Who The Hell Is Ike Davis?

I've been reading a lot about Mets first baseman prospect Ike Davis on Matt Cerrone's Metsblog this week. Seems the kid is getting a ton of hype by the Mets organization, which leads the cynic in me to believe they are trying to boost his value so they can trade him. Wonder if he'll be as good as Lastings Milledge, Alex Escobar or Carlos Gomez? Personally I am rooting for Mike Jacobs to win the job.

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TomPetty.com > News > Listen to 'Good Enough'

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Mets have no sense of tradition!

I just saw a note that the Mets will be giving away a Citi Field Home Run Apple savings bank to the first 25,000 fans on Opening Day.  I was surprised to see this, because a magnetic schedule has been the Opening Day giveaway for as long as I can remember.  Turns out they will be giving away the calendar this year on Friday April 9th.  Another bit of evidence noting the Mets' lack of a sense of tradition! 

I'm Shockingly Excited For Opening Day!

2009 was the worst season in my personal history of being a Mets fan.  There, I said it.

After three seasons of blogging, by the time late August hit, I just didn't have the heart to post on a regular basis any more.  I had absolutely no motivation to write about the Mets, not even to vent.  That's how disengaged I felt. 

I could not have been less engaged, less enthused, or more disappointed in the Mets than I was in 2009.  I went to fewer Mets games than I had in probably 20 years, which is saying a lot considering that for three of those seasons I lived in North Carolina!

It wasn't the injuries.  The multitude of them was almost comical.

It wasn't the losses.  I've seen seasons with far fewer wins and felt exponentially more joy in following the team.

The lack of enjoyment I had about the Mets was because of the manager, the players who played for him, the arena they played in, and the management that oversaw it all.

Yes, there were injuries that decimated the roster.  But even the players who were left standing had more talent than the club Bobby Valentine inherited when he took over the Mets in the late 1990's.  The difference was that he demanded excellence and heart from his players, while Jerry Manuel demanded that his players "tread water" until the stars came back.  I'm still scratching my head why we were supposed to wait for Delgado and Beltran to come back from the DL and be saviors - these were the same guys who were healthy when the team fell short in the 2006 playoffs and then had September collapses in 2007 and 2008. 

I wished the Mets could have backfilled the roster with some players with heart like we used to have - Turk Wendell, Benny Agbayani, Matt Franco, Joe McEwing, even Masato Yoshi for crying out loud, they may not have been blessed with superior talent  but they sure had intensity.  Al Leiter, John Franco, Cliff Floyd and Carlos Baerga won't get many Hall Of Fame votes but they sure etched a place in Mets fans hearts in a way that the current roster just hasn't and quite likely won't.

There was some great talent on the Mets roster last season, and Reyes and Santana are fun to watch, but they have been the exception to the rule of personality-devoid, essentially clutch-less robots collecting paychecks from the Wilpons.  How can we argue with Cole Hamels assertion that the team is made up of choke artists?  Was he wrong?

The Mets spent billions of dollars to build (and millions to hype) a stadium with obstructed views all over the place.  Dave Howard can debate the semantics if he'd like, but when I am sitting in the second row of a section and one handrail is blocking the pitcher from my line of sight, and another blocks the batter, and I have to peer through plexiglass to see anything, I am not getting my money's worth.

Omar Minya, Jeff Wilpon, Tony Bernazard, Dave Howard, Jerry Manuel... they all embarrassed themselves to such a degree in 2009 that I will not even waste another typestroke describing it.

However, here I am, just weeks away from Opening Day and I suddenly find myself excited for the season.

I can't even remember the last time I missed an Opening Day, and last year was the hardest ticket to come by.  The only way to get a seat to Opening Day last year was to buy a ticket plan of 15 games or more, or to pay a scalper.  Fortunately, I had a guardian angel hook me up so I wouldn't miss the first game in the new stadium.  That guardian angel would not be coming through in 2010.  However, I wouldn't need him.  The Mets announced that they were bringing back the Six Packs, which have been absent for at least five years, when the 6 pack became a 7 pack and then an eight pack, before last year the smallest package was 15 games, 14 of which were undesirable.

There is an Opening Day Six Pack for sale, and my two buddies and I were debating the investment.  The available seats were not great, but the price was not wholly unreasonable.  We were not sure whether to give more money to this club when they gave us so little in 2009.  Coincidentally, the same day we were discussing the purchase, I got a call from the Mets about 2010 tickets.  I'll leave this guy's name out of this post because I don't have his permission to print it, but I do want the record to show that my phone calls with this guy represented the best experience I have had with or related to the Mets since Carlos Beltran took a third strike looking.  I told the guy I wasn't sure about the seats, and he volunteered to take a walk out into the cold, and send me a picture from his blackberry of the seats available so I could be sure my view would be satisfactory.

Yes, I won't be able balls hit to the left field wall, and we won't be able to see Jason Bay if he's playing deep, and there are still some plexiglass panels within my field of vision, but just the fact that there is a guy working for the Mets who is still committed to customer service gives me a glimmer of hope that this season will not be an unmitigated disaster.

But even if it is, I am excited for six days to share a beer with my buddies and share some laughs (probably at the team's expense).

OK, Mets, Bring on Opening Day!

And bring back Bobby Valentine while you're at it.

brian schneider era is over.

brian schneider era is over. schneider will take it one day at a time with the phillies.

Transplanted ex-Mets Update: Ed Hearn

Mets Police lets us know that the New York Times has an article on the whereabouts of former Mets Catcher Ed Hearn.   Ed Hearn sticks out in my mind primarily as being the subject of a David Letterman joke following the 1986 World Series.  Dave was talking about the hype and hysteria surrounding the World Champs and held up a prop, a book called Ed! The Untold Story of the 1986 World Champion Mets Back-Up Catcher.  I remember thinking I would like to read that book.  Check out Mets Police and the article at:

 

http://www.metspolice.com/2009/10/daily-news-article-about-former-new.html

 

Ed Hearn's website says that Ed is the first and only current or former athlete from our country's top professional sports league to recieve the coveted (his words) C.S.P. designation (Certified Speaking Professional) from the National Speakers Association.

 

View the irony-free video: Ed Hearn: An Inspirational Champion at http://www.edhearn.com/newvideo.html. 

 

Newsday: Mets to cut 2010 ticket prices 10-20 percent

According to an article posted on Newsday.com, the Mets announced today that some seating locations at CitiField will have cuts or more than 20 percent. All season tickets will go down in price.

 

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/mets-to-cut-2010-ticket-prices-10-20-percent-1.1492193

Bobby V Is Back!

Neil Best passes along the news that ESPN has hired former Mets manager Bobby Valentine: 

 

Bobby V will serve as a "Baseball Tonight" analyst beginning with the league championship series next month.  Next season he will be a regular contributor, as well as work for 1050 ESPN radio and the soon-to-be-launched Web site ESPNNewyork.com.

 

Next season he will be a regular contributor, as well as work for 1050 ESPN radio and the soon-to-be-launched Web site ESPNNewyork.com.

 

Valentine did not dispute the assumption he would like to return to managing in the majors, but he added, "At this time I'm totally committed in thinking about trying to be as good as I can be for the team that showed interest."

 

The "team" he meant is ESPN.

 

ESPN executive Norby Williamson said he assumed Valentine will be with the network at least through 2010.

 

Valentine said it was difficult to follow American baseball closely while managing in Japan, but he offered this when asked about the 2009 Mets:

 

"I followed it from afar and I have some friends there that I've shared tears with, because I think it's been a tragedy.

 

"It's been disappointment after disappointment, and I don't think anybody could have fixed it as the season was going on. As soon as it seemed like things were getting better, they seemed to get worse.

 

"I was kind of a fan that was really disappointed and upset by the outcome."

 

http://www.newsday.com/blogs/sports/watchdog-1.812020/espn-hires-bobby-valentine-who-calls-mets-season-a-tragedy-1.1484902?localLinksEnabled=false

Transplanted ex-Mets Update: Mike Hampton out for 2010

37 Year Old Mike Hampton, on the disabled list since August 18th, will have surgery on his pitching shoulder and both knees.  He may miss the entire 2010 season.  Hampton's infamous 8 year, $121M contract that he signed with the Rockies after helping the Mets reach the World Series in 2000, runs out after this season and he will be a free agent. For some reason his MRI results are in the hands of Mets' Dr. David Altchek.   No idea why anyone would approach anyone on the Mets medical staff for medical advice!

Maybe you shouldn't take financial advice from Lenny Dykstra

The Mets were officially eliminated from playoff contention last night, at the hands of Pedro Martinez and the Phillies.  As if the season couldn't have been bad enough, this just put a rotten cherry on the worst sundae I've ever eaten.  The offseason officially begins for Mets fans, though we still have a couple more weeks of rooting against the Phillies and Yankees.

Earlier this season, I posted a link to ex-Mets OF Lenny Dykstra's financial column for The Street.  Sports Illustrated has posted word that Lenny is broke, and is auctioning off his 1986 World Series ring to raise money.  So much for limiting downside risk, dude.

Worst Player Acquisitions in Mets Recent History

On February 3, 2009, Oliver Pérez signed a three-year, $36 million deal to return to the Mets. Could this shape up to be the worst contract the Mets have ever committed themselves to? There's some stiff competition for that title. Here's some other bad Mets acquisitions:

Roger Cedeno
The deal: In December 2001, Steve Phillips signed Roger Cedeno to a four-year, $18-million contract. He hit .260 in 2002 and .267 in 2003, with a combined 39 stolen bases, in a tenure also marked by sloppy defense. Tom Glavine was caught on camera rolling his eyes after one botched Cedeno play.

Some lowlights: In June 2002, Cedeno got into a fight with Roberto Alomar in the Mets clubhouse. In November 2002 Cedeno was arrested and charged with driving under influence. In July 2003 Art Howe said Cedeno could steal more bases if he slimmed down. In December 2003 Jeff Cirillo rejected a trade to New York for Roger Cedeno.

The exit: Finally, in April 2004 Cedeno was traded to the St Louis Cardinals for future Hall of Famers catcher Chris Widger and shortstop Wilson Delgado.

Bobby Bonilla II
In 1999, the New York Mets acquired Bonilla from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Mel Rojas.
Lowlights: During Game Six of the 1999 NLCS where the Mets were eliminated by the Braves in a gut-wrenching eleven inning game, Bonilla reportedly sat in the clubhouse playing cards with teammate Rickey Henderson.

The exit: When the New York Mets placed Bonilla on unconditional waivers in 2000, they agreed to pay out the remainder of his contract by deferring the remaining $5.9 million. Instead of paying him upfront for that money they came to an agreement where the Mets would pay him 25 equal payments of $1,193,248.20 every July 1 from 2011 until 2035. Bobby Bonilla essentially lent the Mets six million dollars at an interest rate over 20%.

Mo Vaughn
In December 2001 the Mets traded pitcher Kevin Appier to the California Angels of Los Angeles for first baseman Mo Vaughn, committing $42 Million for the next 4 years, to a player that had missed the entire previous season to a biceps injury.

Lowlights: In April 2002 Mo Vaughn was sidelined with a broken right hand just one week into his Mets career. That year, he hit .259 with 26 home runs, 72 runs batted in and 145 strikeouts in 487 at-bats. He also made 18 errors. In the first month of 2003, he hit .190 with 3 homers and 15 RBIs and 22 K's.

The exit: In May 2003, Mo Vaughn went on the disabled list with an arthritic left knee and never played baseball again.

Tom Glavine
The deal: In 2003, the Mets signed Glavine to signing a four-year, $42.5 million deal.
2003 Record: 9-14 4.52 ERA
2004 Record: 11-14 3.60 ERA
2005: 13-13, 3.53 ERA
2006: 15-7, 3.82 ERA

The Mets stupidly signed Glavine to another one year deal in 2007, when he couldn't get one from the Braves. That year he went on to pitch in one of the worst games in Mets history. Needing a win to either win the division or force a play-off game with the Phillies for the division, Glavine allowed 8 runs while recording only one out. Afterwards, he was incredulous as to the notion that the loss was devastating.

Vince Coleman:
The deal: Before the 1991 season, the Mets signed Coleman to a four year deal worth $12 Million
Lowlights:
In 235 games over three seasons, Coleman hit .270 with a .336 on base percentage and just 99 stolen bases. Coleman was one of three Mets named in a complaint of rape filed by a 31
year old woman in Florida, though prosecutors did not pursue the charges. In April 1993, Coleman injured Dwight Gooden's arm by swinging a golf club in the clubhouse. In July 2003, Coleman threw a lit firecracker into a crowd of fans outside Dodger Stadium, injuring three children. He was put on "administrative leave" for the rest of the season.

The exit: At the end of the season, the Mets traded him, with cash, to the Kansas City Royals for Kevin McReynolds.

Art Howe:
The deal: When the Mets couldn't land Lou Pinella, they instead hired Art Howe to a four year, $9.4 Million deal to be their manager. Howe's tenure lasted just two years, when the club went a combined 137-186.
The exit: In a fittingly mis-managed manner, in mid-September 2004 word leaked to the media that the Mets had fired manager Art Howe. Still, the club elected to keep him on as a lame-duck for the final 2½ weeks of the season.

Mets Guy In Michigan in Chicago

My brother in-law recently transplanted from Brooklyn to central Illinois.  The Mets are in Chicago this weekend, but he opted not to make the trek.  Can't say I blame him, though Wrigley Field is the true mecca of baseball.  The White Sox have a stadium, too, of course, and I've been lucky enough to have visited it twice, as I've also done with aforementioned Wrigley.  Mets Guy in Michigan was also in Chicago recently, and visited Comiskey Park.  Check out his blog for his review.  Seems there are other teams besides the Mets in MLB who have contempt for their fans.

http://metsguyinmichigan.blogspot.com/2009/08/separate-and-not-quite-equal-at-us.html

Well Said, Eddie Kranepool

Steve Keane nails it once again, with his take on the Sheffield drama. Although most fans are quick to call Sheff a baby, it's actually hard not to sympathize with his side when you think about it.

...all he did was be the consummate pro. He played through hurting legs when the team was short of sluggers he went out and played a better than average left field. Sheffield produced more than anyone could have hope for. So with the Mets clearly out of contention the logical move would be to put him on waivers, see who bites and if someone does, make a deal. General Managing 101.

I have to say, I too would be annoyed if I were in Gary's shoes. The Mets don't want to trade me to a contender, and they won't discuss a contract extension for 2010. Wonder how Dwight Gooden feels about this?

Then again, Adam Rubin makes a compelling argument as well!

If you sign up to play for a team, and that team decides to keep you for the entire season, how exactly can you have any legitimate gripe?

The Mets could have saved about one-sixth of Sheffield's $400,000 salary by letting him go to the team that claimed him. And then what? Don't the Mets have to field a competitive team for the rest of the year? (Or whatever you'd label what they are right now.)

And while Sheffield shouldn't be begrudged for requesting a 2010 contract, when it was spurned, how about going back out on the field that night and proving you merit it?

Point. Counterpoint. We report, you deride.

The Livan Hernandez Era Is Over

OK, one last time:

 

Livan wears his war wound like a crown.  He'll have to sell cartoon ballons in town, because he's not a Met anymore.  While Livan Hernandez surprised us all by winning the 5th starter position out of Sping Training, and was probably our best pitcher in April, Livan has finally run out of gas for us, and had to be released to make way for...  Billy Wagner.  Billyball is back in New York, sports fans, at least for now. 

Transplanted ex-Mets update: Tom Seaver on Joba Chamberlain

Mets Police passes along a link to an article where Tom Seaver essentially says that the Joba Rules could be detrimental to Joba Chamberlain's long term career. There's probably something about wine in there too, but I don't know for sure, I didn't read the link.