Daily Archives: July 28, 2009
In the midst of yesterday’s off-field circus, the Mets moved one game closer to creeping back in to the Wild Card lead by defeating the Rockies last night in Citi Field.
[poll id="282"]
Tagged Poll |According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, Jarrod Washburn, John Lackey the best available starting pitchers on the free-agent market this off season.
…in other words, because i believe the Mets must have another, reliable, front-end starting pitcher to team up with Johan Santana for next season, and because there are so few available free 
agents this off-season, i wonder if it would be wise for Omar Minaya to try and trade for an under-contract option today, before friday’s July 31 Trade Deadline….
According to Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse, the Reds are ‘close to doing something,’ and are in serious talks with the Yankees about trading RHP Bronson Arroyo.
Arroyo is due $4 million the rest of this season, he will earn $11 million in each of 2010 and 2011, after which he can be a free agent.
…frankly, i’d rather see the Mets sign washburn, than trade for arroyo or Aaron Harang, who might be available as well…
Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Rays are willing to trade top pitching prospect Wade Davis in a deal for Indians RHP Cliff Lee, who is under contract next season.
Peter Gammons of ESPN.com says it will cost a ‘gaggle of prospects’ to trade for Pirates LHP Zack Duke, who is 9–9 with a 3.42 ERA this season and will not be a free agent until 2012.
Gammons also quoted a GM as saying D-Backs pitchers Doug Davis and Jon Garland and Pirates RHP Ian Snell will all cost an A- or B-list prospect.
…from what i can gather, like most teams, the Mets have had an eye on snell for years… ton of potential, could even be a closer…
Speaking of Garland, who has a $1 million option for next season, or can be made a free agent, there is a lack of genuine interest in him on the trade market, according to the Arizona Republic.
Prior to yesterday’s game, Carlos Beltran said the bone bruise on his knee has not improved.
However, he has been hitting, throwing and running in a pool and has every intention of getting back on the field.
Beltran said the doctor advised against increasing his workload because the pain and bruise will not go away until he stops activity altogether.
However, “I want to get back as soon as I can,” he said. “I wanted to try. I decided to do it… Right now, I’m not thinking about resting. I’m thinking about how I can get back.”
That said, Beltran said he still plans to have another MRI exam before he plays in a rehab game.
Speaking of injuries…
Carlos Delgado hit in the indoor batting cage in Citi Field yesterday and told reporters he is feeling good, but he has yet to run full speed around the bases.
…from what i can gather, he is still on pace to return next month, as is Billy Wagner and maybe J.J. Putz… John Maine is still a mystery, as he will get a second opinion on his shoulder 
tomorrow…
…meanwhile, the buzz from Citi Field suggests Jose Reyes is also getting closer to a return… i heard from one person who said reyes could realistically play in a rehab game in a week or so… in short, it’s not impossible that he’s back around the same time as delgado…
…in the end, it sounds like things are going well for everyone, which is why i am more skeptical than usual… i mean, what are the odds they all come back, boom, in one shot, perfect and ready for action… in other words, put on a uniform, play in a rehab game, and i’ll start being excited… well, maybe i’m a little excited… damn…
The Mets have won three games in a row.
…as i said yesterday, the way i see it, if the Mets want to pull off 
a miracle and win the Wild Card, they need to go roughly 45–20 during their final 65 games of the season… last night was a good start, beating the wild-card leading Rockies to start a 10–game homestand…
“It has to start somewhere,” Francoeur explained after last night’s game. “It’s been a rough season, but you sit there and say we still have 60, 65 games left. We can still make a run. Nobody on this team is giving up.”
Following Sunday’s win against the Astros, Francoeur said:
“We’ve got a shot… and I guarantee you every person on this team will fight their asses off to the end.”
Francoeur is 5 for 15 with two HR and eight RBI during the team’s last four games, during which they are 3–1 with 29 runs scored.
He is batting .326 with 15 RBI in 13 games since joining the Mets.
Last week, on WFAN, Jerry Manuel said Francoeur has had a positive influence on the clubhouse, noting he is very team-oriented, and loves to work and ask questions about how he can improve his game.
…despite being allergic to drawing a walk, i wonder if frenchy helped to pump the team up a bit… players will tell you, quietly, that having a new, fresh face and voice in the locker room can sometimes help wake people up… he doesn’t have to be a star… just new stories, a new approach and a fresh look at things can help re-focus people… maybe francoeur is that guy… or, maybe the Mets are just hitting again… either way, i like it…
Last night, Fernando Tatis smacked a pinch-hit grand slam in the eighth inning to give the Mets a dramatic comeback win against the Wild-Card leading Rockies.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, courtesy of ESPN.com, prior to the grand slam, Tatis had grounded into 13 double plays in 52 double-play situations and had been held hitless in his last 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
“You’re not looking to hit a grand slam,” Tatis said after the game. “I think if you’re looking to do it, it’s not going to happen. It just happened tonight. It’s great… It’s very good for everyone. It’s good for me and very good for us.”
…it is great… but, here’s the greatest part, down 3–0, the Mets rallied to score seven, seven i said, seven unanswered runs to win the game… imagine that…
…i’ll say this, yesterday was a crazy day at that ballpark… yet, the Mets, i.e., the 30 guys in the dugout, did a great job of staying focused, continuing to play smart baseball, for a win…
…perhaps, in some crazy way, the off-field craziness, which deals with reporters and front office guys, maybe it will allow the guys on field to just play baseball, under the radar so to speak…
During yesterday’s press conference to announce the firing of Tony Bernazard, Mets GM Omar Minaya suggested Adam Rubin of the Daily News, who wrote the initial reports about Bernazard, may have had an ulterior motive, or at least a conflict of interest, as he once ‘lobbied’ the team for a job in the their player development department, i.e., the department Bernazard had been running.
In today’s Daily News, Rubin attempts to defends himself.
I will not lie. This is difficult for me.
On one hand, I think Rubin is an amazing reporter; one of the smartest people covering and thinking about the team; he has 
inspired and motivated me, especially early on when he was a big supporter of the blog; and I hate to think he may no longer be covering the Mets. I hope he is savvy enough to use this and spring boards himself in to a being a columnist, where I think he would be more influential than he is.
On the other hand, in so many ways, and on more than one occasion, Rubin has made it known to me and people I work with that he is not fan of what I do… or at least how I do it. I am not sure why, though I have my suspicions; either way, I try not to make it personal, and just assume it is a part of the misunderstood imbalance between blogs and newspapers. It’s not his fault or mine, I blame it on today’s media landscape… all while admiring his work.
In other words, it is difficult for me to comment on this issue between Rubin and the Mets, because I have my own positive and negative personally-involved feelings about both sides.
Regardless, this is all obnoxious. It is.
I realize these sort of off-field issues are fun for talk radio hosts, and for fans who call in to their shows. Similarly, it gives fan-only bloggers the chance to spout off about who is right and who is wrong and who is an ‘idiot,’ who should be fired and who shouldn’t, all while knowing nothing about beat reporting, running a baseball team, and knowing nothing about the personalities involved in this story – and that’s OK, in some ways this is what we do. Print reporters will most certainly be fired up, 
because they had one of their own attacked.
The thing is, sports media takes itself way, way too seriously as it is, be it talk radio to me to beat guys to fan blogs, so I am sure we will all be self-aggrandizing about this, and write and write and talk about it ad nauseum – I mean, I started this post off as such.
The thing is, while I care to a point, and while it makes for interesting afternoon theater, in the end, I want to watch baseball.
For pete’s sake, I’m a baseball fan. All I want is for this team to play hard, play smart, make good decisions upstairs, win and let me and my friends and family have fun watching it all.
Seriously, is that so much to ask?
For more on what talk show hosts, reporters and bloggers are saying, click below:
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