Thursday, May 06, 2004
That's 3 in a row now
Mets 8 Giants 2
W-Weathers (2-1)
L-Rodriguez (1-2)
HR-Piazza (5), Cameron (6), Spencer (2)
It's funny how 3 games can change my outlook on a team, but I am getting a good vibe from this team. They are actually playing some exciting ball. Not only did the Mets win, but Mike Piazza finally passed Carlton Fisk on the all time catchers list, and Kaz Matsui finally showed off that defense we've been waiting for.
The game was deadlocked at 2 going into the eighth. The Mets then batted around and thanks to a huge HR by Shane spencer, went ahead for good.
The only negative about last night was that Jae Seo had to leave early because of a cracked fingernail. He should be ok though. Hell, even Ricky Botallico pitched well, why can't a Met fan be optimistic today?
Lets get the brooms out tonight.
News and Notes
Ty Wiggington will be activated from the DL on Friday. I hate this line though.
The Mets have no immediate intention of releasing Ricky Gutierrez
D'oh!!!
And there is a great article on Jose Reyes in the NY Times. Everyone should read it.
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Mets 8 Giants 2
W-Weathers (2-1)
L-Rodriguez (1-2)
HR-Piazza (5), Cameron (6), Spencer (2)
It's funny how 3 games can change my outlook on a team, but I am getting a good vibe from this team. They are actually playing some exciting ball. Not only did the Mets win, but Mike Piazza finally passed Carlton Fisk on the all time catchers list, and Kaz Matsui finally showed off that defense we've been waiting for.
The game was deadlocked at 2 going into the eighth. The Mets then batted around and thanks to a huge HR by Shane spencer, went ahead for good.
The only negative about last night was that Jae Seo had to leave early because of a cracked fingernail. He should be ok though. Hell, even Ricky Botallico pitched well, why can't a Met fan be optimistic today?
Lets get the brooms out tonight.
News and Notes
Ty Wiggington will be activated from the DL on Friday. I hate this line though.
The Mets have no immediate intention of releasing Ricky Gutierrez
D'oh!!!
And there is a great article on Jose Reyes in the NY Times. Everyone should read it.
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Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Mets Beat Bonds-less Giants
Mets 6 Giants 2
W-Trachsel (3-3)
L-Tomko (1-2)
HR-Cameron (5)
With Barry Bonds out with a sinus infection, the Giants couldnt even beat the Binghamton Mets I don't think. They have one of the worst lineups in baseball. The Mets took full advantage and got 8 well pitched innings by Steve Trachsel.
Offensively, all 3 of the whipping boys contributed. Mike Cameron had a homer, Jason Phillips had 2 hits and Kaz Matsui had three.
Only other thing to report on is that both Cliff Floyd and Ty Wiggington played in a extended spring training game yesterday.
Floyd went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Wigginton went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Duquette said Wigginton, who is eligible to come off the DL tomorrow will be assigned to Class A St. Lucie to play today
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Mets 6 Giants 2
W-Trachsel (3-3)
L-Tomko (1-2)
HR-Cameron (5)
With Barry Bonds out with a sinus infection, the Giants couldnt even beat the Binghamton Mets I don't think. They have one of the worst lineups in baseball. The Mets took full advantage and got 8 well pitched innings by Steve Trachsel.
Offensively, all 3 of the whipping boys contributed. Mike Cameron had a homer, Jason Phillips had 2 hits and Kaz Matsui had three.
Only other thing to report on is that both Cliff Floyd and Ty Wiggington played in a extended spring training game yesterday.
Floyd went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Wigginton went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Duquette said Wigginton, who is eligible to come off the DL tomorrow will be assigned to Class A St. Lucie to play today
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Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Mets Designate Roberts for Assignment
According to WFAN's Ed Coleman, the Mets have designated Grant Roberts for assignment and have called up Ricky Botallico.
Since Roberts has no options left, he must clear waivers before being sent down. I think someone will scoop him up because he is young and cheap.
I don't know what to say on Botallico other than the fact that he makes an old bullpen even older. Once again the Mets get younger and more athletic.
I just have a bad feeling that if a team claims Roberts, he will come back and bite us in the ass big time. Hopefully he will slip through and replace Baldwin in the Norfolk rotation though.
Oh yea, and no Barry Bonds tonight. We have to win.
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According to WFAN's Ed Coleman, the Mets have designated Grant Roberts for assignment and have called up Ricky Botallico.
Since Roberts has no options left, he must clear waivers before being sent down. I think someone will scoop him up because he is young and cheap.
I don't know what to say on Botallico other than the fact that he makes an old bullpen even older. Once again the Mets get younger and more athletic.
I just have a bad feeling that if a team claims Roberts, he will come back and bite us in the ass big time. Hopefully he will slip through and replace Baldwin in the Norfolk rotation though.
Oh yea, and no Barry Bonds tonight. We have to win.
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Monday, May 03, 2004
Off Day Notes
Ty Wiggington is expected to return from the DL on thursday, which means someone will have to get sent down or released. Looking at the candidates, the decison is not that easy.
I think Danny Garcia has earned his spot here. Jeff Duncan is a possibiltiy and so is Ricky Gutierrez, although he'd likely be released. The Mets can also send down a pitcher, like the little used Grant Roberts or Dan Wheeler. Problem with Roberts is he is out of options, so that is unlikely.
In a perfect world, Gutierrez gets his walking papers. But this is the Mets we're talking about here. My money is on Wheeler getting sent down.
Now the other question is whether Wiggy will see his playing time reduced because of Todd Zeile's play. Lets look at what Zeile has done so far. In 59 ab's Zeile is hitting 322, has a 414 OBP. I know he wont keep up this pace, but if Wiggy struggles, I wont complain a bit if Zeile is in there.
Speaking of third baseman, I am sad to see what looks like the downfall of Edgardo Alfonzo, my favorite player. Alfonzo is just 30 years old and is coming off a dissapointing 2003 campaign. so far this year he is hitting just .221, with no homers and a sub .600 ops. Add to the fact that he is making 6.5 millon dollars this year. It all adds up to an extreme dissapointment. The Giants have let it be known that he is availiable. Despite his struggles, I hope all Mets fans let him know just how much he was appreciated here. He really was a great Met and deserves a great welcome tomorrow.
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Ty Wiggington is expected to return from the DL on thursday, which means someone will have to get sent down or released. Looking at the candidates, the decison is not that easy.
I think Danny Garcia has earned his spot here. Jeff Duncan is a possibiltiy and so is Ricky Gutierrez, although he'd likely be released. The Mets can also send down a pitcher, like the little used Grant Roberts or Dan Wheeler. Problem with Roberts is he is out of options, so that is unlikely.
In a perfect world, Gutierrez gets his walking papers. But this is the Mets we're talking about here. My money is on Wheeler getting sent down.
Now the other question is whether Wiggy will see his playing time reduced because of Todd Zeile's play. Lets look at what Zeile has done so far. In 59 ab's Zeile is hitting 322, has a 414 OBP. I know he wont keep up this pace, but if Wiggy struggles, I wont complain a bit if Zeile is in there.
Speaking of third baseman, I am sad to see what looks like the downfall of Edgardo Alfonzo, my favorite player. Alfonzo is just 30 years old and is coming off a dissapointing 2003 campaign. so far this year he is hitting just .221, with no homers and a sub .600 ops. Add to the fact that he is making 6.5 millon dollars this year. It all adds up to an extreme dissapointment. The Giants have let it be known that he is availiable. Despite his struggles, I hope all Mets fans let him know just how much he was appreciated here. He really was a great Met and deserves a great welcome tomorrow.
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Sunday, May 02, 2004
Mets win one in Petco
Mets 6 Padres 2
W-Glavine (4-1)
L-Valdez (3-1)
HR- D. Garcia (1)
Was only able to catch bits and pieces of this game, but one thing is for sure, Danny Garcia ia awesome. He hits a hr and has 2 walks. He is already more productive than Ricky Gutierrez has been the whole year.
Also, Karim Garcia and Shane Spencer have been incredible so far. I wonder if the Mets would consider giving Floyd or Garcia some time at first to keep all of them in the lineup. Just a thought.
Gotta give some props to Stanton too. I am the first to bash him but he has been great since that Pittsburgh game.
Next up. Barry Bonds on tuesday.
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Mets 6 Padres 2
W-Glavine (4-1)
L-Valdez (3-1)
HR- D. Garcia (1)
Was only able to catch bits and pieces of this game, but one thing is for sure, Danny Garcia ia awesome. He hits a hr and has 2 walks. He is already more productive than Ricky Gutierrez has been the whole year.
Also, Karim Garcia and Shane Spencer have been incredible so far. I wonder if the Mets would consider giving Floyd or Garcia some time at first to keep all of them in the lineup. Just a thought.
Gotta give some props to Stanton too. I am the first to bash him but he has been great since that Pittsburgh game.
Next up. Barry Bonds on tuesday.
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Mets Lose Again
Padres 3 Mets 1
W-Peavy (2-1)
L-Franco (0-2)
S-Hoffman (7)
The only positive thing about last night was that Danny Garcia proved he can play some ball. He had 2 hits last night and drove in the Mets only run. It seems that Howe is going to stick with him too, at least for a while. If he continues to play decent, at worst the Mets know they have a quality fill in at second, and someone who could do McEwings role 10 times better than McEwing. It's too bad Super Joe signed a 2 year deal though.
As far as the rest of the game goes, it's the same old story. Leiter struggled with his location the whole game. He had to be lifted after 5 innings and 113 pitches. Franco then relieved him and served up a 2 run bomb to Brian Giles. That would be more than enough for the Pads.
My biggest worry right now is Matsui. He is down to .242, is not walking as much now, and his fielding is not as advertised. I'm starting to think the Mets could have saved themselves a lot of money and got similar production by using a Reyes/Garcia infield. Of course none of that matters because Reyes doesnt play.
Another interesting aspect from last nights game was that it was played under protest. Akinori Otsuka , padres reliever throws in a way which many people believe is a balk (I am one of them). After one pitch last night, Howe came out and argued and protested the game. It was good to see Art show some life, but my question is, if this was such a big deal, why didn't they protest the night before, when Otsuka closed out the game. Oh well, typical Mets.
Reyes Update
Jose Reyes was feeling much better today, but will not resume any baseball activities until he is 100 percent. The Mets are considering sending him to a specialitst, bt the man they want (Macky Shilstone) is busy training Roy Jones Jr. Shilstone did have some advice for Reyes though.
Hopefully now that Reyes isnt doing anything, this will heal properly. I think they are doing the smart thing for once.
Fred Wilpon
Mike Vacarro of the NY Post has an article about Fred Wilpon, basically urging him to sell the team.
The article is decent. He makes some good points, like how Mets fans can look forward to a summer of rooting against the Yankees, instead of rooting for their own team.
I dont want to get into this now, but I will. I dont mind Wilpon at all, I just think he needs to stop being so hands on. Him and Jeff run the show, nobody else. Granted it is his money, but if he wants a succesful organization, he needs to make decisions from people with baseball knowledge. I dont think that has happened in a while.
Do you think Duqutte wanted Matsui here? I doubt it. No GM would move their brightest young star from their position. That was a marketing move by Wilpon. He thought that Matsui would sell more seats than Vlad. Glavine was also a Wilpon move. Im sure even Steve Phillips had his doubts.
The Benitez trade may have been the most dissapointing trade the Mets made. They could have had Adrian Gonzalez, but instead got Jason Anderson because Wilpon didn't want to eat the contract.
And then there is the move to bring in Howe. That just speaks for itself.
So I'm not saying Wilpon should sell the team. Just let the "baseball people" make the decisions. And dont be afraid to change managers either, but I doubt that happens.
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Padres 3 Mets 1
W-Peavy (2-1)
L-Franco (0-2)
S-Hoffman (7)
The only positive thing about last night was that Danny Garcia proved he can play some ball. He had 2 hits last night and drove in the Mets only run. It seems that Howe is going to stick with him too, at least for a while. If he continues to play decent, at worst the Mets know they have a quality fill in at second, and someone who could do McEwings role 10 times better than McEwing. It's too bad Super Joe signed a 2 year deal though.
As far as the rest of the game goes, it's the same old story. Leiter struggled with his location the whole game. He had to be lifted after 5 innings and 113 pitches. Franco then relieved him and served up a 2 run bomb to Brian Giles. That would be more than enough for the Pads.
My biggest worry right now is Matsui. He is down to .242, is not walking as much now, and his fielding is not as advertised. I'm starting to think the Mets could have saved themselves a lot of money and got similar production by using a Reyes/Garcia infield. Of course none of that matters because Reyes doesnt play.
Another interesting aspect from last nights game was that it was played under protest. Akinori Otsuka , padres reliever throws in a way which many people believe is a balk (I am one of them). After one pitch last night, Howe came out and argued and protested the game. It was good to see Art show some life, but my question is, if this was such a big deal, why didn't they protest the night before, when Otsuka closed out the game. Oh well, typical Mets.
Reyes Update
Jose Reyes was feeling much better today, but will not resume any baseball activities until he is 100 percent. The Mets are considering sending him to a specialitst, bt the man they want (Macky Shilstone) is busy training Roy Jones Jr. Shilstone did have some advice for Reyes though.
Hopefully now that Reyes isnt doing anything, this will heal properly. I think they are doing the smart thing for once.
Fred Wilpon
Mike Vacarro of the NY Post has an article about Fred Wilpon, basically urging him to sell the team.
The article is decent. He makes some good points, like how Mets fans can look forward to a summer of rooting against the Yankees, instead of rooting for their own team.
I dont want to get into this now, but I will. I dont mind Wilpon at all, I just think he needs to stop being so hands on. Him and Jeff run the show, nobody else. Granted it is his money, but if he wants a succesful organization, he needs to make decisions from people with baseball knowledge. I dont think that has happened in a while.
Do you think Duqutte wanted Matsui here? I doubt it. No GM would move their brightest young star from their position. That was a marketing move by Wilpon. He thought that Matsui would sell more seats than Vlad. Glavine was also a Wilpon move. Im sure even Steve Phillips had his doubts.
The Benitez trade may have been the most dissapointing trade the Mets made. They could have had Adrian Gonzalez, but instead got Jason Anderson because Wilpon didn't want to eat the contract.
And then there is the move to bring in Howe. That just speaks for itself.
So I'm not saying Wilpon should sell the team. Just let the "baseball people" make the decisions. And dont be afraid to change managers either, but I doubt that happens.
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