The Rundown

Here's the latest Mets-related news:

It looks like the Boston Red Sox have won the bidding process to sign Daisuke Matsuzaka. As interested as I am to see this guy pitch, I am a bit relived that he didn't go to the Mets, or the Yankees for that matter. If he succeeds for the Red Sox against the Yankees, great. If he's a total flop, I won't care.

Hot Foot broke the news that the new Mets stadium naming rights will go to Citicorp, with a groundbreaking ceremony set on Monday to announce the opening of CitiField in 2009.

Manny Acta has been hired as manager of the Washington Nationals. This could mean HoJo or Kid Carter get a coaching job with the Mets. Hate to say it, but I don't think Carter would last long as a big league manager. I think he always tended to get on the nerves of his teammates, and I wonder what kind of leader he would be to young players.

There's one less Junkee in New York, with Gary Sheffield being shipped off to the Tigers for three minor league pitchers. Sheff got what he wanted, which was a two-year contract extension. Way to go. His uncle Doc also got out of prison yesterday. Gooden went to McDonalds almost immediately after getting out. Really! He almost relapsed when the cashier asked if he wanted a Coke with his meal. Not really.

The Tom Glavine waiting game continues. My buddy Tubby speculates that "maybe he's just trying to get more money by acting like he might leave? He should give the Mets a discount after the first two awful years he gave them here." Exactly.

Hot Foot Scoop: New Mets Stadium To Be Named CitiField

According to a posting on HotFoot, a couple readers whose daddies work for CitiBank tipped him off that the groundbreaking on the new Mets stadium will occur Monday (Finally!)* and it will be announced that the name of the new park will be CitiField.

I agree with one poster on that site who said the new name didn't bother him, but it will if 5 years later it becomes Sprint Field and then Googlefield a few years after that.

*So, if the groundbreaking is Monday, what do they call all the construction that has gone on since the summer in the Shea parking lot? The ground looked pretty broken to me.

Reaction to Tom Glavine's Indecisiveness

Tom Glavine is still very noncommittal to coming back to the Mets. He filed for free agency yesterday, and said he has "little sense of what I'm going to do." My buddy Scott summed up our feelings with an e-mail this morning:

"Glavine's a jerk. He's never been a true Met.....hasn't tried to be one.....and let's be honest, he's never had an answer to a question that sounded genuine or not practiced for a day or two before being said.

Anyway, after four years......I find it VERY annoying that he has "no idea" what he's doing, that he still has to talk about it with his wife. Believe me.........they know if they like NY. They know if they terribly miss Atlanta. They know what they want to do. He's being a shady rat about the whole thing.

Do I want him back? Yeah......only because of the overall current outlook of the starting staff. Would I miss him? Nope.....he's a fake liar."

Here, here, Scott! Personally, I have been so back and forth with my emotions towards Tom Glavine. The thing I want to know is, why haven't we read one iota of an item that Atlanta actually wants him back, and that they are willing to pay him? Does Glavine know something we don't? Or is he just assuming he can get ten million dollars out of the Braves?

Devil Rays New Name

In January 2006 it was announced that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays would change their name for the 2007 season. If you have any doubt as to what that new name will be, just check out the home page for their official website.

It's Rays this and Rays that. They sell jerseys with the word RAYS across the chest. All the headlines start with Rays...

In May, team president Matt Silverman said he realized that there wasn't enough time to implement a name change by 2007, so he pushed it back to 2008.

"May 31, 2007 would be the deadline for submission to Major League Baseball [for the 2008 season], then you have finalization of any of those changes," Silverman said. "And the licensee starts producing the new product. So it would be possible that by the end of the 2007 season we would have an announcement of what the name is and what the uniforms look like. The hat, the logo, the colors and a new product would be available," he said. "Any changes we do make to our uniform, our team name, our colors, our logos, will be done and effective for the 2008 season."

But sometime next season there will be a press conference where they announce their new name is the Florida Rays, which will be the most anticlimactic press conference in the history of baseball. Those of you hoping for Tampa Bay Tarpons can forget it. That is, assuming that anybody still gives a crap about this team. C'mon! Move to Charlotte and get it over with.

But first trade Carl Crawford to the Mets.

Delgado Ain't Goin' Nowhere

It's not too surprising to read that Carlos Delgado won't demand a trade, which would be his right as a player traded in the middle of a multi-year contract, but even better news is that he's decided not to strong-arm Omar Minaya into picking up his 2009 option.

"Carlos has notified us today that he is very happy to be here," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said during a telephone conference call. "He enjoys being with the New York Mets and enjoys being in the city and enjoys everything about this organization.

"He wants to be a Met for the rest of his career," Minaya said. "I'm hopeful that at some point in time we will exercise that option. Right now we feel it's not the right time."

Whew!

Bobby Valentine Casts His Vote For Next San Diego Manager

Bobby V, who's been managing in Japan for the past four seasons, says another American managing in Japan should be the next manager of the San Diego Padres, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Even though Trey Hillman has never played or managed in the major leagues, Bobby V calls Hillman a “very good choice” for the job.

“Trey is a hard-working, intelligent baseball man,” Bobby Valentine said yesterday. “He has developed over the years and is now ready to manage anywhere in the world.”

Hillman has been managing the Nippon Ham Fighters for the past four years, and previously worked in the Yankees system as a minor league manager.

Well I Guess I Can't Make Fun Of The "Junkees" Anymore...

...or I at least have to come up with a similar moniker for the Mets.

Hot Foot tips us off that it's just been reported on WFAN that Guillermo Mota will be suspended 50 games starting at the beginning of the 2007 season for using steroids. Mota was acquired by the Mets in midseason but is now a free agent. I think it's safe to say we've seen the last of him in a Mets uniform.

This is bad news for Aaron Heilman. Keeping Mota was Heilman's best chance of getting a crack as a starter, either with the Mets or elsewhere. Now the Mets have to keep Heilman in their bullpen, at the very least until they see what they'll get from Dirty Sanchez.

Speaking of starting pitching, sometime in the next two weeks, bidding will commence for the right to negotiate with Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. There will be a ton of teams bidding, but once the Seibu Lions accept a bid, only the winning MLB club can sign Matszaka, who will be represented by Scott Boras. Not sure how Boras will be able to rake the winning club over the coals though, since the team won't have to compete with any other club at that point. Like I'm sure most Mets fans are, I'm a little gun shy with the Japanese imports, but it sounds pretty cool to have a gyroball pitcher on the club!

Glavine Set To Pitch For Mets in 2007. 2008, Too!

This, from the Daily News:

Glavine and the Mets are deep in discussions about a two-year, $25 million contract that should be completed shortly

I am surprised to hear myself say I am really happy about this. In 2005 I was rooting against him. I didn't want him to get to the amount of innings necessary to kick in his 2006 options. I didn't want him to rack up wins. I hoped he got no-decisions every time out. I thought he was a whiny, excuse-making, baby.

But I was wrong. Something kicked in after the 2005 All-Star Break, and he's been a different guy ever since. I'd be thrilled to see him get to #300 with the Mets, and beyond.

Of course, if he does go back to Atlanta I'll be calling him scum again.

In any case, the funniest part of the article is the reason given for Tommy G wanting to pitch for two more years:

Glavine, who has shared a stage with John Smoltz and Greg Maddux throughout their distinguished major-league careers, would prefer not to enter the Hall of Fame in the same class as Maddux, according to a source. Maddux figures to retire after the '07 season, meaning Glavine would need to pitch through '08 to ensure they are in separate classes if both are elected on the first ballot.

For that reason, along with his rebirth as a pitcher, Glavine appears intent on pitching two more seasons as he nears his 41st birthday during spring training.

So much for those rumors about Glavine and Maddux wanting to "team up" and go back to Atlanta for a reunion together. I always thought that was a bunch of bologna. I thought it was pretty well stated that these guys didn't get along all that well. Glavine and Smoltz are tight, and we all read how Glavine wanted the Mets to try and trade for Smoltz during the 2006 stretch run, but this rumor about Maddux and Glavine conspiring for an Atlanta reunion? Sounds very unlikely. Guess will find out soon enough, if and when this two-year deal with the Mets goes through.

If Mets fans need any more assurances about Glavine's intentions, in the New York Post we read this quote:

"Tom wants to come back to the Mets," his agent Gregg Clifton said yesterday. "He has some unfinished business with them. He wants to win a World Series with the Mets."

Kind of hard to backtrack from that statement.

Hot Foot Scours The Globe

Even though I moved away from Long Island two years ago, I still read Newsday everyday NEWSDAY EVERYDAY, as well as the sports section of the Daily News to find out the goings ons. The great Hot Foot apparently also reads the San Franciso Gate, because it's there he found out that the San Francisco Giants are considering Bobby Valentine for their vacant managers job. The great Bobby V has said publically that he's very happy managing in Japan but that he'd come back to the U.S. if a "special" opportunity arose. He's admitted that the Dodgers job would qualify, based on his relationship with Tommy Lasorda, but I wonder if the Giants job would qualify. On the Giants side, I would think they would probably pick Manny Acta over Bobby V for the sole reason that Bobby V would cost them A LOT more money...

Don't forget to check out Hot Foot's post for links about Lastings Milledge and Tom Glavine too.

Surprise, Surprise! Delgado's a Good Guy!

Remember all the nonsense about whether Carlos Delgado was an Anti-American or something? Well Delgado was just named the winner of the 2006 Roberto Clemente Award, given to the major league player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team. Turns out he's actually a nice guy who cares about the community.

So there. Now don't forget to contribute to his charity - www.extrabases.org.

While Delgado helped out the community in New York this season, there's still no guarantee he'll be back next season. He has the right to demand a trade or opt-out of his contract because he was traded from the Marlins in the middle of his contract. He is owed $30.5 million over the next two seasons, so it seems unlikely he would just walk away from that, but he has been noncommittal in his public statements:

"We've got to figure out where we're going, how do we fit, what are we trying to do, before we make a decision. Simple as that,"

It doesn't take an award winner to figure out that Delgado is trying to pressure the Mets into picking up his 2009 option, worth $16 million.

Speaking of options, Tom Glavine has until November 10th to tell the Mets he'll come back and pitch for the price of $7.5 mil. If not, the Mets have until November 20th to tell Tommy G he'll be pitching in a Mets uniform next season for $14 million. Otherwise, Tom Glavine gets a $3 million buyout and can sign at any price with the Mets, Braves, Komiyura Giants or any other team for that matter. We should know something by Thanksgiving anyway.

Mets In The E.R.

I don't think I realized how banged-up these Mets were.  Carlos Delgado had surgery on his right wrist because of carpal tunnel syndrome today, and will go under the knife Monday for tennis elbow.  Aaron Heilman also had surgery for tennis elbow on his right arm. Meanwhile, Paul LoDuca had an operation to repair a ligament tear in his left thumb that seems like its been banged up forever, while Chris Woodward had a torn labrum in his left shoulder operated on.  If all that weren't enough, on Wednesday Cliffy Floyd will have surgery on his Achilles tendon while Bert Hernandez will have his right knee patched up.  Do the Mets qualify for a group discount here or what?

Think Commercial Breaks Are Too Long During Baseball Games? Just Wait Til Next Year!

According to an article on SI.com, FOX plans on compensating for the declining baseball ratings next year by expanding commercial time between half-innings on Fox telecasts as part of its new contract. Oh, please! These games already go too late into the night! I pray that maybe at least they'll move up the start times of these games. Would it really kill them to have first pitch at 7:30?

The article brings up another issue I've been complaining about, in a quote by Los Angeles Daily News sports media columnist Tom Hoffarth:

...whatever your opinions of Fox's announcing crews are, Hoffarth says the network could do better. "It seems pretty obvious that a postseason game without a Vin Scully doing it is just missing the boat," he said. "Here's the greatest baseball broadcaster of all time, sitting home in October. One thing that might be an option is to have the home-team broadcaster do an inning or two, like NBC used to do way back when. This World Series would be nice to hear Ernie Harwell, at least."

Exactly! No broadcaster knows the teams better than the guys who call the games night in and night out. How much better would the analysis of the NLDS have been if Gary Cohen had been in the booth. They usually do bring in a random player for commentary - this year it was Luis Gonzalez for no reason, who was useess - Keith Hernandez would have been a much better choice.

A New Acta For Manny, Part II

According to the Daily News, Manny Acta will interview with the San Francisco Giants for their vacant managers job today. Acta interviewed with the Rangers yesterday, and may also be a candidate to replace Frank Robinson in Washington, D.C.

New Labor Agreement Might Mean New Wrinkle In Deadline Deals

According to Peter Gammons, the new labor deal about to be announced is a five year deal and will likely end draft choice compensation for losing free agents. This means that clubs will have to think a little longer before trading for a hired gun at the trading deadline.

Here's what I mean: lets say the Mets had an opportunity to land Barry Zito at the trading deadline for a topline prospect like Mike Pelfrey. The Mets likely would have done the deal, because even if they weren't able to re-sign Zito this October, they would have been given compensation draft picks, allowing them to at least replace the Mike Pelfrey-type they lost in the trade.

The reason this is a good thing for baseball makes clubs try harder to keep their existing free agents, so theoretically players will stay with one team longer during their careers. Doing away with the compensation pick system eliminates rewarding clubs for letting their players walk. I'm thinking the asumption is that it's the large revenue clubs that have the big free agents walk away, so compensation picks reward the high-revenue clubs the most? But what about the A's? Hmmm. On the other hand, now there's no penalty on the large market teams for gobbling up other teams's All Stars as soon as they become free agents. So what is the rationale for doing away with the compensation picks? Maybe someone else has a better idea? It almost certainly has to do with money...

In any case, a new labor agreement is good for the sport. Any time there is a labor dispute, the sport loses fans because we're reminded how greedy these rich bastards can be. Fortunately, we can try and forget about how greedy those rich bastards are for at least another half-decade.

A Nominee For The Metstradamus Hate List - Wallace Matthews

Today's Newsday column by Wallace Matthews wasn't the first to tick off Mets fans, but he may have topped himself.  That's why I'm nominating him for the daily hate list posted by Metstradamus.  I think this columnist is at least worthy enough to supplant Adam Wainwright for a day or two.  Wallace chides Mets fans for doing what they do - believe.   He thinks there's no reason for us to have any kind of hope this year - that this was our best chance of going to the World Series and that Minaya and Wilpon are fooling themselves if they think this was the start of many years of success.  The reason he cites is that there is now parity in baseball:

"Whichever team wins the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals will represent the seventh different team to win it all in the last seven years, and four of the previous five did not even make the playoffs the following year."

Um, okay.  All that means to me is that if the Cardinals win the World Series this year, recent history means they won't make the playoffs in 2007.  Which is fine with me.  Actually, bringing up the Cardinals was the dumbest example Matthews could have used.  Matthews must have forgotten 2004, when everyone thought the Cardinals would win it all.  They had the best team, and rolled all the way to the World Series, where they were met by the Boston Red Sox and got swept in four games.  I guess Matthews would have said they were done then too.  But here they are, and last night those bastards just won game one against this year's "Team Of Destiny." 

Yes, there haven't been consecutive World Championships by any franchise since the Junkees did it back in the nineties.  But those Yankees have sniffed October every year for the past 11.  The Braves were in the playoffs for 14 straight years until this one.  Padres? Two years straight.  Cardinals?  Third consecutive year.  A's?  Six of the last seven.  Yeah, the Mets should just give up.

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David Lennon says Willie Randolph will get a contract extension very soon.  Can't argue with that.  Yes, some of Willie's strategic moves are questionable, but his players respect him, and play hard for him, and he doesn't get caught up in the circus, so he's got my love and respect too. WillieBall!

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Ken Davidoff says Manny Ramirez wants to be traded, but Davidoff doubts the Sox will find a match.  Keep moving, Omar.  Nothing to see here.