Daily Archives: June 21, 2005
The Game…
The Mets (33–36) start a four-game series against the Phillies (38–32) in Phialdelphia tonight … the Mets are 4–2 against the Phillies this season…
The Pitchers…
RHP Kris Benson (5–2, 3.67) starts for the Mets … Benson is holding right-handed hitters to a .209 average this season, while lefties have seven HR against him in 107 at-bats … the Mets are 7–2 in games that Benson has started … he’s allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts … in a 4.2 inning start against the Phillies earlier this season, Benson allowed two runs … Benson is batting .267 with three RBI in 15 at-bats…
RHP Brett Myers (5–3, 2.19) starts for the Phillies … On May 3, Myers allowed one run to the Mets in seven innings pitched while striking out 10 …
The Notes…
The Mets are 9–12–2 in series play this season … the Mets are 3–5 after an off-day … Marlon Anderson is 3–for-14 on the team’s current road trip … Carlos Beltran is 3–for-25 … Brian Daubach is 1–for-11 … Victor Diaz is 1–for-16 … okay, I’ll stop … Jose Reyes leads the Mets with 20 multi-hit games…
The Message…
MetsBlog sends a Happy Birthday wish to Shannon Daulton, the Mets media relations manager…thanks, Shannon, for all of your help over the last year…it is always appreciated…
Last night was a first for me. I attended my first minor league game – Binghamton at New Britain – and it was my first time getting a press pass to walk on a baseball field…
I intended on talking a few players about a story idea I was noodeling with. And though I talked briefly with Mike Jacobs and Joe Hietpas, I never got the quotes or information I was looking for.
Oh well…
I did pick up a few thoughts, though…
No Regrets…
While I may have had talent as a baseball player in my younger days, even had I possessed super talent I never could’ve been a professional baseball player. These kids are so much bigger than my friends and I were, be it in height, weight or stature. It actually makes me feel better about the decision to quit my varsity high school team and, instead, play Wiffle Ball with my friends…
For example, Jacobs lobbed a ball in from first base during batting practice. The ball landed square on David Bacani’s chest, thumping loud enough to t urn heads. Bacani picked up the ball casually put it back in a bucket of balls, and then went about his business as if nothing had happened. Had that been me, I would’ve undoubtedly required medical attention…
Mike Jacobs…
Speaking of Jacobs, the kid has an intriguing aura about him, with a confidence to his stride across the diamond and in the dugout. He’s not very graceful at first base, though. In fact, he looks very timid…
However, at the plate he defines grace. He swings a lot like Nick Johnson, but with a small hitch before he swings. And the ball just pops off his bat. Listening to batting practice, in fact, you can tell when he is taking swings and when he is not. The ball just sounds different. During the seventh inning, Jacobs smacked a two-run homer over the center-field wall, which stands roughly thirty feet high…
He is impressive and raw, and certainly caught my attention…
Also of interest was Anderson Hernandez, whom the Mets brought back when they sent Vance Wilson to Detroit this past spring…
Upon his arrival, I was told by all sorts of experts that Hernandez was a Rey Ordonez clone. With Jose Reyes blocking the line at shortstop for the Mets, Binghamton is now using Hernandez at second base. He is slick in the field, and turns the double play without effort. During the game, a ball was ripped to his left, which he caught back-handed on a short-hop while sliding on his knees, from which he hopped up and threw to first all in one motion. Had you blinked you’d have missed it…
The kid is peppy, too. He has a Reyes-like smile and talks with his teammates a lot…
At the plate, he’s exceeding expectations, batting .322 with seven HR and 24 RBI while stealing 11 bases in 63 games. And though his hands are relaxed at the plate, he needs to be less aggressive, wait for the ball to come to him and swing more with his hands, and less with his upper body. The end of his swing resembles Reyes more than you’d like see. Granted, he was batting as a lefty, and I was told he is a more sound hitter from the right-side…
Similar to Jacobs, he’s raw and impressive, and seems to have a way about him that his teammates and fans respond to.
Tagged Minors |…here it is, brace yourselves, the big news we’ve all been waiting for…
According to a team press release, Wise Foods Inc. and the New York Mets announced today that Wise has been named Official Potato Chip and Cheez Doodle® Sponsor for the New York Mets…
…a potato chip sponsor and gerald williams have made news for the mets in the last 12–hours
…what a day…
As a Mets fan, the name of the game is belief…
I believe…
I always will…
I grew up in the evolution of the 1980′s Mets. I suffered through the 1990s, and now believe that even with an outfield of Timo Perez, Benny Agbayani and Jay Payton, a team can make it to the World Series as long as it plays well together and everyone contributes. So, as bad as this team has looked of late, I will not give up on this season in mid-June…
However, I’m not foolish enough to ignore the big picture, which is that this team is not awful and it’s not great, and while it has holes, more holes are coming next season and to both position itself for today and tomorrow would be the best course of action…
The point of all these posts is, as long as the team’s executives make moves with this season and the future in mind, while remaining fresh and fun on the field and never losing forward momentum, the fans will continue to believe…
I know I will…
If this season gets to the point that it is beyond repair, then this team must ask itself a question: when the Mets return to the winner’s circle, who will be its stars, and where will they be playing on the field and in the lineup?…
Whatever the answer, it is how the team should look now…
If David Wright is going to be Scott Rolen version 2.0, then bat him third now. If Jose Reyes is going to be the team’s leadoff hitter, bat him leadoff now. If Heath Bell is going to take over the closer roll, or be set-up man, use him as such now. Is WillieBall going to be the style of play? If so, play it now…
Look around the league and notice the teams that are winning, especially take note of the teams who’ve won Championships. For the most part, all of them have playing together for several years. Stability is one of the most unspoken ingredients to a successful baseball team. Willie Randolph knows this, almost too well as he refuses to accept the realistic limitations of several players. However, when it comes to the young guys, the second generation of successful Mets, plugging them into a roll and letting them learn from their own mistakes while becoming comfortable with their teammates will reap rewards down the road unseen in a stat line…
If David Wright is going to be asked to drive in Jose Reyes repeatedly over the next few years, Wright needs to be comfortable with how Reyes runs the bases. He needs to know how long he can prepare in the on-deck circle and it will help Reyes when thinking about stealing to know how Wright hits in certain counts. This may all seem overwhelming, but it’s a significant part of the game. Why do you think high-priced teams that are built overnight rarely succeed? And yet, quite often, teams comprised of players who know one another’s habits do? Because they are comfortable with their teammates actions and know, with confidence, nothing will change – they can relax and just play ball. The same goes for the manager…
Obviously, this theory must be finessed. If all evaluators believe Victor Diaz just can’t handle the responsibility of batting fifth in the order right now, then he shouldn’t be. But as soon as he can, he needs to be in there.
And so on…and so on…
Kaz Matsui has value, as does Tom Glavine, Kaz Ishii, Doug Mientkiewicz, Mike Cameron and Braden Looper. They will not bring back top prospects. Instead, they will bring back clarity…
“I chose New York and I want to stay in New York,” Peter Abraham quotes Kaz Matsui as saying in a tremendous article from the Journal News. “But there is a certain limit to a player’s feelings on this matter.”
Matsui is owed roughly $12 million between now and next season when his contract expires. And though he has a clause allowing him to only be traded to the Dodgers, Angels and Mariners, according to Abraham, Matsui would waive this clause if given the chance to return to shortstop…
When asked about Matsui’s production, Abraham quotes Willie Randolph as saying, “We all have a job to do. Just do it, that’s all. It’s his second year with the ballclub… At some point it becomes a game of production. I have to see that production.”
Kaz is not producing, though, particularly when he is sidelined with injuries, which have ranged from a stiff neck due to a bad night’s sleep and a scratched cornea from a contact lens. He seems like a very humble, dedicated young man, who I am sure a guy like Randolph and Minaya hope to see excel…
However, the marriage between the Mets and Matsui is over. A better investment than clinging to a sunk cost is often the mental-freedom that comes with admitting a mistake and moving forward. It’s time to move on, regardless of the financial cost.
By moving Matsui, Mientkiewicz, Ishii, Looper and avoiding Glavine’s option year for 2006, the Mets position themselves to remain on the plane they are this season, playing .500 baseball, all while allowing for a better vision towards next season…
This season will not be comprised with the departure of Matsui, Mientkiewicz, Ishii, Looper and Glavine, as they can all be comparably replaced from within the organization. Trading Cameron, though, would have side-effects. He is loved in the clubhouse, holds an infectious smile, is a friend to most everyone on the team and he reminds his teammates to have fun and to play hard. Cameron should get moved, only after the market gets hot and the Mets are convinced they are out the race
Lastly, Mike Piazza must stay. At this point, he’s worthless. How many team’s are in need of a DH that will hit .250 and knock one home run every 100 at-bats. Most teams have internal solutions significantly better than Piazza, so he will warrant nothing in return. He’s more valuable to Mets in the form of an honorable farewell at the end of September…
“This winter we were able to acquire (Martinez and Beltran), but there’s a lot of work to be done here,” GM Omar Minaya told USA Today. “Don’t forget, it’s only June.”…
I would add: don’t forget it’s only year one of what was billed as a long-term plan, Omar. Don’t lose sight of that, either…
I like Willie Randolph…
Like many of his players, he’s had his growing pains this season. He has yet to become comfortable with the pace of a National League game, particularly at the end. He’s struggled with the double switch, balancing instincts with precedent, in game strategies and defining the line between devotion and reality…
He does have the respect of his payers, though. He understands the need for media, the value of face-to-face, one-on-one discussions with his players and how to walk the line between friend and disciplinarian. He should not be fired, and any fan or pundit calling for such action is being too emotional…
As this team matures, so will Randolph. The New York media blasted Joe Torre upon his arrival, the Minnesota media beat on Ron Gardenhire early in his tenure. Last season, the Boston press nearly rode Terry Francona out of town three months before he brought their city a Championship. Calling in a hit-n-run, opting to use a lefty over a righty or deciding between a no-doubles defense or to shade to the left is important. It isn’t more important than motivation. Baseball is a marathon, and to be winners a team needs its manager to be a leader, a mentor and a guy his players feel will die in the trenches with them. Randolph can be that guy. But respect like this is earned in practice, not jsut by flashing past World Series rings…
If this team is truly built on a track for long-term success, Randolph needs to grow with his players. By doing so, they’ll respect him more and try harder for him when it’s show-time…
When I think of Mets GM Omar Minaya, I imagine a plate spinner riding a unicycle on a tight rope while millions of people watch from below with equal parts panic and hope…
The man is in a tricky spot. Although he has more problems than resources, he also has a fanbase that understands winning is a long-term process, but they’re demanding. At the same time, he needs to keep a solid enough team on the field now to attract future advertisers and financial interest as the days draw closer to his team’s new television network. In some ways the two contradict one another, but they don’t have to…
Over the next few hours I will post what he, and we, as fans, need to remember…
For those interested in the history of the designated hitter, Ask Yahoo! tackles the topic by answering, “How did the DH rule get started in baseball?”…
“All things are possible. I’d rather think of myself as a buyer right now. I want to try and stay in a buyer’s mode for as long as I can,” Mets GM Omar Minaya told reporters when asked about whether the team was in buy or sell mode…
…i have a bad feeling about this…
…for starters, this organization put a lot of stock into this season with its ‘new mets’ campaign…i fear they will stick with it, throwing good money after bad, if you will, in hopes of not looking foolish…
…also, remember the last time minaya was in this position…a few years ago with montreal, when he believed in his team and became a buyer, trading away tons of young talent, only to flip the switch to sell while trading away the very same talent he acquired a few weeks earlier…
…i am afraid the same could be set to happen at shea…and the above quote doesn’t help ease that anxiety…
