Ah yes, the Mets on SNY, the Yankees of YES and the Phillies on ESPN. Welcome to the age of the remote control. I watched three games last night, all at once. I wore out two double AA batteries flipping back and forth between three channels and let me tell you-it’s a beautiful thing.
But I saw three distinct things watching these three teams last night and even though it may not be permanent, I think there worth noting. I’ll start with the team I hate the most-the Yankees.
I still can’t believe people actually root for them but regardless, I really would’ve liked to see the Yankees release Jorge Posada-just to stick it to him but I guess there are guys above the team. Anyway, watching the Yankees is like watching 9 guys swing for the fence every time they get up.
The Phillies were playing the Cards on ESPN and I’ve been seeing this trend a lot lately with them and I think it’s going to lead to a problem. Charlie Manuel leans on his starters real hard. Lee and Holliday throw a lot, even when they are down runs. I saw Holliday throw a complete game loss the other night and last night, I saw Lee throw something like 117 pitches in 6 1/3 innings. He was only down 2-1 when his wildness and lack of spotting his fastball caused the Cards to gain another run. Maybe Manuel is intimidated by his star pitchers or maybe he has no bullpen but regardless, I could see the whip marks on Lee’s behind from being left in too long-oh and by the way Lee walked six batters last night but that still didn’t get Manuel out of the dugout. It was when it was 3-1 did Manuel pop out and pull him. And another thing-the Phillies don’t hit.
Finally, the Mets. I saw something- life without David Wright. There has been a lot of talk about keeping Reyes and trading Wright and last night and possibly the next 10-15 games, we are about to see what the Mets would look like without David at third. I know that we’ve seen a glimpse of it when Wright was on the DL with the concussion, but we never saw it when Reyes, Beltran and Bay were healthy. What did you think?
Just something to think about it on your Tuesday morning.
19 comments
stickguy
5/17/2011-8:45am at 8:45 am (UTC -4)
you are right about the Phils. Especially with Halladay. On the days he starts, I am pretty sure the pen does not even cup up!
I wouldn’t watch the yankees if the only other thing on TV was Oprah.
metsfan4decades
5/17/2011-8:59am at 8:59 am (UTC -4)
LOL.
I watched the Sunday night game with Yanks and Boston. I’m not sure how the Mets deserve all this bashing and the Yankees don’t. Their record isn’t much better than ours right now. Their BP minus Mo is worse than ours. Their SP isn’t all that much better either. They’ve got an ace, but even he’s struggling.
The Phils offense really stinks right now. So does their BP for the most part which is why I think Charlie goes with some of his starters that deep. Lee was actually at his 122 pitch last night when I saw him give up that 3rd run. Thing is, Charlie usually plays his starting position players hard as well, hardly ever giving them a day off in the past. And right now, their bench isn’t any better than ours.
It’s going to be an interesting summer, to say the least.
kingman 26
5/17/2011-8:53am at 8:53 am (UTC -4)
I think Jose choking when the game is on the line is literally a foregone conclusion.
I think the reserves have been doing a very admirable job recently.
I think the pen is becoming a serious strength.
I think Wright is the epitome of what today’s athlete should be.
I think Bay should be waived.
I truly could care less about the Yanks, and right now I think we need to worry about the Nats before we worry about the Phillies.
metsfan4decades
5/17/2011-9:05am at 9:05 am (UTC -4)
I think the Mets should only be worrying about the Mets right now.
As in fielding a healthy 9 every night, which is getting to be a problem.
Only a difference of 6 wins right now separate the top from the bottom. It’s going to be an interesting summer.
TRS86
5/17/2011-9:02am at 9:02 am (UTC -4)
Release Posada? I think he has earned at least one pass with all those WS wins.
As for life without Wright, we only got to see the effect on the lineup last night. If he is out long-term we will see the effect in the clubhouse and in the media.
kingman 26
5/17/2011-9:03am at 9:03 am (UTC -4)
Wow, you sure do believe these guys should behave like prima donnas, don’t you?
TRS86
5/17/2011-9:05am at 9:05 am (UTC -4)
Nope, I think that over time you earn credit for boneheaded plays and moves. That being said he spent a lot of credit there.
Ceetar
5/17/2011-9:07am at 9:07 am (UTC -4)
You could argue that acting like a prima donna may have bought Posada time. the fans gave him a standing ovation and they’d actually look bad releasing him at this point, days later.
had he simply sucked against the Red Sox they may have gone behind the scenes and forced him to retire or released him without the drama.
TRS86
5/17/2011-9:16am at 9:16 am (UTC -4)
Seriously Kingman, if you had been one of the most valued employees at your job for 15 years and then came in one morning and was disrespectful to your boss you think you would be fired on the spot?
kingman 26
5/17/2011-9:21am at 9:21 am (UTC -4)
Well, as is often the case, I think we see it differently.
Posada is nowhere near being one of the most valued employees today.
He is being paid for past contributions, which I believe he, Jeter, and Mariano certainly deserve.
However, after being given such a massive reward for the past, I think he should respectfully do whatever is asked of him.
And I am like Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs. I don’t have a boss.
But a person in Posada’s position behaving like that? Sure it could be grounds for termination. Absolutely.
TRS86
5/17/2011-9:26am at 9:26 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, just agree to disagree. While his contract status is based on previous achievements, just like corporate world is based on, after 15 years you do build up credit with your bosses. Enough to where they are not going to fire you for one bad day. However, make a habit of it? Of course.
If my principal walked in on me tomorrow and I was kicked back with my feet on the desk doing nothing while the kids in turn were doing nothing I am sure I would get a letter in my file and a stern warning…. Fired? Nah it would have to be more severe than that. However, if I was a first year teacher? See ya later bud.
metsfan4decades
5/17/2011-9:26am at 9:26 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, but here’s the difference.
If the majority of us here did that and were fired, we’d be owed no money other than what we might get from unemployment.
Posada walks away with the rest of the money in that contract for this year.
That being said, given the fact that it’s the Yankees, I’m not sure the money even plays into it. I think the fans do, which was more than half the reason they gave Jeter 3 years, 45 MIL. If just looking at his age, defense, stats, no way he gets 15 Mil per year.
TRS86
5/17/2011-9:28am at 9:28 am (UTC -4)
I think you are getting what I think is ok and acceptable confused with what I think they should do.
Obviously what he did is unacceptable and wrong. However, where we differ is what the punishment should be. I think fining him, taking one days pay away in addition to the fine and forcing a day of “team” community service is enough punishment for a 1st time offense. 2nd time I think you can make a case for much more severe punishment.
kingman 26
5/17/2011-9:36am at 9:36 am (UTC -4)
I actually was not agreeing that he should be released.
My feeling is just that it is yet another ridiculous, hugely inappropriate and disappointing episode of behavior by one of today’s prominent pro athletes.
These guys are playing sports and he’s making an 8-figure salary. He’ll never have to work again. He totally sucks now. He should go out there and try his best regardless of the situation.
Like David Wright and RA Dickey do.
TRS86
5/17/2011-9:39am at 9:39 am (UTC -4)
Of course he should and 99% of the time he does yet that one day he screwed up. These guys are human. Honestly I keep going back to the salary thing. To me it does not matter if he makes 100M or if he is a worker at McDonalds. He should show up to work everyday and work hard regardless and when he does not either he has built up enough credit to get a punishment and a pass or he has not.
kingman 26
5/17/2011-9:43am at 9:43 am (UTC -4)
Don’t see how you cannot perceive the difference; it’s ridiculous.
A McDonald’s worker works 50 weeks a year, in obnoxious and unpleasant circumstances, and barely makes enough to live on, and will have to work for decades.
Posada works at most 32 weeks a year, clearly has enough money that he and his family for several generations will never want for anything (such as expensive health care for his child), and his entire life is spent in luxurious surroundings.
People who work at McDonald’s don’t feel about their lives the way Jorge Posada–or you and I–do.
TRS86
5/17/2011-9:47am at 9:47 am (UTC -4)
Not the point, he is paid to do a job and has done that job 99% of the time for 15 years.
Damn you can tell who is a democrat and who is a republican between us can’t you? LOL.
Like I said we are better off not to argue on points like these.
Ceetar
5/17/2011-9:05am at 9:05 am (UTC -4)
all teams have problems. The Mets biggest problem had been rotational depth, and getting Dickey straightened out, but now it’s _again_ injuries. We probably could’ve survived without Ike if David or Bay picked it up in the interim, but now we’re going to have to get a surprise production out of Turner or Evans or Tejada (which isn’t out of the question, but it’s not something I’d bank on) and have Bay be acceptable. He _has_ hit the ball better, often right at people or just not quite far enough, but he’s going to have to do better than that.
njstuckintx
5/17/2011-10:37am at 10:37 am (UTC -4)
The Houston Astros have about the worst farm system, nothing much at the major league level and figure to have one of if not the worst records in the league this year. Yet there is a sense of optimism down here in Texas. With the sale of the team, there looks to be a complete revamping of the team and it is known that it will take 3 years to get this team back to where they want to go. I compare the Mets to the Astros a good deal of the time, as I have nothing better to do and it’s Houston down here, so if I am hearing baseball, it’s about the Astros. The Mets have the Astros beat on just about every level. Minor league system, current stars, newer stadium, baseball personnel overseeing the operations… Every level but one. That, my friends, is the owner. I put Wilpons on par with the current (and soon to sell officially) Astros owner. And said Astros owner drove their team into the ground, getting involved in the day to day and surrounding themselves with inept baseball people (See Omar, Bernazard, etc. etc. as a Mets parallel).
But there is now hope in Houston, all due to a new owner. The Mets will likely be able to turn their team around in 2 years, yet the difference in opinion of a Mets fan vs. an Astros fan is almost tangible. Just thought I’d mention that to put some perspective on the situation. It may take some time, and ‘in Sandy we trust’ will need a little time to play out, but it’s funny to see the Astros people say that they know they suck, but the ship is pointed in the right direction and they’ll get there soon enough. Maybe it’s just the heat affecting their brains already. Or the copious amounts of brisket.