Gutierrrez.
The Mets traded minor league pitcher, Robert Manuel to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Dave Williams.
Â
And today’s Mo Vaughn tidbit – he lettered in field hockey back in high school !
122 comments
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-7:14am at 7:14 am (UTC -4)
Sheets could be available too. But it would be half year rental and cannot offer arb.
rustyjr
5/25/2010-7:26am at 7:26 am (UTC -4)
I think he isn’t on the mets radar dice he is a dl stint ready to happen
rustyjr
5/25/2010-7:54am at 7:54 am (UTC -4)
*since
trs86
5/25/2010-8:03am at 8:03 am (UTC -4)
I really like Duke and Snell (Seattle should dump him for cheapish). Neither are #2′s but at this point I am ok with that. We just need solid starts.
stickguy
5/25/2010-8:29am at 8:29 am (UTC -4)
duke would be good, but at thi spoint, is Snell any more likely to give you a solid start than Ollie is?
trs86
5/25/2010-9:23am at 9:23 am (UTC -4)
I think he would but what do I know? I know at least his ERA was decent as a starter. His walks were down but his hits were off the chart.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-9:26am at 9:26 am (UTC -4)
It’s sad that we complained about our rotation of 1-3-4-5-5 and now we are considering any 4 or 5 out there.
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-9:34am at 9:34 am (UTC -4)
Hey, we are considering 6s, 7s and 8s too.
Dickey may actually be a 9.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-9:38am at 9:38 am (UTC -4)
I wouldn’t mind a few 10′s. Elle from back in the day. A little Daisy Fuentes in her prime. Bar Rafel…
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-8:21am at 8:21 am (UTC -4)
I think Omar has no choice but to go out and get a pitcher. If nothing else, we need some depth. I know we did it in 2006, patching together a rotation with using like 12 different starters but this isn’t 2006.
Love Pedro but I think that ship has sailed. Not sure how many games he’d be able to give you more than 5 innings in and we’ve got in house options that can do that.
I like Taka but I’m a bit worried how he’ll hold up once through the division. I just don’t know enough about his stuff to know if he can keep them fooled or not.
Dickey will probably be fine as a spot start or two but not sure about him as a permanent spot in the rotation.
I really don’t know what the answer should be but here’s hoping Omar is exploring every option available.
oleosmirf
5/25/2010-10:35am at 10:35 am (UTC -4)
knowing Omar he’s still relying on Ollie and Maine to get back to form this season
stickguy
5/25/2010-8:36am at 8:36 am (UTC -4)
Well, a couple of more names:
Maya. He should be signed already if he showed any reasonable approximation of ML quality stuff. And a healthy arm.
Brett Myers: The guy they should be trying to pry away from Houston. Cheap, ST contract, durable. ANd can pitch out of the pen effectively too. Also the guy that I thought (at the time, as I said repaeatedly) that Omar should have snapped up this pst off season.
I actually think Taka could remain effective in the rotation for the year. Long as he stays healthy of course.
Ollie will also be back in the rotation at some point when they get desperate. And Maine will also be back for a while.
So, while I think they should snag Myers to get that reliable mid-rotation guy, I expect that the 4-5 spots will be a rotating cast of dickey/misch/gee/ollie/maine. And if they sign him, at some point Maya.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-9:16am at 9:16 am (UTC -4)
Myers can definitely be had, and he has a reasonable option for next year too.
rustyjr
5/25/2010-9:24am at 9:24 am (UTC -4)
You really want that wife beater ?
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-9:31am at 9:31 am (UTC -4)
No thanks.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-9:40am at 9:40 am (UTC -4)
A wife beater or a bull pen beater. take your pick, as we have the 2nd one already.
He can pitch as both a started and in the pen, with no issues, is reasonably priced and is pitching well. Any port in a storm, my friend. Any port in a storm…
stickguy
5/25/2010-9:51am at 9:51 am (UTC -4)
I’m not looking for someone to date my sister. I am looking for someone that can actually pitch.
I don’t care that he had an incident years ago. His wife forgave him (and has actually said whatever happened made them closer), he was not punished, and has not had any trouble since then (unless you consider calling out Hamels for being a wussy to be trouble!)
So yeah, I want him on the Mets.
Besides, if you eliminated from consideration every player that had any kind of domestic dispute issue (and hell, throw in DUIs too), then you will be cutting way down on your available pool of players, And I am pretty sure you will have to lose a few of the guys currently on the team.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-9:53am at 9:53 am (UTC -4)
+1
oleosmirf
5/25/2010-10:36am at 10:36 am (UTC -4)
not to mention 90% of the 86 Mets
trs86
5/25/2010-9:26am at 9:26 am (UTC -4)
I may be wrong but I don’t see the Wilpons wanting Myers.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-10:46am at 10:46 am (UTC -4)
me too
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-8:37am at 8:37 am (UTC -4)
The pressure is getting to many and to me this just adds a couple of nails to Jerry’s coffin:
Bullpen Mgt, Straw Stirring Frustrated Mets
http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=24978
Silva goes on to link to another story in the NY Times about some fight between KRod and the BP coach Sunday night
Bronx Zoo in Queens: Angry Words, and Wins
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/sports/baseball/25mets.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Sigh…..
stickguy
5/25/2010-8:42am at 8:42 am (UTC -4)
This to me is the furstrating part about getting a few wins right now against the yanks and phils. It takes the target off Jerry’s back (or at least buys him a bunch more time). Even though he is still botching things up, the team jst sometiems manages to overcome him (winning in spite of him, not because of him).
ceetar
5/25/2010-8:48am at 8:48 am (UTC -4)
I cringe everytime i hear or see Warthen or Manuel. *sigh*
ceetar
5/25/2010-8:47am at 8:47 am (UTC -4)
Frankie’s a feisty guy isn’t he? Got into a fight with Bernazard, Bruney, now some BP coach? who else?
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-9:03am at 9:03 am (UTC -4)
KRod apparently has some definite opinions about things and isn’t afraid to let you know about them….
I can imagine this kind of thing goes on all the time. How can it not when you’ve got a group of 25+ guys and the entourage that follows them playing and traveling for 162 games?
It’s just we probably never hear about it but with all the controversy surrounding this team, every little thing will be magnified now.
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-9:10am at 9:10 am (UTC -4)
The 77-78 Yanks, the 72-74 A’s, and lots of great teams have fought constantly too.
But I don’t think those teams would have two of their prominent players run crying to the PR guy to rescue them from being criticized by a team legend.
oleosmirf
5/25/2010-10:37am at 10:37 am (UTC -4)
i think its best not to assume every guy on the Mets knows who Strawberry is…
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-9:02am at 9:02 am (UTC -4)
Thanks a lot for posting these MF4D.
Great to win 2 of 3 from the Skanks, but we are still quite clearly in last place.
So now the weaklings with Mets on their uniforms cannot stand criticism from Strawberry.
It has not been harder for me to root for this team since the 1993 disaster.
Soft, weak, and pathetic in SO many ways.
We need someone to come in and take firm charge of this group.
If the softies have trouble with criticism from guys like Darryl and Keith, then we probably do need either Backman or Teufel to come in and instill 86-style toughness on a 24/7 basis, or we need Showalter to come in and run a boot camp for this crew of lazy, injury-prone softies.
Yes, I still am a Catatonic Optimist, but this is beyond ridiculous.
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-9:08am at 9:08 am (UTC -4)
Yeah Kingman, I can’t imagine what that was about with Strawberry. I can though imagine it started out with something like ‘back in my day’ and ended with something like ‘get your head on straight and just play the game’.
But you have to complain to Jay about it? If any of the players felt that strongly, either that Straw was outta line or didn’t know what he was talking about, those same players couldn’t have just told him to ‘get out of my face and shut up’? The story portrays it a little like tattling to the teacher.
This crap shouldn’t be going on in that clubhouse for all to read about. Like I said, I’m sure during the long season tempers ride high from time to time. But what goes on in that clubhouse should stay in that clubhouse.
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-9:14am at 9:14 am (UTC -4)
+ Infinity.
Just picture it….
“Mr. Horowitz sir, ummm, Mr. Strawberry is being mean to us…can you make him stop? I think a couple of guys might start crying.”
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-9:24am at 9:24 am (UTC -4)
hahahaha……
What bothers me is this sounds so childish I want to say there was way more to this story than was being reported. They just couldn’t get all the juicy details to pass along…
stickguy
5/25/2010-9:57am at 9:57 am (UTC -4)
tis story sounds silly. So, my guess (based on ow these things usually play out) is that there is a germ of truth to it, but the facts are all screwed up. And if the real story ever comes out, it would look way different. Whether that is from spin, or just speculation (or of course, intentional sensationalism), who knows.
Maybe Straw was just being a pest, and annoying guys while they were trying to prepare (not “upseting their delicate psyches”, just bothering them like a little kid might). And so maybe a couple of guys asked Jay if he had to be in the clubhouse before games when they were trying to get ready? ANd then it gets blown all out of proportion.
Isn’t there a time when the clubhouse gets closed to reporters? Maybe this is when Straw was floating around, and they want him barred?
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-10:12am at 10:12 am (UTC -4)
Every story like this cannot be explained away Stick.
And again, if there is ANY truth to it, why in the world couldn’t the player(s) simply tell Straw to shut his mouth?
Or even tell Straw that he was an alcoholic, crackhead, wife-beating slacker who loafed through day games when he was hung over and is the LAST person who should be criticizing them….
That response would have taken serious knowledge of the game AND balls.
Seems like these factors may be in short supply these days in Metland.
stickguy
5/25/2010-10:27am at 10:27 am (UTC -4)
I know that you are looking for every opportunity these days to bash the Mets as lazy losers, but who knows what if anything they told him directly, and what they asked the corpse formerly known as Jay Horowitz to do?
And is it really a bad thing if they tried to be circumspect, and asked the PR guy to intercede? Or would you have rather they got all up in his grill in public? Of course, I am sure you would have blasted the players for having no common sense or class for that too.
trs86
5/25/2010-10:54am at 10:54 am (UTC -4)
Yeah like that one would not have been an even bigger disaster. Mets players get in brawl with Strawberry in clubhouse over “constructive” criticism. The players went about it the right way. They most likely said something to the effect of “look we appreciate Straw but right now we just need to get our heads right and don’t need any extra people in the dugout. Can you just try and mention it to him as politely as possible so this does not become an issue?”
The real shame in this is how EVERYTHING has to get out to the media. How does this story even come out?
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-11:04am at 11:04 am (UTC -4)
Maybe, maybe not…maybe if Bay had slugged Straw, it would have brought the team together and showed some life.
Childish? Of course. But this is baseball, not the real world.
The 86 team’s brawls probably had something to do with their cohesiveness.
If Wright had slugged Straw, he would have become a folk hero and instantly shed the “soft” label which people attach to him.
Now, in real life I abhor violence, but a major league clubhouse is not real life.
Or, Bay or Straw or Johan could have yelled at him very loudly that he was an underachieving drunken cokehead wife beating loser who should keep his mouth shut and out of the clubhouse.
trs86
5/25/2010-11:06am at 11:06 am (UTC -4)
Again and producing more media issues. The internet and satelite radio and so much more has changed since 1986. These guys in my opinion, if it’s even true, did the right thing. Try and make it as little of an issue as possible. Hey Jay, you know Straw pretty well can you get him not to come in the clubhouse from ____ to ____?
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
Guess I wish I did not have so many opportunities to bash this team, from ownership to the on-field management to the shoddy play and bad decisions to stuff like this. My willful blindness has ended.
Where’s Beltran, since you mentioned the concept of lazy losers?
May 1st return?
June 1st?
September 1st?
Yeah, my idea about he and Boras staging a slowdown to keep him away was definitely insanity.
Don’t worry, I just felt like coming by this morning; I am largely staying away because I just cannot put a positive spin on this season like I did in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
I will cede the stage back to the deniers.
trs86
5/25/2010-11:08am at 11:08 am (UTC -4)
Kingman just because we don’t see it your way does not mean we are deniers. We just have a different opinion on stories that no one knows the truth on.
You know as well as I that baseball and life is lived in the gray not the black and white.
Have a good day.
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-11:13am at 11:13 am (UTC -4)
Of course; we all have differing opinions on things we don’t have 100% of the facts on.
“Deniers” was a poor choice of words.
Sorry bout that Chief.
And you have a great day too.
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-9:33am at 9:33 am (UTC -4)
Metsblog is carrying the Staw story now, I see. MC has a few more details on it. From what he’s reporting, Straw didn’t say much that was out of line. As I said, we’ll probably never know the whole story, which is fine.
Just goes to show that Straw is as frustrated watching this team this year as the rest of us are at times…..
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-9:43am at 9:43 am (UTC -4)
Thanks again.
And if this is true, I must apologize AGAIN to the folks like ASod, Oleo, and the others who correctly questioned the fortitude of this sorry group.
stickguy
5/25/2010-10:28am at 10:28 am (UTC -4)
They have to show up for work every day with a hoard of met hating media waiting for them at their lockers, and the Jidiot in the managers office.
You think that doesn’t require a strong constitution, and some serious fortitude?
ceetar
5/25/2010-10:30am at 10:30 am (UTC -4)
Actually, that’s not the case at all. They didn’t “tattle”, they just want him out. i.e. “This is _our_ team, who are you to come in here and lecture us? Stop stepping on our toes and let us handle what place we’re in and how we’re going to get out of it.” In fact, I think it shows that there are in fact leaders on this team. It’s not about getting their feelings hurt, it’s about controlling their own clubhouse and not having to deal with all these outside voices who feel they have an opinion and a right to say it.
Of course, they don’t get their way, so it doesn’t matter much. Also, this is something Jerry should be annoyed about as well. He’s basically giving the speech the manager should’ve given. Or maybe he did, and that’s another reason said players are upset “Umm Straw dude, we’ve got it. thanks. mind your own business, you’re not on the team anymore.”
trs86
5/25/2010-10:57am at 10:57 am (UTC -4)
Exactly. You want to rally the troops as an outsider/former player then you go to the manager and get permission then you do it in a group setting ONE time.
stickguy
5/25/2010-11:01am at 11:01 am (UTC -4)
Or, maybe it is a made up bunch of nonsense?
Earlier today, Alex Cora was interviewed on WFAN and said he has not heard of any one complaining about Darryl Strawberry being in the clubhouse.
Cora said Strawberry is more than welcome to stop by his locker any time, ‘He’s a winner, and he can come in the clubhouse to talk to me any time.â€
trs86
5/25/2010-10:55am at 10:55 am (UTC -4)
These guys are harder on themselves than anyone will ever be. You can hear it in their tone and see it in their faces. The last thing they most likely want after hearing it from friends, family, managers, coaches, and especially the media is someone not even on the current team bashing them in their own locker room.
trs86
5/25/2010-10:49am at 10:49 am (UTC -4)
I thought that first article was absolutely terrible and mostly completely worthless.
Second one yeah lots of stress on the pen right now.
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-1:27pm at 1:27 pm (UTC -4)
Actually, I’m taking both with a grain of salt.
Some of these guys just want a subject to write about and want to be the first one to write about it…
stickguy
5/25/2010-8:57am at 8:57 am (UTC -4)
one problem with going with an organizational guy (melvin) to get rid of Jerry, is do they clean out the coaches too? If not, will much change, or will Melvin be pulled like a puppet, and stuck with the incompetant coaches too?
I guess that as long as he can make his own pitching decisions, and has a clue about using the BP, it will have to be better!
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-9:05am at 9:05 am (UTC -4)
Melvin, eh.
Melvin IS Jerry.
A crappy player and a mediocre manager who has managed to be fired twice.
A whole new regime is SO sorely needed for this crew, especially if the Strawberry thing is true.
These guys need someone to come in and teach them to run the bases and to start instilling the concept of consequences for sloppy, unprepared play.
stickguy
5/25/2010-10:30am at 10:30 am (UTC -4)
Joe torre got fired 3 times. FWIW.
From what I have read of Melvin, he is much more of a strict disciplinarion type (no nonsense guy). He also has a reputation as having taken teams short on talent and overacheived with them.
IOW, he is the anti-Jerry.
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-10:46am at 10:46 am (UTC -4)
I sure hope you are right about Melvin.
I would suggest that the teams which fired Torre had much less talent than the teams which fired Melvin.
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-10:07am at 10:07 am (UTC -4)
So…had an off day yesterday, got caught up on some things – LOL.
Now let’s get those Phills.
I just want to know who on the Mets staff are gonna have the binoculars to be checking out the guys in the visiting BP and bleachers to make sure they don’t have the binoculars…..
Kingman 26
5/25/2010-10:09am at 10:09 am (UTC -4)
Just posted on the Ledger’s site from the AP:
“Mets pitcher John Maine has tendinitis in his right rotator cuff and there’s no timetable for his return.”
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-10:26am at 10:26 am (UTC -4)
Yes, I saw that last night.
I would have bet the ranch tests would show something wrong with that arm. Thing is, he had to be feeling that tendinitis, no? Maybe if he had said something sooner, he could have been treated/rested and on his way back by now.
I think sometimes Maine is his own worst enemy.
stickguy
5/25/2010-10:33am at 10:33 am (UTC -4)
tendanitis I think is sometimes the catch-all excuse for sore/tired. But I guess it is good news if there is no obvious structural issues in there. So does that make it the infamous dead arm?
Not sure how long it will take for him to rest up and have this settle down. But hopefully a nice 2-4 week vacation, and they wil be able to get him back and supply some decent starts.
before that last debacle, he had actually run off a prety good string of starts. Hopefully he can have another one later in the season.
trs86
5/25/2010-10:58am at 10:58 am (UTC -4)
Actually is it good news? Looks like more of the same. John can pitch when the pain allows it. Oh goody.
GravediggerHebner
5/25/2010-10:35am at 10:35 am (UTC -4)
Where is the “none of the above” choice for these pitchers? I don’t feel in my Jerry-gut that any of the pitchers in Rusty’s post that are not already in the Mets organization will be Mets this season, except possibly Duke but I’ve simply never read/heard anything about his availability.
I think Niese will be back in a couple weeks, giving the team a reasonable enough 1-4 of Santana, Pelfrey, Takahashi & Niese, so then it’s a matter of 1 more guy and I just don’t believe this organization is going to reach for the stars to fill that role.
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-10:43am at 10:43 am (UTC -4)
Caught this tweet:
‘I almost just drove off the road. Steve Phillips just said he’d trade Strasburg for Oswalt straight up. Wow.’
From Hardball Talk:
‘Former Mets GM Steve Phillips was just on the Mike Francesa show and said that he’d trade Stephen Strasburg for Roy Oswalt straight up if he were running the Nationals.’
‘It’s days like this that Mets fans should look upon Omar Minaya and be thankful for what they have.’
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-10:51am at 10:51 am (UTC -4)
Steve “I have a good looking wife, but man oh man does that intern look good in the dark” Phillips is not one for making wise decisions.
Some one should introduce him to the 12 steps.
trs86
5/25/2010-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
For a VERY slight chance at the playoffs. Phillips seriously just wants attention with that comment.
GravediggerHebner
5/25/2010-10:45am at 10:45 am (UTC -4)
As far as the “KRod fracas” I say big deal. 25 players plus coaches and other staff spending that much time together over the course of Feb-Nov, much of it in close quarters such as planes and locker rooms, are bound to have disagreements. Hell we authors here get pretty heated with each other from time-to-time and we are 100′s if not 1000′s of miles away from each other, linked only by our willingness to sit at a computer. Much ado over nothing.
As far as “Strawberry and prominent players” I know if I were one of those prominent players it might occur to me to think/say “shut up you drug addict that wasted your talent and career, get out of my face.”
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-10:54am at 10:54 am (UTC -4)
ouch…
GravediggerHebner
5/25/2010-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
Please understand I loved Straw the Met player and I love his commentary today on SNY. But he was basically washed up at age 30 as a player due more I have to believe to his own actions/inactions than nature.
We as Met fans rightly revere him, but a bunch of guys in their 20′s who likely grew up as fans of other teams, who is he to them? IMO it’s one thing when Sandy Koufax visits spring training and works with pitchers. He’s an icon of the sport whose career was not cut short by self-abuse.
If Straw were around and a player/players asked him for advice I hope they’d accept whatever came since they asked for it. But if he were going around offering unsolicited advice, as one of those 20-something players who doesn’t know him from Adam I’d be like “who the hell are you?”
trs86
5/25/2010-11:04am at 11:04 am (UTC -4)
Right, before or after a game he should not be in the clubhouse. Nothing good can come from it. As a coach I can say that would be a travesty.
ceetar
5/25/2010-1:51pm at 1:51 pm (UTC -4)
I posted a picture to facebook of Darryl Strawberry throwing out the first pitch (err, dropping the puck) at an Islanders game, and someone I know from Chicago responded with something about B-list guys dropping first pucks.
so yeah. He’s nothing outside of NY. And I know we all want our players to be Mets historians, but that’s just not fair or the case. It’s about now, not trying to tie it into some historical sense.
trs86
5/25/2010-11:02am at 11:02 am (UTC -4)
So would I but the players know that WOULD create a huge controversy. Punches would most likely be thrown and it would really get ugly. I think they handled it in a way they THOUGHT would be kept away from the media. No such luck.
ceetar
5/25/2010-1:53pm at 1:53 pm (UTC -4)
Did they screw up, or is this a symptom of the team not really keeping things bottled up properly.
I’m not sure how I feel about whether the team should’ve listened to the request. On one hand, it’s Mets history and they’ve been criticized for their treatment of it/them, on the other, it’s really about the team right now ,and if (anyone..David Wright and Jose Reyes for instance) feel it’s detrimental to their, Jerry’s, or anyone else message eto the team internally, then by all means keep him out.
stickguy
5/25/2010-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
An interesting (rare, I know) comment from over on FWICG. Hadn’t relaly thought about the recent flak this way.
Patrick May 25, 2010 at 10:44 am
I’d say it smells of what can only be characterized as the Wilpon/Mets “approach†to a firing. Suddenly stories begin popping up that begin to make things look really bad and tense. The Maine episode provided all the fuel to begin a fire, even though in my opinion the handling of Maine was completely warranted, word for word, action for action.
But this how Valentine’s exit began to develop, Art Howe and ultimately Randolph while he actually more buried himself with his looney “off the record†comments to Ian OConnor, there was plenty of other stuff too.
trs86
5/25/2010-11:03am at 11:03 am (UTC -4)
Yeah it’s possible that the Mets management allows you to form your own noose.
gipperpdx
5/25/2010-11:02am at 11:02 am (UTC -4)
Hey guys,…not been on much due to work (we won our primary by 13 points!) and travel. Anyway, the latest part of that travel has me going to Citi tonight for my first game at the new park (I usually see the Mets when they are near me on the west coast). Any advice on things to do / not to miss at Citi? Obviously, I am getting there early and hitting the HoF/Museum, and walking around to get a feel for the place.
rustyjr
5/25/2010-11:08am at 11:08 am (UTC -4)
You will love the hall of fame – buy me a kingman jersey when u are at the team store
ceetar
5/25/2010-11:12am at 11:12 am (UTC -4)
Shea Bridge. It’s a very cool place to watch the game from even sometimes.
If you’re wandering around mid-game, walk down to the bullpen entrance and take a gander at the relievers warming up.
Pepsi Porch. (just for the different view, go take a look. Also, the walkway towards the Pepsi Porch always feels reminiscent of the subway platform at Shea)
Obviously, the food and drink are all good if you’re into that stuff, but check out the Center Field concourse anyway to see the skyline above shake shack. Big Apple Brews has beer. good stuff..there’s the kiddie field and the dunk tank over there, verizon studio, the gimmicky stuff. good views of the junkyards, etc.
Where are you sitting? if it’s not the cheap cheap seats, I’d suggest walking into the Acela Club and/or Promenade Club just for the sake of it.
gipperpdx
5/25/2010-11:16am at 11:16 am (UTC -4)
Rusty, only La Grand orange shirts for you!
Ceetar, thanks – I will definitely check out the bridge, BPs, and Pepsi porch! We have good seats – Sec 114, row 12 (12 behind the inside edge of the mets dugout/behind the on deck circle). access to Delta 360 club and all others and will check most of them out just to see them, not to stay,
ceetar
5/25/2010-11:30am at 11:30 am (UTC -4)
I’d skip the Promenade Club then. It’s probably just a watered down version of the others (of which I’ve only seen the Ceaser’s, briefly, during the exhibition games)
I’m upstairs somewhere.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-11:56am at 11:56 am (UTC -4)
MC Blog is having a get together tonight at McFadden’s if you are interested.
gipperpdx
5/25/2010-1:11pm at 1:11 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks Ceetar.
DND/Kistics: I saw that – we’ll see how thirsty I am when i get to the park!
GravediggerHebner
5/25/2010-11:22am at 11:22 am (UTC -4)
I haven’t been yet this year but Ceetar pretty much covered above everything I enjoyed doing at Citi last year.
This may be somewhat silly but after the sun goes down I like to step out between innings and just gaze at the endless line of lights in the sky of the planes in formation preparing to land at LaGuardia. I counted 14 planes in line once which strikes me who doesn’t fly often as kind of insane. Depending on your angle some good views of Manhattan skyline and various bridges too if those things float your boat.
ceetar
5/25/2010-12:14pm at 12:14 pm (UTC -4)
I’ll be attending my 6th game tonight. I’m 4-1 so far.
gipperpdx
5/25/2010-2:55pm at 2:55 pm (UTC -4)
Thanks grave…Not silly at all…as someone who loves aviation and has even landed a couple of (small) planes in my day, I may just check out the landing pattern!
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-11:04am at 11:04 am (UTC -4)
I think Oswalt makes perfect sense from the Mets perspective. Most of the “True Contending” teams right now don’t need him or can’t afford him. Only team that could work is the Twins. I was listening to ESPN radio this morning and Jayson Stark said that the Twins have money received from insurance for Nathan’s injury.
It’s a matter of Oswalt’s choice. From all the outlets, it seems like Mets and Nats are pretty much out because of the current record and that he wants go to the Cards or Bravos (a true contending team??).
Thus I would not keep my hopes up on this guy. If the Mets have another 10 game winning streak and can stay at the top, then it could be a different story, but otherwise I would say let’s look elsewhere.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-11:11am at 11:11 am (UTC -4)
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/an_amazin_long_shot_AbQKi0sp1HQ5P2ToTcTBmL
Sherman is not the brightest of the bunch, but this article makes sense. There are more then enough hurdles for the Mets to climb over that it sounds pretty impossible.
But then winning cures all…
ceetar
5/25/2010-11:13am at 11:13 am (UTC -4)
Win this series against the Phillies and be closer to striking distance, prove you can beat them, and not be very far from first place goes a long way. Start hitting again too.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-11:37am at 11:37 am (UTC -4)
I agree. I think the talent is there (we’ve heard this so many times now) offensively to be a true contender. If they add Oswalt, the pitching staff will be very strong and can definitely compete to go far in the playoffs. It’s the matter of proving that.
trs86
5/25/2010-11:18am at 11:18 am (UTC -4)
Thing is I went over his list and there is not a good fit anywhere. St. Louis is out of money, does not trade top prospects and does not pay pitcher big money. Texas has it’s own financial issues and most likely will not add payroll because of the coming sale. The Braves are no more of a contender than we are, don’t have a lot of chash, don’t need another pitcher and would not want 32+ million wrapped up in Lowe and Oswalt the next 2 years at a minimum.
The Angels are struggling to hit and don’t need another SP.
The Nats well that’s just foolish.
He may not want to come to NY but finding a team that matches a need for SP, a willingness to trade prospects, an ability/willingness to take on his salary and has any chance at contending will be very difficult to do.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-11:48am at 11:48 am (UTC -4)
I agree, in the fact the options are not all that plentiful. I’m sure he’d agree to come to NY if they guaranteed that option year. And with the limited options, that would help in keeping the package of prospects to a respectible haul vs. a king’s ransom.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-11:50am at 11:50 am (UTC -4)
Completely agree with you. But based on Sherman’s article, it sounds like Oswalt would rather stay in Houston than to go to a team that “might” have a chance to make the playoffs like the Mets. Plus the rumor is that the Mets don’t have the money to spend on Oswalt either.
I would say there’s more than 50% chance that Oswalt stays in Houston this season.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-11:51am at 11:51 am (UTC -4)
And also not to mention that there are other SP options available besides Oswalt like Lee, Westbrook, etc… So the market is working against Astros and Oswalt’s wishes.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-11:57am at 11:57 am (UTC -4)
From the way the media & attendance are, the astros are going to have to sell quick and for about 75 cents on the dollar to trim up payroll. I actually see oswalt getting moved in about 3-4 weeks. may or may not be the mets, but he’ll get moved. They’ve DFA’d Kaz. I wouldn’t doubt if Feliz is next and they have no one to pick up those spots. Someone will offer 2 major league ready players and a prospect and the Astros will bite.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-12:02pm at 12:02 pm (UTC -4)
But they can’t move him until he waives his NTC, which he won’t do unless it’s for a “true contender”.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-12:06pm at 12:06 pm (UTC -4)
Compared to the ‘Stros, alomst everyone is a contender. Ba da, dum…
And to me, a true contender means anyone who’s close that will guarantee my option!
stickguy
5/25/2010-11:56am at 11:56 am (UTC -4)
I agree. It really is pretty simple. If Oswalt can get his “wish list”, he will OK a trade. Otherwise, he will just stay in Houston and collect his money.
They can always revisit a trade in the off season, when it is much easier for teams to make major moves like this.
Plus, if the Ranger sale goes through, there might be a new owner looking to make a splash.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-11:58am at 11:58 am (UTC -4)
I get the feelin he’d like to win more than stay in houston. Houston won’t be good for multiple years, and i think he knows that too.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-12:04pm at 12:04 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, assuming Nolan is still influencing things there, I’m sure he’d love to have Oswalt there.
saltygary
5/25/2010-12:17pm at 12:17 pm (UTC -4)
Just read an article, it might have been Olney’s blog (I Know I Know…) that Texas in BK court couldn’t get this deal approved, which makes a lot of sense. They are in a lot of debt and have to deal with 4 deferred contracts, on of which is AROD’s at 25mil. He would be a perfect fit for that team but I cant see how they would get it done.
trs86
5/25/2010-1:12pm at 1:12 pm (UTC -4)
You could be right, he may stay.
But as for the money issue we have discussed that before. I think that’s about as bogus as anything and the media making something out of nothing.
saltygary
5/25/2010-12:05pm at 12:05 pm (UTC -4)
I think getting Oswalt is a real bad idea. Oswalt is a great pitcher with an amazing presence that this team can really use. The problem is the Mets have no payroll flexibility, attendance is down and efforts to strengthen the farm needs to continue. Adding another 15 million a year contract and getting rid of prospects would surely stymie any other efforts to upgrade other areas of the team. The team needs to start getting younger and cheaper. Also, Oswalt is trending downward in his stats, yea the team is bad but so where the Mets last year and Santana was fine.
Oswalt is awesome but the Mets need more that just one good starting pitcher to get to that next level.
stickguy
5/25/2010-11:52am at 11:52 am (UTC -4)
to some extent, I actually will be glad if Oswalt deep sixes the Mets, and no trade goes down.
His spine issues really concern me. And I don’t think this team can handle another top $$ player on the shlef for the next year+. Especially if it is the “splurge” costing them some of their carefully hoarded top prospects.
The mets have a very good top 2 SP at the moment. And Neise I think will be fine for a mid rotation guy, and taka is good coverage.
So, if they can get (on the much cheaper) 1-2 guys like Myers or Millwood, they should get the SP boost and depth they really need, along with some stability and innings to save the pen.
Plus, I am sure that Ollie will be back at some piont, and even Maine will be getting some more starts. So that giant poo-poo platter of 4/5 Sps will be what they are running with.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-11:54am at 11:54 am (UTC -4)
I think 2nd tier/cheaper guys like Myers or Millwood are good options as well, but I would much rather see the Mets go hard for Oswalt and 2nd tier guys as a fall back plan.
saltygary
5/25/2010-12:14pm at 12:14 pm (UTC -4)
Probably should of read this before I posted above. We are pretty much on the same wavelength. Making this deal would have the Mets put all their eggs in one basket and he is not enough to really change course.
saltygary
5/25/2010-12:12pm at 12:12 pm (UTC -4)
Just looking up attendance figures…
Last year the Mets were ranked forth in attendance percentage with 92.7% and 7th overall in numbers.
This year they are currently at 78.8% and ranked ninth overall.
in their last year at Shea they were at 89.1% and ranked second overall.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance/_/sort/homePct
metsfan4decades
5/25/2010-12:24pm at 12:24 pm (UTC -4)
I think this has as much to do with the economy as it does the Mets current state of play.
We know many season ticket holders did not renew this year – for either one of the two reasons above.
You can get cheap seats at the stadium, contrary to what some have posted. But if you’re say a family of 4, on a tight budget, between the transportation, tickets, feeding the kiddies, etc., you might have to be scaling down or limiting the amount of games you go for.
Then again, if they’re winning some might be more inclined to spend their hard earned money on a day at the park.
It’s kind of a catch 22 type thing.
njstuckintx
5/25/2010-12:24pm at 12:24 pm (UTC -4)
I think being in the last year of shea and then the first year of citi skews the numbers some.
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-12:26pm at 12:26 pm (UTC -4)
Damn the Mets are on pace to draw 2.6-2.7M people this season. I’m sure it’ll get better once the schools break and the weather gets warm. But even with that, they won’t be able to draw 3M people. They need to start winning.
FYI, Mets drew over 4M people in ’08 and 3.15M in ’09.
whataputz
5/25/2010-1:54pm at 1:54 pm (UTC -4)
Attendance is definitely related to the how the team is doing. Just look at ’05 compared to ’06. When they’re doing really good people come to the games. I mean sure it doesn’t help that the prices are absurd, but as a person who lives in Jersey and a good 2 hour drive from the stadium, I’m not bout to spend 30 dollars for anything resembling a decent seat, then 20 to park to watch Ollie, or Maine take 20 hours to get through 4 or 5 painful innings.
saltygary
5/25/2010-3:04pm at 3:04 pm (UTC -4)
Now that I live in NH I used to go see 3 games a year. I haven’t gone since after Willie got fired. I costs a lot to go and because I travel so far I want good seats. A seat that used to cost me $75 is now like $350. Can’t do it.
Not to mention the amount of money I spend on beer I can buy a keg at the store.
ceetar
5/25/2010-1:54pm at 1:54 pm (UTC -4)
They’ve already sold just under 2. 3 is still pushing it unless they really turn up the dial over the next nine games. 7-2 and smelling first place may get us excited enough to see the Marlins and Padres.
saltygary
5/25/2010-2:04pm at 2:04 pm (UTC -4)
Year____Total League____Rank____Mets____% of Stadium Filled.
2010____19,074,370______10______793,869_________78.8
2009____73,385,022______4________3,154,270______92.7
2008____78,591,116______9________4,042,047______89.1
2007____79,503,175______12_______3,853,949______82.9
2006____76,078,766______13_______3,379,535______75.5
2005____74,925,821______20_______2,829,931______61.6
2004____73,022,969______26_______2,318,321______50.5
2003____67,688,994______21_______2,187,291______49.5
2002____67,858,176______13_______2,804,838______64.5
2001____72,530,213______20_______2,658,279______58.8
saltygary
5/25/2010-2:06pm at 2:06 pm (UTC -4)
Besides last year Shea and First Year Citi, attendance for the last 10 years looks directly related to performance. League attendance has staid pretty strong as well given the current economy. It would be cool to know what the attendance/recommended payroll thresholds are.
trs86
5/25/2010-2:07pm at 2:07 pm (UTC -4)
2006 we were very good though?
GravediggerHebner
5/25/2010-2:10pm at 2:10 pm (UTC -4)
My basic understanding of team performance related to attendance is that it happens a year later. Team’s coming off WS wins I believe have their best attendance that next season.
trs86
5/25/2010-2:18pm at 2:18 pm (UTC -4)
That obviously would make sense as a lot of tickets are pre-sold and rarely do you have a team that is terrible right after winning a WS.
GravediggerHebner
5/25/2010-2:22pm at 2:22 pm (UTC -4)
So in that context the above chart of Mets attendance makes perfect sense. Their best percentages are 1st year in a new park, last year in an old park, and the year after being in the 7th game of the NLCS.
saltygary
5/25/2010-2:50pm at 2:50 pm (UTC -4)
I was thinking the same thing too. I wish I can pull it up by date to see what the averages were pre/post all start break.
GravediggerHebner
5/25/2010-2:56pm at 2:56 pm (UTC -4)
Salty if you have a lot of free time the b-r “schedule and results” page shows attendance figures for each game, you can do the math.
Mets 2007 Schedule & Results
saltygary
5/25/2010-3:11pm at 3:11 pm (UTC -4)
I wish man. I did that above spreadsheet while on a conference call.
saltygary
5/25/2010-3:20pm at 3:20 pm (UTC -4)
OK I bit I had to know. They didn’t have 3 games worth of attendance so I ommitted those and slick the hime games in half.
First half ’06: _____1,645,741
Second half ’06:_____1,689,202
Really no difference. This is shocking to me. I know I was pumped during that second half.
trs86
5/25/2010-2:07pm at 2:07 pm (UTC -4)
So out of the last 5 our most dominant year we had the least % filled. 2006?
DNDJohan aka kistics
5/25/2010-2:12pm at 2:12 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah that’s weird… I’m curious to see the monthly breakdowns. Could be possible that the attendance picked up towards the later part of the season compared to early.
saltygary
5/25/2010-3:00pm at 3:00 pm (UTC -4)
Also keep in mind that Citi is much smaller. So even though % of stadium filled went from 89 – 92 percent from 08-09, attendance dropped off by 900,000 people. So 78% right now might be around 2003 levels where it was at 50% with Shea.