Daily Archives: July 23, 2009
In case you missed it, yesterday, in a report for the Daily News, Adam Rubin said Mets VP Tony Bernazard removed his shirt and challenged Double-A players to a fight during a recent ‘postgame tirade.’
This led to a day’s worth of blog posts, talk radio chatter, and a pre-game press conference from Omar Minaya, during which he said the team will simply investigate Bernazard’s behavior.
…in fact, omar said Investigate roughly 12 times, which led Tirico Suave to post this video clip, spoofing minaya as Inspector Gadget…
However, in a report for the Press & Sun Bulletin, Brian Moritz quotes Binghamton Mets coach Mako Oliveras as saying:
“I think it’s been blown out of proportion. Tony was trying to pump the players up, he took his shirt off but he had a T-shirt on underneath. To me, he never threatened anybody or asked anybody to fight. Before he started the meeting, he took his shirt off. I’m telling you, it’s been blown out of proportion.”
Moritz also quotes B-Mets C Josh Thole, as well as SS Jose Coronado, who says Bernazard never called him names or asked him to fight, as the Daily News report indicated.
That said, this morning on WFAN, host Craig Carton pointed out that if the Mets do not fire Bernazard today, they a) set up a stand-off between Bernazard and Minaya, b) it signals to the rest of the organization that this type of behavior is acceptable, and c) it signals to players, major league and minor league alike, that Bernazard is untouchable.
In the Daily News, Bill Madden writes, “There’s no need for any investigation here. Fire the guy and fire him now… It very well may be that Minaya is out anyway at the end of the season. But if he doesn’t fire Bernazard now, doesn’t rid the organization of this punk, he’d better be watching his back.”
Yesterday, on 1050 ESPN Radio, former Mets GM Steve Phillips said, in his experience, yelling at minor league players is not a ‘fireable offense.’
…i don’t know… maybe it is… maybe it isn’t… i’m a writer, not an expert in management or human resources… what i do know is Mets fans are pissed, frustrated, and depressed about poor play, a lack of direction and high ticket prices, and basically we are looking for someone to pay for our anger, and, thanks to the Daily News, bernazard is the man of the moment… call it justified, dismiss it is a mob mentality, whatever… but, people are hot, and it is what it is…
…to me, all i keep thinking about from yesterday is how this was all handled in the media… it never stops amazing me how poor the Mets are at controlling a message… which would not be such a problem if they were not constantly in the position to do so… maybe it’s a chicken-and-an-egg thing… who knows… but, yesterday, minaya was not the man for that communications job… i sometimes think the Mets should have an official team spokesperson, like a press secretary, who can issue talking points and spin stories to the team’s favor, or at least act as a filter between reporters and the GM… for instance, because minaya is so inept at communicating to reporters, and because he looks like he’s lying to their face, and because he only gave to them what the team issues in a press release a few hours earlier, after making them wait for hours to speak with him, reporters had no choice but to flock to players before yesterday’s game, and get more information for their stories, which must irritate the players, and only fuels the story to go on…
Tagged Tony Bernazard |Last night, Jeff Francoeur lost a ball in the lights, then ducked for cover as the ball rolled to the wall.
To see an animated image of the play, courtesy of SBN, click here
…people lose the ball in the lights… it’s happened before, and it will happen again, and this should not define francoeur, who has actually looked better than i thought he would, so far, since joining the Mets… that said, in a season when i have seen more plays like this than i care to admit, be it dropped pop ups, confused baserunning, poor throws, etc., frenchy losing the ball in the lights last night, and 
botching a line drive the night before off his glove, is the last thing i wanted to see from a defender who is actually known for quality defense…
Yesterday, MLB.com explained changes Francoeur has made to his stance, courtesy of Howard Johnson, Gary Sheffield and other helpful teammates.
Since being acquired from Atlanta, Francoeur is hitting .324 with one HR and seven RBI in nine games.
Yesterday, on WFAN, Jerry Manuel said he likes what he’s seen so far from Francoeur, noting he is very positive, team-oriented, and loves to work and ask questions about how he can improve his game.
“I wasn’t comfortable in Atlanta for a lot of reasons, so it was good to get out of that environment and just think about baseball again,” Francoeur told reporters following Tuesday’s game in DC.
Last night, in a loss to the Nationals, Mike Pelfrey allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings, while walking and striking out two.
…it was a good start… not great… good… but, i can’t help but wonder the psychological impact of pitching for this team, when you know a) they can’t score a ton of runs, and b) there is essentially zero chance the offense will come from behind when losing…
Pelfrey is 3–5 with a 6.15 ERA in his last 10 starts, during which opponents are batting roughly .300 against him.
…he’s looked good at times, he’s looked bad at times… he’ll have a good inning, then a bad inning…
…Tom Glavine once told me it takes a young pitcher roughly 50 to 100 big-league starts before the game truly starts to click, and the pitcher can start putting together what he’s learned, how to use it and how to get his best results from batter to batter and start after start… this is not a rule, of course… see John Lannan… but, it’s mostly accurate if you look at when pitchers begin to settle in to a career line…
…pelfrey has made 70 starts in his career, he’s roughly .500 with a 4.50 ERA in that time… he’ll command an inning, look confident and in control, then lose focus, let up four runs and ruin the outing… he’s close… but he’s not yet there… he obviously has the potential to be a front-end starter, not quite Brandon Webb, but of that mold… the Mets were wise not to trade him two or three seasons ago… however, the clock is ticking… and he needs to start putting it together, as they say…
Tagged Mike Pelfrey |Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing explains why the Mets are a Funhouse Team… without the Fun.
…i think some would argue they’re without a team, too, greg…
Even Ceetar, the Optimistic Mets Fan, is having a difficult time being optimistic.
Mike, the Transplanted Mets Fan, thinks the answer is easy, saying:
“Fire Bernazard, Fire Omar, Fire Jerry, bring in a Moneyball GM like the Red Socks have, bring in Rob Neyer as a special advisor, HIRE BOBBY VALENTINE, install Carlos Baerga as first base coach, and start building a fun ballclub – baseball like it oughta be.”
In a post to Mets Grrl, Caryn Rose says, “You could fire the entire coaching staff and it would still not salvage the season.”
Howard Megdal of NY Baseball Digest explains, “Tony Bernazard, if not properly dealt with immediately, will cost Omar Minaya his position as General Manager.”
Do you have any Mercury Mets stuff? If so, go to Mets Police.
Despite the Yankees being in first place, and the Mets picking a new soap opera narrative every day, our old friend Fran Healy at MSG talks about the hottest topic in New York sports: pitch counts.
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