Seeing that Johan Santana spots an 8.03 ERA in the first inning of his starts, maybe on his days to pitch, the strategy should be reversed, have the closer pitch the first inning then let Santana work innings 2-8.

R.I.P. Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish

Congratulations to Wally Backman (future manager of the NY Mets) and his Brooklyn Cyclones on clinching the McNamara Division of the NY-PENN League.

Why do I have a feeling my football season is going to suck as bad as my baseball season.

Go get em Rapid Robert, at 91 Bob Feller is still tough as nails get well soon

That’s about it, Mets blogging ain’t as much fun as it used to be

For your listening pleasure, The Soft Parade

Doesn’t 2006 seem like eon’s ago? Think about it, just four years ago the NY Mets were the NL East Champs and we Mets fans felt this was the beginning of a long prosperous run. Boy, were we wrong. Somehow, someway the organization has lost its focus and in turn has lost the trust of the fan base. As much as I enjoyed watching the Mets Hall of Fame induction ceremonies yesterday and the fact that the HOF and museum at Citi Field is exceptional and no one loves the history of this franchise more than I do, but it’s time to put that energy of bringing back the past, and move it towards building a solid organization for the future.

Quite frankly, I couldn’t care less who the next Mets HOF inductee will be and whose number could or should be retired or what kind of promotional days should be added to the schedule. I want the focus of ownership to be on building a minor league system that is the envy of baseball. I want the ownership to prove to me their not destitute by going over slot on draft picks they believe are worthy of such a contract. I want ownership to bring in the best and brightest executives in baseball to run this team and turn it into a perennial pennant contender. I want ownership to get rid of the deadwood on the roster.

I’ll be back at Citi Field a few more times this summer because I’m an addicted to the Mets and to baseball (Wednesday I went to Mets-Cards, Friday I was at SI Highlanders-Connecticut Tigers, tonight I’m going to Brooklyn Cyclones-Hudson Valley Renegades, Wednesday morning I leave for 10 days on Cape Cod just in time for the Cape Cod League Playoffs. If the Red Sox were home there would be a side trip to Boston for a game at Fenway as well oh yeah this on top of coaching baseball from the end of March to the end of July ) but guys like me are few and far between. It’s time for the Skill Sets to get their house in order and change the culture of this organization fast, this will be the most important off season in Flushing since the Wilpon/Doubleday ownership take over. The Skill Sets have to see a change of philosophy is needed. They can’t be that ignorant can they? Can they?

James Kannengieser at Amazin Avenue has his Five Ways to Improve The Mets and I’m sure we all agree on these each of them. What I can’t understand is this, when it comes to Toxic Ollie and The Late Luis Castillo what is the justification from ownership for not cutting both of them loose? Isn’t there anyone in these organizational meeting with a pair of balls to stand up and tell Jeffey Skill Sets it’s time to put the team ahead of the ledger sheet? Does Jeffey understand how much respect he would gain from the fan base if he came out and did a mass release of Perez, Castillo, Francoeur and Cora? Then tell the fans this is just the beginning of the organizational purge. Ah who am I kidding Jeffey Skill Sets is fucking gutless.

The Mets Police is now The A’s Police. Back in the mid 70’s when the Mets were awful, I was infatuated with the Cincinnati Reds Big Red Machine. I even subscribed the Reds Alert which was a weekly fan mag. So now through the great MLB Extra Innings package, I’ve been watching the Reds as they fight the Cardinals for the top spot in the NL Central. Maybe I’ll change this site into the Ed Armbrister Society. 

Those old enough to remember New York’s championship in 1986 celebrated his return.  They appreciated his nine years with the Mets, which included a .283 career batting average and 106 stolen bases, both Top 10 numbers on the franchise’s all-time list.

In the interim, Backman had bounced around as a minor league manager, most notably winning a Southern League title with the 2002 Birmingham Barons (the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox) and the Sporting News’ 2004 Minor League Manager of the Year, upon leading the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Lancaster Jethawks squad (A) to an 86-54 record.

But, within 96 hours after he was tabbed as the Diamondbacks’ manager later that year, all hell broke loose.  Reports surfaced that Backman’s recent history included several legal and financial issues.  Management -obviously embarrassed for conducting a less-than-stellar background check- retracted its offer and promptly axed him before the week was over.

Still, he continued to persevere.  In 2007, Backman led the South Georgia Peanuts, an independent team, to the South Coast League’s inaugural title.  The following year, he was with the Joliet JackHammers of the Northern League.

In November 2009, Backman was chosen to take the Brooklyn Cyclones into their 10^th season.

That began on Friday, with a come-from-behind 5-3 victory in Staten Island.  A 1-0 record was, at the least, a good start.  At the most, it pushed his highly anticipated managerial debut at MCU Park that much closer.

“I am thrilled and grateful to be coming back to the Mets’ organization,” Backman said when he was introduced as manager.  “The greatest days of my professional career were spent here in New York, and I have always felt a special connection to the city.  Brooklyn is a major minor-league team, and I know the borough’s fans are – like me – intensely passionate about baseball and about winning.”

Backman knows how baseball in this town is supposed to be played.  After all, he epitomized the player who maximized his ability, and never -ever- cheated his audience.  His return to the metropolis was, at first, a curious one because Jerry Manuel’s tenure as Mets’ skipper was in jeopardy;  now it is lauded for what it actually is -a chance for young men to learn the right way to play the game.

By chance, this is where he had received his start after New York drafted him 16^th overall in the 1977 Draft.  Fresh out of Aloha High School in Orgeon, the 18 year-old newbie hit .325 over 69 games for Little Falls, then a New York-Penn League affiliate.

Thus, it was inevitable that when the 50 year-old former second baseman emerged one-half hour before Saturday’s opening pitch, fans alongside the Cyclones’ dugout cheered wildly.  Instantly, Backman was besieged by autograph seekers.

“The fans haven’t changed,” he said, after Brooklyn won its second straight over the rival Yankees, 9-6, which drew a franchise record crowd of 9,888.  “It was a good reception; even better that we got the win for them.”

Do not be fooled by the nine runs.  Staten Island committed five errors, which produced a wild line score of 6-7-5.  Only five of the Cyclones’ runs were earned, lending even more credence that WallyBall will be very much in play over the summer.

“I was told, from Day One, that -when the wind blows in- a ball hit to rightfield is not going anywhere,” Backman noted.  “We will have to manufacture runs here.  We don’t have a lot of power guys, so we’ll have to hit-and-run, and move guys over.  And, try to force the defense to make some mistakes.”

After all the miles in between, he is finally back home -to a place where everyone knows his name, as that famous lyric goes- and doing what he likes to do.  And, at this moment, it doesn’t get much better.

John Buro covers the New York Mets for Examiner.com.

It seems Highlander fans have selective memory. Yesterday I went to the Brooklyn Cyclones-Little Highlanders game at the Richmond County Bank Ball Park in the Land That Urban Development forgot A/K/A Downtown Staten Island. Of course I was decked out in my Brooklyn attire because (a) the Cyclones are of course a Mets farm team and (b) I still consider myself from Brooklyn, I just happen to have a home in Staten Island and to tell you the truth I don’t know who Staten Islanders despise more Brooklynites who moved to the Island or Muslims but I digress. As I went into the ball park the Highlanders were leading the Mets 4-0 after a Mark Teixeira Granny against the suddenly ordinary Johan Santana. When the game ended the public address announcer comes on and asks for everyone’s attention. Now I’m thinking that since it was getting very dark and windy, looking as if a huge thunderstorm was on the way he’ll anounnce that  all the folks out in the open seating area should prepare to go to the concourse in case of severe weather, no that wasn’t the announcement. The big announcement was the Bronx Bastards beat the Mets 4-0 thus taking 2 of 3 from the Amazin’s.

Now a Highlander fan next me looks over and says “Well, now we know who the best team in NY is” so I say “We do? The season series  is now tied at 3 wins apiece” Mr.  Doodle Dandy (in his JETER 2 shirt of course. I swear to God, you can always tell the dumbest Highlander fan by what shirt the wear and it just seems like the biggest assholes wear JETER 2 shirts) looks at me and says “this is the only time they played each other this year” of course I say “Au contraire my simple minded friend, the Mets took 2 of 3 at Citi Field back in May” Then Mr. Doodle Dandy gave me the line of the day, week, month, year, decade and I’d add the century:

“I don’t pay that much attention to the team until October”    

STUNNING!!!!!  

By the way the SI Highlanders beat Backman’s Boys for the first time in this first three game series.

Gary Mathews Jr has been DFA’d

Luis Castillo is on the DL

OLLIE PEREZ IS ON THE DL!!!!! I hope he gets moved to the GL (Get Lost)

Reese Havens is tearing up Double A

The Savannah Sand Gnats pitching staff is dominating the SAL

And I just got my invite to the Brooklyn Cyclones open practice a week from Wednesday

Time to do the Happy Baseball Dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wayne Coffey in today’s Daily News has a great two page story on Dwight Gooden and his road back into baseball and leading a life free of drugs and alcohol. Coffey zones in on Doc’ 1985 season which is one of the greatest pitching season in baseball history. I love that Coffey mentions that the Gooden phenomenon back then has not been matched in this city.  No player in any sport in this city can match what Gooden and the Mets did back then. I remember that any start Gooden made was a must see event and as hard as this is to believe where I lived in Brooklyn we did not have cable. So when any Gooden starts were not on Ch 9 the choice was either get to Shea or get to a bar that has one of those huge satellite dishes to watch his starts.

I’m glad that Doc is back in baseball as he is working for the Newark Bears but with this new found thinking of management bringing back players who actually have a winning pedigree with the Mets in coaching positions, you would think there would be a spot for Doc.

I know I’m late with this but kudos to Mike Silva and Joe DeMayo over at NYBD for breaking the story on the hiring of Wally Backman by the Mets to manage the Brooklyn Cyclones. Not only is great to have Wally back in the family but to manage Brooklyn makes it even sweeter.

By the way all of the folks who are attacking Mike and Frank Russo over his report that Carl Crawford has asked out of Tampa need to grow up. What, you think Crawford is going to retire a Ray?

To me the biggest question of the off season is still how much power does Omar Minaya have, Joel Sherman shines some light on the subject:

Rival executives and agents described a man not fully in charge of baseball operations regardless of what Mets ownership says. One NL official said that lag time between discussing business with Minaya and the time it took him to respond suggested he had to run the information through a committee.

An agent said, “You might not like what Omar had done in the past, but he was always aggressive and decisive. He looked old, beaten and without a plan this time.”

Executives and agents said they thought Minaya has yet to be told a true budget by ownership, and that is leading to the belief that the Mets do not want to spend big. A second agent said, “The Mets are not a destination spot right now, especially if you are a hitter. You would be going to a questionable team playing in a huge park. So if you’re Jason Bay, why would you leave the Red Sox for the Mets unless you were blown away (financially), or if you were Matt Holliday, why would you leave St. Louis for the Mets unless you were blown away?”

If this info is right then the Skill Sets fucked up again by not firing Omar and not giving the job to either John Rico or going out and hiring a younger more aggressive GM. This is what bugs the living shit out of me with Jeffey Skill Sets, all along he states that Minaya has “full autonomy “ over the baseball ops but according to Sherman’s sources he has to run his moves though a committee so in effect you’ve cut Omar’s balls off. Great move Jeffey, you little shit.

 

Lot’s of news today, on what is the beginning of the last weekend of the summer and even with our dreadful season by our heroes in Flushing, this summer has flown by. I guess it’s due to the Mets being out of playoff contention for the first time in awhile that I am very excited about NHL training camps opening, Notre Dame-Nevada tomorrow and Week 1 of the NFL season starting next week.

 

But make no mistake it sucks not having a team fighting for the pennant. Wait it doesn’t suck, IT BLOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

 

On to the news of the day:

 

The first question I had when I heard that Jerry Koosman was found guilty of tax evasion was it had to be a mistake. But now that Koos has been sentenced to 6 months in the slammer and also reading how he got taken in by an anti-tax group, the comment that had me sit up and say what the fuck, was Koos believing that only federal workers and residents of Washington D.C. paid federal taxes. Say it ain’t so Koos you can’t be that naive.     

 

Sad news out this morning about Ernie Harwell fighting incurable cancer. Harwell is not just one of the greatest announcers of all time but he is a first class story teller as well.

 

Carlos Beltran went 0-2 for the Brooklyn Cyclones last night in a loss to Hudson Valley as the’Clones in true Mets fashion have taken a dive down the home stretch of the season. The Staten Island Highlanders have surged into first place of the Mc Namarra Division however, the Cyclones have clinched a play off spot so let’s hope for a Cyclones-Baby Highlanders NY-PENN Championship showdown. Oh yeah, Beltran, he played centerfield and still says he’s not 100 % but wants to get back to the Mets some time this month. Someone has to be an adult and put their foot down and tell him see you in February.

 

The debate between Mets watchers is to rebuild or not rebuild that is the question, and I would fall in the burn it down and start over camp but realistically as Mike Silva points out in a terrific post on NYBD they don’t have the luxury of that option. Where Mike feels it’s due to giving the fabled “CORE” another shot at glory, my feeling is (and we discussed this last night at PRO BASEBALL CENTRAL) the Mets just don’t have many tradable parts. As much as I would explore moving Beltran or even Jose Reyes, both players are coming off season ending injuries and you would not get optimum return for either player. So in that case, bring them back and hope to build around them and Wright, Santana and Rodriguez. 2010 will not hinge on the “CORE” but on the Mets being able to find some starting pitching.

 

I don’t think D-Wright ditched the salad bowl for traditional batting helmet due to vanity even though that thing looked ridiculous. I’d bet anything that the helmet was extremely uncomfortable and he had a hard time running the bases with that condo on his head. Memo to Rawlings: go back to the drawing board fellows, that helmet is the Edsel of baseball equipment.

 

Dear Josh Thole,

 

Congratulations on your Major League debut. Two hits and some nice work being the plate has made you the Mets fan flavor of the month but don’t get used to it. Daniel Murphy was once in your shoes and the fans have turned on him because in his first full season in the bigs he hasn’t been Keith Hernandez. As much as I love my fellow Mets fans, they are at times a bunch of fickle fucks. So don’t get too much of a big head, they will turn on you the first time you go 0 for 4.

 

Sincerely,

The Eddie Kranepool Society.

 

The first game we went to at $iti Field my wife and kids look all around the City Walk at the bricks and my asked me “So where’s our brick”? I told her I didn’t buy one. She looked at me and said “You have every kind of Mets merchandise ever made but we don’t have a brick with our name on it in front the brand new ball park”? Uhhhh no. All I got was that disgust look that I have seen way too many times over the last 23 plus years ( I have a lot of Ralph Kramden in me ) So when I got the e-mail from the Mets that they were selling more bricks for the City Walk I broke down and bought one. So Honey, clear the mantel and make a place for our brick is on the way, I just hope that brick don’t land on the back of my head someday.

 

 

 

Sorry for no posting yesterday but I am preparing for my annual Boy Scout camping trip to Ten-Mile River  and my son decided it would be nice to get new sleeping bags and a frame backpack since he is taking  hiking and wilderness survival  merit badge classes this trip, so it was off to Campmor in Paramus NJ and from there it was on to Coney Island and our first Brooklyn Cyclones game of the season and it looks like if there is any meaning full baseball being played by the Mets organization this summer it will be at Key Span Park.

The Cyclones won their 8^th straight home game last night coming from behind in the bottom of the 9th to win 3-2. Nicholas Santomuro had the game winning hit with a blast off the left field wall. The Cyclones are now 12-2 this season and have a 7 game lead over Aberdeen in the NY-Penn League’ McNamarra Division.  

At some point we Mets fans just have to come to the realization that this is not a very good team and stop screaming for a trade because right now a trade is like a band aid on a gunshot wound ,what should be debated is what direction is the organization headed and what can Omar Minaya do to fix what is a team that is so fundamentally flawed that everyone from the fans, owner, on field personnel, front office and coaches and managers throughout the organization should be embarrassed to wear a Mets uniform.  Its one thing to suck but to suck and not have the grasp of the basic fundamentals of baseball is scandalous. For all the heat Minaya takes for not making deals and for the one’s he makes that don’t work and for the bad contracts he has saddled the organization with (can’t wait for Ollie Perez to come back against the Dodgers next week, glad I’ll be in the woods for that) the lack of baseball intellect on display by the Mets has not gone reported and Omar has not been called out for it.

Omar is like me when I go to IKEA, I can pick out some really great book shelves and a gorgeous entertainment center  but when I get them home , I have no clue how to put them all together.  Minaya has an eye for talent and can find some bargains in the dumpster but he is at a loss at putting a full roster together.

Which is the big problem with the Mets, too many square pegs not fiting in round holes. Too many players out of position and too many players old and over the hill that break down physically and production wise when they are tested on a daily basis.

With his contract extension kicking in after this season Minaya isn’t going of to be fired  but there really needs to be a shake up in the front office maybe bring in a Paul DePodsda type of exec to work with Omar to bring a different perspective in judging talent and maybe better way of constructing a 40 man roster. Something needs to change as the way it’s laid out now ain’t working.

 

Capture Osama Bin Laden and put him on display at Astroland there by saving Coney Island.

 

Land a jetliner in the Hudson River (yeah I know that Sully guy did it already but it looked so cool on the video I’d just like to try it once)

 

Watch baseball highlights in a heart shaped bath tub with Hazel Mae

 

Go clothes shopping with Don Cherry 

 

Hit Mega-Millions and use the money to reopen CBGB and wear spandex and boa everyday and hang out with David Johansen.

 

Meet my favorite Mets player of all time Ed Kranepool

 

Well, scratch that last one of the list as yesterday my 44 year journey was complete as I finally met my Mr. Met, steady Eddie Kranepool. Oh I’ve come close a few other times. Once at a bank opening on 18^th Ave in Brooklyn, Kranepool and Mets bullpen coach Joe Pignatano were at the grand opening signing autographed 8 X 10’s. When I arrived at the bank, Ed had already left but “Piggy” was there and not only gave me and my kids autographed pics but also found a few that Eddie had signed to give out later so needless to say the are prominently displayed at the World Headquarters of The Eddie Kranepool Society (a/k/a my basement) next to my Mr. Met bubble bath and my Ron Swoboda 12 oz tumbler from Sunoco.

 

A second time was at Keyspan Park when Ed was doing color commentary on a Brooklyn Cyclones game and I tried very hard to conceal my fanboy admiration so I could infiltrate up to the press box (this is how I get around Highlander Stadium like a Special Opps agent I go in watch the game and get out and none of the Highlander faithful know there is a spy amongst them) so when I received an e mail about yesterdays event I was as happy as Navin R Johnson (Steve Martin’s character in The Jerk) when he got his new phone book. I called right away and reserved my seat.

 

So now here I am bopping into Gallagher’s Restaurant yesterday and the first thing that I notice was the plethora of fat, bald middle aged guys in attendance (as opposed to moi as I may be bald and middle aged but I’m svelte <sticks out tongue>) and I thought here we are on the eve of the 40^th anniversary of the 1969 World Champion team and the vast majority of the attendees were teenagers back then and for the next couple of hours we are all teenagers again. As I look around the bar I see Ron Swoboda holding court with a small group of businessmen (by the way I didn’t know what the dress code was for this event so I decided to gussie myself up real nice and wear a collar shirt over my orange Mets t-shirt that I got for filling out my 485^th Bank of America Master Card application at Shea. That’s why I have more blankets than the Red Cross) I saw Emerson Boozer and shook his hand (which still has an ice pack on it from his grip) I acknowledged Art Shamsky (I’m sure you all read the NY Post this morning and I wish I hung around longer as I would have ran inference for Art when the ex came after him) and then as I made my around the bar there he was, Steady Eddie.

 

At first I felt a little intimidated to speak to him. When I told him I’m the guy who named his blog after him I didn’t know if he’d take it as the compliment I set it out to be or if he start screaming “You? YOU”RE THE GUY”? but thankfully it was the former. Krane seemed to get a kick out it and said he heard about it and asked me if I had a card with the website on it which of course I did, and then Ed gave me HIS BUSSINESS CARD!!!!.

 

I don’t know if it was fear of him being mad about the blog or just the anticipation of meeting him that my childhood was flashing before my eyes (visions of Ebingers Bakery, egg creams, The Sea Beach Line, The Worlds Fair, The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, my Mr. Met megaphone that I just ate popcorn out of, and cans of Rheingold the Orange and Blue aluminum shingles of early Shea, all set to the sound track of Jane Jarvis and her Thomas Organ) but I was nervous talking to Ed and he was just the opposite calm and relaxed, Steady Eddie. He got a laugh as I told him that he was and still is my favorite Mets player of all time because I was a left hand and played first base and not fleet of foot and went by the nickname “Kranepool” and how I had a Mets uniform with 7 on it and how I wish the Mets would retire that number since he still holds or is in the top ten in most Mets lifetime hitting categories. I tried not to ramble but I’m sure I did but he seemed to enjoy my carrying on.

 

One of the dangers in meeting someone who you grew up being a huge fan of is when you do get to meet them the experience is not what you had hoped, but I would like to thank Ed Kranepool for not disappointing me by being so gracious and making yesterday even better than I had hoped it would.

 

Now back to that bucket list. I wonder what Gretchen Mol is doing Saturday night?

 

 

   

 

So what does this mean for the Mets, Brooklyn Cyclones and SNY all of which fall under the Sterling Equities corporate umbrella? Does it mean that the Skill Sets have to bring in a partner a la Nellie D or worse put the team up for sale? How much does this effect the payroll and the pursuit of other free agents?

This looks to become a huge story  as it would be a shocker if the Skill Sets had to sell even a 50 % share of the club and they just might if they have to make up for their loses.