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…this stinks…it really does…i’ll write more tomorrow, but before i shut it down for the day, let me just say how disappointed i am…
…i was painfully disappointed in 1988, when the Mets lost to the Dodgers in the NLCS; and i was painfully disappointed during 1999’s NLCS, when after a miraculous come back against the Braves in Game 5, they lost in Game 6; and i was disappointed last season, after Endy Chavez’s outstanding catch, and with momentum on their side, the Mets layed up and squandered yet another NLCS…
…this time, they didn’t even get the 
opportunity…
…this year, they had a seven-game lead with just over two weeks of baseball left to play…instead of seizing the opportunity, they lost 12 of their final 17 games, to finish with one more loss on the year than the Phillies, who saved their bad play for April and May, instead of September and June, like the Mets, and such is baseball…every game counts…and so the Mets played one additional bad game…one game, some place between April 1 and September 31, and they will not get to the post-season because of it…
…as you know, i never lost faith, actually…for whatever reason, unlike the previous let downs, i never doubted that this team would lose…yet they did…and i think that’s what makes this so hard to accept…
…in the end, i believe this current group of players got a bit sloth like through much of the summer, and those bad actions became habit and spilled over in to crunch time…i hesitantly blame Willie Randolph, because while i respect his confidence and believe it is ultimately a good thing, i suspect it may also have helped to create a sense of entitlement that morphed in to a sense of apathy, which led to the team’s uninspired play…ultimately, however, i mostly fault the players, who are professionals, and yet who actually went on record as acknowledging their malaise, like Carlos Delgado, who in early September told reporters, “We’ve got so much talent, I think sometimes we get bored.”…there’s nothing worse than wasted talent unfortunately, a price will be paid for this disappointment, and that’s what i am most disappointed about…
…i like these guys…i have enjoyed cheering for them…and, for the most part, they have been a ton of fun to watch…i liked the smiles, the hi-five dances, the walk-off wins, the celebrations, the quirkiness, the SI covers, and the electricity that we saw so much of over the last two seasons…but, because of the last 30 days, that is all going to change now…
…this team almost certainly cannot return in its current form…when you think about it, ever since Carlos Beltran’s strike out in Game 7 of last season’s NLCS, this team has done nothing but retreat, and i don’t know how the same group of men can re-group after all that disappointment and unfulfilled potential…this is not to say they must rebuild, not at all, but the general dynamic of this team will need to change…there are people who need to go, and who that will be remains to be seen…
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Well, I bet there will be another SI cover for the team.
Lol, thanks Wyoming Met, that gave me a chuckle. I needed that!
Bittersweet,
You’re gonna be the death of me.
I dont want you, but I need you.
I love you and hate you at the very same time.
A little Mets Haiku:
Today’s little tease
Yet another disaster
The ‘07 Mets
this sucks. The 15,000+ in the facebook group are all calling for Willie’s head.
Global New York Mets
Matt,
Thanks for all the work you have done and helping us to live viacariously (sp?) through the team!
Excellent job Matt, wish we could say the same for the Mets…
Matt,
I could not agree more. Great job this season.
Piling on: Staying positive and giving a ton of fans a forum to vent/celebrate/bs, etc. Thanks, and congrats to Matt and the whole staff.
Who is ready for the Gary Carter Era?
I’m dissapointed of course.. but lets face it, they wern’t going far into the playoffs. Last year was so different, you were pumped up about the mets even before they got into the playoffs.. this year they just trudged along.. didn’t really impress anyone. It was a lackluster year and they got exactly what they paid for..
Better luck next year, maybe when we don’t have so many old guys
I definetly agree with bringing Gary Carter to coach the Mets. We’ve been watching this guy coach the Mets with no emotion. People in NY without emotion are the ones no one likes. Not even Joe Torre is liked because of his approach, but he wins because of the over abundance of talent on the team. We want Bobby V or Lou Pinella, anyone notice any similarities. I can’t stomach another season with Willie running the team. We give kudos to managers with over achieving teams, but some fans want to blame Omar for a losing team. You can’t complain about the hand your dealt. You have to go out and win. It doesn’t matter how you do it just get the job done. New Yorks loves characters L.T., Joe Namath, Pedro, the 86 Mets, Bill Parcells and so on. No one likes the soft spoken leaders, Art Howe, Don Chaney, Herm Edwards, Joe Torre’s of the world.
Yeah, because Dallas Green worked out swimmingly.
Look, let’s just hire a manager who is smart, has a winning baseball philosophy, and can motivate his guys.
You can’t criticize Torre. You just can’t. He has won a ton.
LaRussa isn’t a psycho and he’s in the playoffs every season.
Gary Carter is all wrong – - he’s a press-hound. a glory hog, an egomaniac. His teammates didn’t even like him. They thought he was a joke. Terrible idea. Next . . .
Fine, how about Hojo? Or god forbid, Keith?
Nobody complained about Bill Parcells, but you want to complain about Gary. What’s the worst that can happen. At least when the team loses i know something will be broken. Just like Reyes not running yesterday and Willie didn’t say anything to him. I want someone to rip him and not just stare. I’ll take anyone over Willie.
Just to clarify – I am not saying I want Willie gone or Gary as manager. I just think that Willie can’t possibly survive the offseason of questioning that the Wilpons will get about what went wrong, and we all know Omar isn’t going anywhere.
As far as Carter as manager, I think he would be a cheap guy (while the Wilpons cut checks to Art Howe AND Wille next year) that the media and fanbase would embrace (at least early on). So he’s my odds-on favorite if Willie gets the ax.
Agree-but only if Gary still has the perm.
i dont believe willie should be fired but something big has to happen and thats the only thing i can think of.
this team has so much talent, its a shame they couldnt make something of it.
i just dont know how we can improve for next year.
c- its either lo duca, castro or ivan rodriguez at catcher. i rather have lo duca back
1b- no matter what people say, delgado will be back at 1st
2b- i dont think we can get much better than castillo at 2nd
ss- reyes, no way he gets traded so no one bring that up
3b- wright
LF- Alou, i want him back, this guy knows how to hit.
CF- beltran
RF- people want milledge to start but we must use him and the otehr prospects to acquire a big time pitcher.
SP- Acquire an Ace, pedro, maine, perez and humber/pelfrey or humber
RB- Must sign/acquire a lock down setup man
Players that you can trade away to acquire a a shut down setup man and Ace:
1) milledge or gomez 2) heilman 3) 2 of mulvey humber and pelfrey
Yeah, we have to resign LoDuca and Castro. There just aren’t any better options at catcher. The question will be about the years on the contracts.
I think Reyes will come back strong next year, he is going to have a fire lit under during the offseason.
I also agree with keeping Castillo, though, again, like the catching situation it will be about the years on the deals.
Despite the frequent time off he acquires, I want Alou back too.
Again, agree on the pitching stuff. It will take a trade to get someone since there are really no good free agent starters.
No LoDuca he’s too predictable behind the plate, plus he sets up way to early. I wonder why everyone was hitting the crap out of the ball when someone was on second. They stole on him like we had Mike Piazza behind the plate. I’ll take Castro over him any day.
LoDuca has to go. And there is no way I want Pudge either. Castillo shouldn’t be resigned either. He played hard for us, but he is on the decline.
Let’s sign Javier Valentin to split time with Castro behind the plate. He swings the bat well from the left side and they would complement each other nicely, and they provide solid D.
Let Gotay start at 2b and bring in a Pokey Reese type RH hitter with a nice glove to come off the bench and spell him against tough lefties.
Milledge needs to be our starting RF.
Wright, Milledge, Beltran, Reyes, Maine, and Perez should be our only untouchable. Everyone else is tradeable. Even Fernando Martinez.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…..if Reyes is the name that gets a conversation going with the Twins about Santana, then that has to be considered. This team needs a bonafide number one starter who can eat up innings. Santana is that and more. He is young. He’s going to be a free-agent after next year. The Twins probably can’t afford him. The Mets don’t have enough prospects to entice them. Unless……….
…unless you consider moving an all-star shortstop who while leading the league in steals, also led the league in the single greatest rally-killing stat of them all: caught stealing. A man who regressed in the field. A man who had maybe one triple in the last quarter of the season. A man who’s understanding of all facets of the game seems to be regressing.
Reyes and a Twin’s choice of Maine; Humber; or Pelfrey. If that gets a conversation going you HAVE to pursue it.
The lack of a number one starter who gives you innings helped destroy the Met’s bullpen this year. We don’t have one coming up from the minors.
You don’t trade Reyes for a 30 year older especially when you have no back up SS. As much frustrating Reyes has been you can’t trade him nor Maine after what he did Saturday.
Santana is 28 years old and enterring his prime.
Reyes is 23 years old and may not have a prime you can build around.
The problems the mets have had over the past month have not been their offense. Today and Friday nights notwithstanding they’ve been scoring a ton of runs with almost zero help from Reyes.
….and one strong performance from Maine does not cover up an absolutely mediocre second half of the year.
This team needs a stud number one starter. They can live with a good-field, no-hit shortstop.
You’d be a fool to ignore this opportunity. Now, I’ve also said before I don’t know whether Minny even needs or wants a shortstop. But its the only realistic chit the Mets have.
…..and there’s something about Reyese (aside from all of the pop-ups and strikeouts in the second half) that just spells “TROUBLE” to me.
you don’t trade a guy when his value is down, period. trading a locked up reyes for a possible 1-year rental is silly. who bats leadoff for this team? w/out him we’ll have another manager who doesn’t like to run and we’ll be too passive on the bases and not steal any bases. as much as reyes has been off lately you just can’t trade him.
Reyes’ value may never be higher than it is right now.
…and a Santana trade is predicated on being able to sign him.
Who bats leadoff for this team? I would suggest that anyone would have done a better job than Reyes has done over the past two months. And don’t get too enamored by 78 stolen bases when you get caught stealing over 20 times (that is a remarkably powerful stat when it comes to figuring out why so many Met rallies died on the vine).
trading the 23 yo 2nd coming of Rickey Henderson b/c of a two-month slump would be just plain stupid. who’s our shortstop next year? I can understand you’re down on Reyes right now but you have to look at the big picture.
The big picture is that we need a number one starter and there’s not one coming up in our minor league system.
Guys, we’re talking about the third best short stop IN THEIR OWN DIVISION!
…..one who’s attitude; work ethic; and baseball savvy are all open to question.
…and I’m not talking about giving him away. I’m talking about using him as a chit for arguably the best picher in baseball.
You’re being ridiculous. “also led the league in the single greatest rally-killing stat of them all: caught stealing.” Yeah, because he leads the league in stealing attempts. That’s how that works.
He has a better SB% than Hanley Ramirez, slightly lower than Jimmy Rollins, but he stole way more often. Jimmy Rollins had a career season and Reyes had a down one, but Reyes is still a FAR better fielder than Hanley Ramirez, and a better fielder than Rollins with only 4 fielding errors on the season (Rollins had 11). He had 8 throwing errors on the season, but it looks to me like this:
Reyes is still a young hothead, and the bs with Olivo the other day is evidence of that. Willie isn’t great at shutting that kind of stuff down, partly because he feels — and rightly so — that it’s for the other players to do that. When the unofficial team captain is David Wright — a guy who’s just as young as Reyes — it makes it hard to get this stuff straightened out.
Reyes has the most raw talent of any player the Mets put on the field. He could use some time not in first place to get his head on straight, but trading him would be dickronculous.
I agree with you almost entirely. I add pedro to the untradable list, and pull Reyes and Milledge–but only for some crazy, blockbuster-type trade.
There will be plenty of time for this in the next few months. For now, let me just say this:
- Wright, Beltran, Pedro & Maine are untouchable. Ollie and Reyes are nearly untouchable – one might go if we can do a sign-and-trade for Santana.
- Delgado will stay because no one will want his contract. Show might stay for the same reason.
That’s 8 players. As for the rest, who knows?
- I’d like to see us keep Milledge. I think we’ll trade him this fall.
- Heilman absolutely should stay. 2.26 ERA in the second half (only 11 earned runs since the break), 3.03 overall. Forget the occasional home run — he is still the best setup man in the NL. I’d rank his chances of staying at 50-50.
But even if we keep all of them, that’s only 10.
The 2008 Mets will be a very different team.
Do not trade Milledge. The one guy that shows some emotion. The only person on the team that reminds me of ‘86.
maine sucks. he has 2 pitches and the other team has him figured out the 2nd time through the order. has everyone forgotten from the all star break till now. I swear he has one good game and you people think he is the 2nd coming of christ. face facts, he is either a 6th starter or situational bull pen pitcher and thats it.
I am facing the fact 15-10 record isn’t bad for his first full season. With an era of 3.91 with 180 k’s in 191 innings is numbers I expect from a number 2 or 3 pitcher.
i’d ship maine and heilman out for a santana type pitcher in a heartbeat. heilman ruined what is obviously our only W.S. chance w/ this team and Heilman followed it up by blowing more games this year, esp in the 1st half w/ more long balls.
Maine is now untouchable to you b/c of 1 good start yesterday? He was bad in the 2nd half. Wasn’t his 2nd half ERA going into yesterday over 6.00?? I think Maine’s tradeable. But also, on a team w/ weak pitching I think they’ll need his and Perez’s 15 wins again. esp. w/ Glavine likely gone. But I’m not going as far as to say Maine’s untouchable. Rumor was that Houston wanted him in any discussion for Oswalt. I’d trade him for Oswalt in a heartbeat.
Maine and Heilman doesn’t even get you a return call from Minny.
did i say that was what i’d offer them for santana?? obviously they’d be part of the package. you really should try taking your frustrations out elsewhere than on me and stop puting words in my mouth. i’m not the moron that wants to trade Reyes.
“did i say that was what i’d offer them for santana?”…….well, you did say “i’d ship maine and heilman out for a santana type pitcher in a heartbeat”
Wonder how I screwed that one up?
Here’s last night’s quote from “the next Ricky Henderson”: “It was a good year for me, there’s no doubt,” said Reyes, who hit .280 with 12 homers, 57 RBIs and 78 stolen bases.”
57 RBI’s. 78 Stolen Bases (but 21 caught steelings). Miserable defense down the stretch.
Matt:
I respect you so much for creating this site and making it your endeavor, you have no idea. I respect your baseball acumen, I respect your passion, and I respect you as a person.
But you were wrong about this team, this manager, and this general manager all year long. Sometimes I would read your postgame wrapups and other comments this year and wonder, is this guy really watching the same games I am?
This team thought too much of itself too. That was exactly the problem. They thought it was theirs – they didn’t want to fight for it.
Did Cerrone Jinx the Mets?
Matt,
Thanks for keeping me sane for these past months. Thanks for giving us all place to vent.
To all the Willie supporters: Do you see the light yet?
Is it safe to say that this team will never win a WS with Willie at the helm? No back-to-back divisions, No playoffs this year.
The team played like corpses…just like their manager asked them to play.
Was there a post-game? What did he say?
What is the first move of the off-season?
Who are the leading candidates for the managerial job?
Joe Girardi, Frank Robinson, Gary Carter, Manny Acta (don’t know if its possible?) , anyone else?
do whatever you can to get bobby v. back
people don’t remember the debacles that infected the bobby v. years. he over-managed like crazy. there is a reason he doesn’t wear any rings.
That and the fact that he never had this much talent.
He had plenty of talent. And this team isn’t nearly as talented as some people think. The pitching staff coming into the season – - an old Glavine, an old and often injured Hernandez, a lefty head-case who couldn’t make it last season with the Pirates, and unproven John Maine and an unproven and questionable rookie.
After that we had Sosa, and got lucky, and someone named Larry Lawrence, or something like that . . . Randolph and Peterson got tons out of a very questionable pitching rotation . . . and then it started wearing on the bullpen.
There wasn’t one solid count-on-them-every-fifth-day-starter on the staff.
Don’t talk to me about Bobby V.
Nonsense. The 2000 team was better than the 2007 team.
I think Willie should put you on his security payroll Vcarver, as you are the Commander and Chief of the Willie Protection Patrol…
D**n right1 Bobby V would win it all with these guys and some decent people in the bullpen!
I had a hard time reading this through my tears.
got a bit sloth
bad actions became habit
a sense of entitlement
uninspired play
this team has done nothing but retreat
All of this resides directly at the feet of the team leader. If Willie does not resign tonight, he needs to be fired by morning.
Thanks Matt for everything I read this site everyday and love the mets. Now lets go get Girardi and lets kick the Leagues butts all over the place.
Basically, looking at the 2008 team. Like I said in March, this was our last chance. All the old guys are getting older. Glavine is done, Wagner is just about done, Pedro is almost done, El Duque is injured, Alou is old. This was the last year the Mets had everyone together. Next year, they will have a rotation that features Pelfrey and Humber who dont look good. Milledge will have to replace Green and that doesnt seem to hopeful.
The lineup will be weaker. Rotation will be weaker. And the bullpen will be weaker (I dont know how thats possible but it will). I cant see the Mets being good anytime soon.
Fernando Martinez their top prospect is out with an injury. F-Mart although hes 18 also looked pretty bad in the minors. Gomez looks lost at the plate. Edide Kunz the Mets 1st pick in this years draft wont be ready in the bullpen. I dont know if the Mets will give Kevin Mulvey or Deolis Guerra a chance to make the rotation. The Mets have a future, but a lot of these guys are young and are a few years away and you never know if these guys will even work out.
now, that’s an optimistic assessment. but how about this:
wright and beltran continue to have these .300/30/100/30 years. reyes thinks about things over the winter and comes back like the player we saw the past season and a half, until the all-star game. delgado recognizes that he’s in his “walk” year on his contract and atones for a very mediocre season. and the corner outfield is handled by a very competent and interesting grouping of alou, milledge, gomez and chavez.
and perez and maine show up as the more accomplished and mature pitchers we have occasionally seen, and pedro comes back from surgery for a solid 15 win season. and pelfrey shows that his september run was not a fluke, and he’s ready to be a big leaguer.
now, assume that we trade a bunch of players for johann santana. and we find a second baseman with some pop that we’re happy with. and loduca and castro come back to catch (and bat eighth). and we find another set up man, who can perhaps be the closer when wagner is done.
does that look so bad? oh, yeah, and perhaps there’s a store to buy a little heart and put in their beer . . .
I agree. If Willie comes back (and even though I wish he wouldn’t, he will) and isn’t fired, we’re in for three losing seasons. Don’t know why I’m saying three; it just feels that way. Also feel that the Braves will win the division in ‘08, the Nats will be second (and maybe even get the WC), and the Marlins will, once again, keep us back–but they’ll do the same thing to the Phillthies, too.
Thanks, Mr. Wilpon. :(
SHUT UP CRYBABY SERIOUSLY GO HOME AND CHANGE YOUR DIAPER BOO HOO WE LOST NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT MAYBE WE’LL DO GOOD NEXT YEAR
Matt, thanks for all the hard work in bringing us all this great site!
Look, Matt is entitled to his opinion, and he runs a great blog for us all….let’s give him some time to see the light, now that the offseason has begun. He already seems to be coming around.
That said, I do not get how any Mets fan would want to see Willie in the orange and blue in 2008. The team has admitted they took things for granted with those quotes about “we’re so good, sometimes we get bored”, “flip the switch”, “we take on the personality of the manager”, etc……which just shows that Willie failed miserably in motivating the team and also failed to keep them focused.
Add to that his eccentric (if not plain dumb) in game managing moves (has he figured out a double-switch yet?) The guy just doesn’t have the mental capacity to manage, especially in the NL.
Add to that the lack of hustle exhibited by Reyes, Milledge, Delgado, et al in recent weeks/months…..it is obvious Willie had lost this team.
Finally, and most importantly, Willie is the guy in the corner office, the guy in charge, where the buck stops, for the biggest collapse in the history of baseball. Let’s say that again: the biggest collapse in the history of baseball. Enough said. He has to fall on his sword.
There is plenty of legitmate blame for Omar and the players, but you cannot fire every player and Omar will get at least another year 9and he should, in my view).
Willie, a nice enough guy, a family man, but not a good manager. He must go.
I’ve disagreed with you all season, and I hate to say it .. you’re right. I like Willie, but maybe he’s a better coach than manager.
mOOkie – I loved your optimism all year. I don’t want to be right – I wanted Willie to excel and surprise me.
This is rough. It will tough for the franchise to recover from such an epic, historic collapse.
But……..hang in there. There”ll be baseball again in Metsland.
How cannot Willie not even question that call in the 1st inning when what appearced to be strike three hit Hanley on the elbow and which eventually led to a walk. Why wasn’t it strike three and why was not the batter out or whatever happens whern a batter is hit intentionally? Even Ramierz did not realized he eventually walked. It was STRIKE THREE. To me, that changed the entire complexion of the first inning and once again showed Willie has no concept as to when to argue or at least question a call. By him not going out seems to send the wrong message and sooner or later the players adopt the same attitude.
And that, among other things, is what is wrong with the current manager.
[...] play 3d driving games wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptultimately, these guys had it all right here for the taking…all of them, willie, Omar Minaya, the coaches, the players, etc, and they fell asleep at the wheel, and crashed in to a ditch, while the Phillies kept driving right by…and, … [...]
I know that Willie has taken a lot of heat here; some of it rightfully so. His managing tactics may have lost a few games this year that might’ve been the the difference. But, I wonder why Rick Peterson hasn’t been called on the carpet. It was the pitching staff that blew this lead, plain and simple. During the this September swoon, many, if not most of the hitters were playing pretty well. Losing games after scoring 6 and 7 runs? C’mon. I think Peterson has largely done a great job, but he is the coach of the pitchers.
Reyes. I love Jose, but when I see him not hustle full out, like yesterday, it brings back bad Rey Ordonez memories. I don’t know what the hell is going on with him, but it has not been positive.
The majority of this loss lays at Glavine’s feet, though the hitters blew some great opportunities.
What can you say in the end? This is about the most disappointing season I think I’ve been through. The talent on this team is simply too good to have this kind of ending.
Hanley Ramirez did get hit by that pitch. He was just being a fool and he didnt take it because he wanted 30 homers really badly
Catchers
Brad Ausmus (39)
Michael Barrett (31)
Ramon Castro (32)
Jason Kendall (34)
Paul Lo Duca (36)
Jorge Posada (36)
Jose Molina (33)
Ivan Rodriguez (36) – $13MM club option for ‘08
Yorvit Torrealba (30)
First basemen
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (36)
Adam Dunn (28) – $13MM club option for ‘08
Darin Erstad (34) – $3.5MM club option for ‘08
Scott Hatteberg (38) – $1.85MM club option for ‘08
Ryan Klesko (37)
Mike Lamb (33)
Doug Mientkiewicz (34)
Second basemen
Luis Castillo (32)
Damion Easley (38)
Marcus Giles (30) – $4MM club option for ‘08
Tadahito Iguchi (33)
Mark Loretta (37)
Kaz Matsui (32)
Jose Valentin (38)
Shortstops
David Eckstein (33)
Cesar Izturis (28) – $5.45MM club option for ‘08
Juan Uribe (29) – $5MM club option for ‘08
Omar Vizquel (41)
Third basemen
Pedro Feliz (33)
Mike Lamb (32)
Mike Lowell (34)
Alex Rodriguez (32) – Has ability to opt out of contract after season
Left fielders
Moises Alou (42) – $7.5MM club option for ‘08
Barry Bonds (43)
Milton Bradley (30)
Adam Dunn (28) – $13MM club option for ‘08; becomes free agent after season if traded
Cliff Floyd (35) – mutual option for ‘08
Luis Gonzalez (40)
Geoff Jenkins (33) – $9MM club option for ‘08
Reggie Sanders (40)
Shannon Stewart (34)
Brad Wilkerson (31)
Center fielders
Milton Bradley (30)
Mike Cameron (35)
Darin Erstad (34) – $3.5MM club option for ‘08
Torii Hunter (32)
Andruw Jones (31)
Kenny Lofton (41)
Corey Patterson (28)
Aaron Rowand (30)
Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (34) – $16MM club option for ‘08
Milton Bradley (30)
Kosuke Fukudome (31)
Shawn Green (35) – $10MM club option for ‘08
Jose Guillen (32) – $9MM club option for ‘08
Geoff Jenkins (33) – $9MM club option for ‘08
Trot Nixon (34)
Reggie Sanders (40)
DHs
Barry Bonds (43)
Mike Piazza (39)
Sammy Sosa (39)
Mike Sweeney (34)
Starting pitchers
Tony Armas (30) – $5MM mutual option for ‘08
Kris Benson (33) – $7.5MM club option for ‘08
Paul Byrd (37) – $8MM club option for ‘08
Shawn Chacon (30)
Roger Clemens (46)
Matt Clement (33)
Bartolo Colon (35)
Josh Fogg (31)
Casey Fossum (30)
Freddy Garcia (32)
Tom Glavine (42) – $9MM player option for ‘08
Livan Hernandez (33)*
Jason Jennings (29)
Joe Kennedy (29)
Byung-Hyun Kim (29)
Brian Lawrence (32)
Jon Lieber (38)
Kyle Lohse (29)
Rodrigo Lopez (32)
Greg Maddux (42) – $8.75MM player option or $11MM club option for ‘08
Eric Milton (32)
Tomo Ohka (32)
Russ Ortiz (34)
Odalis Perez (31) – $9MM club option for ‘08
Andy Pettitte (36) – $16MM player option for ‘08
Joel Pineiro (29)
Kenny Rogers (43)
Curt Schilling (41)
Carlos Silva (29)
Julian Tavarez (35) – $3.85MM club option for ‘08
John Thomson (34)
Brett Tomko (35) – $4.5MM mutual option for ‘08
Steve Trachsel (37) – $4.75MM club option for ‘08
Koji Uehara (33)
Jeff Weaver (31)
David Wells (45)
Kip Wells (31)
Randy Wolf (31) – $9MM club option for ‘08
Jamey Wright (34)
Jaret Wright (32)
Closers
Armando Benitez (35)
Joe Borowski (37) – $4MM club option for ‘08
Francisco Cordero (33)
Octavio Dotel (32) – $5.5MM mutual option for ‘08
Eric Gagne (32)
Jason Isringhausen (35) – $8MM club option for ‘08
Todd Jones (40)
Al Reyes (37) – $1MM club option for ‘08
Mariano Rivera (38)
Bob Wickman (39)
Middle relievers
Jeremy Affeldt (29)
Antonio Alfonseca (36)
LaTroy Hawkins (35)
Jorge Julio (29)
Joe Kennedy (29)
Scott Linebrink (31)
Troy Percival (39)
David Riske (31) – $2.85MM club option for ‘08
Russ Springer (39)
Julian Tavarez (35) – $3.85MM club option for ‘08
Mike Timlin (42)
Luis Vizcaino (31)
Kerry Wood (31)
Does Glavine’s player option mean we have to take him back if he exercises it?
ugh…thanks for posting that list…that nauseating, repellent list.
I turn on my radio to WBAB and hear Patience and I just think ” a little more patience”. I can’t believe it ended like this. I guess we’ll have to wait till next year hopefully we have some fresh faces and enthusiasm can return to this team.
and now the next song is “Head Games”..which seems to be what the Mets were going through with all the metnal errors over the past 12 games or so.
Great job this season with the blog to all the contributors..I’ve been visiting the site since 2005 and it’s only gotten better.
It was certainly a bittersweet season down to the wire, with the bitter winning out in the end. The team never really showed the urgency they showed last year.
I agree that something has to change. And we can look in just about every direction and point the finger. But the truth is, there was something in this clubhouse that was just never quite right. There was no one to glue the team together. They weren’t at odds by any means, but they were a unit at their best in 2006, this year they seemed more often a group of individuals. Maybe it was Cliff Floyd, maybe it was even Julio Franco, Steve Trachsel, or Rick Down, who knows.
There are a few very tangible things that we can look for in the offseason. Just like last year, if the ace is out there, he must be gotten. Last year, it turned out the ace wasn’t there. Omar made his best bid on Daisuke and lost, and he really wasn’t an ace anyway. If Johan is out there, the Mets could be a good fit. The Twins need a Tori Hunter replacement. They have the OF talent to dangle that can compete with anyone whose got the payroll to try and chase Johan. But if the Yanks really want him, lets face it, they have the better pitching farm. The Red Sox could swipe him as well, with talent on both of those fronts.
Rather than try to finesse a bullpen this offseason by spending money wisely, lets just try an “all hands on deck” method. Its such a gamble anyway, rather than investing large quantities of money on “proven” commodities like Shoeneweiss and Mota while letting certain other “proven” commodities like Bradford and Oliver go, lets just get as many cheap, interesting arms as we can in there for the spring. Every year there’s a new “best setup man” in baseball. Its such a crapshoot, it seems like a wiser strategy to just look at as many arms as possible.
I think if not this offseason, at some point next season, David Wright becomes captain. I’ve held off on saying it, but he really needs to become the focal point of this clubhouse. He’s just far more focused and driven than anyone else on the team, and needs to be the example.
It’s true plus he produces unlike other so called veteran leaders. No one wants to listen to Lo Duca or Delgado with there 250 batting averages and there choking ways.
No more Willie, give me someone that lives and dies with wins and loses. I don’t want to hear we’re still in 1st and the champange will taste even sweeter. Well, you can add some bitterness to that as well now.
A complete debacle. I’ve been a big Willie supporter over the past three years, but this was extraordinarily poorly handled. His relationship with Reyes, I have to think, deteriorated after the benching and Reyes never recovered. His reluctance to use the young players that he had – - Milledge, Gotay, Humber, etc. – - once things starting going south was surprising and counter-productive. His willingness to send out Mota and Sosa day after day, even when they weren’t getting outs . . . and his inability to light a fire under them . . . so sad and maddening at the same time.
At the same time, what about these players? With El Duque hurt in September, and Martinez just coming back, we needed someone – - a veteran – - to step up. Well, Glavine hurled three completely awful starts, and as far as I’m concerned, you could put a ton of blame for the collapse right at his doorstep. He was given leads, and he couldn’t hold them. He offered no leadership whatsoever. And when he had a chance to hold us together, he did everything imaginable to kill the season. I am hoping against hope that he retires, or returns to Atlanta. And, of course, he has a huge option, in his hands, to return for another tour.
We cannot enter next season with Glavine, El Duque and Martinez as the front end of the rotation. At least two of those guys have to go, and I’d vote for Glavine and El Duque, unless El Duque is willing to be the long man in the bullpen.
We need an ace on this staff, and we need it desperately. And we need some better veteran leadership in the clubhouse. I don’t think it’s Pedro. Maybe it can be Wright next season, but the veterans certainly weren’t inspired by him this season. And it clearly isn’t Delgado or Castillo or LoDuca, or perhaps anyone who is here right now.
I’m sick about this. But it is already time to start thinking about how to fix this awful situation.
I think the Mets need to bring in Curt Schilling. I dont think he would have let the Mets sink into the malaise like this.
I’m not sure bringing in another 40 year old starter is the answer.
And a Bush-loving jackass to boot!
Why must you bring politics into this. Politics dont belong in sports. With that said would you rather have Hillary Clinton in office so we look weak to every other male superior nation and have another attack on our soil? Bush may be dumb but he is tough and we havent had another attack since 9/11. Now lets get back to baseball. If Schilling would help our team who cares what politician he supports?
It matters only in that NY is the media capital of the nation, and we’d have to be exposed to his jack-assery to an eye-and-ear-bleeding extent.
Also, he’d be too expensive for the risk/reward.
schilling’s teams in philadelphia certainly weren’t winners. schilling is just another tired older expensive pitcher. haven’t we seen that the action is with youth?
Basically they need a veteran with some energy and a contagious smile who can stay on the field. Obviously Wright’s demeanor and Reyes’s enthusiasm aren’t enough yet at their young ages.
I’ve got it: Bionically Reconstructed Cliff Floyd!!
Sign me up.
the Six Million Dollar Floyd! I love it!
Willie had to be given a choice. Either resign and save whatever face he has left, or be fired and expect a very bloody divorce.
No matter which way he goes, he absolutely needs to be fired. No one here can defend him at this point because the entire season as a whole will now be magnified and reflected upon Willie. The Mets front office cannot possibly bring back a manager whom will always be a symbol of the biggest collapse and possibly the biggest heartbreak in Mets history.
Willie, do us all a favor and resign.
And no more Yankee retreads as coaches or managers. Get former Yankees away from this team!
Amen!
Biggest collapse in Mets history? You mean biggest collapse in BASEBALL history!
Thanks for another great year of blogging Matt.
Here is hoping we have a better close to the ‘08 season. Send Shea out in style.
A fresh start is needed somehow. I’d like a new manager, personally, but that could be due to the frustration I’m feeling now. None of us really know what goes on inside a club house besides the players and manager themselves.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence I suppose.
I look forward to reading your updates in the offseason.
Your Season Has Come I always hated that phrase. I look forward to every season no matter how good or bad the Mets are. I guess it was fitting. Because I wont be watching this team next year. This season has come and gone. And Im boycotting Mets games, Mets merchandize everything Mets in 2008. Just tear down Shea, take out all that bad karma. The Mets home record was a joke this year. I just want it all forgotten. And tear down that 2006 NL East Division Champion banner, because its worthless.
i’m with you on that
Well, have fun with that. I’ll be spending the season cheering on my team because I don’t run away crying after a bad end to a good season.
Anyway, good job all season Matt, I’m looking forward to next year.
This too, shall pass….
(If Freddy wants those premium priced seats in the new Dodger East Field, he better open that wallet….)
Willie Randolph, Your Time Has Come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH DAMN EVERYBODY. I JUST CHECKED MY E-MAIL AND LOOK AT THE BAD NEWS I GOT…
Dear Mets Fan:
Thank you for participating in the online random drawing for the opportunity to purchase tickets for potential 2007 Mets postseason games scheduled to be played at Shea Stadium.
While your entry was not selected to purchase tickets for potential National League Championship Series games, you do remain registered for random drawings for opportunities to purchase tickets for potential 2007 World Series games scheduled to be played at Shea, should the Mets participate, and for any additional Championship Series drawings.
Thank you again for your participation.
NY METS
Anyone realize that IF Willie had motivated this team even remotely to get 1 win in the past week we have 2 shots at the post season. How about you manager can hold a 5-0 lead? The Marlins manager took out Dontrelle, their ace, in the final game of the season with nothing on the line and a 7-1 lead to ensure a victory. Where was that when we needed it???
Did anyone hear the post-game? He was still talking like it was no big deal. Are you kidding me?
Willie’s post game was a joke! Not only are us mets fans devastated but sny doesn’t even have a post game show and all we have is to listen to met hater chris russo on wfan! What a disgrace!!! Russo supports willie!! Can’t take it……….
No, I saw it on ESPNews.
They support Willie because he has a show with them, just like they did with Shockey until he blew them off and now they critize his every move.
Are you serious? Are you really serious? Oh man, all best are off now. I hope Willie gets every torpedo he deserves from the media and fans from now on.
I’ve been reading all season long, but this is my first post. Thanks to Matt & co for keeping me sane. Though I have many friends who are baseball fans, I have no friends who are Mets fans. This site has kept me going through the ups and the downs of the season, so thanks for maintaining this site so well, and thank you to all the fans who keep this site so lively with your comments. I’m looking forward to some exciting post season moves and here’s to hoping the last year at Shea ends in a World Champion banner to bring to Citi field.
As a NYer now living in Denver I feel your pain.
Wayneo -
I am going to be in Denver this weekend for the SD/Denver Broncos game. I could use a few tips on where to go in Denver if you could email me, I would appreciate it.
robnoxious at gmail dot com
Thanks,
Rob
Joe Girardi go get him now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Matt,
Thank you for all your hard work, your positive attitude, and your enthusiasm. The growth in this site is a real testament to the way you have run it, particularly in this last, cruel month. You are a true fan. I firmly believe that a huge number of folks would not be showing up here if it was a site dedicated to trashing Met players, management, and ownership. The kind of bile that spills out of some posters, particularly those pounding out their messages in all caps, gets pretty stale after awhile.
We have plenty of time to apportion blame for this abysmal performance. While I agree with you that many of the players on this team are likable individuals, as a group this was a hard team to root for. From June on, they simply lacked the fire in the belly, the “Charlie Hustle” attitude, that we, as the fans of perennial underdogs, are drawn to. When veterans do not run hard down the line and are not called on it, it sets a corrosive tone. And we have seen that grow since before mid-season.
I also agree with you that as a team we have gone backwards since last year’s NLCS loss. In hindsight, we all were wrong in thinking that only a little tinkering was needed, just a few adjustments and we’d be in the WS. We, in fact, needed more than a Zito or Dice Kay to put us over the top. I can’t say whether or not the current players have the talent they think they have, but without character and effort, talent won’t take you too far, and we learned that bitter lesson this year.
In the weeks ahead when the emotion of the moment wanes, I am sure that the collective wisdom of this site will provide ownership and management will all the advice necessary to rebuild for the future ans to deliver a championship team.
Well put. A fiting soliloquy for the end of the season. The fact is that Willie was not pitching and while folks on the news are calling for his head, I think the blame spreads a lot further and the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater. But the fact is that s**t happens in baseball and that’s why it is so interesting.
Wait til next year.
All-
As saddened as I am, I noticed something over the last month or two that (gasp!) might explain the bullpen problems the Mets experienced. As much as I think Willie and Rick did the best they could, I can’t imagine that they missed this because game after game over the past month I predicted each and every bullpen collapse (admittedly, not so hard for a pessimist given what happened). I noticed that the relievers were generally effective when they had they day before off. But every time any one of them pitched two days in a row they got hammered the second day. I work too much to do the statistical analysis but if any amateur statisticians are out there I would love to see if my observations are true. I think that perhaps the older coaches who came up during times when relievers were important but not as integral to the middle innings were not sensitive to this.
As a further note, I was in San Diego in May and due to a family friend of my wife, I sat with Sandy Alderson in the GMs box at Petco. The fire amongst the staff there was apparent, and I didn’t sense that at Shea this year. That said, if you haven’t felt disappointment you are not a Mets fan and perhaps the past two years will educate some of the younger folks amongst us about what being a Mets fan entails and why it is better than the alteranative. I sat through a double-header in 1993 at Shea where they lost both games but not before all food and drink was announced to be free. That was a great free hot chocolate, but I have been paying ever since.
THIS TEAM CANNOT WIN A WORLD SERIES WITH WILLIE…the players do not like him. Reyes, Wagner, Wright, LoDuca…the leaders all hate him….what does that show you?
NYCuban, even when we’ve disagreed, I’ve always thought you were well informed. But where did you hear with Wright didn’t like Willie? I’ve never read or heard that anywhere. If true, it would be damning.
I want Randolph out of here too, but an you back this up the statement? That he’s disliked by the team leaders?
You are so desperate NYC … at least be truthful.
We know Lo Duca doesn’t like Willie, but then maybe that’s in part due to his forced DL stint. He won’t be back regardless.
Wagner said some negative things about Willie and Peterson in an article but then in another article today said he was quoted out of context and that: “As bad as we’ve played, they’ve been the most supportive coaches I’ve probably been around.”
There is no indication that either Reyes or Wright hate him. Stop making things up!
I’ll give you Wright for the moment, but the relationship took a bit of a turn when they had there disagreement about a month ago when he stole a base and was thrown out. We all witnessed the conversation. The Reyes thing goes back to his benching and Reyes questioning, why is he only picking on me? Hates a strong word, lets go with they don’t see eye to eye. Willie didn’t tell him anything about not running out the ball yesterday. In other words, reyes isn’t listening.
Thank you Landy…I will take back Wright. But I will bet my house that Reyes hates Randolph.
So all you’re left with is LoDuca and maybe some resentment from Reyes. 1.5 still doesn’t make a chorus.
See my response way at the bottom…you guys are right, to some extent…=-/
Thank you to Matt, DJ, and the rest of the crew.
Russo is right, this is a joke that SNY has no postgame show. How do they not show anything? Embarassing and typical of the mets network
Glavine said he is not devastated!! F him he better not be back…go back to the braves you ass
From Glavine’s first start as a Met through his choking yesterday, I have always believed he was a saboteur sent by the Braves to make sure we stayed out of their way. Last year, he couldn’t single-handedly deny the Mets their NL East title, but yesterday confirmed by suspicions.
Seriously, I’m sure his wife and kids appreciate him reserving “devastation” for something bigger in life, but how can he say what he said after the game? I’d rather hear, “No comment.” and have him on the next plane to Atlanta.
Mike Francesa said it best last year after the Game 7 NLCS defeat to the Cardinals
“Mets fans had a love affair with this team….that loss was like a date to the prom being stood up” He was dead on.
Last years team was so fun to like and watch.
This team was the COMPLETE opposite. They lacked heart, hustle, fight, attitude problems, chemistry problems, and just players that don’t belong on a playoff roster.
MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR changes for next season. I’m not the GM. I don’t know how to solve all he problems…but 2 things that absolutely have to be done are:
Fire Willie Randolph. Get Bobby V back, or someone else who understands how to coach in the NL. Willie doesn’t
A top flight lights out ace pitcher. That is a must. Omar has the money…now go spend it.
The Wilpons just lost hundreds of thousands of dollars with no playoffs and if this roster looks the same in 2008…ticket sales will plummit.
Willie learned the ropes from Joe Torre. Torre couldn’t coach in the National league either, 471 winning percentage. He was lucky to get that team at the right time. Willie go back to the Bronx and sit there doing nothing and watch Joe Torre hold Jeter’s bat all game.
I agree with you on almost everything in your post (except for the fire Willie point, but I’m open to convincing though I feel a manager can’t throw an outside slider on the corner), but I have one point to emphasize. On Friday night I was watching that horrible game in a bar with a bunch of guys I’d never met before. When the game got depressing, I said out loud “being a Mets fan is like dating a girl who doesn’t really like you.” I think this statement, made by someone whose wife considers the end of baseball season as the high point of the year, proves your point.
Just want to say thanks Matt. My step father is a Phllies fan. I had my son call to say congrats to his Grandpa. He asked that I get on the phone, and when I did, I could hear the mix of pity and joy in his voice. I started to cry. They broke my heart. They broke my heart. The broke my heart.
I can’t talk strategy. I can’t talk about next year. They broke my heart.
Yes… Thanks for all the info Matt.. This site is great.
I look forward to reading on all of the off season news.. Hopefully your first story is “WILLIE IS OUT”
GOOOOOOOOOOODBYE WILLIE!!!!!!!!!!!
WE HATE TO SEE YOU GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
Scott –
Your post just brought me to tears (again). I also feel as though I’ve been punched in the gut. Despite all of the problems I truly thought they were going to pull it out today.
It’s funny. I agree that this team was a lot different than last year’s. I felt that I didn’t really get to know them, as weird and silly as that may sound. After last year’s love affair (good quote, MetsMachine) this year was different. But I thought we’d get there in the playoffs. Now its over.
Willie said on the post game that this was not his most disappointing season and he mentioned the yankees losing against the red sox in ‘04! SOmeone should point out that the difference is that this year he was the manager!!!!!!
Willie just accepted full responsibility for this disaster on the post-game interview. This pretty much sealed his fate.
Chin up fellow Mets fans,…Willie will be fired. Bank on it.
There’s $4.5 million reasons why he won’t . . . at least, $4.5 million reasons, next year, why he won’t.
hey all, just curious…..has anyone heard anything about postgame comments? sny had jets postgame coverage and cw11 was showing raymond reruns and i cant get wfan on the radio at my house….
Matt,
I think you mean you never thought they would lose. When you say you never doubted they’d lose, it means you thought they would lose.
I know you’re out of it, as we all are, but I thought I’d point that out. I don’t want any of your readers to think you mean it the way it’s actually written.
Man, this sucks.
Watching the team’s lack of heart and hustle, I never doubted they would lose, either. Freudian slip, Cerrone?
Reyes, Wagner, Wright, LoDuca…the leaders all hate him….what does that show you?
I am disgusted, hats off to the Phillies and good luck to Howard…don’t care about the rest of that team.
Who can come up with next year’s sales or team slogan
I just hope that guy got fired..
2008 Mets: CitiField is Almost Done!
haha
The 2008 Mets! It can’t be as bad as last year!
2008 Mets – Back to the Basics…
Hey Matt,
I just wanted to say thank you for all your posts and comments. I truly love being a member of this site and it makes me feel as a Mets fan to be a aprt of it. I look forward to it each day and you have something really special here. This is my 1st full year as a member of the site, I used to jsut follow it in the past years.
As a lifelong Mets fan, I am so sad and dissappointed about this year. Great teams usually learn from tough times, which is what I thought about last year in 2006 that they would come out this year with more desire instead of just walking through the season thinking everything would come to them so easily. I didn’t believe that they would not make the playoffs, they were too talented and had first place for so long. Ultimately, this season will not be forgotten until they win again and hopefully it will be soon. The players have no one to blame but themselves and the fact that some will blame it on Willie is ridiculous I think. He is the main reason for the winning atmosphere we all so love to have throughout the whole year. I just hope next year they come out similar to how they did in 2006 and finish it strong, play hard and learn from this. They have to realzie that it takes hard work and mental alertness with what what is going on each and every game during the year. Truly, a really good team was left out of the postseason. Next year, just like you, I, and the many other Mets fans, this team and certiain players need to believe in themselves, that’s all, gotta believe…
Thank you again Matt so much for everything.
Mrs. Cuban said it best…I don’t know if I want to cry, or yell. To feel bad for the players or to say they deserve what they got. To get rid of Willie or to get rid of the players…she has actually taken it alot worse than me…this is rough right now!
Cubbies Vs Sox in the series..
better yet, and team but…. Philly and the Stankies..
First FIRE WILLIE!! Hire Gary Carter, he’s a HOFr that knows how to handle a pitching staff and he a MET. Willie was too much like Torre for my taste. Delgado, LoDuca, Green, Alou, Connine and Alomar Jr, have to go. They are old and acident prone and cant be counted on in the long haul. Glavine and Duke must go as well for the same reason and Maine and Perez I think may still be ok. The entire pen except Wags and Heilman has to go as well. Now Im not sure whats out there to trade or as a free agent, so lets see what happens. I also am in the minority when I say this, but, how about moving Beltran? As far as I am concerned only Wright and Reyes should stay. We need to get younger here, not older. I wish I coul dsay that 2007 was a good fun season , but, thats just not true. i had little to no faith in them this year and they played worse than better most of the season. They never strung together more than a 5 game winning streak and always took 2 steps up and 1-3 steps back. OH WELL. I hope that the last game played at Shea in 2008 is game 7 of the WS as we win. This season has been a major let down. I think we all expetced a WS ring and all we have in the Phillies being the team to beat and Jimmy Rollins as MVP. The Yankkes being 14 out and us being 7 up and we are out and they are in. I think we have hit rock bottom here. When do I get my money back on my box seats for the playoffs? I am rooting for the Cubs :}
Just out of curiosity… Not that this should make a big difference but…
Any idea how many times willie has argued and got tossed? This is a actual question. Sarcasm gone for a minute..
I know we cant compare to our friend Mr. Cox… But, jeez, I cant remember the last time he stood up for this team, and tried to put a spark in the team…
the only time i remember willie being ejected this year was when he argued that call at first base in may and the umpire actually followed him and picked a bigger fight…..
he’s gotten ejected once in his stint as a manager here.
Anybody like promoting Sandy Alomar Sr. to manager? Knowledgeable, passionate, been around the game for ever, familiar with the team. The other option is just about every manager’s contract ends next year with some sort of option for ‘09. Do you wait on Willy and push hard next year if he still can’t get it together.
The bullpen is better then just about every other bullpen in the NL. Was it over used yes. Who’s to blame, Willie. That’s why you have call ups during the year, to save your bullpen. Willie had numerous pitchers come up and didn’t get them in the game. We shouldn’t of seen Mota or Heilman in blowout games, whether winning or losing. Playing lefty righty in the 7th inning in a game that we’re up or losing by 5 or 6. Go around the NL and tell me a bullpen that your confident in. Don’t even say Philly, they had to use there best starter and have him close. Willie is to blame, he doesn’t know how to manage, now I know why no one wanted to give him a job and he was declined to his previous interviews. It was just an illusion, too bad this is for real. Go sip champange with Willie if you like him so much. He’s the only one not bothered by this.
JOE GIRARDI
the only time i remember willie being ejected this year was when he argued that call at first base in may and the umpire actually followed him and picked a bigger fight…..
2 steps up and 1-3 steps back
If this doesn’t sum up the 2007 Mets, I don’t know what does.
Glavine’s comments after the game cement it for me. I felt all year that he was more concerned with 300 wins than the team. He’s given off this vibe that he’s only into his own stats and his own situation. Then he gives this garbage post-game interview where he acts as if its no big deal, just bad luck and its not anymore disappointing than any other season. Over and over he says “well I got ground balls and they got through” Excuses as usual from Tommy, he never bashes himself. How about a little anger, how about apollogizing, act as if maybe you had something do with this collapse. 3 starts in a row, they needed him and he failed miserably. And in a do or die game he goes 1/3 of a inning and he acts as if he ran into some bad luck. He’s the first one to go in my book. I’ll buy him a ticket to Atlanta. Go back there and poison that team like you poisoned this one with your apathy.
Last 3 starts when we really needed him. 10 and a third, 25 hits and 17 runs. Thanks Tommy. I hope your enjoying your 10 million dollars.
I like Joe Girardi, but i don’t want another Yankee coaching this team. I’d rather have Bowa. I can’t believe I just said that.
FIRE WILLIE RANDOLPH. HE STINKS!!! This is all his fault!!! To go with Brian Lawrence and Guermo Mota consistently makes me sick. He is not qualified for the job. Jeff Wilpon is right, a monkey or a kid can manage this team. They have no heart and no leadership and it starts with the skipper. LoDuca is right, nobody stands up for the Mets only the players. Bring back Art Howe, Buddy Harrelson, Joe Torre, any of the Mets worst managers. They are all better then Willie Randolph. Pick a fan in the stands at Shea they can do better. I WILL NOT WATCH THE METS IF WILLIE MANAGES NEXT YEAR!!! It is an embarrassment that we missed the playoffs. What is Davey Johnson doing? Bring back Bobby Valentine!!! Either of those two would have never allowed this to happen. I HATE WILLIE RANDOLPH and of 32 managers in MLB Willie is number 32!!!
“What is Davey Johnson doing?”
Working for the Nationals, recommending that they pluck Jesus Flores from our minor league system. That will come back to bite us in the rear in the future. That was a huge mistake by Omar, like good catchers grow on trees…
Tony Pena’s son is in our system. He’ll be a pro some day.
Amen… Agree with you 100% except for bring back Art Howe… LOL
Well put Matt it was a tough year but you did an awesome job as always. You pretty much summed up the thought of Mets fans right now
FIRE WILLIE!!! FIRE WILLIE!!! FIRE WILLIE!!!
Can Russo please stop defending Willie? This is as painful as can be. Someone find me Benigno and Roberts or Steve Somers…
I don’t care about Willie’s style, obvisously its wrong for this team.
I think only Benigno would be squarely in your corner. And Benigno is crazy!
Galavine on post game actually said this loss will have no bearing on his decision to come back next year! Is he kidding me? Does he think mets fans care about that right now?
Is Omar kidding me???
Thats it, Omar has to go too. If he is going to keep this bum, then he needs to go INSTEAD. Get rid of him…Someone has to take the bullet, so if you want to jump in front to save Willie, be my guest.
What did Omar say?
I’m a little surprised at all the surprise.
Yeah, I didn’t see this colossal collapse coming, but I am a little surprised so many people thought the Mets were destined to win the division.
They came into the season with a staff full of six-inning starters and a bullpen that was nowhere near the level it was last year. Besides not having Sanchez, we had Joe Smith in place of Chad Bradford, Aaron Sele in place of Darren Oliver and a ‘roid-less Mota.
I spent most of the season wondering how this team stayed in first place for so long. Considering their record over the last two thirds of the season, I had serious reservations about them getting out of the NL (2-4 against the Padres, a red-hot Rockies team, or the Phillies, who were so in their heads by mid-September?)
Gary Cohen kept saying they did exactly what they needed to do to stay where they were, but it was with a big assist from the Braves and Phillies. Neither got “stupid hot” all season until the last two weeks, which brings us to where we are now.
As for changes, there should be many and they should be major. Not sure about Randolph just yet, because this truly was a team effort. At the very least we need to shore up the pitching, either by bringing in starters who can consistently eat innings (and I don’t mean Steve Trachsel) and by bringing in relievers who aren’t named Mota and Sele. The only thing is, we may need way more pitchers than the market has.
As for Willie, if he does come back next year I keep him on a very short leash. I think one argument for keeping him is that we can use the money we’d be eating on his contract to improve the on-field product.
Speaking of spending money, how’s this for a crazy idea: If A-Rod finally has a decent post-season, why not open the vault for him? Put him at short, give Gotay a shot at second and see if Reyes can bring us back Santana. I’m disappointed with nearly every player on the roster, but especially so with our invisible man (invisible, that is, except when it came to unnecessary top-step or on-deck-circle celebrations.) Combining his pedestrian post-season stats from last year with his last two months of 2007, I just don’t get a good feeling about him in a big spot, which isn’t the way you want to think about a player who’s supposed to be a franchise cornerstone.
No one was surprised they didn’t win, I don’t think. But 7 up with 17 left to play. Give me a break.
No way on ARod. We had our shot in ‘01, and Steve Phillips screwed the proverbial canine. We offer 35 million a year, Yanks will offer 40. We are the one team, even more than the Sox, that Steinbrenner won’t be beaten by. Forget it.
First of all there is no way A-rod would get that much. Secondly if he opts out of a contract with the Yankees what exactly would make him go back? It definitely isn’t for more money, he has plenty of that. Also, he wants to play for the Mets and would give them a discount. I’m not saying the Mets would in fact get him if he opted out. I am saying however there is no way in hell he’d be back in pinstripes. He is either moving from one burrow to the other or from one coast to the other, if he moves at all, which is unlikely.
Shea Booing Party….
Who’s In? Trying to organize an outing at Shea when the Mets pack up. Need to tell Reyes, Milledge and Glavin what guttless bums they are!!! Have stuff to tell others too.
Please email me…atticus69us@yahoo.com if interested.
I don’t hat Randolph. I put the blame of this primarily on the players. That said, If Randolph remains, his face will remind we fans every second of every day of the biggest collapse in Mets history. Randolph now has a stigma attached to him. If the Mets want to get the fans back after ripping our hearts out, having the symbol of the 2007 collapse around throughout the off season is not the way to do it.
Frankly, if Randolph had a pair, he’d resign. I’d respect him 1000% more for that.
Why would he resign, he wouldn’t get a job after this colapse
His only chance to get another job is to resign. It shows balls. If he sticks around, the Mets are going no where next year, and the stigma grows and grows. If he has a brain in his head, he will resign to save the potential managing jobs down the road.
P.S. I don’t think he has a brain in his head.
He’ll get a coach job again. Don’t expect him to resign. I’d just respect him if he did.
All players have to defend Willie right now, but as soon as he’s gone. The comments will be ugly. Remember, they aren’t sure if he’s coming back next year.
I don’t think King George will go the freight if A-Rod opts out of his contract. Without Tom Hicks paying his share, I don’t think the Yankees will be in the bidding.
If the Mets are in, the Yankees are in. I would otherwise agree. The PR disaster of ARod in a Mets uniform would be too much. Boras would be very smart to let a few rumors fly about how much ARod was hurt by the previous Mets management’s treatment. Just enough to tease it, but not enough to insult the Skanks. Suck Omar in, then rake in the Skankee cash.
It’s too bad for us that Pinella is with the Cubs. Look what he did with them in one year. You can’t tell me that Ted Lilly put them over the top.
Can I tell you that Soriano had something to do with it, then? How about getting Derrek Lee for 99 more games last year?
*Should read, “than last year.”
True, but look at all of the kids that Sweet Lou took a chance on, and look how it paid off.
This is the worst day in the history of the New York Mets and the most agonizing day for their fans.
The sad part is, I am positive that the fans care so much more about this than these players or the Wilpon’s. We deserve an apology. I despise the fact that the Wilpon’s profitted so much from the 2006 post-season and the almost year long sell outs in 2007 when they didn’t bother to spend any money to improve this team in the off-season.
I truly hate the fact that I love a team owned by the profit driven Wilpon’s. I really wish they would sell the team to a person more interested in winning than profit.
Two words sum this up – unbelievable dissappointment
That being said, no reason to dwell but rather figure out how to alleviate the problem. Off season moves:
Bye-bye:
WILLIE – horrible in-game manager and poor motivator
RICKEY – What’s his purpose again?
ALOMAR SQUARED – Sr. is one of the worst 3b coaches ever and jr. is on the team for reasons of nepotism
GLAVINE – My least favorite Met. Have fun in Atlanta
GREEN – Showed heart, but the future has arrived with Milledge
LODUCA – Mr. GIDP and questionable game calling
MOTA – Eat his contract – Worst signing of the past off-season
Current Mets who need to be resigned/options exercised plus those who will stay despite people calling for their heads:
SHOW- Had decent second half and not many better LHRP options.
DELGADO- Contract to large to eat, plus good luck replacing 25 hr and 85 rbi (sign Texiera in 09′ plus watch for either Carp’s development and make FMART a 1b)
ALOU – Last month shows why he’s worth the risk even if you only get 100 games out of him
CASTILLO – Not many better 2b options out there. Save his legs with a more regular platoon with Gotay
CASTRO – Power catcher bat and seems to call good game
DUQUE – Though oft-injured has heart and can come up big. Leverage with another pitcher signing.
Off-season signings:
FRANCISCO CORDERO – 8th inning setup guy and safety net against Wagner’s back and mouth
TORREALBA – Good average, decent arm, relatively yng., platoon with Castro
JASON JENNINGS – 4th/5th starter option on the cheap. Between him and duque you get a full season combined
Trades (and I think we only should make this one trade alone)
SANTANA and a A-/B+prospect for:
HEILMAN – Too many HR’s given up
GOMEZ- Twins need a new CF (and I don’t believe in him 100%)
HUMBER – Keep Pelfrey since he has power RHP arm something rotation is lacking
MAINE- Pains me to say but there going to want one SP in return
Next Years Starting Eight:
Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, Milledge, Castro/Torrealalba (In that order also)
Rotation:
Santana, Martinez, Perez, Duque, Jennings (Pelfrey is ready to step in when injury rears its ugly head)
Bullpen:
Wags, Dirty Sanchez (remember this guy), Cordero, Feliciano, Show, Sosa (though unsure if he is a FA) and a long guy
Remember this is still a good team and just needs some tweeks. We want to make this team younger while providing flexibility (this will be the case after 08 when Alou, Delgado, Duque, and Pedro all are FA’s or retire)
Don’t burn the house down – just make the SMART moves from a personnel, available options and financial viewpoint.
METS 08′ NL EAST Champs D-WRIGHT – MVP 08′
Scott Linebrink
Your comments are very reasonable. I agree with your basic premise, the Mets ARE a good team. Overall, they are better than Philly (who got hot at just the right time), Atlanta, the NATS (cant we get Manny Acta to manage?), and the Fish. They just need to make minor personnel adjustments (except for the bp)
Do we need to get rid of Willie? He had a crappy month, there is no doubt. But he walked on water in 2006, and he was the 2005 version of Manny Acta. I am sure more will come out about what went wrong . Was it down to Willie? I am not sure.
Lets look at it this way: was the rise of the Phils due to Manuel? Or was it down to an overachieving starting pitching staff down the stretch , awesome hitting, and a better bp?
maine sucks. he has 2 pitches and the other team has him figured out the 2nd time through the order. has everyone forgotten from the all star break till now. I swear he has one good game and you people think he is the 2nd coming of christ. face facts, he is either a 6th starter or situational bull pen pitcher and thats it. i say good riddance.
Sanchez’ contract is over – he’s a free agent now.
Willie’s true comments should be:
I would like to thank myself for overuse of the bullpen all year. I’m aware of the guys being tired, but I have no idea what i am doing. I’m also in love with the double switch because I didn’t get an opportunity to see many done in the American league. I would also like to thank Tom Glavine on being such an ace over the past 3 starts. 10 and 1/3, 25 hits and 17 runs when we needed him the most. I would also like to thank Paul LoDuca who played much better when he was running around with 18 year old girls, who only hurt the team by playing hurt. Besides that, I would like to thank myself again for leaking that wonderful information to SI about the clubhouse and what goes on in here. I’m very proud of my guys and looking forward to next year, so I can learn how to coach in the National League. Now, i’ll go wqtch the Yankees and cheer for them to win the world series.
First of all, thanks for the blog. This site has been a great place to read comments and opinions of fellow Mets fan, and your devotion to the Mets…
Now to the Mets:
First of all, I disagree that Willie should be fired. But knowing the SI article, I think that Jeff would want him gone.. Lets us wait and see.
Second, we should clean house. Starting with Glavine. Let him go back to the Braves as the Altanta Journal suggested that they want him back…
Third, only keep Wright, Reyes, and Beltran, and Pedro. All can go and leave. I want Omar gone too… It is his choice to sign terrible Mota, Sch-terrible, Sele, among others, lose Lindstorm, Bannister for terrible prospects and players…
In conclusion. New staff and all..One last thing, if Willie stays then let him pick his coaches, and if he fails with them then fire Him!!!!
so you think Willie did a great job this year???????
Honestly,
He has been terrible at times; however, we dealt with what he was given.. Therefore, it comes to dealing with what he has!!! But no, he did not do a great job.
Fact of the matter is that Willie should have been fired after last year.
I’m going to be seeing that Ramon Castro fly ball in the 1st in my nightmares forever. Keep focusing on Willie, I’m at the point where I don’t care if he stays or go. I’m more concerned with the players on this team, because ultimately its up to them and they blew it. I don’t know what to do with myself
Coaching is about teaching fundamentals. It’s also about mentally preparing your guys and getting them focused. To what I’ve seen the team has not been prepared to play the last month. You can’t blame Omar for that.
Omar said in his post game interview that if it were up to him willie will be the manager. Surely the wilpon’s will force his hand with willie. Someone has to pay. I am surprised omar defended willie and he may get a bullet also if the wilpons have a pair. Hope there is a shakeup in management but I think that many of us mat be disappointed tomorrow to hear that willie and omar will be back! Just pitiful….a very difficult day to be a mets fan…..we don’t deserve this failure for being such loyal fans…very disheartening…..the mets had so many chances!!! And now we have to endure the embarassment and harassment from yankee fans and all other non-mets fans…..
Omar has to say that. He can’t just come out and say we’re getting rid of him of him next year. Come November or December look for some headlines if not even sooner.
Willie and Peterson must go. Peterson had to do something with the Kazmir trade, he thought he couldn’t handle pitching 200 innings a year. Leiter and Duquette are gone, know it’s his turn. Peterson never had any success at a major level as a player. Guys want coaches who have been through ups and downs, guys who played the game. Rick Down was a nice guy who couldn’t hit, but he’s teaching guys how to hit???? He had to go. Keep Hojo, Manuel, and Alomar. The rest must go.
jerry manuel is gone. he already accepted to coach at some college in california for their inaugural season
I see he jumped off the sinking ship. He’d rather go coach a college team then stay in the bigs behind Willie. That speaks volumes.
lol. he already accepted the job like a year or two ago.
Please, God, just let the Yankees get humiliated in the first round again….
Amen to that. and may the phillies suffer the same fate. Go Rockies & Tribe.
Dbacks and sox
The Phillies didn’t win the division.
The Mets simply lost it.
Unbelievable. And now, for the second year in a row, the best team in the National League won’t be going to the World Series, heck, this time they won’t even be in the playoffs…
The team really missed Duaner Sanchez’s presence in the bullpen this season. His injury changed the makeup and the various roles in the BP. Probably made the difference in a few losses this season.
This is my 1st post after reading everyone elses all season long. Now that this disastrous season has ended I couldn’t remain silent any longer.
How can we accuse our Mets of choking and blowing a 71/2 game lead with only 17 games left to play? Doesn’t anyone realize that every S.P and every R.P they had to face was either a Cy.Young award winner,an Allstar,or future Hall of Famer!!! And that several hitters on each team they played were all MVP candidates, Allstars,and future Hall of Famers!
And to all of you Willie knockers! Why do you fault him for putting
in a potential MVP NEWHAN to pinch hit with the bases loaded and 1 out and he hits into a double play. Do you blame Willie for batting him when he had Castro, Gotay & Millege on the bench? Let’s not forget that Newhan is one of “his guys”!!
Did it bother anyone that after D Wright hit his 30th homer and returned to the dugout ,Willie had his arms crossed and kept
staring into space despite the fact that it put David into the 30/30 club. I’m sure that Willie’s reason was because he was concerned that it might inflate David’s ego.
Now that I’ve enlightened every one I’m going to take a xanax and wash it down with some stale champagne and call it a night!
been waiting for this day for 3 years. willie randolph had no business being the manager of the mets. he had zero experience as a manager. he refused to take minor league management assignments, instead kept his cushy job on the yankee bench. he pulled the race card over and over again when he was declined manager positions from every team who has interviewed him and declined because of his lack of experience. he has proved for 3 years he doesnt have what it takes. he has no heart, he has no skills, he has no idea how to run a ballclub.
the wilpons took a chance on rebuilding this team with him, and omar, hoping they could grow and bring about good things for this team. with a new stadium looming, new hopes, now what? willie must go. omar must go with him. its time to rebuild yet again. like the new stadium that rises in the outfield, so will the new mets.
i like girardi, he has the fire this team needs. but he is another yankee reject, and he has baggage of his own.
lets look inside the mets oranization. tim tuefel comes to mind. screw sandy alomar, he can take a flying leap with willie and omar. he is useless. hojo, and wally come to mind as well. these guys have heart and experience in winning as players and minor league managers. they are proven. they are mets.
as for players, omar said tonight they had the mix of young guys and veterans they wanted. this was the plan. have the vets lead and teach the kids, well omar your plan failed. horribly. you overspent on overage, underperforming, constantly hurt players. time to rebuild in the minors and get some fresh young blood on this team.
milledge has no business being in the major leagues at this point. nor on the mets. omar had the chance to trade him when he was the best prospect in the majors, now nobody wants him. milledge is also a bad influence. his immaturity, and attitude has hurt this team, especially jose reyes who he has become close with. i have it on good authority the late night antics of these 2 would make some people blush with shame. this cannot be tolerated. milledge must go. dont be surprised if in a few weeks we hear about some of the things that have gone on with these 2 guys. it will not be pretty, and it will give a better understanding of reyes poor performance of late.
we have serious issues at catcher, this is going to be the tough job to fill. 2nd base is shaky at best. castillo showed heart, but he is damaged goods, delgado at first is likely inevitable, right field, goodbye lastings, keep green to platoon with someone else and to fill in at first, left field needs to go to endy primarily, with alou as fill in and pinch hitter.
pitching is a mess. my father showed me what wagner said in the paper, and told me, he took the words right out of your mouth. i had been saying the same exact thing for 3 years. rick peterson is probably the best technical pitching guy in the major leagues. he is not the best pitching coach. the mets need to make him the head pitching guru for the organization, scouting and teaching and analysing. the new manager needs to pick his own coach.
the decision to put heilman in the pen has been the worst move this team has made. aaron needs to start again.
mota has no place on this team either. the only reason i can think of as to why they let him return, and signed him for more years, after his steroids debacle, is he has info on other mets who have or are using. this guy needs to go. trade him.
its going to be a busy offseason, and hopefully the wilpons realize that drastic measures are due. 1 year left at shea. new stadium new hopes new team.
i love the mets, but this team, especially willie and omar, and the lack of heart makes me sick. i rooted against them all year, and i still feel sick. but i am glad that now we have a new oppurtunity, an excuse to clean house, and try to get it right. we have a great core, great talent, now we need the leadership to get us to the gloryland and send shea out with another win, and open citifield with a bang. LETS GO METS!
Willie won’t be fired and Omar won’t be fired.
get used to the idea.
there will be changes.
mets will offer the twins a 4 for 1 deal centered around Milledge ( not Gomez since Omar is in love with him) . Add in 2 of three young starters ( Pelfrey/Humber/Mulvey) plus Heilman.
That could get it done.
Glavine will not be back but El Duque will be back as the fifth starter. Behind Santana (hopefully), Pedro, Maine, Perez.
the bullpen gets the most attention with Wagner and hopefully Sanchez as the 2 most important parts.
They will go after the rest thru deals.
I can see an OF of Alou/Beltran and Gomez with Endy as the 4th OF.
Infield will stay the same and Castro will be the starting catcher since LoDuca won’t be back.
A solid relief core will be critical and money and assests need to be used to get it.
I feel I should also mention to you morons that Heilman is a free agent now so we can’t exactly go around trading guys no longer on the roster now can we? Highly doubtful he’d resign knowing he would likely get traded and if he didn’t he still wouldn’t start. We are losing Heilman after this season because he knows he will be able to start on just about any other team he plays for.
Heilman is not a free agent, genius.
Heilman is controlled by Mets for 2 more years, although I think he is arbritration-eligible this year.
I don’t think that deal gets Santana in an auction. The Dodgers have Kenshaw (I think thats’ his name) in AAA and he’s supposed to be the guy. Add in Kemp, Loney, LaRoche or one of their other kids and the Mets have no shot at Santana.
What if the Yankees lead with Hughes?
Santana isn’t coming here.
Thanks to Matt and the gang for the site. I’ll stick around for the Hot Stove and look forward to next season as I have for so many before.
Omar didn’t exactly give a ringing endorsement for Willie. The Wilpon’s are pretty PR conscious and may need to perform a human sacrifice to appease the folks in order to keep sales up for CitiField.
The team is too old and I am not sure that there is anything to trade to start a rebuilding program. The FA market isn’t what is once was. Omar has some very hard work to do over the winter.
Yup. The plan was to win now with the likes of Glavine, Pedro, El Duque, Delgado, Alou and Green. Then rebuild with Pelfrey, Humber, Gomez, Milledge and Martinez. But since they didnt win with the older guys the fan base may not allow time for the team to rebuild. It would have been fun to have won and then watch as Gomez, Pelfrey, etc make their bones for future runs. But now its all sadness and remorse.
In the end Minaya believed too much in his own press. He made many clever moves to restock the team but failed to get the top end starter that could have given the bullpen some relief. Too many six inning starts. And what more could be expected of Glavine (old/nibbler), Pedro (old/hurt), El Duque (very old) and Perez (too eratic)? Also, this year’s trades seriously backfired – Lindstrom has a nasty sinking heater and Heath Bell was more than useful as a set up man for the Padres. But this is nitpicky.
I dont much fault Randloph. He is what he is.
i understand all the comments about the mets inconsistent play prior to september, but make no mistake about it–the mets lost this because of a pitching meltdown, and more specifically, a bullpen meltdown. they were 7 games ahead with 17 to play, and had the division in their back pocket. all they had to do was play like they played in june through august, and they would have won it hands down. this collapse had nothing to do with their play from june to august.
the mets were scoring tons of runs per game in september, but no lead was ever safe. the epitome of this is the philip humber game (this is not meant to be a knock against humber, who pitched as well as could be expected) against the nats, where the bullpen blew leads of 5-0 and 6-2.
i think what kills me most about this collapse is the fact that they came home to play the last 7 games of the season, against 3 teams, the best of which was 10 games under .500. they only won 1 of those games. that really is incredible.
i think they finished the season 1 game over .500 at home. their miserable home record actually made me feel confident about a 1 game playoff in philly–clearly, they had a better chance of beating philly in philly, then playing that game at home.
at the end of the day, you can say this team was an anomaly, that saved its worst play for the end of the season, against the worst teams. but except for 2 games, the offense was their. the pitching was not.
A human sacrifice; sounds good to me.
As for additions, how about a pitcher under 40, or one who can go more than 5 or 6 innings every once in a while. Ultimately, the mets old starting rotation, and it’s failure to ever – EVER – go deep, killed the bullpen and thus, the team.
Glavine, ironically, is both a Hall of Famer and a loser. He’s often come up tiny in big situations, with today the worst. He’s old, can’t go deep, and would cost $.
Omar is to blame for the construction of this pitching staff. He should pay with his job.
Heh. That aint happening. Omar has overall done a great job of restocking the major league roster without mortgaging the future. He should have added a starter that could eat up some innings and win some big games.
The fact is, while you can’t say they weren’t a *good* team, they just weren’t a *really* good team. They’ve had their moments this season for sure, but this is exactly the scenario I’ve screamed about to friends and fellow fans multiple times this year. While the rest of the division was wallowing away during the summer months, the Mets had every opportunity to put the division away. Yet they played .500 baseball throughout the summer, staying in first place mainly due to their hot start, and the incompetence of the rest of the NL East. But they let these teams hang around and hang around, and here we are.
Now, I fully realize that what we saw can’t be considered the norm….and by “what we saw”, I mean the total collapse of the Mets, and the white hot run by the Phillies. But the point is, if they had played better baseball during the summer, the 7.5 game lead on September 17th could have/should have been more like 12 or 13, in which case the only concern we would have had is how badly they are playing heading into the playoffs. Not whether they’ll actually get there.
Regardless, I resigned myself sometime around mid-August to the fact that even if they got there, they weren’t going to be around very long anyway, so there is a part of me that isn’t that upset. It just saves me more aggravation.
What will be interesting will be how they address this off-season. That is, whether they only look at the last month of the season and write it off as an anomaly (big mistake), or if they look closely at the whole season and really address the flaws. From a positive perspective, I think the core group is solid, so I don’t believe they need to make wholesale changes. But they definitely need to change the mix, because something just isn’t right.
I am not suggesting they weren’t trying to win, for that is ridiculous in itself. But there was this vibe they gave off (at least from what I saw) all summer long that whenever they lost games they should have won (which were numerous), they shrugged it off far too easily, always falling back to “we’re still in first place”. If I had to categorize it, it’s lack of a killer instinct. Punishing teams when you smell blood in the water. Is that a reflection on Randolph? Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, it’s a vibe that needs to change if this team really has championship aspirations.
I am not advocating firing Willie, for although I believe he has limitations as a strategic manager, he’s done a pretty decent job so far. But that’s not to say there shouldn’t be a short leash next season. Perhaps for Minaya as well.
Hey! We are still in 1st place!
It is the single worst collapse in baseball history. Second to none!
i hated everytime anyone on the team or on this site used to say that, it was such a cop out for terrible play, and as improbable as it was it finally caught up to us at the end.
Not true. The ‘07 Mets lost a 7 game lead over the last 17, which works out to losing one game in the standings every 2.428571 games played. The ‘64 Phillthies lost a 6.5 game lead over the last 14 , which works out to one game lost in the standings every 2.153846 games played.
They still lead in futility. And, the franchise is the only one in sports history to have 10,000 losses.
VCarver, YaGottaBelieve and Joltin Joe,
I agree, I was wrong about saying that Wright hated Willie. You’re right…I was/am desperate for a change of direction. It was wrong to make that unfounded claim. I am willing to take my medicine for that one.
However, we all know that LoDuca can’t stand Willie. The comments that Wagner made actually shocked me, but it really made me think. I don’t care what he said to clear the air, usually what “leaks” out how you really feel, the rest is cosmetic. As for Reyes, I will bet my house or anyting you want that says Reyes hates Willie. The final straw that broke that relationship was the benching for not running out the ball and all the different rules that Willie has for young players vs old players. I’m not defending Willie. In fact, I’m in his camp for this one. Reyes should have been disciplined, and to be honest, he has become a total primadonna this season. I don’t like the double-standards, but Reyes should keep his attitude in check. But that doesn’t make my initial comment wrong…Reyes cannot stand Willie.
Sorry but I can’t count Wagner in. He’s totally debunked that article. I’ll give you a little bit of Reyes. I don’t think he “hates” Willie but rather resents him a little. So all you’re left with is Loduca and 1/2 of Reyes.
1.5 isn’t a chorus.
I just knew from yesterday, that today was not going to be a good day. Joe West was umpring at first which meant he’d be behind the plate today.
I was listening to Mad Dog on the FAN after the game and he mentioned a ‘cryptic’ comment that Ron Darling made near the end of the game about there being problems in the dugout and clubhouse. Did anybody catch this? Is Russo just blowing this up?
My only explanation for a collapse of this magnitude is serious division within the team that found its way onto the field. Obviously there are guys (Wright, Wagner,LoDuca) who have appeared all along to be sounding the alarms and a few others (Reyes most notably) who appear to be sleepwalking at times.
Anybody think there is something to this?
leadership starts at the top.That is the way it always is.W#illie might try to be Joe Torre but he’s not.His personality doesn’t fit the city.Omar needs to stop signi9ng older players.They break down and during a long season not as dependable.I think Damion Easley going to down was a major moment.Jeff Conine just sucked.
before we trade away the whole team you need to see
Is there a shortstop better than Reyes available?
Catcher
Giving up players is fine-Just make sure there is a solution
Tom Glavine must go-We were duped by him.he’s not a new Yorker and if Atlanta offered him the money he would have jumped ship in a second
Peace, JM
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE NY METS FOR MAKING ME FEEL LIKE SH**T AT WORK TODAY!!
I CANT EVEN THROW THE 2004 SERIES VS BOSTON
AT YANKEE FANS THIS IS WORSE!!
Who’s “us”?
the 2007 NL East Champ baby!!!!
are you on the team? what’s your number? can I have your autograph? are you the wife beating piece of $hit? or are you one of their juicehead outfeilders?
Reyes was BURNED OUT! He got ONE game off for the entire season. Why? Ask Willie.
they’ll die in the desert but at least they’ll have a ring…