Daily Archives: August 30, 2007
In Newsday, Kan Davidoff wonders who will be the Mets ‘hero,’ or, who on the Mets will ‘step up,’ as they finish off a four-game set in Philadelphia.
Carlos Delgado, as quoted by Davidoff…
“Anybody can do it, at any particular time…It’s just a matter of guys getting hot at the right time and things happening in front of you, guys getting on…
“When a guy’s swinging good, you get a guy on, he’s gonna drive him in.”
…this quote disturbs me a bit…i understand what he’s saying, i just don’t like it…i respect Willie Randolph and his even-keel, ups-and-downs, pragmatic, big picture approach…i think it’s a wise approach in May, or June…but, right now, with the clock ticking very, very loudly at the end of the August, with 30 or so games left, i’m not sure being pragmatic is smart…
…look at delgado’s words…anybody can do it…any particular time…the right time…etc…umm, hello, guys, now is the time…you’re playing the second-place team in your division…what are you waiting for…
…willie’s pragmatism certainly helps smooth out and support the long and rocky baseball season…no doubt…it’s an outstanding quality, and the best part of his managerial style…however, when the chips are on the table, and a leader is needed, it often feels like 
his team takes a wait-and-see approach, and i fear that may be the downside to his managerial style…
…as a visual, i imagine the entire team sitting on the bench, shoulder to shoulder, looking to their left, to their right, waiting for some other teammate to step up and lead the charge…it’s like nobody wants to be that guy, because they just assume some one else will do it…then, nine innings later, they’ve lost and look lethargic doing so…and we, the fans, get upset…
This is just a reminder that Mr. Met is a nominee for the Mascot Hall Of Fame.
To vote for Mr. Met, go to mascothalloffame.com. Voting ends on September 6th.
…the local
san antonio media has been pressing people to vote for the
spurs’ coyote who is the current leader…
…when voting, make
sure to enter lower case letters in the text verification area to make
it easier…vote now, and vote often…
In his most recent edition of Future Shock, at Baseball Prospectus, Kevin Goldstein lists Mets 18–year-old OF Fernando Martinez as the seventh-best center field prospect in baseball, writing…
“Martinez’s prospect stock has taken a major hit this year, but it
really seems like people are suddenly too down on him. Yes, he didn’t do much at Double-A, but those numbers are hardly embarrassing, and when you consider the fact that Martinez is as old as most of this year’s high school draftees and was playing with a hand injury all year, the numbers suddenly become pretty impressive. The biggest knock against Martinez is an accurate one–-there’s no way he can play center field, and he doesn’t have the arm for right. This year may have been a lost season for Martinez, but at the same time, at his age he can definitely afford at least one mulligan.”
Yesterday, at his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman continued his Awards Wednesday 
series, by listing who he feels to be the current leaders, if the season ended today, in the race for Cy Young, MVP, and so on.
According to Sherman, if the season ended today, Mets 3B David Wright would be the National League MVP, while RHP Guillermo Mota leads his list for National League Anti-Cy Young Award.
According to MiLB.com, Mets RHP Joe Smith has been put on the minor-league disabled list with ‘arm fatigue.’
Smith has not pitched in 10 days.
While pitching in Triple-A, he allowed two runs on six hits while walking four and striking out five through eight innings.
On Monday morning, the Mets led the Phillies by six games for first place in the National League East.
Today, the Mets lead by three, having lost three of three to the Phillies in Citizen’s Bank Park this week.
The two teams meet this afternoon in the final game of the four-game series.
Willie Randolph, on the losing, while talking to reporters after last night’s game…
“Well, we always have to give credit to them for pitching well. I mean, you can’t always figure those things out. We usually swing the bat well here. Give them credit for pitching well, and us maybe being a little flat offensively…That’s how the game goes some times; ups and downs.”
…well, as i wrote yesterday, technically, the Mets only need to win one game in this series, which would keep them four games up on the Phillies come Friday morning…i mean, personally, i only get antsy and worried when the lead is cut to less than three, because that is a number that can be mowed down in one single series…four games, for whatever reason, keeps me comfortable…
Lastings Milledge hit .316 in his first 98 at-bats after being activated from the disabled list on July 12.
However, over the last two weeks, Milledge is batting .216 with one extra base hit, while striking out roughly 40 percent the time.
…he’s a rookie, and it’s the cat-and-mouse game is on…they challenged him with fastballs, and he hit them…now, he’s getting a steady diet of breaking balls out of the strike zone and he can’t resist chasing them…
…from what i can gather, milledge is aware of how teams are pitching him…he’s just not showing the proper restraint or adjustment…
Down one run in the ninth last night, with one out, with Endy Chavez on third and Marlon Anderson at first, Shawn Green hit a slow roller to Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins, who rushed forward, picked up the ball, made a soft toss to 2B Tadihito Iguchi, who was taken out by a sliding Anderson, who used his hands to push Iguchi to the ground, and, as such, the runner was ruled out on the force, and Anderson was called out for interference to end the game.
What’s worse, Green most likely would have been safe, with or without Anderson’s efforts, and the game 
would have been tied.
Rule 6.05 (m), according to the always-cryptic MLB Rule Book:
“A batter is out when a preceding runner shall, in the umpire’s judgment, intentionally interfere with a fielder who is attempting to catch a thrown ball or to throw a ball in an attempt to complete any play…The objective of this rule is to penalize the offensive team for deliberate, unwarranted, unsportsmanlike action by the runner in leaving the baseline for the obvious purpose of crashing the pivot man on a double play, rather than trying to reach the base. Obviously this is an umpire’s judgment play.”
…obviously…i love that they add obviously…cracks me up…anyways, as you’ll see below, the Mets will argue that marlon touched the base, and by that it should not be interference…however, no place in the rule does it ever mention touching the base…it’s all about judgment…and, let’s be honest, marlon’s action was shady…sorry…the umpire was correct…
…frankly, my bigger complaint is, in that situation, why is green batting…where is Ruben Gotay, who is faster and a better hitter at this point…there’s no lock that gotay gets a hit, but he’s far more capable of beating out a double play, which is the major concern in that spot…to me, the error is green…
Willie Randolph, on the play, while talking to reporters after last night’s loss…
“Well, he didn’t exactly say why he was out. I mean, obviously, he thought there was some kind of obstruction, I guess. I said to him very plainly, ‘Marlon had his feet on the base.’ Usually when you go out of your way they usually call that. But, it was a good hard slide; it’s baseball…
“There was no doubt that the slide was hard, but he slide in to the base and was able to touch the whole base with his foot and his body. So, that’s, (pause), that’s unfortunate in a game like that…He slide in to him hard and late, but that was the intent: to obstruct the double play…
“The whole thing for me is that if you go out of your way where you can’t touch the base then it’s obstruction. I’ve been a part of that. That rule was kind of made for me and that play when I had that play with Hal McRae; that was a rolling body block. He slide late and hard, but he went in to the base and that’s good.”
Anderson, talking to reporters after the game…
“As far as I know, as long as I’ve been playing in the major leagues, that was a pretty routine slide. You know you play hard, guys come in hard to second base all of the time; it’s part of the game. As long as you can touch the bag, you didn’t do anything wrong…
“Nothing seems to shock me these days. I know nothing was wrong. I knew it shouldn’t have been a double play, but at the same time we have to abide by the rule of the umpire…but, he wouldn’t give me any explanation…
“I’ve played second base in this league for years, and guys have come in on me much harder than that…It’s unfortunate…You’ve got two top-of-the-division teams and for the game to turn out like that from that call it’s unfortunate.”
Joe West, the chief umpire, after the game…
“Marlon Anderson went after the second baseman to break up the double play, and the intention of the rule is interference rule. He did not and could not reach the bag, which he argued, which has no bearing on it at all, because you went out of your way to interfere with the play that creates the interference…
“He made a great call. I’ve sat and watched the replay three or four times and it was great call. It was a gutsy call in a tough game where both guys are fighting for the pennant, and I give him credit for making the correct call…
“He went after the guy with his hands. I mean, he didn’t make any attempt to touch the bag, he went to push the fielder and that is as much interference as anything else…
“When they go back and watch the film they’ll see there is no way he could have touched the bag…and I’m sure when t he Mets look back on this they’ll say he made the right call.”
…i just can’t be all too worked up over this…i mean, a) i think it’s pretty clear that marlon was wrong in what he did, and b) if the Mets were not sleep walking through the previous 26 innings, i’m not sure we’d even be having this discussion…guys, wake up…this is getting ridiculous…
