Daily Archives: May 20, 2008
Fred Wilpon has issued the following statement, regarding news that Mike Piazza has retired:
Tagged Mike Piazza |“On behalf of everyone at the Mets we salute Mike for his Hall of Fame caliber
accomplishments in our game and with our team. Mike electrified New York City and energized our franchise after we acquired him in 1998. He was an integral part of our 2000 National League Championship club. Mike played the game with passion, class and heart – symbolic of our city. We wish Mike, his wife, Alicia, and daughter Nicoletta all health and happiness as he begins a new chapter in his life.”
The start of tonight’s game has been delayed due to rain.
…Update…7:45 pm…
The tarp is still on the field.
…Update…8:20 pm…
The tarp is still on the field.
Also, I’m not proud of it, but I’m watching American Idol.
…Update…8:27 pm…
The tarp is off the field.
The teams are expected to begin play soon.
Thank God, because my ears were starting to bleed.
The Game:
The Mets (22-20) continue their four-game series versus the Braves (23-21) with game two of a day/night doubleheader today at Turner Field in Atlanta, starting at 7:10pm EST.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- LF Marlon Anderson
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- RF Ryan Church
- 2B Damion Easley
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- C Ramon Castro
- P Claudio Vargas
The Pitchers:
RHP Claudio Vargas (0-1, 2.84 ERA) starts for the Mets. Vargas was a tough luck loser in his last start on May 14 versus the Nationals allowing two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out six through 6.1 IP. He is 4-1 with a 4.47 ERA in 14 career games, six starts versus the Braves.
RHP Jorge Campillo (0-0, 1.27 ERA) makes his first start of the season for the Braves. In his last appearance on May 15, Campillo earned a no-decision allowing no runs and five hits while striking out two through 3.0 IP. Left-handed batters are hitting .129 (4-for-31) versus Campillo this season. This is his first career start versus the Mets.
The Notes:
For more insight on the Braves, check out Blogger Beat.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WFAN.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |
The Mets will host “Mets at the Movies” tomorrow, Wednesday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m., as the Mets visit the Braves.
The Mets on SNY in Hi-Def will present the game at three Clearview Cinema locations:
- Chelsea Cinemas (Manhattan)
- Parsippany Cinemas (New Jersey)
- Port Washington Cinemas (Long Island)
For more info on buying tickets, click here.
…i went to this last year, and will likely go again, as it was actually a ton of fun…
According to the Associated Press, Mike Piazza has officially announced his retirement from MLB.
…good for you, mike…enjoy it…now, let the debate begin as to whether he should hit the Hall of Fame cap in a Mets hat or a Dodgers hat…
…of course, i’m thinking Mets…
In 2006, ESPN.com ran a poll in which 52 percent of the site’s readers said Piazza should wear a Dodgers cap when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, while 41 percent noted that he should wear a Mets cap.
…more important than that, actually, is will they select a photo of him with the pencil-thin mustache and beard, or without it…
Meanwhile, according to the poll taken during the summer of 2006 by MetsBlog and Dodger Thoughts, the great Dodgers blog written by Jon Weisman, 82 percent of Dodger fans feel Piazza should enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Dodgers cap, while 96 percent of Mets fans feel he should wear a Mets hat.
…in other words, the fans are of no help here…
Tom Glavine, regarding Piazza and the Hall of Fame, as quoted by the Daily News in 2007…
Tagged Mike Piazza |“The Mets are the team I identify him with. I know he came up as a Dodger, but he had more productive years with the Mets. He broke the home run record for catchers with the Mets. In the end he actually played more games as a Met than as a Dodger. When I think of Mike in his prime, more of those years he was a Met than a Dodger.”
The Mets (22–20) lost to the Braves (23–21) by the score of 6 to 1 today in Atlanta, in the first game of a double header.
For a boxscore, stats, etc, go to SNY’s Mets Recap Page.
Hold on to your hat, Luis Castillo hit a home run. I guess we now must call him Slappy McHomerton. Nice. The thing is, after that, they were silenced. What’s worse, they had a golden opportunity in the first, but ripped two balls hard for outs. And that was that.- John Maine is rocking the five o’clock shadow. Is he honoring me? Or Indiana Jones? Hmmm. Anyway, Maine did not look very good, as he was up in the strike zone all day. He was only using his fastball and change-up, which had worked for him in previous starts. Today, not so much. As SNY’s Ron Darling pointed out, Maine only tossed five breaking balls on the day. That said, he’s been great all season, and he’s due a rough start from time to time. I just hate that it’s against the Braves.
- In the third, with two outs, Ryan Church got a bad jump on a short fly ball by Chipper Jones, which he was unable to catch up. Naturally, Jones eventually scored on a line-drive single by Brian McCann, of course this was not helped out by a poor throw from Carlos Beltran.
- Looking at Tom Glavine in a Braves uniform, it’s almost like he never pitched for the Mets.
- In the fifth, Willie Randolph removed Maine from the game with two runners on, bringing in Scott Schoenweiss, who surrendered one run after having intentionally walking the bases loaded. Jose Reyes made a nice sliding stab in the hold to end the inning. Frankly, given the structure of the inning, they’re lucky to have allowed just one.
- I would get worked up over why Aaron Heilman is pitching in a close game, instead of Joe Smith, but, frankly, this game is not on the bullpen. Once again, it’s on the offense, who Glavine dominated.
The Mets will play the Braves again today, starting at 7 pm, with Claudio Vargas facing Jorge Campillo.
…for the record, i really don’t care about Willie Randolph’s relationship with SNY or the beat reporters, etc, unless of course it impacts the team and the way they perform on the field…
…this will likely be the last time i write 
about this topic, because, frankly, as a fan, it’s boring, it’s very inside-media and it’s only as relevant as the next winning streak or losing streak…also, i am criticized no matter which way i write…
…if i side with willie, most of my readers will accuse of protecting him…if i don’t, they’ll accuse me of protecting SNY…and yet, in reality, all i really care about is whether this team is a) fun to watch, and b) if they win…the feelings of SNY or willie are far from my biggest concern…
…that said, my gut feeling is that this could impact the players, because i am willing to bet this topic is all you will read about in the newspapers tomorrow and it’s all you’re going to hear on talk radio over the next day or so, and so i need to think this totally through before giving up on the subject as a whole…
…therefore, looking at this through a team-specific lens, i leave you with the following thoughts…
…why would he make these statements about SNY and about race, and do they matter to his players…
…is he intentionally trying to create an Us Against the World mentality within his clubhouse…
…or, maybe he is trying to create a diversion, Bobby V style, or like his mentor Billy Martin, in which he gets in to a skirmish with reporters, allowing his players some space to just play baseball…
…or, is he just uncontrollably defensive and paranoid…and, if so, is that bad for the team and the clubhouse…
…i will link to some of the newspaper stories tomorrow, because some of you may be interested…otherwise, if you don’t mind, i think i am done discussing this…
For what it’s worth, Ian O’Conner’s column in the Bergen Record is not the first time Willie Randolph took a shot how he is portrayed on television.
On Friday, May 16, while talking to WFAN, Randolph said:
“Look, they don’t show me on the bench when I’m tripping from the dugout, you know, you don’t see that part of me. You don’t see me walking up and down the dugout, rooting for my guys, teaching them, pushing them, prodding them to get going. They only show me when some one gives up a hit or makes an error, and they show my face and I’m not going to show my players up. So, that’s the perception you get of me, that’s what they show when something goes wrong. Outside of that, I’m as animated and as much in the game as any manager in baseball. You look in every dugout, guys, and you see some managers sitting there like a bump on the log. They’re just sitting there, DO-ING NOTH-ING. You look at me, and I’m the total opposite. I’m on the top step, I don’t hide in the dugout, and I’m up and down doing my thing, pulling for my players. So, the perception that is out there is unbelievable.”
…obviously, i would expect people at SNY and the Mets to be upset with these remarks, as well as with the comments he made to o’conner…what i can’t understand is why he thinks it is smart to a) blame the media, which is always the easiest scapegoat, and which will only come back to bite you, but b) to blame the media outlet that is owned by the same people who pay his salary…
…i do not assume to know who is right in this situation and who is wrong…that said, he made this assertion twice, once on friday to WFAN and once on sunday to o’conner, so he clearly believes it…so, true or not, it’s the idea he subscribes to and it clearly suggests he is paranoid and growing more defensive than he normally is…and that helps nobody…
…what’s worse, tomorrow’s newspapers will likely be flooded with this story line again, which means it will still be on talk radio, and willie will likely have to discuss it again prior to tomorrow’s game…
…i could care less, either way…i just want the team to win…
…if there is a silver lining, it could be that while the media and willie are getting it on, the players are free to just play baseball and not be bothered…
Tagged Willie Randolph |Prior to today’s game, Willie Randolph told reporters that his remarks from Sunday regarding SNY, race, etc, were ‘tongue and cheek,’ while talking to a reporter, Ian O’Conner from the Bergen Record, who he has known for years.
To watch video of Randolph’s comments, click play below:
He said the Wilpons hired him not because he is black, but because they thought he could do the job at hand.
Admittedly, he said he probably should have thought more about what he said, because it has nothing to do with race and all about winning ball games.
He is not upset with SNY’s portrayal of him, though he does believe they only focus on him when something negative happens, not when something positive happens.
“When you win and do well,” he said, “All of this kind of stuff isn’t talked about.”
…Update…12:45 pm…
…i don’t know, man…to me, willie is starting to seem very, very paranoid, super defensive, and he’s talking and looking like a guy who can’t handle the pressure of managing in New York…
…in year one, the team did well…in year two, it did great…things were pretty easy for him then, in terms of fan support and media attention, and so all was well…
…however, since the end of last season the heat has turned up, and as such, the heat under his collar has seemingly gone up as well…it doesn’t help that he is rather defensive by nature, according to people who know him professionally, and so if fans start booing and media start swirling, whether he’s right in how they portray him or not, it makes sense that he would become defensive with us and beat writers and SNY, etc, as well…
…it’s weird, because, having lived through the Bronx Zoo, who better than him to know what New York fans and media are like…that said, maybe that experience also trained him to be paranoid…
…don’t buckle, willie…don’t fight the fans…don’t fight the media…because you’ll never win…just stay strong and for pete’s sake, stop talking…
Tagged Willie Randolph |The Game:
The Mets (22-19) begin a four-game series versus the Braves (22-21) with game one of a day-night doubleheader today at Turner Field in Atlanta, starting at 1:00pm EST.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- 2B Luis Castillo
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- RF Ryan Church
- LF Moises Alou
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- C Brian Schneider
- P John Maine
The Pitchers:
RHP John Maine (5-2, 2.81 ERA) toes the rubber for the Mets. In his last start on May 13 versus the Nationals, Maine earned a victory allowing two runs, one earned, on wo hits while walking one and striking out five over 6.0 IP. He has allowed two earned runs or less in seven consecutive starts. In five career starts versus the Braves, Maine is 2-2 with a 4.61 ERA.
LHP Tom Glavine (1-1, 4.41 ERA) takes the hill for the Braves. Glavine earned a win in his last start on May 14 versus the Phillies surrendering four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 IP. Left-handed batters are hitting .323 versus Glavine this season. He is 16-7 with a 2.86 ERA in 35 career starts versus the Mets.
The Notes:
Moises Alou is batting .313 (21-for-61) with 3 HR and 14 RBI in his career versus Glavine.
Brian Schneider is batting .333 with 1 HR & 5 RBI in his last 15 at-bats. He is batting .270 (10-for37) all-time versus Glavine.
The Braves are 8-7 during the first game of a series this season.
Kelly Johnson is batting .250 with 5 HR and 18 RBI in 96 career at-bats versus the Mets.
How To Catch It:
Today’s game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WFAN.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
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