Daily Archives: January 22, 2008
Ira Kaplan of the band Yo La Tengo recently interviewed original Met Ed Kranepool for his band’s website, which you can watch by clicking here.
In the interview, Kranepool relays an anecdote from the Mets inaugural 1962 season, which became the inspiration for the band’s name.
…as a big yo la fan, i have heard this story cited by a number of sources over the years, including Richie Ashburn, who played center field on the club, as well as Ralph Kiner, who was an announcer for WOR-TV at the time…
…anyhow, Kaplan’s Korner is a nice homage…not surprisingly, they are huge Mets fans, to boot…so check them out, if you haven’t already…
…thanks to Jessie for the link…
Tagged Ed Kranepool, Ralph Kiner, Richie Ashburn, Yo La Tengo |
Yesterday, on WFAN, while at the Yogi Berra Museum, Mets manager Willie Randolph talked with hosts Chris Carlin and Kim Jones, and had the following to say regarding…
…how best to deal with criticism and fan-pressure while playing in New York City, such as Eli Manning had to do, who, by the way, 
he gave a pep talk to in a jewelry store in New York during December…
“Well, you obviously have to have thick skin and not listen to a lot of what you hear or read. But, you just have to believe in yourself, that’s the ultimate thing you can say to a guy. You’re gonna get those arrows thrown at you, people are always going to have things to say about you, but just believe in your ability and don’t react to that stuff. Because, that’s really all you have, that and your teammates and your family. I mean, obviously, a lot of fans love you, but you can’t really let your psyche get swayed by a lot of what you hear in the media, because here in New York every one’s got an opinion.”
…looking forward to 2008…
“Going in to the new year now, I feel real good about this year because I think we learned a big lesson. I think we did it as a group. I’ve been talking to a lot of my guys on the phone, and every one that I’ve talked to cant wait to get back at it. They know that we wasted a golden opportunity and they can’t wait to redeem themselves.”
…Jose Reyes, and whether he may have been a bit ‘full of himself,’ which led to several bad habits towards the end of last season…
“Well, as far as being full of yourself, when you get 50,000 people serenading you with, “Jose, Jose, Jose,” it’s easy for a young kid to get caught up in that…But, I think what really happened to Jose last year was just the timing of when he went in to the funk…I mean, he went in to a slump, and I think sometimes when young players who never really went through that mentally, you have to learn how to deal with that. I don’t think he understood how to get going the other way. There was a lot of pressure on him at the time to get us going…So, it’s a good lesson for him, but a tough lesson to learn at the wrong time…
…what he’ll do if the team becomes to slide next season, like it did last season…
“Well, I’m gonna whip them all (laughing), you know, get the whip out early (laughing). Nah, you know what, you can’t prepare for something like that, because you don’t really even see it coming. I mean, down the stretch, up until the last day, I believed t hat we were gonna pull it out, that we were gonna play well, my guys were confident in the clubhouse. But, baseball is such a strange game, and sometimes you can’t get out of your own way…I feel very strongly that what we experienced last year will not happen again.”
…Tom Glavine’s first appearance at Shea this coming season…
“(Laughing) Oh, boy. I don’t know, ask the Mets fans (laughing). Look, I’m sure with the way things ended he’ll get some adverse reaction…But, I think you have to respect the fact that the kid’s a Hall of Famer, he’s gonna be there, he handled himself great as a Met, and, you know, you can boo him a little bit, but not too much (laughing).”
…Jimmy Rollins, and while he must hate to compete against him, does he respect him…
“He can play for me any day. I’d have to move him to second base, though, because Jose is at short, you know (laughing). I respect Jimmy Rollins because he had the guts to come out in spring training – and those are the kind of players I like, the ones that come out and say, ‘You know what, you guys may be the division champs, but we’re the team to beat.’ Now, you gotta back that up, but he did…We need to make him eat those words next year.”
…who he’ll be rooting for in the Super Bowl…
“I’m kind of in the middle, I’m more of a Jets fan than a Giants fan, I must admit that. But, I still love the Giants, I really do…because this is great. I’m a New Yorker…To have this excitement in the city, and watch the Giants and the way they bounced back, stayed together and fought on the road, that’s unbelievable. I’m really happy for them…Go, Big Blue.”
Randolph also took questions from the live audience, and talked about Luis Castillo’s performance last season and his influence on Reyes; the idea of team chemistry; trading prospects for an ace; the struggles of Carlos Delgado; the importance of John Maine and Oliver Perez; and learning from last year.
To listen to the entire 30–minute interview, go to WFAN.com.
Tagged Willie Randolph |According to Impacto Deportivo, free-agent LHP Odalis Perez will meet with executives from the Mets, who had been scouting him this winter in the Dominican Republic.
In 26 starts for the Royals last season, Perez was 8–11 with a 5.57 ERA through 137 innings, during which he struck out 64 and walked 50.
He has not finished a season with an ERA below 4.00 since 2004, when he was 7–6 with a 3.25 ERA in 31 starts for the Dodgers.
…if i recall right, the Mets looked in to perez the last time he was a free agent, after that 2004 season…however, i do not believe talks ever progressed beyond a brief meeting, and he ended up signing a three-year deal with the Dodgers, during which he went 21–26 and was traded to the Royals…
…he’s an intriguing pitcher, especially if he’s just a minor-league invitee…he’s got a strong fastball, and a pretty impressive curve ball at times…however, like a lot these type of pitchers, he leaves way, way too many pitches up, which get teed off on like it’s batting practice…he’s got the talent, but something just doesn’t seem to click for him…
Last on SNY’s Mets Stove Report, Rick Peterson talked about the way pitchers prepare in the off-season for spring straining, which you can watch by clicking the play button below…
…i’d love to say i learn about pitching when rick speaks, but i don’t for two reasons: 1) he uses so many stats and metaphors, i struggle to keep up, and 2) i’m completely distracted by his hair…seriously, what is going on there…
…it doesn’t matter if i get distracted, though, as long as he keeps communicating with his pitchers, that’s all that matters…
Also on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, Newsday’s Ken Davidoff and FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal talked about five concerns that face the Mets as they head to Spring Training, which you can watch by clicking 
.
According to the Associated Press, the Mets and OF Endy Chavez 
avoided arbitration and agreed to a $3.85 million, two-year contract extension – he will earn $1.8 million this season and $2.05 million in 2009.
Chavez had been eligible for arbitration this coming season, after which he would have been a free agent.
…so, endy had requested a salary of $2.02 million for next season, while the Mets countered with $1.72 million…instead, he gets a bit less for next season, but a guaranteed contract for the following year, keeping him with the Mets through 2009…which is great…this team needs endy, who, by the way, has become one of the most popular bench players i have ever seen…
…Update…1:20 pm…
Chavez, on returning to the Mets…
“I’m excited about coming back. I missed so much time last year and I can’t wait to be a part of things this season and help this team get back to the postseason…I’m fine, 100 percent ready to go. I can’t wait for the first game to get here.”
In a recent post to his blog for ESPN.com, Peter Gammons discusses the baseball blogging community, from players to beat writers to statisticians to influential fans.
In the end Gammons writes…
“It’s amazing how many club officials read USS Mariner (Seattle), Fire Brand of the American League (Boston), Ducksnorts (San Diego), Athletics Nation (Oakland), Viva El Birdos (St. Louis), Lone Star Ball (Texas), River Ave. Blues (Yankees), MetsBlog.com, FishStripes (Florida), Dodger Thoughts, Bronx Banter (great writing), The LoHud Yankees Blog, Reds Reporter (Cincinnati), Bleed Cubbie Blue, Brew Crew Ball (Milwaukee) and more…
“There are probably hundreds of sites I have missed. If so, hopefully, they’ll run by my laptop. But as we begin the 2008 season, our information, understanding and thought processes have been dramatically altered from the days when a Sunday newspaper notes column seemed significant. And, as fans, we are so much better off for all the work that is being done.”
…well, hats off to gammons for recognizing this, and us…
…i’d love to take this time to wax all philosophical about blogging, new media, the future of the player-reporter-fan dynamic, etc, but, frankly, i can’t stop thinking about the fact that Peter Gammons spelled out the word ‘MetsBlog.com’ on his keyboard…that’s just amazing to me, since i admire his career and writing ability so much…
Tagged MetsBlog |In a post to his blog for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, John 
Hickey breaks down the market for O’s LHP Erik Bedard, and writes…
“The competition for Bedard may come down to the Mariners and the New York Mets. But the Mets have not pushed hard for Bedard, and the Mariners, while willing to trade Adam Jones, haven’t been willing to meet all the Baltimore demands.”
…first off, hickey is not quoting a source, he’s simply stating his opinion…by the way, it’s a very logical opinion, considering that the Mets are the only other team besides the M’s who are aggressively pursuing an ace in the trade market…
Last week, there had been talk of a potential swap between Baltimore and the Cubs, involving Bedard and 2B Brian Roberts. For more, read MLB Trade Rumors.
During December, the Mets offered Aaron Heilman, Carlos Gomez and Philip Humber to the O’s for Bedard, according to old reports from ESPN.com and MLB.com, among others, but it was rejected.
…as such, i hear lots of fans suggest that the Mets should just add a player like Fernando Martinez to get it done, much like with Johan Santana…the thing is, as i wrote during the Winter Meetings, i believe the O’s have been shopping bedard in hopes of getting back a very specific set of talent, and will just as soon start the season with him now, allowing more time to try and work on a contract extension, than trade him just to trade him for parts and pieces…in other words, if the O’s can not snag a player like M’s OF Adam Jones, Reds OF Jay Bruce or Dodgers OF Matt Kemp, et al, bedard will not be traded, since he is still two seasons away from being a free agent…
…for the Mets, i still believe it is santana or bust, which i truly hope is not the case…i mean, it’s amazing to me that the Mets off-season may be perceived as a total failure if they do not manage to trade for the best pitcher in baseball…that’s a lot to live up to, to say the least…
In a Sunday notebook for the Star-Tribune, Charley Walters writes…
“The Twins say they’re not panicking while holding out for the best deal for Johan Santana. But word within baseball circles is that offers by the New York Yankees (no more Phil Hughes) and Boston Red Sox are diminishing by the week.
“Best bet now for a trade of the two-time Cy Young Award winner appears to be with the New York Mets in a deal that would not include fast-rising hitter Fernando Martinez.”
…the word within baseball circles…priceless…i love it…
…anyway, i know there are some fans who feel the Mets should just give up martinez, so to be done with this madness and guarantee santana comes to queens…but, if the Yankees and Red Sox are ‘diminishing by the week,’ as walters writes, and as multiple reports have suggested over the last week or so, then why should the Mets part with one penny more than they should…
…as i said several days ago, this is going to come down to santana - and whether he is or will put pressure on the Twins to a) trade him sooner than later, and b), and more specifically, trade him to the Mets…if he does that, then the Mets have a lot of leverage, and should hang tight to fernando…
…however, if santana sits on the sideline, and the Yankees and Red Sox keep a toe in the water, then fernando’s name will and should continue to be mentioned…
