Daily Archives: October 20, 2009
Marty Noble is back with another mailbag Q&A for MLB.com, during which he answers questions about 
Omar Minaya’s mistakes from 2009, Pedro Feliciano’s value, and trading David Wright, Jose Reyes or Carlos Beltran.
Noble is asked to comment on Joe Girardi’s decisions in the ALCS, and to respond to whether he is a Yankees fan.
…speaking of managers, i lose count every season of the number of e-mails i get from Mets fans praising Angels manager Mike Scioscia, or e-mails suggesting the Mets need a manager like scioscia, because his team is always so disciplined and plays with such passion…
…i agree with the general idea… but, it should be noted that mid-way through yesterday’s Game 3 of the ALCS, the Angels were essentially gift-wrapping their series for the Yankees with some of the sloppiest defensive play ever seen in a post season series… i mean, it looked like a 2009 Mets highlight reel, complete with a dropped pop up… additionally, i listened to ESPN Radio tell me it appeared the Angels were playing with no life, and were showing no heart… yes, no heart, sloppy play, all under scioscia’s watch… the point is, no manager is perfect… in the end, the player 
needs to use two hands on the pop up, throw the ball in the strike zone, and shorten his swing…
…that said, i think it is a credit to scioscia’s values and style that his team avoids this sort of play through most of the regular season, and it will be interesting to see how a win in Game 3 might correct the recent sloppiness… i am willing to bet the team returns to form, unlike the Mets, who just couldn’t shake their bad habits through much of the summer…
…by the way, despite his success in Los Angeles, i hear scioscia, and i still get annoyed, thinking of the 1988 playoffs against the Mets…
…also, David Cone should have won that Cy Young… yes, i’m still bitter…
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The following video, on YouTube, claims to show Mariano Rivera spitting on the baseball, moments before pitching to the Angels yesterday.
For more on this “Internet Controversy of the Day,” check out Big League Stew, Deadspin, Halo’s Heaven, the Star-Tribune, and Fack Youk.
Update, 2:10 pm:
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, “The Commissioners Office reviewed available video and still photography from Rivera spitting toward a baseball in ALCS Game 3 and ‘found no evidence that Rivera spit on the ball.’”
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The Mets have released left-handed reliever Ken Takahashi, according to SNY.
…hopefully this is the first of many more roster changes this off season…
The 40–year-old Takahashi was 0–1 with a 2.96 ERA in 28 appearances for the Mets in 2009, but let 38 men reach base in 27 innings, and left-handed batters hit .302 against him.
…ummm, ok… i do find it bizarre that they released him now, in the middle of October, but, i guess if it was going to happen anyway, what’s the difference… good luck, ken, wherever you end up…
Update, 12:45 pm:
MetsBlog reader Robert Z sent in an e-mail saying:
“Maybe the Mets released him now so he can go back to Japan in time to be eligible. I think it’s no coincidence this happened at the same time the Kenji Johjima bought out his final two years.”
Also, according to Marty Noble of MLB.com, by releasing Takahashi, “The Mets no have one vacancy on their 40-man roster.”
Tagged Twitter |This past weekend, at his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman suggested the Mets look at 
acquiring Jeremy Guthrie, Gil Meche and Ervin Santana, as buy-low candidates.
Today, at Amazin Avenue, Sam Page takes a statistical look at Guthrie and Meche, and suggests three other buy-low candidates to consider.
Speaking of acquisitions, Ed Leyro of Mets Merized Online debates whether Brandon Lyon would make a good set-up man for K-Rod.
Steve Keane of the Eddie Kranepool Society did a Q&A with the Daily News, in which he talks about his blog, blame for 2009, stats, Citi Field, and other topics involving baseball and the Mets.
Joe Janish of Mets Today breaks down John Maine’s 2009 season.
In a video for On the Black, Kerel Cooper ranks the Five Most Embarrassing Off-Field Moments for the Mets in 2009.
Lastly, in a non-sports link, check out Mets Weekly’s Julie Alexandria hosting the latest edition of TV In a Flash.
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Following this season, Vladimir Guerrero will be a free agent for the first time since signing a five-year, $70 million deal in 2004.
According to Jeff Blair from the Globe and Mail, “Baseball people have felt for some time it’s a slam-dunk that Guerrero would end up with the Mets and GM Omar Minaya.”
However, Blair says, this is ‘no longer a certainty,’ due to Minaya’s lack of job security and concerns about the team’s finances.
Blair now believes Guerrero can only hope to be a team’s Plan B or Plan C, saying, “He’ll get a contract, but, in this cautious marketplace, it will likely be with a big-market team that can afford to cover any losses.”
The 33–year-old Guerrero hit .295 with a .334 OBP, 15 HR and 50 RBI in just 100 games for the Angels this season, missing time with a torn pectoral muscle, as well as a strained muscle behind his left knee.
He hit 27 home runs with more than 90 RBI in each of the previous two seasons, playing at least 143 games.
As noted yesterday, Japanese 18-year-old left-hander Yusei Kikuchi is scheduled to meet with the Mets, Yankees, Indians 
and Mariners today, according to NPB Tracker.
He met with the Red Sox, Dodgers, Rangers and Giants yesterday, and with 12 NPB teams over the weekend.
…from what i can gather, each team has less than an hour to speak with him… the Japanese teams are leaning on him to stay in Japan, and build up his career before leaving for MLB, like Daisuke Matsuzaka did… whereas MLB teams will likely have to offer a guaranteed Major League contract, worth around $1.5 million per season… though, he would still likely start his career in the low-level minor leagues… in either case, he must decide by tomorrow whether to stay or go… if he leaves for MLB, he is unlikely to announce his team until November…
To learn more about Kikuchi, read this post at NPB Tracker.
Tagged News |The Brewers have hired Rick Peterson to be their pitching coach, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
…for what it’s worth, Willie Randolph is their bench coach… perhaps they should hire Rick Down to be their hitting coach, too…
…i’m just glad rick is back in the game… i miss his diagrams, clipboards, jacket, triangles, and confusing, yet inspiring metaphors…
The Brewers were last in the league with a 4.83 team ERA in 2009.
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