A New Act For Acta?

Manny Acta might be a transplanted ex-Met soon.  The Mets third base coach interviewed for the manager's job for the Texas Rangers yesterday, and came away "optimistic," according to a report on ESPN.com.  Acta has been on the Mets coaching staff for two years.  His fellow coach Jerry Manuel might be in line for a manager's job next season too.

Of more pressing concern to the Mets than replacing some coaches though is what team will be employing Tom Glavine next season.  Even though the Mets hold a $14 million team option for 2007, Glavine was noncommital to a return engagement yesterday, saying that his quest for 300 wins is intact, but it's between staying with the Mets or going back to Atlanta where his family still resides.

I'm curious to see how these negotiations go.  The Mets obviously need Glavine in 2007, but will they try to negotiate a lower salary than 14 mil?  Will Glavine ask for more?  Hmmm.

2006 Isn't Over Yet For Some Mets

The 2006 MLB season is over for the New York Metropolitans, but Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran have some more games to play.  They'll head to Japan in a couple weeks as part of an exhibition tour of 5 games from Nov 3-8. 

I'd love to go to Japan, if only to have some Bobeer and a Bobby Burger!

Have fun, guys. 

Transplanted Ex-Mets Update

The Mets will not advance to the World Series this year, and neither will very many transplanted ex-Mets either.  We'll take a brief look at them right now and move on.

The most notable of the transplanted ex-Mets in the Fall Classic is Kenny Rogers.  Oh, how I would have loved to seen the Mets exact their revenge on this putz for his 1999 postseason collapse.  Now I will be hoping to see him shut down the Cardinals and remind the Yankees fans of his dominance over them in the ALDS and of course his failures in pinstripes.

Here's how The Gambler has fared in the 2006 postseason thus far:
2-0 0.00 ERA, 15 innings, 14 strikeouts, 7 hits.

Damn.

Representing the National League for the transplanted ex-Mets are Braden Looper and Preston Wilson:

Thus far in the postseason, Braden Looper has compiled the distinguished stats of:
0-0, 4.26 ERA, 8 hits, 3 runs, in 6 1/3 innings over 4 appearances.

Preston Wilson, who played in 8 games for the Mets way back in 1998, has done this in the 2006 postseason:
.200 AVG (5 for 25), 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K's.


In other transplanted ex-Mets news, Dave Magadan has found gainful employment again.  He'll join the Red Sox next season as their new hitting coach.  He was previously a member of the Padres coaching staff, but was fired back in June while the Padres bats stunk it up.

Here's Hoping The Cardinals Get Swept

Matt Cerrone alerts us to an AP column where it's stated that while the Cardinals were celebrating their championship in the bowels of Shea Stadium, Cardinals players were singing the Jose Reyes chant, mocking the Mets fans. Matt even has an audio clip as proof.

I find this rather ironic based on the impression I got of Cardinals fans this LCS.

Top Ten Mets Excuses

In all fairness, after posting Dave Letterman's Top Ten Yankees Excuses, in the wake of the Yankees elimination, it's only fair for me to post the Top Ten Mets Excuses, as penned by my dad, a die-hard Yankees fan:

Top 10 Mets players excuses

10: Entered sandman

9: We needed one more spanish player to put us over the top

8; We didnt keep Kenny Rogers

7: We were tired cause we had to park by the Space Museum and walk to the stadium

6: Only team this year with injuries

5: Willie didn't want Joe to look bad

4: We were counting on one more rainout to rest our players

3: Damn LaGuardia planes unnerved us

2: Steve Trachsel doesnt have a pilots license

1: We didnt have our good luck charm, Mike V, the Transplanted Mets Fan at Shea.

They Weren't Ready

I was supposed to have class last night until 9:30, but of course I dashed out of there at 8:10 so I'd make it home in time for first pitch. As it happened, it took a little longer to get out of the parking gagrage than I thought, and a bit longer to get home, so I actually listened to the first half of the first inning in the car. On clear nights, WFAN comes in pretty good down here. It was so exciting, I had second thoughts about going upstairs to watch the game on TV. Radio is still the best way to enjoy a game, short of being there. It doesn't hurt that Buck and McCarver are awful by any comparison, but Rose and McCarthy captured the drama and excitement so well. With all the friggin microphones FOX has tucked away in every corner of the field, you could barely hear the crowd on TV. On the radio, I almost felt like I was at Shea. It got me so excited, I was cheering at the radio and salivating at the thought of showing up at Shea on Tuesday for World Series Game 3.

When Oliver Perez overcame Delgado's gaffe in the first, I became extremely confident. When David Wright hit that little dunker into left, drawing first blood, I knew the Mets would win. When Endy Chavez made like Michael Jordan with an incredible leaping grab over the fence, there was no way the Mets would lose this game. But Jeff Suppan, who owns the Mets the way Beltran owns the Cardinals, made the Mets offense look really bad for 8 innings. Why can't the Mets hit this guy?

Then, the top of the ninth. I have read a lot of second guessing this morning about not bringing in Wagner. A lot of speculation that Willie must have lost faith in his closer to not bring Billy into a tie game in the ninth. The Cardinals had their unlikely hero of teh night, Yadier Molina smack a homerun into the left field bleachers, too far even for Endy Superman Chavez.

And the bottom of the ninth?

I KNEW the Mets would win.

Cliff Floyd would have a Kirk Gibson moment? Nope.

Jose Reyes would get a base hit, tying the game, and being teh spark plug he'd been all season? Nope.

Carlos Beltran would add to his Mr. October status, with a bases clearing extra base hit, locking up the LCS MVP? Nope. The guy didn't even go down swinging.

I was stunned.

Last night, after midnight, the offseason began for the Mets. It began later than any year since 2000, yet it began too early. It was still an amazing season. The Mets went farther than anyone expected, even Omar The Architect. Wright and Reyes blossomed, and we'll see them for years to come. Tom Glavine will almost certainly be back to win his big #300 next season. Pedro's career is probably in the final stretches, and we won't see him until July, but if there's one thing the Mets have to be ecstatic about, it's starting Spring Training 2007 with John Maine and Oliver Perez in the rotation.

We're used to disappointment. We're Mets fans.

We outlasted the Braves, the Phillies, and the Dodgers. And the Yankees, too.

I'm extremely disappointed. Completely stunned and exhausted.

They weren't ready.

David Wright wasn't ready, hitting just .160 in the series.

He'll be ready next year.

We have months to thing about Opening Day, but I still think it's apporopriate to look back at some long tenured Mets who we'll most likely say goodbye to...

Cliff Floyd's likely taken his last swing as a Met. Just too bad he didn't swing.

Steve Trachsel's most certianly taken the mound for the last time as a Met. Just too bad he took himself off the mound.

As much as I love Omar, I still have to question the presence of Anderson Hernandez on the bench for the postseason. Yeah, his teammates didn't seem to mind him. Everytime there was a dugout shot we saw AHern yukking it up with his teammates. But couldn't his roster spot gone to Mike DeFelice? Then, Ramon Castro, the Mets best pinch hitter could have been used more.

Okay, enough. The offseason begins. The courting of Barry Zito begins. The 2007 World Series Championship Chase begins. Too soon for my liking, yes, but let's focus, people! To hell with Tommy Lasorda, I ain't watching the World Series. I can't take it. I just can't take it.

Are You Ready?

Game Six Tonight - Ya Gotta Believe!

Yes, the Mets are on the verge of elimination, facing the Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter tonight. Yes, we still have no idea who will pitch tomorrow if the Mets win tonight. Yes, our vaunted offense has mostly looked meager for most of this NLCS. But, still, if you are an orange and blue bleeding Mets fan to your core, YOU HAVE GOT TO BELIEVE!

BELIEVE!

MIRACLE METS!

BASEBALL LIKE IT OUGHTA BE

METS MAGIC

AMAZIN'!

AMAZIN' AGAIN!

I want this so badly. I know that this team is built for teh future, and this year is supposed to be the first in a line of successive successful seasons. But we have all felt the thirst of a decade long drought, and I fear waiting that long again to taste the postseason. This, after all is THE TEAM, THE TIME! I have tickets to a World Series Game 3 at Shea. I don't want to get my $161 refunded. I want to SHOW UP AT SHEA next week and scream HARDBALL IS BACK! I want the Mets to do what the Yankees couldn't and what I know the Cardinals can't do - tame the Tigers. The media is calling the Tigers this year's Team Of Destiny, but I say "IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER."

LETS GO METS!

Looks Pretty Wet In St. Louis

Check out these webcams. The weather report is calling for rain throughout the night. I think we can plan on going to bed early tonight and getting a full night's rest for a change...







Links:
Downtown St. Louis Roof Cam

St. Louis Hazecam

Stadium Cam

Mets Bats Come Alive, Save Season

Before I comment on the game, I have to say that heretofore I've been too kind to McCarver and Buck during this NLCS. My wife says she thinks I enjoy yelling at the announcers during the game more than I enjoy the game itself, but I don't think she realizes how horrible they are. McCarver can't say anyone's name right, and the two schmucks seem to know as much about baseball as I do about structural biology. And I am sorry, but Luis Gonzolez brings absolutely nothing to the broadcast booth. All this guy does is say how great everyone is. The guy throws around compliments like the Pepsi Party Patrol throws around T-shirts. Enough!

On to the game. I don't know why the Daily News headlines and those jokers in the booth were talking about how Oliver Perez came to the Mets rescue and should get a Game 7 start over Trachsel. The guy game up 5 runs in 5 innings. This is hardly Sandy Koufax here. John Maine gave up 4 runs in 4 innings and everyone talked about how mediocre he was. Last night's game was all about the offense. The two Carloses really saved the season last night. Right now, it's a battle between Carlos Delgado and Scott Spezio for the NLCS MVP. And I'll be damned if a guy whose facial hair makes him look like a rooster should win anything except Douchebag Of The Year. We should root for the Mets for that reason alone. It's an embarrassment and for some reason the Busch Stadium faithful think it's a riot and show up to the games with red hair glued to their chins. These are the same idiots who are dancing the Lindy in the aisles while their team is down 12-5. C'mon! I know there are good Cardinals fans out there but for some reason FOX keeps zooming in on the fruitcakes.

Now, a rainout tonight would be great. Tom Glavine would get to pitch on regular rest tomorrow against Chris Carpenter. There's no way we're going to see the Game 2 version of Carpenter show up and I'd much rather have Glavine face him than John Maine. Maine is a better matchup against Weaver, if only because, again, there's no way we're seeing the Game One version of Weaver show up again. It would seem like the Mets have the upper hand right now, with the series tied at 2-2 and with two games left to play at Shea, but with Jeff Suppan pitching a Game Seven against God-Knows-Who I think we all want to wrap this up with two straight victories.

And then we'd be glad to sweat having to face these Tigers. I want revenge against Kenny Rogers!

2006 Rests On Tonight

Well, folks, it's come down to this. Arguably the Mets first true "must-win" of 2006, tonight's Game 4 of the NLCS and our World Series dreams rest squarely in the hands of one Oliver Perez. Truly this shows how tough the combination of losing ElDuque and the Game 1 rainout have hurt the Mets. If El Duque was healthy he would have pitched Game 2 and the Mets probably would have headed to St. Louis up 2-0. Or, if Game 1 hadn't been rained out we'd be able to send Tom Glavine to the hill tonight to save our season. Instead, a loss puts the Mets down 3-1 and on the brink of elimination, but a win sets the series even at 2-2 and the Mets hopes would be very much alive.

Was I the only one screaming at the set during the first inning last night, asking why there was no one warming up in the bullpen? In the end, it didn't matter with the Mets forgetting to bring their bats to the game, but really why on earth was Trachsel allowed to stay in the game long enough to give up five runs? It reminded me again to be angry and Omar for having Anderson Hernandez on the roster instead of Royce Ring. The Mets bullpen is shorthanded, and with a rotation of dubious starters there's no excuse for not having 12 pitchers on this roster. Praise the Lord for Darren Oliver, for as Steve over at the Eddie Kranepool Society says, if by some chance there is a Game 6, Ollie's our man.

We have no idea what we'll get from Oliver Perez tonight. The fact that he throws with his left arm is a plus, as the Cardinals have been as inept against lefties as the Mets have been (see performance by Darren Oliver). Also fortunately, Cardinals fans are equally unsure about their starter, one Anthony Reyes. The fastball-throwing rookie Reyes is 5-8 with and ERA over 5. His last start, 10/1 against Milwaukee, he lasted just 2/3rds of an inning and allowed two homeruns. It was the third time in 2006 he didn't last more than 3 and 1/3 innings. Starting to feel a little confident? Well, Viva El Birdos asks us not to forget this: Oliver Perez has a 6.55 ERA, the worst ERA by any pitcher in postseason history. Okey dokey here we go.