All in all still a good time though Wrigley is always a fun place for a game, especially during the day

1) The Cubs, as do most teams except for the Mets, do have a home field advantage

2) Zambrano

3) A struggling Delgado and bullpen

And assuming a more raucous crowd in the 2000 postseason, they would then have booed Benitez even harder. Right? We all know how that works out for him.

So I think a rowdy crowd would likely have rattled Benitez more than it helped. Which is my point. I know a supportive crowd can help many players (though not all). But the negative reaction is just so much more harmful. The harm outweighs the good IMO.

Not getting booed didn’t seem to help the Mets in Wrigley now did it?

And you’re right, nothing would have helped Benitez.

hands down most pathetic mets series i’ve witnessed in person. if delgado’s not hitting, he has to AT LEAST show up to play defense. for a Vet, this is truly pathetic/sad. mets brass is in denial. put him on the 15-day DL, bring up Carp

You also have to take into account defense. Fukudome is worlds better in the outfield than Alou who is going to end up costing the Mets games when he plays.

It’s really not too difficult to translate offensive stats from Japan over to the U.S. Just take off roughly 100 points from the OPS and you can get a pretty good idea of what you’ll get. As long as the player is still young and performing well prior to coming over.

I know it’s April, but I bet Fukudome ends up with a similar OPS at the end of the year. He’s got a good eye and is patient at the plate. He’s always had a higher OBP than Castillo too.

And I know the team’s problems are more extensive than Beltran and Delgado. But in terms of offense, they along with Castillo, are the weakest links and a problem now.

I would rather have Alou for one year over Fokudome for an extended period. Comparing Japaneese stats to MLB is like comparing Arena Football passing stats to NFL. Fact is, Fokudome is an unknown and a risk. He is having a great time in Chicago, but it is also April. The book on him is practically a pamphlet at this point in time. I liked him, but his style that I saw is VERY much like Castillo. He protects the plate and goes opposite field. He’s a sound fundamental ball player, but I would rather have more power in the corner OF positions.

And the problem with the Mets go a bit more beyond just Delgado and Beltran.

The fans who booed Santana and Heilman on opening day at Shea are the worst. Absolute worst.

A more raucous crowd — even a supportive one — would probably have made Benitiez melt down even more.