N.Y. Mets ~ Flame Out

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET





NEW YORK METS:  Dark Smoke Joins The Storm Cloud Hovering Over Citi Field.


Thick black smoke could be seen billowing from the chop-shops across the street from Citi Field.  A fire might have been started by a stray shooting spark that jumped across the street while Prince Fielder and the Brewers were torching up the Mets 7-1, over the first six innings of Saturday's game.


But it was the Mets' offense that ignited to finally heat things up at home.  Amidst the rising smoke behind Citi Field, they staged a near-miraculous comeback against a new Fan nemesis; Francisco Rodriguez.  Boos rained down from the stands upon Frankie as furiously as the black curtain of smoldering soot rose beyond center field.  Then for the Mets, through the smoke rose an Angel from the outfield; - Pagan connected on a booming home run to right.  And from being down 7-1, they fought their way back and beyond, to take an 9-7 lead after eight innings.


Then in the ninth inning, Terry Collins let Izzy play with matches and well, ...he got burnt.  Izzy gave up a hit and walked three batters to force in a run; making the game 9-8, Mets.  Izzy got charged with arson three more runs he set up by leaving the bases loaded; and that Manny Acosta assisted getting across the plate by allowing two more hits after Coach Terry made a switch. 


Although seemingly heroic for a moment, seeing-eye base hits past an out of position Justin Turner just fanned the flames at Citi even more.  When the cross beams gave way below them, the Mets came crashing through the floors of their house to lay in the hot ashes of an 11-9 loss.  And so there's a lesson to be learned somewhere in Saturday's meltdown boys and girls; - where there's smoke, there's fire.   And, oh yeah; ...bases on balls kill.


Flame out.


All you can really do after an afternoon like that is get up and dust yourself off; ...take a body count making sure everyone is OK and accounted for.  But, why walk away from a game like this angry, when you can just walk away?  There's still jobs to be won.


They showed a lot of Chutzpah.  Give Terry's Kids that.






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