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.

/ / /

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!

/ / /

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.

A New Act For Acta?

Manny Acta might be a transplanted ex-Met soon.  The Mets third base coach interviewed for the manager's job for the Texas Rangers yesterday, and came away "optimistic," according to a report on ESPN.com.  Acta has been on the Mets coaching staff for two years.  His fellow coach Jerry Manuel might be in line for a manager's job next season too.

Of more pressing concern to the Mets than replacing some coaches though is what team will be employing Tom Glavine next season.  Even though the Mets hold a $14 million team option for 2007, Glavine was noncommital to a return engagement yesterday, saying that his quest for 300 wins is intact, but it's between staying with the Mets or going back to Atlanta where his family still resides.

I'm curious to see how these negotiations go.  The Mets obviously need Glavine in 2007, but will they try to negotiate a lower salary than 14 mil?  Will Glavine ask for more?  Hmmm.

2006 Isn't Over Yet For Some Mets

The 2006 MLB season is over for the New York Metropolitans, but Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran have some more games to play.  They'll head to Japan in a couple weeks as part of an exhibition tour of 5 games from Nov 3-8. 

I'd love to go to Japan, if only to have some Bobeer and a Bobby Burger!

Have fun, guys. 

Transplanted Ex-Mets Update

The Mets will not advance to the World Series this year, and neither will very many transplanted ex-Mets either.  We'll take a brief look at them right now and move on.

The most notable of the transplanted ex-Mets in the Fall Classic is Kenny Rogers.  Oh, how I would have loved to seen the Mets exact their revenge on this putz for his 1999 postseason collapse.  Now I will be hoping to see him shut down the Cardinals and remind the Yankees fans of his dominance over them in the ALDS and of course his failures in pinstripes.

Here's how The Gambler has fared in the 2006 postseason thus far:
2-0 0.00 ERA, 15 innings, 14 strikeouts, 7 hits.

Damn.

Representing the National League for the transplanted ex-Mets are Braden Looper and Preston Wilson:

Thus far in the postseason, Braden Looper has compiled the distinguished stats of:
0-0, 4.26 ERA, 8 hits, 3 runs, in 6 1/3 innings over 4 appearances.

Preston Wilson, who played in 8 games for the Mets way back in 1998, has done this in the 2006 postseason:
.200 AVG (5 for 25), 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K's.


In other transplanted ex-Mets news, Dave Magadan has found gainful employment again.  He'll join the Red Sox next season as their new hitting coach.  He was previously a member of the Padres coaching staff, but was fired back in June while the Padres bats stunk it up.

Here's Hoping The Cardinals Get Swept

Matt Cerrone alerts us to an AP column where it's stated that while the Cardinals were celebrating their championship in the bowels of Shea Stadium, Cardinals players were singing the Jose Reyes chant, mocking the Mets fans. Matt even has an audio clip as proof.

I find this rather ironic based on the impression I got of Cardinals fans this LCS.

Top Ten Mets Excuses

In all fairness, after posting Dave Letterman's Top Ten Yankees Excuses, in the wake of the Yankees elimination, it's only fair for me to post the Top Ten Mets Excuses, as penned by my dad, a die-hard Yankees fan:

Top 10 Mets players excuses

10: Entered sandman

9: We needed one more spanish player to put us over the top

8; We didnt keep Kenny Rogers

7: We were tired cause we had to park by the Space Museum and walk to the stadium

6: Only team this year with injuries

5: Willie didn't want Joe to look bad

4: We were counting on one more rainout to rest our players

3: Damn LaGuardia planes unnerved us

2: Steve Trachsel doesnt have a pilots license

1: We didnt have our good luck charm, Mike V, the Transplanted Mets Fan at Shea.

They Weren't Ready

I was supposed to have class last night until 9:30, but of course I dashed out of there at 8:10 so I'd make it home in time for first pitch. As it happened, it took a little longer to get out of the parking gagrage than I thought, and a bit longer to get home, so I actually listened to the first half of the first inning in the car. On clear nights, WFAN comes in pretty good down here. It was so exciting, I had second thoughts about going upstairs to watch the game on TV. Radio is still the best way to enjoy a game, short of being there. It doesn't hurt that Buck and McCarver are awful by any comparison, but Rose and McCarthy captured the drama and excitement so well. With all the friggin microphones FOX has tucked away in every corner of the field, you could barely hear the crowd on TV. On the radio, I almost felt like I was at Shea. It got me so excited, I was cheering at the radio and salivating at the thought of showing up at Shea on Tuesday for World Series Game 3.

When Oliver Perez overcame Delgado's gaffe in the first, I became extremely confident. When David Wright hit that little dunker into left, drawing first blood, I knew the Mets would win. When Endy Chavez made like Michael Jordan with an incredible leaping grab over the fence, there was no way the Mets would lose this game. But Jeff Suppan, who owns the Mets the way Beltran owns the Cardinals, made the Mets offense look really bad for 8 innings. Why can't the Mets hit this guy?

Then, the top of the ninth. I have read a lot of second guessing this morning about not bringing in Wagner. A lot of speculation that Willie must have lost faith in his closer to not bring Billy into a tie game in the ninth. The Cardinals had their unlikely hero of teh night, Yadier Molina smack a homerun into the left field bleachers, too far even for Endy Superman Chavez.

And the bottom of the ninth?

I KNEW the Mets would win.

Cliff Floyd would have a Kirk Gibson moment? Nope.

Jose Reyes would get a base hit, tying the game, and being teh spark plug he'd been all season? Nope.

Carlos Beltran would add to his Mr. October status, with a bases clearing extra base hit, locking up the LCS MVP? Nope. The guy didn't even go down swinging.

I was stunned.

Last night, after midnight, the offseason began for the Mets. It began later than any year since 2000, yet it began too early. It was still an amazing season. The Mets went farther than anyone expected, even Omar The Architect. Wright and Reyes blossomed, and we'll see them for years to come. Tom Glavine will almost certainly be back to win his big #300 next season. Pedro's career is probably in the final stretches, and we won't see him until July, but if there's one thing the Mets have to be ecstatic about, it's starting Spring Training 2007 with John Maine and Oliver Perez in the rotation.

We're used to disappointment. We're Mets fans.

We outlasted the Braves, the Phillies, and the Dodgers. And the Yankees, too.

I'm extremely disappointed. Completely stunned and exhausted.

They weren't ready.

David Wright wasn't ready, hitting just .160 in the series.

He'll be ready next year.

We have months to thing about Opening Day, but I still think it's apporopriate to look back at some long tenured Mets who we'll most likely say goodbye to...

Cliff Floyd's likely taken his last swing as a Met. Just too bad he didn't swing.

Steve Trachsel's most certianly taken the mound for the last time as a Met. Just too bad he took himself off the mound.

As much as I love Omar, I still have to question the presence of Anderson Hernandez on the bench for the postseason. Yeah, his teammates didn't seem to mind him. Everytime there was a dugout shot we saw AHern yukking it up with his teammates. But couldn't his roster spot gone to Mike DeFelice? Then, Ramon Castro, the Mets best pinch hitter could have been used more.

Okay, enough. The offseason begins. The courting of Barry Zito begins. The 2007 World Series Championship Chase begins. Too soon for my liking, yes, but let's focus, people! To hell with Tommy Lasorda, I ain't watching the World Series. I can't take it. I just can't take it.