Daily Archives: March 4, 2008
…by the way, Orlando Hernandez told some reporters this afternoon that he is toying with a new windup, which will be shorter and will not include his over-exaggerated leg kick…in fact, if you go back and watch my video from Monday, you’ll see him working with Rick Peterson on this very delivery…he would only lift the leg roughly half way…it was odd to see, since his motion is so classic…
To watch the video, click here and go to the one-minute mark.
…as i mentioned earlier, i did not travel with the team to Jupiter to watch today’s game…instead, i stayed back at Tradition Field to watch the rest of the team work out…
…the locker room was quiet…a tired Carlos Beltran sat at his locker…Duaner Sanchez and a few other relief pitchers were privately talking in a group…
every one was being quiet, except Pedro Martinez, who after being interviewed by a reporter, started talking about his love for ice cream, and other types of food…he is very entertaining…and he talks a lot…
…also, sitting quietly at his locker, very unassuming, just messing with his cell phone, was Johan Santana…i had a baseball in my hand, so i introduced myself and asked him how he holds his circle change-up, which is a pitch i used to try and throw when i played baseball in high school…so, i sat on the stool next to him, and he spent the next 10 minutes explaining it to me, positioning my fingers on the ball and essentially breaking it all down for me…
…i love the art of pitching, so this was very exciting to me…especially since he has the best change-up in baseball…
…duaner left, beltran left and pedro left, as did others…but johan stayed, and continued to talk with me about the circle change…he didn’t have to do it, either…he could have easily just gotten up and gone home, which was clearly his next step in the day…but, he didn’t…instead, he sat there with me and walked me through the whole process…
…basically, you make an okay sign with your hands and grip the ball with your middle finger, ring finger and pinky, leaving your thumb and pointer just off to the side…the ball is thrown like a fastball, but because of the deep yet delicate grip, the ball puffs out of the hand at a lesser speed…however, the key, he explained, is to hold it just like the four-seam fastball, which i was not doing…according to santana, most pitchers just focus on the grip, and are not concerned with the seams…in fact, some prefer to not be touching any seams… unlike the standard two-seam change-up, which he used to throw, in this case, most all of his fingers are on a seam…he made me try to pull the ball from his hand while he was holding it, to demonstrate how strong of a grip he can get…so, the way he does it, the seams rotate in the same direction as his fastball, deceiving the batters even more, because, as he put, “These hitters are not stupid.”…the funny thing is, i think that grip is fairly standard…it’s just, he is so disciplined in his delivery, that when coupled with the consistent rotation, it’s just impossible to pick up which pitch he is throwing because initially they all look exactly the same…
“This is why I focus so much on my release point, because that’s what makes my change-up better,” he explained to me. “I want to make sure all of my pitches look the same, and so I get the same release point and same arm speed every pitch. And that takes time. That’s what I work on. Not just the grip, but everything from head to toe so that everything can look the same. We worked on all of that until we got it right. That’s how I approach my games, my batting practices, my bullpen sessions. I am very serious when I throw my bullpen. I’m not just throwing. I want to make sure that everything is in place, from location to mechanics to delivery to release point. Everything. It’s not just the grip. There are a lot of things involved in throwing a change-up.”
…also, i was under the impression he pulled his hand inward upon releasing the ball, to give it that diving action…he said no…he just throws it like a fastball…
…in fact, the reason he likes the pitch so much is because it does not involve any twisting of his elbow, saying, “It does not put any pressure on the elbow, and it keeps it loose.”…
…lastly, i asked if Rick Peterson has brought anything new to his attention…he said peterson told him to just be himself…be comfortable…and i agree…
…by the way, after i shook johan’s hand and said ‘Thank you for the lesson,’ i was sure to take the ball back from him…i wanted to keep it…it has no autograph on it…it looks like any other ball…except, i will always be able to point to it and say, “This is the ball Johan Santana used to teach me his circle change-up,” which i am pretty excited about…
The Mets beat the Marlins, 6-2, this afternoon in a Grapefruit League game in Jupiter, Fla. John Maine pitched three innings, striking out four and allowing one run on a homer by Jose Castillo.
Angel Pagan paced the Mets with three hits and two RBI. Anderson Hernandez and Ruben Tejada chipped in with two hits and an RBI each.
Pedro Feliciano, Matt Wise, Brian Stokes and Andy Cavazos eached tossed a scoreless inning for the Mets. Jorge Sosa allowed three hits, two walks and an unearned run in two innings of work.
Former Mets prospect Matt Lindstrom took the loss in relief.
…i did not follow the team to Jupiter…instead, i remained at Tradition Field to watch how the team works out…
…it is amazingly quiet…very peaceful…i closed my eyes for a moment, to take in the sounds of cracked bats and the warm breeze…it is very, very relaxing…
…i watched Damion Easley, Brian Schneider, Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, Endy Chavez and Jose Valentin take batting practice…after which they did sprinting drills around the bases…beltran still does not look totally comfortable…i saw him later in the locker room…i told him he looks tired, and he agreed…
Castillo told reporters this morning that if he is able to run the bases at full speed today, he will likely play this weekend.
…honestly, it’s so hard to tell…i mean, the guy looks like he is always in pain…even when he is healthy…he looked awkward running the bases today, but that may actually mean he feels good…who knows…
…as for schneider, i get the sense that he is more than able to play, but is staying back at camp to work with the pitching staff…instead of traveling to catch one pitcher, like John Maine, he can stay in camp and catch all of the rest…seriously, he looks strong in the batting cage and he’s getting up and down from the catcher’s squat with no issues at all…yes, he has a tight hamstring, as has been reported, but he is totally in shape…
…it was explained to me that they do not just go up there in batting practice and take cuts all willynilly…apparently, first they drop down a bunt, then pull a ball, hit one up the middle, hit 
one the opposite way, and then they just hack away…and they all do it…each one…every time…i didn’t realize that…
…i then strolled down to the minor-league complex, where lots and lots of youngsters were working with instructors on all sorts of drills…i was particularly interested in watching Kevin Morgan work with Hector Pellot and Mike Carp on fielding short hops…he had them roughly 15 feet away from him…they all bent down on their knees…morgan then batted balls at them, landing them only a few inches from their legs, forcing them to react only with 
their gloves…morgan explained to me that the idea is to isolate their hands, never giving them the opportunity to shift their body in place, since sometimes the real-life play moves too fast for that…
…before leaving, i stopped to watch Lucas Duda take a few swings…wow, that boy can hit…he’s a big dude, too, with an even bigger swing…the ball just flies from his bat…
The Mets will travel to Jupiter, Fla. today to take on the Florida Marlins in a Grapefruit League game starting at 1:05 p.m.
This game is not being broadcast, but a live box score will be available at MLB.com.
John Maine will start for the Mets against Marlins lefty Mark Hendrickson. Maine will be relieved by Matt Wise, Pedro Feliciano and Jorge Sosa.
Jose Reyes (SS) will bat first for the Mets, followed by Anderson Hernandez (2B), David Wright (DH), Angel Pagan (CF), Ramon Castro (C), Fernando Martinez (RF), Brady Clark (LF), Dan Murphy (1B) and Richard Lucas (3B).
Murphy is in the lineup playing first because, according to multiple reports, Michel Abreu stayed behind with a right hip flexor. Lucas played for the Gulf Coast League Mets last season.
…Ryan Church looks dazed, but good…he was sitting in a chair, zipping up an equipment bag so i stopped to ask how he is doing…he said he feels better…i told him the collision looked pretty scary, to which he laughed and said, ‘I wouldn’t know.’…he seems in good spirits…
…i told him i write MetsBlog, and explained that this was my first time in camp and in a locker room…i asked if the players find it really weird, 
bordering on awkward, that all of these reporters just sort of hover around them while players are trying to essentially get dressed and ready for work…at first he gave the standard, ‘Well, they have a job to do and we respect that,’ but after i pushed the issue with a bit more colorful language, he gave me a funny smile and a half-nod as though the comments resonated a bit more than was leading on…i am sure they do…
…anyway, he wished me luck in camp…i wished him luck as well…and we both went about our business…it was like chatting at a water cooler in the office…
Tagged Ryan Church |
In an update to his blog at the Daily News, Adam Rubin runs down the latest medical reports on the large stable of injured Mets, as does John Delcos in the Journal News.
…i walked back through the locker room a few minutes ago, and Ruben Gotay was sitting in front of his locker…nobody else was in the room…he 
looks so dejected…he was hunched over with a protective boot on his ankle, sifting through a small stack of fanmail…
…he looked up at me, and i said, “Damn, man, this sucks, huh?,” to which he slightly smiled and sheepishly said, “Yes.”…he said he expects to get yesterday’s MRI results tomorrow…
…i feel bad for the kid…i mean, i hate to say this, but there is a realistic chance we never hear from him again…i mean, he’ll rehab, and by the time he works his way back, life will have moved on for the team…roster spots will have been filled…
…he’s a good hitter…not the best fielder…he could be a good player…hopefully he makes it back…
Tagged Ruben Gotay |…the locker room is a strange but easy-going place…it’s an awkward collision of men getting dressed for work, and other men standing around, 
looking around, wandering around with note pads and voice recorders waiting for something to happen…
…i didn’t ask, but i wonder if the players find it bizarre that there guys are just sort of hovering around…
…also, the locker room here is fairly small…it’s essentially two long hallways divided by and surrounded by lockers, which contain a few jerseys, shirts, sneakers, random nik naks, etc…i am not sure, but i think one of the coaches had a pair of Nike Air Huarache…i loved those shoes back in the day…i didn’t know they still made them…
…the veterans who are not traveling with the team will drift around in street clothes, just sort of chilling, getting 
ready for the bus ride, setting up their iPods, or portable video-game systems, while catching up with other players…it’s very slow paced…nobody appears to be in a huge hurry…also the entire place smells of mineral ice, which actually made me a bit nostalgic, because i was addicted to that stuff when i pitched in high school…just dip your elbow in it, son, and you’ll be fine…
…there is a separate room catered for the players to grab some breakfast…most all of them were eating french toast with sausage on a paper plate and coffee from a plain-old styrofoam cup…they’d grab their food, plunk down on the stool in front of their locker and eat, while 
balancing the paper plate on their lap, knees together, trying to keep the food from sliding off on to the floor…
…speaking of nutrition, i talked briefly with Jon Niese, who recently changed his entire diet to a more organic, raw approach…i eat the same way…he explained that a few years ago he roomed with another player who majored in nutrition, and so through this guy’s encouragement jon got on a track and has since lost 30 or so pounds…
…i also walked up to David Wright, who is traveling with the team today, so he was standing in street clothes grabbing a few things for the bus ride…i said hello and introduced myself…he asked me how things were working out with SNY, noting that MetsBlog must be ‘blowing up,’ which was funny 
to hear…it was nice to finally meet in person…he was wearing a Giants Super Bowl Champions hat, of course…
…the guys are all very approachable, in fact…if a reporter has a question, he or she will just walk up and start talking…it’s not very official at all, as writers are just wondering aimlessly around the room…in one case, a player began talking from his locker to one reporter…it was just the two of them…within seconds, though, five other reporters were in there with notepads and voice recorders…the player walked away, and the cluster broke apart as each writer returned immediately to the aimless drifting…
…the whole place is actually well organized…i was quite surprised…i guess i just expected a lot of hustle and bustle and chaos, which is not the case…there are shopping carts loaded with equipment, bats lined up along the wall and packed bags in the runway…things seem to run very efficiently…
…it’s hard not to feel out of place…like Fernando Martinez, who just wondered around, occasionally sidling up to other players, listening, not talking, while wearing jeans, sneakers and an orange polo shirt…actually, judging by his body language, you would have thought he was a reporter…he bounced from locker to locker, room to room, smiling and making small talk…he’s not a big kid, either…he’s only an inch or two taller than i am, though he’s very lean and strong…Darryl Strawberry walked by, patted him on the back, gave him a nod as if to say, Everything good?…fernando nodded back, and darryl kept walking…
…strawberry was stopped in his tracks by Pedro Martinez, who let out a big yell, screaming, “Hey, Hey, It’s the Big D,” which ended with pedro giving darryl a big hug…they exchanged pleasantries about one another’s families, shook hands the entire time and then parted ways…
…it’s business as usual for them…but, definitely not for me…
…i am back at the stadium…it’s so peaceful in the mornings here…every one is just setting up, it’s sunny, but calm and muggy, the sound of sprinklers tap in the background…
…i have a great view of the player’s parking lot from where i am writing in the media room…one by one guys pull up, roll out of their fancy car, grab their bag and hop to the clubhouse…i have found it interesting just how clock-work their day is, in the way that my day is, or your day is…it’s like they come in, punch a clock, do their work and go home…it just so happens work for them is playing baseball…
…at any rate, i am going in to the locker room to see what that’s all about…i should be back sooner than later…
