Daily Archives: April 17, 2008
Earlier this week, Omar Minaya told reporters that his team will be ‘conservative’ with Pedro Martinez, meaning the pitcher may not 
return until June.
However, yesterday, Martinez told a Dominican TV station that he intends to be back before May, according to ESPN.
Martinez, as quoted by ESPN:
“I am surprised with the way I am recovering. It’s going much faster than I thought. Everything is moving smoothly. The Mets know that I’m working and that I will not abandon them. I don’t want it to be a long wait like everybody thinks.”
…whatever…he’s back when he’s back…frankly, this is all babble until we get that first report about him throwing from flat ground, which always makes me laugh because it seems like so much hype for such a normal moment…
…added to by Brandon Eddy…
…we should all know by now that pedro knows his body better than anyone…so if he says he can come back by the end of the month, then we shall believe…and hope…
Tagged Pedro Martinez |…i’m loving this story about Carlos Beltran re-inspiring Jose Reyes to return to being Jose Reyes…
…i hear fans and read reports that often suggest how the Mets lack leadership…but, beltran’s decision and way of speaking with reyes is leadership…so is Billy Wagner walking through the locker room, patting Aaron Heilman on the back, not saying a word, but letting him know it will all turn around, don’t give up…that’s leadership…and when jose gets on base, steals second, scores on a single, claps, smiles, dances and excites the fans and dugout, he’s leading the team as well…these are all different variations of leadership…
…i think what fans and reporters often mean to say is that the Mets lack a rah-rah, chearleading type of leader, which may be true…these are the same criticisms launched against Willie Randolph, which state that he is not ‘firey’ enough…you know, like Jim Leyland, whose team, by the way, is 5–10…
…i don’t mean to downplay ‘rah-rah,’ because i do feel it is important in certain spots – specifically win-or-go-home situations, or like last September in Shea Stadium…however, rah-rah seems to be the only form of leadership that reporters and fans talk about…i suppose this could be because it is the only form of leadership we can ever really see with our own eyes…i mean, if reyes did not relay the story about beltran, then we’d never have known about it – which would have allowed the popular idea that beltran is not a leader to continue, whether true or not…
Last night, Jose Reyes hit a solo home run.
Following the game, Reyes explained to reporters that Carlos Beltran took him aside before Tuesday’s game and told him to 
be himself, do the hand shakes, have fun, and be Jose Reyes.
Beltran, on his talk with Reyes, as quoted by the New York Post:
“As a teammate, I know, I see when somebody’s not happy and I didn’t think he was happy. I tell him, ‘I want you to be the Reyes that you always have been.’
Since then, Reyes is 6 for 9 with three extra base hits and two runs scored in two games.
Reyes, on his talk with Beltran:
“We talked a lot yesterday. He called me out to the ball park and said, ‘You have to do it the same way it was before, you have to enjoy the game, do your handshakes, because we like you the way you are. So, don’t change it. When you change it, you’re fake. It’s not the real Jose Reyes.’ And I realize that, and I said I’m going to be the old Jose Reyes. So, there’s nothing to worry about and I’m gonna enjoy my game, do the handshakes with every body, and keep everybody smiling in the dugout.”
…thank you, Carlos Beltran…fact is, he’s right…the main reason jose toned it down was so that if he struggles, people cannot blame the dancing…which is a stupid reason…it’s a loser’s mentality…fail…give me a break…instead, it should be: you’re Jose Reyes…win, smile, laugh, etc…don’t even think about failure…and i’m glad jose may once again see the light…he’s unique and should not shy away from that…plus, his success and excitement motivates the team and it motivates the fans and, while some may have been alarmed by the dancing last season, i think we now all realize how important jose’s spirit is to this team…
Following the game, Willie Randolph went in to depth as to why he recently switched up his batting order, hitting Ryan Church second and Luis Castillo eighth, adding:
“I think the key to this whole thing is really Jose. I mean, when he’s on base and swinging the bat, that just fuels everything. So, it’s not so much the moves that I make, it’s basically having a catalyst like Jose getting things started.”
…early in 2006, Julio Franco had a talk with beltran in the dugout encouraging carlos to accept a curtain call, during a time when fans had been booing him…it altered the dynamic between beltran and the fans in a way that can never be overlooked…on Tuesday, beltran talked to reyes, and hopefully it revitalizes reyes in a way that also will not be overlooked…
For more on Reyes and Beltran, read Newsday, the Daily News, Bergen Record and Star-Ledger.
Ryan Church was 2 for 4 last night, with a home run, against a lefty, while once again hitting from the number two spot in the batting order.
Church is batting .350, with two HR and five RBI in 20 at-bats against left-handed pitching this season.
Church, on batting second:
“I love it…I’ve been getting some pitches that I’ve been able to do something with.”
Willie Randolph, on why the switch in the lineup:
“Well, you know, when I make moves like that, it’s because I know my players better than any one. I have a good feel for my players. I watch BP, I watch how guys are swinging…I think when you face a guy like Chico, and (other left-handed pitchers), you take away their change up by putting a guy like Church in that spot where – you take that away from him, now there’s fastballs and Church takes advantage of that. So, that’s my thought process. I don’t always go in to detail, because sometimes it’s just a feeling that I have.”
…i still feel that this new lineup wastes church’s and Luis Castillo’s greatest assets…however, it’s hard to deny that the team has been scoring in this new method…i’ll concede that this may be the best option against lefties, because a) it breaks up the other left-handed bats, and b) it gets church more fastballs, which he clearly enjoys as evident by his quote and results…so, maybe this is good, maybe they go with this lineup against lefties and the other lineup against righties…
Tagged Ryan Church |
Last night, Joe Smith entered during the seventh inning, in relief of John Maine with two on and two out.
Smith got the final out of the inning, then pitched a scoreless eighth inning as well.
He has allowed one run in seven appearances this season.
Willie Randolph, on Smith:
“Joe did a great job…He’s really whipping the ball in and going after people. I’m really happy with the way he threw. It was very similar (to last season)…When you’re sidearmer, the feel and rhythm of your delivery is so different. It’s unorthodox…He looks similar to last year, but different. He’s whipping the ball better, and that’s key for him. He’s able to pop the ball in there, use his slider. He’s throwing well.”
Smith told reporters after the game that he has made subtle changes to his delivery, trying to keep his release point as low to the ground as possible.
…look, we all know joe can pitch…he is talented, effective, etc., that’s not the issue…
…the issue is, did he learn from last year, will he be able to pitch a full season, can he maintain through the summer, and so on…he told reporters, “Last year was a good year for me, I learned a lot from it.”…hopefully, that is what he means…
For more on Smith, read the New York Post and Newsday.
In last night’s win over the Nationals, John Maine allowed one run and three base runners in the first inning, but rebounded to allow just one run through the next six more innings while striking out four.
Billy Wagner on Maine:
“I think he came to camp thinking he needed to be so much better than he needs to be…I remember me and [Schoeneweis] talking to him and saying, ‘Hey, have fun.’…Don’t make it tougher than it already is, and put pressure on yourself to hit spots and stuff like that. I said, ‘Just go out there and try to make quality pitches, if you do good, if you don’t, move on to the next guy.’ There’s too much to try to sit there and worry about if you’re trying to worry about every pitch and every situation, just go out there and face them one at a time.”
Brian Schneider on Mane:
“I was worries, because he was getting his pitch count up early. But, he settled in to a pretty good rhythm. He got some quick outs, some nice double plays. Overall, I know he wasn’t happy with it, he was frustrated in the end, he couldn’t finish out the seventh inning, but overall, he got his first win and I was happy with the way things turned out. Obviously, we got the win and that’s all that matters.”
…no one asked, and he’d never say, but my best is that this type out of outing from maine is exactly what Willie Randolph had hoped to get from Oliver Perez earlier in the week, and didn’t, and is why willie was so upset with ollie…maine was on the ropes, but buckled down, pitched small, commanded the inning and then got back on track…ollie can do this, but doesn’t do it enough…
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