This Is Getting Ridiculous! I Need To Rant…

Where to begin? The crappy defense..? The lack of clutch hitting..? Or perhaps the lack of hitting, PERIOD..?! The nonchalant press conference’s skipper Jerry Manuel gives day after day, loss after loss..? I think I got it, I’m gonna start from the top, the Wilpons and GM Omar Minaya.

I need to get this out of my system. WHAT THE FUCK!!?

I can certainly speak for 99.9% of all Mets fans when I say I feel extremely disappointed and just flat out embarrassed at how the team is playing. Injuries happen, that’s fine. For the past 3 seasons the Mets have had the luxury of having their core intact and healthy for the most part with no major injuries and they have still managed to not make the post season. Pitching was to blame. Especially last season, our bullpen was absolutely horrendous. This past off season GM Omar Minaya went out there and completely revamped our bullpen. Got rid of Heilman *cringe* Schoenweis *cringe* Duaner,  etc etc. We got J.J Putz! We got Frankie Rodriguez! Man oh man were Mets fans excited. When I got out of school one afternoon and my brother told me the Mets had signed K-Rod I flipped out. It was our year. With the bullpen set we were ready to go out there and get the job done.

Boy was I wrong.

The Wilpons had lost a lot of money in the Maddoff scandal and that was said to be the reason for why we did not go out there and got Manny Ramirez ( Manny being Manny of course played a role too, but come on, best hitter in the game, with the money the Wilpons would certainly had done it). Then there was Orlando Hudson. Gold glove caliber second baseman who was a winner, a great guy to have not just on the field but in the clubhouse, however, he had been plagued by a wrist injury the past year or so and therefore management was reluctant to give him any sort of deal. That plus the huge contract of the oh so lovely Luis Castillo who frankly, sucked. The thing is, Hudson was out there for the taking, he wanted to be a Met, he was willing to play in NY for less money and even waited out the off season a bit to see if the Mets could find a way to dump Castillo and sign him; however, the money hungry Wilpons were not gonna do that. Shame.

Castillo came to camp thinner, in shape, and ready to go. Good, he should of done that last year too, but let’s not get into that right now. The Mets were ready to go, they had to be, nothing less was expected. Then along came the injuries.  First Wagner, then Redding, Pagan, Schneider, Delgado, Perez, Reyes, Cora, Church, Putz, Martinez, Maine, and Beltran. Oh, and that’s not including the many “day-to-day” injuries other Mets players had. To go into each injury and the way they were misplayed would be an article long enough on its own. Frankly, the Mets either hit some real tough luck or management needs to get a new  medical staff. Of all those injuries the ones that hurt the most were Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, Maine, and Perez. 3/4ths of our core along with our SP 3 & 4 were gone. From the beginning I had a feeling it was gonna be a long season…but not this long.

Let’s go on ahead to present-day. The Mets have just lost their 4th in a row coming home from a 3-game sweep in Philly. Omar Minaya keeps saying there’s no trade market out there, that we’ll just have to hold down the fort until our big guys come back after the All-Star break. Alright, some hope? Definitely not. Our guys aren’t even close to coming back. Jose still can’t run without pain, Beltran hasn’t began anything baseball related, and Delgado is most likely not coming back along with Wagner until late August. The only person close to coming back is Oliver Perez whom starts tomorrow against the Dodgers and let’s just say he won’t add much more to our explosive offense. How I wish sarcasm worked on paper.

Adam Dunn, Nick Johnson, Mark DeRosa, Aubrey Huff. All guys who could have come in and helped this dying teams offense in some way or another. David Wright can’t do it all on his own. He’s not Manny Ramirez. You can debate whether or not any of these guys would truly help or whether or not they’re worth giving up prospects but you gotta admit that anything at this point can only do good. The Mets haven’t had an extra base hit in 3 games, haven’t scored in 22 innings, and the list goes on and on. Individual stats? Enough to make you wanna go to a corner and cry. D-Wright is hitless in 14+ at-bats and Tatis needs to go.

Who’s to blame? The Wilpons? Omar? Jerry? The players? I’m gonna say all of them. The Wilpons for giving Omar Minaya an extension and not letting him go out there and spend the money on free agents like Orlando Hudson and Manny Ramirez that would have given a huge boost to this team, Omar for not doing his job and letting good trades like DeRosa get away, Jerry for taking everything as what seems to be a joke, laughing, and smiling at every damn post conference and not a much needed fire uner his team, and the players for not speaking out more and doing the basics; catching pop-ups, throwing accurately, fielding correctly, and getting clutch hits.

Met fans don’t deserve this embarassment, the Wilpons are putting out a triple A team on the field day after day and it’s getting ridiculous. We’re the joke of the league once again, thanks a lot.

Un-Freaking-Believable!

The game hasn’t even finished yet but it’s safe to say aside from yesterday, this series was a huge blow to the Mets. First, it was the dropped ball by Castillo for the last out of the ninth that cost us the win for Game 1, then it’s Santana and the Mets giving up 13 runs and probably more since I’m writing this in the 6th inning for the rubber game.

The story here though is Johan Santana. Our ace. The big guy. The man of steel. For the past 3 starts Johan has not been his usual dominant self. In his last start against the Phillies, even though he got the win, he let up 4 home runs. His fastball’s velocity is down and he’s missing his targets with his change-up.

Today he went 3 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 3 K’s, 9 ER - His ERA is now 3.29

It’s not exactly time to start panicking but if Johan comes back on Friday and doesn’t pitch well again it’s time for him to go see a doctor. His arm could either be pulling a John Maine and be having a “dead arm” period or we might have an...injury.. on our hands. Back in spring training Johan missed the WBC due to an irritated triceps tendon but with enough rest came back and had no problem. Could it be that maybe his knee is bothering him again? I certainly hope not, I rather it be anything in the world but an injury, we can;t afford afford to lose our ace, John Maine, JJ Putz, Delgado, and Reyes and possibly Sheffield all at the same time.

This is something we’ll have have to keep a very close eye on.

Mets Take Game 2 of Subway Series

Fernando Nieve! What a guy! Talk about stepping up for your team in a tough spot after a gut-wrenching loss and pitching 6 2/3 innings, allowing only 2 earned runs ( 1 of which Sean Green allowed technically) and 4 hits. Oh yeah and one more thing, he had not started a big league game since 2006!

The Mets certainly stepped up to the plate scoring 6 runs in 17 hits. David Wright continued his hot streak going 2-5 while Fernando Martinez had a nice day at the plate as well going 3-4. Santos put the Mets on the board in the 2nd with a 2-run blast and later on in the 7th Gary Sheffield hit his second long ball in two days, #506, off Alfredo Aceves in the 7th.

Then there was Luis Castillo, whom once again was a great sport and talked to the media and had a pair of hits but most importantly, no errors.

This game was the epitome of what the Mets have been doing right after tough games like yesterday’s. Everyone makes errors every once in a while and they backed Luis up, let him know t was okay, and went out there today and played themselves a heck of a ballgame with a great pitching performance from Nieve.

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Tomorrow, Johan Santana ( 8 -3 ) takes the mound against A.J Burnett ( 4-3 ) at 1:10 pm on PIX11

OH NO CASTILLO!!

Louie, Louie, Louie….

Let me start off by saying that when Luis dropped that ball last night I teared. I could not believe what had just happened. The anger and the frustration that I had inside lingered throughout the night and I went to bed around 2 in the morning still angry.

When will this team stop the bullshit and play focused, smart, hard nosed baseball until the last out? When will they stop being lazy? When will they hustle no matter the situation? Who knows. Maybe when we get a new manager that can actually inspire his team and make sure they do what they have to do and not just laugh it off and make excuses like Manuel does.

Although we can’t exactly blame Castillo fully for the loss since we had many opportunities to break the game open and we did not, as usual, there was absolutely no reason for him to not make that catch. Last night I heard a few people on TV say you ‘gotta feel for the guy, but I didn’t; however, now that my anger has somewhat subsided I’ve come to realize I do feel for Castillo. Whether it was the injuries or just a bad case of lazyness, Luis Castillo had a horrendous year last season. The fans were ready to rip him apart if they had the chance and rightfully so. He came back this year in shape, and ready to go, and he was. He started off the year on a hot-streak and although his bat had cooled off lately his defense had been stellar. Just as the fans were beginning to forgive Louie this happens…it’s just sad.

The Mets should have won this game and unfortunately what’s done is done, now it’s time for the Mets to step up, dust themselves off, and prove to their fans and the other teams that they’re no joke – that they mean business and that they won’t let stupid mistakes get them off-track. They need to go out there today and win a ballgame.

What Do Alex Rodriguez & Elliot Spitzer Have In Common….?

…The same call-girl agency!

Mr. Alex Rodriguez has done it again ladies and gentleman! New reports are coming out that will drain his career and his reputation even more.

A former Manhattan madam who supplied Eliot Spitzer with hookers also counted Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez as a customer – and found him so charming she dated him herself for free – Daily News

After meeting Davis in a gym in ‘06, Alex who was then married asked her out. Davis, whom had no idea who he was but did admit he was “hot as hell” declined the offer because she had plans with her boyfriend that night. She did however give him her call-girl agency’s card.

According to Davis that same night Alex called in and requested a two-hour date. The next day when that same girl found out it was Alex Rodriguez she started freaking out because her dad works for a major league baseball team.

Rodriguez would not give up on his target. He wanted Davis, and he was not shy about letting her know:

In an e-mail exchange provided to The News by a former booker for Davis’ Wicked Models, Rodriguez purportedly told Davis on Nov. 17, 2006: “Thanks for setting me up with Samantha. She was gorgeous. But she is not you. When can I see you you are gorgeous . . .”

The exchange goes on:

Davis: “Hi Alex. You don’t want to see me. I’m no fun. lol. Just because your (sic) so sweet, here are some pics of me and I appreciate the compliments. Your (sic) a doll. Thanks, Kristin”

Rodriguez: “You have been playing hard to get for a year now, your (sic) killing me.”

Davis: “It’s not playing I am hard to get. Maybe you should try harder.”

Rodriguez: “Kristin, I definitely will and I love the pics. I put the one on my cell so I can look at you all the time. Alex.”

Davis: “You are too sweet. I’ll let you know when I get someone you like.”

A few former agency workers claim A-Rod hired prostitutes over half-a-dozen times.

Alex Rodriguez….

Great..

Once again I haven’t been able to post as often as I would like. My softball season starts soon and I’m at practice everyday of the week. By the time I get home and do everything I have to do including homework… I’m exhausted and go to sleep.

Once the season starts I’ll be able to get back to doing this like I did before..a few posts everyday.

Duaner’s A Goner

The Mets have released relief pitcher Duaner Sanchez.

Sanchez, who had come in a trade with Dodgers in 2006 posted a 2.60 ERA and 5-1 record in 49 appearances. Unfortunately he was in a taxi accident that July in Miami and injured his arm. Two operations and 20 months later Sanchez was finally off the DL list and was back in action. However, it wasn’t the same Duaner. His velocity was way down and he posted a 4.32 ERA in 66 games.

Now doubt the bullpen was overworked last season, but judging from his stuff when he returned and from Spring Training so far alone, it was clear Duaner had to either step up his game or he would be cut.

This is some of what Omar had to say, “To his credit, he really was trying hard,” Minaya said. “But I think you guys have seen – you can get outs, but at the same time the command is not where you want to be. The velocity was getting better. There was some upticks, some positive signs there. At the end of the day, you’ve got to make a call. The call was made today. … I think he came into camp knowing he had to fight for a spot just based upon how the year ended. Most guys are surprised by these things. That’s how it is.”

It’s sad, it really is. Incredible how an accident of which he had no fault in could ruin his career. Duaner was an integral part of the ‘06 bullpen – and if he would have never been in that taxi cab accident who knows how many less blown games we could have had or how much better our horrendous bullpen would have been. I wish much luck to Duaner Sanchez, I hope he can somehow get his velocity and his command back in shape so that he can once again be that great bullpen guy we saw pitch for us in 2006.

A-Rod Who? Tatis To Replace A-Fraud In Dominican WBC Team

Fernando Tatis is officially on the WBC roster and will be playing for his homeland, the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez had to leave the team because of a torn labrum in his hip. Now Tatis, the Mets’ biggest surprise of the 2008 season and winner of the come-back player of the year award .. will be replacing Alex in the WBC. “For me, A-Rod is one of the best baseball players I’ve ever seen,” Tatis said. “It’s going to hurt us that he’s not playing. He’s one of the greatest players ever.”

Moises Alou, now an assistant GM/player for the Dominican team, actually tried to get Tatis on the team a few weeks ago. But Tatis waited until talking with Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya “because my first responsibility is here with the Mets.” -Newsday

Hopefully Tatis won’t get hurt because at the moment, he’s the best right-handed bat off the bench since Murphy now has left field all to himself. It’s great to see how many Met players are in the WBC – 16 to be exact..the most in the majors. For Tatis, representing his country after being out of the game for years must be a great feeling of pride and humility. Good luck Fernando! ( Don’t break anything!)

To Pedro Or Not To Pedro? That Is The Question!

Mets beat write David Lennon sat down with future Hall-Of-Famer Pedro Martinez to discuss his future. Here’s a few questions I found interesting. *To read the entire interview click on this link.

Q: Do you have a chip on your shoulder because no one has signed you yet?

PM: No, not really. No chip on my shoulder. No chip on my shoulder. I understand business and understand the ugly face of baseball, which is the business part of baseball. Whether you like it or not, the last few years I’d be the first one to tell you I haven’t been the Pedro Martinez that I’m used to being. And if nobody takes a chance, I’ll go fishing. If I’m healthy and I’m able to do the things I used to do, I think a lot of people are going to regret not taking a chance

Q: Is the door closed with the Mets?

PM: I don’t know really. The season hasn’t’ started. I’m not really worried about what they do. I’m just getting ready. For sure I’ll be ready. If I’m healthy, anybody would have a bargain – if I’m healthy. If I’m not, well, I’ll go home fishing. My boat is waiting for me.

Q: Is there one team you’d love to play for?

PM: Love to play for? All of them. All of them. I’m open to play for anybody that would give me respect, treat me the right way, and actually going to make me feel comfortable.

Q: Would you do what Tom Glavine did — sign a low base contract with incentives?

PM: If I wanted to pitch that bad, I probably would. But I don’t think I’m in that stage. I believe I’m very comfortable. I’m not going to let anybody disrespect my abilities the way I am. I’d say no, that’s it. I wouldn’t say I want to pitch that bad.

Basically, what I got from reading this was that Pedro is definitely confident that he can come back and be a good pitcher once again. His velocity has gone down and he wont throw as hard but if he can get his pitches down and stay healthy – that’s good enough.

However, he’s also obviously not desperate to pitch. If there were any chance at a reunion with the Mets it would be on an incentive-laden deal and he’s clearly not open to that. In his own words, it would be disrespectful.

I wish Pedro much luck in finding a new team. He didn’t turn out the way we thought he would but in the end his arrival to Flushing changed the Met culture. We needed some one like him to come in and symbolize a new Met era – a new beginning. His personality and his leadership won us over from day 1. The WBC will be his proving grounds and hopefully he does good enough and lands himself one last contract before he goes fishing.

Johan Won’t Be Going To N.Y

This is great news. During the game today, which by the way was awesome because we crushed the Astros 13-1, we got the great news that Johan won’t be going to get that MRI done from the Mets camp. There’s two reasons:

1. Johan said he was feeling great after throwing this morning

2. Weather. Forecast is showing a pretty bad snow storm for later tonight into Monday morning.

The important one there is number 1. The fact that he felt good was the best news and you know Omar and Co. let out a huge sigh of relief.