Daily Archives: April 4, 2008
Tonight’s game vs. the Braves was postponed due to inclement weather.
It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on May 20th.
Currently at Mets.com, the team is asking fans to vote from 10 choices, including a write-in option, to elect a new eighth-inning sign-a-long song, which could potentially replace Sweet Caroline.
However, FARK.com is encouraging it’s community to bombard Mets.com and vote Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up as a write-in candidate.
FARK logs more than 4 million unique visitors each month.
…in other words, unless the Mets ignore these vote totals, this will be your eighth-inning sing-a-long, which, as bad as it is, is still far better than Sweet Caroline…so, thanks, FARK…
To vote, go here, and do so by noon on Monday, April 7, when the voting booth closes.
…as i said last week, personally, i think there is way, way too much music played at Shea Stadium as it is…also, the poll question implies that having a sing-a-long is some sort of requirement…last i checked, baseball can actually be played without a singing…in fact, i prefer song-less baseball…
To learn what a Rickroll is, go here.
In his latest Rumblings & Grumblings column for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark writes the following about Mets RHP Nelson Figueroa, who replaced Pedro Martinez on the team’s roster:
“Don’t be shocked if the Mets give Nelson Figueroa a shot to stick around. Minaya seems to have a soft spot for Figueroa, a guy whose itinerary alone makes him a great story…Just in the last year, Figueroa has been A) the winning pitcher in the Mexican League all-star game last summer, B) the MVP of the Taiwan Series last fall, C) the MVP of the Dominican Series this winter and D) the MVP of the Caribbean Series in January. We guarantee no pitcher in history has ever done all that in fewer than 12 months.
“‘He pitched his butt off in front of Omar at the Caribbean Series,’ says one scout. ‘And he pitched like that all winter long. I know people see the name and wonder. But you see a guy pitch like that, and you say to yourself, ‘Why isn’t this guy in the big leagues?’”
Stark continues on to discuss the whereabouts of Barry Bonds; Miguel Cabrera’s impact on Ryan Howard’s next contract; and Lastings Milledge’s future in DC; among so many other things.
…thanks to Teddy Ballgame for the link…
Tagged Nelson Figueroa |According to Bart Hubbuch in the New York Post, like Lastings Milledge and Paul Lo Duca, “Add Ruben Gotay to the list of ex-Mets vowing revenge against their former team.”
…be sure to check out hubbach’s column, in which he provides a variety of exclusive quotes from gotay, who seems to blame Willie Randolph for his release, and whom he has no intention of speaking with before tonight’s game in Atlanta…
In the Daily News, Adam Rubin talks with Tom Glavine, who played with Gotay last season, and who had plenty of positive things to say about the young player.
Speaking of the Braves, in the New York Post, Mike Vaccaro believes that the coming week will provide an early-season test for the Mets, as they’ll play the Braves and Phillies.
Lastly, at Chop-n-Change, a Braves blog, Kristi Dosh talks with Joe Janish of Mets Today in a preview of the Mets.
Tagged Ruben Gotay |
…my friend, Mark from SNY, took the following photos from the on-deck circle at Shea Stadium looking out towards center field…
…as you can see, Citi Field, which is now 85 percent complete, creates a back wall for Shea, which had never been the case before…in essence, Shea Stadium is now closed in…
In a report last summer for SI.com, Jon Heyman explained that there is a ‘theory 
going’ around’ that such a wall could change the wind patterns and allow balls to carry out to left-center in Shea.
…in the past, as Mike Piazza will attest to, fly balls to left typically get knocked down by the strong wind blowing in and over the bullpen and picnic area…now, as you can see, there is essentially a wall out there to block the wind…sorry, mike…
…it will be very interesting to see how this impacts wind patterns, if at all, and whether it slightly changes the play of Shea Stadium, which we always consider a pitcher’s park…
Tagged Shea Stadium |
Last night was Minor League Baseball’s Opening Day, and the Mets’ four full-season affiliates were in action.
Here is a recap of how each team began the season, and how their 
top prospects performed:
New Orleans (AAA): 5-2 win over Nashville
LHP Adam Bostick pitched five effective innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits and a walk, striking out seven. RHP Willie Collazo pitched 3.2 innings of strong relief, giving up his only run in the ninth. He was relieved by Carlos Muniz, who slammed the door for his first save.
SS Anderson Hernandez, hitting lead off, was 2-for-5 with a double, a run and two RBI, while 2B Argenis Reyes – impressive during spring training – was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Binghamton (AA): 2-0 win over Trenton
LHP Jon Niese tossed five shutout innings against the Trenton Thunder – the Yankees’ Eastern League affiliate. Niese walked one and struck out five. Eddie Kunz pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.
At the plate, the B-Mets were held to just four hits. OF Fernando Martinez went 1-for-4 from the lead off spot, while DH Mike Carp hit a solo homer. 2B Emmanuel Garcia had the
B-Mets other RBI, on a ground out.
St. Lucie (A+): 8-3 loss to Vero Beach
Orlando Hernandez, in a rehab start, went five innings for the St. Lucie Mets, allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk, striking out six. Brandon Nall took the loss in relief.
Lucas Duda, a seventh-round pick out of USC last year, was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Ruben Tejada,
an 18-year-old shortstop, was 1-for-5.
Savannah (A-): 2-0 win over Columbus
Tagged Minors |LHP Mike Antonini tossed six hitless innings against the Columbus Catfish, striking out four. Francisco Pena was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
In the San Francisco Chronicle, Bruce Jenkins speculates that the Mets must now have interest in A’s RHP Rich Harden, who is 1–0 with a 0.82 ERA in his first two starts of the season.
…no need for harden…it has not come to that, considering the A’s will almost certainly demand Fernando Martinez…
Harden has missed roughly 60 percent of his starts over the last three seasons due to injury.
Of course, during his last 38 starts, Harden is 16–7 with a 2.95 ERA, having struck out 197 batters through 200 innings, while opponents have hit just .193 against him.
The 25–year-old Harden will earn $4.5 million in 2008, after which his contract contains a $7 million team option for 2009.
At his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney recently wrote that it will take at least six starts to show he is healthy before team’s seriously consider trading for Harden.
Previously in the Chronicle, Susan Slusser wrote that the Yankees have expressed interest in Harden, who would likely cost them Ian Kennedy among other pitching prospects.
…jeez, just when i thought the off-season was behind us, here come A’s rumors again…ugh…
However, in the Daily News, Adam Rubin reports that, because Mets officials believe Pedro Martinez will back by mid-May, “they’re not inclined to seek any outside pitching help now.”
…in other words, since Nelson Figueroa will only be needed for one start before Orlando Hernandez can return from the disabled list, the Mets are comfortable advancing with el duque, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Johan Santana from mid-April to mid-May, when pedro is expected back…
Although the Mets appear willing to wait, like Rubin writes, according to David Lennon in Newsday, citing the player’s agent, the team has been in contact with free-agent Claudio Vargas.
Last night at ESPN.com, Jayson Stark wrote that the plan for Vargas would be to simply add him to the team’s inventory in Triple-A, joining Brian Stokes and Tony Armas Jr.
Lennon also reports that the Mets have interest in Rangers RHP Robinson Tejada, who was recently designated for assignment.
Stark, however, writes that the team has no interest in Tejada, nor David Wells or Jeff Weaver.
…my bet, based solely on speculation and past behavior: the Mets will look in to Freddy Garcia, who will reportedly be ready in June…if you recall, the Mets and garcia talked in the off-season, and he’s still a free agent…he could sign a minor-league deal, rehab with the team, and if el duque or pedro suffer a set back, garcia would be ready around the same time…
Braves LHP Mike Hampton has been put back on disabled list after hurting himself in pregame warm-ups last night, which would have been his first major-league start in two years.
…in other breaking news, the sun rose from the east today…
According to Jeff Schultz in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “You name it, Hampton’s had it,” ranging from back pain to oblique muscles to calf injuries to vertigo.
…to silly excuses about school systems in Colorado…
Orlando Hernandez allowed two runs and three hits, including a home run, while striking out six hitters last night in a rehab start for Single-A St. Lucie.
Hernandez is scheduled to make two more minor-league rehab starts before re-joining the Mets.
Hernandez can return from the disabled on April 13.
Tagged Orlando Hernandez |
It’s Flashback Friday at Faith and Fear in Flushing, where Greg Prince takes a look back at Steve Trachsel win against the Marlins from June, 2004.
In the New York Post, Bart Hubbach talks with Nelson Figueroa about his long journey back to the major leagues.
According to Brian Moritz, in the Press & Sun Bulletin, Robert Parnell has a lot more confidence than he did last season thanks to his brief time with the big-league club this spring.
Lastly, in the New York Sun, Tim Marchman believes the Mets may soon regret the players they let go during the last few years, such as Jeff Keppinger and Jesus Flores.
