Head over to MetsBlog for a funny story about Rickey Henderson.
I'm sure he can still hit, but the last time I saw him play the outfield at Shea he looked terrible. I guess making up for the doubles he'd hit that he turned into triple with his speed, suddenly his lousy defense turned opposing hitters singles into doubles. But he was a funny guy, so you couldn't hate him too much. Except, of course, when he picked a lousy time to play cards in the clubhouse.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Most Valuable Transplanted Ex-Mets Prospects Who Got Away
According to Baseball Prospectus, Scott Kazmir is the most valuable ex-Mets prospect in the MLB (ranked #33 on the list of most valuable players overall), while Jason Bay comes in at second most valuable ex-Mets prospect (or #35 overall, depending on what matters to you).
What is really great about this list is that there are no true ex-Mets on the list at all, and not even any ex-Mets prospects who rank higher than Jose Reyes (#7), David Wright (#8) or Carlos Beltran (#12). Now, I'm not sure how much stock I put in these rankings, but it's still interesting.
A little.
What is really great about this list is that there are no true ex-Mets on the list at all, and not even any ex-Mets prospects who rank higher than Jose Reyes (#7), David Wright (#8) or Carlos Beltran (#12). Now, I'm not sure how much stock I put in these rankings, but it's still interesting.
A little.
I'm Done
I'm Done trying to stay up till a million o'clock trying to watch West Coast Mets games. I tried last night and only managed to flutter in and out of consciousness for a few innings before zonking out entirely. Then I woke up exhausted and miserable at 7:30AM, knowing the last image I saw before dreamland was a 9-3 deficit. Forget it. SNY runs a Mets FastForward at 6AM daily. Sign me up for that tomorrow morning. I'd rather go to bed at a decent hour and wake up early, easing into the day than the alternative. And tomorrow is a day game (3:35 East Coast time) so I'll be good for some Gameday Audio then. But I won't forget this strategy the second week of June when the Mets head to LA, or in July at San Diego. By the way, why the hell did the schedule makers break up the west Coast trips like that? Conspiracy, I tell ya! Conspiracy!
Friggin Barry Zito. Friggin' catchers named Molina. Friggin Keith Hernandez talking about how great San Francisco is. Friggin friggin.
Friggin Barry Zito. Friggin' catchers named Molina. Friggin Keith Hernandez talking about how great San Francisco is. Friggin friggin.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Transplanted ex-Mets Update: ex Mets Around The Majors
As part of Tampa Bay's 3-2 win over Toronto on Saturday, ex-Mets 3B Ty Wigginton hit two game-tying homers. Hissecond homerun, to lead off the ninth, tied the score against Oakland closer Huston Street, who had converted eight of his previous nine save chances. It was the first home run allowed by Street in 52 games, dating back to last June 24. Starter Scott Kazmir allowed one run and five hits in six innings, striking out eight and walking three during a 105-pitch outing.
Heath Bell has an ERA of 0.46 for San Diego, and has allowed no runs and only one hit over his last 8 1/3 innings. Bell has allowed just one run on seven hits in 19 2/3 innings over 15 appearances. In November, Omar traded Bell and Royce Ring for Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins, neither of which made the big league team. Ben Johnson is on the 40 man roster, and may get a look if Moises Alou has to go on the DL.
Braden Looper allowed one run in six innings, helping the Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Sunday. Meanwhile, Jason Isringhausen earned his eighth save of the season, and the 257th of his career. Wow. Seemed like just yesterday he was pitching for the Mercury Mets.
David Weathers leads the Cincinnati Reds with six saves. Relievers just hang around forever, don't they?
Ex-Mets on The Mend:
Heath Bell has an ERA of 0.46 for San Diego, and has allowed no runs and only one hit over his last 8 1/3 innings. Bell has allowed just one run on seven hits in 19 2/3 innings over 15 appearances. In November, Omar traded Bell and Royce Ring for Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins, neither of which made the big league team. Ben Johnson is on the 40 man roster, and may get a look if Moises Alou has to go on the DL.
Braden Looper allowed one run in six innings, helping the Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Sunday. Meanwhile, Jason Isringhausen earned his eighth save of the season, and the 257th of his career. Wow. Seemed like just yesterday he was pitching for the Mercury Mets.
David Weathers leads the Cincinnati Reds with six saves. Relievers just hang around forever, don't they?
Ex-Mets on The Mend:
Marlon Anderson was placed on the Dodgers' 15-day disabled list Sunday with irritation in his right elbow.
Rick White is scheduled to to come off the Astros' disabled list Wednesday. Relievers just hang around forever, don't they?
Jorge Julio came off the Marlins' disabled list Friday. Before his DL stint he had compiled the outstanding record of 0-2, with 19.06 ERA. "I feel right now like a new Julio," he said. The Fish will be the judge of that, and Henry Owens will remain the closer until the new Julio really shows up.
Cliff Floyd did not start for the Cubs yesterday due to back discomfort. He drew a pinch hit walk in the ninth, and was immediately pinch-run for, in the Cubs 4-3 win over the Expos. Cliffy is hitting .292 with two homers and 13 RBIs on the season. He's started 17 of the Cubs 29 games this season, 12 games in left and five in right.
###
Speaking of the Expos, here's a picture of the frat boy they have running around RFK between innings to play trivia games with fans. I'm guessing the hardest part of his job is finding people in the stands who aren't there to see the opposition, or who hadn't shown up thinking there was a soccer game.
Rick White is scheduled to to come off the Astros' disabled list Wednesday. Relievers just hang around forever, don't they?
Jorge Julio came off the Marlins' disabled list Friday. Before his DL stint he had compiled the outstanding record of 0-2, with 19.06 ERA. "I feel right now like a new Julio," he said. The Fish will be the judge of that, and Henry Owens will remain the closer until the new Julio really shows up.
Cliff Floyd did not start for the Cubs yesterday due to back discomfort. He drew a pinch hit walk in the ninth, and was immediately pinch-run for, in the Cubs 4-3 win over the Expos. Cliffy is hitting .292 with two homers and 13 RBIs on the season. He's started 17 of the Cubs 29 games this season, 12 games in left and five in right.
###
Speaking of the Expos, here's a picture of the frat boy they have running around RFK between innings to play trivia games with fans. I'm guessing the hardest part of his job is finding people in the stands who aren't there to see the opposition, or who hadn't shown up thinking there was a soccer game.How Many Logos Do The Arizona Diamondbacks Need, Already?
I might be the only one stunned by the news that Roger Clemens is going back to the friggin Junkees. I know he's a friggin Yankees lover and all, that he wants to go into the hall as a 'Skank and all that but still, please.
Here's a chance to write a storybook ending to your career, go back to the team where you had the most success, the team with the best chance of going to the series. With the seasons Beckett and Schilling and even DiceK are having, you could throw five decent innings every fifth day and still be a hero in Boston. Instead, you head to a last place team where you need to be a savior and there's a gd circus going on every day. Stupid jackass.
Thanks a lot, Willie, for trotting out your B-Squad on a day when you have your fifth starter throwing who could seriously use some run support. Plus, it would have been really cool to sweep a four game set in the desert for the third straight year. But, nooo. Now we have to head to that clusterf*** in the Bay. I can't wait.
Here's the real problem with the Diamondbacks. Their graphic design people are working on overdrive. Seriously, how many logos does a team need? It's getting to be re-god-damn-diculous. They should trade a graphic artist for a corner outfielder. Maybe they would be more successful then.
jklj
Here's a chance to write a storybook ending to your career, go back to the team where you had the most success, the team with the best chance of going to the series. With the seasons Beckett and Schilling and even DiceK are having, you could throw five decent innings every fifth day and still be a hero in Boston. Instead, you head to a last place team where you need to be a savior and there's a gd circus going on every day. Stupid jackass.
Thanks a lot, Willie, for trotting out your B-Squad on a day when you have your fifth starter throwing who could seriously use some run support. Plus, it would have been really cool to sweep a four game set in the desert for the third straight year. But, nooo. Now we have to head to that clusterf*** in the Bay. I can't wait.
Here's the real problem with the Diamondbacks. Their graphic design people are working on overdrive. Seriously, how many logos does a team need? It's getting to be re-god-damn-diculous. They should trade a graphic artist for a corner outfielder. Maybe they would be more successful then.
jklj
Friday, May 04, 2007
How I Feel About Tom Glavine
I have an odd mix of feelings towards Tom Glavine:
On one hand, I am glad he is on the team, feel confident that the Mets will win when he pitches, and I'm definitely glad he's not on the Braves. I also think he gives us a better chance of winning postseason series if he gets starts.
On the other hand, I don't care if he gets to 300 wins, I don't care when he doesn't get credit for the win in a particular game, and I don't really like him all that much. His waffling about possibly returning back to the Braves whenever the subject comes up irks me, and his creature of habit tendencies annoy me too. I don't think I'll ever consider him a "true Met."
This is my dream:
The Mets win the large majority of Tom Glavine's starts this season, yet he finishes with just nine wins, one short of 300. The Mets win the division, and go on to win the World Series with Tom earning the MVP in either teh NLCS or World Series. In 2008, Glavine goes back to the Braves and gets his win. That win #300 happens in a Braves uniform, but on the road with little fanfare. The Braves finish in last place in 2008. Glavine retires at year's end and us Mets fans can say to Braves fans: "Yeah, your guy Tom Glavine... He was quite a pitcher, but he had to come to the Mets to get a Championship."
Mets beat Snakes 9-4, thanks to the bats of Damion Easley and David Wright, and an error by transplanted ex-Met Tony Clark.
On one hand, I am glad he is on the team, feel confident that the Mets will win when he pitches, and I'm definitely glad he's not on the Braves. I also think he gives us a better chance of winning postseason series if he gets starts.
On the other hand, I don't care if he gets to 300 wins, I don't care when he doesn't get credit for the win in a particular game, and I don't really like him all that much. His waffling about possibly returning back to the Braves whenever the subject comes up irks me, and his creature of habit tendencies annoy me too. I don't think I'll ever consider him a "true Met."
This is my dream:
The Mets win the large majority of Tom Glavine's starts this season, yet he finishes with just nine wins, one short of 300. The Mets win the division, and go on to win the World Series with Tom earning the MVP in either teh NLCS or World Series. In 2008, Glavine goes back to the Braves and gets his win. That win #300 happens in a Braves uniform, but on the road with little fanfare. The Braves finish in last place in 2008. Glavine retires at year's end and us Mets fans can say to Braves fans: "Yeah, your guy Tom Glavine... He was quite a pitcher, but he had to come to the Mets to get a Championship."
Mets beat Snakes 9-4, thanks to the bats of Damion Easley and David Wright, and an error by transplanted ex-Met Tony Clark.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
News: Chan Ho Park Experiment Over, For Now
The big league staff has seen enough of Chan Ho Park for now, and has transplanted him back to The Big Easy. In his place, meet the newest Met: Lino Urdaneta
According to the press release announcing the move, Urdaneta is a 27 year old righthander and he went 1-0 with six saves and a 5.84 ERA in 10 games in relief with The Zephyrs this season. In 12.1 innings, he allowed 12 hits, eight runs, earned, with two walks and two strikeouts.
Urdaneta was a non-roster invitee this spring. In his only major league appearance, in 2004 with the Tigers, he allowed six runs without recording an out. So, he's especially hopeful to see some big league action just so his ERA can be reduced from infinity!
Still to be seen is who will take Park's spot in the rotation. Jorge Sosa and Jason Vargas are the most likely candidates, as well as Aaron Sele. Phil Humber is the longshot.
According to the press release announcing the move, Urdaneta is a 27 year old righthander and he went 1-0 with six saves and a 5.84 ERA in 10 games in relief with The Zephyrs this season. In 12.1 innings, he allowed 12 hits, eight runs, earned, with two walks and two strikeouts.
Urdaneta was a non-roster invitee this spring. In his only major league appearance, in 2004 with the Tigers, he allowed six runs without recording an out. So, he's especially hopeful to see some big league action just so his ERA can be reduced from infinity!
Still to be seen is who will take Park's spot in the rotation. Jorge Sosa and Jason Vargas are the most likely candidates, as well as Aaron Sele. Phil Humber is the longshot.
A Couple Blogs Of Note
I try to keep my blogroll to a manageable number, just because I think that it carries more impact with just a handful of listings compared to a giant list of links to blogs that have various levels of commitments to them. with that being said, I'd like to give a tip of the cap to a couple blogs that I think are worth noting:
First of all, please have a stop by to MetsCentric, if you haven't already. This Mets blog is maintained by long time Mets fan, and fellow North Carolinian Transplant Barry Duchan. Barry's been a Mets fan since the days of the Polo Grounds, and he gives special attention to the forgotten Mets players of yore. Today he says he hopes that the new Citi Field will serve as a shrine to every player who has had the privilege of donning a Mets uniform.
Next, is a new blog that takes a unique approach to sports reporting. Intentional Foul is a Mets/Broncos/Utah Jazz blog, but it's also kind of a blog version of SNL's Weekend Update. Essentially, Len posts news stories, and then expands upon them in a satirical rant. You have to read a few posts to understand what I mean.
First of all, please have a stop by to MetsCentric, if you haven't already. This Mets blog is maintained by long time Mets fan, and fellow North Carolinian Transplant Barry Duchan. Barry's been a Mets fan since the days of the Polo Grounds, and he gives special attention to the forgotten Mets players of yore. Today he says he hopes that the new Citi Field will serve as a shrine to every player who has had the privilege of donning a Mets uniform.
Next, is a new blog that takes a unique approach to sports reporting. Intentional Foul is a Mets/Broncos/Utah Jazz blog, but it's also kind of a blog version of SNL's Weekend Update. Essentially, Len posts news stories, and then expands upon them in a satirical rant. You have to read a few posts to understand what I mean.
Transplanted ex-Mets Update: Ex Mets On The Mound
Victor Zambrano has cracked the Blue Jays rotation, graduating from the 'pen to replace Josh Towers as Toronto's fifth starter, and was kept to a 65 pitch pitch count in his first start yesterday. In 2 and 2/3 innings against the Indians, he allowed two runs on four hits, walked three and struck out one.
Jae Seo had a nice outing for the Devil Rays, allowing two runs off seven hits and a walk, while striking out three in six innings against Minnesota. Seo wound up with a no-decision in the 10 inning, 4-3 win over the Twins. Ty Wigginton drove in the Rays first run with a fielders choice in the fifth. Then, down by a run in the ninth, Wiggy put the game into extra innings with a single off Joe Nathan.
Reds pitcher Mike Stanton came into the eighth inning against the Astros on Wednesday night and managed to finish the inning without a pitch. He picked Hunter Pence off first base, as part of a 3-1 loss to Houston and Roy Oswalt.
Giants reliever Armando Benitez was unavailable to pitch yesterday against the Rockies due to soreness in his right knee, though he may be available today. "It's all right," said Benitez, who also said he was hurt last week. "It's not too serious."
Jae Seo had a nice outing for the Devil Rays, allowing two runs off seven hits and a walk, while striking out three in six innings against Minnesota. Seo wound up with a no-decision in the 10 inning, 4-3 win over the Twins. Ty Wigginton drove in the Rays first run with a fielders choice in the fifth. Then, down by a run in the ninth, Wiggy put the game into extra innings with a single off Joe Nathan.
Reds pitcher Mike Stanton came into the eighth inning against the Astros on Wednesday night and managed to finish the inning without a pitch. He picked Hunter Pence off first base, as part of a 3-1 loss to Houston and Roy Oswalt.
Giants reliever Armando Benitez was unavailable to pitch yesterday against the Rockies due to soreness in his right knee, though he may be available today. "It's all right," said Benitez, who also said he was hurt last week. "It's not too serious."
Transplanted Ex-Mets Update: Ex Mets in Baltimore
The Orioles got help from three ex-Mets, but it still was not enough as the Mini-Mets fell to the Tigers, 3-2. Stephen Christopher Trachsel became the first Orioles starter to complete seven innings in three weeks. He allowed three runs on eight hits, but trailed 3-2 when he was removed after seven innings. The O's two runs scored on a Jay Payton double and a bases-loaded walk to Melvin Mora.
Transplanted ex-Mets Update: Mike Piazza Out 4 to 6 Weeks With A Bum Shoulder
Former Met and current A's Designated Hitter Mike Piazza strained his right shoulder last night diving into third base in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid being tagged. He's now headed to the DL and is expected to be sidelined four-to-six weeks.
Piazza hadn't exactly been tearing up the AL with his hitting. After a hot start, he's hitting .282 with just 1 homer and 8 RBIs.
Piazza is the 7th player on the Oakland roster who are on the disabled list. Rich Harden, Esteban Loaiza, Milton Bradley, Mark Kotsay, Chris Denorfia, and Bobby Kietley are all on the A's shelf as well.
The A's come to Shea on June 22nd for a three game set. Piazza may be back by then, but since he hasn't caught at all this season, he probably won't see any action anyway, other than perhaps as a pinch hitter.
Mike's ex-Met teammate Marco Scutaro is hitting just .139 this season, but of course he did have that three-run, walk-off, homer off Mariano Rivera on April 17th so I'd say he's having a good season.
Piazza hadn't exactly been tearing up the AL with his hitting. After a hot start, he's hitting .282 with just 1 homer and 8 RBIs.
Piazza is the 7th player on the Oakland roster who are on the disabled list. Rich Harden, Esteban Loaiza, Milton Bradley, Mark Kotsay, Chris Denorfia, and Bobby Kietley are all on the A's shelf as well.
The A's come to Shea on June 22nd for a three game set. Piazza may be back by then, but since he hasn't caught at all this season, he probably won't see any action anyway, other than perhaps as a pinch hitter.
Mike's ex-Met teammate Marco Scutaro is hitting just .139 this season, but of course he did have that three-run, walk-off, homer off Mariano Rivera on April 17th so I'd say he's having a good season.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
I'm back. Where are the bats?
I'm FINALLY ready to resume my regularly schedule blogging activities. Last Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated to final exams, and then (very) early morning I headed up to D.C. and Baltimore for work (and of course a weekend at RFK!)
First of all, what a dump RFK is. I've been there before, and said this before, but it honestly makes Shea look like the Taj Majal. Luckily for Expos fans, this is the last season at the stadium, with the new park opening next season. Yes, somehow, even though construction for both parks began last year, DC's new, as yet unnamed, stadium will be ready a full year before Citi Field.
I originally didn't think I'd be able to make Sunday's game, but my cousin who lives in the area told me last month that I had to make sure I was there because I had to be there to see the sweep completed. well, halfway through Saturday's affair I turned to him and reminded him that we might indeed see a sweep though not the one he predicted!
Friday's game was a mess. O'Perez pitched well enough, especially after Austin Kearns hit a homerun in the first to give some lucky brat an autographed baseball. Unfortunately the Mets have completely forgotten how to score runs. It doesn't help that three members of the Mets lineup (LoDuca Wright Delgado) are automatic outs. Thank God for Beltran Feivel and Reyes! Despite the Mets recent loss of hitting ability, Randolph oddly allowed Perez to bat for himself in the 6th inning down by a run and bases loaded with one out. Perez struck out and Reyes grounded out to end the inning. The ninth inning was a little fun. Chad "the Chief" Cordero was brought in to preserve a one-run lead. Reyes and LoDuca were quickly retired, and Cordero threw a strike to Beltran. Catcher Schneider tossed the ball back to Cordero, who didn't wait for Beltran to settle in before firing a second strike in. Beltran argued that time had been called, but the umpire didn't budge. Beltran screamed and yelled and got in his face. Give credit to the ump - it's the most I've ever seen anyone argue without getting bounced. Beltran stepped back into the box and popped out to second. Mets lose 4-3.
Saturday, the Mets made some punk named Jerome Williams look awesome. The guy came into the game with a 7.77 ERA but he had a no-hitter going for 5 innings. The Expos had a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning, but Old Man Franco scored Endy Chavez with a pinch-hit single. The Mets wound up winning the game in the 12th scoring runs off of a two run double by Beltran and a Wright two run single. The real story was the first base umpire, Tony Randazzo, previously known as Friday night's homeplate umpire (see above) who was absolutely horrible calling the plays at first. The Mets were robbed three times on calls down there, which finally prompted Willie Randolph to come out and argue, getting himself ejected. He put up a decent spectacle, but probably could have been even more vehement. Also notable in the game was in the fourth inning, Jose Valentin suddenly walked off the field. Turns out he's got a bum knee and was off to teh DL. Great. One of the few guys hitting. Mets win 6-4.
Sunday, Beltran scored the only run of the game for either team, hitting a solo homerun in the 6th. John Maine was awesome, and it was a gorgeous day to sit in the ugly stadium. Still too bad the Mets suddenly can't hit. Transplanted ex-Met Jesus Flores got a second straight start behind the plate. At the plate, he attempted a sacrifice bunt with runners on first and second, but Julio Franco made like Keith Hernandez, charging the ball and throwing to third for the forceout. By the way, here's a non sequitor, albeit a true one: Ronnie Belliard is a fat bastard. Mets win, 1-0. On the whole, it was a good weekend in DC.
Some notes: The Expos have this idiot running around the ballpark playing trivia games or shooting T-Shirts between innings on the scoreboard. The guy is a total frat-boy and inning after inning the guy's voice wears on you like a parasite. I don't know who this schmuck is but he needs to shut up. 29 innings of him over a 3 day span was just too much. Another thing RFK could do to enhance the fan experience is to ask the players to pick some more songs to come to the plate to. Austin Kearns comes up to some country song that sings something along the lines of "some girls from my hometown have no teeth in their mouth but Some Girls Do. Some Girls Do," Ryan Church i think came up to "Crazy Train," and Ryan Zimmerman struts up to a diddy with the lyrics "This is why I'm Hot This is Why I'm Hot I'm Hot Cause I'm Fly You Ain't Cause You Not This Is Why I'm Hot." Over and Over again for 29 innings. Pretty bold for a guy hitting .230. Why does the team have a giant chicken (or is it a seagull?) for a mascot? With attendance as poor as it is, why were there no giveaways all weekend. You'd think sponsors would want to put their name on a tchotchke the weekend the Mets are in town, the one chance they have to get in front of some fans! The one promotion, if you could call it that, was a pre-game concert Friday night by a Bobby Montez or something like that. A dude singing melodramatically while playing keyboard. Music to do heroin to, or something.
Monday night I hoped to be home early, but due to flight delays I had to watch Monday night's debacle at a dive in the Charlotte Airport called the Fox Sports Zone. I didn't get home until 11:30, complete with heartburn from the nachos. Regardless, that should be the end of the Chan Ho Park Project. Mets lose to Miami, 9-6.
Last night I was so friggin exhausted I slept right through the Mets 5-2 loss to the Fish. Missed David Wright's first homer of the season!
Today I listened to the 6-3 win on Gameday Audio, at my desk. O'Perez continues to look good, but Wright, who although he had another RBI, made two errors, one in the ninth that allowed two runs to score. Mets Win, 6-3.
Stay tuned to this spot for Transplanted ex-Mets updates and more of what you usually can expect here.
Lets Go Mets!
First of all, what a dump RFK is. I've been there before, and said this before, but it honestly makes Shea look like the Taj Majal. Luckily for Expos fans, this is the last season at the stadium, with the new park opening next season. Yes, somehow, even though construction for both parks began last year, DC's new, as yet unnamed, stadium will be ready a full year before Citi Field.
I originally didn't think I'd be able to make Sunday's game, but my cousin who lives in the area told me last month that I had to make sure I was there because I had to be there to see the sweep completed. well, halfway through Saturday's affair I turned to him and reminded him that we might indeed see a sweep though not the one he predicted!
Friday's game was a mess. O'Perez pitched well enough, especially after Austin Kearns hit a homerun in the first to give some lucky brat an autographed baseball. Unfortunately the Mets have completely forgotten how to score runs. It doesn't help that three members of the Mets lineup (LoDuca Wright Delgado) are automatic outs. Thank God for Beltran Feivel and Reyes! Despite the Mets recent loss of hitting ability, Randolph oddly allowed Perez to bat for himself in the 6th inning down by a run and bases loaded with one out. Perez struck out and Reyes grounded out to end the inning. The ninth inning was a little fun. Chad "the Chief" Cordero was brought in to preserve a one-run lead. Reyes and LoDuca were quickly retired, and Cordero threw a strike to Beltran. Catcher Schneider tossed the ball back to Cordero, who didn't wait for Beltran to settle in before firing a second strike in. Beltran argued that time had been called, but the umpire didn't budge. Beltran screamed and yelled and got in his face. Give credit to the ump - it's the most I've ever seen anyone argue without getting bounced. Beltran stepped back into the box and popped out to second. Mets lose 4-3.
Saturday, the Mets made some punk named Jerome Williams look awesome. The guy came into the game with a 7.77 ERA but he had a no-hitter going for 5 innings. The Expos had a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning, but Old Man Franco scored Endy Chavez with a pinch-hit single. The Mets wound up winning the game in the 12th scoring runs off of a two run double by Beltran and a Wright two run single. The real story was the first base umpire, Tony Randazzo, previously known as Friday night's homeplate umpire (see above) who was absolutely horrible calling the plays at first. The Mets were robbed three times on calls down there, which finally prompted Willie Randolph to come out and argue, getting himself ejected. He put up a decent spectacle, but probably could have been even more vehement. Also notable in the game was in the fourth inning, Jose Valentin suddenly walked off the field. Turns out he's got a bum knee and was off to teh DL. Great. One of the few guys hitting. Mets win 6-4.
Sunday, Beltran scored the only run of the game for either team, hitting a solo homerun in the 6th. John Maine was awesome, and it was a gorgeous day to sit in the ugly stadium. Still too bad the Mets suddenly can't hit. Transplanted ex-Met Jesus Flores got a second straight start behind the plate. At the plate, he attempted a sacrifice bunt with runners on first and second, but Julio Franco made like Keith Hernandez, charging the ball and throwing to third for the forceout. By the way, here's a non sequitor, albeit a true one: Ronnie Belliard is a fat bastard. Mets win, 1-0. On the whole, it was a good weekend in DC.
Some notes: The Expos have this idiot running around the ballpark playing trivia games or shooting T-Shirts between innings on the scoreboard. The guy is a total frat-boy and inning after inning the guy's voice wears on you like a parasite. I don't know who this schmuck is but he needs to shut up. 29 innings of him over a 3 day span was just too much. Another thing RFK could do to enhance the fan experience is to ask the players to pick some more songs to come to the plate to. Austin Kearns comes up to some country song that sings something along the lines of "some girls from my hometown have no teeth in their mouth but Some Girls Do. Some Girls Do," Ryan Church i think came up to "Crazy Train," and Ryan Zimmerman struts up to a diddy with the lyrics "This is why I'm Hot This is Why I'm Hot I'm Hot Cause I'm Fly You Ain't Cause You Not This Is Why I'm Hot." Over and Over again for 29 innings. Pretty bold for a guy hitting .230. Why does the team have a giant chicken (or is it a seagull?) for a mascot? With attendance as poor as it is, why were there no giveaways all weekend. You'd think sponsors would want to put their name on a tchotchke the weekend the Mets are in town, the one chance they have to get in front of some fans! The one promotion, if you could call it that, was a pre-game concert Friday night by a Bobby Montez or something like that. A dude singing melodramatically while playing keyboard. Music to do heroin to, or something.
Monday night I hoped to be home early, but due to flight delays I had to watch Monday night's debacle at a dive in the Charlotte Airport called the Fox Sports Zone. I didn't get home until 11:30, complete with heartburn from the nachos. Regardless, that should be the end of the Chan Ho Park Project. Mets lose to Miami, 9-6.
Last night I was so friggin exhausted I slept right through the Mets 5-2 loss to the Fish. Missed David Wright's first homer of the season!
Today I listened to the 6-3 win on Gameday Audio, at my desk. O'Perez continues to look good, but Wright, who although he had another RBI, made two errors, one in the ninth that allowed two runs to score. Mets Win, 6-3.
Stay tuned to this spot for Transplanted ex-Mets updates and more of what you usually can expect here.
Lets Go Mets!
Monday, April 23, 2007
MLB Entrance Music
When I was a kid I was a big fan of WWF wrestling, and part of the deal with a wrestler's personality was what music was played when he walked to the ring. My favorite wrestler, Macho Man, came to the ring to Pomp and Circumstance. Junk Yard Dog came to the ring to Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust." That is, until, WWF created The Wrestling Album. After that he came to the ring to Grab Them Cakes. That's also around the time Hulk Hogan picked up on "Real American" by the legendary Derringer.My reason for this tangent is to put some perspective on the topic of music for baseball players, which I hadn't given a whole lot of thought to until last year's "controversy" with Billy Wagner and Metallica, though I do remember being annoyed when John Franco gave up on "Johnny B. Goode" in favor of "Boy From New York City". During Spring Training this year, David Wright let MLB.com voters choose the music played when he comes to the plate this season (Blame MetsGrrl for that one). Meanwhile, Jose Reyes composes some of his own entrance music.
Over in the comments section of Metsblog, MouserDZ posted a link to a website that lists a bunch of MLB players and the song played when they come to bat or are introduced into the game as a pitcher. Have a gander if you're interested. The only thing I really found interesting is that according to the site Armando Benitez has finally gotten over "Who Let The Dogs Out" and has moved on to "Big Pimpin'" and "Big Poppa"
So there you go.
Too Annoyed Not To Post
Grad school obligations have forced me to take a week off from blogging, but yesterday's affair is eating at me too much not to post. I was feeling pretty damn good headed into yesterday. Pelfrey's failure didn't bug me too much Friday, and O'Perez's effort had me pretty jazzed up on Saturday, so with the beautiful weather and the Junkees dropping the first two to the Sawx life was looking good.
I don't get the CW on my set, but I do get to hear the Braves broadcasts on AM 790. So I had to listen to the clowns the Braves have hired to do their radio broadcasts. I don't know which guy is which, but when Bobby Cox got ejected one of them said that he felt bad for Bobby because he was sent down to the bowels "of this rat-infested stadium." Now hold on there, pal. Shea may not be the Taj Majal of stadiums, and I am the first one to admit that, but rat-infested is going a little too far. Despite that, I thought the game was in the bag when Reyes hit that bases-load triple, followed by an RBI by Lo Duca. I happily headed into my class meeting at that point. When I came out an hour later I was shocked to hear teh game still playing, and when they said Sele was being brought into the game, for some reason I had a feeling of dread in my stomach. Sure enough, the Mets 6-3 lead had become a 9-6 deficit. The bottom of the ninth came and went without a rally and we even had to suffer the indignity of Transplanted ex Mets pitcher Tyler Yates getting the win.
Willie is getting raked over the coals today for his bullpen management. This is the first game of the season where Willie is getting blamed for a loss. I think we fans tend to get a little too worked up over the manager. OK, maybe he did lose the game, but really how many games over the course of a season can you attribute a particular win or loss to a manager? I would venture to say the difference between a brilliant strategic manager and an awful strategic manager, is 4 or 5 games over the course of a season. Meaning the brilliant guy wins a couple games because of smart moves and the idiot loses 2 or 3 due to stupid maneuvers. Is Bobby Cox brilliant and Willie an idiot to those degrees? Doubt it. And you still have to take into account a manager's motivational abilities and his ability to maintain control over a clubhouse. Bobby V is a brilliant manager but he had to get axed because he lost control of his team, with players whining to Wilpon about stuff and whispering anonymous quotes to the media. Art Howe could light up a room but he couldn't light a fire under his team. Willie is right for this team, even if he is a stubborn guy who follows his gut when he should follow his head. His players respect him and play hard. He deserves heat today, but let's let it go at game time.
Speaking of heat, Shawn Green is hitting .338 and went 3-4 yesterday but he still is getting tons of grief over his misplay. And it's not because it was against the Braves. It's because of this guy. Milledge is hitting .342 down in The Big Easy with 5 stolen bases and a .447 Slugging Percentage. It's almost as though the Shea Faithful would rather see Milledge find his way than see Green flourish. But at this point Green is going to have to get hurt or have a solid six week slump before Milledge gets a call-up.
The Rockies come in to town tonight. John Maine will face Taylor Buchholz. Buchholz is making his first start of the year. Last year we saw Buchholz as a member of the Astros and the Mets roughed him up for six runs in 5 innings, with homers by Valentin and Delgado. What's up with the Rockies? They currently reside in the NL West cellar, with an 8-11 record. Kaz Matsui won't be making the trip to Shea, as he's rehabbing a bad back. However, we will get to see three time Met Clint Hurdle, who is the Rockies manager. The Rockies have God on their side but that's about the only thing they can brag about, except for Matt Holliday, who is leading the league in hitting.
I don't get the CW on my set, but I do get to hear the Braves broadcasts on AM 790. So I had to listen to the clowns the Braves have hired to do their radio broadcasts. I don't know which guy is which, but when Bobby Cox got ejected one of them said that he felt bad for Bobby because he was sent down to the bowels "of this rat-infested stadium." Now hold on there, pal. Shea may not be the Taj Majal of stadiums, and I am the first one to admit that, but rat-infested is going a little too far. Despite that, I thought the game was in the bag when Reyes hit that bases-load triple, followed by an RBI by Lo Duca. I happily headed into my class meeting at that point. When I came out an hour later I was shocked to hear teh game still playing, and when they said Sele was being brought into the game, for some reason I had a feeling of dread in my stomach. Sure enough, the Mets 6-3 lead had become a 9-6 deficit. The bottom of the ninth came and went without a rally and we even had to suffer the indignity of Transplanted ex Mets pitcher Tyler Yates getting the win.
Willie is getting raked over the coals today for his bullpen management. This is the first game of the season where Willie is getting blamed for a loss. I think we fans tend to get a little too worked up over the manager. OK, maybe he did lose the game, but really how many games over the course of a season can you attribute a particular win or loss to a manager? I would venture to say the difference between a brilliant strategic manager and an awful strategic manager, is 4 or 5 games over the course of a season. Meaning the brilliant guy wins a couple games because of smart moves and the idiot loses 2 or 3 due to stupid maneuvers. Is Bobby Cox brilliant and Willie an idiot to those degrees? Doubt it. And you still have to take into account a manager's motivational abilities and his ability to maintain control over a clubhouse. Bobby V is a brilliant manager but he had to get axed because he lost control of his team, with players whining to Wilpon about stuff and whispering anonymous quotes to the media. Art Howe could light up a room but he couldn't light a fire under his team. Willie is right for this team, even if he is a stubborn guy who follows his gut when he should follow his head. His players respect him and play hard. He deserves heat today, but let's let it go at game time.
Speaking of heat, Shawn Green is hitting .338 and went 3-4 yesterday but he still is getting tons of grief over his misplay. And it's not because it was against the Braves. It's because of this guy. Milledge is hitting .342 down in The Big Easy with 5 stolen bases and a .447 Slugging Percentage. It's almost as though the Shea Faithful would rather see Milledge find his way than see Green flourish. But at this point Green is going to have to get hurt or have a solid six week slump before Milledge gets a call-up.
The Rockies come in to town tonight. John Maine will face Taylor Buchholz. Buchholz is making his first start of the year. Last year we saw Buchholz as a member of the Astros and the Mets roughed him up for six runs in 5 innings, with homers by Valentin and Delgado. What's up with the Rockies? They currently reside in the NL West cellar, with an 8-11 record. Kaz Matsui won't be making the trip to Shea, as he's rehabbing a bad back. However, we will get to see three time Met Clint Hurdle, who is the Rockies manager. The Rockies have God on their side but that's about the only thing they can brag about, except for Matt Holliday, who is leading the league in hitting.
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