Daily Archives: August 14, 2007
According to Evan Drellich, at the beat-writer’s blog for the Press & Sun Bulletin, Mets Double-A RHP Lino Urdanteta is still surprised he was suspended for using steroids.
Urdaneta, as quoted by Drellich…
“I was really surprised with that test. They can test me any time they want – I don’t use any substance. I know, I believe in myself.”
As Drellich points out, Urdaneta is a free agent at the end of the season and would like to remain with the Mets.
…let me just say how proud i am of evan, who started blogging with MetsBlog a few months ago, yet also does great work filling in for Brian Moritz at the P&SB…
…great work, buddy, on both fronts…
Over the Mets Minor League Report, Toby Hyde recaps yesterday’s Mets minor-league action…
Among other comments, Hyde writes of strong performances by LHP Willie Collazo, who pitched four scoreless innings in relief of Mike Pelfrey during a win for Triple-A New Oreleans; and 20–year-old 3B Jose Jiminez, who was 3-4 with two doubles and a home run in a win for Low-A Kingsport.
…toby provides a mets minor league report after each night’s action…thanks, toby…
The 26–year-old Collazo is 5–2 with a 2.23 ERA in 42 relief appearances in Triple-A this season. He has struck out 44 batters, while walking 10, through 68.2 innings pitched, during which opponents are hitting .241 against him.
To subscribe to the email newsletter of Hyde’s Mets Minor League Report, sign up via Google Groups.
On today’s edition of The MetsBlog Podcast, I talked with SNY’s Ron Darling about playing baseball in New York, Rick Peterson’s pros and cons, his definition of ‘command,’ John Maine, 
Oliver Perez, and the team’s bullpen.
To listen my talk with Darling, click play in the audio player featured in MetsBlog’s left column.
To read a transcript of the interview, see below.
By the way, tonight, SNY will be hosting a Viewing Party, complete with Darling, ticket give-aways, raffles and drink specials, starting at 6:30 pm at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Times Square.
…i will be going to the event, along with a few other Mets bloggers, so if you spot in my metsblog t-shirt please say hello…
Otherwise, to subscribe to The MetsBlog Podcast, and receive new and old editions directly to your iPod, use this url, or simply search MetsBlog on iTunes and click 
subscribe.
During my discussion with Darling, he had the following to say regarding…
…why one player succeeds in New York, and another does not…
“I think it’s part of your make-up, too, you know, there’s insides there…and, honestly, it doesn’t mean, because a person succeeds in New York, that makes them a better person – it probably makes them a worse person, you know what I mean, because there’s a mental toughness and thickness that you have to have to play in this town. Players are much more sensitive than in my day.
“But, that being said, there is much more out there written about them, and talked about them, than ever in my day. I don’t think a team like the 80s Mets could exist in a day like this, because, you know, that team enjoyed themselves and I think it would have made for great fodder for blogs – and people in general – and I think it would have really been a little too much information for everybody, you know.”
…John Maine and Oliver Perez, and whether they are a bit burned out…
“I think it’s a little of that…secondly, they’re reaching for places they have not been in a long time. John Maine has never been in the 12-win, searching-to-go 16-7 kind of year. That becomes quite a burden to carry…that becomes very heavy stuff for a pitcher sometimes. And, I think, they go through, it’s not burn out, it’s more, “Boy, I’m having quite a year, can I keep this up,” you know what I mean…
“I’m only speaking for myself, but in my rookie year I won nine games in the first half, and I was like, “Boy, 9 X 2 = 18,” but it doesn’t work that way. You have to be just as good in the second half as I was in the first half and I wasn’t, and I only ended up winning 12 games. I think that’s the kind of thing that goes through your head as young pitcher…and I think what is happening to them is they got to a place where, maybe they were looking ahead a little bit, maybe they were just thinking that if we just go out there and do their work that everything would just take care of itself, and it isn’t like that.
“You throw on the side, you throw in between starts and then when you go in to the game it’s a dogfight…pitching is like that when you’re doing it the right way. You do your work, you do your pitching on the side, but when the game starts you bite that guys head off to get a win and get your team a win. And I think that’s a little of what they’ve been lacking lately.
“Rick Peterson makes them so heady about how to get the job done, and I think that’s unbelievable, and I’m a huge Peterson fan, but the reality is that Tom Glavine wins games now on just having huge balls – that’s how he wins games. So, I think what Maine and Perez have to understand and realize is that, I think it’s great that you’re hitting your arm slot and I think it’s great that you have all three pitches, but when the game starts it’s a fight and the person who has the most fight, especially during these days in August, those are the guys who have the superb seasons – the other guys, they end up going six starts without a win…It’s great to work on the side and have all your stuff, but once the game starts you’ll run over the third-base coach if you have to just to get a win.”
…what he means when he talks about pitchers and command, or managing an inning…
“First and third, no outs, you know what Tom Glavine will do, he’ll invoke a ground ball, he’ll get a double play, he’s giving up a run instead of three runs. I like when Perez and Maine don’t have that frenetic look on their face when things get troublesome, and they just calm down and just make pitches and realize what the situation is…
“Just managing an inning, commanding an inning, just trying to do the things that are right to get out of the inning…and if you do that, the percentages for you coming out on top are better than if you just kind of haphazardly hope your talent does it.”
…the importance of velocity…
“I think over the course of a season if you see a young pitcher’s velocity go down, it tells me he has a tired arm – and that might tell you as a manager that, you know what, I may need to bump him a start and throw someone else in there and just give him eight or nine days, have a couple of nice bullpen sessions, and maybe just clear him mentally of the pressure of having to go out there.”
…Willie Randolph, and motivating veterans…
“Well, I think there has been some disappointing play from some of his best players, and when that happens you could be the best motivator in the world, and – you know, for most of the year, Carlos Delgado has hit below .225. So, how do you motivate Carlos Delgado? You don’t. He’s been around 15 years. So, at this point, he’s his own coach. So, Willie has no control of that.”
…this year’s bullpen compared to last year’s bullpen…
“Last year, Darren Oliver and Chad Bradford gave [the bullpen] a toughness that I don’t see as much this year. Now, are the guys pitching in the bullpen tough? Yeah, they’re tough, but I think the leadership that Oliver and Bradford had in that bullpen was invaluable. I think they just have been around, they were very calm and cool personalities and I think over the course of a long season that is very important in a bullpen.
“To have every one down there frenetic about when they’re gonna pitch, and jumping up and down, it makes every one nervous, you know. And Bradford, with his southern kind of charm, and Darren Oliver, with his northern-California cool, I think they were great for that bullpen. Joe Smith, for a couple of months, was better than Bradford, but Bradford did it all year and that’s the only difference. So, they miss those guys, and though they have guys just as talented, I think they miss that kind of cool demeanor of those guys in the bullpen.”
By the way, Steve is back blogging about the Mets at The Eddie Kranepool Society, after a four-month hiatus, which followed three-and-a-half years of non-stop writing.
…steve started his blog at nearly the exact same time as me, during the winter of 2003, and i got worried a bit when i noticed he was no longer posting…glad to see him back on the horse…
In the Bergen Record, citing ‘one source,’ Steve Popper writes that the Mets are not interested in acquiring A’s DH Mike Piazza, who reportedly has cleared waivers.
…two things, from what i can gather, a) if piazza could still catch, which is technically what the Mets would need him for, the A’s would be using him as a 
catcher, and they’re not, so what does that tell you, and b) the Mets disinterest in piazza has less to do with mike and more to do with the team having faith that Ramon Castro will be able to catch in a pinch, and trusting Mike DiFelice and Sandy Alomar Jr. as suitable in-house options…
Speaking of the Bergen Record, be sure to check The Record SportsCast, a weekly podcast discussing New York sports, featuring Popper, Bob Klapisch and others.
…the word from shea is that Marlon Anderson will re-join the team today in Pittsburgh, after spending a few days on the bereavement list tonight…
Mets RHP Pedro Martinez will make his second minor-league rehab start with the Gulf Coast League Mets at noon this afternoon in Port St. Lucie.
In his first start, five days ago, Martinez allowed five runs, including two home runs, and six hits in three innings.
…from what i can gather, the Mets will be watching to see a) how he improves on his velocity, i.e., hopefully he hits 88 mph a few times, and b) how does he command his off-speed pitches, which will c) indicate how well he truly recovered and improved form his first start…
In the Star-Ledger, Jeremy Cothran pens a great column about Lastings Milledge, while comparing and contrasting his style of enthusiasm 
to Jose Reyes.
Ultimately, Cothran asks…
“Where do you draw the line in baseball between players who have fun and players who take it too far?”
Willie Randolph, as quoted by Cothran…
“Jose is just as demonstrative as Lastings is, but Jose also has three (full) years under his belt.”
…right, i mean, i don’t know that there is a line…i think it’s all relative to the action, the score, the player’s status, and so on…
Milledge, as quoted by Cothran…
“Even though it’s a job, you’ve got to have fun…It’s a long, long season…
“I tried being not as exciting. Kind of chill mode. That’s not me. I never played the game like that growing up….
“If anyone’s going to knock on me for having fun, they also have to know it’s what I do. They’re going to have to accept it.”
…to me, like most things in life, it’s all about understanding the consequence of your actions and weighing the risk and reward…look, if milledge is gonna have fun, and by that i mean potentially show up the opposition, then he must understand he and teammates may suffer for it physically…and that’s just the way it is…if he, and his teammates, and manager, are cool with this, then i’m all for it, because i enjoy his style and i think his attitude can be good for this team – of course, to do that, he must actually be in the lineup, willie, but that’s a different matter altogether…
By the way, be sure to check out Cothran’s blog about the Mets, which he write with Don Burke for the Star-Ledger.
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