Thursday, July 31, 2008

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY!!!!


THE GOOD

Damion Easley with a huge 3-run pinch hit homer...

Pelfrey's first 3 innings...

Marlon with 3 hits...

Muniz and Sanchez with solid efforts...


THE BAD

We lost...

Pelfrey's 4th inning (well, not technically, since he didn't even manage to record an out in the 4th)

Joe Smith

David Wright went 0-4, and killed the rally in the first...

Our 3-4-5 hitters went a combined 0-11 last night...

THE UGLY

Just an overall bad loss, as we fall back out of first place... Probably the worst outing by a starter in over a month... The HR allowed by Smith really deflating after Easley had gotten us right back in the game...

Oh well... We move on, take the day off, see if anything happens on the trade front, and head to Houston to whoop up on the 'Stros!!!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Who Knows What Evil Lurks In The Hearts Of Men (And Women)....

...the shadow do, that's who!

And I bet you're just sitting in your chair, reading this, as if you had nothing better to do, and wondering what the hell brought THIS on? Well, what brought this on is that for some reason, I was sitting here today reminiscing about the funniest and most diabolically, cleverly and fiendishly imaginative and evil thing I ever did to someone. Now, some of you might not think it's particularly evil, or even funny, and it truly isn't funny ha-ha funny, but I dare you to deny its diabolicial, clever and fiendishly imaginative nature.

So without further ado, here goes. And bear with me here.

Some years ago (not TOO many), I was the office manager of a small local law firm. In this small local firm, which I'll call "Tweedle Dumb & Tweedle Dumber" (which brings me to another story, but not now...), we had occasion to hire law clerks to do the more mundane tasks which the attorneys did not want to burden themselves with. Which, if you know anything about attorneys, means just about everything.

Well, anyway, there came a time when we had occasion to hire a lovely young gentleman whom I will call, quite simply and accurately, "The Victim." Well, The Victim was a nice enough sort, but true to what I found out soon enough to be the typical law clerk persona, which was sort of a combination of knowing just enough to be dangerous to self and those around self, a healthy dose of ego, the immaturity of the young, and the arrogance of a lawyer-in-training, we constantly butted heads. Now I knew enough to realize that confronting the situation head-on would not be the preferred method of dealing with it; in fact, I knew the opposite to be true. Remember, we are dealing with lawyers here, and lawyers-in-training.

So instead, I just sat, waited, and observed. And through this, I noticed that The Victim had a particuarly intriguing anal retentive habit with, of all things, his pencils. His office was next to mine, and I noticed that every day before he left, he would sharpen all of his pencils to a nice, sharp, uniform point with the battery operated pencil sharpener in his office, and place them, point up, in the pencil cup on his desk.

Well, that was all I needed to commence The Attack.

The first day after he left, I simply went into his office, dulled all the points, and put the pencils back in the cup, point (or should I say, former point, nyuck nyuck nyuck) facing up. He came in the next day and wouldn't you know, went straight for the pencil cup, eyeing it as if it were some kind of monster from the deep, perplexed as all hell as to how this could possibly have occurred, wondering whether he forgot his usual habit, then simply taking all the pencils, sharpening them once again to their fine points, and replacing them in the cup, none the worse for wear.

So I waited a few days. And then one day when he left, I turned the pencils face down. And got the same reaction the next morning.

Then I really started fucking with him. Every couple of days, I'd face them down, then I'd leave some up, and some down, then I'd replace them with red pencils, I'd hide them, shit like that. And still, he did not catch on; he simply kept sharpening, turning, replacing, without skipping a beat.

And then one day, I got the brainstorm of all brainstorms. I went into his office after he left one day, and replaced the batteries in the pencil sharpener with ones that I had taken from home, which were just about dead. Then I dulled all the pencil points, and waited. And the next morning, when he came in, and saw the dulled pencil points, and grabbed the sharpener, I heard this "eerrrrrgrrrrrrssssh", you know, the noise sharpeners make when they die.

He came running into my office in a panic, holding the sharpener, barely coherent. When I asked him what was wrong, he thrust the sharpener in my direction, mumbling something incomprehensible, so I made it easy for him (ha!), telling him that yes, I had heard that distinctive sound, and I would get him new batteries.

Which I did, and replaced them that afternoon....but I kept the old ones.

And then I left him alone for about two weeks.

And THEN, the piece de resistance.

I replaced the brand new batteries with the old batteries one night after he left. And then, of course, the tried and true dull points trick. So the next morning he comes in, finds the dull points, reaches for the sharpener, only to hear that distinctive "errrrrggggggrrrssh" once again.

Again, he picks up the sharpener, runs into my office, thrusts it out towards me... and I tell him, very firmly and sternly, this: "We've had that sharpener for two years now with the same set of batteries, and it worked fine. I just replaced them for you less than two weeks ago, and now they're DEAD ALREADY? I'll get you new ones, but I'm taking them out of your pay!" As he stands there, aghast, I start laughing my mo-fo ass off, and finally..... FINALLY.... he gets it.

He turned the strangest color of ash, ran out of the room, and studiously avoided me for a couple of months.

I had no more problems with him; we ended up becoming great friends, and in fact, when he left for a "real" job, I gave him a dozen pencils and his very own battery operated pencil sharpener.

Fuckin'A; one of the best stunts I ever pulled, if'n I hafta say so myself!

So, any of you got any evil stories to share?

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY...


THE GOOD

A solid win for the Metsies... Excellent starting pitching by Ollie, who by the way, is making up for a poor start to the season, and earning back all those millions... If he finished the season strong, I imagine he's in line for a contract worth about $15 million a year...

DELGADO GO BOOOOOM!!!

I mean, seriously, what more can ya say... This guy has been on fire for a month now, and is the single biggest reason for the Mets improvement over that time... I dare say he may even be our best option for next year, and I and many others were ready to run him outta town just 6 weeks ago!!!

Nick Evans looked solid last night... Nothing great, but it's gotta be tough on a kid called up from AA to sit on the bench most nights...

Reyes went 3-5, and other than getting caught at 3rd base on the opening play of the game, had another Jose-type game...

Bullpen did a nice job last night with Heilman and Wags... Certainly looks as if they're stretching out Heilman to be the long man, or at least the guy who can come in and eat up a few innings, something they've lacked the last year and a half, since Darren Oliver left...

THE BAD

Heilman walking 2 in the 7th to make things interesting, but again, nice job recovering there...

Kinda hard to start the game with 3 straight doubles and only have a 1-0 lead, but the Mets managed to find a way to do it!!!

THE UGLY

Even the ugly ain't that bad today... I'll go with Johnny Maine, diagnosed with a mild strain in his rotator cuff, but that really doesn't sound TOO bad, and it looks like at most he'll miss one start, which is actually not that bad considering we have some off days in the week ahead... May not even necessitate calling somebody up to take his spot in the rotation...

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY...

THE GOOD

Well kids... Not too much last night...

Tatis continues his hot hitting with a key triple early in the game...

Decent bullpen outings by Muniz and Sanchez...

THE BAD

Joe Smith got rocked... Schoeneweis none better... Taking a 1 run lead in the 8th, and giving up 5 runs...

It's time, with the trade deadline one day away, for the Mets to really figure out if these bullpen guys are sufficient to get the job done this year... There are arms that COULD be had, if we're willing to part with some minor leaguers (NOT named Martinez or Niese), and I think we could certainly use an upgrade over what we have out there right now...

Rough night for Jose, going 0-5...

THE UGLY

Maine leaving early... If this is anything serious, it throws a serious obstacle in our way to winning this year, because quite simply, I don't think we have the arms to call up from the minors that could even come close to replacing John Maine, and that's also still assuming that Pedro can come back healthy, and I have little reason to believe that is the case, unfortunately...

And, the Marlins are for real... They've always hit this year, but now they're starting to get some of their young starting pitching back, and I think that they have a legitimate shot to win the division, something that would have seemed impossible back when they traded away Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis...

On the bright side, the Braves are toast!!! Stick a fork in 'em, they're DONE!!! (sorry, best picture I could find!!!)

Monday, July 28, 2008

Monday Notes....

...I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm frankly exhausted after this past weekend, which consisted of a two-day marathon of shopping, cooking and having company, somehow intermingled with some good old Mets baseball, the "good old" something which I probably couldn't have said about Mets baseball about six weeks ago! So, right now, life for a Mets fan is pretty good, thank you very much.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here's some stuff for you to chew on this Monday morning:

1. Truly Awkward Moments, Part Uno. And I'm speaking, of course, of the Truly Awkward Moment on the FOX pre-game show Saturday between Ken Rosenthal (whom I'm starting to like more and more, read on) and Mark Grace. Recall that this past weekend was Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown. Cut to the FOX pregame show, and either Jeannie Zelasko or Kevin Kennedy, I don't remember which, putting Ken Rosenthal on the hot seat by asking him, in front of Gracie (whom I'm truly starting to dislike more and more, read on), who is eligible for the Hall of Fame next year, whether or not he (Rosenthal) would vote for Gracie. And what could have been a light moment or at the very least simply another moment rapidly became a Truly Awkward Moment, when Rosenthal, who gets a vote for the Hall of Fame, flat out stated on the air in front of Gracie (did I say that already??) that Gracie is NOT a Hall of Famer. Well, if looks could kill.... a bona fide Truly Awkward Moment. I have to wonder how much love is truly out there for Gracie, whom I'm starting to believe is a bit of an arrogant jerk.

2. Manny Ramirez being Manny Ramirez. Well, it's started again, or, er... maybe it's just a continuation of Manny being Manny. First he basically refuses to play Friday night in the series opener against the Yankees (more on that later), then he's back in the lineup, then he's having Media Moments at Fenway basically daring the Red Sox to trade him; I think he even said he'd play in Iran. Which, come to think of it, might not even be as bad as some baseball venues, but that's neither here nor there. This, of course, on the heels of the incident with the guy from the front office earlier this year, spun, of course, as more "Manny Being Manny." One thing I will say -- the Red Sox front office is GENIUS for the spin they seem to be able to consistently place on the many Manny incidents. Stay tuned to see if Manny will stay a Red Sock for the rest of 2008. Smart money is betting that smart money is too smart to even think of predicting what will happen here, because it seems as if everything surrounding Manny Ramirez is always at least a bit unreal, a bit out of synch, a bit unique and individually tailored. In other words, there ain't no rules that apply to anything to do with Manny.

3. How sick am I of Derek Fucking Jeter and The Fucking New York Yankees? Very sick, that's how sick. Between Derek's Edge, the Yankee machinery once again cranking at full steam, the acquisition of former Met Xavier Nady, and the potential acquisition of Jared Washburn, it's just enough to make any Yankee hater vomit pinstripes. ENOUGH of the fucking Yankees already. ENOUGH.

4. Johan Santana Is Now Officially A Met. That's right, he's now done what every single Mets fan has been looking for him to do since Opening Day; he's turned in The Big Performance. His performance yesterday at Shea was so huge on so many levels it's not even up for debate. He took the ball, he ran with it, he pitched with it, he hit with it, he finished what he started in grand fashion, and on the heels of Saturday's gut wrenching exhausting marathon, gave the pitching staff a much needed rest, going into another very important series with the surprisingly resilient Marlins. What a day for King Johan. Long Live The King.

5. Who's Tougher? It's now that time of year where I'm officially thinking about which team, the Phillies or the Marlins, might prove to be the tougher nut to crack, assuming we don't step on our own, uh, well, you know. And no matter which way I turn it, I actually think the Marlins might be tougher. They're younger, more hungry, have better pitching, seem to have a better team persona, strike out a lot less, are tough, scrappy, resilient, play in a nice warm weather climate, and I hate Jimmy Rollins. The last of course being the primary motivating factor here. So I'm saying right now that the Mets will have the tougher time with the Phish than with the Phils. How's that for baiting the hook? Let's see whose bait proves more attractive beginning tonight in Florida.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Friday Rant, Part Dwa...

..."dwa," being, of course, the number "two" in Polish, naturellement, mon amis.

Anyway, oh, yeah, where was I? Right, the subject of my Friday Rant, Part Dwa. Which means two. Part Two. Just in case you didn't get it the first time.

And now that I've sufficiently annoyed you, just think of how annoyed Charlie Manuel must have been at one Jimmy Rollins, who, having broken another one of Charlie's simple rules (supposedly, he has only two, which are hustle and be on time), may have had a hand in costing his team the game against the Mets yesterday, having arrived at Shea late; in fact, VERY late, with no "heads up" call forthcoming. His ass just got there late, waltzing into the clubhouse as if he were, well... Jimmy Rollins, The Reigning NL MVP.

Kind of making me second-guess my vote for him last year, but I digress, comme d'habitude.

Anyway, this isn't the first time J Ro has got hisself in trouble with the Man man this year. Recall, if you will, an incident earlier this year where the Man man benched J Ro for not hustling, which incident was handled, I thought, very well by both parties. The Man man did what he had to, and J Ro seemed sufficiently chagrined and contrite. End of story? Mais, non, mon amis. Witness yesterday, and J Ro's late arrival to Shea, ending in his benching by the Man man, possibly costing his team a very close game.

Anyway, you're probably wondering at this point -- why does she give a shit, or more to the point, why should I give a shit? Well, I'll tell you, folks. Because considering the shit that Reyes has had to deal with lately for his perceived "showboating" behavior, COULD YOU JUST IMAGINE HOW BIG OF A DEAL THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN HAD IT BEEN REYES? And COULD YOU JUST IMAGINE WHAT J RO MIGHT HAVE HAD TO SAY ABOUT IT HAD IT BEEN REYES?

Fuckers ought to learn that players who live on grass fields shouldn't throw the dung, and physician, heal thyself, or some fuckshit like that; I think you get the general principle.

And oh, J Ro, I didn't even get on you for your stupid "celebrating" after hitting the double the other night, hypocrite.

So stop throwin' the stones, J Ro, and worry about yourself first. It appears that you need to. Dummkopf scheib! Allez en enfer vous stupide idiot!

Friday Rant....

...so I'm listening to all this horsehit balls shit about Jose Reyes, and his celebratory techniques, and other teams criping and moaning and bitching about how he's a hot dog, or the Mets are this, or the Mets are that, and I'm wondering to myself...has every single person out there lost his or her mind when it comes to the Mets, and what they are, and have been, and hopefully always will be? Huh? HUH?

Look, the Mets, when they began in 1962, were the anti-Yankee, the decidedly blue collar team for the blue collar guy. The Amazin's, with a manager who barely spoke comprehensible English, a first baseman who couldn't field or hit, a bunch of early expansion old timers and rejects that nobody else wanted, the lovable losers, the wonderfully National League New York Mets. Their fans were butchers, bakers, candlestick makers... they were plumbers, sanitation workers, blue collar guys who went out to their curbs in the early morning to fetch their newspapers; who rode mass transit to work, or carpooled with a couple of buddies in the neighborhood; who wore uniforms on the job. Guys who appreciated a good entertaining show every evening while sitting in front of the TV after dinner with a Rheingold in their beefy palms. They didn't particularly care if the team won or not; here was a New York National League team to help cure the sting of the expatriation of the Giants and the Dodgers... led by the one and only Casey Stengel, he of the "what did he say?" genre; guys who couldn't field, couldn't hit, and couldn't pitch...guys that guys who watched them could relate to. Guys that were just out there trying to do a job, and trying to make a living.

And then, when success came, how sweet it was! But still the Mets fan base remained true to its blue collar roots, mostly. And even when the success of the mid-1980s teams drew different types of fans like a moth to the flame of success, the team remained decidedly blue collar, partying like it was 1999, destroying airplanes, brawling, or as I liked to say, a team full of "bruisers, boozers and dope abusers." Maybe nothing to brag about, but very real, very blue collar, very very attuned to its fan base.

Where is all this going? Well, it's going to why the Mets are returning to being the Mets. The anti-Yankees. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, a leopard doesn't change his spots, and you can't make the Mets into the Yankees. Which is what Willie tried to do, I think, thus stifling the entire aura, personality and cache of the New York Mets. Wisely, Jerry Manuel has slowly but surely returned the patina of the blue collar to Shea Stadium.

Viva la blue collar.

So here it is. Leave Jose Reyes alone. He's young, exuberant, and full of the spirit of the New York Mets. Sure, he's a little flashy at times, but he's real, he's young, he's alive, and he's a Met. Screw the other teams that don't like it, that's THEIR problem, let's not make it ours. Let's enjoy the blue collar culture of the Mets, the grittiness, the real-ness, the in-the-trenches mentality that was so well and truly exhibited by some of the mid-1980s teams, real guys with real issues and real problems, just like all of us.

Probably the main reason I have always been a Mets fan was because I identified with this culture, with the blue collars of the world, the workers, the guys who very quietly supported the weight of their young families on their very big shoulders, who were just looking for a team that wasn't unlike they were. And found it.

So, phuck you, Phillies. And phuck the rest of the league who simply don't understand Mets culture. We are once again the Mets, proud, and scrappy, and real.

And Derek Jeter? Yeah, yoo hoo, you, Mr. Jeter! Why dontacha go climb into that uglyass pseudo-psychedelic orange Edge us Mets fans have to look at over... and over... and over again, and take the proverbial long ride off the short pier in Flushing Meadows. Because, baby, the Mets ARE the edge. You ain't shit.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Famous Ollies....

...hmm... let's see... there's Oliver Hardy, Kukla Fran & Ollie, Ollie North, Ollie Ollie Oxen Free (not a person of course)... and now, the final Ollie - our very own Oliver Perez, King Ollie, Ollie of The Shea, Ollie The Great.

Because you know what? That's how good, nay, GREAT, Oliver Perez has been for the Mets over the past two months. Whatever got into him, let's hope it stays, for he has become The Dominant Ollie, plowing through the minions of the National League with nary a sweat, hardly a walk, barely a scrape. And with twelve - COUNT 'EM - TWELVE strikeouts, and if that ain't The Dominant Ollie, well, then, I don't know what is.

And The Dominant Ollie cruised his way to a 3-1 victory over the Phillies this afternoon at Shea, with a little help from his friends. Friends like Carlos Delgado, who smacked a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the Mets over the top. Friends like David Wright, starting the offense up.

The Dominant Ollie rears his head, and breathes fire into the bowels of Shea Stadium.

And in his path, the Phillies...

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE JOSE JOSE JOSE JOSE!!!!


THE GOOD!!!

THE METSIES WIN!!!

Excellent out by John Maine... 7 solid innings, and other than the couple of solo homeruns, never really got in too much trouble..

Easley with another very good game... 3 hits, key 2-out RBI to go with it...

Schoeneweis and Joe Smith gettin' the job done...

Wagner nailing it down dominantly in the 9th...

And, of course, Jose with the big knock last night!!!

THE BAD

More poor situational hitting... Leaving the bases loaded a few times...

Being nitpicky here, but wondering why Manuel chose to use Cancel to pinch hit late in the game, rather than Castro...

THE UGLY

Marlon Anderson looks lost, both in the field and at the plate... Hate to give up on a guy like Marlon who has been so useful to us in the past, but right now, he just ain't getting the job done... Much rather see Tatis or Evans out there...

Second Verse... Not The Same As The First....

...and no Willies, and no Sams, and not even any Henrys; thank whomever you thank for that! Last night, the Mets evened the series against the Phillies, and I gotta tell ya, folks, this Mets/Phillies thingy looks for all the world to be a rapidly and earnestly developing rivalry. What, between the smack talk on both sides of the coin, the Billy Wagner Ex-Phillie factor, Mets fans, Phillie fans, talk radio, blogs, the Phillies pitching staff cutting the inside corner on the Mets a bit too often (or as Bob Uecker might say: "juuuuuust a tad inside!"), the teams being in the same division, the cities being about 90 miles from each other, you just have to wonder... what took so long? What took so long, of course, is the fact that the teams really haven't been good at the same time in, oh, forever. The Mets became so linked up with the Braves since division realignment (heretofore having been so linked up with the Cardinals), the Phillies were almost an afterthought; in fact, they WERE an afterthought, probably even to their own fans.

Which is why I have to laugh at the truly bad rep under which New York fans labor... most people who know anything about baseball, sports in general, or anything in general, know that Philadelphia fans are without a doubt the biggest booers, rowdies, get y'er drunk on, trashily behaving fans in probably all of sports in North America. I'm leaving out the rest of the world because, well, you know how some of those South American and European soccer matches can be.....

But anyway, about last night. John Maine managed to stretch his 100+ pitches into more than four or five innings, and although he still looked slightly askew and uncomfy out there, he pitched well enough to get the win, and hopefully he can build on his performance. The offense did enough, and Jose Reyes got his bat on and smacked a three-run homer late in the game, with the bullpen, including Billy Wags, closing the barn door, and for once, before the cows got out.

Speaking of Wags, do you now have a newfound appreciation for him? No? Well, me neither. It's not that easy to forget the many times he's imploded in big games. So he did the job last night; whoop-dee-do. That's what he gets paid for, after all.

Still in all, I do admit that I felt kind of, uh, relieved? to see him trotting out there for the ninth inning rather than Sanchez, Feliciano or Smith.... so go figure. My my my, fickle fans some of us are!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE FREAKIN' BULLPEN!!!

THE GOOD

Terrific outing by Johan Santana... Went 8 strong innings, and was dominant through much of the night...

Ramon go boom!!!!

Delgado go boom!!!!

Endy went 3-4...


THE BAD

Can somebody please buy a new pair of glasses for Luis Aguayo, because that was about the worst job of coaching at 3rd base I've ever seen...

And being a Mets fan all these years, that's saying ALOT!!!

Endy with some AWFUL baserunning too... How he didn't get a triple on that shot to the gap is beyond me... And I know Burrell and Rollins played it well, but Endy should be able to score from first base on a double down the LF line...

THE BULLPEN


What more can I see here that hasn't already been said...

F*** Manuel for not letting Johan go out for the 9th...

F*** Sanchez for giving up 3 straight hits...

F*** Reyes for not taking a given out when he had the chance...

F*** Pedro Feliciano...

F**** SO TAGUCHI!!!

F*** JIMMY ROLLINS!!!

And sadly, the ONLY guy last night who actually did his job in the bullpen ends up taking the loss!!!

Oh, and F#$^$%(%^& Billy Wagner and his shoulder!!! He's earned a permanent spot in the BPP!!!
I'm done now!!! Have a nice day y'all!!!

Ladies And Gentlemen, That Loud, Horrifying Noise You Heard...

...emanating late yesterday evening from Flushing Meadows, New York, was NOT, in fact, Hurricane Dolly having taken an unexpected turn; it was, in fact, the sound of the New York Mets' bullpen collapsing into itself with as hard a thud and as much thunder as the implosion of Shea Stadium, were there to be one.

That's right, folks; the Mets, going into the top of the ninth leading the Phillies by three runs, the score being 5 - 2, and without the availability of Billy Wagner due to off-and-on "shoulder spasms," blew the game courtesy of the bullpen, or more particularly, Duaner Sanchez, who just can't seem to get it right this year; Joe Smith, who really did his job, but Reyes didn't do his, and Pedro Feliciano, who just can't seem to get it right this year, either. Did I leave anyone out? And even if I did, what's the difference? The bullpen promptly coughed up six runs, and the Mets made a weak attempt to come back in the bottom of the ninth, scoring one run, but ultimately falling two runs short.

They were probably in SHOCK, much like the entire nation of Mets fans.

And again, a very good Santana start turns out like crap, and I'm thinking to myself, man, this phucking sucks.

This really hurts, this loss. We finally manage to pull ourselves out of the NL gutter and claim a share of first place, and again, we seem to be playing one up, one down baseball. After the All-Star break, the team, particularly the pitching, just looked dazed and confused, which seems to be continuing, without abatement. Monday, I asked - is the honeymoon with Jerry Manuel over? I don't know, but I see signs of the team going back to its .500 ways, and finding new and inventive and not-so-inventive ways to lose games.

It really galls me, too, to lose to the Phillies, especially when Jimmy Rollins has a big hand in handing us the loss.

Talk about demoralizing... I'm going to very curious to see what happens the rest of this series.

And I'm starting to think -- does somebody have it in for Santana? And as Joe Janish at Mets Today said, why couldn't Santana pitch the ninth inning, especially since Wagner was unavailable... the answers to these and other burning questions, I do not know, but what I do know is I'll be right back in front of the television tonight, hoping for a share of redemption....

Monday, July 21, 2008

Another Manic Monday....

...and I have to admit that due to FF (that's family functions, for the uninitiated) over the past weekend, I didn't get to see much of the games, but I do know that we left a ton of men on base, didn't pitch very well (although that ballpark out there doesn't help, for sure), and were just able to squeeze out a split of the four-game series with Cincinnati...BUT, and this is a big BUT (a big ol' but), the Phillies haven't played much better, and we are now tied for first place in the NL East.

I've started to wonder a little bit whether the team's honeymoon with Jerry Manuel is over; I don't think so; I'm just inclined to think that the hangover from the All-Star break affected the team, especially the pitchers, whom we all know are nothing if not creatures of habit, maybe not as much as, say, the Steve Trachsel Uncompromising Schedule of Routines, but basically, pitchers moreso than position players need, no, CRAVE, their routine. And the All-Star break fucks that up, royally, which is, in my mind, another reason to scrap the whole fucking All-Star lollapalooza whoopdedoo, but that's just me, and maybe some of you.

Anyway, we move onto the upcoming series with the Phillies at good ol' Shea Stadium. I'm really starting to feel the end nearing for the old girl. I have to say that I'm so happy they're not blowing her up; I just could not take that. The ol' girl deserves a gentle, more compassionate end such as she is going to get, and I'd love to have even a little piece of her as a keepsake of the treasure of Mets memories I have had for the past 38 or so years.

As for the Phillies, I'd like to see the Mets set the tone for the rest of the year by showing the Phillies that despite their success of last year, and our failure at the end of the year, they are decidedly NOT the team to beat. And speaking of beat, in the immortal words (sort of) of the immortal Ramones (definitely), let's Beat on the Phillies Brats....WITH OUR BASEBALL BATS, and let's go, Mets!

Friday, July 18, 2008

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE DAMN WE'RE GOOD!!!!

Sorry to have been away for so long, but as the 2nd half starts, so returns the Good, Bad, and UGLY for this site!!!

THE GOOD

10 straight wins baby!!!! WOOOOOHOOOO!!!

David Wright coming up big time with the game tying homer!

Delgado continues to mash the ball... Ya know, I'd have NEVER thought this even a month ago, but if Delgado keeps this up, it might be our best option to actually exercise that team option on him for next year...

Keep getting the hits from the role players... Tatis in particular comes up huge again!!!

Muniz with 2 solid innings

Sanchez and Wags solid to close it out...

THE BAD

Jose Reyes with an 0-5 last night...

Endy 0-3...

THE UGLY

Johan with a really rough inning in the 4th... He seems to have taken over Tom Glavine's penchant for giving back the lead right after the Mets get it!!!



Bad news on the injury front, it seems... El Duque hurt in a rehab start... Pagan hurt again in rehab... Church won't be back quite as soon as I'd hoped (though, with Church, they should take their time as much as possible and make sure he's 100%)... Pedro already being pushed back a few days, so who knows what that means?

A Perfect Ten...

...and here I was, all set to post the obligatory Bo Derek picture, and as I'm blog surfing like I generally do every morning, I come across this; for not the first time, somebody else beat me to it! And of course, The Great Mestradamus even added the Mets hat -- nice touch.

Hopefully, y'all like the picture I decided to use instead *snicker.*

Last night's game was a game where Johan Santana, apparently chagrined and upset that the Billy Joel concerts at Shea this week interrupted his throwing schedule, frankly sucked, where the offense was fairly nonexistent the first few innings, where Reds' pitcher Johnny Cueto looked for all the world like Santana was SUPPOSED to look, then - WHAMMO! Delgado pops a two-run homer to break the ice, and the scoring frenzy began in earnest. The Reds tied it up; the Mets went ahead; the Reds went ahead, then, in the top of the ninth, a home run by David Wright and a bloop single by none other than (yikes!) Carlos Delgado put the Mets ahead for good.

So that's TEN IN A ROW, folks, and maybe, just maybe, I'm starting to believe again...if only a little, and if only this week.

Of course, there is other news on the Mets horizon, most of it, not very good. Pedro, who left his last start early with "shoulder tightness," or something like that, got a cortisone shot to his hip the other day; what his hip has to do with his shoulder I'm really not sure, but the bottom line is, he'll miss his next scheduled start. Ryan Church will apparently NOT come off the disabled list when eligible, although it's said that it's just the Mets being cautious more than anything else. Uh, not sure I believe that one, but OK. El Duque left HIS start in Bingo after one inning with "foot soreness;" so it looks as if the return of these three guys falls somewhere between the not-too-distant future, the distant future, the foreseeable future and the tenth of never.

Notice how nicely I worked that "ten" reference in there, huh?

But for right now, you can't argue with success, and success is what the Mets and their fans are currently enjoying. So I'm not going to overly piss on the parade; instead, I'm going to enjoy what I'm supposed to be enjoying, and party on....

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie...

...and all that other good shit! Yep, they're ba-ack, as of today, or for Mets fans, tonight, more accurately, when the Mets begin 2008 Part Deux in Cincinnati against the Reds.

A couple of things before Part Deux officially begins.

First, Billy Wagner. Oh, Billy Billy Billy boy...I don't know about you, but to me, it remains to be seen if we can survive a close pennant race with Billy at the ass end of most games. He's proven nothing but that he simply cannot be trusted in key games; I heard some stats on WFAN recently that were, to put it mildly, astounding. He's got something like a 6.50 ERA in key game situations, and has blown a startling percentage of saves, which is no surprise considering that ERA. I don't remember the exact stats, and I'm not a stat geek, but these are close enough, in my view. Plus, as my old friend dunsel always says: "observation is king." And my observations about Billy Wagner over the years tell me that sometimes, I almost long for Armando Benitez in those key situations.

Wait, hold it.....nah, I just can't take it back. That's how truly unreliable Billy Wagner is, and I don't know how we can get past that, as I don't see anyone else on the Mets roster currently that can realistically become the new closer. Not that the Mets would even consider that, although maybe Jerry Manuel might, if he had any real options.

The outfield situation is another concern going into Part Deux. Thankfully, it appears that Church really does just suffer from migraines, and not from ongoing affects of the two concussions he suffered this year. On the flip side of that, Moises as a Met is now history. Sure, we can get by with an outfield of Beltran and Church, but what about left field? I don't think any Mets fan reasonably thinks we can continue to throw out Nick Evans or Marlon Anderson or even the great Endy Chavez (who is my choice, most days, because of his great D), or bring up F Mart who is probably a Not Ready for Prime Time Player. Come to think of it, Nick Evans is probably another member of that troupe. Maybe we could alternate these guys IF we had a power right handed bat in the lineup, but we don't, and I haven't heard any reasonable options for that problem, either.

As for the pitching, Pedro's health is always a concern. Apparently, El Duque is making his way back to Shea, which in whatever capacity he can return, whether it be as a starter or a reliever, would be a serious boon to the staff, as Duque thrives on the big stage in the big game, unlike that other guy whose first name begins with "B" and whose last name ends in "ner." With a big fat "boyIsuck" in the middle. Ollie Perez is still the same enigma; John Maine throws way too many pitches; Johan is indeed Johan, and I think Pelfrey has gone over the hump and can be considered pretty reliable at this point. I think in particular we will see a better second half from both Johan and Pelfrey.

So all things considered, we're not in bad shape, but I will say the same thing as I and many others have said from the beginning of 2008 - Carlos Delgado is key. Until things change on this team, he is key. If he hits, we have options; if he doesn't, well, we're kind of out of options, and it will be that much more difficult to overcome the potent Phillies offense, the scrappiness and desire of the Marlins, and maybe even the consistency of the Atlanta Braves.

But one thing remains -- tonight, I can hardly wait to hear "Play Ball!"

Oh, Willie... I Guess We DID Know Ye....

Did any of you happen to see David Lennon's piece on Willie Randolph posted yesterday? Well, for any of you who hasn't, you can find it, in its entirety, right here.

Apparently, Willie blew off all the reporters within his vicinity at the All-Star Game, without even uttering a "no comment," "how do you do," "have a nice day," or "fuck off." Zero, zip, zilch, nothing....nada. Willie acted like Willie acted during his tenure as Mets manager: aloof, untouchable, protective of self, slightly arrogant and slightly above it all.

Not a smart move, Willie, even if you are smarting. Not a smart move at all. The world of the media and press is indeed a small one, and your "Poor Willie" schtick is rapidly becoming old, if it hasn't already.

I guess some of us DID have it right, or so it would seem.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

All Star Observations

I have to confess, I didn't watch much of the game last night; fact is, I would have watched even less if I didn't have almost a half hour to kill between the time my company left, and the time a movie I wanted to watch began.

But of course, I have a few observations to make; I am, after all, a blogger, and a very opinionated one at that, in case any of you hasn't noticed.

Firstly, why does the actual game begin so late? At 8:39 p.m., here on the east coast, Fox announcers were still yakking it up, and the game was still lying in wait somewhere in Yankee Stadium. In other words, it hadn't yet started *snicker*. So why everyone is so upset and surprised that the game ended up going until about 2 a.m. eastern time the following day is totally beyond this blogger. Elementary Basball 101 teaches us that an extra inning game means that the game will be extended by the amount of innings it takes for one team to have the winning score, each team having had the same number of outs. And the Immutable Laws of The Universe 101 teach us that time is expended while this is happening. Adding these things together, if you don't start a game until almost 9 p.m., it's pretty reasonable to assume (taking into account 101 and 101 aforedescribed) that THE FUCKING GAME WILL EXTENDED INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.

And Life 101 teaches us that we must expect the unexpected... so tell me, sports fans, WHY DOESN'T THE FUCKING GAME BEGIN AT A REASONABLE HOUR? I know, I know, you're going to tell me all the pre-game hype and the prime time commercial sales and shit like that, but you know what? There are HOW MANY UMPTEEN GAZILLION DOLLARS IN BASEBALL ALREADY? Make the game more family and kid-friendly, rather than trying to increase fan interest by giving the winning league home field advantage for the World Series (something which truly makes me scratch my head), and maybe you'll find a much larger TV audience and get the desired family viewing you so seem to crave.... *insert eye roll here.*

Second thing. Alex Rodriguez 101 has taught us, over the years, how self-absorbed, narcissistic and vain Mr. Rodriguez is. A friend of mine here at work yesterday joked that Alex probably doesn't even have mirrors in his bedroom; he probably has pictures of himself plastered ceiling to floor, floor to ceiling. But I digress. Anyway, rumor has it that after he played his 4-2/3 innings, he went into the clubhouse, showered, changed and left the Stadium... that's right, he LEFT THE STADIUM, and went places unknown where more Madonna was apparently heard in the background. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and everyone else hung out until the end, but oh, no, not Mr. Rodriguez. The top vote getter among the fans. He may love himself, but I think that's where the love for A-Rod begins and ends, and rightly so.

Third thing. Dan Uggla's defense really is, well... uggla. I mean, I always knew he was known for his bat and not his glove, but last night really drove that point home, so to speak.

Fourth thing. Surprise, surprise... Billy Wagner choked, once again, in a game situation. Did anyone NOT see that coming like a freight train at 1000 mph? And hey, Billy, just because you tell us you stink, does that mean that takes the sting out of your stinking? Just save a big game once in your life, and shut up. Believe me, we'll notice whether or not you're stinking, all on our own. Without any help from you and your BIG MOUTH!

Final thing. The AL won, a-gain. Is anyone shocked? What's that, the 13th one in a row for the AL? Hmmm... 13.... A-Rod.... it's enough to make one sick!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Some Funny Shit...

...for your perusal during the All-Star break, which I wish wasn't...I really hate the All-Star Game, the whole break, the Home Run Derby, everything, just all of it. To me, it's just an unnecessary season interruption. FCOL, just shut everything down for three days, and play highlights on the MLB Network...oh, I forgot, MLB doesn't yet HAVE a network, silly me....

Anyway, moving forward...

It seems as if A-Rod hosted a party yesterday evening, having bowed out of the Home Run Derby, apparently as unimpressed and bored with it as is this fan, and according to WFAN this morning, Madonna music was heard piping through the sound system all evening long.

Which to me, is really funny shit, considering all the stuff that's been circulating around about A-Rod and Madonna lately. Now, either A-Rod is extending a large finger in the direction of everyone, figuring he's so rich and famous, he can, or he really is just that dumb and oblivious to everything.

Or maybe he's just extending his finger across the pond to his soon-to-be ex, Cynthia, who is off frolicking in Paris with the irrelevant Lenny Kravitz, perhaps in retaliation for A-Rod's "thing" (whatever it is) with Madonna.

Really funny shit, and kind of sad shit at the same time. Sad for lots of reasons, not the least of which is that I can't help wonder, that with all the money and fame and looks that A-Rod's got going for him, he apparently chooses to, ah, "cavort" with MADONNA? Yikes!

But, hey, maybe it ALL is really innocent; maybe A-Rod just wants to learn the ways of Kabbalah from The Learned One, Madonna. And maybe Cynthia and Lenny ARE just friends, and maybe Jason Giambi really WAS in the Home Run Derby last night.

You know what else is some funny shit? The idiots on ESPN. That's funny as in laughable, not funny as in ha-ha. Because boy, to me, these bozos are really laughable. Every year at this time, I'm painfully reminded that Joe Morgan and Jon Miller are NOT the worst of the lot. The All-Star break allows the rest of the world that does not generally tune into ESPN to see, live and in color, the collective stupidity of ALL those associated with ESPN especially Steve "Natty" Phillips and Chris "Been There, Done That, Sick of It" Berman.

Steve Phillips has been irrelevant since before he was relevant, if he ever was. Added to that, if the guy ever had a hair out of place or an unmanicured fingernail, I've not seen it. Just waaaay too vain and self-absorbed for my taste, and I've never found any interest or credence in most everything that comes out of both sides of his mouth. How did he get the Met job, anyway? Someone refresh my memory... nah, I changed my mind...I simply don't care enough.

As for Chris Berman, his shtick is really getting old and tiresome. Another no-talent few skills guy hanging around the fringes of the game attempting to live off past glory and reputation, a fading relic of the past that most could live without, easily.

Of course, I think the purpose of ESPN is jock sucking up, and that being the case, they probably have their lips right on the, er... well, let's just say they're good at it, and leave it at that.

Maybe the best part of the whole All-Star thing will be the parade today. I like parades; they're accessible to most everyone; kids love 'em; they don't seem overly contrived or desperate; and usually they have a lot of music.

And not even any Madonna, I'd bet!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Big Pelf Named NL Player of the Week...

...according to Mets Blog.

Talk about a huge turnaround for Big Pelf, huh? A scant few weeks ago, we were writing stuff like this, and like this, and this, and this......

And now, pitching as if his very life depended on it, he wins the NL Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. And somehow, I don't think it will be for the LAST time in his career!

Congrats, Mike!

Eight Is Enough...But Nine Is Fine......

...and as much as the show was cheesy and kind of heartwarming at the same time, it certainly was one of my guilty pleasures way back when...

And the Mets, having decided Eight Is Definitely NOT Enough, got their ninth win in a row yesterday evening at Shea against the Rockies, who look as unchampionship-like as is possible. The Mets actually are beginning to steamroll over teams, and as I post the daily scores, the amount of zeroes I'm putting up for the opposition are growing exponentially, or so it seems...

Everyone's contributing. The pitching has settled down, the offense is clicking, the D is pretty great, and considering what Mets fans have gone through the last year or so, it feels pretty good to once again have hope, to once again watch a team play with heart and drive and effort, and to once again be in thick of things.

The only negative last night is having to listen, once again, to Jon and Joe, they of ESPN, whom I seriously cannot stomach. How do these two keep their jobs? And can Jon Miller dress any worse? (Insert eye roll here.)

So now, we're officially in the All-Star break, and I just want it to be over. For that, we'll have to wait until Thursday evening, when hopefully, the Mets winning ways will continue.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Bobby Murcer Loses His Fight With Cancer Today...

....it was announced this afternoon that beloved Yankee icon, Bobby Murcer, has lost his courageous and painful fight with cancer this afternoon, having passed away today at the young age of 62.

What a gentleman this guy was, even for a Yankee (I think that, wherever you are now, Bobby, you might appreciate that last phrase). It seemed as if everyone loved him; the guy exuded warmth and class and taste and charm and it doesn't seem as if anyone who came into contact with him, whether by meeting him personally, talking with him over the telephone, listening into one of his broadcasts or otherwise, came away any the less for it; in fact, I think the opposite was true. To hear some of the Yankees speak about him, such as a clearly shaken and emotional Mariano Rivera, a broken up Joe Girardi, and a Michael Kay openly sobbing on the phone with the YES Network, you get the feeling that here's a guy who made his little corner of the world much happier, brighter and joyful just by his mere presence and force.

Well, Bobby, may the force be with you now. May you have eternal peace and take with you on your journey the love and affection of all those whom you touched in your short time here. Godspeed, Mr. Murcer.