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Mack from Mack’s Mets says Mets pundits are only looking for 15 ballplayers every season.
In a post to Always Amazin, Matthew Artus explains why the Mets should give Omar Minaya his man, hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.
…from what i can gather, a) the Mets have no interest in committing long-term to a hitting coach, when there is a chance a new manager could want a whole-new staff in a year, and b) they like Howard Johnson, and have no interest in firing him…
John of Metstradamus looks at we’ve learned about Jeff Francoeur.
In a report for the New York Times, George Vecsey looks back at Ron Swoboda’s legendary catch, 40 years after the miracle Mets won the 1969 World Series.
Jon Star of Inside Pitch looks at Brad Holt’s 2009 season.
Andrew Beaton of Hot Foot argues in favor of the Mets signing 21–year-old Cuban defector Ardolis Chapman, who, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com, has hit 102 mph with his fastball.
Lastly, Ed Ryan of Mets Fever looks at the legend of Ike Davis, who has five hits and eight RBI in nine at bats in the Arizona Fall League.
If it comes down to Phils/Yanks – do we simply not watch baseball?
I alternate between that being my plan, and just watching cuaually when I have the chance (like the other years when the mets, nor any other team I have any rooting interest in, are in the series).
I don’t like either team, and I don’t want either one to win. But, basically I don’t care! So might as well watch to see what happens.
oh yeah, if forced to choose, I would root for the Yankees to destroy the phils. Absolutely smoke them in 4 (getting it over with sooner!).
rooting for the yankees is better for the Mets (since the phils are direct competition). Rooting for the phils is just being a selfish fan (not having to hear taunts from yanees fans).
full disclosure: I live near phillie, so I have to hear from phils fans, not yankee fans!
Best solution, of course, is an all LA series (and I think a subway series should be renamed a highway series (they sure ain’t free!) since who would take the subway from shea to yanker stadium instead of the GCP and deegan?
im with you, and similar situation. I live in Boston and can’t stand Sox fans…sooo Yankees. When its Phillies vs Yanks…you gotta pick your own city over a rival.
The best scenario is a Yankees-Dodgers WS with the Dodgers beating the Yanks. Can you imagine all the beating of chests and gnashing of teeth that would go on among Yankee fans and Francesca-like sports pundits when Joe Torre comes back to NY to beat the Yankees? That would be deeeelicious!
But I realize an all LA series would be great in terms of having no skin in the game and not caring who wins.
I like the way mack tries to berak down the roster, but he must have been well into the 6-pack when he came up with some of the names/numbers,
Victor martinez for 7mill? There is a better chance of theMets tearing down citi and rebuilding Shea than of the Red sox not exercising his 7.5mill option.
and Halladay makes more than 10mill in 2010 (at least 12-13), And you aren’t going to see Holliday (or hell, even Bay) for 10/year, even though Bay likely won’t even be worth that much for the Mets.
Halladay’s not a F/A is he????
he’s definitely on something
I think there is nothing but upside in signing a guy like Ardolis Chapman. He’s 21 yrs young and brings the heat. Even if he’s wild, which he’s not, there is plenty of time to shape him.
He was Cuba’s best pitcher in the World Classic. To have a guy like that on our team, for years to come, would do wonders for our rotation.
I’m sure he wouldn’t be cheap but the risk is worth the reward.
I don’t believe that this Chapman chap can hit 102 on the gun.
That’s like saying Kaz Matsui can hit 25 HRs.
By all accounts he has hit 101 on the Gun in the WBC earlier this year. So them saying he hit 102 isn’t far off.
If he hit 110 then I’d start being skeptical. If his agent was Boras he’s be the next Sid d Finch!
either way…pay the kid what he wants. We can’t pass up a huge opportunity to add a legit phenom prospect, and a lefty power pitcher to boot. We arent trading prospects or drafting…this is a huge opportunity to improve our minor leagues.
At the moment I am rooting for Dodgers/Angels but if it should turn out to be Yanks/Phils, I too would want the yankees to crush the phils. The phils have gotten too arrogant for my taste and I hate them. I hate the yankees too but they aren’t in our division so they are far more removed.
I’m personally hoping for a Dodgers/Yankees series with the Dodgers just smoking the Yanks. Pushed Torre out and now he comes back and smokes ya with a new team.
Hear hear
Not the biggest Torre fan but the way he was shown the door didn’t seem right. The reason they weren’t winning WS titles was not on him as much as the Yanks wanted it to be. I think Girardi and the Yanks showed that last year.
does anyone knows how hard was holt throwing last season?
I saw reports praising omar becuase he found this talented guy late in the draft. the report said that holt had the second best fastball in the minors but I dont remember the velocity.
and do you think holt and mejia will compete for a bullpen spot next year?
it was mid 90s. seems like the secondary stuff (and health) was more of an issue.
Holt, slim chance in the pen. Mejia? No chance. I don’t mind breaking in a future starter out of th epen for the first year, but neither one of these guys (IMO) is ready for the show. Still work to do.
Holt may be a good candidate for a mid/late year clal up to add a live power arm to the pen though.
On the Hot Footpost about Aroldris”
I like the early argument about the Mets seemingly being afraid to sign IFA’s. But you secondary argument about needing a second top of rotation starter and it being Aroldris is awful. He will be 21 and by all scouting reports isn’t going to be signed and in the MLB Dice-K style. His scouting report is a 1 pitch pony with little secondary offerings. He will be a 2-3 year project in the minors before he is MLB ready. So signing him doesn’t help the team next year. I agree to signing him to Have another potential Top Flight Arm in the waiting, but to say he will help next year is ludicrous.
So signing a Lackey to a 5 year deal would be the best coarse of action, or a randy wolf, rich harden, or Ben Sheets. All 4 have the question marks but all 4 can help next year. And as we have seen with Lackey, he’s a legitimate STUD when he’s out there pitching.
I agree, we need a proven #2 starter for next year. I have seen chapman pitch and he throws a lot of high fastballs that will get destroy in the ML and his secondaries pitch still need improvements.
I’m still a little leary of his age as well. They say he is 21 but this is Cuba we are talking about here and for some reason I have hard time not thinking that is short a few years. If he is older than 21 all of sudden he loses a lot of the attractiveness seeing as he will need a couple of years in the minors. I would rather go after the 18 Japanese kid to go along with the one we already signed from Julio Franco’s facility in Florida. Throws hard and a lot more confident he is 18 as reported.
Signing Lackey is a must. It’s rare that I say a FA player is an absolute “must have” but this year, with this team, and our rotation being what it is. Lackey really is a must have.
He’s an Ace and, when you couple him up with Santana, it gives us a great 1, 2 punch. Lefty and righty no less.
I also think that signing Aroldris will give us a phenominal #3, potentially, down the road. He won’t be ready this year, maybe not even next, but 2 or 3 years if you can add him to the rotation of Santana and Lackey you have to admit it looks pretty darn good.
This off season the Mets must really flex their so called muscle and address every concern this team has. They must also look to future needs and cannot just focus on 2010.
Too early to discuss a Phils and Yankee World Series. I had to deal with that in 1996 and was not happy about it. I was at the decisive game at Yankee stadium. My buddy was a Braves fan so I had to take the Yankees in the bet between us. It brought no joy in winning the bet. I was the first out of the stadium (and I was in the upper deck)! I sat and could not garner interest for either team, the bet did not even help.
As of right now, however, I think I would root for the Phils over the Yankees. I thought I would have the same feeling as in 1996. But I think it was due to the horrendous year for the Mets that the rivalry seemed to have stalled. There was nothing to root for with respect to the Mets. Their main advesaries were themselves and management. I am not sure exactly when it happened (sometime midsummer I think), but my hatred for the Phillies waned.
Plus, to me, the Yankees are still the best team Richie Rich could purchase. And Mets fans have never been about that. Phillies, despite animosity of years past, are made of mostly home grown talent, which is a fact that I respect.
Based on the above, as of right now, I would root for the Phillies over the Yankees if it came to that.
Of course, I am a Mets fan. That could always change.
The Phils are in our division, though. We can always skip trips to Philly, too. We can’t hide from Yankee fans.
What is Mack smoking?
It may be different if the Phils hadn’t won last year but I would go for the Yanks especially b/c the Phils won last year, can’t have them repeating and having to deal with their obnoxious fans. I really cannot stand them or their fans at all, they are always running their mouths, and the team is made up of a bunch of tools, there is not one guy on that team i don’t hate with a firey passion (with the exception of maybe howard, he seems nice enough but i still don’t root for him). Their fans are so obnoxious towards the Mets fan. It drives me nuts
That said, I hate Yankees fans too but not with the same ferocity, probably b/c their real rivlary is with the sox and ours is with the phils (braves?)
My understanding is that Ryan Howard is one of the absolute nicest guys in the sport.
Victorino’s a hole, though, and so’s Werth, Madson, and Hamels.
Thanks for the info, howard seems nice but i really can’t stand the rest of them
It may be different if the Phils hadn’t won last year but I would go for the Yanks especially b/c the Phils won last year, can’t have them repeating and having to deal with their obnoxious fans. I really cannot stand them or their fans at all, they are always running their mouths, and the team is made up of a bunch of tools, there is not one guy on that team i don’t hate with a firey passion (with the exception of maybe howard, he seems nice enough but i still don’t root for him). Their fans are so obnoxious towards the Mets fan. It drives me nuts
That said, I hate Yankees fans too but not with the same ferocity, probably b/c their real rivlary is with the sox and ours is with the phils (braves?). If we were playing the Sox I assume they’d want us to win – (maybe not though idk)
sorry for the repeat, i thought it didn’t post the first time
dont want to see it either but…my dislike for the phils is contemporaneous…my hatred for the crankees is visceral…i probably wouldnt watch much but at least could watch the local news and read the local papers again without throwing up….
Phils/Yanks WS?
Personally, I’d root for a hole to open up in the Earth and swallow up Philly during game three.
Realistically, if we get to a Phils/Yanks series… I’m becoming a hockey fan.