Pelf had a great start to the season and then was just average in May and June and down right awful in July and now has bounced back to this April quality this month of August.  So how did Big Pelf turn his season around?

For one thing Pelfrey is back to throwing strikes and using his two seamer  with authority. It seems any problems Pelf has it always comes down to confidence in his pitches and this year it’s taken him a while to master that two seam fastball which is a new pitch added to his arsenal. It seems that pitch eluded him for the month of July and one thing we know for sure about Big Pelf is for a big strapping guy, he can be quite fragile emotionally. Maybe the July meltdown and the fact that he now realizes his problems are in his head and not his arm will be the turning point to his career. There is too much talent here for Pelfrey not to become a stud pitcher.

I watched just bits and pieces of last night’s game as I was more involved in the Red Sox-Rays game but I did see that Jerry Manuel brought Bobby Parnell in to pitch the 9^th inning last night but then let Takahashi finish the game. Parnell  K’d Hunter Pence then gave up a single to Carlos Lee who took second on Pagan’s double then after Chris Johnson singled Manuel decides it’s time to become Tony LaRussa and over manage by bringing in Takahashi. Why not see if Parnell can get out the jam ? I can see the point of not wanting to lose this game and get Pelfrey a another win but I’d would think with Parnell having been pitching well in this spot of late and with Parnell looking to fill the void at closer why not let him finish? Even if he gives up a hit and the lead and blows the save, at least you can see how he responds to that as closers have to have short memories in order to succeed. You could lose this battle but win the war if Parnell shows the guts to forget it and comeback strong in his next outing. He could also strikeout the next two batters and have his confidence sore from that experience as well. Maybe that was too much for Jerry Manuel to think about .

 

I don’t know what’s more bizarre the way the Mets played the last three games with the same enthusiasm I had when I was force to go with my family to visit some old spinster aunt as a kid, or the fact that Jerry Manuel acts like he’s Walter Alston and is manager here for life?

 

How can J-Man be so confident that he will be back as the skipper of the Flushing Titanic? As much as I’m flamed here as a Daniel Murphy fanboy, there is no way in the world I’d have played him last night after his two miscues last night. The first one to me was inexcusable, as Murph looked like a fat gut afraid to spilt his pants by not going after the ground ball down the first base line? Never ass-u-me Danny, just react. Don’t wait for the umpire to call fair or foul as they say in football “play through the whistle”. The second error was just an all around fuck up but then again and we all know the Mets are the world leaders in all around fuck ups.

 

By the way Frankie Rodriguez was on the money killing Murphy for the error and calling him out. He deserved it.

 

Back to J-Man what exactly has he done this year to be so confident he’ll be back as manager. As much as I still watch the Mets it is getting tougher and tougher as they play out the string. Com’on guys can you fake it a few games like you give a shit?

 

MLB TRADE RUMORS has its 2010 outlook for the Mets up. I haven’t had the time to go over the roster who I feel should go or stay yet but one thing the Mets have to do is buy out JJ Putz at a $1M there is no way you’re paying him $8mil to set up Frankie Rodriguez. I’d be fine with John Maine moving to the 8^th inning spot next year and going after a solid veteran #3 starter with the money saved on Putz.

 

I can’t get a whole head of steam worked up for this off season as we don’t know how much the Brokester Skill Sets will spend. I’m just waiting for October 5^th when they announce the hike in ticket prices for next year. What? The Skill Sets can’t be that stupid to even think of raising ticket prices. I guess you’re new around here.

 

WEEK 2 NFL PICKS

(Home team in CAPS)

 

Patriots -31/2 over JETS

 

I like my coaches to coach and my players to play and leave the cheering and booing to professional THE FANS. Rex Ryan talks a lot of shit and his still green and needs to back it up just like the rest of the Jets. Even though I’m a Giants fan I hold no hatred for the Jets but when you start bad mouthing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady you look like a jerk. BB and TB will run up the score in this one.

 

FALCONS -6 ½ over Panthers

 

The Carolina Cats QB Jack Delhomme is on very shaky ground and Falcons QB Matt Ryan is turning into a first class signal caller. The Panthers have turnover issues and the Dirty Birds thrive on fumbles and INT’s Add in the game is in the DOME the Birds of Hot’lanta will soar.

 

Cardinals +3 over JAGUARS

 

Is this a trap? I’ll find out Sunday 

 

 

^ 

 

 

40 years ago today I was sitting in my living room with my parents waiting for the event of a lifetime, man walking on the moon. I was 11 years old and from what I can remember, the lunar module landed in the late afternoon but Neil Armstrong didn’t step on the moon surface until night time (10 PM ) I do remember my father waking me up to see this as I fell asleep on the couch as he didn’t want me to miss this unbelievable piece of history. No one could believe what they were seeing and the thing a lot of people feared was the astronauts getting stranded on the moon. In fact President Nixon had a speech already to address this if it happened.

I’m really sad to hear of the passing of Frank McCourt whose life story laid out in Angela’s Ashes is just one of greatest books ever written. I had the pleasure of meeting Frank and Malachy McCourt as they did their show ”A Couple of Blaguards” and it was a thrill and privilege to meet him and I’m honored to be known as a “blaguard” myslef .

Kevin Youkils is lucky he didn‘t get more than hit in the elbow last night. Remember last season before Manny Ramirez was shipped out of Boston he kicked Youks ass as he got tired of him throwing his helmet after making an out in the Red Sox dugout.

Next on the walking wounded list is Ryan Church you claims to have teak a hammy so now the Mets will play two position players down.

Bravo Gary Cohen and I think I speak for the vast majority of Mets fans who HATE hearing Sweet Caroline at $iti Field. Please Gary you are the one with the ear of the nit wits in management. Your our only hope.

 

When I go to any sporting event I get there hours before the start as I love watching warm ups. There is nothing better than watching batting practice. My family can’t understand this how I can sit in ballpark and watch guys hit a baseball and field fly balls. There are still the few die hards that line up at ball parks and arenas like me for the gates to open but I think these days it’s becoming a lost art.

 

My wife was stunned this past winter when I turned down tickets to see the New York Football Giants play the Iggles at the Medowlands. I turned it down because I weighed the pros and cons and the cons won. The pros were a day with friends, watching my favorite football team in person, getting a better idea of various formations on offense and defense and having a general good time. The cons, it’s cold, too much down time with game stoppage and TV timeouts, and sitting in insufferable traffic. Then when you add in at home you have your own HDTV, no lines for the bathroom, attendants (children) and a big comfy chair when you think about it you have be nuts to go to the game.

 

I bring this up because I saw to day that STUBHUB has a ton of tickets on it’s site for the exhibition games this weekend between the Mets and Red Sox. The strange thing is these games SOLD OUT in 45 minutes or so we were told. It looks like the bulk of the tickets went to the secondary market, you know the new business that used to be called scalpers.

 

It will be a trend to watch this season with both the Mets and Highlanders to see if fans after their first trip to the new ballparks get that “been there, done that feeling” and pass up paying big money to go to a game to spend big money.

 

When you think about it for what you pay for tickets to a game plus food, souviners and other incidentals (it’s always those damn incidentals that will get you) and gas and tolls is it worth it? With the state of the economy, if you are fortunate enough to have discretionary funds put aside do you spend it on a day at the old ball game or a weekend at the shore?        

 

 

As great as it was to watch are darling boy, D-Wright get an opposite field base hit to beat Puerto Rico, it all went to shit with the news that he fouled a ball off his big toe in game that meant NOTHING!!!!!! To make it worse, Wright is the lone 3^rd baseman left on Team America so he stayed in the game –clearly in pain- and has made it known that no matter what the Mets say, he will play this weekend in the semi-finals, even with only nine toes. Add that to OP and his mid season pitch count and that the returning Puerto Ricans and Dominicans are exhausted from this bullshit tournament, we of the Flushing Faithful are holding our breath that the Mets won’t have to add injury to the list of enemies to start the season.

 

You know you’re a red neck when…………………..

 

Anyone have Mackey Sasser’ phone number?

 

The Mets do not want to see Billy Wagner ever again. Forget about him coming back in September to fortified the bullpen it’s not happening. Remember how Wagner bitched and moaned about coming into non-save situations and not starting innings and not coming in for 4 outs saves so where exactly does he fit in here? He’s not going to close or set up a save hell, he isn’t even going to be the bridge to the set up man (that looks to be Bobby Parnell) so he doesn’t fit here anymore. It’s not personal, it’s business.

 

Au revior Chief, unfortunately your time has come as Livan Hernandez has won the 5^th starter spot in the Mets rotation. The back ups for the starting rotation are Tim Redding, Jon Niese, and Nelson Figueroa and if it goes any deeper than that it won’t matter anymore as we will all be looking for the start of NFL training camp if it comes to that.