Daily Archives: September 3, 2007
In Newsday, David Lennon explains how a little late-inning, on-the-mound advice Paul Lo Duca helped Billy Wagner re-group and get out yesterday’s game.
…wagner’s fastall did come alive towards the end of the ninth inning yesterday…it was actually the best it looked all season…
…oh, by the way, lets go Braves, who play the second-place Phillies in atlanta over the next three days…
In the Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch does a fantastic job, as usual, describing the influence Pedro Martinez has on the Mets locker room, and his adding ingredient for the team’s recipe for success.
Klapisch writes…
“The Mets have been on Pedro time all weekend, listening to him joking, laughing, making the clubhouse his again…
“‘We are DANGEROUS,’ he shouted in the postgame clubhouse, a proclamation that was intended for the Braves, the Reds and everyone else from here to October.”
…i mean, he brings such a comfortable confidence it is amazing to me…it’s his bulldog, toughen up, let’s do this, i believe, type attitude and it is infectious…hell, i feel it, and i’m not even on the team…basically, in addition to being a good pitcher, he is the ultimate cheerleader, it seems…it’s like, ‘wow, if pedro believes in me, i can do anything,’ i guess…
…in some ways, pedro is ya gotta believe…
Prior to yesterday’s game, Willie Randolph told reporters that he will decide whether to start Orlando Hernandez this weekend after watching him throw a bullpen in the next few days.
…if el duque can’t pitch, Mike Pelfrey will likely get a follow-up start to his gem a few days ago against the Braves…
In the New York Post, Mike Vaccarro makes a case for David Wright as National League MVP.
Billy Wagner, as quoted by Vaccarro…
“The guy is amazing, he really is. He struggled early in the year and there was all kinds of panic, all kinds of ‘What’s wrong with David?’ but let me
tell you this with certainty: There’s nothing wrong being David Wright.”
From opening day this season through May 6, spanning 117 at-bats, Wright was hitting .239 with two HR and 11 RBI in 30 games played – at which point the Mets were tied for first with the Braves.
Since, he is batting .338 with 51 extra base hits and 78 RBI in 106 games., including a .428 OBP.
Wright, as quoted by Vaccarro…
“There are guys with crazy, sick, ludicrous numbers in our game. Those are MVP-caliber players. I’m not one of those guys. If I’m a leader on this team, a guy who helps us win, that’s all I really care about. That’s all I really want.”
…for me it was the final game in Philadelphia…yes, the team lost, but they fought back twice, once down 5–0, then down 8–5, and wright led the charge…emotionally…and physically…it had been happening slowly over the previous month, as players such as Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes continued to be quiet and inconsistent…wright, however, remained steady and strong…and in that final game in philly, it felt as though he was trying to will his team to victory, which he nearly pulled off…most important, it didn’t end there…it carried in to atlanta, with a sweep of the Braves…
Check out the following photo, from the Associated Press, which is priceless.
…the best part is the Braves fan in red, standing just over the Mets fans left shoulder…
