Daily Archives: February 27, 2009
The Mets have begun notifying those who registered for an opportunity to purchase Opening Day tickets as to whether or not they are eligible.
Those who weren’t selected, such as myself, received the following email:
Dear Mets Fan:
Thank you for participating in the online random drawing for the opportunity to purchase tickets to Opening Day at Citi Field. We are sorry to inform you that your entry was not selected in this drawing.
…so much for luck o’ the irish…
Added to by Matthew Cerrone:
…i was iced out too, regis… i only registered one e-mail, though…
Here is an interview I did with Ron Darling, earlier today, during which we talk about Mike Pelfrey, and what he needs to do this season to be successful; and how a good-on-paper team can translate in to wins; after which he brings me back to reality while discussing the team’s weaknesses:
To watch other videos from my time in St. Lucie, as well as other player interviews with SNY, click here.
The Mets have signed former LHP reliever Ron Villone to a minor-league contract.
The 39–year-old Villone was 1–2 with a 4.68 ERA in 74 appearances against the Cardinals last season, during which left-handed batters hit .176.
Following today’s game, Jerry Manuel said Johan Santana will miss his next start, scheduled Tuesday.
Santana skipped today’s start against Italy,
Manuel said he is not ‘concerned,’ and he would prefer to be ‘extra cautious,’ since it is ‘so early,’ and Santana is the ace of the staff.
According to Newsday, Manuel said Santana is not scheduled to travel to New York for an MRI or other testing.
…still, i’m worried… i am… and, though i know i shouldn’t be, until he takes the mound, i still continue to be worried…
The Cardinals beat the Mets today, 9-8, in Grapefruit League action in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The Mets tallied three runs in a second-inning rally off Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer that was highlighted by an RBI double from Ryan Church.
They added a run in the eighth on a Rob Mackowiak single.
Bobby Kielty brought home three more with a home run in the bottom of the ninth off the now-bearded Royce Ring, then Alex Cora singled home another, but the Mets’ rally fell short, and for the 47th consecutive year, all hope of a completely undefeated season was lost.
On the upside, Livan Hernandez got his fifth-starter campaign off on the right foot, throwing two perfect innings to start the game. Freddy Garcia, on the other hand, allowed four runs — two earned — on two hits and three walks in two-thirds of an inning.
A few of the longshot lefties competing for a bullpen spot saw action. Veteran Tom Martin came in to relieve Garcia in the third and struck out the only batter he faced. Casey Fossum tossed two scoreless frames, allowing two hits and striking out two. Adam Bostick pitched an inning as well, allowing one run on one hit and three walks.
Righty Connor Robertson threw a perfect sixth for the Mets. Brandon Knight threw a significantly less-than-perfect eighth, allowing three earned runs on four hits before Rocky Cherry came on and allowed a run on three straight two-out hits in the ninth.
Tagged Ted Berg |
I’ll be watching the majority of the game from the Island Girl Tiki Bar today – after a long week, I’d like to just sit, and watch a real, live baseball game.
So, if you’re at the game, swing by and say hello.
Update, 4:55 pm:
I had a ton of fun out there. Too much fun, probably, as people who read the site kept coming up, saying hello and buying me beverages.
Nevertheless, it’s always great to hear from people who enjoy the work we do on MetsBlog.com, and I can’t say, ‘Thank you,’ enough times.
The Game:
The Mets take on the Cardinals today at 1:10 p.m. in Grapefruit League action from Port St. Lucie. The game will be broadcast on SNY.
The Lineup:
- 2B Luis Castillo
- P Livan Hernandez
- SS Jose Reyes
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- RF Ryan Church
- LF Marlon Anderson
- C Rene Rivera
The Pitchers:
Livan Hernandez begins his campaign to be the Mets’ fifth starter and right-handed power bat off the bench. Brandon Knight, Casey Fossum, Connor Robertson, Tom Martin, Rocky Cherry, Adam Bostick and Darren O’Day are expected to follow.
Update, 12:40 pm:
A scout just told me Sanchez was working with coaches in the bullpen, who were talking with him about how he snaps his knee back on his delivery and how it might cause him to lose balance.
Original Post:
Duaner Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano and Sean Green are all throwing in the back bullpen, under the watchful eye of Jerry Manuel.
Green threw roughly 30 pitches, and looked fine to me, showing no signs of any finger nail issue from the other day.
Mike Pelfrey tossed two innings, while striking out four batters on 29 pitches during his outing against Team Italy this morning.
Francisco Rodriguez followed to walk one batter, but let up no runs and no hits, in one inning of work.
This morning, I interviewed Ron Darling about his upcoming book, The Complete Game, and was able to play catch with him, while he tried to show me how to throw a curve ball.
He said I had good break on the pitch, but I am pretty sure he was just being nice. Thanks, Ron.
My video producer and I are off to check out the prospects who are signing autographs inside the gate of Tradition Field.
I followed the beat writers over to Field 6 this morning to listen as they spoke with Mike Piazza, who is coaching with Team Italy, who is in Tradition Field to take on the Mets B-squad team.
The minute he started talking I had a huge smile on my face, unable to not think of the late 90s. I loved that team.
Also, he was drinking a tall Starbucks coffee, with wrap-around sunglasses, and still sporting the ‘duck tail, bushy hair.
To me, he will be always be the definition of dorky-cool.
Piazza said he is using this experience to get his feet wet, and re-connect with the game of baseball, without the pressure of being a player, to see if 
he’d be interested in returning as coach at some point in his future.
Asked if he could one day return to the game as a coach, Piazza said, “I’m not gonna rule anything out. I think this is a good first step, without a huge commitment.”
He fielded a few more questions and talked about Italy, his heritage, coaching and his family – then said, ‘Alright, guys, I’m gonna go watch batting practice,’ and wisely walked away before any one had the chance to ask him about other more topical subjects in the news.
Tagged Mike Piazza | ← Older posts
