Daily Archives: April 20, 2009
A team spokesman just told me the Mets plan to move Doc Gooden’s autograph from the wall in the Ebbetts Club, ‘where only a select group of fans can see it,’ to a more prominent location, ‘where all fans can see it.’
In addition, it will be part of a ‘Mets Wall-of-Fame,’ so to speak, in which other notable players from the team’s past will be asked to sign the wall, and dedicate messages to fans, on days when they first visit Citi Field.
Lastly, the team is aware of fan response, and intends to make various announcements over then next few weeks with regards to adding Mets-centric items to the new ballpark.
The Mets have signed free-agent OF Wily Mo Pena to a minor-league deal.
Pena will report to Port St. Lucie for extended spring training, then join Triple-A Buffalo.
The 27–year-old Pena is hitting .253 in 560 career games, with 77 home runs and a .307 OBP.
Pena refused a minor-league assignment and was later waived by the Nationals towards the end of spring training, despite hitting .276 in 29 at bats.
Pena originally signed with the Mets as an amateur free agent in 1998.
Tagged News, Wily Mo Pena |
In an earlier post, George Willis, of the New York Post, explained how Doc Gooden signed his name on a wall in Citi Field’s Ebbetts Club last week, after which he took pictures with fans leaning up against the autograph.
However, according to Willis, “The Mets, who have been criticized for not showcasing enough of their history in their new ballpark, plan to erase Gooden’s signature from the wall, treating it as if it were unwanted graffiti.”
In the meantime, Peter Botte of the Daily News talked with Gooden, who doesn’t understand why the team is so adamant about removing the signature, saying, “I definitely didn’t think it was going to turn out to be this big deal. I didn’t do anything intentionally for the Mets to get upset. I was just doing it for the fans. I don’t see what the big fuss is.”
In a response on Mets Today, John Fitzgerald writes:
“It should be allowed to become part of the stadium and part of the team’s history. The minutiae and folklore of this team – like skydivers, black cats and Bill Buckner – are created and shared by players and fans. Ownership can build the ballpark, assemble a roster and sell the tickets, but they can’t control the memories. Unfortunately, that is exactly what they are trying to do.”
…i swear, this could only happen to the Mets…
…i understand the team not wanting to encourage people to write all over the walls in their new stadium… so, they should take their cue from gooden, and either keep the autograph where it is, or erase it and have him sign a new, designated section in the ballpark, be it by the old apple, the bullpens, the Mo’s Zone, whatever, and begin a tradition of current, former and future players tagging the wall like a fraternity… the Mets should embrace the idea, and go with it… instead, it feels like they’re fighting the fans, and so they come off sounding like a teacher lecturing students about not writing on the desk…
…frankly, this probably would not be an issue if so many fans were not already worked up about a lack of Mets memorabilia and history inside the building to begin with… personally, this is not keeping me up at night, though i do find it peculiar…
Last week, Fred Wilpon announced that the team plans to open a Mets museum beyond center-field, however there is no official timetable for its opening.
…even this, while awesome, and great to hear, was received as being too little, too late, with lots of fans seemingly questioning why something like this was not done in the first place…
…and so, i don’t believe today’s dust up is truly about a signature… instead, i think some people are worked up because they feel graffiti-gate is yet another example of the team turning its back on its history, which most fans, myself included, are proud of… this is not to say the team is intentionally doing this, or is even aware if they are, but, believe me, a simple peak in to my e-mail or the comments on this blog and they’d realize it is how lots of fans are feeling…
My regularly-scheduled guest appearance on The Natural with Greg Marotta on WVNJ 1160 AM will be today at 4:15 pm.
To listen live, tune in to 1160 AM, or go here.
Today on New York Baseball Today, SNY.tv’s Ted Berg previews the upcoming series for the Mets and Yankees by talking with the opposing fan bloggers from Viva El Birdos and Bay Bridge Baseball.
To watch today’s NYBT, click play below:
Tagged Ted Berg |
I e-mailed a few bloggers from other team’s in the NL East, essentially asking the following question – so I thought it would be interesting to see where we, as Mets fans, stand as well:
[poll id="243"]
Tagged Poll |According to George Willis, of the New York Post, Doc Gooden signed signed his name on a concrete wall in Citi Field’s Ebbetts Club last week, after which he took pictures with fans leaning up against the autograph.
However, according to Willis, “The Mets, who have been criticized for not showcasing enough of their history in their new ballpark, plan to erase Gooden’s signature from the wall, treating it as if it were unwanted graffiti.”
…i can understand the Mets not wanting to leave the signature, but i also like that gooden did it… so, instead, the Mets should take their queue from doc, and the fan reaction, and set something up like this elsewhere in the ballpark, where current and former players can ‘leave their mark,’ so to speak…
…i have seen a lot of complaints from fans who feel there is not enough history in Citi Field… i get that, but, with all due respect to the team i love, the Mets have a subtle history, so i can understand why the team presented in a subtle way… i mean, if they went overboard with it, people would probably make fun of them for honoring a checkered past, and if they did what they did, 
they get ripped for not doing enough… where is the balance… i am not sure… i do feel it’s more than they have, but i think too much would be silly…
…i would like to see more attention paid to guys like Casey Stengel, Gil Hodges and Davey Johnson, the three men who helped define what the organization is about… i like the signature idea… i like the banners they currently have outside… a few more murals inside, like they had it Shea Stadium, would be cool… but, there is time for all of this, and there is also an opportunity here to make new memories and new history that can be captured from inside the walls it will eventually be displayed on…
…by the way, thanks to m kook for the link…
If you thought the Marlins might suffer a bit of a letdown this weekend, you thought wrong.
Florida went into Washington and mowed down the Nationals for a 3-game sweep while winning their 5th, 6th, and 7th games in a row. On Saturday, Jeremy Hermida was the hero by hitting 2 dramatic home runs.
On Sunday, Cody Ross smacked around Washington with 3 hits, a walk, a double, a home run, and 5 RBI.
On Monday, the Marlins travel to Pittsburgh, and the Nationals host the Braves.
Speaking of Pittsburgh, the Pirates took 2 of 3 from the Braves over the weekend. Atlanta was shut out the first two games before erupting for an 11-1 victory.
Javier Vazquez salvaged the series with 6 scoreless innings on Sunday. He allowed just 5 hits and struck out 8.
Atlanta visits Washington today to open a 3-game set with the Nationals.
In Philadelphia, it took a 2-run walk-off home run by Raul Ibanez Sunday for the Phillies to avoid a third straight loss at the hands of the Padres.
If case you missed it, Brad Lidge blew his first save since ’07 by giving up 4 runs in an 8-5 loss to the Friars on Saturday.
…It’s about time. Maybe we can now stop the Hall of Fame campaign for Lidge.
The Padres and the Phillies get together for the final game of the series at 7:05 PM ET this evening.
In other news…Atlanta catcher Brian McCann continues to have problems with the vision in his left eye. McCann recently saw a doctor in Atlanta and was told he had a couple of “dry spots” that were diminishing his vision.
The Braves backstop is scheduled to see a specialist in Washington on Monday.
Philadelphia players and fans paid their last respects to legendary announcer Harry Kalas on Saturday. More than 9,000 fans filed past Harry’s casket for over 4 hours to pay tribute to the voice of the Phillies for the past 39 years.
Washington Nationals 3rd baseman Ryan Zimmerman reportedly agreed to a contract extension on Sunday…even after Zimmerman said he’d discontinue in-season negotiations. The deal is said to be worth $45 million over 5 years. An announcement can come as early as today.
For more news, notes, analysis and statistics from around Major League Baseball, be sure to visit Baseball Daily Digest.
Tagged MetsBlog, News |Yesterday, the Mets stranded two men in scoring position in the sixth inning; they scored one run in the seventh, but left the bases loaded; they started the eighth inning with two men on, neither of which scored; and, in the ninth, David Wright lined out to end the game with Jose Reyes standing on second.
…where is the No Runner Left Behind Act when you need it…
…like i said yesterday, it just seems like the entire offense is out of sync… what’s worse, most every one seems to be swinging at junk early in the count, especially wright… it’s like, when one guy is hitting, the guy behind him is not… there is no rhythm…
The Mets are 25 for 106 when hitting with runners in scoring position this season. They average roughly 10 men left on base per game.
Jerry Manuel, speaking to reporters about RISP, said yesterday:
“We just haven’t clicked yet with runners in scoring position – and we will… I can’t say that at this point, this early in the season, that I’m upset with anybody’s approach. I think it’s more about anxiety than anything. It’s wanting to get it done. And that’s not a bad thing… Obviously, we are struggling with men on base, with men in scoring position, but I think the good thing is we are at least putting ourselves in those positions.”
…it’s a fair point… i mean, he’s right, at least they have guys on base, so it’s hopefully only a matter of time before it clicks…
…the thing is, i would have an easier time buying in to manuel’s logic if we were not having this exact same worry last year… in other words, this issue is not new, and it’s not theoretical… it’s very real…
…to me, it’s a larger issue, in that the Mets seem to have a problem finishing strong – 
whether it’s an inning with a runner on base, or a specific at bat, or an entire season that boils down to the final day in September… manuel agrees… i know he does, because the whole idea behind his infamous extreme 80–pitch batting drill from the spring was to reinforce the idea of finishing strong, even when exhausted… in the final moments of the drill, Razor Shines would scream, ‘Final at bat now, finish strong, big moment, game-winning hit,’ etc., so obviously the coaching staff found this idea important…
…it’s still important… and i guess that’s the real problem…
Yesterday, in the eighth inning, Fernando Tatis stepped to the plate with no outs, the Mets down one run, and runners on first and second base.
…i suppose manuel could have either a) have tatis bunt, b) pinch hit Luis Castillo to bunt, or c) let tatis swing away…
…in the moment, i hoped for the sac bunt, but i really have no problem with either play… because, even if a bunt went down, and successfully advanced the runners, i am not confident Omir Santos or Jose Reyes would have driven in the runner from the third… naturally, tatis struck out and santos hit in to an inning-ending double play to end the potential rally…
According to Dave Singer of NY Sports Dog, ‘You have to bunt there.’
Meanwhile, in the Daily News, John Harper explains why fans should not blame Manuel for his decision not to bunt with Tatis.
Manuel, speaking about the situation, said:
“I thought Tatis was going to be my best shot in that particular position… I had already spent a pinch hitter and that would have left me without what I thought would’ve been one of my better hitters in Tatis. So, we took a chance there and it didn’t work out.”
