a Sam Maxwell Production
sixty-five minutes
Ebbets Field ~ Washington Park ~ Dexter Park ~ Eastern Park
Union Grounds ~ Capitoline Grounds ~ Brooklyn Tip Tops
Wednesday, April 08, 2020
Talking Brooklyn Ballparks on the Bedford & Sullivan Podcast
From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS
Monday, April 06, 2020
Another Metsian Podcast Quarantine Special: Fending Off Spring Fever with John Pielli
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
#coronavirus
MORE SOCIAL DISTRACTION
A METSIAN PODCAST
with SAM, RICH, and MIKE
GUEST
sixty-five minutes
#coronavirus
MLB
The 2020 Season
Ron Darling ~ Kevin Kobel ~ Tom Seaver ~ Walt Terrell
and so much more!
Sunday, April 05, 2020
N.Y. Mets: Dream Rotation Gone Wrong
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
THE FIVE HURLERS OF THE METROPOLIS
The Dominant Rotation That Never Was
Matt Harvey ~ Zack Wheeler ~ Jacob deGrom ~ Noah Syndergaard ~ Steven Matz
2012 - Harvey
2013 - Harvey; Wheeler
2014 - Harvey; Wheeler; deGrom
2015 - Harvey; Wheeler; deGrom; Syndergaard; Matz
2016 - Harvey; Wheeler; deGrom; Syndergaard; Matz
2017 - Harvey; Wheeler; deGrom; Syndergaard; Matz
2018 - Harvey; Wheeler; deGrom; Syndergaard; Matz
2019 - Harvey; Wheeler; deGrom; Syndergaard; Matz
2020 - Harvey; Wheeler; deGrom; Syndergaard; Matz
There was a three year window (2015-2017) earmarked for greatness. Unfortunately it never materialized. Injuries first and foremost would prevent the Mets from unleashing a full-on assault upon the National League East. Otherwise there's something to be said for the Mets front office failing to seize the moment. In fairness, the team won a National League flag in 2015 and qualified for a Wild Card playoff the year after. Even then, Zack Wheeler missed two full seasons, and Syndergaard one. In 2017 Syndergaard and Matz would only make 20 starts combined. Without a reliable number two, Jacob deGrom has essentially been a one man gang. We fans are left lamenting over what could have been ...
RISE AND FALL OF THE DARK KNIGHT
On July 26, 2012, a 23-year old Matt Harvey makes his major league debut against the Diamondbacks at Arizona. He throws 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks, while striking out eleven en route to his first career victory. Five starts later he strikes out nine Colorado Rockies through six innings at Citi Field. Three starts later, he strikes out ten Washington Nationals through five innings in front of a now rabid New York fan base. And just like that, the Dark Knight is born. The following season Harvey is named the National League's starting pitcher in the 2013 All-Star Game held at Citi Field. Otherwise he makes 26 regular season starts, posting a 9-5 record with a 2.27 ERA and 0.931 WHiP, while fanning 191 batters over 178.1 innings pitched. The Dark Knight finishes fourth in the Cy Young voting but not before his sophomore campaign comes to an abrupt end when in late August he is diagnosed with a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow. He misses the entire 2014 season rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery. Then in what appears to be a promising return to form Harvey helps the Mets win a division title and capture the 2015 National League flag. He posts a 13-8 record and 2.71 ERA with 188 strikeouts through 189.1 innings pitched. However his superhero powers prove fleeting. Midway through the 2016 season Harvey is diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome which requires season ending surgery. In 2017 the clearly ailing Dark Knight is suspended by the Mets for violation of team rules. Said another way, he is suspected of blowing off work after a supposed night of partying. But that winds up being the least of his troubles. By June Harvey is back on the injured list with a stress fracture in his right shoulder bone requiring yet more surgery. Finally on May 18, 2018, Matt Harvey is traded to the Cincinnati Reds. And just like that, the Dark Knight era ends in Flushing.
WHEELIN' DOWN I-95
On June 18, 2013, Zack Wheeler joins Matt Harvey in the Mets rotation. He finishes his rookie season with a 3.42 ERA in 100 innings pitched. The next season he posts an 11-11 record and 3.54 ERA, with 187 strikeouts in 185.1 innings pitched. Unfortunately like Harvey health is not Wheeler's ally. He misses all of 2015 and 2016 while recovering from both Tommy John surgery and a flexor strain. Although he returns to the mound in 2017 his efforts are still beset with injury. Wheeler is twice placed on the injured list and finishes his comeback season with a 5.21 ERA through 86.1 innings pitched. On Sept. 26, 2019, Wheeler throws his last pitch as a member of the New York Mets at Citi Field. Seven years after his acquisition from the San Francisco Giants the club allows him to simply walk away. Although Wheeler last March made it very clear to all that he welcomed free agency and that the organization would need to meet his price, I was hoping against hope the Mets would re-sign him. The Mets let the regular season play out and apparently were dissatisfied with his performance. Granted, Zack posted a somewhat unsightly 3.96 ERA and 1.259 WHiP through 195.1 innings pitched. But despite turning 30-years old this coming May, I believe Wheeler's arm is finally sound and that his best days are still ahead. Over the last two seasons he's made 60 starts with 374 strikeouts through 377.2 innings pitched. Fangraphs had his 2018 velocity pegged at 95-mph, while last year's velocity remained steady at 96-mph. Be that as it may the Mets make him no offer. Wheeler winds up signing with Philadelphia for $118 million over five seasons. The general manager within me would have been agreeable negotiating a $100 million package. However I would have tried chewing him down from the other $18 million. I'm inclined to believe Wheeler and his agent just to stay in New York would have agreed to a five year $105 million dollar deal. Lastly, Zack Wheeler I feel is better than any available replacement sans Gerrit Cole. Simply put, the acquisitions of Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha have yet to sway my opinion regarding the starting rotation having been weakened.
TOTAL deGROMINATION
Jacob deGrom joins Zack Wheeler in the starting rotation on May 15, 2014, at Citi Field. Alas, Matt Harvey is out recovering from Tommy John surgery. Jacob knows a thing or two about that. As a minor leaguer back in 2010 he too suffers the seemingly obligatory partial tear of the UCL and misses the entire 2011 season. Now two months shy of his 32nd birthday, the seventh year Met is a back-to-back Cy Young award winner, par excellence. Rookie of the Year; an ERA title; a strikeout title; tying the MLB record with 25 straight starts allowing three or fewer runs; we are witnessing modern day elite. Problem is when Matt Harvey comes back in 2015 the Mets lose Zack Wheeler for two seasons. Then in 2017 with both Harvey and Wheeler back on the active roster, Noah Syndergaard is effectively lost for the season.
THOR'S HAMMER YIELDS TO TOMMY JOHN
Noah Syndergaard is going under the blade. That's right ... Tommy John surgery. Who didn't see this coming? A throw-in pitcher as part of the R.A. Dickey/Travis d'Arnaud trade, Syndergaard joins the Mets rotation on May 12, 2015, at Chicago's Wrigley Field. He makes 24 starts for the National League champs, posting a 3.24 ERA and 166 strikeouts through 150 innings pitched. He's since been his own worst enemy. An unsupervised and ruinous workout regimen following the 2016 regular season ends in utter folly. A torn lat muscle in his arm limits him in 2017 to just seven starts. When Noah returns in 2018, Matt Harvey is traded signifying the rotation's first permanent casualty. Then there's the matter of last season, easily Syndergaard's worst. I'll say it again, the man lacks craftsmanship. Now this ...
MATZ IN THE MIDDLE
The Mets enter the 2020 season (as if...) with only Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz in the fold. They've been a constant in the rotation for five seasons now. Like Syndergaard, Steven Matz debuts in 2015 but only makes six starts. He joins the rotation in earnest in 2016 posting a 9-8 record and 3.40 ERA through 22 starts. But arm ailments compromise his 2017 season to the tune of a 6.08 ERA through just 13 starts. That being said, he presently stands as the only pitcher discussed here to not yet undergo Tommy John surgery. As the rotation's lone left-hander, Matz is coming off back-to-back seasons with 30 starts. I think most would agree when I say his biggest problem has always been between the ears. Therefore the hope for Matz who turns 29-years old in May and entering his physical prime is that he grows into a more composed, mature, and polished hurler.
Thursday, April 02, 2020
Gil Hodges: Remembering the Quiet Man
From the desks of:
FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS & HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
Dodgers Triangle, Staten Island
According to baseballhall.org, the BBWAA Rules for Election, Article Five reads:
Voting shall be based upon player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
Based on the Hall's own criteria, it is unfathomable to me how Gil Hodges is continually denied enshrinement into baseball's Hall of Fame. The highest percentage of votes he ever received by the BBWAA was 63.4% in 1983, his final year on the writer's ballot. However, the former Veterans Committee in my opinion is/was far more negligent than writers whom perhaps did not cover his playing career in their collective refusal to pass him through.
Included in my own personal criteria for election into Baseball's Hall of Fame is being among the dominant players at both their respective position and the game as a whole for a ten year portion of a player's career, at least.
By all accounts, Gil Hodges qualifies as a Hall of Famer. His statistical record reads as such: Baseball-Reference.com
There are 25 first baseman enshrined at Cooperstown; Hodges ranks 11th among them with 370 home runs. For twelve seasons spanning 1948-1959, Hodges led all first basemen in home runs, RBI, extra-base hits, and OPS. For the decade of the 1950s, he ranked second overall in the National League in home runs and RBI. From 1949 through 1959, Hodges slashed .280/.367/.507, while averaging 30 home runs and 101 RBI per season. He exceeded 20 home runs in eleven consecutive seasons; hit at least 30 home runs six times, and hit forty or more home runs twice. He exceeded 100 RBI in seven straight seasons. Upon his retirement, Gil Hodges ranked 11th on the all-time home run list, and third among right-hand batters. Moreover, he helped the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers win seven National League pennants, and two World Series championships. And it was Gil who triumphantly delivered Brooklyn's only two runs in Game Seven of the 1955 World Series against the Yankees. Starting with 1957, he won baseball's first three newly minted Golden Glove Awards for defensive excellence at first base.
His career with the Dodgers which began in 1943 ended after the 1961 season. In 1962 Gil returned to the city which still adored him unconditionally. He played 54 games for the expansion New York Metropolitan baseball club, then retired in 1963 after just 11 games. Five years later he would become their manager. In his second season, the New York Mets would become World Series champions.
- His four year record managing the Mets: 339-309 (.523)
Gil suffers a heart attack shortly before start of the 1972 season. On April, 2, he passes away at 47-years of age. He rests peacefully at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn.
The Hall of Fame's Golden Era Committee reconvenes in 2020. When they do, this epic injustice must finally be corrected.
MCU Park, Coney Island
HOLY CROSS CEMETERY
BROOKLYN
Monday, March 30, 2020
Another Metsian Podcast Quarantine Special: More Social Distraction with Greg Prince
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
* picture: sticker, Brooklyn street art
SOCIAL DISTRACTION
A METSIAN PODCAST
with SAM, RICH, and MIKE
GUEST
STUFF
Noah Syndergaard ~ Jacob deGrom ~ Glendon Rusch ~ Aaron Heilman
Luis Rojas ~ Brodie Van Wagenen
Robert Manfred
Randy Meyers vs. John Franco
and so much more!
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Vintage Railroads: Only Real Brooklynites Know Where Kouwenhover Is
Have car, can't travel? Welcome to life in Gotham. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, we are a sidewalk trampling, street crossing, bus hopping, subway surfing, railroad riding society. Simply put, we New Yorkers are commuters. From every borough and burb we are a metropolis and citizenry forever on the move. It's our reality as urbanites, something coded into our big city DNA.
I scantly remember the last days of the Myrtle Avenue El (lasting through the mid 1970s), back when the now demolished Cascade Company building at Marcy Avenue was still operating at full steam. Today it is clear where the transit system truncated the line just off the Broadway El at Marcus Garvey Blvd. The photo featured below once hung in the Cascade Company lobby. I showed up one day (ten years ago) fortunate to meet a gracious maintenance employee willing to give me a tour. He spoke of the place with such reverence making it difficult deciphering whom was having more fun, him or me. Two days later they closed their doors for good.
I have much better recollection of the Culver El extension which ran through Borough Park via 37th street - since truncated at Avenue C where today's F-train goes elevated/subterranean. Vivid childhood memories remain of my dad and me driving to his favorite food shops and passing by the Bocce ball guys playing in the grade level tracks underneath the still standing El at 14th Avenue.
ICYMI: PART ONE
A Vintage Bus and the Real Manhattan Transfers
NYC Surface/Bus Transfers circa 1945-1948
Courtesy Lohn Landers Collection
NYC Surface/Bus Transfers circa 1945-1948
Courtesy Lohn Landers Collection
I scantly remember the last days of the Myrtle Avenue El (lasting through the mid 1970s), back when the now demolished Cascade Company building at Marcy Avenue was still operating at full steam. Today it is clear where the transit system truncated the line just off the Broadway El at Marcus Garvey Blvd. The photo featured below once hung in the Cascade Company lobby. I showed up one day (ten years ago) fortunate to meet a gracious maintenance employee willing to give me a tour. He spoke of the place with such reverence making it difficult deciphering whom was having more fun, him or me. Two days later they closed their doors for good.
I have much better recollection of the Culver El extension which ran through Borough Park via 37th street - since truncated at Avenue C where today's F-train goes elevated/subterranean. Vivid childhood memories remain of my dad and me driving to his favorite food shops and passing by the Bocce ball guys playing in the grade level tracks underneath the still standing El at 14th Avenue.
Like the Manhattan surface transfers, all the railroad tickets pictured here were provided to me
by Mr. John Landers, whom several years ago in support of my blog reached out to me via email.
In fact, he was delightfully succinct when sending this particular picture, saying only, "The single rarest LIRR ticket known to exist, and it is mine! Only a REAL Brooklynite knows where Kouwenhoven is."
That says it all ...
I'll leave the details to the experts:
The New York and Manhattan Beach Railroad is also known as the Bay Ridge Branch. A well kept secret? Kinda, but in truth, not really. Growing up throughout Brooklyn we knew at some point trains must have run through here and there. But it wasn't the system we 80's teens were operating on and so we didn't think much of it despite there being evidence all around. Not knowing any better, we always thought they were abandoned. As adventurous dumb asses we would sometimes scale down and walk the tracks below the apartment towers along Flatbush near the Nostrand Avenue Junction. On my way to baseball practice at a batting cage located along Utica Ave and Foster Avenue I routinely passed underneath another portion of the line. The old batting cage was right up the block from the former church that for a while owned the Ebbets Field flagpole. We used to see that thing all the time. Then one day the flag pole mysteriously disappeared. The church had folded and sold it. A neighboring businessman on the block said they hauled it off on a flatbed. Thankfully it turned out being the Brooklyn Nets whom purchased it from the church and ceremoniously returned it to Flatbush Avenue.
The Bay Ridge Branch is most clearly visible at the 65th street Brooklyn Army Terminal water front, with views extending along the Sea Beach Line, 5th and 8th avenues, and particularly at the 62nd street and New Utrecht Avenue station. It runs under Brooklyn College, traverses Utica Avenue, Kings Highway, and Ralph Avenue in the Flatlands and Farragut sections of Brooklyn. Shortly thereafter one would finally pull into Kouvenhoven Station, said to be located just off Kings Highway on East 53 Street between Foster Avenue and Farragut Road. The station opened in the summer of 1877 but by 1924 ceased servicing public transportation.
COURTESY OF THE
JOHN LANDERS COLLECTION
Monday, March 16, 2020
N.Y. Mets: Introducing The Mets Hall of Pretty Damn Good
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
Brian Wright selects 30 starting players and reserves, with 18 additional honorable mentions. He also selects a manager, two coaches, a general manager, and owner. It is with little hesitation that I say he nails it. The book is a smooth read with not a single dead spot. All his player selections receive their own narrative which took yours truly on a journey through many Metsian memories and joyous moments in time. A very enjoyable read indeed.
What follows is my roster comprised of players not mentioned in Brian Wright's book.
PITCHERS
CATCHERS
FIRST BASE
SECOND BASE
SHORTSTOP
THIRD BASE
OUTFIELD
STARTING LINE-UP
1) Lance Johnson
2) Paul LoDuca
3) Hubie Brooks
4) Lucas Duda
5) Frank Thomas
6) Curtis Granderson
7) Asdrubal Cabrera
8) Ken Boswell
SP) Matt Harvey
THE MANAGER
COACHES
FRONT OFFICE
OWNER
THE METS HALL OF PRETTY DAMN GOOD
On Sunday we had on the podcast author Brian Wright who has a new book out: THE NEW YORK METS ALL-TIME ALL-STARS, The Best Players At Each Position For The Amazin's
AMAZIN’ quarantined podcast brought 2 u by @BrianWright86! Breaking down his all time #Mets great is very emotional, but fantastic distraction to this surreality we currently live in. Thank U. @BTB_MikeII @Metfanrich LISTEN TO ARCHIVE NOW! https://t.co/US0E3Wjgwd #Mets #LGM @LFGM— A Metsian Podcast with Sam, Rich and Mike (@AMetsianPodcast) March 16, 2020
Brian Wright selects 30 starting players and reserves, with 18 additional honorable mentions. He also selects a manager, two coaches, a general manager, and owner. It is with little hesitation that I say he nails it. The book is a smooth read with not a single dead spot. All his player selections receive their own narrative which took yours truly on a journey through many Metsian memories and joyous moments in time. A very enjoyable read indeed.
What follows is my roster comprised of players not mentioned in Brian Wright's book.
PITCHERS
- R.A Dickey - Nolan Ryan - Craig Swan - Frank Viola - Al Jackson - Matt Harvey
- Ron Taylor - Skip Lockwood - Billy Wagner - Turk Wendell
CATCHERS
- Starter: Paul LoDuca
- Reserve: Mike Fitzgerald
FIRST BASE
- Starter: Lucas Duda
- Reserve: John Milner
- Reserve: Willie Montanez
SECOND BASE
- Starter: Ken Boswell
- Reserve: Jose Valentin
- Reserve: Doug Flynn
SHORTSTOP
- Starter: Asdrubal Cabrera
- Reserve: Rafael Santana
THIRD BASE
- Starter: Hubie Brooks
- Reserve: Lenny Randle
- Reserve Ray Knight
OUTFIELD
- Starters: Frank Thomas, Lance Johnson, Curtis Granderson
- Reserves: Cliff Floyd, Joel Youngblood, Tommy Davis
STARTING LINE-UP
1) Lance Johnson
2) Paul LoDuca
3) Hubie Brooks
4) Lucas Duda
5) Frank Thomas
6) Curtis Granderson
7) Asdrubal Cabrera
8) Ken Boswell
SP) Matt Harvey
THE MANAGER
- Casey Stengel
COACHES
- First Base: Joe Torre
- Third Base: Willie Randolph
- Bench: Yogi Berra
- Pitching: Rube Walker
FRONT OFFICE
- Johnny Murphy, Joe McDonald, Bing Devine, Omar Minaya
OWNER
- Nelson Doubleday
Sunday, March 15, 2020
A Metsian Podcast Quarantine Book Review Party: The New York Mets All-Time All-Stars by Brian Wright
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
A METSIAN PODCAST
with SAM, RICH, and MIKE
GUEST
author
THE NEW YORK METS ALL-TIME ALL STARS
The Best Players At Each Position For The Amazin's
100 minutes
Thirty Players
58 Years of Memories
A Romp Through Mets History
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Friday, March 13, 2020
N.Y. Mets: No Baseball For You
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
WE INTERRUPT SPRING TRAINING AND THE
2020 REGULAR SEASON DUE TO THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK
No baseball for you - at least not yet, or the foreseeable future. With coronavirus running wild, Take Me Out to the Ballgame certainly takes on a different tune.
However, the Trolley rolls on ...
I - Starting Pitching
Noah Syndergaard will turn 28-years old this season. It's time for him to step it up. My most serious criticism against Noah through the years has been his lack of craftsmanship. Last season he exceeded 30 starts for the first time in three years, fanning 202 batters and walking only 50 through 197.2 innings pitched. However he surrendered a career high 24 home runs which contributed greatly to his career high 4.28 ERA. That must change. With health presumably back on his side there will be little excuse should he fail to elevate his game. We Mets fans wish and hope for him to become an elite pitcher. But he is not there yet.
Rick Porcello has to date yielded 15 hits and just one walk with eight strikeouts through 10.2 innings pitched. I was in complete agreement with this acquisition. However, the signing of Michael Wacha, not so much. Wacha has surrendered eight hits and four walks in just 7.2 Grapefruit League innings pitched. In 2019, Wacha's first full season back from injury, he yielded 143 hits and 55 walks for a 1.563 WHiP through 126.2 innings.
II - Bullpen
Looks like Dellin Betances will have all the time he'll need for amping up that velocity. He says he's a slow starter. Time is now on his side. Meanwhile a slimmed down Jeurys Familia is performing well, but the troubled Edwin Diaz is not - four hits allowed and just one strikeout in three innings pitched.
As we know the Mets staff is short on left-hand pitching. In fact, Justin Wilson is the only bullpen southpaw whom I would qualify as reliable. That's why I've been rooting for Chasen Shreve to win a seat on the bus back to Flushing. A potential power arm, Shreve to date has yielded five hits (two home runs) and two walks with five strikeouts in six innings pitched. Not exactly what I had in mind.
Seth Lugo wants to start, but his performance betrays him. Compare 2017, his last season as a full time starter, versus his last two seasons as a full time reliever. As a starter he yielded 114 hits in 101.1 innings. As a reliever these last two seasons, he has allowed just 137 hits over 181.1 innings pitched. As a starter he posted a 10.1 H/9, 2.2 W/9, and 7.5 K/9. Last year he posted a career low 6.3 H/9 and 1.8 W/9, and a career high 11.7 K/9. The Mets need to utilize him to the best of his ability. If that means putting their foot down, so be it.
#washyourhands
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Sports World Closing Up Shop Over COVID-19
CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19
Shuts Down the Sports World
Basketball both college and pro lead the way insofar as proactive measures. March Madness is essentially canceled. The NBA, NHL, and MLS, are putting their respective regular seasons on hold. In baseball, Spring Training is suspended effective immediately. For the moment the MLB regular season is being pushed back two weeks. Arena wrestling appears no less safe, and the XFL finally announce the suspension of their regular season.
* mural, Bushwick, Brooklyn
Monday, March 09, 2020
N.Y. Mets: Stop Matzing Around With the Starting Rotation
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
No one is untouchable. But all this trade scuttlebutt involving Steven Matz potentially going to the Yankees as far as I'm concerned is pure media clickbait. I do not believe any of it.
However, I strongly believe the Mets would be foolish to utilize Matz out of the bullpen. While there exists a dearth of left-handed pitching throughout the pitching staff, taking him out of the rotation is a non-starter. As the lone southpaw in the rotation the Mets would be better served having Matz break up the train of right-handers. Now the latest rumor has the Mets assigning a fifth starter based on that particular day's opposition. Because turning Matz and Wacha into spot starters makes sense.? That's called out-thinking themselves. While seemingly clever on paper, practical application usually proves ruinous.
Pure folly ...
After three appearances Michael Wacha has to date yielded just one Grapefruit League run through 7.2 innings pitched for a deceptive 1.71 ERA. I am not impressed as Wacha has also surrendered eight hits and walked four for a 1.57 WHIP.
In his three Grapefruit League appearances, Matz has yielded just one earned run on two hits and no walks with five strikeouts through 6.0 innings pitched.
He is coming off back-to-back 30 start seasons, and turns 29-years old in May. Most would agree when I say Steven Matz' biggest problem has always been between the ears. Therefore the hope for Matz as he enters his physical prime is that he is growing into a more composed, mature, and polished hurler.
Michael Wacha is nothing more than the back up plan.
Steven Matz gets first dibs.
Stupid is as Stupid Does
No one is untouchable. But all this trade scuttlebutt involving Steven Matz potentially going to the Yankees as far as I'm concerned is pure media clickbait. I do not believe any of it.
However, I strongly believe the Mets would be foolish to utilize Matz out of the bullpen. While there exists a dearth of left-handed pitching throughout the pitching staff, taking him out of the rotation is a non-starter. As the lone southpaw in the rotation the Mets would be better served having Matz break up the train of right-handers. Now the latest rumor has the Mets assigning a fifth starter based on that particular day's opposition. Because turning Matz and Wacha into spot starters makes sense.? That's called out-thinking themselves. While seemingly clever on paper, practical application usually proves ruinous.
Pure folly ...
After three appearances Michael Wacha has to date yielded just one Grapefruit League run through 7.2 innings pitched for a deceptive 1.71 ERA. I am not impressed as Wacha has also surrendered eight hits and walked four for a 1.57 WHIP.
In his three Grapefruit League appearances, Matz has yielded just one earned run on two hits and no walks with five strikeouts through 6.0 innings pitched.
He is coming off back-to-back 30 start seasons, and turns 29-years old in May. Most would agree when I say Steven Matz' biggest problem has always been between the ears. Therefore the hope for Matz as he enters his physical prime is that he is growing into a more composed, mature, and polished hurler.
Michael Wacha is nothing more than the back up plan.
Steven Matz gets first dibs.
Arizona Mets Fan Anna Brice Weighs In On Another Metsian Podcast
From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
You can take the girl out of the city,
but you can't the city out of the girl.
LISTEN IN
A METSIAN PODCAST
with SAM, RICH, and MIKE
GUEST:
Native New Yorker, Jersey Girl, Arizona Resident,
and Mets Fan Extraordinaire
102 minutes
Coronavirus Panic
Steven Matz ~ Dellin Betances ~ Seth Lugo ~ Michael Wacha
Robinson Cano ~ Yoenis Cespedes
Great Broadcasters in Mets History ~ Mets Who've Worn #46
Steve Cohen ~ Sale of the Mets ~ James Dolan
Arizona Pizza ~ Lee Mazzilli
and so much more!
#LFGM
Sunday, March 08, 2020
XFL Week Five: N.Y. Guardians Surge to Victory Over Dallas Renegades
From the desk of: GOTHAM GARGOYLES OF THE GRIDIRON
Halfway through the XFL regular season, the New York Guardians have finally established an identity. They're a feisty and undisciplined bunch, sometimes both at the same time, yet find themselves in a three way tie for first place of the XFL East.
The Gargoyles are a defensive oriented team first, with good special teams second. They rank number two in the league with 13 sacks, and fourth with eight turnovers. And when you take into account their week two (0-27) loss against the Defenders, followed by a (9-29) trouncing at St. Louis, New York still ranks second in average points against.
With starting quarterback Matt McGloin out nursing a rib injury, the Guardians offense has actually stabilized through better game management via back-up quarterback Luis Perez playing off a credible running game. Through five games New York is 7th in average yards per game, and rank last with only 15.8 points per game. However, they rank 5th in rushing averaging 98.6 yards per game.
Saturday against the Dallas Renegades the trio of Justin Stockton, Tim Cook, and Darius Victor, rushed 29 times for 125 yards. Luis Perez was 16/30 for 229 yards, with a touchdown pass to Colby Pearson, and an INT. The Guardians recorded three sacks, two by DT Cavon Walker.
After losing two straight, the Guardians are now winners of two straight. They have allowed their opponents an average of 9.6 points in each of their three victories.
Shout out to Coach Gilbride. He identified a problem three weeks into the season and took corrective action. The last two games speak for themselves.
WEEK FIVE
GUARDIANS 30
RENEGADES 12
Halfway through the XFL regular season, the New York Guardians have finally established an identity. They're a feisty and undisciplined bunch, sometimes both at the same time, yet find themselves in a three way tie for first place of the XFL East.
The Gargoyles are a defensive oriented team first, with good special teams second. They rank number two in the league with 13 sacks, and fourth with eight turnovers. And when you take into account their week two (0-27) loss against the Defenders, followed by a (9-29) trouncing at St. Louis, New York still ranks second in average points against.
With starting quarterback Matt McGloin out nursing a rib injury, the Guardians offense has actually stabilized through better game management via back-up quarterback Luis Perez playing off a credible running game. Through five games New York is 7th in average yards per game, and rank last with only 15.8 points per game. However, they rank 5th in rushing averaging 98.6 yards per game.
Saturday against the Dallas Renegades the trio of Justin Stockton, Tim Cook, and Darius Victor, rushed 29 times for 125 yards. Luis Perez was 16/30 for 229 yards, with a touchdown pass to Colby Pearson, and an INT. The Guardians recorded three sacks, two by DT Cavon Walker.
After losing two straight, the Guardians are now winners of two straight. They have allowed their opponents an average of 9.6 points in each of their three victories.
Shout out to Coach Gilbride. He identified a problem three weeks into the season and took corrective action. The last two games speak for themselves.
Brooklyn Nets: Why Sean Marks is the Sharp End of the Stick
From the desk of: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH
I'm stunned. Never saw this coming.
Shocked? Not really.
Make no mistake. Kenny Atkinson has a fan in me. Coach was absolutely the right man for the job. He served the Nets very well, nurturing a rebuilding club and coaching them up into a burgeoning contender. Last year's playoff appearance has Atkinson's name written all over it. What transpired along Flatbush Avenue was pure home grown. And Atkinson was a leading force behind the organization, the fans, and Brooklyn itself, finally solidifying a long term relationship together. So, yeah, Sean Marks nailed it when he hired Kenny Atkinson.
Sure Coach had some X and O issues, and suffered occasional bouts of game mismanagement. What coach doesn't.?
Player conspiracy? You tell me.
However, an analytics driven system predicated on the high screens and pick and roll, over dependence on three-point shooting, and ruinous fourth quarter meltdowns had become all too predictable.
After three seasons of steady improvements, Sean Marks this last off-season upped the ante. Expectations changed, injuries be damned. The Nets presently have a precarious hold on seventh place in the conference standings with just 20 games left to play. Kenny Atkinson indeed helped get the Nets to this point. But let's be honest, he rarely deviates from the plan. In the midst of year four, it cost him. Now Sean Marks wants more. I believe in his narrative about needing a new voice in the locker room. In fact, the more I ponder Saturday's action the more I agree with the decision. Next season the dynamic in the Nets locker room is sure to change. I view this as Sean Marks jumping in front of the situation. While the timing seems odd, I applaud his conviction. Above and beyond the position of head coach, I want the general manager of the organization operating with proactive confidence rather than in some panic riddled reactive manner.
And this is what makes Sean Marks the sharp end of the stick.
HEAD COACH KENNY ATKINSON and BROOKLYN NETS
MUTUALLY AGREE TO PART WAYS
I'm stunned. Never saw this coming.
Shocked? Not really.
Make no mistake. Kenny Atkinson has a fan in me. Coach was absolutely the right man for the job. He served the Nets very well, nurturing a rebuilding club and coaching them up into a burgeoning contender. Last year's playoff appearance has Atkinson's name written all over it. What transpired along Flatbush Avenue was pure home grown. And Atkinson was a leading force behind the organization, the fans, and Brooklyn itself, finally solidifying a long term relationship together. So, yeah, Sean Marks nailed it when he hired Kenny Atkinson.
Sure Coach had some X and O issues, and suffered occasional bouts of game mismanagement. What coach doesn't.?
Player conspiracy? You tell me.
However, an analytics driven system predicated on the high screens and pick and roll, over dependence on three-point shooting, and ruinous fourth quarter meltdowns had become all too predictable.
After three seasons of steady improvements, Sean Marks this last off-season upped the ante. Expectations changed, injuries be damned. The Nets presently have a precarious hold on seventh place in the conference standings with just 20 games left to play. Kenny Atkinson indeed helped get the Nets to this point. But let's be honest, he rarely deviates from the plan. In the midst of year four, it cost him. Now Sean Marks wants more. I believe in his narrative about needing a new voice in the locker room. In fact, the more I ponder Saturday's action the more I agree with the decision. Next season the dynamic in the Nets locker room is sure to change. I view this as Sean Marks jumping in front of the situation. While the timing seems odd, I applaud his conviction. Above and beyond the position of head coach, I want the general manager of the organization operating with proactive confidence rather than in some panic riddled reactive manner.
And this is what makes Sean Marks the sharp end of the stick.
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