World Baseball Classic is hazardous to Mets health

As if it weren't bad enough that the Mets had 16 players missing from Spring Training because of this World Baseball Classic, now we are hearing the Mets players are being abused.  And I don't mean Fernando Tatis' whining that he wasn't given the same level of respect as better players.  I am not even talking about David Wright getting kneed in the head.  Something like that you can never predict, and could have happened just as easily in a Spring Training exhibition (I think).  No, my biggest gripe is the way Oliver Perez and K-Rod are being used in this tournament.  K-Rod has now recorded two 4 out saves, after recording NONE all last season.  And Ollie Perez threw 85 pitches yesterday!  IN March!  These were the Mets two biggest financial investments in the off-season, and I think it is ridiculous how the managers are not considering at least a little bit of the shape these players' bodies are generally in this kind of year, and the marathon season that is in front of them long after we forget who won this WBC.  

transplanted ex-Mets Update: Duaner Sanchez

transplanted ex-Mets Update: Duaner Sanchez
Tardy Sanchez has signed with the San Diego Padres.

Catching Spring Fever

This is the one time of year when folks in the metropolitan area start talking about college basketball. March Madness talk starts to become part of sports radio discussion, and Final Four ads start showing up as well. And then the infamous brackets start getting passed around at the office and suddenly everyone is an expert. I was sure that if it weren't for gambling, college sports would go the way of the dinosaurs, That is, until I moved down South. There, college basketball is a year round passion. Every day is another big game, and practically everyone is known by the school they support. I was told that sooner or later I would get caught up in it, but three years went by and other than knowing who Coach K was (but not how to spell the full last name), I left North Carolina without caring about the ACC any more than before I even heard of it.

So here we are in March, and college basketball is again crowding its way into the discussion, and I am here to say, March, March go away please bring on Opening Day. The WBC plays on, but without the Dominicans as Jose Reyes and Pedro Martinez couldn't beat the Netherlands to advance in the tournament. So Jose and Tatis are back in Mets camp, and Pedro Martinez will have to find some other way to show he still has the ability to pitch effectively and convince GMS that he is healthy enough to do so for a full season. I'd rather have Pedro Martinez's lion heart on the squad than Freddie G, Livan, or Redding, but it's not up to me so I'll save my breath.

I scored some tickets to see the Mets at CITY FIELD, though not Opening Day, and let me tell you I am salivating at getting myself into that ballpark. I can't wait to search for my name on the Fanwalk, pose for a picture next to the old Mets Magic Home Run Apple, and have myself some stadium fare. In fact, I told my buddy Tubby to bring his wallet because we're going to stuff our faces with the new grub so much that we're going to be the first people to clog up those new toilets! Most of all of course I'm excited to see the old Mets at the new Shea. I'm going to pretend it's Opening Day because they are handing out magnetic schedules at the gate, an Opening Day tradition as far back as I can remember. This year they'll give them out on Sunday April 19th and since I was shut out of Opening Night anyway I have the right to pretend, don't I?

TBS Sunday Baseball Schedule for out of market Mets fans

For all you transplanted Mets fans out there, here's the TBS Mets broadcast schedule (blackouts apply) for April and May:

 

Sunday April 12, 1 p.m.
Mets @ Florida Marlins

Sunday May 24, 1:30 p.m.
Mets @ Boston Red Sox

The Dirty Sanchez Era Is Over

Put away those goggles.  Call him Tardy, Dirty, or just washed-up, but Duaner Sanchez has been released by the New York Mets. 

 

http://www.metsblog.com/2009/03/10/news-mets-release-duaner-sanchez/

 

 

 

FOX Baseball Schedule For Out-Of-Market Mets Fans

If you're a Mets fan who lives outside of SNY coverage area, and you are unwilling or unable to purchase DirecTV Extra Innings, here are the Mets games scheduled to be on national television this season on FOX:

 

All games 4 p.m. unless noted.

 

Saturday, May 2, 2009 (*3:30 PM ET)

New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies

 

Saturday, May 16, 2009

New York Mets at San Francisco Giants

 

Saturday, June 13, 2009

New York Mets at New York Yankees

 

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Tampa Bay Rays at New York Mets

 

Saturday, July 4, 2009

New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies

 

Saturday, July 18, 2009

New York Mets at Atlanta Braves

 

Saturday, August 29, 2009

New York Mets at Chicago Cubs

 

Saturday, September 12, 2009

New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies

 

Transplanted Ex-Mets Update: Darryl Strawberry and Moises Alou

Adam Rubin has some tidbits on some former Mets over at Surfing The Mets, the Daily News Mets blog:

 

Darryl Strawberry says he would have taken steroids if they were available to him during his playing career.  

 

Moises Alou will retire from playing baseball after the WBC.

We Now Interrupt This Mets Spring Training To Bring You An International Tournament

I could not post this weekend because I was too busy holding my breath over the Johan Santana Elbow Crisis. Now that the crisis has passed(?) and the winter storm has passed as well, I can write a few words about Spring Training. Just in time for Jerry Manuel's first Mets Spring to get blown up by the World Baseball Classic. Can anyone even remember who won the last time they held this thing?

So, in case you missed it, here's a round up of the goings on at Mets camp, other than us all freaking out about Johan and until Jose Reyes, K-Rod and company took off to play for the WBC.

Schmuck Francessa had a feud going with Ryan Church and David Wright. Wright and Franny have patched things up, but apparently Mikey doesn't want to admit he was wrong about Church so he isn't willing to try and smooth things over. Schmuck and His Lap Dog were ignorant as a duo, but at least they were entertaining. As a solo act, the WFAN drivetime show is so tediously dreary that I'd rather just listen to music. Speaking of which, check out the Heartless Bastards' new album. It is great!

Newsday's David Lennon has an interview with Pedro Martinez. Petey says he's not willing to accept a low base pay with incentives deal at thi spoint because he feels "a lot better than the last four years," and that the only team he's personally sat down with is Omar Minaya and the Mets, because he pays people to do that. Speaking of Newsday, I've thought a lot about Newsday's plan to pay for their online service since posting about it on Friday. Maybe I rushed to judgement before finding out the intended terms? Or maybe it's the fact that Cablevision charges for internet service, and then charges to read media coverage (Newsday.com) about the other entities it owns (Knicks/Rangers) that is so troubling. Either way, check out Neil Best's watchdog column (while you still can) for an interesting back and forth between him and his readers. Food for thought, whichever side of the debate you're on.

Former Mets pitcher Tom Sturdivant has passed away at the age of 78. Tom pitched 16 games as a reliever for the Mets for the better parts of two months in 1964.

Look for SNY to soup up their Mets broadcasts this season with some new high-tech HD features. They are called

• SNY magnify
• flow motion
• pitch differential
• speed tracker
• distance tracker

Check out this tech-y article for details on what the heck these things are. It remainds to be seen how long these things will be in placed before we find them intrusive. Also not mentioned is what corporations will be sponsoring these gadgets. I predict the LensCrafter Magnifyer, Moen Flow Motion, Empire Roofing Pitch Differential, Illy Espresso Speed Tracker, and Garmin Nuvi Distance Tracker. wocka wocka wocka.

OK, that's all for now. I guess I didn't write all that much about Mets spring training? Anyway, today transplanted ex-Mets pitcher Mike Hampton was roughed up by the A-Rod-less Junkees, allowing four runs and six hits in two innings.

Bad News For Out Of Market Mets Fans: Newsday to begin charging for online content

It's ironic that this news should break today. I was just telling my co-workers that ever since I moved from Long Island four years ago, I've continued to get my news from Newsday online, primarily because of their Mets baseball coverage, but also as a one-stop-shop for all other news topics. This has had the tangential effect of meaning I never know what's going on in my local area (Greensboro and now central Jersey), but I've continued to be updated on things like transit strikes in NYC or Trump's negotaitions to put a restaurant/catering hall/megaplex at Jones Beach.

So now comes the news that Newsday will soon stop offering its content for free online at Newsday.com.

"When we purchased Newsday, we were aware of the long-term issues facing the traditional newspaper industry," Rutledge told analysts Thursday. "We plan to end the distribution of free Web content and make our newsgathering capabilities a service to our customers."

If you're an out of market Mets fan, other than Metsblog.com, checking Newsday.com has been a great way to stay connected to the Mets news of the day. We can debate all day long whether this is a good business decision for Newsday, risking their 67 million monthly page views, but it's undeniable that this is bad news for us fans. Newsday's Mets coverage is damn good. But there is not a chance in the world that I would pay to read the newspaper online. With the proliferation of blogs, espn.com and numerous other sources, the news is just far too accessible for me to feel the need to pay for Newsday.

You might ask why it's OK to pay for a physical newspaper but silly to pay for online content. Well, historically the business model for newspapers has been simple. Charge for the paper to cover the large expense of printing and distributing a daily newspaper, but all of the profits come from advertising. The overhead on a website is much, much, less. Newsday shoudl be able to figure out how to make money on advertising. At this point they shoudl have a very, very good idea of the demographics of the people who are reading their online content, even more so than their newspaper audience. They should have no trouble selling this to advertisers. Some "expert" over at Cablevision (owner of Newsday) must think they can make more money charging a subscription fee for their content, but I think their doomed for failure here. Unlike with cable model, where they until recently had a monopoly on paid television service, as I said earlier there is just too much news content widely available for this to work.

So, out of market Mets fans, enjoy Anthony Rieber's and Ken Davidoff's and Neil Best's, and even Wallace Matthews' columns while you can. Newsday is going to try and see how much you'll pay for what you used to get for free.

Transplanted ex-Mets Update: Dougie Eye Chart heading to L.A.

Former Mets 1B Doug Mientkiewicz and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a minor league contract yesterday.

Transplanted Ex-Mets Update: Mike Piazza to coach Italy World Baseball Classic team

Head on over to MLB.com to read about Mike Piazza's new role as batting coach for the Italian team in the WBC.  Mike says he knows his playing days are over and he's happy to be home with his kid.

 

 

41 Days Until Opening Day - All The Mets News That's Fit To Blog

Matt Cerrone spent another day in Mets camp, live blogging an intrasquad game, and I spent another day at the office. But don't worry; I won't bore you with the details of my day, I'll just give you the highlights of the Mets news of the day, OK? As for the game: John Maine pitched well, while JJ Putz did not. Wright and Beltran both homered. So there you go. Check out the Daily News for some neat pics.

Fernando Tatis is nursing a sore hand after one of Jerry Manuel's hitting drills.

Jose Valentin has a slightly better chance to make the big league club than I do.

When you show up at the Mets new Field this season, driving through Willets Point will feel a little different. Namely, it won't feel like you're driving on the moon!

Tom Verducci the Junkees lover makes a case for non-junkee Carlos Delgado for the Hall Of Fame.


Transplated ex-Mets Update:

• The New York Post has an update on Endy Chavez, who thinks about "the catch" every day.
• Luis Ayala is competing for the eighth-inning setup role in Minneapolis, while Chan Ho Park is competing for the 5th spot in the Philies rotation.

And that's... about it.

42 Days Until Opening Day

Jerry Manuel is either a madman or a genuis, and I am not sure which.  He has the media eating out of his hand - every whim he mentions this spring makes headlines.  First it was his idea to bat Castillo in the leadoff spot, and now the suggestion that Daniel Murphy could be the every day left fielder for the Mets in 2009 makes the back cover of Newsday.  Wow, is it a slow news day or what?  Three days into Spiring Training, I sure hope Daniel has a shot at the job!

 

Expect the pressure to intensify on the Mets to reconsider the naming rights of their new stadium, as reports state that the bank whose name is currently adorned on the side of the building is currently negotiating with the United States Government for Uncle Sam to have a 40% ownership in the bank.  This report was good news for Wall Street, but for Roosevelt Avenue I'm not so sure.

 

There will be fierce competition for the 5th spot in the rotation this Spring.  Freddie Garcia pretty much has said he'll be the 5th starter or he's outta here, but that didn't stop the Mets brass from declaring Tim Redding the  frontrunner.  Redding may not be ready however, as he's still recovering from some offseason surgery.  Jon Niese is still in the mix, as is Livan Hernandez, while Pedro Martinez is still unsigned but gearing up for the World Baseball Classic.

 

I am all for the World Baseball Classic, but wouldn't it make more sense to have it held in November rather than March?  This way, players would have much longer to recuperate from any injuries that may occur, and it wouldn't disrupt Spring Training.

 

Finally, here's a transplanted ex-Mets Update for you:  Anna Benson's husband Kris Benson has signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. 

43 Days From Opening Day

I am a bit of a baseball snob, and rue the commercialization of the game, so I can't wholly explain what it is I really dig about the sign that designates the Pepsi Porch at City Field. But it really does resemble the Long Island City sign, which any Long Islander who has taken the cheap route into NYC via the Queensboro Bridge will recognize. If you have to put advertising up in your ballpark, it's really a good idea to put some thought into it. Of course I miss when Shea Stadium was RC Cola territory...

Some people like the taste of Coke. Some people prefer Pepsi. But there will always be some people who prefer the refreshing taste of RC Cola...

By the way, if you're a cola purist, you may be interested to know that Pepsi is set to launch Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback, sodas sweetened with real sugar (as opposed to High fructose corn syrup). There are those who swear by sugar's superior taste, but even if you doubt anyone could tell the difference in a blind taste test, reports of suppressed mercury contamination studies should shy anyone away from HFCS!

How do I feel about Luis Castillo taking over for Jose Reyes in the leadoff spot?

Jerry Manuel made some minor waves this weekend when he stated in a media session that he'll be experimenting this spring with having Luis Castillo bat leadoff and having Jose Reyes bad second or third. Now, some may say Jerry's just trying to shake things up during the spring, and has no real intentions of Castillo in teh leadoff spot as a long term solution, but I ask, why not? It makes perfect sense to me!

Luis "Slappy" Castillo has no power. None, zippo. The dude had 11 extra base hits in 2008. Eleven. One more time: In 298 at bats his bat took him past first base eleven times. Castillo has just one tool left as a hitter: patience. His on base percentage was .355 last year, within three points of Jose Reyes. And while of course Luis doesn't have the base stealling prowess of Reyes, Castillo doesn't clog up the basepaths. He swiped 17 bases last year and knows how to go first to third.

Now, don't get me wrong, I would love to see Castillo shipped out of here and Orlando Hudson brought in, butif we are stuck with this guy, we might as well find a use for him. And having a no-power guy batting in RBI situations just doesn't make sense. And listen, even if you're not sold on this thought, just the idea that the Mets are talking about Castillo as a leadoff hitter can only cause other GMs to start thinking about him as a leadoff hitter. And that can only make him more marketable (tradeable) .