“You’ve got to ask them. I have my own opinion, but I’m not going to express it publicly…. I’m not inside their heads”.
Terry Collins when asked last night if the team has quit after the 16-1 rout by the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies.
I think that if perception equals truth then the answer is yes this team has checked out.
I think It is time for us to start singing the chorus to the Dropkick Murphy’s song ” Going Out In Style” – but with a few changes in the lyrics.
“You may bury me with an enemy in Mount Calvary
You can stack me on a pyre and soak me down with whiskey
Roast me to a blackened crisp and throw me in a pile
I could really give a s%$t – I’m going out in style
You can take my urn to Citi Field spread my ashes all about
Or you can bring me down to Flushing Bay
And dump the sucker out
Burn me to a rotten crisp and toast me for a while
I could really give a s%^t – I’m going out in style”
Going out in style indeed (sarcasm in case you didn’t know) !!!
And with that said….. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!
Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today includes:
Original Mets Director of Public Relations, Tom Meany would have been 109 today (1903) .
Outfielder from the ’92 season, D. J. Dozier is 47 (1965). He is best know for making one of the best catches in baseball history when he was a minor leaguer, he ran through the outfield wall. It is now a staple in baseball highlight reel programs.
Reserve infielder from the ’10 season, Joaquin Arias is 28 (1984).
The New York Mets sold the contract of starting pitcher, Dock Ellis to the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 21, 1979. Ellis – who was once one of the premier pitchers of the early ’70′s ( he also admitted to pitching a no hitter while high on L.S.D), but he was way beyond washed up by the time he became a Met in ’79.
Mo Vaughn didn’t bother watching last night’s game – he was seen eating his way through the buffet at the aptly named ” Champion’s Club” on the field level. There was much carnage !!!
20 comments
srt
9/21/2012-7:47am at 7:47 am (UTC -4)
I purposely stuck around for the post game presser last night.
It was obvious Terry was more than steamed. However, as been his demeanor all year long, he kept his cool.
When the press asked him if the team has quit, he replied with: ‘You’ll have to ask them.’
When they pressed him further asking him what his opinion was, he replied: ‘Again, youou’ll have to ask them. I have my own opinion and I won’t express it publicly.’
He went on to say he saw some things last night that were unacceptable, and he’s not going to talk to the media about it. Said he already talked to the team.
So of course the very next thing the media does is go talk to members of the team, getting them to spill their guts. Yeah…lol, like that was gonna happen.
Stickguy
9/21/2012-8:12am at 8:12 am (UTC -4)
I still think too much is made of the whole “quitting” deal. Do guys maybe give less than 110% (not sacrifice their bodies say) in meaningless games? probably, but all teams kind of do that.
quitting though implies they aren’t even putting any effort in, and don’t care about getting a hit or getting a batter out, and consider results irrelevant.
well, every one of these guys (other than Bay!) is playing for something beyond the Mets record. Most of them have pride, and are insanely competitive to start with, but they also are looking out for #1: their wallets.
young guys fighting to stay in the majors next year or earn a starting job. Guys that are going to be a FA and fighting for a bigger contract. There just are not a lot of entrenched, untouchable Vets that really can just check out without ramifications. Bay sure. Johan, but he is hurt. And that would be about it.
srt
9/21/2012-9:45am at 9:45 am (UTC -4)
While Bobby O would not say this team has quit, he did say several times they’re playing ‘uninspired’ baseball.
To me, that means almost the same thing.
Or more to the point, they expect to lose going in. There is something to that ‘defeatist attitude’ moniker.
Almost like Sep 2008, afer Wagner went down in Aug.
The BP just kept blowing game after game. To the point where I think the team wasn’t think ‘if’ anymore, just a matter of ‘when’.
Pacific NorthTex
9/21/2012-9:01am at 9:01 am (UTC -4)
While I doubt all of them quit, I will say, they all mostly suck, so to get spanked like they did ain’t all that surprising.
And I know they mentioned about Edgin getting one more outting and then they would shut him down for the year, but come on Terry… back to back nights? Utley & Howard? Even if it was ok to bring him in for that situation, wouldn’t you think Warthen or someone would say, Uh, might not want to throw a heater down the pipe to Howard again…
This season can’t end soon enough.
Stickguy
9/21/2012-9:24am at 9:24 am (UTC -4)
my new theory is that Terry is pulling a Jerry. Trying to get fired so he can have a paid vacation for a year. So, do stupider and stupider things to see if he can force their hand.
probably won’t work though. Can’t afford it, no matter what damage he might inflict.
wanny
9/21/2012-9:44am at 9:44 am (UTC -4)
I don’t think it is stupid to use his best LH reliever against the other team’s best LH hitters late in the game.
It’s not Terry’s fault that he was given an inept bullpen.
srt
9/21/2012-9:48am at 9:48 am (UTC -4)
My question remains why did Hefner start that game instead of McHugh? That was Jerry’s decision.
McHugh didn’t fare all that well when he replaced Hefner in the first – who left after giving up 6 hits on 6 runs, left runners on base but got no outs. McHugh had like a 8 pitch warm up in the BP before he was brought in so hard to blame him until he got a little work in there.
Very likely we lose anyway since the offense is putrid but I’m willing to bet if McHugh started, we’re not 8 runs down in the first.
wanny
9/21/2012-9:55am at 9:55 am (UTC -4)
I’m willing to bet they wouldn’t be down 8 runs if you started the inning.
But are we really going to get steamed about the choice of Hefner v. McHugh to start a meaningless game? Maybe they want to manage McHugh’s innings load. In any event, Hefner has had his moments of competency this season.
wanny
9/21/2012-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
Anybody know what time I should get my 2.5 year old to the stadium tomorrow for batting practice? It’s a 1:10 pm game. My little guy’s first game!
Stickguy
9/21/2012-11:33am at 11:33 am (UTC -4)
the gates open what, 2 ours prior now? Will be a beautiful day, so get there then.
srt
9/21/2012-11:41am at 11:41 am (UTC -4)
I thought the gates opened at 11am for a 1pm game.
2 1/2 already? Wow.
Should be a nice game to bring a little one too because the stadium won’t be packed.
Paul Festa
9/21/2012-12:22pm at 12:22 pm (UTC -4)
Can he bat cleanup?
wanny
9/21/2012-12:29pm at 12:29 pm (UTC -4)
can’t be any worse, right?
gategem
9/23/2012-12:15pm at 12:15 pm (UTC -4)
Wanny, you measure age by the tenths?
srt
9/21/2012-11:47am at 11:47 am (UTC -4)
Reading this over on MLBTR:
Former Nationals president Stan Kasten is pleased at his ex-team’s success, he tells MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. “The turning point was Day 1, when [the Lerner family] was committed to a program of scouting and player development — long-term building, try to build internally, get home-grown players,” said Kasten, who’s now the Dodgers’ team president. “As we see, the team that we see out there on the field is largely homegrown with some very key important strategic pieces added on top of it….They stuck to their plan. You are seeing the results now. It appears they are going to enjoy those results in the years to come.”
********************
This appears to be the model the Mets are adapting as well. One I don’t disagree with.
Didn’t hurt that the Nationals stunk for so long they got high draft picks – especially getting the number 1 draft pick in the years that Strasburg and Harper were available.
Problem with the Mets – or more to the point Met fans – is I don’t think they’re willing to wait as long as it took for the Nationals to become relevant. But when you’re trying to build from within for the most part, it’s going to take time, lots of it – unless you get lucky.
Giving the state of the finances, that don’t appear to be changing anytime soon, this is probably the only type plan that makes any sense.
Stickguy
9/21/2012-12:04pm at 12:04 pm (UTC -4)
that goes right back to needing to infuse more almost ready talent into the system to jump start (expedite) the process.
and that is why trading Wright and Dickey makes a ton of sense.
They have somewhat of a head start already at the ML level, with Neise, harvey, Ike, maybe Tejada and edgin. So adding a couple more right away would be a nice nucleus.
Oh, and I also think Flores is going to force his way onto the team next season and be a good one. Another reason that Wright could go.
Stickguy
9/21/2012-12:06pm at 12:06 pm (UTC -4)
building on that, it also frees up some money to play with.
look at this as a 5 year plan/window. If you can afford now a guy like Justin Upton, he is signed for what, 3 years? Not quite 5, but maybe you could extend him? And he should be at his prime for those 5 years. Same as Neise.
so bringing in a young established player, even at a “real” payroll figure, fits with the plan I think. Similar to when they got Beltran.
Pacific NorthTex
9/21/2012-12:09pm at 12:09 pm (UTC -4)
I wish they told Williams from Chi Sox they would double his salary to come over. That dude is a man among men.
Hazmet
9/21/2012-10:23pm at 10:23 pm (UTC -4)
If this is the model the Mets are adopting then one would think they’d have signed their #2 pick this year to keep adding young talent. They are about one thing, saving dollars wherever they can and they’re reverting back to the Omar days of not spending on the Draft all of 1 year after doing the right thing with going over on Nimmo. They are adopting no model other than to pay down their debt, get the real estate around citifield, develop it, and then maybe invest in the team if their wallets are re-energized after all the real estate plays out. How down am I on this team: I have tickets to this weekend and I’m not even going. The last set I gave away. I despise the ownership that much as to not want to put one more dollar in their pocket from parking, concessions, or merchandise that they would get if I were to attend. If they don’t want to spend then neither do I. This is NY I can spend my money elsewhere.
Hazmet
9/21/2012-10:29pm at 10:29 pm (UTC -4)
Duda benched tonight, sweet. Way to sieze the moment Lucas.