Willie can't shut up, Mets can't hit
If you're still wondering why Mets fans are so frustrated with this team, just look at what happened Tuesday.
After hammering the Yankees for two games, the Mets offense went dormant again in Atlanta, looking absolutely feeble against Tom Glavine -- of course -- and Jorge Campillo. Who? Exactly.
The Mets actually came out hitting Glavine hard in the first inning, but with one run in (on a homer by Luis Castillo of all people), the bases loaded and one out, Moises Alou lined out and Carlos Delgado flied out. They let Glavine off the hook, and the crafty veteran -- taking full advantage of the ridiculously large strike zone administered by home plate umpire Bill Miller -- went on to retire the next 15 batters straight. The Atlanta bullpen continued the shutdown and the Mets went down 21 times in a row.
Where was that effort eight months ago, Glavine? And how could the Mets -- who beat up on Andy Pettite and Chien-Ming Wang -- allow themselves to be beaten by the guy who folded like a cheap suit in such a critical game last season? Flat-out embarrassing.
Of course, to the pool of kerosene that was this game, welcome Aaron "Cigarette Butt" Heilman, who promptly allowed a two-run homer to Brian McCann to put the game out of reach. "Two-Run" Heilman isn't even worthy of mop-up work anymore.
The funny thing is, coming into the doubleheader it was clear that the Mets' best chance of winning was game one, with John Maine pitching. But Maine, who had been pitching extremely well of late, just didn't have it. Plus, you knew the Mets would have trouble with Campillo in the nightcap, because he was making his second career start, and journeymen pitchers with little experience just KILL the Mets. You can bet the HOUSE on it.
Sure enough, Campillo looked like a righthanded Fernando Valenzuela. Unbelievable. This team is maddeningly inconsistent.
Claudio Vargas had one bad inning and that was all the Braves needed. Of course, the Mets teased us by scoring two runs in the eighth inning, but Matt Wise followed Heilman's lead by allowing a two-run homer to Mark Kotsay that -- according to Gary Cohen -- "put a nail in the Mets' heart." Well-put, Gary.
Actually, the final nail was driven home on the closing play of the game, when Damion Easley grounded into a game-ending double play that saw Ryan Church -- a total gamer attempting a break-up slide -- ring his head off the leg of Yuniel Escobar and then have it slam against the ground. Yes, the same Ryan Church who has been the Mets' best player this season, and who has already suffered one concussion this season.
Could. Not. Be. Any. Worse.
And if THAT WASN'T ENOUGH to drive Mets fans crazy, Willie Randolph murdered all of the good feelings coming out of the Yankees series by telling a Ian O'Connor of the Bergen Record that perhaps race has something to do with how he is perceived as Mets manager.
He was quoted before Sunday's win over the Yankees but the story ran Monday, and then Willie tried to explain his comments Tuesday. He called his remarks "tongue in cheek" but they sure didn't sound that way. They sounded like they were coming from a guy who wants to win and can't understand how he is perceived by the fans and some media as lacking fire or heart. But he went way too far by mentioning race, and of course O'Connor asked him directly about the race issue. But Willie brought it up first.
His Sunday rant also included criticism of how SNY portrays him on camera, as if the Mets' own network had an agenda against him. Guess what, Willie? Cutting to the manager after something bad happens on the field is standard operating procedure for any baseball broadcast. Here is where Willie comes across as overly sensitive and defensive.
Whether Willie's comments and the ensuing controversy had any effect on the Mets against the Braves is debatable, but it pretty much destroyed the positive vibe surrounding the team after the Yankees sweep, which may as well not have happened.
Now, two losses later, the Mets are back to where they were before the two games in the Bronx - just a game over .500 and wondering what the hell is going on.
After hammering the Yankees for two games, the Mets offense went dormant again in Atlanta, looking absolutely feeble against Tom Glavine -- of course -- and Jorge Campillo. Who? Exactly.
The Mets actually came out hitting Glavine hard in the first inning, but with one run in (on a homer by Luis Castillo of all people), the bases loaded and one out, Moises Alou lined out and Carlos Delgado flied out. They let Glavine off the hook, and the crafty veteran -- taking full advantage of the ridiculously large strike zone administered by home plate umpire Bill Miller -- went on to retire the next 15 batters straight. The Atlanta bullpen continued the shutdown and the Mets went down 21 times in a row.
Where was that effort eight months ago, Glavine? And how could the Mets -- who beat up on Andy Pettite and Chien-Ming Wang -- allow themselves to be beaten by the guy who folded like a cheap suit in such a critical game last season? Flat-out embarrassing.
Of course, to the pool of kerosene that was this game, welcome Aaron "Cigarette Butt" Heilman, who promptly allowed a two-run homer to Brian McCann to put the game out of reach. "Two-Run" Heilman isn't even worthy of mop-up work anymore.
The funny thing is, coming into the doubleheader it was clear that the Mets' best chance of winning was game one, with John Maine pitching. But Maine, who had been pitching extremely well of late, just didn't have it. Plus, you knew the Mets would have trouble with Campillo in the nightcap, because he was making his second career start, and journeymen pitchers with little experience just KILL the Mets. You can bet the HOUSE on it.
Sure enough, Campillo looked like a righthanded Fernando Valenzuela. Unbelievable. This team is maddeningly inconsistent.
Claudio Vargas had one bad inning and that was all the Braves needed. Of course, the Mets teased us by scoring two runs in the eighth inning, but Matt Wise followed Heilman's lead by allowing a two-run homer to Mark Kotsay that -- according to Gary Cohen -- "put a nail in the Mets' heart." Well-put, Gary.
Actually, the final nail was driven home on the closing play of the game, when Damion Easley grounded into a game-ending double play that saw Ryan Church -- a total gamer attempting a break-up slide -- ring his head off the leg of Yuniel Escobar and then have it slam against the ground. Yes, the same Ryan Church who has been the Mets' best player this season, and who has already suffered one concussion this season.
Could. Not. Be. Any. Worse.
And if THAT WASN'T ENOUGH to drive Mets fans crazy, Willie Randolph murdered all of the good feelings coming out of the Yankees series by telling a Ian O'Connor of the Bergen Record that perhaps race has something to do with how he is perceived as Mets manager.
He was quoted before Sunday's win over the Yankees but the story ran Monday, and then Willie tried to explain his comments Tuesday. He called his remarks "tongue in cheek" but they sure didn't sound that way. They sounded like they were coming from a guy who wants to win and can't understand how he is perceived by the fans and some media as lacking fire or heart. But he went way too far by mentioning race, and of course O'Connor asked him directly about the race issue. But Willie brought it up first.
His Sunday rant also included criticism of how SNY portrays him on camera, as if the Mets' own network had an agenda against him. Guess what, Willie? Cutting to the manager after something bad happens on the field is standard operating procedure for any baseball broadcast. Here is where Willie comes across as overly sensitive and defensive.
Whether Willie's comments and the ensuing controversy had any effect on the Mets against the Braves is debatable, but it pretty much destroyed the positive vibe surrounding the team after the Yankees sweep, which may as well not have happened.
Now, two losses later, the Mets are back to where they were before the two games in the Bronx - just a game over .500 and wondering what the hell is going on.
Labels: Braves, Church, Glavine, loss, Maine, recap, Vargas, Willie
posted by Gaspo @ 7:48 PM
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