Daily Archives: June 6, 2005
The Braves have haulted their pursuit of RHP Danny Graves, writes Ken Rosenthal of the Sporting News…
It’s down to the Mets and Marlins…
Our old friend Steve Phillips, of ESPN Insider, takes the time to imagine how the MLB Draft would go, assuming every player in baseball was up for grabs…
According to Phillips, with the ninth overall pick the Mets would select…
…get this…
Third baseman Chipper Jones…
…please excuse me while i go bang my head against a wall for a few hours, hoping to shake the gruesome image of chipper in a mets uniform from my mind…
…oh, the horror…
…the horror…
In his third post of the day, Ken Rosenthal of the Sporting News writes that RHP Danny Graves plans to sign with either the Mets, Braves or Marlins…
…ken, you’re on fire today, buddy…
According to Rosenthal’s story, though the team that signs Graves will only be responsible for paying the prorated portion of his minimum salary, the pitcher is also looking for a one-year contract extension, be it a guarantee or an option year…
…why not…
…i mean, if graves truly wants to end up in miami with his former manager jack mckeon, why not rope in the mets and braves…worst case scenario, he blows his chance to pitch with mckeon and ends up on a team smack dab in the middle of a pennant race with a tad more security for next season…
If you’re into the format, MetsGeek moderates a ‘roundtable’ discussion, which is actually five individual q-n-a sessions and not really a roundtable, with several popular bloggers from the Mets blogosphere…
…solid discussion…best part is actually the questions about how each blogger became fans of the team, as opposed to the typical ‘what would you do with the mets,’ type chatter…
…nice work, guys…
Thanks to Ken Rosenthal’s most recent Inside Dish column and my praise of LHP Eddie Guardado from earlier this morning, I’ve receieved a ton of email asking what the Seattle pitcher’s contract status is…
The M’s owe Guardado $4.5 million this season. According to a report published in the Star-Tribune in December of 2003, it appears the M’s have a $7 million option on Guardado’s contract for 2006. If they decline, Guardado can either pick up a player option for $4.5 million or opt for free agency…
…i can’t find any reports that may indicate whether a trade voids the option clause…
…and thanks to matt for the link…
…not me, another matt…
I’m a fan, not a journalist. I make no mistake about this. In fact, I’m proud of it…
That being said, I try and do my best to taper my emotions on this blog, all in an effort to keep it’s voice level-headed and intellectual…
Last night’s game, though, had me all amped up…
As I’ve said before, winning is not the most important thing to me, as a fan. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important…it’s just not most important. Buzz, however, is…
I crave that electric charge that courses through my blue and orange blood when this team is clicking, when the fans are cheering positively in unison, the media is watching all while the standings are tight and every game is vital…
It’s that ultimate charge I experienced the moment I realized the Mets were going to win game five against the Braves in the 1999 playoffs…or the lift I got hearing the crowd anxiously roar in between innings prior to clinching the 2000 National League pennant…or the tear in my eyes, and the hairs standing on the edges of my arms watching Mike Piazza crack his homer in the first game after 9/11…
It’s those moments I watch for, and that I hope to experience…
And it’s moments such as these, and not necessarily the wins, that I’ve missed over the last few seasons…
Last night, however, in our first taste of the clear, hot, humid air of summer, as Victor Diaz rounded the bases with the chant of DJ Kool blaring from the speakers, the crowd rocking, the glare of fireworks shimmering off the team’s bright blue batting helmets and for all of America to see, I felt it…
I felt that buzz…
It wasn’t the full buzz, mind you…But it was a small taste. A sampling. A reminder of what Shea Stadium once was, and what it’s about to be again…
The Nationals are in high pursuit of an outfielder, writes Ken Rosenthal of the Sporting News. Among the players Rosenthal believes the Nats are hounding, Preston Wilson, Eric Byrnes, Aubrey Huff and Kevin Mench top the list…
Rosenthal also notes that the Mets will likely shop Aaron Heilman or Jae Seo, who has begun to re-interest scouts of late, in an effort to acquire a left-handed reliever…
In his second Inside Dish column of the day, Rosethal also points out the Mariners will look to trade more or less everyone on their team, including left-handed reliever Eddie Guardado and second baseman Bret Boone, who, as Rosenthal writes, “wouldn’t bring much in return, given his declining skills and $9 million salary.”…
…i like guardado a lot…he’s an absolutely perfect fit for mets…and making an affordable $4 million this season, half after the All-Star break, before becoming a free-agent…
…for starters, in 22 innings pitched this season he’s allowed four earned runs while striking out 18 batters and walking just four…he hasn’t had an era over three since 2001…what i like best about him, though, is that he possess a large arsenal of above-average pitches……
…of note, carlos delgado is hitting .263 in 19 at-bats for his career against guardado, jim thome’s batting .167 in 30 at-bats and he’s never faced chipper jones…
…most importantly, he’s pitched in the post-season, he’s a fighter on the mound…pumping his fists after big outs, cheering his club on from the top step of the bullpen, and so on…
…assuming the pirates will not part with mike gonzalez, guardado is somebody minaya should pursue with vigor…
According to several reports, it is widely believed that RHP Danny Graves will sign with the Marlins today…
Chris Woodward fouled a ball off his left knee during the second game yesterday. Though he had significant swelling, X-rays were negative…
Mike Hampton may miss his next start, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com, and Chipper Jones will likely miss a few games, as well, after reinjuring his ankle on Sunday, according to the AP…
