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In a post to Mets Today, Joe Janish wonders why Willie Randolph refuses 
to use the Wheel Play during a bunt situation.
According to the Brooklyn Met Fan, now that Johan Santana has officially lost a start, he is now officially a Met.
At Gotham Baseball Magazine, Mark Healey reminisces about his favorite moments at Shea Stadium, and asks you to share yours as well.
Mike, from Mike’s Mets, says, “It’s not time for the ledge.”
According to It’s Mets for Me, the Braves beat the Mets in Atlanta because their stars, John Smoltz and Chipper Jones, ‘want it more.’
Lastly, in the New York Sun, Tim Marchman breaks down some of the early-season returns in MLB, such as Jason Kendall hitting .500, the O’s in first place and the perfect Tim Redding.
…in other words, settle down…it’s a long, long season…
who wrote that article two or three years ago about the ‘department of lost Ws’? Where Mets pitchers from the present and past were waiting in line to collect thier lost wins? It was regarding Pedro’s first game that was blown by the pen, I think. It was a great read, and now Santana can take his place in line as well.
The announcers on mlbtv even commented on the wheel as the way to go… especially with Johan on the mound.
He’s a pretty good fielder himself, plus the fact that he’s left handed makes a throw to third (covered by the shortstop or a retreating third-baseman) only natural as a left-hander.
honestly, Santana is such a good fielder that you dont need the wheel play. Wright just needs to learn to stay back a little longer on bunt plays when Santana is on the mound. If its hit too hard for Santana to get it, it will get to Wright without him charging full on.
Five games in and we are talking about ledges!!!!
PLEASE GET A GRIP!!!!
THIS INSANITY MUST BE SQUELCHED!!!
the itsmetsforme post is great… I don’t think Smoltz and Chipper will ever stop killing us, and they have trained their minions aka Francouer and Texeira and Kelly friggin Johnson to follow up when they finally do go to pasture. I’m doomed to have Turner Field be the closest MLB I can see, so time and time again, I will watch Smoltz dominate us (though we got to them and Hudson in Sept when I was lucky enough to attend). I will endure the chop, the glazed stares from the football fans all around, and that f’in siren they play when they score. Why? Because I end up next to mets fans and we b1tch together, we chant together, we “Larry” together, JoseJoseJose, even if he’s 0-4.. even if we get a LGM chant going, and Texeira hits the next pitch just out of Church’s reach to have Heilman blow yet another turner field game.
Guys from Savanna, families from Raliegh, all of us unlikely mets fans, wait to have our hearts broken again and again by this team. Just before the 9th inning, the guy next to me said “I don’t think this is going to be 86 game 6 again sooo..” and shook my hand as we got our stuff together and watched the agonizing conclusion. That’s what we pray for…that a dribbler will get by the first baseman, and we will win a game we had no right winning to begin with, and be champions again, like we all thought we would be year after year, following 1986…
and still we wait.
I’ll be honest man, I’ve lived in Atlanta for nine years now and I can’t take any more Turner field nightmares.
After this weekend, I’m done going to Mets Braves games for a while, it’s just too painful.
feel ya .. I missed most of the nightmare years I admit, so I’ll endure for a bit longer. I was foolish enough to think it would be different with Santana .. HA!
“…trained their minions aka Francouer and Texeira and Kelly friggin Johnson”
Exactly mookie. That’s what really worries me, that Frenchy will name his kid Citifield Francouer.
Those guys just love beating the Mets and they are handing down the tradition.
I’m not in panic mode yet however I will have to say that even though Santana pitched a fantastic game again, that I am starting to have visions of the same 2007 mets team. Our offense has gone stagnant again and Its time we get ourselves a hitting coach that can actually coach (sorry Hojo, not doing a good job so far). Jose is such a key component to this Met offense and he is showing he hasn’t changed at all from last year with his pitch dicipline. I am hoping that things turn around really quick for the home opener tomorrow or else this team is going to start to slide again just like the end of 2007. Hey omar, its time to re-evaluate our relief pitchers, so far they all look hitable and the stats back that. Willie needs to take control and get these guys focused as their is amazing talent on this squad, I just don’t believe they are coached well.
Is it possible that it’s too early to announce that they offense has “gone stagnant” again? I mean they scored 13 runs then 5 runs in the game after that. Maybe it was a tough game against a tough pitcher?
And I’m confused abut the “re-evaluating” of our relief pitchers. What are they going to do, dump them all and start from scratch? I’m pretty sure that these are they guys they are going to have.
Willie hasn’t ever put on the wheel play for the very same reason that he hasn’t put on a squeeze play. He’s frankly not smart enough for the job he’s in.
Speaking of smarts or lack thereof, if I have to see Delgado hit into a shifted infield one more time when he could easily bunt or chop a single/double into EMPTY 3rd base territory, I’m gonna scream. WTF?!? HELLO CARLOS–ANYBODY HOME?!?!?
willie doesn’t run the wheel play because he doesn’t know it. he should not be the manager of a major league baseball team…period!
Willie spent most of his life/career in the AL where they don’t normally play small ball or use wheel plays. Plus he had ZERO managing experience when he came to the Mets.
So why would anyone expect him to know small ball and the wheel play??? That is a question for Omar who hand-picked Willie.
But chill out folks. It’s too early to panic.
I’m sure the Wilpons were pushing for Willie.
They were rubber stamping anything that Omar wanted that winter. If Omar had wanted Bobby V or Davey Johnson back they would have rubber stamped that too. They promised Omar full autonomy and there was no way they would interfere with that, especially during year 1.
Make no mistake, Willie was mostly an Omar signing.
Nice job by IMFM with Smoltz the terminator who never dies!
Smoltz is the ultimate competitor and you can see it in the way he often pitches hurt — which included yesterday! So while I don’t wish injuries on anyone, it’s fortunate for the Mets that Smoltz doesn’t seem to be very healthy this year and he might have spent his best bullets on the Mets this weekend!
Which means don’t expect anything near 200 innings from Smoltz this year. I predict a DL stint or two and an elevated ERA from last year.
Also on the bright side, early last year the Braves would beat up on the Mets and then go to to stink against other teams. And at the end of the year, it was the Mets who beat the Braves at Turner. So while the two losses were disheartening, I don’t see them as necessarily indicative of anything that will happen this year.
thanks vcarver, and thx Matthew for the link.
Injuries never seem to matter for Smoltz–he always seems to be nursing some hurt or another when he starts vs. mets–yesterday he had a knot in his shoulder!
I just had this vision of Smoltz with a metal rod through his head gushing android blood, but slapping that godforsaken hat on his head anyway and heading out to out duel our precious #1.
I can hold out no longer: my long dismissive hatred for Smoltz and Larry is morphing into a grudgingly respectful hatred.
I wish we could go back in time and make it that Smoltz was the one who left and signed with the Mets and not Glavine.
I have a feeling this is the year that Arnold finally puts down that damn Smoltz cyborg who won’t die!
BTW, loved your flying cat visual a few weeks back.
Willie Randolph refuses to do a lot of things. Such as motivating his team on to victory. He has no skills when it comes to national league baseball. His players do not respect him; and his sidekick Petersen should learn more about pitching. We have a good team but noone to lead them. Noone to push them. 2008 is going to be a long season. Fire Randolph and get someone who knows baseball in the NL and who can fire up his team. Please.
I really have to take issue with 3 things you said there —
… that Willie refuses to motivate his team (yeah, I’m sure he doesn’t care … or are you expecting rah-rah in-your-face rants?)
… that his players don’t respect him (where is there evidence of that?)
… and that Peterson should learn more about pitching. (hey, well who do you think turned around Ollie and Maine???)