" Because you always need hope !"
If you haven’t noticed lately all has been quiet of late in Metsville. Yes there was the Holiday party this past Tuesday and the coat drive on Wednesday. But aside from that there has been very little in terms of either transactions or rumors of potential acquisitions.
Face it as a whole we Mets fans are a restless bunch. We bellyache when a player we have targeted signs with another team. Hell we get upset when a scrub player that we either don’t want or don’t need signs else where.
So in honor of all of us Mets fans out there – sane and insane alike , I give to you…
THE TOP TEN SONGS THAT BEST DESCRIBE THE OFFSEASON ( so far) !!
10. Had To Cry Today - Blind Faith . It kinda describes of I felt after hearing about Cliff Lee re-signing with the Phillies
09. Watching , Waiting- Extreme. This is what all of us Mets fans are doing right now.
08. All Revved Up With No Place To Go – Meatloaf . This is for all of us that wishes the season was already here.
07. Grand Designs - Rush . This is for all of us that believes in Sandy Alderson’s vision of the franchise.
06.The Prisoner – Iron Maiden, Since Sandy is restricted by limited available funds to spend
05. Standing In The Shadows – Whitesnake. Since all the prognosticators see the Mets as a afterthought in the National League East.
04. Anesthesia ( Pulling Teeth) – Metallica. This off-season is so slow it makes Mo Vaughn look like Jose Reyes !
03. Dazed and Confuzed - Led Zeppelin. Can someone please tell me how much money the Mets have to spend !!??!!
02. The Waiting Is The Hardest Part -Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers . Because it is always hardest to wait patiently .
And the number one song that best describes this Mets off season – Hope by The Mahavishnu Orchestra !!! Because deep down inside , YOU ALWAYS NEED HOPE !!!
And with that said… HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!
Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today are :
One of the most overlooked pitchers in Mets history, Bob Ojeda is 53 (1957) . It is great to see him back with the Mets as a in studio analyst. His direct, blunt criticism of the past two season has been refreshing.
Middle reliever from the ’03 season, Edwin Almonte is 34 (1976) . He was involved in the trade that sent Roberto Alomar from the Mets to the Chicago White Sox.
New York Mets traded reliever, Roger Mason and minor league pitcher, Mike Freitas to the San Diego Padres for middle reliever, Mike ” Brother of Greg” Maddux on December 17, 1992.
New York Mets signed free agent pitcher, Jae Seo on December 17, 1997. He showed flashes of brilliance when he finally reached the big team in ’02. But he was gone bu the middle of the ’05 season.
New York Mets signed free agent first baseman,Todd Zeile of the Texas Rangers on December 17, 1999. I am on the record as saying that I was less than enamoured when the Mets had signed him. I wanted John Olerud – the best Mets first baseman since Keith Hernandez to be retained, and Zeile just seemed like a cut below.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays signed reserve first baseman, Brian Buchanan of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 17, 2004.
Los Angeles Dodgers signed utility infielder, Angel Berroa of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 17, 2009.
And while you sit at home preparing yourself for the Jennifer Lopez movie marathon – featuring “Gilli”, just remember there are just 105 days until the Mets open the 2011 season against the Florida Marlins in Miami and 112 days until the Mets 2011 home opener against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
Mo Vaughn’s favorite sone right now is ” The Weight” by The Band
26 comments
njstuckintx
12/17/2010-8:13am at 8:13 am (UTC -4)
The waiting is the hardest part is most appropriate.
Is there a song called “stagnant”?
rustyjr
12/17/2010-8:38am at 8:38 am (UTC -4)
no but there was a song called regurgitated gut by a band called death
njstuckintx
12/17/2010-8:46am at 8:46 am (UTC -4)
kind of a folk-sy blue grass band, right?
rustyjr
12/17/2010-8:47am at 8:47 am (UTC -4)
yuppers
kistics
12/17/2010-8:44am at 8:44 am (UTC -4)
Since when did the Metsblog become MLBTR? ‘Red Sox in talks with Dan Wheeler’…. uh… so what?
Adam Rubin does much better job in covering Ollie’s outing….
rustyjr
12/17/2010-8:48am at 8:48 am (UTC -4)
what was the Sultans of Suckitudes final line from last night ?
kistics
12/17/2010-8:55am at 8:55 am (UTC -4)
6 IP, 2R, 3H, 5K, 6BB… He has 5.14 ERA so far in Mexican league… woohoo~~!
Ceetar
12/17/2010-8:58am at 8:58 am (UTC -4)
That’s a _very_ typical Ollie line actually. If he’d put up those type of numbers through ’09 and ’10 he’d still have a given spot in the rotation.
too many walks as usual, but looks like he’s getting back to keeping guys from making good contact, which is at least the right path.
TRS86
12/17/2010-9:03am at 9:03 am (UTC -4)
It’s the MEXICAN LEAGUE.
Ceetar
12/17/2010-9:07am at 9:07 am (UTC -4)
so? I don’t really care about the results, just like i won’t care about the results in Spring Training. It’s about the K/9 K/BB rate mostly. about his mechanics and his velocity. about his pitch selection and approach.
And those periphrial things are roughly the same now as they were during his scoreless streak down there.
TRS86
12/17/2010-9:15am at 9:15 am (UTC -4)
K/9 and K/BB ARE results. So are H/9 and so is ERA. Considering it’s the Mexican league and he can’t consistently get batters out that has to be concerning. That’s a 1.5WHIP in the damn Mexican league. Imagine what that would be in the Majors. As for his approach, it appears to be the same. Throw it, hope it’s a strike and walk 6 batters in 6 innings.
Ceetar
12/17/2010-9:22am at 9:22 am (UTC -4)
Well yes, but that ‘approach’ was mostly successful in the two years prior to his contract and I’d certainly take it out of a 5th starter spot. Him being ’07-’08 Ollie is pretty much best case right?
no advanced stats for the Mexican league. k/9 and what not are as close as i can get to the process and what he’s throwing when and how it’s getting batters out. ERA is tinged by babip and luck and crappy fielders and crappy umpires and who knows.
I have no doubt that the Ollie we saw for most of 2010, particularly after he stopped pitching with any regularity, would get smashed around even by Mexican leaguers, so I do look at as a step in the right direction, even if it’s a first step on a long road, etc. (you could also say the only way to go is up)
I’m looking at this analytically. I’m not advocating a spot for him, or predicting or suggesting. Just looking at the limited data-set and thinking about it.
TRS86
12/17/2010-9:24am at 9:24 am (UTC -4)
Looking at the limited data I see, he’s still terrible and not worth anything more than the ST invite (yes I know it’s not a real invite but that’s basically what it is) and release that hopefully he obtains.
Ceetar
12/17/2010-9:30am at 9:30 am (UTC -4)
Hey, it’s a quality start. *shrug*
oleosmirf
12/17/2010-9:35am at 9:35 am (UTC -4)
the problem is that approach only works when your offspeed pitches have good movement and your fastball has velocity.
I will agree that if Perez can reach the mid 90s again like he did in 06-08, he can rebound but considering all reports have him at 86-89, i dont see how he will ever be effective over a long stretch again
kistics
12/17/2010-9:41am at 9:41 am (UTC -4)
I’m afraid that Sandy & co maybe thinking Ollie can be the LOOGY if they don’t find anyone cheap.
TRS86
12/17/2010-9:45am at 9:45 am (UTC -4)
Oleo, that’s a bit miss leading. He’s really never been a mid90′s guy. His max according to fangraphs was at 93mph and that was in 2003. It’s never really been close to that again. The following year he was down to 91.3 and since then he has mostly lived around 90.5 or less.
Ceetar
12/17/2010-9:47am at 9:47 am (UTC -4)
I doubt the Mets are really considering Ollie as a lefty specialist.
oleo, I only saw one report of velocity all winter and it mentioned that he was occasionally getting 91-92. So I was wondering if it was more an arm strength thing that he could build up to. Also think I saw a report that he was using the cutter more/effectively.
Either way, SNY televises enough games that I imagine we’ll get to see him pitch and critique ourselves. (unless there is a conspiracy to not show his starts? but they show all home starts..)
Also, i’ll be down there on the 18th and 19th, so if he pitches one of those days..
TRS86
12/17/2010-9:50am at 9:50 am (UTC -4)
Ceetar, I think here is where we also disagree. Do you see anyway that Ollie can be successful for the Mets again? I think that bridge is too far burned. The negative energy that will surround the team and Ollie when he is there will by far out weigh any potential that he provides. I too hope he starts getting batters out in Winter League and dominates ST just so we don’t have to eat the entire contract but I see no way he can be on the team.
Ceetar
12/17/2010-9:56am at 9:56 am (UTC -4)
I don’t buy into negative energy stuff, particularly not in the winter and just looking at the guy. It’s too much intangiables and ‘clubhouse chemistry’ and this mystical unmeasurable thing. And I think the stories have been exaggerating too, in just how absolutely evil and selfish and clueless he is. Whatever. the fans are going to be someone. better the goat we know than the goat we don’t?
He’s probably not making the team anyway. I think the Mets will sign at least two guys, that unless they crap out or someone gets injured, will be on the team first. I suspect Perez goes into Spring Training as the 7th guy, behind Gee and the two guys they bring in.
Do you think the Mets release him flat out or try to send him to AAA first? would he go? I suspect Boras would look for a suitor first, and then reluctantly let him go to Buffalo.
TRS86
12/17/2010-10:03am at 10:03 am (UTC -4)
I suspect that Ollie, considering that was his goal last year, would much rather be released and move on to a team like the Pirates/Royals where they would not care how crappy he is.
Ceetar
12/17/2010-8:55am at 8:55 am (UTC -4)
That’s Rubin’s forte, given that it’s easier to fit in a negative spin to most of Perez’s outings. But don’t worry, when he has a good one Rubin makes sure to get MPH reports so he has something negative to say.
TRS86
12/17/2010-9:03am at 9:03 am (UTC -4)
So you are saying he’s the anti-ceetar?
Ceetar
12/17/2010-9:09am at 9:09 am (UTC -4)
I’m saying he slants his stories a certain way, and I find it sloppy and classless.
He’s got a story all typed up about Backman, he’s just waiting for him to screw up so he can jump out and say “Ha! I told you there was something there!”
TRS86
12/17/2010-9:13am at 9:13 am (UTC -4)
I hope he does have that story on Backman, inquiring minds want to know. LOL.
As for Rubin, I lost a lot of respect for him because of how is opinions have came across too much like a woman scorned since the Omar debacle.
Ceetar
12/17/2010-9:16am at 9:16 am (UTC -4)
I never paid much attention to the beat writers before twitter, and even when i used to read the papers i rarely remembed who wrote what (and I read more Lennon/Newsday then anyway), so most of my observation on these guys is the last two years or so.
I now go on the basis that if someone writes somethign worth reading, it’ll be linked to and retweeted enough that It’ll come across my window (that’s the best thing about Twitter too)