Yesterday’s Mets-Dodgers game was so bad in so many ways. Besides the fact that David Wright is standing so far off the plate that he needs a canoe paddle to hit the ball and that he desperately needs a day off, and that Jerry Manuel has some form of Antention Decifict Disorder when it comes to writing a lineup (Luis Castillo MUST BAT 8^TH GOD DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) plus watching Manuel and St. Joseph of Torre match wits with the bullpen is like watching a four hour promo of the movie Schmucks For Dinner. Then to top off the whole afternoon of suck, the game was televised on FOX. Kenny Albert is not built for baseball. He kind of drifts off like he’s so fucking bored wishing it was winter so he can call football and hockey games. When Albert works both of those sports he’s solid but  on baseball he’s god awful. Eric Karros is a moron. Plain and simple, a moron. He makes no sense at all with any of his analysis especially when he thought pitching to Andre Either with first base open and one out with the winning run on thrird was a good move. Then there is Ken Rosenthal who I ask very nicely on Twitter, to shut the fuck up. For an “information guy” he brings you nothing except for some good old fashion Mets bashing. Yes we’re spoiled as we have the finest TV crew in baseball to enjoy almost every night, but at least if I’m going to sit through Jerry Manuel botching games and some pretty bas baseball this last month, I want to be entertained somewhat and only Gary, Keith and Ron can do that for Mets fans.

I’ll be shocked, SHOCKED if Jerry Manuel is the manager of the Mets come Tuesday night. If he is still the manager, then you know for sure the Skill Sets don’t care anymore. 71/2 back will soon be 10 games back and all out attention will be on Jets and Giants camp.

It’s so easy to kill Toxic Ollie for yesterday but Ollie is what he is. The only thing I can take out Manuel bringing in Perez was this was Manuel being insubordinate. It makes me think that Manuel told management he wanted no part of Ollie on this team and management told him to shut up and sit down as we are paying this balooka a ton of dough and Manuel said well then no problem I’ll make sure he comes into a tight situation and fucks it up. Manuel has managed this road trip like a guy is tired of his job and needs a change so the Skill Sets should do the right thing for him and the team and relive him of his duty.

The kicker today will be if the Mets are up or down by a lot today and Frankie Rodriguez pitches and after the game Manuel says “Frankie hasn’t pitched in awhile so he needed the work”

Jerry Manuel didn’t get on John Maine because he was John Maine. No Jerry Manuel got on John Maine because John Maine was pitching as John Maine right shoulder needed to be surgically repaired. Jerry Manuel liked John Maine but was mad because John Maine wouldn’t tell Jerry Manuel that John Maine was hurt. John Maine wanted the ball and tried to fight off John Maine’s sore shoulder. It didn’t work out for John Maine here as John Maine’ season ending surgery is likely to be the end of John Maine’ Mets career. So now Jerry Manuel has to find another John Maine to treat like shit like he did to John Maine.

Do we really hope that Carlos Beltran comes back this season? This is not an anti-Beltran post, I like Beltran and I am in no means joining the Beltran contract worst in Mets history club just the contrary, he was the player the Mets needed to have at the time he signed his deal and he has produced offensively and defensibly to be the best center fielder in baseball. The reason I’m in no hurry to see him back is, I don’t see where he fits in with this Mets team.

The Mets have gone from a collection of talent to a cohesive team. Whereas the organization went out and brought in big names who made those names elsewhere (Glavine, Delgado, Martinez, Beltran to name four biggies) that Mets fans never warmed up to, now the fan base is giddy over the homegrown infield of Wright, Reyes, Tejada and Ike. Mets fans are also rooting harder for Jon Niese to make his mark and are glowing over once removed Met farmhand, Angel Pagan who has played not only productive baseball but smart baseball as well.

Even when it comes to who is the Ace of the Mets pitching staff, as much as we respect and hold Johan Santana in high regard to where he is his almost near home grown adulation, lots of Mets fans have anointed Mike Pelfrey as THE MAN for the Mets. We have watched Pelfrey go from a gawky pitcher who likes to lick his hands and sometimes space out on the mound to a stud pitcher who’s starts are now a reason to either make it to the TV or drop all plans and head to $iti Field.   

Jason Bay and Jeff Francouer have been big in this hot streak the Mets have been on this month but when you ask Mets fans about Bay they nod like “he’s ok” and Frenchy before this hot streak of his, Mets fans had him top of the non-tender list for this off season. As for Frankie Rodriguez, just check out Twitter when he comes in to close a game, it’s like someone in the car farted and the windows are all locked.    

Then we have Jenry Mejia who has been abused by the Mets to the point that Mets fan have been calling Child Services to have him removed from Jerry Manuel Torture Chamber (a/k/a The bullpen) That Mejia has not been allowed to grow in his craft in the Mets minor league system is a serious crime to all Mets fans, as we want Mejia to grow strong and add that 97 mph fastball to the rotation of Pelfrey and Niese. The handling of Mejia this season is the baseball equivalent of the 2 year old kid smoking two packs of cigarettes a day in Indonesia STOP THE ABUSE!!!!    

Back to Beltran for a moment, the Mets have a nice little run going here and if or when Beltran comes back where does he play? If he goes back to his home in centerfield then does that move Pagan to the bench? Or does the mean a platoon of Frenchy and Pagan in RF? Can Beltran cover the ground he used to now that he will wear a knee brace to play? If he can’t then does he move to right field knocking Frenchy to the bench? Loads of questions here and that’s why maybe for the good of the team, it’s better that Beltran is taking his time coming back and if you’re the Mets front office do you secretly hope he doesn’t come back?

don’t forget to check out my THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN Shop at Cafe Press

There are losses and there are losses but then again THERE ARE LOSSES and last night was one of those LOSSES.

You will read and hear a lot today about last nights Mets 11-5 loss to the Phillies some will say it’s much to early to worry and losing a series in the beginning of May is not the end of the world and Johan Santana himself said “it was just one those games” but to me and many Mets fans it wasn’t just one of those games, quite frankly it was a major embarrassment.

It all started when the lineup was posted, the Mets Twitter Nation was up in arms over seeing GMJ and Fernando Tatis, two players who could not play on any other major league team, playing instead of Angel Pagan and Ike Davis. Supposedly the numbers that Tatis and GMJ have against Jamie Moyer favored the move but I would hope that the manager would have thought, “I have a chance to take the series from my top rival that is reeling a bit, I have my Ace pitcher going so I need to play my best eight guys today” But Jerry Manuel decided he could play his best six and win and after the first inning he looked like a prophet. To be honest this loss had nothing to do with GMJ and Tatis in the line up (even though it is very interesting that the Mariners cut Eric Byrnes after their game yesterday but GMJ keeps on keepin’ on with the Mets even as Chris Carter is more deserving of his spot, by the way when was the last time Omar Minaya made an in season trade to help the team? Don’t say Ryan Church for Frenchy as Minaya stated that John Rico was responsible for that move) it was more of Johan Santana not stepping up in the first big spot of the season.

I don’t want to kill Santana because I really like and admired him. He proved his mettle in the next to last game in 2008 against the Marlins but I am so disappointed over last nights game that anything I write here will be pure emotion, but as I watched the Santana come up small a few things whirled around in my head.

When reporters ask you who the best pitcher is in the NL East, I would hope Johan Santana now knows to shut the fuck up. Just say, “it’s not for me to say who’s the best and all that, let the records speak for themselves”. Roy Halliday said nothing in spring training but on Saturday, I don’t care how big a Mets fan your are or how big a Phillies hater you are, Halliday made his statement on Saturday on who is the best in the NL East.

The 4^th inning was one of the worst innings I have endured in a long time but the big picture here is what happened in the bottom of the 1^st. David Wright just gave Santana a 3-0 cushion and Mets Twitter-verse were popping champagne corks. But Santana broke a cardinal sin of pitching, when your team puts up a crooked number in your half of the inning, you need to pitch a scoreless inning in the oppositions half inning, Santana failed that. There were some stupid Tweets about if the game was at “Citi Field those wouldn’t be home runs” bottom line Santana needed a 1-2-3 inning there and he failed.

The other thoughts I had after this disaster was about Tom Seaver and Doc Gooden and Jerry Koosman  those three guys would not have lost that game yesterday, in fact all three  would have stepped off the mound and adjusted there cups to show the Phillie fans just what they thought of them.  I even thought of Frank “Sweet Music “ Viola or Rosalita Leiter and Petey, they would not only not walk Jamie Moyer, they would have attacked Carlos Ruiz. Neither would have Sid Fernandez or Craig Swan. Or Ron Darling or Bobby Ojeda. Or John Matlack or David Cone. Or Orel Hershiser or even T-t-t-t-o-m G-g-g-g-lavine (God forgive me!)

If Santana pitches like the Ace he says he is last night and the Mets win, I leave my house this morning without pants on as my arousal couldn’t be contained, instead I’m as flaccid as Johan Santana’ fastball.

Johan Santana has lost me right now, and I think he’s lost his teammates a bit as well. After the 4^th inning the Mets bench was dead. Their top pitcher just got his ass handed to him and all the good cheer of the last homestand and the game on Friday went out the window. Of course the players won’t say so and all would deny it loudly, but actions speak louder than words. Forget Mets fans trust, Santana needs to regain his teammates trust more.

I wonder who Mother Nature was more sick of, home plate umpire Mike Esterbrook or the inane droning of Joe Morgan but whoever it was, Mets fans thank her for the heavy rain that ended last nights Mets game and Big Plef’ heavy lifting pitching performance with a rain shortened win over the struggling Braves. For the Mets it’s about time they got a positive break and lost in this awful game was the fact the Mets swept the Braves, which should be big time news around these parts.

Pelfrey was not as bad as his line indicates; he was mostly the victim of Esterbrook’s tight as a fly’s asshole strike zone. If the game was on SNY instead of the steady in decline WWL (ESPN’s 2010 NFL Draft wasn’t even public access quality) we would have gotten the overhead view of home plate to see just where Pelf was missing. On the ESPN telecast it looked to me he was hitting the corners consistently.  

Of his 106 pitches, Pelf threw 61 of them in the first two innings, from the third to fifth it took him only 45 pitches to get through those frames. The ability to locate his fastball low in the strike zone and mix in the slider as well has been key for Pelf in getting ground ball out after ground ball out.

I haven’t verified this yet, but the rumor is when the game was called last night, Jerry Manuel sent Fernando Nieve to the bullpen to throw a simulated game. J-Man said he wanted to keep Nieve “sharp”.

A tip of the solid blue Mets cap to Caryn Rose (a/k/a Metsgrrl) for not only going to the game last night but for letting us know though her Tweets on Twitter, that the game was well attended even though on TV it looked like there was a major evacuation in Flushing. Seems now that we have a new fancy pants ball park, there are plenty of places to get high and stay dry. Whereas Shea, during a game in the rain your choice was get wet sitting in your seat or get wet standing in the concourse. I give anyone who went to the game last night a ton of credit as it was so cold and misserable last night in NYC, that I broke down and put the heat back on last night.  

The Hollywood Bums come to town starting tonight and the very hittable Hiroki Kuroda will start the first game of the series tonight against Ollie Perez. This game has the potential for both teams to hit double digits.  The Dodgers are statistically the best team in the NL but fall to the bottom in just about every pitching category in the league. The Mets have smacked around Kuroda every time they’ve faced him (0-2 one no-decision 10.1IP 23H 10.45 ERA) Ollie Perez has been OK Ollie so far this season but lets hope the outstanding pitching the starters have shown this past week or so rubs off on OP.

I hope you can join me tomorrow night at 10PM ET for THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN on BLOG TALK RADIO. My guest will be Steve Slowinski of the DRAYSBAY site as we talk about the Tampa Bay Rays and their surge to the top on the AL East. I’ll have a recap of the Mets-Dodgers game as well and a look ahead to what is now a big weekend series with the Phillies. If you can’t join me live you can hear a replay of the show right here at Kranepool Society or at my show page on BLOG TALK RADIO.   

Sure we are all giddy about the Mets 2-1 win but if you sit down and think about it for a moment, yesterday/last night’s game should have your Blue and Orange blood near a boil and not just because we had to endure nearly seven hours of Tim Mc Fullofshit.

While everyone is killing the Stinkin’ Genius for using position players on the mound over men who make their living at the art or for sending those artist to hit in key spots, what those actions screamed out to me was, LaRussa has absolutely no respect for the New York Mets. We all joke on how TLR tries be Belichick like in his approach to baseball but can you tell me if he was playing the Cubs or Phillies he’d have managed the same way? Hell no.

TLR showed you what he thought of the Mets offense by using Felipe Lopez and Jeff Mather to pitch and pitcher Kyle Lohse to play LF. LaRussa was getting killed on Twitter last night and speaking of Twitter I believe I set a Twitter record for most un-follows in a single day as I just about told every Highlander fan who follows me and was rooting for the Cards to tie the score in the bottom of the 19^th inning to go fuck themselves.  That’s why Highlander fans are the Ass Hats of Baseball Fans.

Oh yeah where was I, yes TLR getting his ass handed to him on Twitter because he lifted Matt Holiday in the 10^th but it seemed that Holiday was weak from the flu and just could not continue. This is crazy, me defending TLR so let me get back to reality and skew his ass for letting Yadier Molina catch 20 innings and not using backup Brain Anderson earlier. However I hope Molina has temporary paralysis today and can’t get out of bed. My sympathy for Yadier Molina has a shelf life of five minutes.

Now to our resident genius J-Man. Nice job having Frankie Rodz warm up for eight innings and have him leave his best stuff in the bullpen. As for the Seth Everett report about Mets players not happy with J-Man, don’t kill the messenger. Every player that Everett mentioned did have a beef with the Warlord. Johan Santana, who was not only outstanding on the mound yesterday but gets bows and salutations for remaining on the bench for the whole game and he even wore a rally cap. Big Pelf had his on to but I think he wears is hat like that all the time. Jerry Manuel skipped over Santana for an extra day to let Ollie Perez pitch, rightfully so, Johan was not happy. You do not skip over your Ace unless said Ace request the extra day. Knowing Santana, he’d like to start every other day. Jose Reyes was named in the report as well. Reyes just back from missing just about all of last season and the later part of spring training and is not 100 % at the plate. It would have been best to let him play a few more extended spring games but these are desperate times in Metsville so Reyes did not get much hitting rehab done. So while he tries to get his stroke back, Manuel floats the idea to hit him third. Reyes won’t come out publicly and say what he feels but with trying to get back into baseball shape that last thing he wants or needs is to be moved to the most important spot in the lineup at this time. The thing that makes you wonder about Manuel’ thinking is when Luis Castillo said he was not comfortable batting 8^th J-Man stopped hitting him 8^th. I would think Jose Reyes carries more clout than the Tree Stump. John Maine, disgusted with himself over his piss poor pitching performances hears from the scribes that his pitching life is on the line as per the Warlord. Finally showing some piss and vinegar, Maine marched into Manuel’s office for some answers. Good to see a pulse their John Boy. As for Frenchy? He just a yenta he can’t help himself. Frenchy reminds me of the old ladies on my block as a kid who would open their windows all the way and put a pillow over the sill and watch everyone’s comings and goings and report the news of the street to the other house frows . That’s Frenchy. All that’s missing are humongous boobs and a house dress.

Now this not to say that Seth Everett broke a story here like the Yenta said, he was never in the locker room or at the ball park so most likely Everett is reading all the Mets blogs for his info and of course he’ll never give us credit.

How about the heart of the Mets batting order, Wright-Bay-Yenta going a combined 1 for 20. I’m pretty sure if Jason Bay struck out for the fifth time in the game, his contract would have automatically voided. After Alex Cora’s great catch at in foul territory, John Rico and Sandy Johnson had to tie up Omar Minaya as Omar was ready to extend Cora’s deal for five years.

Judging by Ruben Valdes running the bases yesterday I guess the idea of sliding pits never reached Cuba.

Angel Pagan went 3 for 6 yesterday, the best hitting line on the team, look for GMJ to play the next three games.

Lost in all the hubbub of yesterday was that this was the third straight game the Mets got a top starting performance from a starting pitcher. How about Big Pelf and win and a save in the last three days. I’m rooting hard for John Maine tonight, because with all the bullshit aside it comes down to this team getting pitching. The bullpen has been great but overworked if the starters get deeper into games the next week or so to give the pen a little time to rejuvenate this season can get turned around. See this what happens when you watch a 2-1, 20 inning, 6 hr. 53 min baseball game with Tim McFullofshit talking out his ass, you suffer from McFullofshit Fatigue Syndrome.

That’s why it was damn shame yesterday/last night’s game was not on SNY just to hear Keith Hernandez bitch and moan and of course it would have been the best opportunity for him to scream out a profanity.

UPDATE: May be imbalance in thyroid levels with Reyes. Headed to New York. Test is Monday.

It never ends it never FUCKING ends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE 1:54PM: I wonder if this problem with Reye’s thyroid has anything to do with the procedure Dr.Galea did to him up in Toronto last year? If I’m Mets I want answers NOW!!!!

  10 days until pitchers and catchers

If you are a long time football fan, the conclusion of last night’s Super Bowl was something you thought you’d never ever see, the New Orleans Saints parading around with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. As great as a season as the Saints have had, I still had to pinch myself a bit watching Tom Benson, the used car salesman, more famous for his dancing after Saints wins at home, which were few an far between and for threatening to move the Saints to any city that would build him a stadium for free, talk about your Benson Boogie.

I have to admit the only time I saw the Saints on TV, back in the day, was during the weekly highlights show that NFL Films produced every week (the great John Facenda doing the voice over) because the Saints were never ever on television. Every week in fact the Saints games were usually the first highlights shown as they were so bad Ed Sabol wanted them out the way quick and every week we watched poor ol’ Archie Manning get his ass kicked. The Saints were so bad, their fans not only called them the “Aints, but there wore paper bags over the heads during games. Now they are Super Bowl Champs, Stunning!!!

I don’t really get to caught up in the Super Bowl commercials but my favorite was the Letterman/Oprah, Leno spot for sure. I also liked the Punxsutawney Polamalu one and the fiddling beaver (you can’t imagine how many disgusting thoughts went through my head during that commercial) and if I want to look at a bad body white man in his underwear, I’ll look in the mirror which is something I avoid at all cost.

Reading some of the critical Tweets on Twitter after The Who performed at halftime, at first pissed me off but then I just took it as ignorance from a generation that thinks Lady Ga-Ga is not only talented but cutting edge. They never saw Wendy O. Williams come out on stage with just a g-string or Joan Jet in a string bikini asking the audience “Do you want to touch me there, where”?. You can all laugh at Roger and Pete and say their old has beens but I was at Madison Square Garden in 1979 for one of the 5 night the band sold out MSG and I was at one of the greatest concerts ever, October 1982 at Shea Stadium with The Clash opening for The Who. I was there and you little shit’s weren’t but I’m not mad at you, I feel sorry for you. Now go back to your Taylor Swift CD LOL!!!!!

So when does Steve Phillips apologize to Mets fans for fucking us ?

First the Saints win the Super Bowl, and then Fernando Martinez wins the MVP of the Caribbean World Series? Are worlds colliding here? I hope this is an awakening for young Fernando that he excels during the spring and forces the Mets to bring him North and play center field until Carlos Beltran comes back. Angel Pagan is what he is, a fourth outfielder, Martinez is the guy who needs to grab this job in spring.

  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!

 

So the Skill Sets have sent out invoices to their loyal season ticket holders and some of these customers it seemed got bigger decreases in the invoice than others. If you’re a fat cat who buys tickets in the Metropolitan section you get a bigger break than the guy who buys tickets in the Promenade. It seems the less you know or care about the Mets, the better the Mets organization takes care of you.  Oh yeah, the Skill Sets need a partial payment by December 4^th so they can pay Bobby Bonillia’ his yearly stipend from his buyout.

 

 

I’m a fan of Carlos Beltran as he is a great player and is a very charitable man, but as a GM he leaves a lot to be desired. Beltran stated yesterday he’d love for the Mets to bring back Carlos Delgado for next season. I’m glad Beltran is so fond of Delgado, but the next time I see Delgado at a Mets game it should be for Old Timers Day.

 

Who wouldn’t want a stud pitcher like Roy Halladay? But does it make sense for the Mets to get involved in a trade for the Blue Jay ace? Word is the Highlanders and BOSOX are ready to talk turkey with the Jay-Birds but who knows how much of this is fact or bullshit and if the Mets were to get involved do the Mets have the pieces to make it happen? It seems the Jay want quality over quantity so if you’re the Mets do you have anything that the Jays would want? If you take Vernon Wells of their hands you could get Halladay for nothing but do who wants to saddle themselves with $98.5 mil in contract? As you can see I have a lot of questions but no answers.

 

I saw this last night on via Twitter on the Tirico Suave site and like I said there, this is Gold PURE GOLD. Mike Francesa never looked so hip!

 

I saw a bunch of guys stand around Port Richmond Ave on Staten Island this morning looking for day labor work and I swear one of them was Lou Dobbs.

 

Seems that Chuckie Gruden could be the next head football coach at Norte Dame. I think it’s a foregone conclusion that Charlie Weis is the lamest of ducks at ND and the list of names will be filled with names like Chuckie, Urban Myer, and Skip Holtz to name three but the bottom line is Weis has not only been a coaching disaster but a prick as well. The funny thing about Weis and Eric Manasshole in Cleveland is they want to be like Billy B up in Foxboro but they forget if you want to be a first class asshole you better be a successful first class asshole.