Daily Archives: October 25, 2009
The Cleveland Indians have hired former Nationals manager and Mets coach Manny Acta to a three year contract to fill their managerial position.
The deal also includes a club option for the 2013 season.
The Indians chose Acta after interviewing Bobby Valentine and their Triple-A manager Torey Lovullo.
Tagged News |
Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Mets will not try to sign soon-to-be free-agent RHP John Lackey.
Instead, he feels the team’s big-ticket target will likely end up playing left field.
…hey, how you doin’ Matt Holliday…
Of course, if asked to choose between the two, 69 percent of MetsBlog readers said they prefer the Mets sign Lackey to Holliday.
To read more from Heyman, follow him on Twitter, here, as well as at his Daily Scoop column for SI.com, here.
Tagged News |
Hubbuch says the Mets made this decision after learning about his $40-$60 million price tag.
…i’m not that surprised…i don’t think the Mets are in a position to assume so much risk anyway, even though he is young and extremely talented…he is better suited to join a rotation that’s more established, and fortify it rather than help lead it…
Mike Silva, in a post to his blog for New York Baseball Digest, takes a look at 11 “bargain bin” free agents that the Mets should consider this off-season.
Silva lists Erik Bedard and Brad Penny, as well as former Met Chad Bradford among his bargain bin list.
Silva doesn’t believe that Bedard would require more than an incentive laden deal next season, but warns he is injury prone, and Penny rebounded nicely after leaving the Red Sox in August.
…i have always been high on Bedard, but he has struggled the past two seasons with injuries and another injury-plagued starting pitcher is not exactly what the Mets need next season…he made only 15 starts and none after July 25…that said, he was impressive with the Orioles in 2006 and 2007…he finished third in the American League with 221 strikeouts in 2007…if he is healthy, he is a top of the rotation starter, but that of course must be proven…
…Penny pitched real well down the stretch for the Giants, going 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA in September and totaled 15 wins all year, proving that he is over the arm injury that plagued him in 2008…he could fill in nicely in the middle of the rotation, but at this point i don’t see Penny as a solution to the hole at the top of the rotation…
…with regards to Bradford, i would love to see the Mets re-acquire him…he can consisently get right handers out with that submarine delivery, and he and Pedro Feliciano would make for a great setup duo in the seventh and eighth innings…
For the full list of bargain bin free agents, check out Silva’s post.
John from Metstradamus, in his continuing series titled “What Have We Learned?”, discusses Daniel Murphy and that fans should “Leave Murph Alone!!!”
Andrew over at The ‘Ropolitans counts the Mets out of the Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes, saying “the Mets have too many other things to deal with.”
However, Mr. North Jersey over at the Real Dirty Mets Blog wonders if history can repeat itself.
James from Amazin’ Avenue thinks signing Mike Cameron is a good idea.
Mets minor-league RHP Rafael Castro died this weekend of a heart attack – he was 18 years old.
Castro had spent two seasons in the Venezuelan Summer League, and passed away at the Mets academy in Venezuela.
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post speculates steroids could be a contributing factor in Castro’s death.
Tagged News |
Marty Noble, in his latest mailbag for MLB.com, talks about the many needs that the Mets need to address this offseason, but one need that has been masked by other glaring problems is a catcher.
…i agree with this, but at the same time, i wonder if the solution is really out there right now…to me, it’s clear that Josh Thole will likely need a full season at triple-A Buffalo before being able to determine if he is the solution, which leaves the Mets in a situation where they need a stopgap…i think the Mets will be looking for a defensive-oriented catcher, but they need someone who isn’t an automatic out as well…
In 2009, Mets catchers hit just .252 with 13 home runs and 86 RBI.
…the run production wasn’t awful this year, but when you look at, for example, Brian Schneider‘s run production, eight of his 24 RBI came in a three game stretch in June against the Rays and Cardinals, which is just under 10 percent of the production out of the catcher’s position for the season…
Since the beginning of the 2007 season, over 486 games Mets catchers have hit just .258 with 51 home runs and just 249 RBI.
…i think that acquiring a consistent everyday catcher is important, because i believe that having consistency behind the plate can only help the pitching staff…since Paul Lo Duca left, the Mets haven’t had a fixture in the catchers position due to injury or lack of production…but this is another reason why the Mets need a three year plan in place to win and build a solid and steady core up the middle because i don’t think they be able to address every need in it’s entirety in three months…
For more, as well as answers to other questions, check out Noble’s mailbag.
Update, 12:47 pm:
Lou Di Falco, from Never Forget ’69, has posted the entire transcript from the WHN broadcast of the 10th inning of this game, which you can see here.
Original Post:
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, a game the Mets won 6-5 in 10 innings thanks to an improbable rally, capped by one of the most unbelievable moments in World Series history.
…i’ll never forget that day, as my dad couldn’t go to the game because it was my mother’s birthday, leaving the ticket for me…that was a really cold night at Shea, and i remember saying “even Keith Hernandez is wearing long sleeves”…
…by the way, happy birthday, mom…
That game featured three rallies by the Mets.
In the fifth inning, Ray Knight singled in Darryl Strawberry and then Danny Heep grounded into a double play which scored Knight and tied the score at 2-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, down 3-2, Lee Mazzilli who pinch hit for Jesse Orosco, led off with a single and would later score on a Gary Carter sacrifice fly to Jim Rice in left field.
Rick Aguilera replaced Mazilli and pitched a scoreless ninth, but Red Sox center fielder Dave Henderson led off the tenth inning with a solo home run off the scoreboard in left field, which gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead.
…i vividly remember that home run, as my seat for the game was in our box in Loge 472A, right above where that ball hit…
The Red Sox would add another run on a Marty Barrett RBI single which gave the Red Sox a 5-3 lead.
In the bottom of the tenth inning, things were not looking good for the Mets, as Wally Backman flew out to Rice in left field, and then Hernandez flew out deep to Henderson in center field, leaving two out and nobody on in and it looked like Boston was going to win it.
…i cannot confirm whether or not a congratulations to the Red Sox was displayed on Diamond Vision, and i don’t remember it being mentioned, but our seats were not in a good position to see it anyway…
But then, Carter singled to left, Kevin Mitchell then looped a single into center field, and then Knight singled in Carter.
Bob Stanley replaced former Met Calvin Schiraldi, and Mookie Wilson fouled off what seemed to be 15 pitches until Stanley lost his control and threw one under Wilson, scoring Mitchell and the tying run.
…from our angle, which you can see here, it was difficult to see the ball go all the way to the back stop, except we saw Wilson fall to the ground, and as Mitchell scored, the Shea Stadium crowd was as loud as i could ever remember it…
Then, a couple of pitches later it appeared Wilson had grounded out to Bill Buckner, and the rest is history.
…i remember not knowing what had happened, because at first it appeared to be routine, and we couldn’t see the ball that well on the ground, but then Buckner kind of stumbled, and as loud as the crowd was when Mitchell scored the tying run, it then got louder…
…it was probably my fondest memory of the Mets, because i was six, at the World Series, and even i knew things were not looking good just two minutes before they won that game, but they came back…as i got older i began to understand and appreciate the magnitude of that comeback because it was an elimination game, they were down by two runs with two outs in the tenth inning, and it would have been terrible if the 108 game winning Mets were the team that gave the Red Sox their first championship in the modern era…and comebacks like that just don’t happen, except that night…
