Daily Archives: September 19, 2007
…as cerrone noted earlier today on MetsBlog, if the Mets and Phillies tie for the division title, the teams will play a one-game playoff in Philadelphia…
…however, many of you keep asking what would happen if the Mets and Phillies tied for the division AND with another team for the wild card…
According to a Major League Baseball press release, the following would occur…
“If three clubs finish the season with the same winning percentage and one team will be a division winner and another will be the Wild Card, the games will be played as follows:
- The two teams tied for the division lead will play the one-game tie-breaker, with the winner being declared the Division Champion.
- The losing team will then play the club from the other division for the Wild Card.
…which is pretty much the scenario of death…
Tagged Mike Nichols |
During his interview with WFAN’s Mike and the Maddog, former-Mets hitting coach Rick Down explained that the media essentially notified him that he was fired, not the team.
Down acknowledged Willie Randolph was not happy with the decision.
Meanwhile, according to Down, poor “pitch selection,’ not injury, has been the biggest problem for Jose Reyes this season, adding, “More times than not, Jose is getting himself out on pitches outside of the strike zone.”
Regarding Carlos Delgado, Down believes the first baseman’s talent is simply starting to decline, and, according to Down, Delgado is aware of it. “If you notice his lower half,” Down explained, “Delgado is just late.”
To listen to this entire interview, go to WFAN.com.
Tagged Willie Randolph |…there is an expression in baseball that says, ‘the ball will always find you,’ with regards to trying to hide your worst player in left field, for instance, and when you do, sure enough, the ball is hit to him…or, your team has eight great hitters, but in a clutch spot, it’s your light-hitting bench player who steps to the plate…
…well, that proverbial ball is finding the Mets right now…
…the ball is finding Willie Randolph, whose pragmatic style helped the team to win 80 games, but may now be keeping them from winning more…
…the ball is finding Omar Minaya, who entered the off-season in need of acquiring a big-time pitcher, but couldn’t, because the market would not accommodate…and now, the ball is in John Maine’s hand, or Oliver Perez’s hand, who the team trusted, but who now look tired and worn down from the longest season of their lives…the ball is finding omar’s decisions with the bullpen…he justifiably traded away players who were very much expendable at the time, but could now suddenly be useful, and he was understandably reluctant to part with top prospects for bullpen help at the trade deadline…
…the ball is finding this team’s dependence on older players, with Orlando Hernandez going down with a foot injury, and Moises Alou coming up lame, again, with a tweaked quad muscle…
…and with just 12 games left, there is no place to run and there is no place to hide…
…however, the good news is Tom Glavine, and his leadership, sense of self and consistency…the good news is David Wright, who is among the best all-around players in baseball…it’s Paul Lo Duca, who is working as hard, and cares more than any other player on the team…it’s Pedro Martinez, who never quits…it’s the fight of Marlon Anderson…it’s the energy of Endy Chavez…it’s even the experience of willie, who has weathered more September storms than the rest of the team combined…and, lastly, it’s me and you, and the thousands of fans who still believe…
…in the end, if the ball finds this team’s weakness, and they drop it and they lose, well, they will have all earned the loss…if, instead, they rise to the occasion, and lead with their strengths, i.e., ‘the tough get going,’ and that includes us, in the final seven games of the season at home, well, then they’ll win, and they will have earned that too, despite a few distant bumps in the road…
…either way, i’ll be watching…and believing…
On Sunday’s edition of NYMetsCast.com’s podcast, I was interviewed by Mike Rudner and 
SNY.tv’s Ted Berg about the state of the Mets, as well as the history and reach of MetsBlog.com.
To listen to the entire 30–minute discussion, about both the team and MetsBlog, go to NYMetsCast.com.
However, to listen to only the 12–minute talk about MetsBlog, use the audio player in this left sidebar.
Tagged MetsBlog |At Beer Leaguer, a great Phillies blog, Jason Weitzel writes, among other things…
“It’s funny how of all the nutty developments, the
Mets’ freefall has been the most predictable. They’re beaten down and exposed, nobody more than John Maine, who squandered a big lead yesterday. Time will tell whether the one left standing in the NL East will be the better team, or the one saved by the bell.”
…the better team…ugh…
…you know, it’s starting to really feel like a race, and the Mets are running in mud, reaching for the finish line, watching the clock, waiting, praying, they can just hold on long enough to with stand a charging, faster Phillies team…
Meanwhile PhilliesBlog.net is goofing on SNY’s Gary Cohen.
Tagged Phillies |Former-Mets hitting coach Rick Down will be a guest on WFAN’s Mike and the Maddog around 2 pm today.
…oh, man…now, this should be interesting…
SNY’s Keith Hernandez will be a guest on the same show at 4:00 pm, followed by Willie Randolph at 5:00 pm.
To listen, go to WFAN.com.
…ordinarily, i always encourage you to listen or read certain items, but, seriously, outside of these three interviews, i would avoid Mike and the Maddog like the plague today…they’re going to do their best to get you all worked up, get under your skin, get you mad, and drive you as close to insanity as they can…so, if you do listen, be careful…
Starting with tonight’s game against the Nationals, the Mets have 12 games remaining this season; while the Phillies have 11.
Here are a few notes about both teams remaining schedule.
Mets
- Home Games: 7 (Nationals, Marlins & Cardinals)
- Road Games: 5 (Nationals & Marlins)
- Combined Winning Percentage of Remaining Opponents: .449
- Record Versus Remaining Opponents: 20-11
Phillies
- Home Games: 6 (Braves & Nationals)
- Road Games: 5 (Cardinals & Nationals)
- Combined Winning Percentage of Remaining Opponents: .478
- Record Versus Remaining Opponents: 20-14
…i said the following on july 17…
…in my opinion, 90 is the magic number to win the national league east…
…for the Mets to get to 90 wins, they need to go 7-5…to tie 90 wins, the Phillies must go 8-3 – or 9-2 to overtake the Mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |…i am getting word from readers telling me that fans 
are starting to get their potential post-season tickets in the mail, which they were able to purchase way in advance having had a regular-season ticket plan
…ugh…it’s bad enough we have Yankees fans and Phillies fans taunting us, not the post office is taunting us, as well…
…the season has gone from a marathon to a sprint, and the Mets have a one-and-a-half second headstart…throughout the entire season of ups and downs, i have tried to remain optimistic …despite the losing, the Mets have been hitting well…i expected the Phillies to be close come season end…the Mets have been in first place for the majority of the year, and don’t forget that the Cardinals won the world series last season…
…but, with the way the Mets pitching has been of late, i have finally allowed a shred of doubt to creep in as to whether or not their season truly ‘has come’…i still remain confident that they will make the playoffs, but i question how far a team with sub-par pitching can advance…Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling combined to pitch six games in the 2001 world series for a reason, because pitching wins championships…this is why i’m worried…
…since September 11, the Mets collective 7.73 ERA just isn’t going to cut it…something has to happen, and this something has to happen on the mound…right now…
…from August 31 to September 10, the Mets had won nine out of ten so it is hard to gauge what will happen in the coming weeks…but one thing i do know…it’s going to continue to be a wild ride, just as it has been all season long…
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |ESPN.com is asking thier readers, “Which New York team is most likely to win it’s division?”
Currently after 35,678, 59% of voters think the Mets are most likely to win their division.
…i was one of those 59%…are the Mets struggling, yeah, but i’m not about to lose faith in my team…i mean, let’s be honest, is it nerve racking and frustrating, of course, but i believe in this team…many teams before them have faltered down the stretch and gone on to succeed in the playoffs…
…yeah, i know, most of you don’t want to hear about the past, but you have to grab all the positives you can at this point…
…and remember, ‘your season has come’…until that third out comes along and ends the Mets season, i’m gonna keep believing my season has come…
Tagged Mike Nichols | ← Older postsNewer posts →
