Daily Archives: April 25, 2008
Yesterday, during his weekly appearance on ESPN 1050, Billy Wagner talked about his early season success; his 
new windup; Duaner Sanchez; and the team’s inconsistent play, among other things.
When asked if the Mets have found their identity yet this season, Wagner said, “No, and we shouldn’t have, it’s only 20 games…You don’t expect to be at your peak level. I think we are right where we need to be.”
…first off, it’s nice to hear a player from the Mets being asked questions from some one not on WFAN…which is not to say WFAN does a bad job with interviewing, because i actually think they’re all quite good – Mike and the Maddog included – it’s just not to hear a different line of questioning from time to time…
To listen to Wagner’s entire interview, go to ESPN.com.
For more on Wagner, who is not fazed by his lack of save opportunities, read Newsday.
An anonymous reader of MetsBlog sent in an e-mail, asking:
“Can I get an explanation on why when Oliver Perez gets two outs and looks like he might get through the inning, Willie takes him out. That’s gotta make Perez feel awful that Willie takes him out like that right after he gets two outs! Last
year, if Tom Glavine had the same exact game going, willie definitely keeps him in there for the final out, he cant say he treats his player the same…Also I need an explanation as to why Willie won’t give Heilman and Sosa a rest…they can’t pitch every game.”
…i think it’s fairly obvious at this point that willie would rather push a player through a slump than sit him down…i don’t like this philosophy, and i sense most fans agree…as i said the other day, like with Carlos Delgado, it may help to just take a breather and have them clear their minds…
…heilman’s problem, though, isn’t rest, from what i understand…it’s that he is over-using his change-up, not keeping his fastball down and he’s not using his slider enough…i mean, he threw a 96–mph fastball last night, which is impressive, but it was four feet off the plate, which is not impressive…
…willie clearly believes that by running him out there, heilman will get it together…the thing is, while i may not know a better approach, i think it’s safe to say that this one being used by willie is not working…
…as for perez…i guess you and i were watching two different games…perez was coming totally apart on the mound…and this isn’t the first time that this has happened…it’s actually becoming a habit with him…he’s staked to a lead, cruising, he walks a batter and then all hell breaks loose…i actually give willie credit for pulling him…the problem is that this occurs so early in the game, relief pitchers then have to be married beyond a point when they should be removed from the game…i mean, if a starting pitcher starts to implode in the seventh, instead, Scott Schoeneweis can pitch to one batter, instead of needing him to pitch a full inning or two, and so on, and so maybe Jorge Sosa and heilman can actually get some rest…
…notice how this is rarely a problem when Johan Santana pitches…not just because santana has great stuff, but because he commands the game in a way that gets him and his team in a position to play from their strengths – even if he does not have his best stuff…this is not to say that John Maine, Oliver Perez, etc, must go out and win Cy Youngs, it means they need to command their innings better so to give willie more options and to allow the bullpen more breathing room to do what it does best…
Tagged Oliver Perez |Moises Alou once again played in an extended spring training game in St. Lucie yesterday.
According to Willie Randolph, talking to reporters yesterday, whether or not Alou returns to the team this weekend – or next week – is up to the player at this point.
…i still believe they’ll say next week, then he’ll pull a surprise arrival over the weekend…but, that’s just speculation and a gut feeling, which i realize is not a popular way of making decisions among Mets fans these days…
Meanwhile, Brian Schneider was sent back to New York and hospitalized last night because of an infection in his left thumb.
…a thumb infection…how does that even happen…ugh…get well soon, brian…
Schneider will only be put on disabled list if the infection needs to be ‘lanced,’ Randolph explaining, since this would mean a much longer recovery time.
Lastly, Ramon Castro is still not 100 percent while recovering from a hamstring injury – if he was, explained Minaya, he’d be with the big-league team right now.
Tagged Moises Alou, Ramon Castro |In a post to Coppola Sisters, Trey says, ‘Enough is enough,’ arguing – I think – that Willie Randolph should be fired for monotony and for removing his starting pitchers too early.
…welcome to covering basesball on a day-in and day-out basis, trey…enjoy the ride…
Though he lists a variety of other issues that went wrong last night, from strike outs to double plays, Matt Artus from Always Amazin blames Ramdolph most, adding, “Good teams don’t lose to bad teams like the Nationals the way the Mets did Thursday.”
…wait, you mean to tell me, in the history of baseball, spanning a 162–game season, a ‘good’ team didn’t play a sloppy game against a ‘bad’ team…
…man, talk about romanticizing success…
At NYMets.info, Michael G. Baron lists a few bad signs for the Mets, stating, “All in all, something has to give.”
…agreed…my fear is that the team is locked in to situations that will restrict it from adjusting…
According to the Brooklyn Met Fan, Carlos Delgado is crumbling before our eyes.
…the bell is ringing for delgado…my bet is that he has until Memorial Day to save his job…after that, all bets will be off…
In a post to Metstradamus, John writes a letter to Aaron Heilman’s alma-mater, asking, “With all of these accomplishments, how did your fine university manage to turn out somebody as stupid as Aaron Heilman?”
…well, that’s not nice…seriously…i mean, i’m all for being frustrated, but do you honestly think that heilman is struggling because he is stupid…jeez…
Newer posts →
