I Get To Watch The Mets Win on SNY

Well, that was fun. El Duque was inspiring, Beltran was a hitter, LoDuca and Valentin were clutch... well worth staying u until almost 1 AM for. Mets win, 7-0, defeating Jake Peavy to move 3 games up in the loss column over the Bravos, who fell again to Cincy.

There were quite a few odd sights tonight, not the least of which was El Duque with a straight steal of second base, but the weirdest thing to me was briefly seeing some Mets fan wandering around the stands directly behind homeplate wearing a pristine #44 Jay Payton jersey. Remember when he was the next big thing for the Mets? Speaking of which, Lastings Milledge had an 0-4 with a sacfly RBI tonight. Will Milledge really be the next Darryl Strawberry? Or the next Jay Payton?

Transplanted Ex-Mets Quote: Gary Carter on Barry Bonds

From an article on ESPN.com:

Carter, an 11-time All-Star who hit 324 homers, said Bonds has had "a great career," but questions if he could have gotten so big without performance-enhancing drugs.

"I saw him when he first broke in. He was a scrawny, skinny, 185-pound guy that had great talent. And then he turned himself into a freakin' power hitter with, what, 245, 250 pounds, and his head got twice the size. So, you know, you figure it out," he said.

"I know he likes to go to the gym. We all like to go to the gym. You just don't get that big," he said.

Stupid Schedule

My life has started to calm down (a little), but of course I couldn't watch any games with WPIX being unavailable on my DirecTV, and of course now the Metropolitans head west for 10:00 games.  Ugh.  Well, at least they're winning now, right?

What I'm most thrilled about is the performance of our youngsters.  Whatever the standings at the end of the year, we have to be thrilled about our future considering the performances of Lastings Milledge, Oliver Perez et al.  I happen to think there's no chance in hell of Omar unloading Lastings.  His rap career might bug the old white suits in the front office, but no way is Omar unloading a kid with this much potential whose contract is under control for the next several years.

Transplanted ex-Mets Update: Ex Mets on The Mend

Mike Piazza has begun his rehab assignment for the A's. The plan for him to work on his catching, now that he's lost his hold on the everyday DH job, has been scrapped because he couldn't get his shoulder into throwing shape. Now, he's back to working on his swing, and once he's ready he'll either join the A's big league team or Billy Beane has agreed to trade him to a team he's willing to go to.

Melvin Mora is headed to the disabled list after spraining a ligament in his leg sliding into home plate on July 1st.

I'm Still Here!

The last six weeks have turned pretty much every facet of my life completely on it's head. I've had to pare down my life a bit for a while, but I will be back blogging, hopefully soon. In the meantime, an enormous 'Thank You' goes out to all the bloggers on the right side of the page for keeping me abreast of Mets news. I hope you all, who've enjoyed this blog over the past two seasons, will welcome me back into your daily routine once things settle down.

As Always, Lets Go Mets!

Photos of Mets at Tigers

On Friday I transplanted myself up to Detroit. Aside from cruising 8 mile, the highlight of the day was seeing the Mets play the Tigers at Comerica. The Mets won, 3-0, thanks to homeruns by Wright and Delgado, but mostly thanks to an outstanding pitching performance by Jorge Sosa. The game was a brisk 2 hours and 15 minutes, on a perfect evening in Motown. Here are some photos. Click on them for larger views, and then on this link for the full slideshow of the Mets vs Tigers in Detroit.

Tools For Transplanted Mets Fans

One of the best/worst things about being away from the NY Metro area is also being outside the broadcast area of WFAN. Thank goodness for the internet, this actually works out in the favor of us out-of-market baseball fans. Why? Because if we really have a hankering for Schmuck and His Lap Dog, we can listen to the simulcast on wfan.com. But if we just want the highlights, such as the Willie Randolph Report, WFAN posts those clips online too for downloading. What I like to do is tune into the simulcast at my desk at work occasionally, and download some clips onto my iPod for my commute in the car. One bit that's definitely worth a weekly download is teh Paul LoDuca report. LoDuca is surprisingly candid, and gives a nice perspective on the viewpoint from the clubhouse as well as from behind the plate. Best of all, the interview is conducted by Beningo and Roberts, so the interview is a Francesca Free Zone. Go here to get all of Joe and Evans interviews.

Here's another tool from a guy who's not a tool. Visit my friend and fellow transplanted Mets fan Dave's blog, Mets Guy In Michigan. Oh, and check out his new banner, created by Yours Truly!

Lets Go Mets!

Mota's Back. Boo Him, Too

The columnists are right. We Mets fans are hypocrites if we don't boo Guillermo Mota when he returns tonight, a day after we booed our brains out at Barry Bonds. True, we booed Bonds even before he became the focus of a steroid controversy, but I'd like to see someone look me eye and with a straight face say that last night's boo-fest was not steroid-related.

We made fun of Giambi and Sheffield and howled when Rocket and Pettite were on the front cover of the Times for steroid-related news. Just because Mota is wearing orange and blue does not exonerate him from his actions. And it's all well and good that he apologized, but he still cheated.

I expect a mixed reaction tonight if he pitches. I don't think he'll get a standing ovation or anything like that, but I also don't think he'll get booed very much, if at all. More telling will be a month down the road, and how the crowd reacts to his performance.

Personally I'd like to see him run out of town, along with Ramon Castro.

Who Let The Dogs Out (Reprise)

How do you top a three game sweep of the Fish? How do you overshadow the arrival of Barry Bonds as the story of the game? How do you chase A-Rod's cheating ways from the back covers of the sports pages?

With an amazing, Amazin' win in teh 12th inning. Down by a run, Jose Reyes redefined teh meaning of a manufactured run by drawing a walk, drawing a balk over to second, getting sacrificed to third and then drawing another balk to score the tying run... off Armando freakin Benitez! How is that night the highlight of the game on Sportscenter? Because Carlos Delgado immediately followed Reyes' balk job with a long homerun into right-center field... his second of the game... off Armando freakin Benitez. Good things come in twos, off transplanted ex-Mets. How sweet it is!

Things I Learned From Yesterday's Broadcast

-Carlos Delgado is "The Puerto Rican Mr. T" and Paul LoDuca is "Eddie Munster."

-When you can't think of a good nickname for a player you call them "Hitman," i.e. Derek Jeter, Damion Easley and Josh Phelps.

-"It's only a matter of time" before the necklaces some players wear during games get caught on a spike and cause an injury.

- After looking at their website, I still don't know what Universal Express is, but according to Tim McCarver it was "appropriate" that David Wright hit his homerun over their sign.

-Endy Chavez is God.

Mets Win, 10-7. Lets Break Out Those Brooms!

Who Are These Guys Calling Themselves The Yankees?

Wow. Even though I knew they were having a bad year, when Ron Darling read off the starting lineup for the Yankees I thought to myself, "Boy, this is a tough offense." Then the game started and from the very first play we saw what makes our Mets special. Johnny Damon rips what should have been an easy double down the left field line but our man ENDY races over picks up the ball spins and fires to Easley in time to nail Damon sliding into second. Oliver Perez, who looked very excited in that first inning, barreled down to throw 7 1/3 beautiful innings, marred only by a Hideki Matsui two run shot into the loge seats in right. But of course the Metropolitans had a homer of their own to match it - not by Beltran, Delgado or Wright, but how about ENDY! ENDY! ENDY! Billy The Real Sandman Wagner comes in to close the door in the ninth and how sweet it is.

But my favorite play of all, perhaps the most telling for me, was when Jose Reyes pretended to drop a line drive in order to try and turn a double play. In fast motion I have to admit it fooled me, but on the slow mo replay it was the funniest thing I've seen on a baseball field in a long time. Jose Reyes places teh ball on the ground, lifts up his hand, and then reaches down and grabs it again. You HAVE to scour the internets for a clip of this. Man, I love this team. They are so loose, and yet so professional too, and they win. Can you imagine that happening on even the Mets teams of 1999 and 2000? Those teams always pressed against the Yankees and Braves. Wow, I am really excited for game two today at 3:55 on FOX!

Mets Win, 3-2. Met of the Game: ENDY!

Are You Ready For Ridiculousness?

Well, it's that time of year again, when the New York media goes batshit over a three day span when our beloved Metropolitans face the Evil Highlanders. This is a time period where I really miss being part of the energy of baseball. Interleague play has its critics, and it's hard to argue with them, but when it comes to playing your geographic rival, it really is what baseball is supposed to be about - fun. Perhaps teh coolest twist this year is the the Empire State Building is going to light its crown in honor of the Mets and Yankees this weekend, and then the winner of the series will have it all to themselves for a few more days. Here's your pitching matchup, folks:

Tonight: Andy Pettitte vs. Oliver Perez
Tomorrow afternoon 3:55 (on FOX):Darrell Rasner vs. Tom Glavine
Sunday night 8:05 PM (on ESPN): Tyler Clippard vs. John Maine

This is pretty good timing for some craziness, because life has gotten pretty crazy in the world of New York baseball this past week. As a nod to our crosstown rivals, you should be aware that:

Junkees reliever Kyle Farnsworth says that Roger Clemens shouldn't be allowed to leave the team during road trips when he's not pitching. "As far as a teammate and a player, I think everybody should be here whether they're pitching or not," he said. "You don't see guys who are hurt not sit on the bench. They're always there."

Juicin Giambi finally admits publicly that he took steroids, and that baseball as a whole should apologize to the fans for its drug problem, but that "That stuff didn't help me hit home runs. I don't care what people say, nothing is going to give you that gift of hitting a baseball." Ooooookee Dokey...

Now, back to the Mets. We'll work from the negative stuff first. The Mets have had some bad, bad publicity lately. There was a cover story in ESPN magazine about how the Shea Stadium clubhouse has basically been a free-for-all for drug runners. Transplanted ex-Mets outfielder Brian McRae (my favorite Irish Met) said that he couldn't believe how open the Shea Stadium clubhouse was compared to other parks around the league. Some Mets fans are annoyed that the Mets are singled out just because an ex-employee of theirs is in the middle of the latest steroid scandal. Well, it's awfully hard for the Mets to refute any steroid allegations, when we've had Guillermo Mota, Jorge Reyes, and now Lino Urdaneta, all suspended for steroid use. In fact, the Mets as an organization have had 10 suspensions levied against their players. According to the Times,

The only team with more positive tests is the Seattle Mariners (13). The Texas Rangers have had 10; the Colorado Rockies, the San Francisco Giants, the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics have had 8.

So, this is not good, obviously.

Also not good was the latest drama surrounding Lastings Milledge. Just days after I said I felt bad for him that his ill-timed injury allowed Carlos Gomez to get a call-up that he should have gotten, news breaks that he's the founder of a record label that's set to release a rap record called Bend Ya Knees with lyrics using the same language, and worse, that got Don Imus fired. The Mets are not happy. And the way that Carlos Gomez has started, I don't think it's a big stretch to say I expect the Lastings Milledge era to end, via a trade, before he's called up to the majors again. This could actually be good. He has shown his baseball talents are real, and the mets might be able to get someone really good for him.


Now for the good stuff, and there's a whole lot of good stuff. After completing a 3-1 series win over the Cubbies, punctuated buy an amazing come from behind victory in the fourth game when Carols Delgado and the Mets scored 5 runs in the ninth inning with their "A minus" team for a walkoff victory, the Mets now have a record of 26-14, and a game and a half lead over Atlanta, who just lost a four game series to the Expos. Jorge Sosa looks like the real deal, Jose Reyes hammy scare looks like no big deal, and Omar Minaya made a minor deal. Easley, Gotay and Gomez have all stepped up to make the most of their playing time due to the injuries of Valentin and Alou. El Duque's and Pedro Martinez's rehabs seem to be going well... what can we really complain about?

Lets Go Mets!

Transplanted Ex-Mets Update: Jorge Julio Traded Again

Less than two months after acquiring him from Arizona for former Mets prospect Yusmeiro Petit, the Marlins traded Jorge Julio to the Colorado Rockies for Byung-Hyun Kim.

Julio's record with the Fish was0-2 with a 12.54 ERA, including two blown saves, in 10 games.

You may recall that the Mets acquired Jorge Julio (along with throw-in John Maine!) from Baltimore before the 2006 season for Kris Benson. The Jorge Julio era didn't even last two months, as he was traded to the Diamondbacks in May of last season for El Duque.

Transplanted Mets Fans: Watch The Mets on ESPN Tonight

Sure you'll have to hear Joe Morgan at best, or Steve Phillips at worst, but at least you'll get to see the Mets live and in color tonight. If you don't have the Extra Innings package, this is your first chance in awhile to see the Mets on TV if you're an out-of-market fan. A real nice pitching matchup too, as Jason Marquis (5-1, 1.70) takes on Tom Glavine at Shea. Gametime is 7:10 on ESPN.

The next national TV game is this Saturday, Yankees at Mets on FOX at 3:55pm. Then, Sunday night on ESPN at 8:05 is the Subway Series finale at Shea. This hopefully will be a fun weekend - the Braves are playing the Red Sox, so we can hopefully, simultaneously, build a lead against Atlanta while the Yankees get further buried behind The Sawx in the AL East.

But first, it's a four game set against the Cubs beginning tonight on ESPN. Welcome back, Cliffy!

A Good Time To Be A Mets Fan

So our team took three of four from the Diamondbacks, two of three from the Giants, and now two of three from the Brewers. That's a pretty sweet roll. David Wright is finally back to his old self, and even Carlos Delgado doesn't look like an automatic out anymore. We lost Jose Valentin to injury, but Damion Easley is beating the crap out of the ball. Moises Alou is down, but the Carlos Gomez era has begun and it looks pretty damn good one game in!

Ya gotta feel for Lasting Milledge right now. The guy silenced all the critics in Spring Training to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster but couldn't get a start because Green and Alou were both hitting over .400. So he goes back to The Big easy to "work on what he'll be for the Mets for the next 15 years." He hits well down there but goes down with a leg injury and is on the DL the first time there's an opportunity for a call up.

Now, of course this is highly unlikely, but what will the Mets do if indeed it does seem as though F-Mart, Carlos Gomez and Lastings Milledge all are the real deal? There's just three outfield positions, and it would kill you to trade any of them, or Carlos Beltran. These are nice problems to have, folks.

Transplanted ex-Met Cliff Floyd returns to Shea tonight. I'm sure he'll get a real nice ovation.