Monthly Archives: February 2006
If you are aware of, or have started, a petition to your cable provider to encourage them to air SportsNet NY, please email me the link to mattcerrone@metsblog.com…
Thanks…
In the Daily News, Adam Rubin sits down with Willie Randolph for an exclusive interview that aims to break down his approach towards filling out a lineup card…
Rubin asks Randolph why he insists on batting Carlos Beltran third; who bats second when Paul Lo Duca gets the day off; and, lastly, would he bat Beltran second, with David Wright hitting cleanup, to help break up batting two left-handed hitters, Carlos Delgado and Cliff Floyd, back-to-back in the lineup…
Randolph tells Rubin that Beltran could hit second on occasion, though ideally he sees him in the “meat” of the order…
..it sounds to me, though, that randolph prefers to just give beltran a slot and let him get comfortable in it…moving him around could be the worst move of all…
…as for the two lefties, this should not be that big of a concern…both floyd and delgado hit righties well, it’s facing lefties that have given them fits…fortunately for floyd and delgado, there are only three left-handed starters in the national league east, and one of them is Tom Glavine…
“Listen, David [Wright] is a big boy,” Randolph tells Rubin. “He proved a lot last year. But he needs to still grow and make adjustments.”…
…this is going to drive fans bananas this season, i can see it coming now…for whatever reason, willie is the only person in new york who is not a believer that wright is the chosen one…the shining star who will bring meaning and success to the mets…
In the New York Post, Joel Sherman quotes an American League executive as saying, “The Mets are in a lot of trouble if any of their five starters goes down or doesn’t perform well.”…
Sherman then quotes a more optimistic National League GM as saying, “I think that is reasonable depth. [Brian] Bannister is a legitimate sixth starter, and [John] Maine and [Jeremi] Gonzalez have a chance to give a few decent starts. But I’m sure the Mets don’t want 25 starts from that crew.”…
According to Sherman, Mets GM Omar Minaya has told “confidants” that the team will need to acquire at least “one top-flight starter” to win a World Series…
…i.e., Barry Zito…the problem is, at this point, if minaya wants zito, he better hope the a’s stink, because if they are in contention it seems very unlikely Billy Beane will break-up his rotation…
…sherman’s column is a must read, as he breaks down the competition for the team’s fifth starter, and explains how Aaron Heilman is being challenged…
Former 1986 Mets OF Darryl Strawberry arrived in Port St. Lucie yesterday…
…making him…ding ding ding…the profile du jour…congratulations, darryl…
In Newsday, David Lennon explains Straw’s transition from player to mentor; in the New York Post and Star-Ledger, Joel Sherman and Don Burke write how Straw motivated Cliff Floyd last season, and hopes to do the same for Carlos Beltran this season; and at MLB.com, Bryan Hoch looks at how Strawberry may help the young Lastings Milledge…
Strawberry on Milledge, as quoted by Hoch…
“I don’t think he’s going to be a guy who’ll hit you 40 home runs in the big leagues, but he’s going to learn to use the whole field, and he’s developing into a player. His instincts and everything are starting to come.”
The Mets will play an intra-squad game today at 12:30 PM EDT in Port St. Lucie…
John Maine, Aaron Heilman, Matt Lindstrom, Brian Bannister, Henry Owens, Billy Wagner, Alay Soler, and Jeremi Gonzalez, among others, are scheduled to pitch…
…two metsblog readers will be at the game, and will send in some notes when it is over…
Willie Randolph told reporters yesterday that RHP Pedro Martinez could pitch from the top of the pitcher’s mound today. Martinez had previously thrown from the front-end of the mound to limit the pressure on his right big-toe…
According to the team’s manager, Martinez will begin to “step up” his program as the exhibition season moves closer…
…the buzz around the psl is that martinez will start a game next week…if he does, he is then expected to head to puerto rico to in the world baseball classic on march 13 for the domincan republic…
Mets LHP Tom Glavine, as quoted on February 27 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution… “There is just one or two places I want to play next year…I’ve enjoyed my time in New York, and I obviously enjoyed my time in Atlanta. I still live there. I really can’t see myself going anywhere else.”… …enough with this, tom…seriously…you mentioned something similar while appearing on wfan in january…what are you doing to yourself…listen, man, you are on the mets now…even if you think there is a chance you could end up playing for the braves, don’t say it out loud… …and i know you aren’t doing it to help negotiate a deal with the mets through the media…that’s not your style…so, all you are doing here is giving people a reason to boo you…if you talk about the braves, the only thing a mets fan wants to hear is how badly you want to beat them…that’s it…and if you are afraid of alienating your fans in atlanta, i believe that ship sailed when you signed with the mets… …so, seriously, man, pipe down… For more on Glavine, in Sports Illustrated, John Donovan describes the almost 40–year-old pitcher as the pitching staff’s “anchor,” given the toe situation with Pedro Martinez… …i would actually say that Steve Trachsel is the anchor, because of his consistency over the last few seasons…
In this edition of MetsBlog’s Locker Room, the site’s Guest Bloggers gather to discuss the team’s starting rotation, and the questions that surround it as spring training gets under way…
Eric Gafgen…
The Mets face a lot of the same problems as they did last year: Pedro Martinez‘s health; Tom Glavine’s inability to put together a solid season since he’s signed his contract; Victor Zambrano not living up to his hype, familiar-yet-unproven starter and reliever Aaron Heilman; and Steve Trachsel putting up decent, but unspectacular numbers….
Then again, the Mets were third in the National League in ERA, so even coming close to that again this year would put them in good shape now that Billy Wagner will be shutting everyone down…no more Pepto Bismol swimsuit calendars for me…
Jason Mollica…
Pedro’s health is concern number one for me. Is the toe going to hamper him over the course of this season? If it does, getting to Wagner is not going to be easy. For some reason with Glavine, this upcoming season does not worry me. I really think he has turned the corner…
Matthew Cerrone…
It’s a good rotation…not great…just good. The thing is, I’m sure people said the same about the White Sox rotation last season. What the Sox did, and what the Mets need to do, is simply remain consistent and healthy…and, of course, some one must throw a no-hitter, because I am tired of waiting to see one…
Eric Gafgen…
I guess the question is: what would be a reasonable, yet ideal season from each pitcher that would enable then to reach the postseason…
I can’t imagine that if the Mets improve another five to 10 games by mid July, that Omar will sit on his hands again and do nothing at the trade deadline to get some insurance…
Matthew Cerrone…
Well, I’m not sure he “sat on his hands,” Eric. He didn’t make an acquisition, that is correct. I mean, for all we know he made a ton of offers and no team accepted them. However, I understand your point, in that if this team is in contention and in need of an arm, I agree, Minaya will go shopping…you are right…
Eric Gafgen…
I think Pedro and Glavine must get between 15 to 20 wins each, while Trachsel is always one game 
above or below .500, it seems, so even 13-13 is doable, which totals 47 wins. If Aaron Heilman, Victor Zambrano, Brian Bannister, Yusaku Iriki, etc., can come close to producing 23 wins then the team will be in a good position for the postseason, assuming the bullpen comes close to last year’s numbers…
Jason Mollica…
I really hope someone comes along in spring training and shows they belong in the rotation… I just think there has got to be better options – besides a trade – than Zambrano…
D.J. Short…
I’m confident that Spring Training will shed some light on how the rotation will fill out…
Just think, last year, after the Trachsel injury, they traded for Kaz Ishii at the last moment…so anything can happen…though, sometimes not for the better…
Is there any reason to believe that the newly signed Iriki will be able to contribute, though…
Eric Gafgen…
Of course, anything can happen. If healthy, the rotation should be as good, if not better, then the last two postseason appearances, in 1999 and 2000, even with Zambrano in the fifth slot…
There just has to be some consistency, and if they can come close to the numbers I mentioned before – and they are certainly capable – we’ll be looking at a post-season appearance…
My two biggest fears are Pedro’s toe and having traded away too many chips to add at the deadline…
D.J. Short…
Not to mention that if an extra piece is needed around the trading deadline, we’ll likely hear the familiar names bandied about again, such as Heilman, Lastings Milledge and now Philip Humber. THAT gets me nervous and the season hasn’t even started yet…
Given the chance to get Barry Zito with the post-season in sight, would you do it…
Eric Gafgen…
That really depends on the cost and whether or not Zito will sign an extension…
Are Milledge and Heilman worth a championship this year, while sacrificing players who could influence the next three to four championship teams? Maybe, though I’m not sure about it
Matthew Cerrone…
Three or four? Wow. Now that’s confidence…
The thing is, I have to think that if the Mets were willing to part with Milledge to get Zito they would’ve done so already…
Also, in July, I assume Zito will not cost the top-prospect he does now – and this is assuming the A’s are out of it, which I don’t think they’ll be…
Jason Mollica…
Good point. I don’t think Milledge will be the chip they deal to possibly get Zito…
I’d like to wait and see how spring training plays out. But, I’ll reiterate that I’m not comfortable with the four and five spots right now…
D.J. Short…
Yes, Zambrano has the most to prove, not only because of ‘Black Friday,’ but also because Zambrano will have to the gain not only the fans’ confidence, but Willie Randolph’s, who sent him to the bullpen late last season. It’s a big thing to keep an eye out for…
Eric Gafgen…
Let’s not forget that Zambrano was banished because Jae Seo was hot, while Trachsel was on his way back, and Zambrano was sliding. For a good three months, “Houdini” was the best Mets starter not named Pedro…
The problem last year was that Willie waited too long to pull Zambrano or Ishii, and management waited too long to bring up Seo…
The other thing is, I think the team was a lot more evenly matched against its competition when they had Kris Benson and Seo. Now, they have too many unknowns. Pedro certainly matches up with the likes Tim Hudson, Jon Lieber, Livan Hernandez and Dontrelle Willis.
The rest, however, is a crapshoot…
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According to an email from ESPN, Mets GM Omar Minaya will appear on ESPN 2’s Quite Frankly with Steven A. Smith on Tuesday, February 28, at 11 PM EDT…
…you may recall that i posted a note from the show’s producer a few weeks ago, when the show was taped, which asked for mets fans to come down to the taping…from what i can gather, a lot of fans showed up, and pulled out a few ‘lets go mets’ chants during the interview…no offense, omar, but i’m looking more forward to seeing that than anything…way to represent, gentlemen…
In the Journal News, Ian O’Conner refers to the Mets as the “Charlie Brown franchise that always runs into some Lucy pulling away the ball.”…
…i don’t know whether to laugh or cry over that remark…
O’Conner’s column profiles Willie Randolph, the voice of inspiration from within the Mets clubhouse…
…this is a must read…it gives a lot of insight into how randolph views his role and influence on the players…
“What we need to embrace, more than anything,” Randolph explains to O’Conner, “is the reality that this can really happen for us.”…
..amen…
“With who’s here, if we play the way we’re supposed to play and we continue to grow into my idea of how I want the game played, I think we will get there.”
…preach it, willie…
