Not much from me today between running around doing errands and it being so damn hot, lots of perspiration not much inspiration today.

Loved what I saw from Johan Santana last night. I guess he got tired of of all the “what’s wrong with Santana” from the fans and media. It’s not just that he told Jerry Manuel to go sit down but he pitched a complete game shutout against a Reds team that is the best hitting team in the league.

Great post by Eric Simon on Amazin Avenue today on the educating fans on how to read saber stats and understand what the numbers tell us.  Gary Cohen got the ball rolling on this with his take on BAPIP during this past weekends telecast. Simon picked up on this and by explaining what the number tell us will hopefully convert the non-sabermetic believers .  I have to admit the one class I cut out of regularly during high school years  was math. I hate math and sometimes when I read the sabermetric sites, the charts and graphs lose me, just tell me what time it is I couldn’t give a shit how the clock was made and it seems Eric Simon is going to help me out and tell me the time of day.

Speaking of saber vs. non saber check out this video

If the Pirates take Eddie Kunz for Octavio Dotel then we have a deal

Check out my THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN Radio show from last night as myself and Dan Epstein author of Big Hair and Plastic Grass, A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging 70′s

Don’t forget the polls are open at MetsGrrl and Mets Minor League Blog to vote in the primary for Howard Megdal for Mets GM

Is it over yet? Last night’s game will not be in the rotation of Mets Classics on SNY, between the rain delay, Big Pelf’s throwing batting practice, Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan forced out of the lineup with injuries, and Gary Cohen admitting in public he was a fan the Mama’s and the Papas, the only reason to keep watching the game telecast was to see if Keith Hernandez’ head would explode.

I can’t wait for Saturday’s Mets-Nationals game with the most bizarre pitching match up I ‘ve ever seen. R.A. Dickey for the Mets vs. The Sensational Strasburg. Just think, you could add up the velocity of three of Dickey’s pitches and that total is still lower than one Strasburg fastball. The only drawback to the game is it’s on FOX, so I’m guessing we get stuck with Doofus Joe and Tim McFullofshit UGH!!!!!

Sam Page has a great post on Amazin’ Avenue on what is a fair trade for Cliff Lee. When you look it over the Mets do have the chips to pull this off without giving up Jenry Mejia. I would hate to lose Reese Havens in a deal as well but if a package of Fernando Martinez, Josh Thole, Nick Evans and Eric Niessen brings Cliff Lee to the Mets, it’s a steal, even if Lee leaves after the season as a free agent. Ike, Niese, Mejia and Wilmer Flores would be untouchables, Mark Cohoon too, so anyone else is fair game to get dealt for a pitcher of Lee’s pedigree.

Leonard Davis of the Syracuse Chiefs was the prick who took out Daniel Murphy at second base to break up a double play that put Murph out of action for the season with a knee injury. The play was a scumbag move by Davis. Tues day night the Bison met the Chiefs and Dillon Gee was on the mound and had a 4-0 lead when Davis came up to bat. Gee proceeded to drill Davis in the back with a pitch as payback for the take out of Murphy. I hope Dillon Gee is a Met forever!

The Phuck Phaces are getting hit hard by injuries. HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

How did you feel about Jerry Seinfeld in the booth with Gary and Keith? The best part about Seinfeld in the booth is he’s an honest to goodness Mets fan. He wasn’t there to plug a movie (looking at you Kevin James) or a TV show, he was there as a Mets fan.

I thought his line to Keith when Jose Reyes hit his home run was classic:

  ”Yes! Jose Reyes cruising around third. Keith Hernandez is not liking this. Always whining about the Reyes homers. I love ‘em! Always love a homer no matter who hits it … Boom! You have got to love this.”

Seinfeld may have gone a bit overboard gushing over Gary Cohen, to the point where it seemed Cohen was getting a bit embarrassed but he was correct when he said that Gary, Keith and Ron (and don’t forget the Great Kevin Burkhardt as well) form the best announcing team in sports.

Too me the line of the night is when he talked about Lady GaGa and how they cleaned up his suite after she soiled it with her presences:

 “Everything’s fine. We brought the bedbug dog in. What’s his name? Rusty, the beagle? Now everything’s clean.”

That made me laugh out loud.

Too bad they didn’t  take calls in the booth as I’m sure Uncle Leo would have dialed

I would love to work for Jerry Manuel. No matter how much you fuck up, the guy never gets angry. I mean if I were the manager of the Mets, after the Dan Uggla home run in the 3rd inning I’d have gone down to the clubhouse, taken out my cell phone and called Omar Minaya and let him know either you release, waive or trade Ollie Perez or I’m going to keep trotting his sorry ass out there every fifth day and I’d let the media and the fans know that any questions you have about Perez go see Omar or Jeffey.  How much patting on the ass can you do with this guy? Enough! Call Scott Boras, try to work out something to pay Perez off and end this.  And you want to know why the Mets get no respect around baseball. Same thing when Charley Manuel called out the Mets as sign stealers when the Rockies called out the Phillies for that offense, Jerry Manuel just laughs instead of  sticking up for his team and going off on that inbred hillbilly fuck. The Mets as a franchise love to get kicked in the ass but never kick back and you want to know why no one is showing up at $iti Field.

Maybe instead of looking to buy a sucky hockey team, the Skill Sets should make an investment in ridding themselves of Oliver Perez.  By the way, can Gary Cohen put the violin down for Ollie, I don’t feel sorry for him, the guy is set for life financially and he has his health, he can’t pitch anymore he’s done good bye.

The longer they keep Perez around the closer the Mets get to deflating this team. I still say with the way the NL is the Mets can still contend for a post season spot but they need some leadership from management. Show the fans and your players you’re serious about competing and cut Perez, if you have to pay off the whole contract then do it. Sure it’s not my money but if Jeffey Skill Sets is crowing about buying the Icelanders and building an arena then you have cash that Bernie Madoff didn’t steal from you. Put that money to good use and buy out Ollie Perez. Maybe if ownership showed they give a flyin’ fuck about this team they wouldn’t be playing to 30,000 empty seats at $iti Field.

I’m sure when the players see it’s Perez’ turn to pitch they know that have no chance of winning that game. Perez is sucking the life out of this team and sending a message that all the talk about committing to winning by the Skill Sets is just a bunch of bullshit . You want to show a commitment then dump Ollie and quite frankly it may be time to dump the manager as well. I don’t hate Jerry Manuel and it’s not all his fault this team is inconsistent or his offense is stagnant but maybe a shakeup in the managers office is needed both for Manuel and the Mets. Its’ tough to manage knowing your on a week to week watch. I might be time to just get the inevitable over with.

Mets ownership takes us for jerks but the truth is we are much smarter than they are. Show you care and we will too.

I want to thank Jerry Manuel and David Wright for throwing me under the bus last night. Yesterday I posted on NYB Blogs telling Mets fans to relax and not give up on this team and especially on Wright who I defended big time. So how do they repay me?

Well J-Man had a managerial night that makes you wonder just how long he has as the leader of the Mets. It’s one thing to be hard headed and not see the experiment to bat Jose Reyes third in the lineup is an out and out failure, but then to have him bunt in the 9^th inning with Luis Castillo the go ahead run on 2^nd base was just stupid baseball. If you put Reyes in that spot in the order, you’re saying you have total faith in him as a hitter as the 3 hitter is usually the teams’ best hitter. So why would you make Reyes bunt in an obvious RBI situation. Reyes barely can bunt for a base hit never mind a sac bunt but also what message are you sending him? I’m batting you 3 but I don’t have faith in you to get a big hit, just move Castillo to third and let someone else get the job done.

Wright didn’t help me either with his two K’s, the biggest one in the 9th inning. Maybe I’m just not seeing or maybe I don’t want to see the decline in David Wright but when I look at his digits they are right there with all the league leaders but it just seems like the big spot is a tough spot for DW. I’m not jumping ship though, I’m still loyal to D-Wright      

Manuel said in his post game presser that he’s thinking of making some lineup changes, gee ya think Jerry? It seems the only one who favors Reyes in the 3 spot is Manuel. As Ralph Kiner said the other day, Reyes belongs as a leadoff man. When Gary Cohen asked who should bat third, Kiner replied “The Mets don’t have a 3 hitter” He’s 100 % right. The Mets 3 hitter is jogging in St Lonesome. They have a leadoff hitter but he bats third. If Manuel doesn’t bat Reyes leadoff tonight and bench Frenchy for The Animal then he’s just telling Mets fans and management he wants to be fired.   

I didn’t watch all of this game as I spent most of my evening watching the Boston Celtics send LeBron James and the Cavs packing (more on that in a minute) but couldn’t Manuel have given Johan Santana another inning of work? I know he batted second in the top of the 8th but he seemed to be pitching his best game of the season and was far from tired (just 98 pitches) and even though Fernando Nieve got a DP to get out the 8^th how many days can Manuel go to him or Feliciano or Takahashi? Those three have become everyday players.

I still stand by my the Mets are still in this stance but I’m starting to feel a shake up in the mangers office needs to be made. The Royals, who are going no where, fired Trey Hillman so you would think a team that is in a playoff hunt should be looking around as well. Something is missing here. When the team is 0-6 in rubber games of series and the same stale lineup gets trotted out there every day and the bullpen is getting run into the ground, maybe the Mets have reached that fork in the road and as Yogi said “when you get to the fork in the road, take it” It may be time to stick the fork in Jerry Manuel.

A big tip of my Celtics cap to Bill Simmons who started a Celtics Chant account on Twitter which got that “NEW YORK KNICKS” chant going at the TD Garden was the best fan participation since the days of the C’s fans telling the 76 ers in 1982 Conference Final to “Beat LA”. Get ready Knicks fans the LeBron era is coming.

To all the Celtic haters on Twitter who right after the C’s beat the Cavs were crowing that the Celtics will be buried by the Magic. First you all can kiss my green, white and 17 NBA Champiosnship banner ass. The Celtics have done what we all say can’t be done in sports, they turn the on switch on when the playoffs started and now are in full UBUNTU mode.

Metsradamus has what is now the Post of The Year dealing with that fell off the turnip truck turd, Cholly Manuel who has dragged the Mets into this sign stealing brouhaha with the Colorado Rockies, Metstradamus also reflects on the Skill Sets looking to by the Fishsticks and moved them to the brand new Chop Shop Arena. Not only does Metstradamus invoke the New York Amerks but when was the last time you heard about Newsy Lalonde?

So all of a sudden the Skill Sets are flush with cash that they can talk about buying the Fishsticks and build a new arena in Queens but the can’t release Oliver Perez and eat his deal.

Yesterday I pulled a Mike Francesa as I was “In da cawh” listening to Howie and Wayne doing the Mets game on radio. I don’t listen to the Mets radio team very much as I’m either glued to the TV or at the game (I’m not one to listen to the game when I’m there I never understood that as everything you need to know is right in front of you) so I tend to forget how much Howie is one of us. Gary Cohen, of course is one of us as well and he sometime shows his frustration during a telecast or two but Howie was beside himself watching Ollie Perez throw a baseball yesterday (I refuse to call what he did pitching)

It was very cold and very windy yesterday and Howie and Wayne made a point to let us know how much the elements plus Perez’ inability to throw a strike, was putting the Mets defense in an uncomfortable spot. Howie painted a picture of infielders walking around the dirt between pitches to keep warm and to kill the boredom of long counts and walks, and of Ike Davis sticking both hands under his arms to stay warm. Both announcers made it known that the were fed up watching and detailing the play by play of another start of suckitude by Perez. From the derisive cheers when an actual strike was tossed by OP, I’d say the paying customers felt the same way. So what to do with Ollie Perez.

Well, forget about The Skill Sets releasing OP, not with a $12 mil salary for this season and (GULP!) next and there is no one in the baseball world stupid enough to take on that contract since the only dumb ass that would pay Perez that kind of money is already his employer. The easiest move is to replace OP with either Hisanori Takahashi or Raul Valdes in the rotation and move OP to the pen. The best move would be to just put Perez on waivers, let him go unclaimed and then assign him to Buffalo. That move would work if we knew when Ryota Igarhashi is coming back from a hammy strain but there’s been no info on his progress.

Whatever way it’s handled, nothing with Perez falls in the Mets favor. Management talks about “it’s all about winning” well, if that’s the case prove it, put Perez on waivers, when he clears, assign him to Buffalo. It’s the only way, Perez just sucks the life out of the team, the fans and the announcers. He has GOT TO GO!!!!!!

Last night’s hour long PRO BASEBALL CENTRAL show, went by in a flash thanks our own Yankee-Doodle, Michael calling in and Matt Silverman coming on to talk about the ’69 Mets. Some of the topics I wanted to get to in the opening of the show got pushed back as I went on a bit of a Fernando Martinez rant, so I guess I’ll touch on those here.

By the way I got to see F-Mart’s AB last night with the bases loaded and two out in the Dominican Republic v. Venezuela Caribbean World Series game. Martinez did not get a hit in the AB but it was an impressive turn at the plate that lasted 10 pitches until he hit a foul pop that was caught by the Venezuelan right fielder.

I’m not anti-Fernando in any way; I just want the kid to stop acing like he’s a 27 year old journeyman who has never gotten a chance and be the 20 year old who plays so well this spring that he beats out Angel Pagan to be Carlos Beltran’s understudy.

Looks like me and Orlando Hudson have something in common; we both will never play second base for the Mets. So after all the debate about second base for the Mets what’s done is done, Luis Castillo is the Mets second baseman for better or worse till death due us part (or until Reese Havens can prove he can play at the big league level) for 2010.

What is the under/over on how many times Gary Cohen or Howie Rose say “Just out of the reach of Castillo, for a base hit” this season? Let’s set the number at 75.

The last place in the world I thought I’d ever see the name Municipal Credit Union would be on a ball park marquee.  I wonder if those of us with accounts at MCU will get a discount on Cyclones tickets.

I’m very happy for Nelly Figs and his great performance the other day for DR in the Caribbean Series but it wasn’t like he was pitching against the Phillies or Highlanders, it was against Mexico and 45 year old  270 lb Vinny Castila, The Big Fajita!

Maybe things are not as bleak for the Mets as we think. FOX has the Amazin’s scheduled for broadcast 8 times this coming season and one of the games is a prime timer versus the Bronx Bastards.

Maple Street Press is coming out with it’s Mets Annual in a few weeks and there will be a section on the Mets Blogosphere, that will include yours truly.

Matt Silverman is putting out a revised paperback version of his book “100 Things Mets Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” 

Ok, now that Christmas and New Years are over, time to get back to work. That means you Omar Minaya. It’s nice that Jason Bay is going to turn his head and cough for the Mets quacks and the cold cut platter from King Kullen will be laid out at the Shotgun Shuba Room at $iti Field by tomorrow but until Omar and Co. sign or trade for at least two legitimate starting pitchers, well just call me under whelmed.

The Sports God’s must really hate me my guts. First, they torture me all summer with the Mets and then they tease me with the New York Football Giants going 5-0 and then amp me up with a game against the undefeated Nawlin’s Saints only to get the ass handed to them. From that game, the season went down the shitter. Now the Boston Celtics, the one team I root for that shows any heart and fight, are now bitten by the injury bug. Down goes Paul Pierce, KG, Marquis Daniels, and my man Rondo. The NY Rangers either win or lose games 2-1 depending on whether Marion Gaborik scores 1 or 2 goals. My only hope for a good run through the playoffs are the C’s as long as the PP, KG, and Rondo can stay on the court.

Let me add my voice to the “Bring David Cone to SNY” campaign. Talk about your no-brainers. Coney in studio and as a back up to Mex and Ron Darling is a perfect fit. In fact how about letting Gary Cohen get a day off or two and put Mex, Darling and Coney to do the play by play.  Com’on SNY this one is on a platter for you guys.

A must see today is this post from The Mets Police, with a exquisite collection of Mets Pennants. It makes me think back to when the vendors would be outside Shea with  souvenir boards filled with pennants, buttons with action shots of Mets players, and key chains with Mr. Met on them.

After giving up a double and a walk, Parnell found himself in a world of trouble. Sam Fuld fouled off two bunt attempts trying to move the runners over. With a two strike count, Fuld then hit away and got a ground ball past the range challenged Luis Castillo to load the bases.

Here Lou Pinella blundered by taking Carlos Zambrano out of the game. Not only was Z pitching a fine game, from hearing the list of proposed pinch hitters on the Cubs bench by Gary Cohen, Zambrano is arguably a better choice with the stick. But Sweet Lou, who looks like he can’t wait to go home to Tampa and the racetrack, chose Mike Fontenot to pinch hit.  Parnell got behind 2-1 on Fontenot and here to me was the most impressive part of Parnell’ start last night, it was the seventh inning and he was still throwing gas, hard enough gas that hitter were not getting around on his fastball. After fouling off a pitch to even the count at 2-2, Parnell threw a beautiful slider that Fontenot chased and swung and missed for strike three and a huge first out K.

Up stepped Fukudome, who would end a tough night going 0 for 5. Now Fukudome had seen Parnell three times prior to this at bat and Parnell had gotten him out on a K, bunt 1-3, and a line out so again the advantage here was to Fukudome with the bags juiced, 1 out and having seen the whole Parnell repertoire of pitches. Again, to Jerry Manuel’ credit, he did not budge from the dugout as he left his young righty who has struggled as a starter try to find a way to get out of this jam.

Fukudome took no time it showing his hand in this at bat as he was aggressive from the first pitch, swinging his home run swing on a fastball but he missed for strike one, which as we all know the most important pitch of an at bat. Parnell then missed with a couple of breaking balls down and in for balls to fall behind 2-1, by the way an outstanding job by Omir Santos after getting crossed up setting up outside and Parnell delivering inside making a backhand block of a pitch that would have scored a run. The 2-1 pitch was Parnell doing what all great pitchers do, he challenged the hitter with his best pitch, the fastball at 97 mph and Fukudome could not catch up with it, and fouled it off to even the count 2-2. Parnell then came back with a pitch down and in again and Fukudome who was looking fastball got all messed up, swung and missed for strike three.

Parnell was one out away from getting out a big league jam. The next batter Ryan Theriot hit a liner right back to Parnell that hit his glove and fell to his feet. Parnell picked it coolly and calmly and threw to first base for the third out leaving to a huge ovation from the $iti Field fans.

In a September of playing out the string this is why we watch Mets baseball. So during the cold winter we can ponder if the Bobby Parnell of the top of the seventh inning on September 4^th can be that Bobby Parnell all season in 2010. As much as we bitch and moan Mets fans about our team, our management, our ownership one thing never waivers, our belief that one day it will all change and turnaround and we will celebrate a championship team. You Gotta Believe? As bad as things are WE ALWAYS BELIEVE!!!!

I was 11 years old (same as Gary Cohen) when the Mets became World Champions. You see all the negativism and anger from this current Mets fans base? Well now picture the complete opposite of that and you have the feel for what it was like around here in 1969.

Think of this for the first time in the history of newspapers the NY Daily News ran a COLOR front page just for the Mets. The news also sold buttons with GO METS on them and every Sunday had portraits of Mets players as inserts in the paper. Channel 9 the TV home of the Mets showed just about every game and all the games were on radio (WJRZ 970 AM) and Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner were the guys we brought into our homes for every game.

The Mets were not just the talk of NY but of the whole country they were truly America’s team. This was an organization that was looked at as loveable losers until the Quiet Man took over and put an end to that kind of thinking. It was Gil Hodges who set the tone for the club. As Mets fans we all know of the love and devotion that Tom Seaver had for Hodges, not an appearance goes by when The Franchise doesn’t invoke the name of Hodges his stories. But the most told story about Hodges and his team always is about him taking out Cleon Jones during a game against the Astros on July 30 1969 for lack of hustle.

During his time on the SNY broadcast, Jones told that the only Hodges and he knew what really happened that day. Jones went on to say how Hodges didn’t yell or scream or get in his face he just told Jones that we can’t play like this if were going to win  and Jones realized right there that is wasn’t business as usual for the Mets. Hodges meant what he said in spring training that the loser mentality stops here and now and Jones knew after getting lifted from that game that the team was destined to win.

Some observation from last night’s ceremony:

I love how Eddie Yost came out and was still giving signs, and leave it to Howie Rose to remember that Lindsey Nelson would always say “and Eddie Yost, the sign man is coaching at third base…….”

Wayne Garret and Gary Gentry must have found the fountain of youth, both guys look like they could still play.

You know you’re an old time Mets fan, when you not only can recognize Duffy Dyer but your happy as hell to see him.

Here is the legacy of Yogi Berra, he is the only man other than the Pope who could get a standing ovation in both Highlander Stadium and $iti Field.

I loved how the music of 1969 was intertwined with the introduction of the players but I wish SNY would have left the cameras on the players instead of showing videos of them in their playing day. It’s called capture the moment fellas’

The biggest ovations of the night were for Bob Murphy’s widow and for Ralph Kiner and rightfully so.

I don’t I have ever seen Jerry Grote look so happy as he did last night. I wish he was with the Mets in some capacity as that is what the organization misses an Grote like mentality. I still can see him throwing back a ball to the pitcher at about 95 mph when he was pissed off at him for either crossing him up or not hitting his spot and non of the pitchers ever challenging him.

I’m glad Gary Cohen mentioned Ken Boswell not being there and not being acknowledged on the field. It seems Boswell had a falling out with the organization an declined the invitation to come. This is where the Skill Sets are absolutely clue less. With their track history, the Skill Sets are probably at fault here and should have made amends with Boswell to get him last nights ceremony. Boswell too should not be so cranky as to snub this reunion as I’m sure he feels hurt that the Mets treated him wrong (join the club Kenny) but he may regret it for a long time not being at $iti Field last night.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, Tom Seaver is THE FRANCHISE!!!!

There may be no more underrated sports performer in this town than Jerry Koosman. The chant back then was “We can’t loose with Seaver and Kooz”