Daily Archives: February 18, 2008
According to Anthony DiComo at MLB.com, David Wright has toned down the endorsements a bit in order to focus more on baseball.
DiComo says…
“That meant canceling some trips he had already planned, and saying no to ‘basically everything.’ Whatever it took to become faster and stronger and better.”
…if this were someone else it might be a bit of a surprise…but wright has been a consummate professional from day one…needless to say, i love this man…
DiComo also provides a few other tidbits, including Mets owner Fred Wilpon offering up some encouragement after watching a Mike Pelfrey bullpen session.
Pelfrey as quoted by DiComo…
Tagged Mike Pelfrey |“[Wilpon] just told me that I looked like I had a little more confidence. He said I was hitting spots a little better than usual.”
In his blog for the New York Post, Bart Hubbuch makes a few key notes regarding Carlos Delgado‘s first day in camp.
Hubbuch writes:
“Delgado appeared to be in terrific shape – the veteran first baseman appears leaner and stronger.”
“[He] might be the favorite in the “best player’s car’’ derby, showing up today with a tricked-out red Escalade with a cab that extended into the street. The SUV also had the slogan “Strut” engraved on the front grill.”
…delgado never struck me as a “pimp-my-ride” type of player but apparently i was wrong…
Hubbuch also notes that Endy Chavez reported to camp today and said he is healthy after suffering hamstring and ankle injuries while playing winter ball. Chavez doesn’t expect to miss any spring training games.
Adam Rubin at the Daily News asks Delgado if he felt the Mets got bored toward the end of last year…
“I never said ‘bored.’ I did say that I thought at times we got comfortable. I think we assumed that we were going to run away with it like we did the year before.”
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com discusses Delgado’s off-season approach to hitting…
“I broke it down and started from scratch, like I was learning to hit for the first time. It was a nice process. It was a nice friendly reminder.”
Lastly, in his blog for The Journal News, John Delcos relays that Delgado’s injuries weren’t the cause of last year’s slump…
“I wish it was, then I would have an explanation. I just had a bad year.”
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |“The hand is 100 percent. I’ve been hitting since the first week of January.”
In an article for Newsday, Ken Davidoff relays a brief interview with Billy Wagner, who thinks his late-inning appearances should be more restricted.
Wagner, as quoted by Davidoff:
“There’s no doubt, the older you get, the more you have to take care of yourself, and ownership has to take care of you, too. I don’t have the ability I had five years ago. I can still dominate a game. I can still do my job.”
“But you can’t overexpose. You can’t go out there and throw meaningless innings. You have to be used in your element, in your role, and not abused.”
…i agree with billy’s argument in that an aging ballplayer shouldn’t be overused in the wrong situations, but statements like these make me wonder about wagner’s stamina in a long season with at least 162 games…
Davidoff also writes:
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |“Wagner is working on a second breaking ball, a changeup and pitching from a windup. It’s the time of year for experimentation and discussion. Come October, we’ll see what stuck, what worked and what didn’t.”
In his latest mailbag for MLB.com, Marty Noble answers questions about the Mets’ bench and bullpen, the dimensions of Citi Field, as well as Carlos Beltran adding to the rivalry with the Phillies.
In his latest for SI.com, Jon Heyman ranks Omar Minaya as the 8th best general manager in baseball, saying…
“His brilliant 2006 season in which he pilfered Oliver Perez from the Pirates and John Maine from the Orioles, two teams that could have used their services, was followed by a 2007 that featured some costly mistakes — trading Heath Bell, Brian Bannister and Matt Lindstrom and getting practically nothing for them in the offseason, and then doing little to help prevent a late-season collapse that left the Mets one game short.”
…i think it’s a pretty fair ranking…there’s no doubt in my mind that, even before acquiring Johan Santana, minaya had been far more good than bad while turning the Mets into contenders…
Tagged Omar Minaya |
Coming off a quiet day at Tradition Field on Sunday, the player getting the feature of the day treatment in today’s papers is new catcher, Brian Schnieder, whom the Mets acquired, along with OF Ryan Church, from the Nationals in November in exchange for OF Lastings Milledge.
Bill Madden, in the Daily News, quotes Schnieder on how he plans on getting to know a brand new pitching staff:
“I know what my job is here. And with the emphasis on pitching, this is a big challenge getting to know this staff and working with each of them. It’s also going to be fun. It requires a lot more than just catching these guys in drills and games this spring. You’ve got to hang with them, really get to know them. You don’t have to catch them every day. You learn a lot just by not leaving the field early and spending long days watching guys. The catcher has got to be the leader of the team.”
…while i had my reservations about the trade, i’ve definitely warmed to the idea of having Schnieder behind the plate for the Mets this season…
…having watched him over the years, he is athletic behind the plate and calls a great game, and hearing him talk about his preparation and dedication like this really gives me confidence in his ability to handle what should be a talented pitching staff…
Meanwhile, Mike Vaccaro at the NY Post writes that Schnieder may be the next in a long line of fan favorite Mets catchers, following in the foot steps of Jerry Grote, Gary Carter, Todd Hundley, Mike Piazza and even Paul Lo Duca, whom Schnieder is replacing.
Of off-the-field interest, Ben Shpigel of the NY Times describes Schnieder’s adventurous streak. The son of a Navy Pilot, Schnieder has flown with the Blue Angels, and plans on skydiving, bungee jumping and cliff diving when his career comes to a close.
…schnieder notes that he’s worried about hurting his knees during such an adventure, which is welcome news… and we were worried about Duaner Sanchez going out for late night snacks in Miami…
Tonight on 
, Schnieder and infielder Jose Valentin will be guests on Mets Hot Stove Report, which airs at 6 pm and then again at 11 pm.
In the New York Post, David Wright is the subject of Steve Serby’s weekly Q&A.
Wright discusses, among other things, last year’s inability to make the playoffs, his championship aspirations, and what it’s “like being David Wright.”
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |
According to a text message from SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, Carlos Delgado has arrived to Tradition Field and will address the media later today.
Otherwise, it will likely be a slow day in camp since it is raining pretty hard.
…the good news on days like this is that it often produces some of the best and most odd reports from the team’s beat writers…so, i look forward to that…
Carlos Beltran‘s “We’re the team to beat” announcement made its way to Phillies camp, says Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
Stark writes:
“All it took was Carlos Beltran announcing Saturday in Port St. Lucie that his team was the team to beat. And presto — Phillies-Mets had instantly zoomed right to the top of the National League rivalry charts.”
…if i calculated correctly, April 8th is 50 days away…is there a fast forward option available…
Tagged Phillies |
