The Mets get hammered in this town for a multitude of offenses and in most instances, the bludgeoning is warranted but when it comes to the decision by J-Man to work Jose Reyes into the 3 spot of the lineup, the criticism is not only unwarranted but it’s also senseless.

In today’s NY Post, avid Mets hater Joel Sherman (there are lot’s of Mets haters in MSM, Jon Heyman, Bill Madden, Tom Verducci and of course their Emperor Mike Francesa) has a full page column today take the Met to task for batting Reyes third, even though he admits it’s out of necessity and just something Manuel pulled out of his ass:

 The shift is a reaction to Carlos Beltran’s knee surgery, which will cost him at least a month of the season. Without Beltran to hit third, Manuel fears the lineup lacks length if he simply has David Wright bat third and Jason Bay fourth. The order would dip precipitously at No. 5, likely with Daniel Murphy. In addition, Manuel wants to preserve Reyes’ legs and feels batting him third will translate to fewer steal attempts to limit the risk of having runners thrown out in front of your best RBI men, Wright and Bay.

Sherman goes on in the article to give his hypothesis on why this is bad idea, but gives no solution, which of course there isn’t any. If Carlos Beltran were of sound mind and knee, this would not even be an issue but as we know the best laid plans of mice and Mets never go as planed and so they have this situation to make the best of the lineup until Beltran gets back.

Sherman lays out the answer to the why part of Reyes hitting third when he mentions Daniel Murphy hitting fifth. Murphy is not a #5 hitter. He’s a perfect #2 but the problem is Luis Castillo is also a perfect #2. And there is the problem; the Mets have two #2 and two #1 in Reyes and Angel Pagan.

From the rumbling’s from St. Lonesome, Beltran is progressing nicely and should just miss just the first month of the season (I know, I know you’ll believe it when you see it) so when he comes back Reyes moves back to the #1 spot and Beltran back to #3 and the team will live happily ever after. I hope.

Blue Sky, sunshine, what a day to take a walk in the park.
Ice cream, daydream till the sky becomes a blanket of stars.
What a day for pick-in’ daisies and lots of red balloons.
And what a day for hold in’ hands and being with you.

Lot’s of stories coming out of Camp Kumbaya where everybody is in “great shape” and ready to fulfill everyone’s expectation of championship baseball. Ah yes, Port St. Lonesome in March, where Johan Santana wins 20 games and the Cy Young Award. Where Big Pelf steps up to throw 200 innings and win 17 games. Where Oliver Perez and John Maine form the best 3-4 spots in any rotation in baseball. Where David Wright, with hard work and a new physique will return to 30 HR’s 100+ RBI. Where Jason Bay and Jeff Francouer prosper on the field and off it as both BAY 44 and FRANCOUER 12 jersey’s can not be produced fast enough by little girls in some third world country to meet the demand of the Mets fans filling $iti Field to capacity every night. Where Daniel Murphy leads the NL in batting with a .350 average and 40 doubles and 20 HR’s. Where Kelvin Escobar and Francisco Rodriguez form the most intimidating late inning relievers in baseball. Where……..what?…….what do you mean both guys haven’t pitched yet this spring?………..Escobar isn’t healthy and Rodriguez has pink eye?…….How do you know Rodriguez has pink eye? He was diagnosised  by who? ED COLEMAN?????? But Escobar is fine isn’t he????????? He’s not?

NO NO PLEASE DON”T SAY IT…….. PLEASE DON”T SAY SAME OLD METS!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I like the fact that David Wright is stepping up his leadership role with the Mets. In fact one of the best addition by subtraction moves the club made this winter was saying buh-bye to Carlos Delgado, who I felt was a very intimidating presences in the Mets Clubhouse and too many times Wright had to take a backseat to the senior vet. Now with Delgado gone it’s time for Wright to takeover that clubhouse. 

You need an everyday player to be the go to guy and Wright fits that mold better than anyone not named Johan Santana with the Mets. As great a player as Carlos Beltran is, he’s a very low key guy and Jose Reyes who is the on field igniter could be Wright’s tag-team buddy in that clubhouse, in fact in a perfect baseball world the two faces’ of the franchise should be able to say or do what they please with the service time they have with the club, but both are deferential to the older vets on the team sometime to a fault.

If Johan Santana can play the Cliff Floyd role with Wright and give him backup, it would be a major asset to this team. It won’t cure all the ills, but it would help put on notice players, who don’t give 100 % effort physically and mentally, especially the mental part which was as much a reason for the Mets demise as the injuries were last year.

Forget all the bravado of the team to beat bullshit, besides health, the biggest improvement with this Mets team and the whole organization for that matter is accountability. The team motto for this spring and season should be “NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!!”

shout out to The Ropolitans for this pic

Sorry for no posts this morning but it’s been a busy day. So busy that I forget all about the David Wright sit down with the Sports Bloviator. I caught the tail end of the sit down as I traveled back from Brooklyn and I guess you could say it was typical David Wright. All positives and nothing controversial.

It looks like it’s a foregone conclusion that Bengi Molina will be the Mets #1 catcher this coming season. Again this looks to be another move where Omar was told to sit in the corner as the way the Mets have made Molina sit and stew is very un-Mets like. Same with Carlos Delgado who I think the Mets brain trust only went to Puerto Rico to see just to get away from freezing cold weather in NYC. Think about it, if the Mets were strictly an Omar Minaya Production, Molina, Delgado and Joel Piniero would be celebrating their multi year deals by now. Looks like those days are over.

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Art Rust Jr. who was sportstalk radio in this town back in the 1980’s. Rust hosted a three hour call in show on WABC and unlike WFAN he actually talked ALL sports. In fact I had called in to his show because a young Mark Messier came on to talk hockey and agreed to take calls from fans. Rust was a great baseball historian and a huge Highlander fan but his real passion was for The Sweet Science and he had all the big time boxers on his show.  R.I.P. Arthur George.

….oh yeah, where was Jerry Manuel yesterday? Not at the Bay Day ceremonies that’s for sure. How about David Wright? Carlos Beltran? Johan Santana? Alex Cora? (you know  the heart and soul of the Mets), Charlie Samuels? (good thing Samuels wasn’t there he’d have had Bay decked out in a black jersey and the shitty black cap with blue brim. Bad enough Bay wore the snow white jersey and not the pinstripe that we heard was all the rage this winter but he did have the blue hat) but seriously, the manager couldn’t fly in from Cali to greet his new LF’er? Doesn’t D-Wright keep a flop flat down in Gramercy Park? I’m sure the Skill Sets could have splurged for a room and air fare for Beltran and Santana and the wifies for a week end in NYC and appearance at the Bay presser.

If it’s a point where one or two of these guys had prior engagements, then couldn’t you have found a day when either J-Man or D-Wright could be on hand? For Christ sake, Rod Gilbert was there (I guess it was an open bar)

Pat Reily has always said the thing that keeps teams from winning is The Disease of Me and after seeing no one but Omar, Jeffey, Dave the Shyster and the ubiquitous  Jay Horowitz yesterday ad $iti Field, I’d say the Mets org has terminal Disease of Me.

I hate to tell you this but the Mets are not very attractive, in fact they’re not even Susan Boyle homely, but they are close to approaching Rocky Dennis hideousness.

Stop kidding yourselves Mets fans, before you can contend for a title, a team must first become competitive. As I wrote yesterday afternoon on my Twitter account while all hell was breaking lose in baseball, “The Phillies are not the Mets rival, the Nationals are”.

You can talk about Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran playing at 100 % health and David Wright bouncing back from whatever bit him in his ass latest season and the fact the Johan Santana pitches every fifth day, the Mets are no closer to the Phillies today than the Earth is to the sun.

The easy thing to do is scream that Omar Minaya sucks, and he just might suck as a GM but lets face facts, if you are a player like Roy Halladay, John Lackey or even Jason Bay or Matt Holliday why would you want to play for the Mets? Those players want to play for winning teams and to tell you the truth I commend them for giving the Mets their ass to kiss, as they know how desperate the Mets are and would have to pay more money to them than the Phillies in Halladay’s case and the Red Sox in Lackey’s case but both players went to teams that are not just winners and contenders but have management in place that is both intelligent and creative, two qualities the Mets will never be associated with.

Everyone throughout baseball knows that Jeffey Skill Sets is the reason that this organization has a big “Kick Me” sign on it’s back. It is crystal clear that the biggest mistake the Skill Sets have made this off season was not firing Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel because let’s face it, both of these guys are as good as gone. The Skill Sets could have hired a progressive baseball man like Jed Hoyer or gone after Gerry Hunsicker from Tampa or solid baseball men like Tom Kelley and Terry Ryan in Minnesota or even bring back Bobby Valentine who, love him or hate him, Valentine would not have let the Mets wallow in self pity as Jerry Manuel did last year or let them get away with playing “I couldn’t give a fuck baseball”

At the expense of sounding like a broken record nothing with the organization gets accomplished until Jeffey Skill Sets and David (The Syster) Howard take a back seat from the baseball operation. Both of these clueless dolts are the 1 and 1a entry on what’s wrong with the Mets as they are out of touch with what it takes to be a winning organization and what it takes to keep your customers happy. Winning and customers two things you won’t be seeing at $iti Field next season.

Have you watched any of the baseball post season? I have, especially the NL games and after last night I’ve come to the conclusion that the best thing the Mets could do this off season is not sign any big names free agents or make a block buster trade. I don’t know who the Mets can sign or trade for that would make that big an impact to make them a contender. Who is our Chase Utley? It’s not David Wright. Who is our Ryan Howard? Frenchy? He’s not even Jason Werth. You think I enjoy writing this? I’m ready to puke.

We have two players out 25 that have any championship timber, Johan Santana and Frankie Rodriquez.

Now I know you’re all saying “hey asshole, what about Wright, Beltran and Reyes” and I say, “Yeah what about them”? Beltran is right on the cusp of joining Santana and Rodriquez and maybe he bounces back in 2010 and puts up a Beltran kind of year. Or maybe this past injury was the beginning of the end. Reyes, even healthy we’re still waiting for that bust out year that may never come. In the mean time who would you rather have at short for the Mets, Hanley Ramirez, Troy Tulowitzki, Jimmy Rollins or Reyes? Shit at this point I’d take JJ Hardy.

Now to Wright. Look I love D-Wright, really I do and maybe I want him to become something he can’t be, a team leader. I don’t think Wright can be the guy because I don’t think he feels comfortable being the guy. He needs help, he needs the reincarnation of Cliff Floyd to bring out the best in him or could Jeff Francouer be “the guy” to bring out the leader in Wright. Wright needs a tag team partner the way Marty Jannetty needed Shawn Michaels , or Hawk needed Animal or vice versa. Whatever, Wright needs a confident and guy to lean on a guy to be his sounding board.

I’m probably talking out my ass about this as I could just be jealous of watching teams and fans whooping it up in October. I have the realization that my team is not making any major changes to its front office that has presided over two major collapses and a season where excuses were standard operating procedure rather being aggress and shipping out the corpses in baseball suits for young, hungry and baseball savvy players.

I’m reading some sites today asking who should the Mets go after Jason Bay or Matt Holliday? Are you kidding? Neither guy is a difference maker plus both will ask for long term deals at big bucks that will become albatross’ around the team’s financial neck. Instead of signing Bay or Holliday how about cutting Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez now that would be money better spent.

Wake up and smell the second division Mets fans, we are no where near a championship team or even a playoff team and if you think I’m full of shit just go back and watch the Jeffey, Omar, Manuel press conference from the Monday after the season ender and then tell me how confident you are.

The off season is not even 24 hours old and I want to rip someone throat out in the Mets front  office. The shit heads in charge have made their big announcement on the changes in the coaching staff.  Sandy Alomar Sr and Luis Alicea get the ax and Hojo, Razor Shines and Old School Dan Warthen  get to stay.

Sandy Sr. will be reassigned to another job in the organization most likely tending bar in the Aclea Club, Alicea will be reassigned to body and fender work across the street at Minaya’s Auto Repairs.

Hojo stays because David Wright says he stays, and Wright is the highest ranking Caucasian in the clubhouse so he gets to make a minority hire . You wouldn’t have to be an online betting specialist to know that was going to happen.

Razor Shines stays because he and Jerry are tight which makes Shines, Jerry’s Art Fowler with the cirosess of the liver of course. Thankfully Razor will be assigned to bench coach job so no more innocent base runners get injured. Look for Obie One Oberkfell named as third base traffic cop.

Old School Dan Warthen stays because he has threatened to go public with stories of Jeffey Skill Sets, Mr. Met and Charlie Samuels hooking up at the Holiday Inn on Roosevelt Ave for an erotic adventure. My sources tell me there is a picture of all three involved in a ménage au trois while wearing black Mets uniform tops and black Mets caps with blue bills. Mr Met now answers to the name “Lucky Pierre.” NFL Odds weren’t even taken on this one.

Sandy Alomar Jr and Randy Niemann are staying as well because there is no definitive proof that Sandy Alomar Jr or Randy Niemann actually exists.

So far the off season is off to a less than rousing start.

The off season is not even 24 hours old and I want to rip someone throat out in the Mets front  office. The shit heads in charge have made their big announcement on the changes in the coaching staff.  Sandy Alomar Sr and Luis Alicea get the ax and Hojo, Razor Shines and Old School Dan Warthen  get to stay.

Sandy Sr. will be reassigned to another job in the organization most likely tending bar in the Aclea Club, Alicea will be reassigned to body and fender work across the street at Minaya’s Auto Repairs.

Hojo stays because David Wright says he stays, and Wright is the highest ranking Caucasian in the clubhouse so he gets to make a minority hire . You wouldn’t have to be an online betting specialist to know that was going to happen.

Razor Shines stays because he and Jerry are tight which makes Shines, Jerry’s Art Fowler with the cirosess of the liver of course. Thankfully Razor will be assigned to bench coach job so no more innocent base runners get injured. Look for Obie One Oberkfell named as third base traffic cop.

Old School Dan Warthen stays because he has threatened to go public with stories of Jeffey Skill Sets, Mr. Met and Charlie Samuels hooking up at the Holiday Inn on Roosevelt Ave for an erotic adventure. My sources tell me there is a picture of all three involved in a ménage au trois while wearing black Mets uniform tops and black Mets caps with blue bills. Mr Met now answers to the name “Lucky Pierre.” NFL Odds weren’t even taken on this one.

Sandy Alomar Jr and Randy Niemann are staying as well because there is no definitive proof that Sandy Alomar Jr or Randy Niemann actually exists.

So far the off season is off to a less than rousing start.

Jerry Manuel is a man who never uses profanity but he still is a nasty fuck sometimes as we see with his quotes about Ryan Church and how finally the truth is coming to light on why he was not a fan of Church:

Whether the Mets learned to be cautious with concussions as a result of Church’s case remains to be seen. Jerry Manuel appeared to question Church’s toughness yesterday, at least relative to Wright’s grit.

“David is a different animal, so to speak,” Manuel said. “And how he is made up is a little different than, say, Ryan Church, in my opinion. And that’s not to say one is better than the other. But they’re different.”

So Manuel feels Church was a big pussy, now we see it. That’s why I always liked Billy Martin, he was man enough to call his players a pussy to their face (sure after a few scotches) I will say I am kind of surprised that Manuel would question a player like Church’ intestinal fortitude, especially when everyone from doctors, fans and people around baseball all agree that the Mets botched up Church’s head injuries big time.

Jeff Francouer did a Q & A with the Atlanta Journal Constitution on how he is loving life in NY and $tit Field.

Great stuff from Mets Geek on the unsigned Mets draft picks.

After seeing those throwback uni’s in person Saturday you what, they weren’t that bad. I like the color and I LOVED the MR. Met on the sleeve along with no names on the back, if the NY were smaller it would have been a hit. Mets Police was listening to yesterday’s game on radio like I did (I was on my way to Coney Island to see the Brooklyn Cyclones and eat pizza at Spumoni Gardens. Also it was a day to torture my kids by telling them I’m selling our house and moving back to Brooklyn.  My wife and kids used to laugh when I’d do this but now they’re scared to death that the might see a for sale sign on the front lawn. Truth be told if I could up root my house and place it in Bay Ridge, I’d be back in Brooklyn in a heartbeat) and heard Howie Rose talk about the throwbacks and how the Mets are slowly learning that the fan base wants to see more Mets tradition and to be more like the Highlander, Cardinals, Dodgers, Cubs and Red Sox and just tweek the uniform and not go crazy. As we all know Howie is with us in the Black Uni’s Suck Club. If the Mets were to modify the throwbacks from this weekend to use an orange NY with blue and orange stripes on the sleeves, numbers on the front and back and no names on the back  with blue piping down the pant legs with Mr. Met on one sleeve and the round Mets logo on the other and top that off with blue stirrups and the classic blue caps that would be a world class uniform.