Daily Archives: May 17, 2006
Two weeks ago in Newsday, Jon Heyman wrote that the Mets and LHP Tom Glavine installed an $11 million option for 2007 to his current contract, which includes a deferred $3 million from the pitcher’s 2006 salary…
Today, at FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal writes that option could realistically end up being worth as much as $15 million…
According to Rosenthal, who cites ‘a source with knowledge of the contract,’ the option includes a $3 million bonus if Glavine makes the All-Star team in 2006 and 2007, or a $2 million bonus if he only makes it in 2007…
…at 6-2 with a 2.43 era, glavine appears to be a candidate to start this season’s all-star game, let alone simply make the team…
Rosenthal goes on to explain that by restructuring his deal the way that he did, Glavine has more-or-less taken out an insurance policy in the event he injures himself at the end of this season…
…in all likelihood, assuming he doesn’t get hurt, glavine will make this season’s all-star team and will pitch at least 200 innings…meaning, heading into next season, he will be due the full $15 million…
Over at the Mets Minor League Report, Toby recaps the night in Mets minor league action…
Among other comments, Toby writes of strong performances by Suns RHP German Marte, who tossed 3.1 scoreless innings for Hagerstown; and Tides 2B Jeff Keppinger, who doubled in a winning run for Norfolk…
…toby provides a mets minor league report after each night’s action…thanks, toby…
In 137 at-bats for Norfolk, Keppinger, 26, is batting .255 with no HR and 13 RBI along with five doubles and just nine walks…
Marte, 21, is 1–0 with a 2.03 ERA in 26.2 innings in relief for Single-A Hagerstown, sporting 29 strike outs to 11 walks…
…keppinger has hit in every league he’s played in…yet, it appears he is struggling, based solely on his stat line…i always wonder if a guy like him, who gets jerked around a lot within an organization, gets dejected at all…i know these guys are aware of the bigger picture, but at some point, even the most positive and pragmatic of players have to feel like their days with a team are numbered…i can’t help but think this is how keppinger feels, which is a shame…
By the way, in Norfolk, Lastings Milledge was 0-4, dropping his average to .278, down nearly 100 points from his mid-April high. As Toby points out, Milledge is three for his last 28 and is hitting .143 during May…
…chin up, lastings…fight through it, kid…
If you’ve yet to do so, be sure and vote in this week’s MetsBlog Fan Confidence Rating by using the poll to the left…
…thanks…
Mets RHP Brian Bannister will continue the rehab of his strained right hamstring with a start tomorrow for Triple-A Norfolk…
…the buzz from florida is that banniter will need just one start in the minors…the thinking is that he must show he can get through a full game before being recalled…the last thing the mets want to do is call him up, make a roster move, and have him further tweak the hammy while pitching in a big-league game, which is quite possible with an injury such as bannister’s…
…if i had to bet, i would say bannister’s next start for the mets will be next wednesday or thurday, at shea, against the phillies…
Mets C Paul Lo Duca, on last night’s win, as quoted by the Star-Ledger…
“This is a big win for us. We’ve lost some tough games on this trip and to win the first game in here is huge.”…
…in year’s past, the variety of quotes that came from the team’s locker room always portrayed every game as equal…no one match-up was more significant than the next…and i never agreed with this…i know it’s probably just rhetoric from the players, as a way to help diffuse expectations and failure…however, this group is very up-front about their hopes and demands for the club…from Willie Randolph right on down to the team…because you know what, this was a huge win…mentally, there is a huge difference between how the team would feel having lost three games in a row, as opposed to winning a wild one in st. louis to stop a losing streak…i’m glad to see this type of talk…good stuff…
Appearing on SNY prior to tonight’s game, Willie Randolph confirmed that Jose Lima will start Thursday against the Cardinals, while Jeremi Gonzalez will get the first game of the Yankees series on Friday…
In his only start this season, Gonzalez allowed three runs over five innings while striking out four…
Lima, on the other hand, has allowed 10 runs over 9.2 innings…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following last night’s win over the Cardinals, the team’s manager, Willie Randolph, had the following to say 
regarding…
…Paul Lo Duca, who hit the ball to right field in the seventh inning allowing Jose Reyes to score the go-ahead run…
“Yeah, he needs to stay that way. Every once in a while he’ll get a little pull-happy, like a lot of guys do, but he knows how to hit the ball the other with the best of them. He’s strong and he knows how to put the ball in play, good eye-hand coordination, all the things that are good for a second hitter, or a good RBI, clutch hitter. He’s a guy we want up there in a big spot like that…
…Tom Glavine, who got the win while allowing three runs over six innings pitched…
“He deserved it. Tommy has pitched in some tough games and he hasn’t had a whole lotta luck since I’ve been here. So, it was nice to see him pitch well enough to keep us in, and also be able to be rewarded for a good job…when guys like Tommy get a break like that you always feel good about because he’s pitched some tough luck games since I’ve been here, I know.”…
…what he did during the rain delay…
“Just stay focused, man. You know, just kick it around here with the guys a bit. Watch a little TV. Just pass the time, and keep in contact with the umpires so you know what time it’s gonna start again…
…what television shows he and his team were watching, such as Sopranos reruns or the Nets playoff game…
“No no, we were just flipping channels watching baseball games, that’s all.”…
…Cliff Floyd, who was 2–for-4…
“Yeah, good to see Floyd get a couple knocks. Hopefully it’ll get him rolling a little bit. He pulled some balls foul (hahah), which, you know, is not always good. But, you know, he was able to get back in the flow of things. And you just hope he feeds off that a bit. We need to get him really swinging the bat well, and hopefully get him in one of those situations where he can really help us and carry us for a while.”…
The Mets defeated the Cardinals by a score of 8 to 3 tonight, to take the first game in a three-game set…
For a game recap, check out the Associated Press…
…a few thoughts…
…no sooner do we have a discussion about the development of Jose Reyes, and his recent struggles, does he come to work and hit a key home run, followed by a walk, a steal and a run scored off a double by Paul Lo Duca, followed by an rbi double in the eighth…it’s no joke, in that where jose goes the mets go too…it may actually be that simple…
…speaking of lo duca and reyes and manufacturing runs…the mets lead this game by three runs, only to see it become tied by the cardinals in the sixth…however, before st. louis could take solace in their comeback, the mets rallied to re-take the lead…huge…especially on the road…
…by the way, how do we actually know that st. louis is filled with such smart baseball fans…is there some test out there that was taken, the results of which i didn’t see…i’ve been hearing this for years, and i have no idea why or how people come to this conclusion…talk about your baseball rhetoric…anyway…
…give a game ball to those who helped to contribute the team’s insurance runs during the eighth inning…well done, gentlemen…pedal to the metal…never let up…
…i am very impressed that, even during what has seemed like a rough stretch of games, this team continues to stave off a painful losing streak with wins such as this one tonight…this is great to see…
