When Jerry Manuel took over the managers office form Willie Randolph, the one statement he made that resonated with Mets fans was that his team would be tough and fight through whatever adversity was in front of it. His quote was “Gangsta’s on the field, Ladies on the bus”. I thought it was a great motto and felt maybe Manuel would be a speak softly carry a big stick kind of guy but I was wrong. If anything Manuel let the rash of injuries suffered by his team, become a crutch for losing and all around stupid baseball. Gangsta’ my ass.  but, so far this spring, Manuel looks to be getting his Gangsta’ on.

I’ve been critical of Manuel for not coming to the Jason Bay coronation and not being around for that weak ass Winter Caravan the Mets rolled out this off season, but now I know what Manuel was up to, he was planning his going out in a blazing glory strategy for the season.

Manuel knows that his contract is chump change and the only reason he’s back is a combination of the injuries and Omar Minaya’s contract. Minaya got to stay because the Skill Sets are tired of paying guys not to work for them. Omar does not have the juice he once had the organization and if and when a managerial change is made he will have little input in the new hire, hell if the wheels fall off early, the outcry from Mets fans will so loud, even the tone deaf Skill Sets will hear it. So in a long winded way, I’m saying Jerry Manuel has nothing to lose here if he puts pressure on management to take the best twenty five players he feels give him and the team the best chance to win.

We are already hearing him push for Jenry Mejia to make the team as the 8^th inning set up man and you can bank on Manuel pushing either Hisanori Takahasi or Fernando Nieve to make the starting rotation over a struggling Ollie Perez, and dumping OP in the bullpen, while making it known that he was not responsible for his awful contract, and with Ike Davis at first base over Daniel Murphy. If Manuel thinks Davis would be better than Murphy at first he will make it public knowledge.  

It’s a win/win situation for Manuel. If he gets his way and gets to take the players he wants North, it’s possible he could not just make it through the season but get an extension as well. If he doesn’t, and the team tanks, he gets to spend the summer at home in Cali waiting for the Mets checks to clear. We all should have such problems. 

When I can not only go online and buy tickets to opening day and do so two hours into the exclusive pre-sale time frame, you know this organization has its work cut out for them to not have a repeat of last season.  If Jerry Manuel can convince Jeffey Skill Sets that bringing  Mejia and Davis up North to not only help the team win but also sell tickets, then J-Man will not just be a Gangsta’ he’ll be The Godfather.

tip of the Mets cap to Metstradamus for the picture

Because I just bought ticks for Opening Day, Mets-Marlins April 5th at $iti Field.

Now as ecstatic as I am to have gotten tickets via the Mets.com early ticket sale offer, I’m surprised how fast I got the tix.

The pre-sale tickets started at 10AM but I had to go out and do my off day errands and did not get home until 12PM. I figured no way any opening day ticket would be available but I was very happy to see that date still available.

After I made my purchase, I started thinking about past seasons when you could never just log in and buy opening day tickets, those tickets were always held back as part of ticket packages or not released until the very last minute.

Now is that a good thing or a bad thing?  Does it say how much the fan base has soured on the team and the organization that OPENING DAY is not the hot ticket it’s been the past few years ?

Maybe it’s the cold slap in the face the Skill Sets need that guys like me and the other hardcore Mets fans are few and far between. Maybe this will send the message that you just can’t open the gates to $it Field and the congregation will come a runnin’

They got me and they will always have me no matter how bad a team they put on the field and no matter how much they treat me like a leper at the ball park.  Maybe that makes me a big Jack Ass, I won’t argue but instead of calling me a Jack Ass just call me METLE!

8 days until pitchers and catchers

If you haven’t seen the video of Keith Hernandez working with Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans at first base, click here. Again my opinion on Murphy is certainly biased but if the other 24 players on the Mets roster that comes North has the same desire and work ethic as Murph, things may be a lot better than we think this summer at $iti Field. At the end of the video Hernandez tells Murphy and Evans that if they ever need him for anything to tell Jay Horowitz and he will drive up to St Lonesome to lend a hand.

Two things here, one what the hell took so long for the Mets to utilize Mex in this capacity and two, if Mike Piazza never asked Hernandez’ advice when the Mets were looking for him to make the transition for catcher to first baseman, then he’s a bigger asshole than I think he is.

Nice to see Mike Jacobs back in the org. I hope he likes chicken wings.

The biggest problem I have with Mets management is not so much with it’s ineptness of its baseball ops but more with its dishonestly. When it comes to the teams finances someone is lying  either the media or the team and most likely it’s the team.  With the management not being aggressive on free agents and not making deals that would make the team better by taking on pitchers like Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, or Gil Meche, who have big contracts that teams would love to get out from under, it proves that the coffers of the Skill Sets are not as robust as they claim.

It seems that’s the only reason Omar and Jerry Manuel are still here, it’s more of a “it’s cheaper to keep ‘em” scenario than a performance  factor. The Skill Sets can’t afford to pay Minaya and go out and hire a top of the line GM, so what we get is lots of layers of front office types that makes dealing with the Mets tedious and exhausting.

Everyday there are more and more stories about the teams finances and I’m sure there will be more and more of the cash flow stories throughout the season.  All it will take is for one snitch to blab the inside scoop on what’s going on in the back rooms of $iti Field to bring this to light.

Perfect example of the Mets money woes, Chein- Ming Wang is ready to sign with the Washington Nationals who are putting together a nice team for 2010.

Just sit back and listen to this song and enjoy your snow day!

Bobby Valentine was at an event at the Japan Society in Manhattan last week and as always with Bobby V, gave some provocative answers during a Q & A session. When asked about a return to manage the Mets BV had this to say:

 Valentine fielded questions about managing the Metsagain (“It’s not as though you don’t go back to the girl that dumped you, but it takes a little while, it takes a little convincing . . .”) and what the Mets need to do to be successful in the 2010 season (“They need to stay healthy, but I like their talent.”)

So Bobby wants to be wooed a bit by the Mets, if that’s the case Freddy Skill Sets should be jumping in limo with Jay Horowitz driving, with flowers, chocolates and champagne, ready to pitch his best woo.

As a Mets fan, I’m starting to feel like a weary traveler standing at the airport luggage carrousel waiting for my bags, and my bags have gotten lost.

Pitchers have gone around the free agent carrousel and the Mets just stand there waiting and waiting and waiting to the point where they are the lone team standing around with nothing to show.

Ben Sheets for $10 mil is a very steep price to pay but give the A’s and Billy Beane credit for taking a chance with Sheets. Beane is taking a shot that of the three things that can happen with Sheets, if  two of the scenarios work in the A’s favor, Beane and the A’s come out a winner.  He can stay healthy and become the Ace of a very young and potentially strong starting rotation and the A’s can be big time contenders in the NL West, or he can stay healthy and the rest of the team not play up to expectation and fall out the race where by Beane can flip Sheets for a couple of top prospects, or the worst case scenario, Sheets breaks down like a ’76 Pinto and the A’s are stuck with an expensive invalid.

But then again, Beane and the A’s management are competent and have watched Sheets throw and checked his medical reports and have given him a full medical by doctors who have cleared Sheets good to go, so with the odds in his favor Beane decides to spend Lew Wolf’s money and go for a post season berth.

Jeffey Skill Sets on the other hand, will take the money saved on buying much cheaper baseball labor to build an extension of his Hamptons mansion.

At some point one of our fine beat reporters in this town should really try to get through the Wall of Horowitz and get a sit down interview with Jeffey Skill Sets to get answers on how he feels that the baseball team he runs is the laughingstock of the industry.  The Mets have gone from an organization where every player agent made sure that the Mets were involved with their client during free agency to an organization that has become Plan Z (welcome Jason Bay) The Mets wanted John Lackey but John Lackey wanted no part of the Mets.  A pitcher coming from the American League refused to even talk to a team in the NL, that plays in a pitchers ball park, in the greatest city in the world, for a team with a big income. Stunning.

Jason Marquis begged the Mets to sign him but the Mets treated him like he had cooties. Bengi Molina? He’s a Met the MSM told us, it’s just a matter of finding a pen with ink in it. Molina is back with the Giants.  Randy Wolf? Never called Flushing.  “Mr. Minaya, Joel Piniero on line 1” WHO? Responds Omar. Jon Garland? No! Chone Figgins? No! Orlando Hudson? No! Aroldis Chapman? No! If he were 45 years old then YES! Russell Branyan? No! and on and on and on…………………………

This perception of the Mets is not a figment of Mets fans imaginations, it’s real, the baseball world shakes its head and says “How the fuck?” We can rant all day and night about Omar Minaya and Fire Omar, and Omar this and Omar that. Get over your Omar hate, this is beyond Omar. Omar Minaya is a bit player in the Mets moves these days.  If Omar were the baseball boss, Molina and Piniero would be Mets and Carlos Delgado would have a 5 year deal. But nothing gets done until Jeffey Poo says it’s done. That’s why we’re fucked.

I give Johan Santana a ton of credit not just for showing up at the mini camp but for coming on WFAN with Joe Bada Bing and Tinkerbell and being positive and optimistic about this team. The right man in charge could play this “the whole world thinks you guys suck” as a rallying cry but the guy that would play that angle perfectly has to prove himself on Coney Island this summer, while Cool Breeze Jerry works on his lounge act in Flushing.

I swear to Henry Chadwick that I hope I’m wrong that Wright and Reyes explode with career years and Daniel Murphy hits like I believe he can and that Bay and Frenchy  prove to be “corner-stones”, and Beltran comes back like a track star that hits 30 HR’s  and Big Pelf pounds that strikezone like a blacksmith and this team is not just competitive but contends for the NL East crown.

As negative as I’ve been all winter and I’m sure other Mets fans will say the same thing, none of us wants to go through another summer like last year.  As I look down the line on the big decision makers though in this organization though, it is very hard to get enthused.  Jeffey is clueless and Omar is ball-less, and the manager couldn’t care less.

All I have is my ace pitcher preaching to me like Bob Marley, I hope he’s right. It’s hard to find Three Little Birds when it’s so damn cold outside

Thank you Bengi Molina for NOT signing with the NY Mets and thank you Brian Sabean for bailing out the Mets with your offer to Bengi Molina.

Now that the Mets have $5 mil lying around they can either put that money towards giving Ben Sheets and incentive filled deal and strike before some other team grabs him or they could put that money towards a buyout of Rogers (Hornsby) Castillo or keep Castillo and use the money towards giving Orlando Hudson a deal and left Castillo be a part time player/groundskeeper. I know it’s a pipe dream that the Mets would buyout Castillo and sign O-Dog so please Jeffey Baby, let’s give the cast to Sheets!!!!!!

More good news, Jeff Francouer signed for just 1 year. Rumor is that Freddy Skill Sets and Uncle Saul Katz made a deal Richard Heene for one of his balloons and Jeffey and Omar are now orbiting around the skies of Corona.

Metsgrrl just received a framed picture from opening day at $iti field for being a loyal season ticket subscriber. The note that came with it wished her a HAPPY HOLIDAY. Obviously the Skill Sets waited until all holiday items were at 90 % off to buy the frames the pics came with.

As much as I feel the Mets need to go full force for at least 2 starting pitchers, they still need a catcher. I like Omir Santos but his presences behind the plate has been questioned within the organization. I’m fine with Henry Blanco as a one half of a catching tandem as he is strong defensively. I can’t see going after Yorvit Torrealba with a lawsuit against the Mets still awaiting trial so the guy who makes the most sense would be Rod Barajas. Barajas is nothing at the plate but he’s very good behind it and the Mets need a very good defensive catcher.

Yes it is outstanding that the Mets have announced that Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Davey Johnson and Frank Cashen will be inducted into the NY Mets Hall of Fame this summer. But isn’t it remarkable that all four of these gentlemen are not in there already. In fact the last player to be inducted into the Mets HOF was Tommie Agee in 2002.  Induction day will be August 1^st,  so far that’s the first “must game to be at” for 2010.

Sad news from the NY Rangers. John Haligan the teams long time PR man and top Rangers and NHL historian passed away today at age of 68. For years I sat in Section 432 of Madison Square Garden watching the Rangers and Halligan and his wife Janet were the two of the great people at MSG. John always had time to talk to us between periods and he would bring us the score sheets and any news on injuries. He respected us as people and as Ranger fans. This is a very sad day indeed.

My head is spinning from all the Beltran v. Mets stories. There are some who blame Beltran, some blame Mets management, some blame the doctors, some blame the agent and some blame the fans (just Jeffey Skill Sets feels that way) but the one thing all the groups have in common is the belief that we root for one fucked up organization.

After sifting through all the stories and conversations and comments, I can say I am definitely on Carlos Beltan’ side in this mess. I believe Beltran when he said he spoke to Dr Altchek who in turn spoke to Dr Steadman who told Beltran his knee was not getting any better and surgery is required to clean out the fragments floating in the knee. But the real document that tells me the Beltran/Boras version of the events are true, is the fact that Dr. Steadman sent the Mets Workers Comp  and insurance forms in ordered to be PAID for conducting surgery. Without those papers signed off by the team, no surgery would have been done.

Now here is where everything comes back to the obvious. The Mets front office is such a cluster fuck that I expect Krusty the Clown to be named to a VP position soon. Jeffey Skill Sets claims that Dr.Altchek and Ray Ramirez are not authorized to ok a player to undergo a medical procedure, and why should they? Just because Dr. Altchek has a medical degree and Ramirez is a licensed physical trainer what makes them think they know more that Jeffey and his running mate David Howard?

So Beltran goes to Dr Steadman, one of the most renowned orthopedic doctors in the country, and his diagnosis is to have arthroscopic surgery to clean out Beltran’s knee. Beltran tells Dr. Steadman to consult with Dr. Altchek , which he does. Altchek agrees with Steadman to do the surgery. Steadman though before doing the procedure needs the Workman’s Comp and all insurance forms to be filled out and verified because this ain’t no charity case, he wants to be paid. The forms are faxed to Queens. The medical people Altchek and Ramirez look them over, everything is cool, send them back to Steadman, he’s cool with it, then he checks his calendar and tells Beltran, you’re a lucky guy, I’m free tomorrow at 7AM. Beltran then claims he calls Omar Minaya (remember him?) who wishes Beltran luck and speedy recovery. So where does this story turn for the worst?

Jeffey Skill Sets was not consulted, and he is pissed off because “nobody puts Baby Jeffey in the corner” Instead of letting the people he hired to run such things do their jobs,  Jeffey says “hold the anesthesia” “we need a third opinion” uhhhhhhhhhh a little late there Junior, Beltran is already in recovery after successful surgery on his knee. But instead of keeping his pie hole shut, Jeffey goes off that this is not acceptable and decides this would be a good time to embarrass the organization again and piss off one of his best players and because it’s been about a whole two weeks since any dumb shit has come out of Flushing.

If you were Carols Beltran would you wait for a third opinion? If you worked for a competent employer, who actually gave a shit about your well being you would. But Beltran works for a bunch of assholes. Assholes who put a concussed Ryan Church on an air plane to Denver and then treated him like an outcast. Assholes who kept telling Jose Reyes to play through and injured calf and forced him to come back for meaningless games in September because maybe 100 people may buy tickets for a game at $iti Field to see him play and then he tears a hammy in the process. Assholes who did the same thing to Beltran and have now put the team in the jackpot they are in now. If anything Beltran and (I hope your sitting down and not drinking anything if not please sit and do not sip that coffee) and Scott Boras are heroes as someone with clout has finally told Jeffey Skill Sets to fuck himself.

The bottom line, maybe it’s time for a 3^rd baseball team to play in NYC because I’ getting close to filing for a baseball divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty.

….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.

For as bad as the NY Football Giants season has been, yesterday took some of the sting out of the painful failure, as team owner John Mara, stepped up big time by calling out his coaches and players for a lack of mental and physical toughness and lack of effort. WOW, how strong are those words? Sure the cynic in me says, “John Mara needs to sell his Private Seat Licenses, so this is all a business move” but the Mara family have owned this team since it’s inception in 1925 and Giants have been one of the top teams in the NFL this decade and watching and listening to him he looked legitimately pissed off. 

The way John Mara handled the day after the season is the way an owner of a team that not only disappoints but embarrasses themselves by quitting, and make no mistake the NY Football Giants quit, should. He stood up like a man and articulated that, yes his team suffered injuries but they were not an excuse for not showing up the last half of the season. He acted swiftly by axing way over his head offensive coordinator Bill Sheridan and put every player and coach on notice that if you don’t or  you can’t give him what he wants, then he will go out and find personnel that will. As a Giants fan, I appreciate Mara’s words and action very much.

Contrast John Mara’s words and actions to the stumbling, fumbling, mumble-oid of an owner like Jeffey Skill Sets who acted mealy mouthed and clueless in his season post-mortem of the season to forget. There is a reason why the Mets brand is laughed at through out baseball and it starts at the top.

Speaking of our favorite baseball team, I brought out my pinstripe uni top for toady’s Bay Day celebration. In fact my co-workers have wished me happy Bay Day when I reported for duty. I’ve become a charity case, as even the Highlander fans have stop teasing me and feel sorry for me. I hate being a charity case or a baby face, I’d rather be a heel.

There are rumors that the Mets could trade Rogers Castillo for Mike Lowell. What would the Bosox want with Rogers Castillo when they have Dustin Pedroia and Marco Scutaro? Lowell would be a nice fit for the Mets, as he’s a respected vet with 2 World Series rings ( as you know I’m a major proponent of bringing in winners to this team)  I just wonder if he can play some 1^st base and spell David Wright sat 3^rd base.

From reading some of the stories, if Carlos Delgado can stand up straight, the Mets would love to bring him back for a 1 year incentive laden deal. That’s why it seems the Mike Lowell talk is interesting as a platoon of Lowell/ Delgado could be what the Mets are looking at for 1^st base in 2010.

The details of the Jason Bay contract are as follows:

$8.5 mil bonus and $6.5 mil salary for 2010

$16mil for the next 3 years + 4^th yr option

Full No Trade Clause.

Not a killer contract, now the question is this. I have a MILLEDGE 44 pro uni top. Do I go and have the MILLEDGE taken off and add BAY? Your thoughts please?

Waiting on the Bay presser. I’ll be commenting on Twitter during the presser.

So the whole world of Metsdom is in an uproar due to the proclamation from the Drive Time Bloviator on WFAN that he has some major update about our favorite baseball team. So what could this major update be?

Well, I speculated on Twitter last night, that the team is in talks with Bombo Rivera to make a comeback and man left field. Rivera has Expo blood in him so that’s enticing to Omar.

Or it might be that Frank McCourt, the owner of the Los Angles Dodgers of Brooklyn, who is in a nasty divorce with Madame Jamie, needing cash will sell the name DODGERS to the Skill Sets who will finally get their wish to own the Dodgers.

Then again it could be that the Skill Sets have decided to have the team take a year off and cancel all plans to field a team in 2010. $iti Field will then be turned into a combination Chuck-E-Cheese/Catering hall to be rented out for birthdays, weddings and bar mitzvahs.

Who knows? Only the Pontiff Mike knows.