Well leave it to the Mets to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with last nights 3-2 loss to the lowly Houston Astros. I’m telling you after Carlos Lee sent that meatball that Pat Misch served up to him over the left field wall I was laughing just to keep from crying. Can we blame either Pat Misch or Jerry Manuel for last nights kick in the crotch loss ? The answer is no. Misch was pitching what was quite possibly the best game of his life. He allowed only one hit over the first seven innings – at one time retiring sixteen straight Astros in a row before the wheels came off. Is the offense to blame ? Yes the mets offense is partially to blame. Three hits off a ham and egger is to quote General Jerry “pathetic“. I believe most of the blame goes to Omar Minaya and the Wilpons for poor roster management. Can you please tell me why we are carrying three catchers right now when we could use a extra infielder or outfielder that could hit ? Why did we go after past their prime players such as a Garry Matthews Jr and a Frank Cattalonoto or Alex Cora – when there were better options available this past off season? It is said that a team is as good as it’s weakest link, and you know something that link really isn’t our starting rotation, our starting lineup, our bullpen – hell it’s not even our bench !! Our weakest link really is out front office for the way they assembled this years squad. A good front office would be constantly monitoring this team, making the nessasery tweaks in season to make the team better. We knew even back in June when the Mets were the hottest team in baseball that our team had holes so big that even Billy Joel could drive a tractor trailer through it . But no they didn’t, and when teams like the Phillies and the Braves and our cross-town nemesis New York Yankees went out to improve themselves – what did our front office do? They traded Mike Jacobs for a player to be named later and inserted their stubby thumbs up their collective asses !
Guys this is not a way to run a franchise in the biggest market in the country – if not the world. Yes You have one of the highest payrolls in baseball – but you didn’t spend your money wisely. Sometimes in order to solve a problem, you have to take a long hard look in the mirror to find the answers. Fred, Jeff stare hard at that mirror and tell me do you like what you see?
” What happens in the Mets front office is a mystery !!”
And with that said….. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!
Celebrating Birthdays today are :
Former utility infielder of the ’62 Mets, Cliff Cook is 84(1936) .
The sorely under used fifth outfielder from last season,Cory Sullivan is 31 (1979) .
Pitcher,Lance Broadway is 27 (1983) . He had a cup of coffee last September with the Mets and was released after the season ended. He would later be arrested for pummeling another man.
New York Mets purchased pitcher, Bill Connors from the Chicago Cubs on August 20, 1967.
New York Mets purchased pitcher,Ray Burris from the New York Yankees on August 20, 1979.
New York Mets signed free agent infielder,Larry Bowa on August 20, 1985.
In a move that was supposed to add depth to the Mets bench, The New York Mets traded infield prospects, Sean Henry and Jose Castro to the Cincinnati Reds for fading power hitting outfielderJeff Conine on August 20, 2007.
New York Mets released pitcher,Livan Hernandez on August 20, 2009. Funny thing is that Livan was far from horrible. The Mets just didn’t want to pick up his option for the ’10 season.
Mo Vaughn is so depressed with the recent play of the Mets rhat he recently gained 60 lbs. Funny thing is no-one noticed
39 comments
stickguy
8/20/2010-9:19am at 9:19 am (UTC -4)
problem is, if you are right, not much will change. The big bosses rarely, if ever, come to the conclusion that they are actually the problem.
THe best we might hope for is that they make Omar the sacrificial lamb this time around. And that we get lucky, and they stumble upon someone actually good to replace him.
I suppose there is a chance that Jeffy has gotten overly involved in the day to day operations not because he wanted to (or wants to continue, being so “good” at it), but rather because omar was botching things and he felt he had to?
If they could sweet talk Towers into coming on board, would he get actual autonomy to make changes and right the ship? FOr some reason, I think he would.
Maybe just because it would be embarrassing to finally have to dump their chosen one (omar), and by giving the new guy free reign, it would distance Jeffy from the blame?
I have no clue, but it does seem that a few years back, Omar actually did have a reasonable level of autonomy. And a budget of course, but hopefully the new guy will be able to work out a better spending plan (even if it means cutting some payroll, and directing more into scouting, drafting and player development).
Bottom line though, if Omar does not go, don’t expect much improvement.
and Grave, “nessasery?”
rustyjr
8/20/2010-9:40am at 9:40 am (UTC -4)
well lest we forget Nelson Doubleday’s scathing critique of good old Jeffy
stickguy
8/20/2010-9:50am at 9:50 am (UTC -4)
apparently, I already have.
I recall something about Stevie boy calling them dysfunctional. But, having gone through him, duquette and now Omar, maybe the problem really is not having a decent GM!
although I suspect it is a poorly designed management structure (too many cooks) and meddling Jeffy too.
hence, my hope they finally realize that is part of (a big part) of the problem, and let a “real” baseball mind come in and fix things.
rustyjr
8/20/2010-10:00am at 10:00 am (UTC -4)
well phillips rarely admits to his mistakes
GravediggerHebner
8/20/2010-12:02pm at 12:02 pm (UTC -4)
[and Grave, “nessasery?”]
- I don’t know to what you are referring.
njstuckintx
8/20/2010-9:24am at 9:24 am (UTC -4)
Well, we are on the right path for a 2-5 road trip against the Astros and Pirates… Then Jerry gets the axe! Most likely not, but I’m hoping.
rustyjr
8/20/2010-9:41am at 9:41 am (UTC -4)
I think the 4-3 this road trip – but I do think after last nights loss it’s becoming a farce that Jerry is still managing the team btw does anyone else have a problem getting the site on their i-phone?
njstuckintx
8/20/2010-9:48am at 9:48 am (UTC -4)
you think a sweep of the pirates? optimistic.
rustyjr
8/20/2010-9:49am at 9:49 am (UTC -4)
no – im thinking 2 out of three – we went 2-2 against the ‘stros
njstuckintx
8/20/2010-9:53am at 9:53 am (UTC -4)
did we? long night/slow morning… Need coffee…
stickguy
8/20/2010-9:52am at 9:52 am (UTC -4)
I don’t think the Mets are even bad enough to get swept by the pirates. But if they do, Jerry should just hope a flight to the West coast, and not even bother to come back to NY. I don’t think anyone would mind.
but, 1-2 (for a 3-4 road trip to the dregs) is certainly doable.
although somehow, as bad as they have been, if they take 2-3 from the pirates, they are still sitting at .500!
rustyjr
8/20/2010-10:01am at 10:01 am (UTC -4)
hey they kept Art ” Lights up the room” Howe for the entire ’04 season so why should this be any different
stickguy
8/20/2010-10:08am at 10:08 am (UTC -4)
I don’t think people cared as much, or had actually expections, that season. but it was a long time ago, and hard for me to remember.
rustyjr
8/20/2010-10:16am at 10:16 am (UTC -4)
the drugs were more potent back then
Ceetar
8/20/2010-10:26am at 10:26 am (UTC -4)
Last time we got swept by the Pirates in Pittsburgh we clinched a postseason spot the next day. I’ll take it.
oleosmirf
8/20/2010-10:40am at 10:40 am (UTC -4)
its just comical that the Mets are still operating under the premise that they can make the playoffs.
lets do some math here, If the Braves and Phillies (and every other team above the Mets in the NL wildcard) only play .500 baseball from here on out, the Braves would be 91-71 and the Phillies would be 89-73. The Mets would then have to go 29-12 from today on, in order to force a 1 game playoff and 31-10 to tie the Braves for division lead.
Ceetar
8/20/2010-10:58am at 10:58 am (UTC -4)
first off, they’re not operating under the assumption they can make the playoffs, and that seemingly has pissed off some of the players.
second, they _can_ make the playoffs. 29-12 isn’t impossible, and they play the Braves and the Phillies directly, which affects the record of those teams. It’s not likely, but with winning the games against those teams, coupled with them maybe slumping even a little, the Mets can dive back in. It’s very extremely not likely, but as a player, you don’t give up in early-mid-late August. Stranger things have happened.
oleosmirf
8/20/2010-11:04am at 11:04 am (UTC -4)
stranger things have happened? really?
the Mets making the playoffs would blow away what they did in 1969
Ceetar
8/20/2010-11:08am at 11:08 am (UTC -4)
the Rockies had a similar stretch recently.
rustyjr
8/20/2010-11:10am at 11:10 am (UTC -4)
rockies had a better team
rustyjr
8/20/2010-11:10am at 11:10 am (UTC -4)
excuse me – better hitting team that what we have right now
GravediggerHebner
8/20/2010-12:06pm at 12:06 pm (UTC -4)
Manuel was asked last night in the post game if he was managing as for now or for the future and replied that he was managing as if he was in the pennant race.
The reporter followed up by asking at what point he might change that and replied that he would do so when the team was mathematically eliminated.
rustyjr
8/20/2010-12:30pm at 12:30 pm (UTC -4)
jerry can count?
Mr North Jersey
8/20/2010-12:33pm at 12:33 pm (UTC -4)
Rusty quick question why do you not add your Rusty pic in feat image?
rustyjr
8/20/2010-12:41pm at 12:41 pm (UTC -4)
i tried with the beatles – fr some reason it didnt take
wannybackstra
8/20/2010-10:47am at 10:47 am (UTC -4)
Joel Sherman gets hammered here all the time. But when he’s right (as he was the last time he was criticized here) we should post that too:
“The Mets make very few decisions that I understand. Two weeks ago, they committed to seeing what they had for the future by promoting Fernando Martinez and moving in a stronger way toward having Josh Thole be the primary catcher down the stretch.
Two weeks later they are even further removed from some pipedream chance to reach the playoffs. And yet they activated Rod Barajas, which means the club now has three catchers active and, thus, potentially less playing time for Thole. And to make room for Barajas they sent down Martinez.
Does this mean they already have given up on Thole and Martinez holding prominent roles in 2011 and beyond? Even if they have, the Mets have to know that Barajas and Jeff Francoeur will not be part of the team next year. So why give them more playing time? Are they showcasing them for a trade before Aug. 31? That would seem doubtful since it is hard to imagine that other clubs are clamoring for their free-swinging services.
Yes, Sept. 1 is less than two weeks away so the Mets could bring Martinez back then. But they have signaled to the rest of the sport, yet again, that they think less of Martinez than their public proclamations. Remember actions carry a stronger message than words; and the latest Mets action is to clear playing time for Francoeur.
I can understand Jerry Manuel wanting to put the veterans on the field. He is desperately trying to save a job that probably cannot be saved. But a manager does not option players back to the minors. That is an order from above. So what exactly are the Mets’ priorities, right now? Or are the Mets showing they have no priorities, only ideas that come to their mind day by day?”
rustyjr
8/20/2010-10:49am at 10:49 am (UTC -4)
well barajas was placed through waivers – maybe this is to showcase him for a trade?
oleosmirf
8/20/2010-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
Francouer was placed on waivers 2-3 weeks ago so why hasn’t he been traded.
1) either nobody wants him for free or 2) the mets wont give him away for nothing b/c they are in a “playoff race”
Ceetar
8/20/2010-11:02am at 11:02 am (UTC -4)
“right” is a very strong word, even for this piece.
Barajas was going to play some. they signed him like that. They can still trade him before 9/1, and they can still evaluate Thole. Maybe they’ve already seen enough to decide he _will_ be the catcher next year. a couple of starts for Barajas won’t change Thole’s work load much. T he “three catchers” thing is just a easy buzzword for writers to get up in arms about. Rubin did it too. easy story.
As for Martinez, it was silly, I agree. But there could be a ton of reasons for it. Maybe they see Frenchy getting hot a little, and want to see if they can trade him. Maybe at the time they thought Bay was about to come back. Maybe they realized Jerry wasn’t playing him despite their wishes (but still dont’ want to ditch a manager late in the season since he’s gone anyway) so they sent him back to AAA. Maybe they simply changed their minds. He probably doesn’t have a place on the 2011 Mets anyway!
rustyjr
8/20/2010-11:05am at 11:05 am (UTC -4)
all i know is this is quickly turning into a clusterphuck
oleosmirf
8/20/2010-11:07am at 11:07 am (UTC -4)
Thole needs to be playing every day. He has 8 AB this season against LHP. Hiding him from LHP does nothing for his development, he’s gonna have to learn to eventually, so why not do it now, when the games are essentially meaningless instead of next april.
Ceetar
8/20/2010-11:10am at 11:10 am (UTC -4)
Catchers don’t play every day anyway. Yes, he should be getting playing time against LHP. so should Ike for that matter.
But playing Barajas 7 games the rest of the way is not going to be a disaster of evaluation in any way.
rustyjr
8/20/2010-11:11am at 11:11 am (UTC -4)
I agree mets are in a pickle because you don’t want to cut blanco either
njstuckintx
8/20/2010-11:22am at 11:22 am (UTC -4)
It’s getting harder and harder to deal with this team. Rhyme? out the door! Reason? out the window!
oleosmirf
8/20/2010-12:12pm at 12:12 pm (UTC -4)
they want to start him once a week, thats fine but hiding Thole from LHP doesnt help his development.
wannybackstra
8/20/2010-12:19pm at 12:19 pm (UTC -4)
It didn’t sound to me that Jerry was talking about playing Barajas only sparingly. He was completely non-committal about Thole’s playing time.
Thole should be playing every day somewhere, here or in AAA.
tkfj2
8/20/2010-11:51am at 11:51 am (UTC -4)
This organization is a clusterfugg. Honestly, how idiotic is every powerful person in this organization?
First we cut Cora, call up Tejada/Fmart. Ok conceding the season, lets see what the kids can do. Then you have Frenchy bargaining for more undeserved playing time, which the idiot at the helm grants, cutting FMart’s playing time completely.
Now, we have Barajas coming back and getting “a majority of starts” over Thole. Why? Is Barajas an improvement over Josh? Thole has a better idea at the plate, has a higher OBP, higher AVG, and is probably already a better contributor to the team. If you wanted the team to win in the middle of this so called “playoff race”, then play Thole.
All the while, the idea that we can actually get back in to this race is unquestionably unrealistic. There is no race, we certainly are not in it, and we are not making the playoffs.
Maybe if the FO recognized that one of the major faults of this team was it’s hitting and it’s hitting coach a long time ago, we might still be in the race. No, we are not going 29-12, not when you hit .213 or lower.
Hopefully, I say goodbye to these idiots after the season. Goodbye and good riddance.
metsfan4decades
8/20/2010-12:01pm at 12:01 pm (UTC -4)
Yet another lost season.
Clean house, starting at the top. Omar must go (don’t care if they fire him or reassign him).
Coaches go too.
From there, Wilpons should hire the best GM they can find, one they can trust and let that person start fixing this mess. To me, it’s obvious they no longer trust Omar to get it right. So what is the point of keeping him in that capacity?
Wanny’s statement above (or was it Sherman’s?):
Or are the Mets showing they have no priorities, only ideas that come to their mind day by day?”
I’m voting yes. This is exactly what I’m seeing. No commitment to any well thought out plan. Just keep flip flopping on decisions made daily. It’s getting bizarre.
I firmly believe getting a new GM in here is the single most productive move they can make to turn this around. They need to do it now before any more water goes under that bridge. If not, I’m afraid it’ll be so far gone, it will takes years to get back to being competitive again.
wannybackstra
8/20/2010-12:18pm at 12:18 pm (UTC -4)
exactly, m4d. the message changes every day. omar says the players are coming up to play. then they don’t play. then one gets sent down in a move that will affect another young player.
this trickles down to the manager who says one thing and does another all the time.
the whole system is broke.
and what ceetar has apparently missed in his latest case in defense of the mets is that jerry is completely non-committal about thole’s playing time and indicated that barajas will play and blanco will play. what’s best for the team is that thole plays like any starting catching would play, approximately 4x a week.