Monthly Archives: October 2006
Pedro Martinez, looking forward, while talking with reporters after last night’s loss…
“Next year we’re going to be more relaxed. We’re going to have a lot more experience from the young guys like David Wright, Jose Reyes and John Maine, and we’re going to be a better team next year…
“Next year, I guarantee if we are healthy we are going to be in the World Series.”…
Omar Minaya, looking forward, while talking with reporters after last night’s loss…
“In the end is this season a successful season? No, to me successful means winning the World Series…
“When you’re looking at the big picture, is it a season of strides to get this organization and this team to what is called respectability? Yes, this is a respectable organization right now. We are respected in the industry, we are respected by the fanbase, we’re respected by the others teams, for the fact that we won the division – so, we are, I think, we made improvements in how the organization is looked upon…
“I hope to be here next season, I hope to be here for many years to come.”…
Cliff Floyd, looking forward, while talking with reporters after last night’s loss…
“The positive is that this team is definitely headed in the right direction. Mets fans should definitely be proud of the team, and of what we accomplished this year. It’s bee a great run. It’;s unfortunate it had to end this way, but if you are a Mets fan I would look forward to great things in the near future…
“You gotta give credit to the St. Louis Cardinals for beating a great team, and I look
forward to this team getting, not a lot better, but a little better over the winter and come spring training we’ll be set…
“Hopefully I’m a New York Met. [My goal] is to be healthy and prove to these guys that I can play left field – and if I do that, I would love to come back and play in front of some great fans and a great city.”…
At his blog for MLB.com, Floyd says…
“I want to be a part of this team next year. It’s been frustrating, because I know what I have to offer and I know what I can bring to this team. These guys have been incredible this year, not only on the field but in here, hanging out. It’s been the best team I’ve ever been a part of…
“I know it’s a business and I know that part of it. But I’m going to give them something to think about and get healthy so they can have Cliff in mind when they decide on a team for next year.
“I’m going to work hard to do so, I know that. So keep pulling for ol’ Cliff. I’ll be back.”…
Carlos Beltran, looking forward, while talking with reporters after last night’s loss…
“Next year we’re gonna be a better ballclub, for sure…
“I mean, the front office I know is gonna go out and add more players to this ballclub, and with
what we have, and add a few more we’re gonna be better…
“We’re gonna be in the World Series. We’re gonna get there, we’re gonna get there. I have faith that we’re gonna get there. There are so many good people here, so many good players that have been waiting for this moment and we are gonna accomplish that.”…
…it is almost fitting that it is a dreary, rainy day here in the tri-state this morning…that’s essentially how i feel, too…
…i did not comment much on last night’s game…i just was not up to it…
…however, i have a ton of e-mails, basically asking the same things, which i assume will be the second-guessing that will take place all day today on talk radio, so i guess the best way to recap last night is to just tackle these questions…
“How do Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran not swing the bat in those situations. Take the bat off your shoulder, and take a cut.”…
…wainwright has a zito-like curve ball, which clearly is tough to hit…i mean, i know we don’t want to believe it, as fans, but the kid was just better than floyd and beltran in that spot, simply put…there is no getting around it…
…yes, i want to think, ‘hey, just swing the stick,’ but the hitter also must resist from swinging at a bad pitch, and we need to understand that that curve ball initially looks like a high fastball, because the rotation is so damn tight…in both cases, with two strikes, floyd and beltran dipped their back shoulder, twitching as though the ball was going to be high and in, and once that happens the hitter is rendered useless – he has no choice but to wait and see where the ball lands…it just so happens the ball eventually spun down through the strike zone…
…i can’t blame them, the best hitters in the league have been dealing with this forever…it happens…the game was not lost in these specific two at-bats, i’m sorry to say…
“How can Willie Randolph put Cliff Floyd up to hit a home run and not bunt those runners over in the ninth?”…
…in this situation, i said out loud that i would have put in whomever is most capable of bunting, out of Julio Franco or Chris Woodward, not Anderson Hernandez…i would have preferred to see the mets with second and third and one out with the top of the order, as opposed to the situation they had…but, you know what, there is no guarantee that a bunt gets down, even though we like to play friday-morning quarterback and assume that it would…i mean, i don’t know, maybe woodie and franco have not been bunting well in batting practice…
…therefore, though it’s not how i would have played it, i can live with Willie Randolph, a guy who knows and trusts his players, a guy who rode hunches up through that point, and a guy who looked Cliff Floyd in the eye, gave his hitter a pat on the back and said, ‘go get em.’…sometimes that’s how life works, and if you’re gonna go down sometimes you just gotta go down swinging…it’s not how i would have played it, but i am pretty conservative at heart…clearly, willie is not…you live by the sword and you die by the sword, and i am okay with this because you have to admit, had floyd delivered…wow…
“You pay Billy Wagner all this money, you can’t leave Aaron Heilman in the game – especially tied at home in the ninth.”
…i would have left heilman in, for a few reasons…the first being, the kid has nasty stuff and has been looking strong of late…second, there was a very, very good chance this game goes to extra innings, and they had already used heilman and Chad Bradford, making me comfortable not using wagner so early…third, he was facing Yadier Molina, not Albert Pujols, or even Scott Rolen, i mean, you know as well as i do that the odds of molina hitting a home run in that spot were slim to none…lastly, as good as wagner has been, he has struggled in that type of situation, as recently as a few nights ago when he came in to a tie game in the sixth, in the ninth, and allowed three runs…if i am being honest with myself, i did not like bringing wagner in the game that night, so i cannot have it both ways now and think he should have been pitching in the exact same situation in game seven…
“How did this happen?”…
…to put it bluntly, willie rode a long series of hunches to get to this point – and his last two hunches back-fired…
…lastly, there are times when life gives you an opportunity, and if you do not take advantage of it, life has a funny way of reminding you of how you blew it…for instance, Endy Chavez made what may be among the best catches, given the circumstance, that i have ever seen, which had he not made the cardinals would have been up 3–1…instead, it was ties at one, and the mets created a chance to break that game open and they didn’t…it was there for the taking, and they let it slip away…the cardinals did, however, grab hold of a second chance to take the lead and what did the score end up being, 3–1 – making it like the chavez catch had been whiped away from ever having happened…
…at the end of the day, all i can think about is how this team did not get a hit between the first and ninth innings, yet had what feels like a million base runners itching to cross home plate…the team’s pitching, which had been mocked all week, did it’s absolute best, for as long as it could, with the help of chavez, to allow the offense as many chances to put this game in the team’s pocket and go home and it could not get the job done…and so the season ends, fittingly, with runners on base and a squandered opportunity…
Talking with the media following last night’s season-ending loss, the team’s manager, Willie Randolph, had the following to say 
regarding…
…the decision to leave in Aaron Heilman, as opposed to bringing in Billy Wagner…
“Well, I thought Aaron had a nice eighth inning. He was throwing the ball pretty well. With all the righties coming up, I thought we could get another inning with him and bring in Billy after that.”…
“I’m real proud of Oliver. He did a tremendous job for us. He stepped up and, you know, just gave us more than we expected really, more than a quality start. He’s grown, you’re right. He’s going to be a fine pitcher. He grew up a lot the time he was here with us and hopefully he’ll be back. I’m just real proud of the way he stepped up for us. I had a feeling he would go out and compete the way he did, and he gave us a chance to win the game. He did a great job.”…
…what happened to his team’s offense…
“No, not really. I think you have to just tip your hat to the other club. They pitched real well. Suppan threw two really nice outings for them. We were able to beat Carpenter, he threw the ball well also. Overall you have to tip your hat to good pitching. Dave Duncan is a good pitching coach and obviously they had a nice game plan on some of our hitters and some of our big hitters had a tough time there for a while there…
“I don’t really look at what guys didn’t do what. It’s a team situation. You win championships by collective effort by everyone. So I don’t look at who was 0 for this or 0 for that or 10 for 20 for that matter. Bottom line, it’s a team you play against and their team was a little bit better than us this time around.”…
…how he feels following the loss…
Well, I’m disappointed for our ballclub. I’ve been a part of this a lot of years. When you go out and bust it all year from Spring Training, you’re disappointed, it’s definitely disappointing. I’m real proud of my guys. I say it over and over and over again. Told them many times this year how much I appreciate their resolve and their attitude and the character of this club.
“It stings right now, it’s a good experience for all of us. I think it’s a good experience for the young players to go through this type of drama. We fell short but I think it’s going to be something we can all kind of learn and move on to and feel good about the fact that we’ve come a long way in a short time. But we’ve got a lot of work to do and we’ll get to that next spring. Of course it’s disappointing, but keep your head up and keep going. Told my players to be proud and keep their heads up and just feel good about what they have accomplished this year.”…
It’s not really over, right? There’s another game tomorrow, I think? Of course, it really is over and the Mets will not be back until Feb. 2007 down in Port St. Lucie. Surprisingly, though, I’m not annoyed or upset after the way this season has ended. I’m just disappointed that I will not have a chance to see Mets baseball for another few months.
I stood in my living room last night during the entire game. I nervously waited for Cliff Floyd to get a hit, or Carlos Beltran to create some Roy Hobbs-esque magic in the ninth. It wasn’t to be. After the last out, I clicked off the TV and finally sat down. I started to think about all the fun this season has brought Mets fans. It’s taken a few years to get back to the post-season, but it seemed like much longer.
My mind took a strange trip back to the days of Mo Vaughn and Robbie Alomar; the days of Roger Cedeno attempting to play center field; the nights of Shawn Estes and Jeff D’Amico trotting off the mound after giving up loads of runs. Finally, I thought about every post-game interview where Art Howe told reporters that his team “battled.” The 2006 Mets have come a long way from that.
This season made me appreciate every smile Jose Reyes has painted across his face; it made me happy that we have Paul Lo Duca at the plate and behind it; I’m thrilled we have Endy Chavez, Shawn Green, the Carlos Connection, and David Wright. I’m glad Willie runs the ship and Rick Peterson takes care of the arms.
I loved the way Oliver Perez showed the national media, and some fans, what he is REALLY all about and will be next year. I thought the best gift Anna Benson gave the Mets was John Maine (and El Duque, too).
I will not be watching the World Series, except when the highlights come on. I don’t need to hear any more about Tony LaRussa and Jim Leyland. What I wil do is think back to the great games and great moments from this year.
As a whole, Mets fans are disappointed. But, remember, the Mets will be back… and even better next year.
My fellow Mets fans, I know how horrible you feel right now. I feel it too. Maybe not now, but soon, you’ll be able to look back at this season and smile.
Omar Minaya just appeared on my television and said two things that resonated with me. He was disappointed and said he does not consider it a successful season since we did not win the World Series. I agree with him, because you have to set the highest of goals for this organization if you want to compete at this level, and it shows that the Mets have come a long way from where they were just a few years ago.
The other thing Omar said gave me great hope, and that is that he expected to be back here next year, winning a World Series, and I believe him with every ounce of my being.
It has been a tremendous season, one where the Mets made giant leaps, and we fell just a bit short of our goal. I feel like I died and was brought back to life more times than I can remember this year. I felt every emotion you could imagine along with the rest of you, and isn’t that what its all about?
Don’t let this game ruin an entire season of joy. The great thing about baseball is that we spend all winter talking about what we will do to get back to where we were now, and how we will build to get over this wall we find ourselves hitting right now. And then the spring will return, where life begins again.
Maybe not tonight, but soon, you too will realize, there is so much to look forward to.
You will smile again. We all will. There will come a day when you can look past the pain we are all feeling right now and think back to all the moments of absolute pure joy that this incredible team gave us. You need not look any further than the catch of a lifetime Endy made tonight to remember that joy.
Part of being a Mets fan is having your heart ripped out, but the taste of victory will be that much sweeter when it arrives.
The time will come. Our future is bright. Don’t stop believing.
…as soon as Adam Wainwright‘s curveball broke across home plate, it was like a jolt…like a train had been derailed…the reaction was a blank stare into oblivion, as i guess it should be…to see the Cardinals celebrate the championship of the National League on Shea Stadium’s wet grass just left a bitter taste in my mouth, as i’m sure it did yours…this just wasn’t how it was supposed to go down…not at all…
…clicking off the tv, with my vocal cords already strained from Endy Chavez‘s catch in the sixth inning, i took a minute to sit back and think about the amazing year the mets have given us…
…it was only then that i thought back to a story Willie Randolph relayed to Mike Lupica of the Daily News about a disapointing road trip that saw the Mets drop six in a row to the Braves and Cardinals to all but eliminate them from playoff contention last season:
in St. Louis. And I remember telling him, ‘Remember the taste in your
mouth right now. Remember what it’s like to get knocked down like
this, because it’s not happening next year. Because next year is gonna
be the year when we get over the hurdle.’”…
…i suppose it’s ironic that the cardinals are once again the team that sends the mets out quietly into the night…this same team stood in the way of a division title in 1985…and we all know what happened the following year…
…i think there’s a lot to be proud of with this team…the lack of reliable starting pitching, as was much hyped throughout this series, well, it just didn’t seem to matter over the past two days…in fact, John Maine and Oliver Perez just may have solidified places in the rotation next season…at the same time, i can’t help but think that the offense was pressing…trying to do too much, knowing they don’t have their big horses out on the mound…Endy Chavez is a perfect example of a guy trying to do too much…when he tries to elevate a ball, you just know…and David Wright pulling off the ball…it’s just not the guy we saw play all season…
…and so we’ve come full circle…the cardinals have once again punched the collective mets family in the gut…sure it hurts, it stings like hell, but i remind you to remember this pain…because winning will be all the sweeter…and that’s a promise...
…i just wanted to thank Matthew Cerrone for giving me a chance to contribute on this site…also, i wanted to thank you guys for helping build this great community of mets fans…i’m already looking forward to the hot stove…
The Mets lost to the Cardinals in Game 7 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium tonight…
…a few thoughts…
…oh, Cliff Floyd…i feel for you, man…i hope you know how badly we all wanted it for you…keep your head up, buddy, we’re still proud of you…
…this is really tough to take…
…if i’m being negative, i don’t get on Aaron Heilman, i don’t second guess Willie Randolph or the umpire, i can only look at the team’s offense, which had ample opportunities, and nobody delivered…i mean, a trip to the world series was there for the taking, not just in the ninth, but in the sixth, and at other points, and the team failed at every turn against two very effective, focused pitchers…i mean, i was trying to keep track of how many called third strikes they had, but i lost count…
…if i’m being positive, however, this is a team that won 83 games last season in Year One, and won 97 games this season, in Year Two, essentially without a consistent group of starting pitchers, who got all the way to the final game of the NLCS…what’s more, a the core group of the team will be back, including a great group of youngsters, all under contract, such as David Wright, Jose Reyes, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Carlos Beltran, and others, with a manager and a general manager who want nothing more then to win a ring and will not stop until they do…
…this is going to sting for the next few days, maybe even weeks, but i think in a few weeks when i look back i will find i am very proud of what these guys accomplished…
…tonight, though, i don’t know how to digest this…
…i’ll have more tomorrow, but for now i’m just gonna sleep this off…
