Jose Reyes Chant in Greensboro North Carolina

I have just three days left in North Carolina, and a few of us went to the Rock 92 BrewFest to have a good time during our last weekend in Greensboro.  It was a four hour, all you can drink affair, and about three hours into it people were getting a bit drunk.  Spontaneously, an Ole!  Ole Ole Ole! soccer chant breaks out from these three or four college kids.  I chime in, but of course sing it it with "JOSE" instead of "Ole."  I did it really loud too, because otherwise you'd never even notice it, right?  My buddy Dustin joined me in my Jose chant, while the other frat boys continued with the oles, probably unaware that I was pirating their fun. 

I spotted a dude across the room in a Mets cap, eyeing me, wondering if I was a Mets fan, or if I was just some drunk named Jose who was imparting his own name into the song.  Suddenly another guy comes running over and starts singing along with the Jose chant.  At this point it was pretty even between the guys singing Ole and the ones singing JOSE.  I think even one of the guys who had started the Ole chant had changed to Jose, just for the heck of it.  Finally after a while we stopped and I asked the guy who had come over if he was a Mets fan.  He said no, he's a Nationals fan.  "Expos Suck!,"  I screamed.  He said "No, I'm an ASTROS fan."  I said, so what's with the Jose chanting then?  He gave Jose a Reyes some kind of weird backhanded compliment and then called him an illegal immigrant or something.  All righty then.  So then I saw the guy with the Mets cap walking by, the one who was confusedly watching us sing.  "PAUL LO-DU-CA!,"  I yelled.  His face brightened and he gave me a knowing point.

That's the great thing about Mets fans.  You spot a Mets cap in a foreign place and you can bet he's a real Mets fan.  You see a dude in a Yankees cap in Greensboro, and odds are he's just a frat boy.

JOSE!  JOSE JOSE JOSE!  JO-SE!  JO-SE.

Transplanted ex-Mets Update: Cliff Floyd's Father Passes Away

Zoë Rice posts word about the sad passing of Cliff Floyd's father. Head over to her site for the link to the story and also some very funny commentary about a very strange sighting at RFK.

Last night, in his first game back from the bereavement list, Cliff had the game-winning 2RBI single to lead the Cubs past the Giants.

Transplanted ex-Mets Update

Mike Piazza fell just a double shy of hitting for the cycle for the first time in his career during the A's 8-5 win over the Chicago White Sox Thursday. Piazza also hit his first homer at McAfee Coliseum as an Athletic. He nearly got his double in the seventh inning, but was robbed by a diving catch by the Sox's Jerry Owens.

Roberto Hernandez became the 12th pitcher in major-league history to appear in 1,000 games when he entered last night's game in the ninth inning for the Dodgers.  He gave up two runs, but the Dodgers beat the Astros anyway, 6-2, backed by fellow ex-Met Jeff Kent's three doubles.

Mike Cameron hit his 15th homer of the season, a three-run shot, to kick off the Padres 11-9 win over Colorado.

Sherman: Best of The ex-Mets in 2007

In his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman runs down the five ex-Mets pitchers having the best seasons in 2007:

1. Scott Kazmir, Devil Rays. 2. Brian Bannister, Royals. 3. Jason Isringhausen, Cardinals. 4. Heath Bell, Padres. 5. David Weathers, Reds. For a last-place team in the AL, Kazmir is 9-7 with a 3.44 ERA and 168 strikeouts. And here is something easy to forget: Kazmir is 10 days younger than Mike Pelfrey.

Hat Tip to Matt Cerrone for the link

Transplanted Ex-Mets Update: ex-Mets Lead The Way

In last night's game action...

Mike Piazza broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fourth inning, leading the A's past the Chicago White Sox 3-2.

Jorge Julio pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Kaz Matsui had an RBI single in the ninth during the Rockies 3-0 win in San Diego.

David Weathers pitched a scoreless ninth in the Reds 11-9 win over the Cubs, notching his 24th save in 29 opportunities.

Transplanted ex-Mets Update: Julio Franco in Minor League Action Tonight

Ex-Met Julio Franco is scheduled to join the Braves' class A club the Rome Braves tonight when the team faces the Greenville Drive at home.

Franco was released by the Mets over the All-Star break, and re-joined with the Braves.  He hit .250 and drove in seven runs in 11 games for the Braves, and was designated for assignment when the Braves aquired Mark Teixeria.

48-year-old Franco was playing in the majors before any of the Rome players were even born.

Tough Transplanted Ex-Mets

On ESPN.com, Jerry Crasnick runs down the toughest players in baseball. Toughest ex-Met on the list? Ty Wigginton, who placed #5 on the list:

If Eric Byrnes is known as the Crash Test Dummy, then Wigginton should forever be regarded as the Human Four-Car Pileup. "This guy will run into, over or through anybody or anything," said Washington Nationals reliever Ray King. Just ask catcher Koyie Hill, who suffered a broken ankle while being steamrolled by Wigginton, or Yadier Molina, whose cage was similarly rattled. Wigginton isn't the most skilled or graceful athlete. But he's a grunting, snorting, collision-inducing machine.

Meanwhile, Tom Glavine took 9th place on Crasnick's list, while David Wright, Pedro Martinez and transplanted ex-Mets Mike Cameron and Jeff Kent received honorable mentions.

Wow, what a week for Glavine, huh? First he wins his 300th, and now this? Man, what a prestigious honor!

Transplanted Ex-Mets Update - Jose Offerman

Metstradamus has a post about an embarrassing story about ex-Met Jose Offerman.

Where Have I Been?

When I first met my wife, I promised her that as long as she was with me, life would never be boring. That is one promise I've held true to. The last two months have turned everything up on it's head, but all for the positive.

The first is that I am starting a new job next month, a new job that requires a relocation which also means I'll no longer be a transplanted Mets fan! Unless you consider Central New Jersey to be out of town! Which, growing up on Long island I sure did.

The second piece of big news is that I'm going to be a dad! Scary thought, huh? And I only have months left to plan on how to ensure the kid will be a Mets fan. My dad is a huge Yankees fan and somehow I escaped his efforts to make me a Yankees fan. To make matters worse, I'll be within driving distance of Citizens Bank Park and am worried about The Phillie Phanatic influence! The strategy begins...

SO... With all the big changes I still have to figure out how this blog figures into my new life. I am open to suggestion. One thing I have been toying with is expanding the authorship of this blog to others. So, if there are any out-of-market Mets fans out there who would like to contribute to this site, please post a comment or drop me a line at michaelvcreative-blogwriter@yahoo.com and let me know you're interested. A writing sample or two wouldn't hurt either.

Other than that I still have creative energies flowing and an accompanying Mets passion that makes Mets blogging an interest. How to do it in the midst of a relocation to a new job in New Jersey while tending to a pregnant wife is still a mystery I'm trying to decode. Post your suggestions, please!

Wiphbeaters. Phillies Add Another Jerk To their Pitching Staff

The Phillies have obtained AAA right-handed reliever Julio Mateo from the Mariners for minor league shortstop Jesus Merchan .

This past May, Mateo was charged with third-degree assault after police said that he struck and bit his wife in a Manhattan hotel room.

The Mariners suspended Mateo for 10 days without pay for missing a game without permission the day after he was arrested, then optioned him to Class AAA Tacoma.

Today, Mariners GM Bill Bavasi said that "In discussions with Julio Mateo and his agent we agreed that Julio would be best suited to returning to the Majors in a different city," Bavasi said. "We had been looking for that opportunity for a while now, and were able to accomplish it today."

The Phillies are the perfect spot for this jerk. Mateo should get along great with fellow spouse-assaulting teammate Brett Myers, who is currently rehabbing from a shoulder injury. Fortunately that shoulder injury isn't from beating his wife, but unfortunately it's not from getting beat up by somebody, either.

A Pep Talk For Mets Fans

In today's papers, Wallace Matthews (who must get paid by the anti-Met word) in Newsday, but also John Harper in the Daily News write that the 2007 Mets don't feel quite as magical as the 2006 Mets.

They suggest that 2006 was our season, and 2007 must be another team's.

In response I have one word: 1999.

I think we can all agree that the 1999 Mets team felt way more "magical" than the 2000 squad. However, it was the 2000 team that made it to the Fall Classic, and the 199 team who fell to teh Braves. So, if we can capture a pennant (or more) this year, I'll happily trade in the 2006 magic. Wouldn't you?

Besides, the 2006 Cardinals made the regular season pretty much meaningless. That team barely made it into the playoffs, yet they won it all. The Mets were magic all year but their
mojo was useless against St. Louis.

Maybe, just maybe, we're saving our magic for October, when it counts?

Transplated Ex-Met Update: Ty Wigginton Traded For Dan Wheeler

In an exchange of ex-Mets, The Devil Rays have traded ex-Mets third baseman Ty Wigginton to the Houston Astros for ex-Mets righty reliever Dan Wheeler.

Transplanted Ex-Mets Update: Mile High Ex-Mets

Kaz Matsui broke a string of 15 hitless at-bats with a single in the sixth inning last night during the Rockies' 6-3 loss to the Padres in Colorado.  The Rockies were behind early after Mike Cameron's three-run homer in the first inning.  Mike has hit eight homers in his last 31 games.

Transplanted Ex-Mets Update: Mike Piazza Homers In A's Win

Mike Piazza, playing in the DH spot, hit a three-run homer and an RBI double for the Oakland A's in their 12 - 6 win over the Angels last night.

Julio Franco was in the starting lineup for the fourth time in five games since Atlanta signed him last week. He doubled high off the wall in right in the fourth inning and went 2-4 overall during the Braves' 4-2 win over the Giants.

Now This Is A Rivaly. Mustache Throws Julio Franco Under The Bus

John Delcos of The Journal News has by far the best of the Major Media blogs. Tonight he quotes Willie Randolph and Jose Valentin as saying Julio Franco's clubhouse leadership as being vastly overstated by the public:

“If you play, you have to produce. That clubhouse stuff is overrated,’’ manager Willie Randolph said.

Jose Valentin offered up that Franco was a less than eager participant in the club’s pre-game stretching. He also said Franco wouldn’t hesitate to get in the face of some of the younger players about doing their jobs even though he was hitting .200.

“To be a leader for me, it’s not enough to talk all the time,’’ Valentin said. “You have to go out and do it yourself.’’

Now I'm really looking forward to the August series against Atlanta.