New York Mets Blogs

The hype over Washington Nationals’ phenom Stephen Strasburg has been followed by terrific pitching from the young right-hander, but the Nats’ front office also deserves a lot of credit.  In his first three starts, Strasburg has faced the Pirates, the Indians, and the White Sox, all of whom rank near the bottom offensively.  While I think Strasburg has a tremendous amount of talent and is going to be a great pitcher for quite some time, I’d like to see how he fares against the heavy-hitting lineups of the Yankees, Reds, and Red Sox.

Continue reading "Nationals handle Strasburg’s schedule ..."

I thought that ship had sailed? I also thought it was certain that Bengie Molina would be a New York Met in 2010. New York was dangling a two year deal, but Molina's camp wanted a third year option. Something went terribly wrong in the negotiations, and the two sides parted ways, which is good news for the Giants! It's hard to get greedy in this current market place, especially when you're an older player (who turns 36 in July), and playing a demanding position like catcher. I thought Molina might have ended-up in the American League where he could also be a DH.   Whatever happened at the end of last season (not playing hurt?), I say forget any bad blood that may have bubbled to the surface between Molina and the Giants, and welcome him back behind the plate with open arms. The pitchers love him. He's a club house presence and leader. He will be an excellent mentor to the young Buster Posey. He comes at a relative bargain for one year and $4.5-million, and can hit! Fortunately though, he won't be relied upon to bat clean-up for San Francisco this year (assuming the off-season acquisitions come through as expected). Molina should be much more comfortable further down in the order as a number-six hitter, behind a 3-4-5 combination of Sandoval, Huff, and De Rosa. Now I'm digging this line-up a lot more than I was just a couple of weeks ago.  Yorvit Torrealba? Rod Barajas? Bengie's going to be a better hitter than both of those guys. Last year, Molina struggled through some injuries, but still managed to play in 132 games and had 491 at-bats. The rest of the pertinent numbers: 130 hits, (only) 52 runs scored, 25 doubles, 20 homers, 80 RBI's, and an incredibly low 13 walks...Yikes! That's reflected in a .285 on-base percentage, but a fairly solid .265 batting average. Molina drove in 95 runs with 16 homers and 33 doubles in 2008; with a .292 average, and .322 on-base percentage. So, assuming he plays most of the season, you know roughly what kind of numbers you're going to get. But what if Posey is ready to go mid-season and gets the call-up? That remains to be seen. I would say Eli Whiteside begins the year as Molina's back-up with Posey down in Triple-A Fresno.  By-the-way: Torrealba sported a .351 on-base percentage and a .291 average in just 64 games with the Rockies last season, sharing time with Chris Ianetta. It's hard to really compare any other stats with fewer than half the number of at-bats, but Yorvit did manage to work 21 walks in just 213 at-bats. So, he would easily have more than 50 BB's with 500 A.B's. Barajas, meanwhile, had a descent season with the Blue Jays in 2008 as far as power numbers (19 and 71), but his batting average and on-base were dreadful in roughly the same number of at-bats. So, considering Bengie's familiarity with the Giants' pitching staff, and his overall better hitting, he was clearly the best choice of the three. The fourth choice, Miguel Olivo, had already signed with Colorado -- essentially replacing Torrealba.   Merkin Valdez, who was designated for assignment earlier last week, has been traded to Toronoto for cash considerations. Valdez just never realized his potential, but maintained a dominant fastball even after returning from

Continue reading ""Bengie Molina is Back in the Squat ..."

 HAPPY NEW YEAR to all Giant fans! College Football is nearly complete, and the Super Bowl is a month away...  And before you know it, Spring will be back in the air, and pitchers and catchers will be reporting to spring training in about six weeks. Personally, I just can't get enough baseball (thank you MLB Network), and keep hoping the Giants will make some more moves to improve on an 88-win season in 2009. Yes, they re-signed Juan Uribe (because he couldn't get a multi-year deal elsewhere), and picked-up the versatile Mark De Rosa; however, that's just not enough for me. Assuming Bengie Molina doesn't return (he's been offered two years by the Mets), another bat must walk through that clubhouse door come spring training. Brad Penny walked away from the Giants, who seemingly made a comparable offer to the one year deal he inked with the Cardinals ($7.5 million with incentives that could boost the deal closer to nine-million dollars). Penny joins Cy Young runner-ups Carpenter and Wainwright in a solid rotation, and Matt Holiday appears certain to remain in a line-up featuring the great Albert Pujols. Maybe Penny thought the Cards were closer to the NL Pennant than San Francisco. One pitcher who will not be in Arizona this spring is 46-year-old veteran Randy Johnson, who has officially announced his retirement after twenty-two seasons and 303 victories. A 10-time all-star, 5-time Cy Young Award winner, and World Series MVP, Johnson's accomplishments stack-up against almost any other left-handed pitcher

Continue reading ""Randy Johnson Officially Announces ..."

Pardon me while I go off track for a moment.

 

Last night I watched one of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentaries. It was “Without Bias: The Len Bias Story” or something like that. It didn’t blow me away as far as storytelling goes, but it was well done.

Continue reading "Deep 86-ed"

  

  Do we really blame Carney Lansford for a bunch of over-anxious, free-swinging hitters?  The stats certainly don't lie.  Only the Padres, Pirates, and Astros scored fewer runs than the Giants' 657 runs in 2009.  San Francisco's 122 home runs was second-to-last in the N.L., behind only the Mets, who stroked just 95 homers with a half-injured team in their brand-new, spacious Citi Field. Walks: 392 for the Giants was dead last in the league (the Rockies had 660 walks to lead the league). And that leads us to on-base percentage; where the Giants ranked last at .309!  That is just dismal, anemic, pitiful....any other good adjectives to throw in there?

Continue reading ""Carney Lansford the Scape Goat for ..."

The 12-inning thriller that was the last regular season game ever played at the Metrodome was exactly what I wanted to see.  When the Twins and Tigers played a four-game series in Detroit last week, I found myself rooting for the Twins to close the gap in order to create an exciting finish to the regular season – ideally a one-game playoff.  When that happened, I decided it would be great for the city of Detroit to send their team to the playoffs, but what I wanted most was to see a great game.  My wish came true when the two teams played a nail-biter that could have gone either way, but eventually sent Minnesota to the postseason.  Props to both teams for giving the fans what they deserved.

Continue reading "Twins-Tigers game was exactly what I wanted"

If the Mets head into next season with Bobby Parnell in their plans for the starting rotation, I'm becoming either a Phillies or Yankees fan. I can't take it anymore...I just can't. Parnell is garbage!

Continue reading "Bobby Parnell is NOT a starting pitcher."

When the 2009 MLB season comes to a close, the Chicago Cubs have announced that they will shop starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano in hopes of swinging a trade and dumping much of his monstrous contract. The question is, should the Mets be interested in the massive right-hander?

Continue reading "Cubs Say They Will Shop Zambrano"

As if the 2009 season couldn't get any worse for the Metropolitans, Pedro Martinez had to go and embarrass them on national television last night. While Tim Redding (who I can't stand) pitched his ass off for the Mets, their anemic offense couldn't help him out. The Phillies' famously potent lineup was held to just one run...

Continue reading "Pedro sticks it to his old mates"

I don't intend to go on for too long in this particular post, but I'm just wondering, why did Jeff Wilpon say Jerry Manuel is "his guy," and why is Manuel's managerial job so secure? I understand that injuries have decimated the Mets' roster in 2009, but does that mean it should be impossible for the team to perform well? Does that mean Manuel automatically gets a pass for his personal performance?

Continue reading "What has Jerry Manuel done to keep his job?"

The 2009 Major League Baseball season has been a disaster for the New York Mets, and we all know it, so there's little need to beat a dead horse. Let's move on to 2010. Offensively, the necessities appear to be left field and catcher, but the focus of this post will be starting pitching. "Pitching and defense wins championships" they say, so let's see if the Mets will have what it takes...

Continue reading "2010 Mets' Rotation"

There will come a time when the Chicago Cubs are mathematically eliminated from post-season play.  That time hasn't yet arrived but as the Cubs lose to teams with losing records such as Washington, NY Mets this past Sunday, and trailing Houston 5-2 in the 6th inning tonight, that time is coming soon enough. 

Continue reading "Cubs Can't Beat Bad Teams At Home"

  Six shutout innings and just two hits allowed Wednesday for Barry Zito, who didn't figure in the decision, as the Giants pulled-out a 1-0 win over the Reds. Since the All-Star Break,

Continue reading ""Barry Zito has been Stellar Since ..."

  The Giants escaped from New York with a four-game split Monday, and grabbed the first game of a mid-week series in Cincinnati Tuesday thanks to plenty of offense.  How about 18 runs and 30 hits in the past two games.  The question remains; how consistently can the bats remain alive for this team to contend into September for the wild card -- or conceivably -- the division.  After blasting Livan Hernandez and the Mets' bullpen for 10 runs on 18 hits Monday, San Francisco stung the Reds with a seven-run comeback to erase an early 5-1 deficit against Tim Lincecum. The 8-5 victory included 12 more hits by the Giants.

Continue reading ""Will The Hits Keep Coming for the Giants?""

  The Giants were turning the corner and heading home with a 2-1 victory in the bag behind another strong outing from Tim Lincecum. Then, the umpiring crew (once again) blew a call, an

Continue reading ""Giants Escape With A Win over the ..."

Monday night, I spoke with my buddy Mike about baseball. We talked about fantasy where I'm selling the farm for draft picks in my keeper league more shamelessly than the Pirates are trading for prospects, but also about how Pujols' slump had to be nearing its end. I don't know what it was that got him so on again in such a hurry. Perhaps after he flew out in the first, making what was his only out of the game, a Mets fan heckled him, asking him," How do you like them apples?" Now, I have great respect for Albert, but his English isn't the best, so perhaps he misinterpreted the comment as a challenge to hit the apple in center field. Seven innings later, he accomplished this feat. Two innings later, after Mark DeRosa was plunked to give the Cardinals the lead, he officially went into beast mode. He clubbed his second bomb of the game, metaphorically bitch-slapping the Mets. He looks like he actually bitch-slapped one of them in this photo. I suppose he also could've been offering Omir Santos a high five as if to say," Hey, it's not your fault that I'm this awesome."

Continue reading "Pujols Rejoins the Cards' Surging Offense"

If Michael Vick Can’t Play in the NFL, How Can He Become a “Different Person?” 

Disgraced football superstar Michael Vick completed his prison sentence under house arrest Monday at his home in Hampton, VA.  

Continue reading "If Michael Vick Can’t Play in the ..."

He’s got 4 World Series rings: 1 with the Mets and 3 with the Yankees. His career was tainted with drug abuse. He’s Darryl Strawberry. He was a special guest on the show “Centerstage” with Michael Kaye on the Yes Network. He was a class act. Whatever questions Michael Kaye had about the negative things that happened in his life, he took full responsibility for it: drugs and tax evasion. You name it! Whatever he did wrong he took full responsibility for it, unlike Roger Clemens, who’s given denial after denial that he did steroids.

Continue reading "Straw Humble on Yes Network's "Centerstage""

1. Tonight’s the Home Run Derby. I’m heading down there later to soak up some of the atmosphere and to see if I can get close enough to Clark Street to maybe grab a ball. Albert Pujols has come close to hitting it out of the park in regulation play, so he might have a shot when he’s being grooved pitches. That being said, I’m a little worried about him heading into this competitive batting practice extravaganza.

Continue reading "All-Star Preview Among Other Topics"

I got into a discussion with Sean yesterday about the post I made a couple of weeks ago concerning when a runner has officially taken possession of a base.  We consulted the rule book (online at baseball-almanac.com, a great site) and found no specific details about the situation.  (Though, admittedly, I did not carefully pore over every bit of it research-style, since we were simply having an entertaining discussion.)  While shifting through various alternative scenarios to try to tease out the answer, this fun one came up:

Continue reading "More Baseball Rules Discussion"

Yes, the Mets have been decimated by injuries. They have lost more of their core players then any team I can think of in recent history. They have a built-in excuse for losing. Trying to compete every

Continue reading "The Bad News Mets"

http://www.wdscore.com/index.html?scv=tv&tv_uid_in=1042 Mets

GIANTS LINK:  http://www.freedocast.com/badbeatPASSWORD: meganfox    

CARDINALS LINK:  http://www.freedocast.com/badbeat PASSWORD: meganfox 

Continue reading "Links"

There's a new face on the New York pro baseball scene. His name is Francisco. Sorry Mets fans, I'm not talking about K-Rod, who granted has been perfect this year in saves opportunities except for that 1 save opportunity that slipped away when a route pop fly by second baseman Luis Castillo was dropped. A.J. Burnett might as well have snuck behind him during his interview on SNY and stuffed a whipped cream pie in his face.

Continue reading "Frankie serves up some spark for ..."

This isn't the way Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya drew things up in the offseason.

The Mets put yet another star on the disabled list, this time center fielder Carlos Beltran. He joins Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes on the DL, and that's just in the lineup.

Continue reading "The 2009 New York Mets are Finally the Underdogs"

Continue reading "Lack of fundamentals causes Mets loss, Yankees win"

These 5 deals need to be done by July 31st.

With the Nate McLouth trade still fresh on our minds, what other deals appear to be necessary, if not imminent? Atlanta was able to fill perhaps the single biggest hole of any team, in its lack of outfield production. Here are the five trades that need to be made sooner than later.

Continue reading "5 Trades that Need to Happen in Major ..."

When you take a deep look at the six division leaders as of Monday, June 8, each team has had at least one key name player out of the lineup.

 

Beginning in the American League, obviously, the New York Yankees had Alex Rodriguez out all of April and much of May. In the Central, Detroit’s Jeremy Bonderman has had a rough road coming back, and star player Miguel Cabrera, who I believe is a future Hall-of-Famer, is currently nursing a hamstring injury.

Continue reading "Mets playing well despite key injuries"

(Note: I posted this a couple of days ago on my other blog at FanNation.)

When it comes to the Mets' starting rotation, I think all of their replacement-level options are better than Tim Redding. Redding's stuff is disgraceful, and his general approach to the craft of pitching is laughable. He's been embarrassed in his last two starts -- recently against the Marlins, and the Red Sox before that -- and there is little-to-no indication of potential improvement. I don't think there is any doubt at this point...

Continue reading "I've Had Enough of Tim Redding."

     There are lots of guys like Burt Hooton. 

     Well, not at your local bar, or at church or the grocery store.  Unless former pro ballplayers hang out there.  Former pro ballplayers who won the clinching game of the 1981 World Series.  Against the Yankees.  What I mean by Burt being like lots of guys is that the annals of baseball have so many players we tend to remember mostly the Babe Ruths and Ty Cobbs and –insert random player name here- and so on.  But the game is larger than even the biggest stars.  The game consists of so many players, so many games, so many stats, that unless a player was on your favorite team he may only garner a fleeting memory, an “oh yeah, I kinda remember him” reaction.  If you followed the Cubs in the early to mid seventies, or the Dodgers from 75 to 84, you remember Burt Hooton.  He’ll never get into the hall of fame, but his career is worth a look; there are definitely enough interesting moments to warrant it.  This isn’t some guy who had one or two moments of fame; he had a career’s worth.  Currently he is the pitching coach of the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

Continue reading "My Interview With Burt Hooton"

Mets GM Omar Minaya finally woke up and DL'ed ailing starters Jose Reyes and Ryan Church. As a result, the team called up their prized prospect Fernando Martinez and debuted him tonight against the Wa

Continue reading "The F-Mart Era Begins!"

Do you really mean to tell me that the Mets don't have a single capable shortstop in their entire minor league system? That's insane. Suffice to say, Ramon Martinez is not the answer. However

Continue reading "The Mets Need Players"

Last night the Mets got 1 unearned run in the first inning and the Red Sox came right back in the bottom of the inning scoring 2. So 2-1 Sox and the score would stay like that for the rest of the game, or I had hoped. Beckett pitched amazing going 8 innings, 5 strike outs and allowing only 5 hits, enough for what should have been a win!!! Meanwhile Pelfrey pitched well for the Mets, but the Sox had the lead all game after that 2-1 start and should have won this one.  Papelbon came out in the 9th to close this one out and give Beckett the win he deserved, but not this time. Gary Shefield would lead off the top of the 9th inning by getting walked by Pap, then he struck out the next 2 batters so then there were 2 outs in the 9th and 2 strikes now on the Mets catcher Santos when he hit it. Papelbon left it up in the zone and as it happened, the hit looked deep. I jumped off the couch yelling nooooooo and it just made it over the Green Monster, giving the Mets a 3-2 lead and the win. This game was in our hands but Papel -- who is the man -- is only human.  Everyone is allowed to make a mistake here and there, but hopefully that's his first and last.

Continue reading "Papelbon Blows his First Game of the Year"

The Red Sox lost to the Mets last night. The good news is that it looks like Dice-K is back! Last night was only the third time this season that Dice-K pitched; the last time he pitched was in early April when he gave up five runs in one inning and then was on the DL. He showed good movement in his pitches, he had 5 strong innings, 80 pitches thrown, only 5 hits allowed and 4 strikeouts, and if it wasn't for Lugo not completing a double play (which he should have, he just did not put enough into the throw), he would have only allowed 2 earned runs. Instead, the Mets plated 4 and who knows what would have happened if Lugo makes the double play.  

Continue reading "Lugo Comes Up Short-- Santana Out Pitches Dice-K"

(Note: I've also published this post on FanNation, under the username JFro.)

About a month ago, I published a similar post complaining about Jerry Manuel's mind-numbingly awful managing. It actually generated some interest, as it appeared on a Mets blog and in various discussion threads.

Continue reading "Jerry Manuel Must Be Fired. Now!!!"

All right, so I've jumped the gun a little (the Mets are 21-17, giving them 38 games played, which means they're shy of the 1/4 season mark), but I haven't been too active on this blog and I'd like to get up to speed.

Continue reading "The New York Mets: A Quarter Season in Review"

We are just about two months into the 2009 season and the Mets have proven so far to be just as maddingly inconsistent as they've been since Carlos Beltran left the bat on his shoulder in '06. I must say I was proud of the team (and understandbly shocked) by the moxie they showed in winning the first three games of their series against the Giants, including some late night heroics against that guy from the Beach Boys. Of course I remain convinced that they won because I only watched about 15 minutes of the games all weekend. But Sunday's game just goes to show why the Mets make me insane. To look at Mike Pelfrey's stat line one would think he had an impressive outing. And in many ways he did but ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? Only the Mets have a guy get such a bad case of the "yips" that he commits THREE balks in one game and gets taken out after only 79 pitches. Oh yeah and then there was the offense. What does this team have against hitting with the bases loaded? I want to know what the record is for double plays grounded into with the sacks juiced. I swear other than the grand-slams from Omir Santos and Fernando Tatis it seems like the Mets never get more than a run from these situations. Can I see a bases clearing double please? I miss the days of Robin Ventura hitting a grand salami in each game of a double header.

Continue reading "Team Inconsistency"

First off, I'd like to welcome myself and viewers to my first post in this blog...It's truly a priviledge to be able to do this. 

With that out of the way, Chan Ho Park took the mound tonight for the Phils- in an attempt to earn his first win with his new ballclub, since signing with them in the off-season.  Park, in his first inning of work tonight, gave up a homerun to deep right to Mets utility player David Murphy and was down 2-0 before Philadelphia even had a chance to come back or take a lead themselves.  Park's ERA didn't skyrocket because he's had a rough first 3 starts; leaving tonight's game at Citizen's Bank Park with an Earned Run Average of 8.57, after 4.2 innings of work.  

Continue reading "Chan Ho "It's Outta The" Park Gives ..."

    

    Fantasy baseball has begun!!! As the regular season starts, so does our effort to provide you information in the best way possible. Looking for a trade? Looking for someone on the waiver wire? Who should I start? These questions are answered by the best team in sports - the Fantasy Sportsgirl team. Too bad we can't just draft them, but you can see them here and get your fantasy fix.

Continue reading "Fantasy Baseball Information by Fantasy Sportsgirl"

People can jump up and down and scream their admiration for the first day of the NCAA Tournament, Sunday of the Masters or the NFL Draft, but Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season has been and forever will be my favorite day of the year. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain why. You either get it or you don’t. I’ll spare you the clichés. After months of hot stove talk, six weeks of spring training, the World Baseball Classic and hours of blog writing previewing each team in every division ( which you can read here), the regular season has finally arrived, and I couldn’t be happier.

Continue reading "The Sports Don's Sunday Musings: ..."

The National League has four legitimate contenders for the World Series, and two of those clubs reside in the NL East. Along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets and incumbent champion Philadelphia Phillies are the league’s elite. The Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves should have respectable seasons while the Washington Nationals battle with the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates for the label of most horrendous team in the league.

Continue reading "The Sports Don's 2009 NL East Preview"

In this chapter, one focused on the bullpens, things are a little on the hazy side. What I mean by that is, evaluating a bullpen isn't an exact science like evaluating an infield, where the positions are first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and catcher. With a bullpen there are long men, middle relievers, setup men, and closers, but those roles are utilized and defined differently by each major league club, with the sole exception being closer.

Continue reading "MLB's Top Five Bullpens"

Before I get to the actual list, I must say when I posted this on FanNation, readers were complaining about the omission of the New York Mets' star-studded infield.

The funny thing is, I'm a Mets fan. And yet I ranked both the Braves and Phillies' infields ahead of the Metropolitans. Talk about reserving one's biases...

Continue reading "MLB's Top Five Infields"

Dykstra's "Fucking Out!" 

A former editor of Players Club poorly portrayed the periodicals founder, Lenny Dykstra, a 4-time All-Star on the baseball diamond, in this month’s edition of

Continue reading "Imus will "Be Fine," Lane Kiffin ..."

Wow, Coach Tony was seen pitching balls for the Mets in Port St Lucie. You should have seen his release, incredible!! I am not sure where they got his t-shirt though, it must have been specially made.

Continue reading "Coach Tony and the Mets"

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make, you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” – Matthew 7: 1-3

Continue reading "Sympathy for the Steroid Devils"

The sport of Major League Baseball just can't catch a break. The steroids era is very damaging to the game. Not to long ago the fans suffered major disappointment learning of the alleged steroid use of such stars of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Not to long before that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa cases were presented before us. We all thought what a relief that we still have coveted stars whose names weren't implicated in any of that mess. Well fans... we were all wrong. The games savior Alex Rodriguez admittedly used performance enhancing drugs. I was indeed shocked but I almost expected this. How many more players are there out there who no in doubt cheated the game and all of us? I don't exactly know, but I am beginning not to even care. The fact that drugs have played a part in the game that I love the most, has become reality and there is nothing I can do to change it. I believe in Major League Baseball. I am confidant that the Commissioner and his office, the owners and the players association have taken enough heat to try and get the game back on track. No doubt that there will be more stars that will have there past made public, but after enduring A FRAUD's ignorant publicized apology, I believe we the fans can handle all of the rest that will no doubtedly come.

Continue reading "Are You Serious???"

This offseason has not been kind to the Wilpons. First was the Madoff scandal, which cost the Wilpons personally. Now news broke earlier today that Citigroup might have to pull out of their naming rights for the Mets new stadium.

Continue reading "A cloud of uncertainty with Citi Field"

Oliver Perez will stay with the New York Mets after signing a 3 year deal worth $36 million. The deal is a pretty fair one considering Perez was looking for 5 years and $70 million last offseason.

Continue reading "Mets Agree To Deal With Oliver Perez"

Aaron Heilman, who was traded by the Mets to the Seattle Mariners as part of the J.J. Putz deal, was flipped to the Chicago Cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Garret Olson. Many suspected that Heilman was going to be the closer for the Mariners since Brandon Morrow was going to move to the rotation. The trade is great for Heilman because his competition for the fifth spot with the Cubs are Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, and Chad Gaudin. Only Samardzija really has a higher ceiling than Heilman, but he has yet to play a full season.

Continue reading "Aaron Heilman Finally Has a Shot ..."

 

           Why do people read books or watch movies? What is it that they find intriguing? It’s the story. If it’s a great story that you are looking for than you need only look to professional sports.

Continue reading "For Love of the Game"

With a little over a month left before Spring Training, the Mets still have a few holes to fill.

Left Field: The plan for 2009 is to have Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis platoon the position. Murphy hit .313 in 131 ABs, while Tatis hit .297 in 273 ABs. Tatis was out of baseball for two years before 2008. While Murphy has a lot of promise, and  Tatis might continue to be a competent bat, there are just too many question marks to not even explore other options.

Continue reading "Mets "Not Interested" in Ramirez; ..."

Honestly, I can't figure this front office out. I still can't decide if Omar Minaya is a crafty, savvy baseball mind, or a complete and utter idiot. I just can't tell. The decisions being made by this franchise are all over the map. This offseason is driving me insane -- not because it's neither good nor bad, but because I cannot comprehend our financial difficulties or the intended direction of the club.

Continue reading "Does anyone know what the Mets are thinking?"

What are some of the Braves other needs before the season opener against the Phillies on April 5? Adding an outfield bat seems to be Wren's top priority, but who could it be?

Hopefully not Andruw Jones, who just hit the free agent market yesterday. I just don't think he's worth taking a shot on. After all, the Dodgers did agree to pay him the rest of his contract as long as he stopped hurting their team by taking up a roster spot.

Continue reading "What's left for the Braves?"

Yes, it's great for the Atlanta Braves that Derek Lowe is their rotation's new ace. He's better than what they have now — with the exception possibly being Jair Jurrjens, who might be really, really good one day but is still just 22 years old — and there aren't too many other options out there. Randy Wolf isn't that great, neither is Oliver Perez, and Ben Sheets is exactly what the Braves don't need, another starter who will spend more time on the DL then he will off of it.

Continue reading "Braves overbid for Lowe - but they had no choice"

Omar Minaya is the Jekyll and Hyde of Major League general managers. It's incredible how he can look like an Einstein-esque genius with some moves, and an executive that knows very little about baseball with others.

Continue reading "Major Mets Blunder: Lowe Signs with Braves"

Sure, Omar Minaya may have cleaned up the pigsty in the Mets' pen with the acquisitions of Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez and J.J. Putz, but that doesn't mean that this team is going to leapfrog the Phillies at the top of the National League East. There are still a number of rather deep holes to fill, and they need to be filled with quality players, not stopgaps.

Continue reading "The New York Mets: Plenty of Question Marks Remain"

Dear readers:

I'd like to begin my blogging on this account by thanking each and every one of you who have taken the time to read my content in the past, and those of you who will do the same in the near future. A special, personal thanks goes out to the readers who have provided me with direct feedback.

Continue reading "Welcome to JFro Sports Journalism"

The Mets went from zero to sixty in a flash, signing top free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez and trading for another, J.J. Putz of the Mariners. And just like that Omar Minaya, who many accused of sleepwalking through the winter dramatically addressed the team's most glaring weakness. How K-Rod and Putz will co-exist in the Mets' bullpen remains to be seen, but all of a sudden sports pundits across America, including John "I still get a paycheck from the Phillies" Kruk are touting the duo as devastating and game changing. Many talking heads also called Omar one of the biggest winners at the Winter Meetings, considering that he was able to completely re-build his bullpen without giving up any blue chip prospects or key big league contributers (plus the losses of Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis have to be addition by subtraction).

Continue reading "Off Season Check In/Most Epic Post Ever"

Francisco Rodriguez just signed a big-money contract with the Mets, who have missed the playoffs the last two seasons.  CC Sabathia chose to become the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history, signing with the Yankees in spite of the fact that they play in what is considered the toughest division in baseball and failed to make the postseason in 2008.  What drew Sabathia to the Bronx and K-Rod to Queens?  It wasn’t a near-guarantee to return to the playoffs, which they could have had with the Angels.  They didn’t grow up in New York dreaming of wearing Yankee Pinstripes and Met blue and orange one day.  There’s only one thing it could be: money – $161 million for seven years of Sabathia and $37 million for three years of Rodriguez.

Continue reading "Greed takes away from the game"

A year after they get good players the Houston Astros are looking to dump salary what a joke. They are the worst organizations in baseball. The mets should get Carlos Lee to play left f

Continue reading "Mlb HotStove Report"

The offseason is in full swing, so what better time to join the world of blogging than right before things start to get good.

 

I’m Mike and I’ve been a Mets fan since I was 2 (courtesy of my dad and the 1986 World Series). On top of having a diehard fan relationship with the Mets, I have a history of being extremely objective and analytical. I have hosted my own sports radio talk show in the past, during which time I’ve had perfect weeks of picking games in the NFL, projected multiple trades in multiple sports months before they’ve actually occurred, and correctly picked every series in the 2007 MLB playoffs. The point is, you’re not reading a typical fan blog. What you read here about the Mets (and often times other teams as well) is well-thought out, intelligent, and often times scarily accurate.

Continue reading "Critical Offseason for New York Mets"

Part Four:  The Maestro

           Has Omar Minaya been a good general manager of the New York Mets?  Well, for one, he didn’t trade Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.  No, when he traded the Mets’ top prospects, he got a much better return—Johan Santana anyone?

Continue reading "In The Aftermath Of The Collapse ..."

With the regular and postseason over, and the hot stove not quite on fire just yet, it’s a perfect time to pick my regular season award winners for the 2008 season.  Here are my MVP picks.

Continue reading "MVP Award Picks"

Part Three:  The Skipper

           On June 16 the Mets defeated the Angels to pull within one game of .500, at 34-35, but more importantly they made a managerial change that would alter the scope of their season.

Continue reading "In the Aftermath Of The Collapse ..."

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

Continue reading "Inbound link contest winner announced!"

    Well, it's become quite obvious that the Mets desperately need to find someone else to close in Billy Wagner's absence.  When Wagner had to miss a game against the Phillies three weeks ago with forearm stiffness, Duaner Sanchez dropped the ball.  Since Wagner was placed on the DL last week, Heilman has been awful in two of his four ninth inning chances.  In order to put an end to the bullpen's pattern of implosion, Jerry Manuel offered two other options after yesterday's game:  Eddie Kunz and John Maine.

Continue reading "Mets' Season May Depend on Kunz"

    When Pedro Martinez allowed a home run to Jody Gerut on the first pitch of the game, it already didn't look good.  Then, when he allowed another one just two batters later, it looked like it was definitely going to be a long day for Pedro and the Mets.  But Pedro settled down beautifully and allowed just two hits the rest of the way in his 6.1 innings pitched Wednesday night.  His curveball and change-up were both working well, forcing San Diego hitters to hit ground balls or pop up, as they were regularly off balance.

Continue reading "Wright's Lapses Contribute to Mets' ..."

    Just when you think Fernando Tatis might be coming down to Earth and snapping his unbelievably hot hitting, he proves you dead wrong.  Tatis' two home runs last night powered the Mets toward their 6-5 triumph over the Padres, and his knack for coming through in the clutch continued.  His first homer tied the game at one, and his second put the Mets ahead 4-2.  Six of Tatis' nine home runs this year have either tied the game or given the Mets the lead.

Continue reading "Heilman Nearly Wastes Efforts of Pelfrey and Tatis"

My family and I went on a camping trip this past weekend up north in Alpena, Mich. No place to blog there. Back to business...

Maybe I should gripe about the Astros and write off their season more often. Granted, Houston's four-game win streak ended tonight with an 11-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs, but now Houston is 54-58 and in fourth place in their division. The streak included a sweep of the New York Mets, something Houston hasn't done in years.

Continue reading "Houston Astros update, sorry about the hiatus"

Goodbye and good riddance to Manny Ramirez on his way out to Los Angeles. He's Joe Torre's problem now after the Boston Red Sox cut a three-team deal to send the team-killing douche bag

Continue reading "Manny moves out, Bay rolls into Boston"

    For the third time in a week, the Mets showed some moxie last night in winning convincingly the day after a disconcerting loss.  First, it was John Maine's solid performance against the Phillies the day after the bullpen blew Johan Santana's eight-inning gem.  Then, it was Santana going the distance to conserve the worn out bullpen the day after the five-hour, 14-inning loss to St. Louis.  And last night Oliver Perez fought through six innings, allowing just the one first-inning run, after the bullpen blew an eighth-inning lead on Monday.  David Wright gave the Mets an early lead with an RBI double in the first and Carlos Beltran put New York ahead with a rare two-out RBI single in the sixth.  Carlos Delgado jacked a two-run homer in the eighth for insurance, and Heilman pitched two scoreless innings for the hold, before Billy Wagner tossed a perfect ninth for his 27th save.

Continue reading "Heilman Holds Perez's Lead, Delgado Puts it Away"

As has been well documented, the New York Mets have made a huge turnaround in their season since manager Jerry Manuel took over for Willie Randolph just over a month ago. One of the big reasons for the resurgence has been Fernando Tatis. Tatis replaced Ryan Church in right field about two months ago. Church, himself a good acquisition by the Mets in the off-season, had been playing well statistically but is currently sidelined with post-concussion syndrome after a few incidents.

Continue reading "The re-birth of Fernando Tatis"

    A day after the Mets' bullpen acted out a microcosm of the final 17 games of 2007, Billy Wagner was back on the mound with a three-run lead in the ninth inning on Wednesday, and Mets fans could not be happier.  Wagner's save in the 6-3 victory not only sealed the win and moved the Mets back into a first place tie with the Phillies, but it also put the minds of many a Mets fan at ease, knowing that the true closer is once again available to pitch.  After the game Wagner said he looked better than he felt, but hopefully he continues to feel well enough to pitch 1-2-3 ninth innings.

Continue reading "Billy Wagner Never Looked So Good"

Another comfortable win for the Yanks last night.  The offense was firing on all cylinders and Darell Rasner pitched well enough to get the win.  Nice to see Bobby Abreu hit a ball out and Robinson Cano keep up his hot hitting.  The bullpen also looked spectacular again.  It would be easy to say "HEY, look at who the Yanks are beating!"...but oddly enough, the Twins came in with a better record than the Yankees....

Continue reading "5 and counting! Meanwhile on the ..."

    When the Mets traded for and signed Johan Santana in January, tonight's game was exactly what they had in mind.  The ace will take the mound tonight at Shea to face the Phillies, who are tied with the Mets atop the National League East.  Tonight would be a perfect situation for the type of start Mets fans are itching for out of Santana.  Overall, despite his 3.10 ERA, Santana's season has been a disappointment to this point.  His 8-7 record is mediocre, his strikeout rate is down, his batting average against is up, and his solid ERA is also misleading in that it does not reflect the grand slam he allowed to pitcher Felix Hernandez of the Mariners.  Santana has only pitched into the eighth inning once this season, and Duaner Sanchez ultimately blew that game in the ninth.  Tonight is an opportunity for Santana to turn his sub-par season around, and show Mets fans that he is worth his exhorbitant contract

Continue reading "Johan Santana Takes the Hill With ..."

http://mysportsrumors.com/blog/2008/07/21/the-pittsburgh-swap-mar 

Every playoff contender in baseball seems to be calling the Pittsburgh Pirates, looking for an upgrade for their playoff push. The Pirates have numerous players that interest those contenders, in this article we’re going to talk about five of those guys. Those that have been drawing the most interest are Xavier Nady, Jason Bay, Jack Wilson, John Grabow and Damaso Marte.

Continue reading "The Pittsburgh Swap Market"

This week on Comcast SportsNet Northwest they've been showing Game 6 of the 1990 Western Conference finals in the NBA. Being an Oregonian and Blazer fan it brings back vivid memories. I was nearing the end of my first term away from home at Southern Oregon State College (as it was known then) in Ashland, and a large group of friends were all Blazer fans. We got together to see them on TV every game it seemed.

Continue reading "Back in 1990 with the Portland Trail Blazers"

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

Continue reading "Inbound link contest - Win $100!"

Yes, I know I'm being a terrible sports fan, but I didn't watch the all-star game. We don't get Fox very well from our house, but even if we did, I'm not sure I would've watched. Besides, the game has become a popularity contest, one that just doesn't interest me. The only thing exciting about it now is that the winner will get homefield advantage in the World Series.

Continue reading "Post All-Star game thoughts"

Mike Pelfrey, a much heralded pitching prospect in the Mets organization for several years has begun to show promising signs of progress.

After losing six consecutive starts, Pelfrey has righted his ship in a big way-winning his last five in a row and looking like he may be emerging as a dependable middle of the rotation starter. In his last 50.2 innings he has allowed only 15 earned runs-good for a 3.34 ERA, an excellent number for a young, back of the rotation starter.  

Continue reading "Pelfrey a looks good"

    This season Mets fans have come to realize that win or lose, life is excruciating.  For this team there is no such thing as a laugher--in either direction.  It seems that every Mets loss includes a blown lead, and every Mets win includes an attempt at the same.

Continue reading "Despite best efforts, Wagner and ..."

Getting a win after Billy Wagner blew another save, his sixth of the season should serve as the last wake-up call for the long slumbering Mets. Having played terribly and sleep walked through the season thus far the team is still in the pennant race and if they can play consistent baseball can overtake the Phillies.

Continue reading "Wagner gets lucky"

Willie Randolph is better off to be rid of the Mets. This is an organziation that has been a joke for all 46 years of their existence, through different owners and management. From trading Tom Seaver

Continue reading "The Mets have been a joke for 46 years"

For years I've been wondering how people in major league baseball get their jobs. More and more it seems to me that it's not very different from the real world. It's just somebody's friend or someone

Continue reading "Mets fired the wrong guy"

I have been hearina lot lately that interleague play has run its course. I couldnt disagree more. Major League Baseball is first and foremost a business. Its # 1 goal is to make money and it seems that interleague play is a huge money maker. What National League team doesnt want the Yankees or Red Sox coming to town? I know Pittsburgh sold out three mid-week games versus the Yankees this week. This adds juice to the stadium and it also gets the team pumped up. They can finally play in a sold out stadium that is their own. Watching these games you can see teams like the Pirates or the Rockies last year play in a different gear to try and impress the fans and see how they do versus the best teams.  From a business stand point I belive that Interleague play will be here for a long time.

Continue reading "Interleague Play"

As I sit here and watch Johan shutout the Yankees for first three innings I wonder what it would be like for him to be in the road grey's. Sure it would be nice to have some one of his caliber as a member of the Yankees but I think his performance is season thus far has proven Brian Cashman correct. If the Yankees had traded Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy for Johan Santanna, Yankee fans would be asking for more. I know Hughes and Kennedy have no wins this year but Hughes is only 20 years old and has great potential. He needs time to devlop. I am not sure what Kennedy turns into and I would have definetly been fine with trading him in a deal just not packaged with Hughes. It just wasnt fair for the Yankees to give up prospects and a huge contract.

Continue reading "3 Months into the Santanna Decision"

Maybe the Astros should make it a habit of having a hotheaded pitcher get into a skirmish with General Manager Ed Wade.

Every day.

Call it the Keith Hernandez Principle.

Back in 1988, the New York Mets first baseman had gotten word from his attorney that his bitter divorced had become final. The next night, Hernandez (never a real power hitter) hit two home runs and drove in seven runs. He mused: "Maybe I should get divorced every day. I'd be broke, but I'd also be in the Hall of Fame."

Continue reading "Houston Astros are 1-0 in post-Shawn Chacon Era"

 

If you are a MLB manager in New York, you are involved in some risky business.  No matter how much you do for your team over the years, one false move could end up with you not having a job. 

Continue reading "Risky Business"

Scuttlebutt around the league has the Giants signing Rick Peterson as a special consultant to work with BARRY ZITO on his woeful season.  Peterson was fired as pitching coach with the New Yo

Continue reading "Peterson to Giants?!"

My attention is divided today, between the two coasts, and between moves major and minor.

Beginning in the East and the earlier time zone is appropriate to the biggest story: the firing of Willie Randolph. Say what you will about Willie, he’s been a classy guy in both New York teams (he earlier served as a Yankees’ bench coach) and deserved better. That Minaya reportedly declined to fire him on Father’s Day, only to axe Randolph in the middle of the night on Monday, replaces a reprehensible act with a cowardly one.

Continue reading "Two Brief Bits"

It was 3:15 a.m. here on the East Coast, 12:15 a.m. in sunny California, when New York Mets manager Willie Randolph learned he was out of a job.

Mets general manager Omar Minaya apparently didn't make a cross-country flight for nothing, but he did let Randolph travel 3,000 miles from home before finally deciding to end the months of speculation about Randolph's job status -- after a win, no less, over the L.A. Angels.

Continue reading "Who would want Mets job after this?"

We all knew that Willie's job was in jeopardy a few weeks ago when he had to meet with Omar, but who would have thought that Minaya would have canned Willie after the Mets won 2 straight and actually won a series?!

Continue reading "Randolph....WTF?"

In news obscured by the thrilling conclusion to the U.S. Open and sandwiched between the hype that is the NBA Finals, Bill Bavasi got fired for his failure to produce winners as the general manager of the Seattle Mariners. Bavasi assembled a Mariners team that is falling well short of expectations, as many picked Seattle to win the AL West, and is underperforming in many facets of the game. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise; since becoming GM in 2004, Bavasi has produced one team over .500, last year’s 88-74, and no playoff berths.

Continue reading "Jobless in Seattle: Bavasi Gets the Ax"

By Bud L. Ellis 

ATLANTA -- As the Atlanta Braves prepared to leave Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and close spring training, the franchise that built its success on pitching felt pretty good about 2008.

Continue reading "Braves learning a hard lesson on aging pitchers"

After a string of wins following the closed door meetings.Willie Randolph's future as the Manager of the Mets appears to be in danger once again.From a long time fans perspective they appear to be lif

Continue reading "Willie Randolph's Future"

At the of 10, I pitched my first baseball game.  By 16, I had pitched my last.  I was a product of a career cut short by tendonitis in the elbow of my throwing arm.  I recall coming home after high school games to the weak therapy of a heating pad which only isolated my pain.  The throbbing would be so intense that I was unable to move my arm enough to pick up a pencil to do my math homework.  I knew things were on their way down when a kid clobbered a 300 some-odd foot homerun off of the first pitch of my career.  It would be the only homerun I gave up all year, but as the season moved on, my stamina withered.  A 5 inning outing quickly turned into 4 innings then 3.  Before I knew it, I was moved to the role of closer.  By the end of the season, I was lucky if I could handle more than 1 innings worth of work.  My fastball steadily declined from the upper-mid 70s to the low 60s.  With only two games left in the season, I broke my left thumb and was done for the season. 

Continue reading "A Call To Young Arms"

I guess it is inevitable the old adage that says 'What goes around, comes around.  Certainly seems that the Giants were listening to that one, as they blasted the Mets 10-2 one nite and the Mets

Continue reading "Bad 2 days at AT&T"

Time: 8:07. I'm sitting, Joba Chamberlain has left the game in the third inning. This pleases me. A slight relief from reality comes over me.

Reality: Pedro is pitching. In what has turned into the most disappointed Mets season of my young lifetime, Sheadom turns to Pedro Martinez, the visage of a former titan of baseball, the premier Latin American ambassador for this game, and unable to complete a full Major League season in years.

Continue reading "Pedro Lives!"

Funny what a half a dozen runs before you throw a pitch can do for you!  Ask JONATHAN SANCHEZ about it, as that is what took place on a cool, breezy evening at AT &T Park as the Gia

Continue reading "Half Dozen Runs in First as Gianrs sink Mets"

Willie Randolph should tell the New York Mets to take his job and shove it.
He's unappreciated by ownership. His own players won't take the chances presented to them to defend him. The fan base has turned against him, booing his every pitching change at Shea Stadium. And his general manager, the overrated architect of this team and its collapsing players, refuses to commit one way or the other about Randolph's future, leaving his manager in perpetual limbo.

Continue reading "Randolph not alone in Mets mess"