Daily Archives: March 27, 2008
In a post to his blog for the New York Post, citing a team source, 
Bart Hubbuch explains why Orlando Hernandez is likely to be the team’s fifth starter, not Mike Pelfrey.
…this is fine by me, as long as el duque is healthy…whatever that means for him…
…pelfrey needs more work in the minor leagues…more to the point, he needs to get it together, get aggressive, and show some fight…the kid has so much talent, yet looks and plays so passive…
…meanwhile, as i said the other day, if he’s ‘healthy,’ el duque has earned the right to do his annual magic show…and so, until he fails or gets hurt, it’s his show…while pelfrey keeps throwing and working in new orleans…
Hernandez and Pelfrey are each scheduled to pitch tomorrow against the Orioles.
Tagged Orlando Hernandez |The New York Water Taxi will not be running the Mets 
Express to Shea Stadium this season.
According to a recent e-mail from a fan who is quite upset by this news, the onboard, dockside cafe would air SNY on TV while offering a drink special as the ferry sailed to Shea Stadium.
…my guess is that this may has something to do with the contrsuction at Citi Field, because, from what i had heard, this form of transportation had been a huge success for every one involved…it also sounds like it was probably a ton of fun…
Tagged Shea Stadium |.jpg)
Steve Register was cleared waivers, according to Adam Rubin and his blog for the Daily News.
For more on Register’s future, read Rubin.
…as noted the other day, because he is a Rule V pick, register must now be offered back to the Rockies for $25,000…in all likelihood, colorado will welcome him home and then try to trade him back to the Mets…
During Tuesday’s broadcast, SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt and Keith Hernandez took live phone calls from fans between the sixth and seventh inning.
…during which, keith slugged down a soda and ate a sandwich…on camera…priceless…this live call-in segment is interesting…i’d be lying if i said it was anything short of awkward, at first, but i am eager to see how it will play during games when we can all call keith to get his take on a specific play that may have occurred only a few moments before the call…obviously, SNY will not take calls during play, nor between every inning…it will be once in a while, and depending on the content of the call i believe this could actually be useful and insightful…
For more on SNY’s live in-game calls, read Bob Raissman in the Daily News.
Speaking of media, according to the Daily News, Billy Wagner will appear as a once-a-week guest during the The Michael Kay Show.
…per…fect…lo duca, who…WFAN, what…at any rate, wagner will fit right in…wagner should do these interviews standing up, making it more difficult for him to put his foot in his mouth…
…by the way, i hope this puts the Mets one step closer to ditching WFAN, since their contract with the station is up after this season…i’d welcome a move to ESPN 1050…
Speaking of WFAN, check out the following clip from his show on March 7, during which he states, “I like Barndon Inge, a lot,” 13 times in two and a half minutes.
…wait, you mean francesa repeats himself…no kidding…i hadn’t noticed that…heh, imagine that…
Tagged SNY, WFAN |
The Mets will travel to Disney World today to take on the Braves at 1 pm.
The game will air live on ESPN.
Oliver Perez will start for the Mets. He has allowed 12 runs through 18 innings this spring, while walking five, but striking out 15.
OF Endy Chavez will hit leadoff, followed in order by 2B Damion Easley, OF Angel Pagan, 1B Marlon Anderson, 3B Fernando Tatis, DH Ryan Church, C Raul Casanova, OF Brady Clark and SS Anderson Machado.
According to Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com, Willie Randolph is among six managers who are ‘on the hot seat,’ i.e., men who could potentially be fired this season.
Rosenthal writes of Randolph, among other comments:
“Anything less than a postseason berth - and maybe a first-round playoff triumph - could endanger both Randolph and GM Omar Minaya…Randolph did not deserve to be fired after last season. His lack of outward passion drew criticism, but if he had shown more emotion, he might have given the appearance of panic…
“Strategy often is less important than personality; Charlie Manuel’s greatest strength with the Phillies is his knack for keeping the team positive through periods of adversity. Tough-minded players help; the Phillies possess a certain swagger. Randolph’s most accomplished position players, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, are not leaders…
“No one in the Mets’ clubhouse could rescue a sinking Jose Reyes last September; Pedro Martinez laments that he was absent for too long last season to assert himself in September. Perhaps Martinez, Santana and third baseman David Wright will help the leadership void. One thing is certain: Improved pitching would make Randolph look a lot smarter.”
…as i have said before, if the Mets play sound baseball and live up to the talent of the team, but just get beat by a better club, i think willie will survive, regardless of whether his team makes the post-season or not…however, if the club flops around, plays uninspired and falls short at any point in the season, he’s toast…and justifiably so…
Tagged Willie Randolph |…slowly but surely, major media outlets are rolling out their annual prediction and preview columns…as you may recall, i do not bother in this tradition…instead, i will once again be doing a MetsBlog Under-Over Post, which will run first thing next Monday…stay tuned…
In the meantime, check out Tom Verducci at SI.com, who projects that the Mets will win the NL East, of whom he writes:
“I will say, however, I was struck this spring by how many baseball people love the Braves and question New York’s character. ‘They don’t pull together,’ said
one GM of the Mets.”
Meanwhile, the Daily News pulled its writers together to preview the Mets in three columns, here, here and here, the last of which discusses Johan Santana, and whether he can help make ‘The Collapse’ a thing of the past.
Speaking of Santana, in the Chicago Tribune, columnist Phil Rogers predicts that Santana will be the best pitcher and player in the NL East, while Willie Randolph will be the division’s best manager.
Lastly, in the New York Post, Joel Sherman has a bit of fun, making all sorts of alternative predictions, such as, “Out of desperation, the Phillies acquire Kyle Lohse in a trade for a second straight season.”
Tagged Willie Randolph |According to Adam Rubin, at his blog for the Daily News, Ruben Gotay was told by the Mets that he has been put on waivers.
To hear from Gotay, who says his sprained ankle is fine, check out Rubin’s report.
Gotay, with tears in his eyes, as quoted by Newsday:
“I did a good job and didn’t deserve this.”
…this stinks, because i like gotay…sure, he is not the best defensive player in the league, far from it, but he can hit…
In 190 at-bats for the Mets last season, Gotay hit .290 with 16 extra base hits.
However, he hit just .194 in 36 at-bats against left-handed pitchers, compared to hitting .318 against righties.
…this, plus the ankle, plus being out of options, plus his defense, is why gotay may end up on another team…which is a real shame…especially since Fernando Tatis will likely make the squad instead…which is not to say tatis is a bad player, it’s just that gotay is young, and a strong hitter, with an upside…whereas, tatis is what he is…
…hopefully, ruben clears waivers - for much of the same reasons he was put on waivers - and ends up back with the Mets…
For what it’s worth, Gotay was designated for assignment in February, 2007, and cleared waivers.
He was acquired from the Royals during 2006 for 2B Jeff Keppinger, who was cut by the Royals, and then hit .332 in 67 games for the Reds.
Tagged Ruben Gotay |…if you live outside of New York City and would like me to make a post on MetsBlog.com – so you and other locals can talk about organizing an opening-day Meet Up in your city - enter your city’s name in the comment’s section…
…the buzz from Tradition Field seems to be that Mike Pelfrey leads the race for the the team’s fifth starter, while Fernando Tatis leads for the bench due to his versatility…
…as i wrote yesterday, the Opening Day roster is shaping up to be some variation of the following:
Starting Pitchers: Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez, John Maine and either Pelfrey or Nelson Figueroa.
The Bullpen: Billy Wagner, Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano, Scott Schoenweiss, Jorge Sosa, Matt Wise and either Joe Smith or Brian Stokes.
Position Players: Brian Schneider, Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Angel Pagan and Ryan Church.
Bench: Raul Casanova, Damion Easley, Marlon Anderson, Endy Chavez and either Tatis or Brady Clark.
Disabled List: Orlando Hernandez, Duaner Sanchez, Ruben Gotay and Ramon Castro.
According to Bart Hubbach in the New York Post, who breaks down the potential roster as well, the Mets have until Sunday to submit their 25-man roster, “And Willie Randolph is talking as if they plan to use every hour before the deadline.”
By the way, to learn more about Figueroa, who is from Coney Island, check out Vic Ziegel’s column for the Daily News.
For more on the roster, read the Journal News, the Star-Ledger, and the New York Times.
…by the way, during Ed Coleman’s appearance on WFAN yesterday, the station’s drive-time hosts, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, goofed on the Mets for giving up on Angel Pagan, who the team was ‘in love with earlier in the spring,’ going on and on about how pagan will not be part of the bench, and what a mistake that will be, etc…never once did it occur to them that the reason pagan was not listed as part of the bench is because he’ll be starting in place of Moises Alou…ugh…
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