21 days until pitchers and catchers

It looks like Fernando Tatis is retuning for a third season with the Mets. Please hold your applause until the end, thank you. If you look at the offensive numbers on Tatis’ Baseball-Reference page you might be inclined to say this is a good deal for the Mets.  I’ll go as far as say I’m happier with Tatis coming back just for the fact that it means that Carlos Delgado’ career as a Met is done.  Last night on Twitter I was angry about the Tatis return but by this morning I’m more, “eh, whatever”. I’m tired of ranting about the off season and the mish-mosh ways of the organization, that has both the fan base and media baffled, I guess it’s time we just let it play out, we’ll have all summer to scream and yell.   

Look at this from John Smoltz point of view, what was good for Pedro Martinez could be good for him as well. Why sign with a team this early when you can workout on your own, play golf, even do some TV if you like and then wait to see the pitching landscape during the season and make the best deal you can.

As much as I can’t stand the way ownership and the front office fuck up and the on field personnel play like amateurs, there is no way I could ever, ever root against the Mets. I don’t care if a loss meant that the Jeffey, Omar, and J-Man all get the boot, I would never and have never rooted against the Mets. If I didn’t root for the Cincinnati Reds when Tom Seaver was traded and pitched against the Mets, I’m sure as hell not going to root against them now. Root against the Mets? Never in a million fucking years !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t understand J-Man saying that Fernando Nieve is the front runner for the 5^th spot in the pitching rotation? Not to get to worked up over the 5^th spot (when spots 2-4 are not exactly the Rocks of Gibraltar) but where does Jon Niese or Nelly Figs fit with this team? How about Bradley Holt or Dillon Gee? Why is J-Man so against competition? Why am I full of questions?

No matter what happens this season, I’m rooting hard for my boy Daniel Murphy to put up big time numbers. No one on this team works as hard as Murphy and I just hope his hard work pays off and he just hangs in there until Wally Backman gets the job with the big club. Am I a Daniel Murphy fanboy? Yes. He is everything we Mets fans want in a player. Shows up for mini-camp when he’s not required to (Jose? Jose Reyes? Are you here? Come out, come out ,wherever you are!) will be the first guy at St Lonesome waiting for the gates to open for spring training (it will be neck and neck with him and D-Wright) and is working hard to improve at the fourth positions the Mets have assigned him to. How can you as a Mets fan not root for this kid?    

No Pro Baseball Central tonight but I will be on the with Kenrick Thomas and his Real Sports Talk Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio tonight at 10PM ET.

There is a group NYRNation that is planning a FIRE GLEN SATHER rally outside of Madison Square Garden on Sunday March 7^th  at 5PM before the Rangers-Sabres game. It is getting very ugly at MSG as the Rangers find themselves in the middle of 10 teams look at the 7 and 8 spot in the NHL playoffs. In fact the Rangers are a mirror of the Mets. Underachivers, Bad Management, Clueless Owner!

 

 

I guess I should be gracious and congratulated the Highlanders on not only winning the World Series but finally putting an end to this miserable baseball season, and thankful they ended before the season’s first snowfall.

 

For all of my fellow Mets fans who wanted Pedro Martinez on the team to fill a starters spot, and second thoughts? Even though Hideki Matsui has not had much success against Petey over the years, the way the at bat was going in the second inning you just knew Matsui was going to tag him. Matsui was like a boxer sizing up his opponent, jabbing, jabbing with foul balls, then just missing with a left but the jabbing again then going for the knockout with the home run.

 

The best line I read all morning came from Mike Vaccaro when talking about whether Charlie Manuel should have pulled Petey in third before Matsui plated two more runs with a single:

 

     Everyone inside the ballpark knew that Martinez had no shot against Matsui, who’d gotten so many great swings in that first at-bat, Then he pulverized a Pedro pitch that barely fell foul down the right-field line, missing a bases-clearing double by inches.

It was here, if Pedro’s name was Pete Martin and he wasn’t a proud future Hall of Famer, Charlie Manuel might have said “Enough!” and gone with a left-hander like the warming J.A. Happ to try to finish the at-bat and keep the Phillies close. But this isn’t Pete Martin. It’s Pedro Martinez. And he tried to sneak a fastball past Matsui that wouldn’t stay snuck. A two-run single followed. And the first bursts of bedlam fell from the stands.

 

Remember the praise I gave McCarver after Game 1? Well I would like to retract the compliment as Mac-C transformed back into Tim McFullofshit the rest of the way.

 

Remember back, oh about nine years ago when Matt Franco was a Met? Wasn’t it known that his uncle was none other than actor Kurt Russell? And didn’t Russell parade around in a Mets cap during the 2000 World Series? But now that his “step-daughter” Kate Hudson is shacking up with Alex Centaur-riguez he’s cheering for the Highlanders like he grew up on the Grand Concourse. And what’s up with Rudy Giulliani and his wax figure wife (and that hair Geez Louise Judy G find a stylist will ya!) looking like a couple waiting for the early bird special. And why does Rudy squint like that all time making that rat face?

 

 

 

 

Now that the 2009 baseball season is over, let’s role up our sleeves and get to work we got a lot to do. Grab a shovel!!!!

 

 

Yeah I took the day off yesterday. So I sat in my back yard and took apart a playhouse and a slide that my kids have had since they were babies and I fired up the Webber Kettle and listened to Howie and Wayne and chilled. Maybe it was riding to Manhattan on the 7 train after a game a few weeks ago and listening to Wayne Hagin tell his stories of his days with the Oakland A’s and realizing that Hagin is a really nice guy that he is growing on me as the Mets radio guy. Yes Hagin rides the subway to work just like the rest of us slobs.

 

The cause of the stomach virus going around the Mets clubhouse has been linked to watching Tim Redding pitch. I have to think Omar is at least pondering the signing of Pedro Martinez to take Redding spot in the rotation. If Redding can’t pitch effectively his next start it’s time to cut bait.

 

What a May to remember 19-9 with a depleted roster. Just goes to show you if you can pitch, play defense and keep the brain farts to a minimum you will win baseball games.

 

I can’t figure out J J Putz. Is he physically unfit or is his head a mess? Old School Dan Werthen feels it’s just a mechanical breakdown but Omir Bench thought Putz was anxious on the mound. Between Putz and Sean Green, J-Man may have to put an extension on his Dog House although there is one spot open with Shrek sent off to Chitown.

 

I think there is better chance of Bruce Berenyi coming back to pitch for the Mets this season than Ollie Perez.

 

Cliff Floyd has just been activated from the DL by the Padres. I know he’s hurt so much his car has handicap plates but how about brining him back to the Mets and letting spell Sheffield in left and some added leadership?

 

 I don’t know what looked worse the Mets playing in the classic pinstripe uni and ruining it with that disgusting black and blue hat or Susan Boyle in a evening gown?

 

I don’t know what bad or evil thing Angle Pagan has done in his life but I think he’s paid the price already.

 

King of the Asshats, Filip Bondy has a piece on Jay Horowitz in today’s Daily News. From what you hear, Horowitz is loved by the Mets players as he protected them from the big bad media but after reading the story I find Horowitz a sad soul.

 

If 90 % of your paying customers were upset with something with your product, you’d  make a change right away, right? Then why does management continue to play Sweet Caroline when Mets fans HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

  

 

 

 

 

  

Of course, he’s the best pitcher on the market, but is he worth it? Think about it. Lowe will be 36 in June and if the Mets have to give him a four-year, $60 million contract, the team will be paying him $15 million to pitch when he’s 40. To me, that’s not a good investment.

Sure Lowe will give you over 200 innings a year and will throw to a low-3 ERA, but for how long. Just looking at the recent history of four-year contracts the Mets gave out to pitchers in their mid to late 30s, you can see how the team has gotten burned.

Tom Glavine never regained the Hall of Fame form he had in Atlanta and while he had some good seasons, they were dominate. Pedro Martinez’s arm went out during his second season of a four year contract and Billy Wagner will get paid around $10 million in 2009 to rehab his arm.

This is not to say Lowe will be like those players, but he’s hardly a Hall of Famer, and if history shows us one thing, it’s that older pitchers break down much, much easier.

Personally, I would like to see the Mets re-sign Ollie Perez, who is 27 and has shown no signs of breaking down. A four year contract will put him at 32 when a four year deal ends, since his birthday is in August.

The Mets are better off paying a guy for what he will do, not what he did for other teams.

As you may remember the Brooklyn born Figueroa filled in nicely early in the season for the injured Pedro Martinez and then came back up in September to help in the bullpen.

All-in-all, he finished 3-3 with a 4.57 ERA.

The organization also signed righthander Adam Bostick, infielder Andy Green, and catcher Rene Rivera to minor league deals.

Also the Mets have until today to offer arbitration to the free agents they plan on retaining. Of the 11 that filed, Oliver Perez is the most likely to get an offer. Of the others only Pedro Martinez and Damion Easley played significant roles with the Mets last season.

Personally, outside of Perez, I would expect Easley to be offered something, but not Pedro, because the Mets would be in a pickle if he accepts.