We are told not to take the stats from spring training too seriously especially early, but the quotes coming from John Maine after his cameo appearance yesterday left me a bit unsettled.

Because of the rain the last couple of days in Florida, the Mets have tried to rearrange the pitching assignments to make sure every one gets in their work. Maine came into yesterday’s game after Johan Santana pitched four superb innings, starting the fifth inning. He got two quick outs then the roof caved in as he gave up a couple of walks and a couple of doubles and next thing you know he had to be taken out of the game without completing the inning. Now if it were just that, I’d say he was working on different pitchers and looks like those pitches need some fine tuning, but it was Maine’ statements after the game that have me concerned.

 ”I felt good,” Maine said. “It’s just one of those days. My shoulder and arm feel fine. Coming in like that – off my routine – I just wasn’t at all prepared. It was different. I didn’t get the job done. …I just wasn’t kind of that into it and just wasn’t that comfortable.”

 

So physically Maine claims to be fine but mentally he’s all fucked up for the lack of a better term, if there were ever a poor choice of words, “I just wasn’t kind of into it and just wasn’t comfortable” that quote would be it. If I’m the manager or GM, I would have left a call to Mr. Maine to be at the complex at 7AM this morning to explain that quote.

Maine’ biggest problem he said he’s used to starting a game and getting ready to make the game his, that’s fine but this is an exhibition game, a practice game, the one time during the year where the numbers on the scoreboard mean nothing plus it wasn’t like Maine was coming into the game with the bases loaded and no outs, he was starting the fifth inning. With all that Maine was still not fit for duty:

“I am a creature of habit,” Maine said. “I have a certain routine. I was out of sync, off my routine. I just wasn’t prepared. I didn’t get the job done. It’s the whole aspect of throwing before the game, sitting down and doing this.”

The players and management of this team have more excuses than Eric Massa, in fact I’m wondering if someone in the Mets clubhouse tickled Jose Reyes to the point his Thyroid nearly exploded.

Maine makes his next stat on Saturday and if he’s not into that start, maybe management would be into trading for Andy Sonnerstine who looks to be on the trade market. 

Management can spin their confidence about the starting rotation in public all they want but I’m sure behind closed door the brain trust feels their desperately need another solid starter and are working the phone lines to feel out the offers. Give it a day or two but rumors will be flowing like the weekends  rain off your gutters, that the Mets are looking for pitching, especially if Maine has another performances like yesterday .

 

Not even the comedy team of Cohen and Hernandez could get me to watch last nights game. It was 11-1 Bravos after three and that sent me right to the Rangers-Red Wings exhibition game from MSG.

 

For all of you screaming about getting another bat or two for 2010, it’s time for you to wake up and smell the elevated Team ERA. This team is in dire need of starting pitching, not just a solid #2 compliment to Johan Santana but a good # 3 starter as well. If I’m making the decision around the Mets, I’d be priming both John Maine and Oliver Perez for bullpen duty next season. I’d move Maine, as I feel the wear and tear of being a starter is too much for him both physically and mentally. Bobby Ojeda, who has been fantastic these last few weeks with his critique of this team, took Maine to task last night for bitching and moaning about his aches and pains. Ojeda said that Maine needs to take a page from the Johan Santana book of “even though my knee and elbow need surgery I’m feeling fine no problems”. Ojeda stated that guys like Maine who talk about what hurts and talks about his aches and pains so much turn off their teammates and the front office. Ojeda claims there is a  time to tell the truth and there is a  time to shut the fuck up. Well Ojeda didn’t say fuck I just threw that in.

 

If the Mets could land Roy Haliday or even make a move on Felix Hernandez that would be the best news all off season. If they can get El Loco from the Cubs for fifty cents on the dollar that would be swell too. Then add a lower level guy like Jason Marquis, or Randy Wolf to go with Big Pelf and a healthy Jon Neise you have something of a pitching structure in your rotation.

 

I’d love to see Maine become the 8^th inning guy and add him in with Bobby Parnell, Pedro Feliciano in the late innings and add OP as a long man  with Frankie Rodz closing then add in your filler guys.

 

Maybe it’s me but I think Jose Reyes’ thinking that he needs to get into a game the next couple of weeks for his own gratification is what’s wrong with this team.  It’s more how does this help ME than how does it help WE. If Reyes wants to test his leg then in the afternoon before the game run around the bases as fast as you can if you feel good great go home and you know what? Go play winter ball if you wish. If the leg is still a mess, the go get the god damn surgery you need and report to St. Lonesome in the spring. It’s time everyone in this fucking organization from the owner to the General Manager to the manager to the slow as shit counter person at the Shake Shack concession stand takes some fucking pride in be affiliated with the New York Mets. It’s not about “YOU” it’s about the M-E-T-S. It’s about players getting the proper medical and training help they need to stay on the field. It’s about competence in the front office and sticking to the edict of getting younger and athletic. Its coaches who have the ability to actually teach the game of baseball to the minor leaguers and having competent baseball people on staff to help young players at the big league level become better players.

 

Really, it’s time this organization got its head out of its ass and did something positive and productive for the team and its fan base. You know when a good chunk of the season ticket holder don’t renew for next year the Skill Sets will have a dumb ass look on their faces wondering why they are not renewing. I guess not everyone loves the Brooklyn Dodgers Freddy!

I took to the keyboard late today because after the morning chores, I sat down to watch Rangers in 60 on MSG. Yes that’s right I watched the Ranger-Bruins exhibition game from last night and after months of hardship watching the Mets it was good to watch young strong hockey players bust their ass to make a team where the coach is on the lunatic fringe and will only play the guys who give a shit and perform no matter their salary or experience. The exact opposite of how the Mets are managed you might say.

I would have ventured over to 33 st and 8 Ave last night to view the Blueshirts in person but I chose to go to Amazin Tuesday at Two Boots last night and I’m so happy I did. Our Master of Ceremonies Greg Prince did a fine job as usual as did the guest speakers, John Coppinger, Jon Springer , and Jeff Pearlman who told some terrific stories especially on his writing The Bad Guys Won and more tales from the John Rocker Files.

As each of the speakers got up to give their dissertation the TV screens around Two Boots were showing the Mets-Braves game from The Ted. For all our screaming and yelling about the suckyness of our Mets each person in the good size crowd had an eye and two ears on the speakers and one eye on the game, We can say we don’t care but we’re full of shit. We care, oh boy do we care!!!!!!

By the way someday I want Daniel Murphy to meet me and thank me for having his back.

Pedro Feliciano wants a multi-year deal from the Mets. This is the equivalent of your house burning down to the ground and when trying to figure out how to rebuild it your main concern is what type of door knobs to buy. Pedro, on the list of things to do your contract is not any where near the discussion phase.

Although his walk rate and his all round zaniness would concern me, if the Cubs were to take Oliver Perez and say Eddie Kunz for Carlos Zambrano, the Mets would have to make that deal. Zambrano may be nuts but he is effective when he healthy and motivated and coming to NY and tag teamed with fellow Venezuelan Johan Santana might just bring out the best in El Loco.

So the NY Islanders are looking to play an exhibition game next fall in that hockey hotbed of Kansas City MO this way Charles Wang can but the strong arm on Nassau County for his Lighthouse Project and get the arena built.

It has been years since I’ve schlepped to the Mausoleum,  sure it’s no palace but the team has been successful so maybe the problem is not so much the building but ownership. Wang had Neil Smith in place as GM after the Mike Milbury disaster but then decided to undermine Smith by putting in a Gang of Four front office and Smith laughed in Wangs face and said bye-bye.

There is a Mets angle in this story as the Skill Sets pre-Bernie Maddof  put in there bid on that Lighthouse Project and have made no secret that they would like to obtain the Islanders but now it looks like the ship has sailed.