Daily Archives: December 21, 2007
In the latest edition of ESPN The Magazine, they list the top 100 biggest sports stories of 2007, including the Mets ‘Collapse’ as the 22nd biggest sports story of the year.
Along with the caption, “This never would have happened if Benny Agbayani were around,” the magazine cleverly gives a timeline of the Mets downfall using select post game quotes from Willie Randolph, such as:
Randolph on September 18 after a loss, with a 1.5 game lead…
“When we sip the champagne later, it’ll be that much sweeter.”
Randolph on September 23 after a win, with a 2.5 game lead…
“We get a chance to go home and celebrate with our fans.”
Randolph on September 27 after a loss, tied for the division lead…
“Now we start over. It’s a new season. We start from scratch. We’re gonna win this. We are gonna win this.”
Randolph on September 30 after a loss, losing the division to the Phillies…
“This is just a tough life lesson in baseball.”
…if anything, you’ve got to give willie credit for attempting to stay positive while the season spiraled out of control…
Tagged Mike Nichols |
In a recent chat for ESPN.com, Jerry Crasnick was asked who the Mets would need to trade to acquire A’s RHP Joe Blanton, to which he responded…
“The package making the rounds is Carlos Gomez, Kelvin Mulvey and Aaron Heilman, but that seems a little heavy from the Mets’ end for me…If I were Billy Beane, I’d take that in a minute…The Mets aren’t going to spend big money on Kyle Lohse, but I think they have enough young talent to deal for Blanton.”
…thanks to jason b for the link, who wonders if swapping Ruben Gotay for gomez would make more sense for the A’s…
…i doubt it…beane most likely wants gomez, more than any other player the Mets will offer…if there is a player who is tipping the scale, it’s heilman…
In the chat, Crasnick also discusses the Braves lack of activity, the Dontrelle Willis deal, and the future of Erik Bedard, which may end up being in Cincinnati or Seattle.
…i am still getting e-mails from fans, and questions from out-of-town reporters, regarding the 20 percent hike in ticket prices for Shea Stadium next season…as i said at the time, it’s quite gutsy, and while it will certainly keep me from attending as many games as i did last season, i understand why they’re doing it…especially since, i bet, they still end up breaking last season’s attendance mark…
In the Star-Ledger, Dan Graziano writes…
“The problem isn’t that the prices are going up. The problem is that the Mets’ front office hasn’t done anything this winter to justify it.”
…at the same time, though, if the Mets do or do not acquire Johan Santana, the average fan’s income isn’t going to change…that, plus ticket prices, is why some fans will not be going to as many games next season…it’s not that we lack motivation…believe me, last year’s fan still wants to go to shea this coming season, he just can’t afford it now…santana or no santana isn’t going to magically give people more money to spend at a baseball game…
By the way, according to local reports from their respective markets, the Yankees, Mariners, Angels, Nationals, Rockies, Reds, Astros, Cardinals, Brewers, Orioles, Red Sox, Cubs and Royals, among others, will all raise ticket prices an average of 15 percent next season.
…the Royals and O’s each won 69 games last season, and they’re raising ticket prices…now that is absurd…
…fact is, despite ticket prices, $5 hot dogs and $20 parking, baseball is in high demand right now, stadiums are shrinking their seating capacity, the game is making money hand over fist, stadiums are selling out, and we’re all still paying to be part of it…my point, though, is at what level do we reach a tipping point and simply stop going because it is no longer affordable…for some, it could very well be right now…and i hope baseball knows this…because, speaking as a passionate, die-hard fan, regardless of money, i have no interest in going to a stadium that is full of polite, disinterested people who have no interest in who wins or loses…you know, like Yankee Stadium in October…i’d just as soon watch from home at that point, i’m sad to say…
Tagged Shea Stadium |According to MLB Trade Rumors, in addition to 
Orlando Hernandez, Pedro Martinez and Oliver Perez, the following noteworthy pitchers are currently able to be free agents after next season…
- Ryan Dempster
- Jon Garland
- Randy Johnson
- Derek Lowe
- Mike Mussina
- C.C. Sabathia
- Johan Santana
- Ben Sheets
- Randy Wolf
…frankly, with the way pitchers continue to re-sign with their current team, i expect this list to be quite shorter in a year…however, it does put trading for Johan Santana in to perspective a bit, especially with regards to trading Aaron Heilman and the team’s four best pitching prospects…
…thanks to Peter Wade, our resident eyes and ears, for the link…
…i had the chance to meet Mets C Brian Schneider and speak 
with him for roughly three minutes yesterday while at the SNY studios…
…he seems to be a very nice guy…he comes off as being confident, polite and very comfortable and i don’t get the sense he’ll be intimidated by the New York media, because he was very direct, patient, well spoken and looked every one in the eye when asked a question…
…by the way, according to my notes, he has talked with Rick Peterson by phone, and he is being sent video of the team’s pitchers and every hitter in the NL East to help prepare for the coming season…this was interesting to hear, as i didn’t realize this sort of thing occurred during the off-season…
…lastly, i talked with his wife, jordan, for a few minutes, who is very sweet and seemingly quite excited to be in New York – and though they’re keeping their house down south, they are looking for a home either in Manhattan or in Connecticut like so many of his teammates…for what it’s worth, she prefers the city…
…by the way, i still have a hard time accepting that i am roughly the same age as these guys…for whatever reason, every time i meet a player, i expect him to be significantly older than me…or, i have yet to accept my age…it’s one of the two…
…at any rate, here is a written transcript of my quick conversation with schneider, followed by a few of his responses after questioning was opened to other writers…
Matthew Cerrone:
Last year, towards the end of the season, there was a debate here in New York over whether or not Jose Reyes irritated other teams because of his top-step celebrations, and dancing, which extended to Lastings Milledge, and others, as well. Does that sort of stuff annoy other teams?
Brian Schneider:
No. Each player has their own personality. If you know Jose, which we do, that’s his personality, he’s a guy who shows a lot of emotion on the ball field. You kind of look past it. Different guys do different things. It’s one of those things, it didn’t affect our team at all.
Matthew Cerrone:
People wanted to think it gave you guys extra motivation to beat the Mets, but, to me, I can’t imagine you ever need ‘extra motivation’ to win a baseball game, at least I hope you don’t.
Brian Schneider:
No, you don’t need any motivation when you’re out there. You don’t look for motivation, you just have it in you. It didn’t affect us, we’d go out there to win and prove we were a good ball club, that’s it.
Matthew Cerrone:
Right, so, you’re there, and you’re watching the Mets, who were in first in place in your division at the time, and do you notice them falling apart? As a rival team, are you rooting for them to blow it? Or, do you guys just focus on what you need to do?
Brian Schneider:
No, not rooting for it, but you definitely pay attention to it. At the same time, we were looking at people that they were playing because we didn’t want to finish in last place. So, when they were playing the Marlins we wanted to the Mets to win.
Matthew Cerrone:
Can you give me a sense of how you prepare for a game with that day’s pitcher?
Brian Schneider:
A lot of these guys use video these days, everything is so advanced. You guy go against a guy who’s coming in to a series that’s been hot and figure out some of his hits and what he’s done, and, at the same time, you go to the pitchers for the last time they faced this team for their history against this guy. So, there’s a lot of things that go in to it. I’m always the first guy on the field, then after a while you hit the video and so some homework and then I’ll meet with the pitcher that night to see how he wants to do it, because Mike Pelfrey will want to approach it different than John Maine, and we’ll figure out what worked for them in the past and and go from there.
Matthew Cerrone:
You mention Pelfrey, of him and Phil Humber, looking from the outside in having been with another team, what did y you think of them?
Brian Schneider:
I had a chance to face them, and it’s gonna be fun to catch these guys. They both have great arms and very, very promising futures. I look forward to helping them so they can help us.
…after speaking with me, he did a quick photo shoot with his new jersey, then talked with a handful of local reporters and television stations…here are a few noteworthy responses…
Schneider, regarding steroids and the Mitchell Report…
“I think it was good as far as it coming out. The drug-test program that’s in place now, it’s done its job. I think the numbers will continue to go down. Senator Mitchell even said that the numbers are going down, so I think it’s getting better…As far as the guys that were mentioned, they’re grown men, and if they did do it, they have to deal with the consequences.”
Schneider, on being a defensive catcher, more than a hitter, and if fans will need to time to accept him because of it…
“I think sometimes people don’t realize how important defense for a catcher is, and keeping guys out of scoring position, keeping that pitcher in for an extra inning or two and getting them over the hump – and I feel like I bring that to a team…I’ve known Omar for a while now and I think he understands how much passion I have and how much I love controlling a pitching staff and taking care of them and helping get them through a game and controlling the running game. I love throwing guys out and take a lot of pride in the that aspect of the game.”
Schneider, on throwing out runners who are not named Reyes…
“It’s great, I told Omar, kidded around with him right away, I said at least I don’t have to worry about trying to throw him out anymore. Really, it’s two or three guys. David is such a smart runner. He had a lot of success in situations running in the right counts last year, and then there’s Beltran.”
Schneider, on working with his new pitching staff…
“They have a good mix here of experience and promising young guys…I’m going to get tape of all the starters so I can get something on paper…I’m not going to come over here and try to change anybody. If there are some things that I saw or that some of the guys saw, yeah, we’ll definitely address that.”
According to the Kurt Radomski affidavit, obtained exclusively by 
ESPN.com, ‘the former Mets clubhouse attendant received a $3,500 check from former Mets All-Star Sid Fernandez, written in February 2005, six years after Fernandez last tried to pitch professionally.’
…steroids, yeah, yeah, whatever…to me, the real news here is that El Sid may actually have thought he could pitch again, at 43 years old…seriously, i saw him on television in 2006, one year after he wrote the check, and unless he was hoping to enhance his performance in a local softball league, he clearly wasted his money…
…man, that 1986 team really is the gift that keeps on giving…
Tagged 1986 Mets |Earlier this winter, while playing baseball in the Dominican League, Mets OF Carlos Gomez was hit in the head with a pitch.
According to Chris Kline, in a report for Baseball America, Gomez was simply ‘grazed’ by a breaking ball, though he missed roughly 10 days after being a bit shaken up.
…thanks to joe b for the link…
During his time away from the team, Gomez got married and went on a honeymoon, reports Kline, who points out that Gomez was the National League’s youngest player when he debuted last May.
Kline also speaks with Mets Ass’t GM Tony Bernazard, who describes Gomez as, “a true five-tool player with outstanding speed and defense.”
…as i said in late november, i am very impressed with the perceived value of gomez…teams seem to really like him – much more than they liked Lastings Milledge…one independent scout told me after the season that people view gomez as capable of becoming Jimmy Rollins in the outfield one day…
According to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, during an on-air spot during the Winter Meetings, Gomez may be more attractive to the Twins than Red Sox OF Jacoby Ellsbury.
Tagged Minors |
The Padres are the front-runners to sign free agent Mark Prior, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
Olney explains that Prior may prefer San Diego because he currently lives there, which could be appealing, ‘in what figures to be a transitional year in his career.’
Prior was born in San Diego, and attended Southern Cal.
Meanwhile, also for ESPN.com, Jerry Crasnick adds…
“San Diego is a natural fit for Prior, for lots of reasons other than the weather. Prior went to high school in the city and his family still lives there. Petco Park is a great pitchers’ park, and San Diego’s coaching and training staff has a reputation for working well with pitchers.”
According to Crasnick, though the Padres have made an offer, the Astros, Reds, Nationals, Mets, Cardinals, Rangers, Marlins and Indians are also ‘in the mix.’
Crasnick continues in his report, looking at Michael Barrett, Nick Johnson, Kaz Matsui, Jason Bay, Miguel Tejada and Scott Rolen, who, like Prior, have a lot to prove in 2008.
During an appearance on SNY last night, FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal said, though there had been ‘rumblings’ over the last few days that Johan Santana could be traded very soon, he’s not ‘gathering that.’
…from what i can gather, for reasons specifically associated with santana’s camp, my sense is that the Twins will pick up talks again after the New Year…
According to Rosenthal, the Twins are taking their time and waiting for Hank Steinbrenner to force Brian Cashman to include RHP Phil Hughes, though Rosenthal is not sure that will ever happen.
To watch Rosenthal’s two-minute spot, launch SNY.
