Daily Archives: May 16, 2008
Much has been made of Jose Reyes getting thrown out at third on Luis Castillo‘s sacrifice bunt in yesterday’s ballgame. However, if you saw the play — with a full view of the field — you would 
have seen that Reyes took off for the bag because no one was covering it. For him to be thrown out, the Nationals had to execute perfectly, which they did. Bad idea? Probably. But, at least it was an aggressive mistake.
In contrast, consider the David Wright fly ball dropped by Austin Kearns in the third inning. There were two outs at the time, and Luis Castillo on first. Castillo jogged to second, continued jogging to third, then started running when the ball fell to the ground. At the same time, Wright was watching the ball in the air while jogging slowly to first. After the game, Willie Randolph said he didn’t think Castillo would have scored had he been running full speed, but that’s not the point. The point is, both Wright and Castillo should have been hustling, and they weren’t. Randolph had a chance right there to set a new tone for the season by benching both players immediately. After all, if Wright and Castillo aren’t hustling, why should anyone else?
I’d much rather see players make aggressive mistakes while trying to do too much, than see them lose opportunities due to a lack of hustle.
Tagged Willie Randolph |
In a post to Mets Today, Joe Janish talks with Alex Belth from Bronx Banter in advance of the Subway Series.
At Always Amazin, Matt Artus says a prayer for the Shea faithful, in their effort to beat the Yankees.
In his blog for Newsday, Ken Davidoff makes a few weekend predictions, including the Mets taking two of three from the Yankees.
For some odd stats from the Subway Series, go to Mets Walk-Offs.
Lastly, according to Joe, at Yes Joe, It’s Toasted, if you want to know why he believes Willie Randolph should be fired, just watch the third inning from yesterday’s game.
Butterfield 8, located between Fifth Ave. and Madison on 38th 
Street in New York City, will be hosting a Mets Get-Together for each game of the Subway Series, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while offering specials on beer, hot dogs and pretzels.
…it’s a pretty cool place…we did the MetsBlog Opening Day Happy Hour there, and it went quite well…they have plenty of televisions, good food, good view, etc, so check it out of you’re looking for a place to watch the game with fellow Mets fans…
According to Bob Klapisch in the Bergen 
Record, Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya are ‘running out of time,’ adding, “They’re actually reaching a tipping-point moment, when Jeff Wilpon calls (them) into his office and says: one of you two is fired. You choose.”
Now, I keep reading and hearing that the Mets are underachieving. However, what if this is not true. I mean, maybe the Mets are achieving exactly what they are, which is a .500 or so team, like the overwhelming majority of the rest of the league, all whom are in search of a hot streak that may never come.
Seriously, look around the league. Outside of the D’Backs, find me the clear-cut, dominant team in the National League with an open path to the playoffs. Right now, I don’t see one. Both leagues are jam packed with mediocre, relatively-similar teams, most all of which have issues with pitching. So, this recipe is not exclusive to the Mets.
However, while some teams and fans can bounce around .500 and remain hopeful, such hope is missing around Shea.
What’s worse, my hunch is that Willie Randolph is lacking credibility with us, his players, and his bosses.
What’s interesting, though, is that I still hear insiders compliment him as being ‘such a nice man,’ who loves winning, who has a warrior mentality, and who wants nothing more but to bring a Championship to Shea Stadium.
The problem, though, in spite of these admirable qualities, is that he discredited himself last September by coming across as delusional and misleading, 
insisting that things would turn around when all signs pointed in the other direction.
So now, despite being a .500 team with more than 70 percent of the season yet to be played, when he tells his players and us that things will turn around, that it’s a long season and he believes in his players, instead of being patient and confident, we become more frustrated and closer to apathy, which is not good for ticket sales, morale or ratings – three things that I bet are pretty important in advance of a new stadium.
The sad thing is that had the Mets won just one more game against the Phillies last season, we would currently be in the middle of entirely different narrative right now.
However, perception is reality, and the current reality is that very few people seem to believe what Randolph is selling these days – no matter how right he may be.
For instance, in the last few months, a variety of stories have been published about players undermining Randolph, be it by shmoozing before games with the opposing manager, like with Manny Acta, or by ‘going over Randolph’s head’ by talking directly to the team’s Ass’t GM Tony Bernazard. Just yesterday, Billy Wagner spouted off to reporters making public comments about his teammates, just one week after Randolph told him explicitly to keep such remarks private.
Frankly, I believe a manager’s in-game involvement is overrated. He’s important, but he’s not as important as we want to think he is. The game is mostly won or lost by the players. However, those players need to be in the proper frame of mind. They do not have to like one another, they do not have to speak the same language, but they do have to be confident, positive, they have to believe in one another, and they have to all be on the same page when between the white lines.
Right now, the Mets look tight and nervous, they look like they are pressing – and understably so. I mean, they must feel the ‘tipping-point,’ as Klapisch writes – they must sense the tension in the stands, from their bosses, from the press, etc., and since they are human, I can’t help but believe this takes a toll. I suppose some teams can internalize this, and rally around it for good, but more often the team crumbles beneath it.
Assuming my hunch is correct, and Randolph has in fact lost a bit of credibility, then how is he going to keep his team from checking out mentally. How does he get them to respect and understand the warrior-like style he abides by? How does he keep his players from just riding out the season, content with cashing a paycheck and not dealing with media, expectations, fans, etc?
Will replacing Randolph make Jose Reyes pay attention on the base paths, or make him focus more at the plate? Will it make Carlos Delgado a better hitter? Will it make you more tolerant of .500 baseball, and make you hopeful that things will turn around? Will a new manager invigorate the bullpen? Or, inspire better play?
What’s more, how do the Mets keep fans from checking out emotionally? I suspect that most fans will keep tuning in and going to games – but if they begin to lose faith, what does that do for Citi Field, ad buys, ticket sales, etc?
These are all questions the Mets must be asking these days, and I look forward to seeing how they are answered.
During a recent interview with WFAN, SNY’s Gary Cohen theorized that Jose Reyes and his teammates may be missing Jose Valentin, who acted as a sort of Uncle to Reyes, and was a leader in the locker room.
…or, maybe reyes can realize he is a 24–year-old, million-dollar, major-league athelete, and should just play baseball well like he is paid to do…
Valentin has not played for the Mets in 
the regular season since July 20 of last season.
Prior to his injury, the Mets played eight games over .500, while playing just two games over .500 after the injury.
Similarly, Reyes hit .304 with Valentin by his side, but hit just .248 after his injury.
The talk-show’s host, Evan Roberts, then suggested it could be an interesting idea to at least consider Valentin as a bench coach, since he is unlikely to return to action any time soon.
Speaking of WFAN, check out the following clip of Joe Benigno going wild about the Mets, issues in their clubhouse, focus, and Willie’s future, during yesterday’s Daily News Live:
According to the Denver Post, Rockies C Yorvit Torrealba‘s agent has filed a grievance against the Mets regarding contract negotiations from last November.
…fine, whatever…what is more interesting to me from this article is news that Rockies OF Matt Holliday could be traded if the team keeps losing or if a contract is not worked out…
Tagged Yorvit Torrealba |
Honestly, given the state of the Mets right now, and the level of frustration and paranoia that is bubbling up around the team’s fans, I have no patience for manufactured giddiness regarding the Subway Series, which, to me, was played out years ago.
Right now, considering the standings, I’d rather the Mets play three games against the Marlins, Phillies or Braves, as opposed to the American League’s Yankees.
That said, if you’re interested in the Subway Series and the hype surrounding it, check out the New York Post, the Journal News, New York Sun, Daily News, again the Daily News, and again the Daily News.
Lastly, in a post to his blog for the Journal News, John Delcos is asking Mets fans to let him know why they hate the Yankees.
In a post to Hot Foot, Gary Grund takes a closer look at Mets Triple-A manager Ken Oberkfell, who Grund things should be considered as Willie Randolph’s replacement, in the event he is eventually fired.
…i can’t remember the last time i heard a bad word about obie, yet he is not often talked about as a major-league manager – and i don’t know why…
…by the way, great headshot, gary…
According to Eric Simon and his calculator at Amazin Avenue, the Mets offense has been very unlucky this season.
…thank you, eric…i love this stuff…i just have no brain power to figure it out or understand it…but i love hearing the conclusion, and knowing it is based in some sort of fact…
In a post to Faith and Fear in Flushing, Greg seems to be doing his best to not become callous – especially in the final year of Shea Stadium.
Lastly, in the New York Observer, Howard Megdal talks with Scott Schoeneweis, who is no longer being booed, but may be the only person being cheered.
I think I’m going to switch things up, because the times seem to warrant it – and I’m curious how we end up reacting.
Instead of 
doing the Confidence Rating vote on just Wednesdays, I’m going to run it on Mondays and Fridays – as this will essentially count each series played during the seven-day span.
Similarly, I will switch the Willie Randolph voting to Wednesday.
So, please answer the following question, while considering the team’s ownership, current management, talent, minor-league system, new stadium and network, etc…
[Poll=94]
Fernando Martinez will have an MRI today on his sore hamstring, which is injured while running the bases in Binghamton on Wednesday night.
…according to people close to martinez, fernando believes the hamstring will be fine and that he can return to the lineup sooner than later…that said, f’mart, how about we let the doctors look at it anyway…
← Older postsNewer posts →
