Daily Archives: April 21, 2008
…i wasn’t sure what to expect when i attended my first Mets-Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday…i’d heard the horror stories of Mets fans getting pummeled for simply rooting for their team to the youtube videos of melees in the stands…however, my experience was surprisingly different and unexpected…
…when i arrived at the park, i was shocked by the sea of Mets fans that had gathered in the numerous parking lots surrounding Citizen’s Bank Park…i knew i was in philly, but it felt like a fast forward to what Citi Field will feel like next season…
…inside the park, it wasn’t much different…a smattering of boos could be heard as my friend and i walked through groups of Phillies fans, but for the most part Phillies fans were a bit tame with their taunts, perhaps the Mets winning Friday night and the early lead they took soured them a bit…
…of course, a couple fights could be seen in the distance on either side of where i was standing in Section 125, but the Phillies fans i encountered towards the end of the game were taunting their own player’s failures rather than Mets fans cheering their team…
…the day became complete when the Mets won and dejected Phillies fans became subdued as they lost another game and the series to their eastern division rival…
…added to by Brandon Eddy…
…as a Mets fan, you couldn’t have asked for a better day on Saturday…the sun was out, the sky was blue and so were the Phillies fans – before and after the game…walking in and around the beautiful Citizens Bank Park, i realized why near-career ending injuries have been cheered, Santa Claus has been booed, and so on, by Phillies fans…i have never heard such lame comments by rival fans before…most were laughable and most didn’t even deserve a comeback because they probably wouldn’t have gotten it anyway…
Tagged Mike Nichols |
In a post to his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman writes about Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, and has the following to 
say about Carlos Delgado:
“The Mets have a glaring problem three weeks into the season and that problem is named Carlos Delgado…It is becoming more and more evident that the Mets are going to have to address that issue as this season goes along by either limiting Delgado’s at-bats or going all Frank Thomas on him and just releasing him. Then the question will become who picks up the at-bats in Delgado’s absence.”
…honestly, i have been catching more and more eye-rolls, shoulder shrugs and overall frustration regarding delgado from people connected to the team of late, to the extent that it has me wondering, too, just what his future holds…
…it would not surprise me to learn that the Mets are already thinking creatively about what to do this season if a) delgado’s struggles continue, or b) he gets hurt, or both for that matter…my sense is that the answer will not be an exciting solution, but rather a player like a Scott Hatteberg or Kevin Millar, but that is total speculation based solely on the market…
…during spring training, i overheard two scouts discussing delgado, and in addition to wondering if he would eventually need hip surgery, their basic conclusion was that he had served his porpoise for the Mets and was now playing on borrowed time…in other words, he did well in 2006, helped to bring Carlos Beltran out of his shell, but now beltran is fine, and delgado is a basically a singles-hitter who plays so-so defense…and, if the Mets must go with a single hitter at first, there are far better options available to them from guys who are far better on defense…
By the way, 21–year-old 1B Mike Carp is hitting .446 with five HR and 16 RBI for the Mets in Double-A Binghamton, while striking out in just 12 percent of his plate appearances.
According to Mets VP of Biz Ops Dave Howard, as quoted in the 
Daily News, “There will be some sort of apple at Citi Field…Whether it’s the same one or not, that’s something we’re still weighing.”
Darryl Strawberry, when asked if likes the the Apple, as quoted in the rpeort:
“Love it…It’s the Big Apple, you know?…That Apple has always been special to me – it means you’ve done something good.”
…like i have said before, though, speaking only for myself, i don’t want AN apple, i want THE apple…otherwise, what’s the point…also, for what it’s worth, Citi Field has constructed a massive, concrete canister to house the new apple, and i have heard people in television, from a few places, complain that this structure will kill any chance for the standard, center field camera angle we are all used to…
…also, Save the Apple loves the apple, as well, as they continue thier effort to, well, save the apple…
The Mets have signed 21–year-old German C Kai Gronauer to a 
two-year minor league contract.
For more on Gronauer, who has played for the German national team since 2005, go to Baseball Reference.
…from what i can gather, he will first report to extended spring training in St. Lucie, after which he’ll latch on with one of the organization’s single-a teams…gronauer had been courted by the Pirates as well, but did not want to sign with them…instead, he chose the Mets…
…if you are among the lucky fans heading to Wrigley Field for this week’s games against the Cubs in Chicago, Julie from Chicago Mets Fan is getting people together for a pre-game happy hour on both nights at Murphy’s Bleachers, which is located on the corner of Waveland and Sheffield across the street from the bleacher seat entrance…
As noted yesterday, OF Moises Alou played five innings in left field going 3-for-3 with a double in his first rehab start for the Mets on Saturday.
According to the team, Alou will continue to play in minor-league rehab games this week – and could potentially rejoin the team as it returns to Shea Stadium this weekend.
…instead, i think the Mets should just put alou in Carbon Freeze, and let him hibernate until he is really, really needed…this way, there is no way he can hurt himself between now and then…
Tagged Moises Alou |Brian Schneider missed last night’s game with a bruised right forearm, after being hit by a foul tip 
on Saturday.
However, Schneider told reporters that he expects to be back in the lineup today. Willie Randolph made similar comments while speaking with ESPN during the game.
In his place, Raul Casanova was 2 for 3 last night with a double and a walk.
…meanwhile, Ramon Castro can’t seem to get his act together during extended spring training in St. Lucie…from what i can gather, every time ramon gets ready to play in game, he experiences pain in his hamstring, or other places, and is then shut down again…
…by the way, this is exactly why the Mets never trusted this guy with the starting job, as so many fans had hoped for…he’s just way, way too injury prone, especially down the stretch it seems…
In case you missed last night’s game between the Mets and Phillies, go to 
ESPN.com to check out a video recap from Baseball Tonight.
…you know, i realized last night that i do not watch Baseball Tonight nearly as much as i used to, and i think it’s because i miss Harold Reynolds and Bobby Valentine, who, together, coupled with Karl Ravech and whomever happened to be joining them, specifically Peter Gammons, was just too darn entertaining and informative…the show just doesn’t feel the same as it once did…
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