N.Y. Mets ~ The Hot Stove Finally Yields Warmth

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

THE HOT STOVE

NEW YORK METS:  Someone Must Have Lit the Pilot Light. There's Heat Coming Out of the Mets' Hot Stove At Last.


This is the kind of heat Sandy Alderson was generating Tuesday night in Vietnam at the Winter Meetings:


TRADE:
San Francisco Giants - get   Angel Pagan.
New York Mets - get   OF-Andres Torres  and   RP-Ramon Ramirez.

FREE AGENT ACQUISITIONS:
RP - Frank Francisco
RP - Jon Rauch





Angel Pagan was always a favorite of mine due in large part because he played on the 2001 Brooklyn Cyclones championship team.  And I was happy when we re-acquired him from the Cubs.  The hope was that his break-out 2010 campaign was the real deal.  It clearly didn't work out in the way many people would have liked.  So ya gotta credit Sandy Alderson for pulling off a crafty move such as the one he is finalizing with San Francisco by unloading someone coming off a suspect season both at the plate and in the field.  Someone on the Left Coast must really likes us, as they keep taking our unwanted players and giving us actual quality in return.  Now if we can only convince the Giants to take Jason Bay off our hands also, we'd be mint.



We have to yet reassemble a new core of players that warrant big money expenditures to supplement a team needing one or two players to get them over the top.  We are not one of those teams.  That's why Jose Reyes is not longer a Met.  But on the Pagan trade, I'm amazed we got that much.  How ever much I'm a fan of Angel Pagan, I'm pleased the purging of the previous era continues.  But now we officially need a lead-off hitter.



Then on the sixth day of December, the GM Sandy Alderson said - Let there Be a Bullpen.  And it was.  And we think it's good.  The three newly acquired relievers will not be the second coming of the 1990 Nasty Boys.  But they should be able to do a far better job than the bullpen did last season.  If they stay healthy and just pitch to their career averages, it still should be worth a few more wins than last season.  No? 



We all remember how crafty the Mets were scoring the few runs they managed last season.  With a power-challenged and unimposing line-up, to our enjoyment Terry's Kids literally pulled many comebacks out of their pants, only to have the bullpen blow those hard fought leads to smithereens.  Twenty one times the Bullpen snatched victory from the Mets' grasp.  I heard today that stat qualified  for worst in both Leagues.  R.A. Dickey in particular can probably be found doing cartwheels somewhere right now.



My initial reaction to the free agent signings? - Savvy and Shrewd.  This is the other side of spending big money on one player.  Yes, that speaks directly to Jose Reyes.  The Wilpons and their money problems aside, most times it's wiser to disperse your money among several capable players.  It's sound baseball philosophy.  Every condition and situation is different for every team at different times.  In this instance, Sandy Alderson addressed a very specific need and gave it instant depth.  Actual talent is still yet to be determined.



I can't help but think about the three consecutive seasons former GM Steve Phillips deconstructed his bullpen and reconstructed it with ruinous results each time.  For a time reference, think Jerry DiPoto along with some others.  And lest we forget Omar's last attempt to solidify the bullpen with J.J. Putz. Point is you never know how these relievers will pan out from season to season.  You need a Farmer's Almanac to figure relievers out sometimes.



It seems like Bobby Parnell is now the odd man out.  Just as long as the Mets continue to develop him, whether here or at Buffalo, I would still hope they'll give him another crack at becoming this team's closer in the near future.  But it's clear 2012 will not be that chance.  All I ask is please..., let's keep his 100 mph fastball within our organization....please?  Thank you.







Mike.BTB

N.Y. Mets ~ State of METRopolis; Part III

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NEW YORK METS:  State of METropolis - PART III.

State of METropolis; PART II - Pitching Staff
State of METropolis; PART I - Ownership, Front Office; Management


VII.  THE POSITIONAL PLAYERS:

Nothing too scientific here.  This is just the way I see the field right now.


Catcher - Mike Piazza took his last at-bat for the Mets in 2005.  Over the next five years, there was  exactly one season that speaks well for the position.  That season came in 2006 and was authored by Paul LoDuca who hit over .300 batting second in the order.  Outside of that, the back-stop position has been...backed-up. 


After several years of bar league backstops, I was more than happy to welcome virtually the only catching prospect we had; Josh Thole; to the club, albeit prematurely.  He rose through the system based on the strength of his hitting.  He clearly needed more time in the minors or at least one more full season at Buffalo prior to his promotion to Flushing.  We all get that.  But with his arrival also started my man-crush. 


I realize I may be part of the minority of Thole supporters.  However, I am am wholly committed to giving him the starting job behind the dish next season.  On-the-job training is a tough way to learn your craft.  And defensively, to his detractors I cede the fact he needs work on his technique.  But I believe in him.  He's shown himself to be a very pushy receiver with his pitchers.  I like that.  And when allowed, he's called very nice games along the way (especially when Coach Collins lets him catch Dillon Gee). 



Otherwise, what can I tell you?  I like him...  I believe more than anything, last season Coach Collins didn't exactly utilize him they way I would have liked.  And it's hard for any young player to establish a feel for the game when asked to be a second option.  That's a way of me saying - no platooning.  At least in my eyes, the catcher has exhibited quite a few instances of being a clutch hitter and finished the season on a strong, positive note.  Thole is still a young guy.  But my guess is Sandy Alderson might be looking to upgrade the position if something presents itself.  I would kindly ask for patience however for our young back-stop and a steady dose of playing time.


There is no catching prospect currently in the system to speak of.  So if Sandy's plan is to just swap Thole out with a middle of the road, low salary, yet more experienced catcher, I'd sooner stick with Thole, unless he is retained as a back up or sent to Buffalo with a possible future as Met catcher still in tact.  I do not want him traded.  This is all part of his developmental process.  If Thole doesn't exhibit significant enough progress in 2012, then I'd consider a decision to make a move a bit more reasonable.




First Base - I once though how nice it could have had Carlos Delgado been able to get his 500th home run as a Met.  He came close.  His bad hip said no however.  After the solid years he had in Flushing, if he had hit that milestone home run here, how high in regard would we have elevated Delgado in Met history?  I wonder.  I'd imagine the range would be from not at all, to fairly important.


Fast forward and Ike Davis is a story about an injury which still has everyone puzzled.  Even when the injury occurred, no one who was at the park to witness it, nor watching on TV could have ever  imagined that seemingly minor collision between him and David Wright would turn out so disastrously.  If his recovery goes well over the winter and he's ready for Spring Training and available on Opening Day, I'd assume the job is still his.  And if he picks up where he left off, the Mets will be in great shape at first base.


Showing power as part of a strong finish to the season, Lucas Duda played himself into the official back-up plan should Ike Davis be slow to return.  He's by far a better first baseman than he is a right fielder.  But that doesn't mean he won't wind up back out there. 



This is another position where there is no clear cut minor league prospect ready to step in.  Additionally, there's two very prominent first basement on the free agent market this season; Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.  Will or can the Mets be players for either player's services?  Uh...,No.  Next position.




Second Base - Justin Turner is a spunky kid.  He made the memory of Luis Castillo disappear from our minds quickly.  Is he the answer at second base?  Probably not.  Looking back, this position hasn't been manned by a good quality player since Edgardo Alfonso.  And not since Jose Valentin hit 17 home runs from this position in 2006 have we had anything to scream about.  Kaz Matsui made us scream but for different reasons.



Speaking of Kaz Mastui, he reminds me of the foolish attempt by the Mets to switch Jose Reyes to second base to accommodate Matsui upon his signing.  And that's why I'm still against Daniel Murphy being a viable candidate at second base.  I don't like putting players out of position.  But Murphy never really had a position to begin with.  The best place for him is probably the American League.  The Mets have a history of playing guys out of position, that I do not believe I ever found myself in agreement with even once.



It seems as if Met fans have been waiting for Reese Havens to rise through the system forever now.  He's been slowed by injuries which no doubt set him back a bit.  Josh Satin is also part of the conversation now.  So at least organizationally, the Mets are showing a little depth at second base.  What that means for 2011 is still indeterminable.  Of course, if Jose Reyes is retained, this job should belong to Ruben Tejada.



Trades, Free Agents?  Next position.



Shortstop - Jose Reyes with the Miami Marlins?  !Aye caramba!  Does it matter?  It doesn't look like Jose Reyes is coming back whether he winds up in South Beach or Siberia.  If his price stays low due to a lack of serious bidders, then there's the chance he stays a Met.  But Sandy Alderson assured METopolis the club won't be dictating the pace of negotiations, nor establishing a market-maker's offer.  With next year's payroll becoming more fixed and rigid by the day, it seems unlikely the Mets can afford to retain him and still maintain a projected $100 million dollar payroll with only a handful of players earning the lion's share.


Where do they potentially go from here?  Ruben Tejada?  He got a little better with every game he played.  But like many of the early season mayday call-ups, he/they were forced into the big show prematurely.  That said, he like Duda, finished strong as the season wound down.  Tejada is versatile enough to play second base also.  But this is his natural position and one that just might be his on Opening Day.



Prospects?  Wilmer Flores remains the top future prospect at shortstop but may not be ready till 2013.  Buffalo's Jordany Valdespin would be next in line for the often needed emergency call-up.



Tades; Free Agents?  Next position please...



Third Base - He of the butterfly-net sized third baseman's glove and humbled by the Great Wall of Flushing - What a tangled web he's caught in.  If Reyes goes, David Wright is next.  They'll be no use in keeping him around even though the Mets will never call this a rebuilding period.  But the time is coming soon when David Wright will be in the same position Jose Reyes found himself in entering this last season; his contract year.  Are the Mets committed to David Wright long term?  Most teams would have come to that determination already.  Should the Mets commit to David Wright long term?  Those are two different questions that take a back seat to the fact the Mets can't commit to David Wright long term.  And this time, I hope the Mets learned a lesson, unless they prefer the potential compensation as in the case if Reyes signs elsewhere.  But if I had my way, David Wright gets traded no later than next year's dead-line.  If we can trade him over the Winter...better.



I believe the return on trading David Wright will help the Mets move forward more effectively than by retaining David Wright in light of the organization's tribulations.  The team has other more pressing needs and the truth is third base is an easily replaceable position.  Let's face it, Sandy Alderson is taking this team in a grass-roots direction so why waist David Wright's time in an uncompetitive situation.  If you thought the 2011 season was a downer, 2012 will be down right depressing.



It's natural for things to get worse before they get better.  That's part of the RE-building process.  There's much to gain by selling high.  While Carlos Beltran represented a bit of a different dynamic for the Mets, you still have to consider the potential return by making an early move.  The Mets got back a nice San Francisco treat for Beltran.  It's something to consider.



I would also remind Met fans, David Wright was drafted by the Mets with their compensation for Mike Hampton.  Like Reyes, David Wright's situation is unfortunate.  I'm with you on that.  But in this organization's present situation, and condition, it's in our best interest to maximize on David Wright's current return value.



On the farm?  There's nothing much to speak of in the way of third basemen that can help anytime soon.



Left Field - This, along with catcher, second base, and right field, has been The Land of the Lost; replete with stop-motion action dinosaurs; Sleestaks; and a bunch of Will and Holly players.  The position was last best served by the hobbled Cliff Floyd.  When healthy, he was cool.  Before him you'd have to recall Benny Agbayani and Bernard Gilkey before that.  After Floyd broke down, the position has been in an Ice Age.  Omar Minaya, didn't just acquire a recovered caveman like Moises Alou.  Omar made the huge mistake of relying heavily on him.  Only a great catch by Endy Chavez made us forget how woeful the position really was.  What we got out of left field since then has been strictly bar league stuff, right up until the day we acquired Jason Bay as a free agent...in a strictly knee-jerk signing by the organization.  And well, we all know how that has gone..., like a fart in a space suit I'd say.  There's been no escaping the stink of the deal.



As far as trades or free agents?  Next position...



Center Field - Angel Pagan was recently tendered by the club.  OK.  He's another player I have an attachment for because of his days playing for Brooklyn.  And by his standards, he's been somewhat healthy these last two seasons.  The question is which player is he?  Is he Pagan of 2010, or is he the regressed player of 2011?  Either way, the truth is he's a fourth outfielder.  He's a tremendous bench player.  But as far as being the starting center fielder?  Well, he's leaving something to be desired.  He filled his need with the Mets admirably and always conducted himself humbly and with class.  He even took it upon himself to make sure the Media and the Latin speaking players communicated correctly together, this way nothing got lost in translation.  That's all fine and well, and my sentiments for him aside, center field is officially a need of the New York Mets.



Jonathan Malo and Darrell Ceciliani are still down below.  How far away are they?  Maybe a year and two respectively.



Trades?  The rumors displease me so much, I'm not even getting into potential deals.  As far as free agents?  Next position...



Right Field - ...Or should we call this Adventure Land?  The position never recovered from the ugly collision between Mike Cameron and Carlos Beltran.  Xavier Nady, whom I really grew to like in his short time here was hastily traded for relief pitching.  Then Omar kicked the tires on a clearly finished Shawn Green.  Ever since Ryan Church suffered a concussion and turned out to not be the solution in right field, the position has remained a no-man's land.

*   *   *   *

 

Regarding all outfield positions, whatever the Mets already have in their system is clearly Plan B at this point.  Lucas Duda seemed more comfortable and showed more smoothness at first base than he did in right field, where he looked like Frankenstein wrecking the lab upon misjudging balls hit in the gap.  But that's where he may very well wind up next season.  His bat put him into a position where his pop is now needed in the line-up.  But we know his position hinges on the recovery of Ike Davis.



One time Brooklyn Cyclone, Kirk Nieuwenhuis is close.  He just may be ready to make the step up to the Bigs next season,  He started the season in Binghampton before a promotion to Buffalo.  Keep in mind however, many Buffalo players were promoted from Double-A in part because the big club needed to back-fill so many injuries.



As mentioned above, Darrell Ceciliani has potential to skyrocket through the system as a center fielder.  He was the 2010 NYPL batting champ.  Jonathan Malo is another former Brooklyn player whom I thought we'd hear from sooner but is still held in high enough regard.



Maybe in a few years we may one day see what the fuss over 2011 Draftee Brandon Nimmo is all about.  But the outfielder creating perhaps the largest buzz within the system right now might be Corey Vaughn.





PART IV is in the works to bring our Mets situation a little more up to date.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. METS ~ Mets Get Fish-Slapped

From the desk of:  HEAD BUTTING MR. MET



NEW YORK METS:  ...And The Big Shake-Up That Wasn't.


I like Sandy Alderson.  I like the Front Office shake-up.  In that respect, the Wilpons finally did something I can't criticize by going off campus for a change, and reinvigorating the organization with fresh, new minds.


As far as the Trade Deadline though, I myself had different ideas.  But it looks like Sandy Alderson will be taking the more methodical approach in rebuilding the club.  The July 31st cutoff point wasn't the fire-works extravaganza I hoped it would be.  But that's fine.  In Sandy I trust.  That in itself is already a small victory for me. 


There are always trades to be made in August after passing players through waivers.  So, more deals may still yet develop.  And the coming off season will probably be one where Sandy Alderson takes a few more liberties with his position than he did last winter after freshly being hired as GM.  The way I see things, the Mets trading window opened right away this season when they started adding by subtracting players like Castillo; Perez; etc.


My thing is, once I commit to detonation, I like to blow things up.  Disagree with me as much as you like; we're all free-range Met Fans here; but I was looking for total separation from the previous era.  Of course I realize a purge doesn't take place with one wave of the hand.  But I would have liked to have taken major steps in that direction during this trading period.  I'm not hiding from the fact I would have traded Reyes and Wright with the right deal.  I have my reasons most of which I have already shared here.  I would have tried to move Angel Pagan (one of my favorites); R.A. Dickey; Daniel Murphy; and Izzy as well.


And so, Sandy didn't detonate the team.   Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran were pretty big names to move.   However, we were prepared those, and understood the moves.


I wasn't thinking playoffs in Spring Training.  I wasn't thinking playoffs in April; May; June; or July either.  So I'm not about to start now.  I'd rather be wrong, than be a hypocrite by playing ping-pong with my opinions.  I predicted the Mets to be a .500 team; nothing more; nothing less.  So far, their record speaks for itself.  But I think I stand with many when I say these guys are likable.


However, when I sit in the Man-Cave and watch the Washington Nationals and the Florida Marlins beat-us like dirty floor rugs, year in and year out, I look for things to throw at my TV.  Then I start looking at some of the constants over that period of time for explanations.


After watching Izzy surrender a grand slam to the Marlins tonight..., I feel my blood pressure rising.  Stop.





Mike.BTB

BKN CYCLONES ~ Angel Pagan Receives Ultimate Honor

From the desk of:  THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

Brooklyn Cyclones:  ANGEL PAGAN Bobble Head Day

#35 is one of three Cyclone players to have their number retired.

On an off day for the New York Mets, the Brooklyn Cyclones brought back one of their earliest heroes.  Angel Pagan returned home today, in a manner of speaking.  He was the center fielder in the Inaugural Season of the Brooklyn Cyclones back in 2001 and was an integral part of that Championship team.  As a 19 year old, he batted .314 for those Sensations by the Seashore.


Angel Pagan, and that 2001 team had us at hello.  Baseball was Back In Brooklyn and in exchange, we gave them our famous Brooklyn Fan Loyalty and Devotion.


They say you haven't really made it until you have a bobble head made in your honor.  So, the Cyclones finally presented Angel Pagan with his.

Kevin Burkhardt and Bobby Ojeda were on hand to call the game for SNY.   After leaving field level, the two made their way up to the broadcast booth right next to the Catbird Seat, where Warner Fusselle would be calling the game for Brooklynites over the radio.

 

 

 

The First Pitch would be thrown out by the evening's Guest of Honor; Angel Pagan.  He received a hearty and warm ovation from the near capacity crowd which was still filing in.

 

* * * * * * * * *

 

Another packed house watched the Brooklyn Cyclones defeat the Aberdeen Iron Birds.

FINAL

Iron Birds      4

CYCLONES  5

3-1  First Place; McNamara Division

 

From over the right field fence, the breeze blowing in off the Atlantic Ocean kept temperatures in the 70's making another night of Baseball By The Beach........Glorious.

Mike.BTB

N.Y. METS ~ The .500 Dream Sequence Redux

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET




NEW YORK METS: Hit The Dream Sequence Thing....


Dillon Gee Seizes The Moment; Helps Pitch Mets Back
To .500 Baseball.

Dillon Gee didn't resume pitching after the second rain delay in Atlanta.  But the bullpen, starting with DJ Carrasco then Bobby Parnell finished where Gee left off after four innings pitched.  Through eight innings, the Mets pitchers limited the Braves to two hits while the offense staked the team to a four run lead.

In the top of the eighth, Angel Pagan, who put the Mets ahead in the fourth inning with a two run home run, inexplicably attempted to steal second base but went in standing up and as a result, was tagged out.  Hmmm.  I'm sure Jerry Manuel was somewhere chuckling.

But otherwise, with six more outs separating the Mets from a .500 record, into the eighth inning they went.  Bobby Parnell remained in the game for a second inning trying to hold on to this 4-0 Mets' lead.  He surrendered Atlanta's second hit of the game.  But he also blew away several Braves batters for five strikeouts in two innings of work.

The Mets would go down quietly in the top of the ninth inning.  Then, only three more outs separated the Mets from .500.  The job of closing out this bench-mark win would go to Francisco Rodriguez.



And then you had that falling sensation in your sleep and abruptly woke up
sweaty and in a panic!



It's OK....wake up now.  That was just me toying with Total Recall.  But do you remember that?  If this thing crashes and burns and they recover the little Black Box, that's the stuff you'll hear the last time things appeared all-systems-go before the Mets flew over the Bermuda .500 Percentage Triangle.  Just when they thought they were headed northward in the standings and of .500 itself, they now find themselves headed south again but not really sure where the heck they are.


R.A. Dickey looked lost the other day, and Capuano just looked a little unsure Friday night against the No Where Near Los Angeles Angels.  But put both those margins of error together, and what we find is the Mets are headed way off course of .500 again.


Remember last year right about this time?  They were eleven games over .500 weren't they?  You remember.  I know you do.


I leave you with this little line from THE WHO:

".....I get on my knees and pray....., We don't get fooled again!"


The trick is to compartmentalize.  Tap into your inner pragmatism.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. METS ~ David Wright's Back Begs For Questions

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NEW YORK METS:  What's Up Now..., Doc?

The Mets are broke in the pocket book and they are broken as players.  I'm not talking about broken spirits.  I mean the Mets are literally breaking apart.  David Wright is most likely the next Met headed for the Disabled List with a stress fracture in his lower back. 

Uh oh! 

David Wright joins Ike Davis, Henrry Mejia, Chris Young, Bobby Parnell, and Angel Pagan, as ONLY THE LATEST Mets to hit the Hurt Squad.  The fragility of this team over the last three years has been totally bizarre.  One after another, after another, they succumbed to injuries.  In some cases they were freakish injuries.  Other cases turned out to be more debilitating than the club originally thought. 

Oh!  Abner Doubleday... Why have you forsaken us?

I'm not a Doctor and I didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn last night...,  But the Mets knew something hasn't been right with Wright since they played Houston on April the who cares!  It's already the sixteenth day of May! 

This brings me back to the Mets' Medical Staff again.  I'm not being silly.  Ike, Mejia, Young, and Pagan are not their fault.  Bobby Parnell is a tougher call.  But he escapes my point also. 

The Mets have known about David Wright's back for damn near a month now.  The Mets let the Carlos Beltran knee situation linger too long.  The Mets continually flip-flopped with Carlos Delgado's hip.  The same Med Staff took yet another strike call without a swing when Jose Reyes blew his jets too.  Johan Santana?  Ditto; too much indecision.

Remember the Maine; what John Maine lied about, the Mets couldn't find anyway.  His arm was a mess and they just let him keep going thinking he was......(I don't know), malingering?  While we're at it, why don't we just go back to Ryan Church's concussion since I brought up the topic of malingering.  BOY!...did Jerry Manuel the Mets get that one wrong.

So back to what the Mets Med Staff knew about David's back and when they knew it.  David just better get his own, independent, second and third opinion pronto.  Pay for it out of pocket if he has to and if the Mets don't like it - tough, because I wouldn't let them administer a Band-Aid on me.  Now we know why the Carlos Beltran situation sparked up like an unexpected brush fire on a bright sunny day catching everyone off guard like it did Omar Minaya.

Today, Sandy Alderson only sounded smarter than Omar and John Ricco combined did when they went into damage control over Beltran-Gate.  But, today Sandy could offer no more substance than those two could because....all he could offer is based on what the Med Staff is telling him.  Read between the lines on that one and all arrows point to the Wilpons again.  Maybe Sandy Alderson needs to clean the Med Staff offices out too, and hire a new staff of Quacks.

Injuries are one thing, but the way the Mets' Med Staff sits on situations sometimes is ruinous.  Why did the MRI take so long?




Mike.BTB

Welcome Home to the Citi...Boyz!!

10 August, 2010

METS vs. ROCKIES

The New York Mets' line-up is in for tonight's game.

Jose Reyes

Fernando Martinez

Angel Pagan

David Wright

Ike Davis

Chris Carter

Josh Thole

Ruben Tejada

Mike Pelfrey

This is NINE; This is a completely home-grown line-up!

Thank You Baseball Gods!

Thank You.

FINALLY!

I've been longing for a day like this for a long time; since July 1st, 2007 to be precise.

OK Mets...Let's kick this rebuilding process into high gear now.

I will take the time out to credit

JEFF WILPON.

I don't know what they talked about when he flew down to Atlanta back in June.  But Omar and Jeff seem to be committed to this transition.

GOOD!

Because I was getting tired of complaining about them taking this course of action.

As a fan, this gives me a whole new perspective about my team.

Now I exercise patience with my boys as they try to get this ship back on a positive course.

Now I get behind my kids and see who's going to stick around and who might be useful in a future transaction.  Now I can just relax and watch

BASEBALL.

Welcome Boys. 

Your arrival is long overdue.

The Mets are 55-56 and 8.5 games back entering into tonight.

The new Met Era starts now.

MIKE.BTB

Left Coast METrospection

Jose Reyes was a late scratch for tonight's game; again.  What do I mean by that?  Well, I just can't help but pick on the Met's medical staff again.  What did they detect today that they or Reyes didn't speak of before tonight's game?  If he indeed hurt himself in San Juan versus the Marlins like the story goes, he would be coming of the disabled list right about now, healthy from his oblique problem.  Problem?  Yes there's a problem.  It seems this is the same chasing the tail of the dog diagnosing that's been a real problem for this team for three years now.  Is the guy hurt or isn't he?  Does he need medical attention or surgery or doesn't he?  Does he need to be DL'd or doesn't he?  What has changed about injuries that the Mets' staff is so confused about?

Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Ryan Church, John Maine, Johan Santana...just to start, have all received indecisive, questionable, vague and sometimes plain wrong diagnosis in the recent past.

Ah yes...Carlos Beltran; He's back.  He makes his first appearance and start of the 2010 season tonight in San Francisco.  Met fans haven't seen this guy since forever, it seems.  Will he serve as the biggest positional player "acquisition" by a NL team so far this season?  Do stories like that usually turn out well for Met fans?  Hmmm.  I have made my opinions about Beltran and his return known.  Now that he's back I'll just watch how it plays itself out.  What I know is this; Angel Pagan must play every day.  Figure that out Jerry.  That's your job.  Make it happen.

Someone tell Luis Castillo not to rush getting back.

Met fans want a pitcher, myself included.  I'm only asking at what price?  I preferred to wait and try to buy Lee in the winter in order to keep Thole, Niese, F-Mart, Dylan Owen, Dillon Gee, Mejia, Havens, Malo and some others.  I guess I got what I wanted thanks to Texas.  I still feel that way about any Oswalt deal or Lilly for that matter.  The more I think about it, the more I want our kids to take over this club.  My boy Josh Thole is making another start tonight.

I know we are close.  I know we need a pitcher.  I know.  It's just that I have a vision for this club and I'm glued to it.  I know this team is on the precipice.  That's why I want to do this right!  This is the Wilpons we're talking about.

I know there's a limited amount of wins in Dickey's arm.  We've gotten lucky in our 4 and 5 spot in the rotation.

If you're old enough...think 1984.  That's where I am.  That's where I see this team in 2011.  There's just 4 or 5 more players we need off the books for my vision to gain even more focus.

What are we willing to give up for Oswalt's services; or Haren?  Maybe as a Mets fan it's better for you that I'm not in charge.  I'm not willing to give up a whole lot.  I also have zero interest in Lilly.  Does this wreak of my dumping on 2010?  I would say no even though I realize it looks that way.  I'm thinking emotionally.  I admit it.  What I want and what's good (or not) for the Mets is possibly in conflict in my current thinking.

I just hope the Wilpons realize what they have right now.  I just hope they don't blow it.  They can do that in a number of different ways.  And I think that's what we're all afraid of.

Mike.BTB



....just as I was about to publish, Carlos Beltran tried stealing second after a clean single.  He was thrown out by the way with a PEA; a laser from Giants' catcher Posey.  I am only asking WHY?  Why push it in your first game back when as recently as a week ago you were still limping?  Ponderous.


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METrospection; Brought to you by The "V"

Loria, David Samson, Beinfest, and now Bobby Valentine and what coaches he brings in, make for one of the elite front offices in Baseball. If you throw in their very fertile farm system...when the Marlins get their new park they are going to be down right insane with the cash infusion. The Wilpons will still be their relenting, meek/mawkish selves and there-in stemmed my fear of Valentine at the helm for the Fish. The Nats soon will have money back in their pockets when Peter Angelos finishes getting his fill of territorial rights fees and GM Rizzo is fresh. The Braves front office doesn't need detailing by me/us. The Marlin's is better. That leaves us and the Phils. Is the Mets' front office better than the Phil's?  Amaro vs Omar?  Pfff ~ I'd have fun debating that but clearly the Phils' run indicates theirs is better. If only Jeff Wilpon had a darker side.  It's really up to Jeff how cunning or savvy he's willing to be with his Pop's company.  But with the way the Mets have shaped thing up with the younglings and a return of Reyes (have to credit Dickey too!) ~ It's gotta make a Met fan think about the possibilities this team has presented for itself.  I'm thinking, are they aware enough to recognize what they have here, whether they got here by sheer luck or design?  This team is almost totally transitioned now.  Will they enhance an amazingly, quickly and remarkably rebuilt team?  And How?

Obviously I am totally in the NOW and rooting for my team every day.  But if we stay on this present course with regard to the changes towards young players we've incorporated and the select free agent signing, or a select trade, 2011 is something I'll be extremely excited about.  If 2011 can give me 8 home grown players in Mets uniforms (a very real possibility if Fernando Martinez is in RF next year) starting in one game like they will tonight?  I'm crazy with delight. 

Understand my angst.  On July 1st, 2007 I called into "the show" and announced I wanted this team gutted.  I have stood by that comment!  It was very unpopular to say especially coming off the 2006 season.  It seemed even more ridiculous to suggest considering the Mets had just taken 2 of 3 from Philly that weekend.  I felt then I recognized what the team really was and I was committed to selling everything...and selling HIGH!  That's as much as I will get into my feelings then...for now.  Just know I stood by that and meant it wholeheartedly!  Today finally, everyone has seen the results of turning that edition over.  Your proof is in the pudding.  Trust me; I know the argument against reasoning it wasn't a good idea then and today's players were not in the mix on July 1st of 2007.  To that I say DUH!  What I am saying is at the trading deadline of '07 prospects were being given away like candy on Halloween for the pennant stretch.  I could have named a team for all cast offs I had in mind.  Well, I got laughed off and I had to wait an excruciating 3 years to get what I always wanted; my team turned over.

The Mets starting Nine tonight will consist of SEVEN home grown players; seven home-grown players with some who have legitimate chances at being Big Leaguers.  If F-Mart was in RF that would be eight with Jason Bay being the lone exception.  Josh Thole was called up from AAA and will start tonight in place of our injured regular.

.....I think this team is on the precipice of something very good.  And it has everything to do with not having the same cast of characters of 2006-2009.  Compare any of those clubhouses to the one which exists today.  You know the differences.  Just put the "success" of '06 aside.  Jerry was here for those days of idiocy in the clubhouse with too many "Latinos" (I'm half P.R. myself), and not talking to reporters, and accusations about Delgado throwing Randolph under a bus, and Wagner shooting off his mouth, and LoDuca shooting off his mouth, etc etc etc.  There was a lot of drama on that team. What ever players linger from those days...your Maine's and Perez' are safely in Jerry Manuel's doghouse (DL'd but in the dog house none-the-less).  Beltran will be there too if he doesn't play good soldier when he gets back.  I hope this organization gives Manuel their blessings in treating Beltran as he sees fit.  But because Manuel remembers an anxiety ridden locker room under Randolph, I think he'll do what he needs to keep a condition like that at bay.  Yes, I believe Manuel has the gumption to take such a stance.  He seems to have no fear talking derisively of chosen players to the press.  If Beltran comes back a Diva, Jerry will have a good round of jokes and levity for the beat writers.  Count on it.

The Mets hold all the leverage with Beltran.  The money on his contract is spent already.  If he comes back and is useful, fit him in.  Platoon him.  Rotate the outfield of 4 players with time for each.  If he feels anything in his knee, he himself will shut it down.  You think he's going to risk further injury for the Mets?  Pfff ~ Yea right.  If he's an uncooperative Diva insisting on things, put him in the dog house!  Carlos Beltran has no choice but to play hard next year regardless of how much of a Diva he wants to be.  It's his contract year.  What's he gonna do?  Dog It?  Blame a twinge in his knee?  The Mets should not allow Beltran to come back on this team and disrupt something positive happening at Citi Field so far.  If he comes back with a team first mind set and understands the team's and his own situation, everything should work out fine.  But I am counting on Carlos Beltran for nothing.  My ship has sailed.

I've always said these kids were going to save Jerry and Omar's job.  Who cares about being right.  I'm just happy it's happening.  Manuel and 2011 is a different conversation.

If Josh Thole starts tonight we'll be fielding an all home-grown diamond,- Pagan in CF and with Pelfrey on the mound?...Snap a picture because this doesn't happen often. As a Met fan ~ OUTSTANDING! Give me more! This team is a far cry from the Opening Day edition. They should continue this direction. Keep all those malcontents in the doghouse. I'd like F-Mart in RF by 2011. Dillon Gee and Dylan Owen were promoted to AAA. Infielders Reese Havens and Jonathan Malo are doing quite well in AA.  Stinson and Kunz are still growing up and the more current Mejia and Nieve round out a little list of chips. I smell something brewing in METropolis. I hope! Mets are in a good spot for a Cliff Lee trade we all want. I don't want to rent him but we can do this.   It's really all about what kind of club Jeff wants his Pop's Mets to be. This team has a 1984 feel to it now.  That notion may have been mentioned along the way but it's undeniable.  Not earlier this season or in any of the last 3 seasons but today?- I'm feeling 84'ish.

Mike BTB

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Angel in my Outfield

Angel Pagan; Center Fielder; New York Mets

For a while it was fair to say of him; If it wasn't for Bad Luck,
he'd have no Luck at all.

Injuries are a reason he does not figure more prominently into the minds of Mets fans and less so in the collective Baseball thinking.  I fought the Pagan fight hard on the radio shows when everyone played the role of naysayer against him.  In spring training of 2008 he was having a tremendous spring and I believed he was winning the day and deserved to be the Mets' starting left fielder because of it. 

An injury short circuited that campaign and the Mets wound up signing another useless aged body for the position that year (eh..hem).  I remember being a little saddened in 2006 when we traded him to the Cubs and did nothing to really speak of there.  I was very happy when we re-acquired him for the 2008 season.

Even before this season started I wanted very much for Pagan to be the starting center fielder with Carlos Beltran still rehabbing from surgery.  The Mets incredulously brought in Gary Matthews Jr. who is presently accumulating outs at an 84% clip.  I keep screaming and kicking something every time I see him waste any of our precious 27 outs we get per game.  OUTS are like WEEDS.  If they were hard to come by everyone would want them.  But having Matthews here to fail miserably did solidify Pagan's role in center field.  I'm very happy he has also remained injury free so far.  The Mets would be in even deeper doodoo we think we are in, if it weren't for him playing a solid center field and being equally capable behind the plate.

I'll admit it.  I have a Man-Crush on Angel Pagan.  It's not something new.  But it is to you.
This is my 10th year of Crush for Pagan.

In 2001 the Brooklyn Cyclones (A-affiliate of the NY Mets) were born right here in my backyard;
Coney Island.
The first year in the New York-Penn League was a magical year for us Brooklynites cheering on our Cyclones; ecstatic to have Baseball back in the Borough.  We won our division and advanced through the first playoff round.  We were actually playing for a championship in our first year.

Angel Pagan was an outfielder for that Cyclones team and a crowd favorite.

The Brooklyn Cyclones and the Williamsport CrossCutters were tied at one game apiece in the Championship series, with the deciding game to be played in Brooklyn on a Tuesday night.

That game was all I had on my mind that morning.  My thoughts about Brooklyn winning a championship were the very thoughts swirling in my head, right up until the moment the events of 9/11 started taking place and changed everything.

That Championship Series was never resumed and both teams were declared co-Champions.

But like all teams we root for who do well, or were special to us, You Remember.  This isn't a tie-in, in any way to the events of that September morning.  This is merely to tell you, from their June Opener till that Sept. morning, how special that team became to me.  From that morning on, I can't live without them.

Angel Pagan was a member of that team.
 He was one of the swirls in my head when things started to transpire downtown.
Teams, players, years, and sometimes tragedy are unforgettable, to say the least.
And that's where Angel Pagan stays safely tucked away; indelibly branded in my memories regardless of how the rest of his career here goes.

As someone who is committed to the notion Carlos Beltran and the New York Mets are irreconcilably divorcing eachother, I'm glad Angel Pagan was finally able put together a good enough sample to warrant confidence with his baseball abilities.  It's not like Beltran is getting Wally Pipp'd here.  This has to do more with my CRUSH on Pagan and less to do with our Beltran situation.  Is Pagan the player of Beltran's callibur?  No.  Hardly.  But he's been a tremendous help around here and I hope he enjoys many more years to come in a Met uniform.

As for Mets fans...  If you're clinging to a hope that Beltran will come back and help, if not be a force on this team again?  Let Go!  Beltran is not going to do anything to jeoperdize next year; his contract year.  Having said that, I believe I already informed you I was one of Beltran's biggest fans; still am. 
But that ship has sailed.   (yes...Already).

I'm satisfied with my Angel in our Outfield.

BTB

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Tonight's Rubber Game; NY Mets vs. Phillies in Philadelphia

..early afternoon:
In tonight's big rubber game between the NY Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets have announced Ike Davis and Angel Pagan will get the night off.  Gary Matthews Jr. will start in center field and Fernando Tatis will get the start at first base.

If anyone needs a day off today it's David Wright. He needs to clear his mind. Did you see that curve ball Halladay snapped off that David nearly broke his hip and his ankles getting out of the way from; the one that dropped in for strike three? Say what you will but getting beaned still presses on his mind. I've noticed it a few times this year with a good hook coming at him. He's not concentrating and recognizing the pitch. He's not picking up the signature dot on a curve ball at all.

If Ike and Pagan need a day off that's fine, but it's incumbent upon Omar to make upgrades from our current Matthews and Tatis off the bench situation. Omar needs to have that situation corrected by, if not before the trade deadline. I do not mean Beltran either. I'm talking bench upgrades here. Cora is a keeper. I know the return of Beltran puts Pagan back on the bench. But I am not counting on Beltran.
 
Tonight's Mets Line-Up:
CF ~ Matthews
2B ~ Castillo
SS ~ Reyes
LF ~ Bay
3B ~ Wright
1B ~ Tatis
RF ~ Francouer
C   ~ Barrajas
SP ~ Santana


Game Blog:

*Top 1st inning  ~  Castillo single.  Bay single.  David Wright hit a three run Home Run.  So much for me saying he needs a day off.  Tatis base hit.
*Bottom 1st inning  ~  Placido Polanco hit a laser to left on an 0-2 pitch for a Home Run...a high fastball out of the strike zone.  Against the Ryan Howard Shift, Ryan Howard hit an outside corner change-up to left field for another Philly solo Home Run.

After 1st inning  ~  Mets 3 - Phils 2

*Top 2nd inning  ~  Barrajas single.  Matthews fielder's choice.  Barrajas out trying to advance to 3rd. 
*Bottom 2nd inning  ~  a seven pitch inning for Johan Santana.  Phils out in order.

After 2nd inning  ~  Mets 5 hits - Phils 2 hits    score = Mets 3 - Phils 2

*Top 3rd inning  ~  3B Polanco makes nice bare hand pick-up and throw out of Jason Bay.  Jamie Moyer gets through Mets 3,4 and 5 hitters easily with his pitches topping out at 81 mph and averaging 78 mph.  A couple of pitches have come in at 71 mph.  I hate this guy!
*Bottom 3rd inning  ~  Moyer slaps a ball to short and hustles up the line but is thrown out by Reyes.  Moyer is on HGH!(not).  He's becoming the Minnie Minoso of pitchers.  Phils muster nothing this inning.
Phillies announce Joe Blanton will pitch for Philadelphia tomorrow.  I'm sure that's welcome news for Philly.

*Top 4th inning  ~  Tatis is punched out - caught looking at a high strike.  Moyer's first K.   Francouer hit by pitch.  Moyer hits 82 mph...game high!  Francouer steals second base.  Barrajas hits one off the foul pole in left field..Home Run Barrajas, his 6th of the year.  Moyer strikes out Johan.  Matthews just committed his third out of the night.  We only get 27 outs a game and he has mastered accumulating them as a Met.  Matthews produces outs at an astonishing 86% clip.
*Bottom 4th inning  ~  Utley lead-off double.  Ryan hits fly to warning track in left and Utley does not/can not tag up from second base.  Werth hits a dribbler.. out catcher to first, Utley to third.  Ibanez singles to right.  Utley scores Philly's 3rd run.  Single by Castro.  Ruiz walks on four pitches.  Bases loaded for Jamie Moyer and two outs.  Johan walks Moyer.  Run scores, bases still loaded.  GRAND SLAM HOME RUN by Shane Victorino on the first pitch.  Single for Polanco and the Phils have batted around.  Not so much as a visit by Dan Warthen or Manuel through-out this inning.  AND Chase Utley just smashed another HOME RUN to right.  Two more runs in.  Score now Philly 10 - Mets 5.  Eight runs this inning all coming with two outs.  Johan Santana's best pitch came in at 91 mph tonight but with no command and control tonight, the Phils were able to sit on the fast ball.  Johan is headed for an early shower.  Takahashi is the new Met pitcher.  Howard single.  Werth doubles, Howard scores.  Ibanez is out and inning finally ends.

After 4th inning  ~  Phillies 11 - Mets 5

*Top 5th inning  ~  Who Cares?!

Johan's line:
3.2 innings pitched
8 hits
10 runs all earned
2 walks, 1 strikeout
4 home runs allowed.

P.U.!!!

And that concludes tonight's broadcast.  I suddenly no longer feel the motivation to continue this post any longer.    *sigh*
  I'm back...just in time to announce this game just went final at 10:54 p.m. EST.

Philadelphia Phillies 11
New York Mets 5

The Mets are now 1/2 game out of first place.  It's not a bad place to be.  Good night all.

BTB
 
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Spring Training: Met's Positional Players, My Anxiety

In no particular order, here is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly...

Mets Spring Training:  Positional Players

****

CATCHER - ....has been a problem for the Mets since MIKE PIAZZA's last game and has gone unresolved to the present.  Omar has never really found a stable solution for this position.  Omar brought in PAUL LoDUCA to replace Piazza and was servicable for a year and 1/2.  It's been a revolving door ever since.

I would give the job outright to JOSH THOLE.  It's easy to get caught up in the sparkle of a promising September call-up like he experienced in '09.  Having said that, I don't think I'm getting caught up by a sparkling Sept. call-up.

The other options are OMIR SANTOS and HENRY BLANCO.  Bengie MOLINA chose against signing with the Mets for less money to stay in S.F.  Omar tried.  I cede him that.  But by no means was Molina a solution for the catching position.  At best he would have been the latest through the revolving door.

Back to Santos and Blanco, they are considered the defensive specialists.  Problem is they are both offensively challenged.  Let's be honest.  If you're going to tell me one of them is the starter while we continue to look for someone else and we're sending Thole to the farm for more seasoning.....That's fair.  If I'm being forced to be pragmatic about this....that's fair.  But my official stance is I would give the job to Thole.  My official opinion is Omar hasn't been able to give this position stability entering the 5th year since Piazza last played here.  And my sarcasm asks...Santos and Blanco?  Really?  Make the arguement why one of those two should start over Thole and get back to me.

I'm going to admit, all I want from my catchers is superlative defense.  I'm a Jerry Grote guy if that gives you an idea what I'm talking about.  Having said that....gimmie Thole.

****

FIRSTBASE - I made it quite clear...I wanted Carlos Delgado back under a one-year deal...Like Jane wanted Damon back!  He is so close to 500 HR and 1600 RBI and I wanted him to do it as a Met.  If you know me by now and how I followed the Winter Leagues, even I have to admit he was not moving well and struggled in Puerto Rican League play.  I saw it for myself.  Ask me and I will tell you, in better days, it was Delgado and not J.Reyes that made the Mets' line-up dangerous. 

A quick digression which leads me into our other options.... When Carlos Delgado was a free agent he chose to go to Florida over us.  There were rumors and speculation it was because Tony Bernazard was playing the Latino Card and it turned Delgado off.  Omar traded to get Carlos Delgado anyway.  He traded a kid of ours at the time, Mike Jacobs.  Now we just re-signed Jacobs.

DANIEL MURPHY - This is tough for me.  We need more slugging from 1B.  It's just too hard to "hide" him in our line-up.  I like the kid and I want to be patient with him.  In 508 at-bat he only struck out 69 times and had 38 doubles, while batting .266 in his first full year.  It's something to work with.  He makes contact and maybe he can build upon and translate those doubles into something else.  Oh yea...He's still learning how to play the position.  He's still raw out there, but I won't say his glove is for self-defensive purposes only.  But this is such a tough call.  After you look at our options, we don't have much choice.

FERNANDO TATIS - ...again?  Really?  C'Mon!!  I'm all for a strict platoon at firstbase.  But are we doing this Tatis thing again?  Not happy.

MIKE JACOBS - ...is very interesting.  I was sorry to see him go in the Delgado deal.  He never lived up to the promise he showed here once he left.  He topped 30 HR in his career but has struggled away from "Shea".  I have mixed emotions about him.  I'm glad to see him back.  Maybe he can pick-up where he left off here and recapture some of that swing we saw and actually win the 1B job.  But Jacobs completes a cycle of sorts as he is here and Delgado is not.  Omar is literally back to where the 1B situation was when he arrived here for the 2005 season.

****

SECOND BASE - ...Luis Castillo had a nice bounce back season.  He really got a bad rap around here for the foolish contract Omar signed him to, then offering up a stinker of a season in 2008.  But the truth is he's always been a .300 hitter with very solid defense.  Omar was killed routinely about Luis Castillo and still is.  All the talk here in NYC is Luis Castillo is the reason why we don't have Orlando Hudson playing 2B for us.  The Mets won't eat Castillo's contract.  I'm not drinking that HUDSON Kool-Aid.  I think Castillo can give us another season like he offered last year.  He was one of the few things that went right around here last year.  But he still gets a bad rap.  I myself don't like the contract Omar gave him, but I could be more critical of this situation than I am.  Side note...There is no one worth mentioning coming up from the farm.  It's Luis Castillo or bust Met fans.

****

SHORTSTOP - this is easy.  If Jose Reyes is fully healthy, he's one of the most dynamic players in all of baseball.  If Jose Reyes, who has now lost two complete seasons to leg injuries that sandwich his career, is not healthy, meaning if his legs aren't the same, he is not Jose Reyes and is no longer one of the most dynamic players in baseball.  It's that simple.  His legs are what make him special.  If his legs are compromised, his unique skill is over.  Simple.

****

THIRD BASE - David Wright.  He waited till his 5th full year in the league to have his Sophomore Jinx.  What happened to him last year?  Ya can't blame his lack of HRs on CitiField.  He was equally futile on the road.  His strike outs went through the roof.  Now it could have been because everyone dropped like flies around him in the line-up and it was just easier not to give David Wright a good pitch to hit.  Why would anyone have done that last year?  Maybe getting beaned in the head shook his batter's-box confidence a little.  That's just speculation on my part.  I expect David to bounce back and get back to what he's done between '05-'08.  But he needs a healthy Carlos Beltran in the line-up also.

****

INFIELDERS - ALEX CORA, can play 1B, 2B, 3B and SS.  Another one of the few bright spots for the Mets last year with his ability to step in for injured players and actually improve the defense in the absense of the starter.  His attitude and leadership were heralded throughout the clubhouse.  He is rehabbed from thumb surgeries and ready for the season.

****

LEFT FIELD - JASON BAY.  I can't knock this signing.  As a matter of fact it's about time.  LF has been another of Omar's revolving door postions.  One of Omar's fetishes is trying to capture lightning in a bottle from older players at the end of their careers and injury comebacks.  Omar, not once but twice, mistakenly signed Moises Alou for this position.  First time shame on me....second time shame on OMAR!  At least now with Jason Bay the position is settled for a few years.  There are some health concerns that scared the Red Sox away and a few other teams felt likewise.  The fact that I wouldn't trust the Met's Med Staff to put on a band-aid at current,  has to leave a small fraction of uncertainty in Met Minds.

****

CENTER FIELD - CARLOS BELTRAN....out till June.  Surgery-Gate.  Who knew...Who didn't...who gave the OK?.....NON-SENSE!!  Front office buffoonery.  We just have to bide our time and wait, and that hopefully he comes back healthy and ready to contribute.  Carlos Beltran is a player who asked the Yankees to sign him for less money the Mets offered him.  He wound up here.  His first year here was a rough start especially with the fans.  The fans really got on his case his first year here.  I'd admit it, but I was not one of them.  Met fans can not get the image of him watching a curveball fall in for strike three to end the 2006 NLCS out of their minds.  And now because of this surgery snafu, I fear the Mets and Beltran are headed towards an ugly divorce.  That's just me.  I am a Beltran fan.  He is one of the few players, as they go, who signed for the big money then performed and delivered above his career averages after signing.  Usually teams fall into the trap of paying for past performance.  Beltran had his career years here.  Yet he gets critisized at every opportunity.  The rumor is he told Bengie Molina not to sign here.

****

Until he gets back there's ANGEL PAGAN and FERNANDO MARTINEZ

ANGEL PAGAN is someone I've liked since he played with the Brooklyn Cyclones (A) in 2001.  In spring training of 2008 he was winning the day and himself a LF job.  Injury ended that.  Last year was another season waisted to injury also.  He's not a kid anymore however much Met fans thinks he still is.  But when he was on the field he always seamed in the mix, part of a rally and doing good things.  Beltran's injury is probably Pagan's last chance to show his worth here but he has to stay healthy.  If he can manage that he can be a good player for us.  I am pulling for him.
FERNANDO MARTINEZ, a product from the farm I claim doesn't exist anymore.  He was MVP of the Caribbean Series for his Dominican Republic team this winter.  He is still only 21 and seems to be our only "blue chipper".  That remains to be seen.  But I like this kid and want to see him get substantial time in CF in Beltran's absence.

****

RIGHT FIELD - ...anyone the Braves don't want anymore I am skeptical of.  JEFF FRANCOEUR gives me the willies.  Another postion Omar has never straightened out is RF.  Remember Shawn Greene?  Remember all the other shleps we threw out there?  I bet you don't.  That's my point.  If the Braves gave up on him and accepted Ryan Church in return, whom they themselves did not retain, what does Omar see in Francoeur that John Schuerholz didn't?  If Schuerholz doesn't want him, I want everyone who reads this to ask themselves, why would I want him? I know he did well in the short time he was here last year.  Maybe a change of scenery will do him good.  Maybe we'll get the Francoeur of 2006-07.  Bottom Line > Jeff Francoeur is a roll of the dice.  I'm hoping we don't roll craps.

****

That about covers the impotant stuff about the Mets positional players. The Mets offense will be living a precarious existence this season if ANYTHING goes wrong. There is just no room for error on this team and I don't see this team washing out the taste from our mouths in reference to the way the last 3 seasons have gone. I'm trying folks....I'm trying to be optimistic.

Let's Go Mets !!

(sigh)

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