Excitement is For Losers

The Recap: Cards 8, Mets 7 (13 innings)

Sure, yesterday's game was exciting as the Mets battled back from a 6-run deficit only to lose the game in extras when Jerry Manuel decided to pitch to the best hitter in the game with a base open, but give me an 8-2 boring win like Monday night's game anytime. In the days of high-priced ballplayers, there's no such thing as a moral victory or a loveable loser anymore.

THE GOOD: It's always nice to see a team come back against a good team, against any team for that matter, but as mentioned above, I don't want to see comebacks. I don't want excitement. I want to see wins.

Ya gotta love 32-year-old journeyman Mike Hessman, who spent most of his career playing 1,621 games in the minor leagues and hitting a total of 329 minor league homeruns playing at the likes of Greenville and Toledo.

So when he came just a few feet shy of a grand slam in the first inning, it definitely was a "feel good" moment of Bull Durham proportions as he recorded a two-run double for his first MLB hit since 7/25/08 with the Tigers. (even if the Mets were down 6-0 at the time)

And guess who hit his first homerun of the season to up his meaningless RBI total to 3? Yes, Carlos Beltran, who incidentally was the only hitter in the Mets order to strikeout when it really counted when the team made its 4-run 8th inning comeback. Who knows? Maybe the dinger wakes this guy up. Beltran's homer was his first since Sept. 26, 2009.

Remember the last time Johan Santana hooked up with the Cards' Jaime Garcia in a game? It happened on April 17th in St. Louis when the game went 20 innings. So I guess a loss in just 13 saves Mets fans about 2 hours of torture. (although the Mets won that game, 2-1)

THE BAD: Johan certainly didn't have it last night, but he's been so spectacular lately, we're just hoping this is merely a blip on the radar screen.

Extra inning games have not been kind to the Mets lately, as they've lost 3 since July 21 alone. The loss stopped the Mets winning streak at one game. And even though Jerry Manuel lost the game by pitching to Albert Pujols, I may be inclined to give him a pass on this one, since another feared hitter (Matt Holliday - who already hit a homerun in the game and had 3 rbis) was up next and would've probably won the game anyway. But still, remember this: A limping, tired, headached, fever chilled, coughing, and distracted Albert Pujols is STILL the best hitter in baseball. And what's the Cardinal rule of baseball (no pun intended): you don't let your opponent's best hitter beat you. Again, you learn that in little league, but sometimes it falls on deaf ears for well-paid major league managers.

What bothers me a bit more is that when the Mets batted in the bottom of the 13th down a run and facing defeat, Manuel had no one else to turn to and had to bat pitcher Raul Valdes because his bench was empty.

Finally, don't talk trade with Jeff Francoeur. Not that he was a hitting machine before, but since trade rumors having him going to Kansas City heated up, he's been pretty bad, including an 0-for-5 night last night in which he looked horrid. Not the showcasing the Mets were expecting from him for sure.

THE UGLY: Boy, you'd think the Mets would learn from the Ryan Church incident, but the Mets crack medical staff is at it again. It took them 4 days to diagnose Jason Bay's "mild concussion" resulting from his slamming his face into the outfield wall in Los Angeles.

4 days!!!! We at MetsFanClub.com, as noted in a previous post as stupid enough to watch all the LA games, diagnosed his concussion IMMEDIATELY with absolutely no medical experience whatsoever with the innocent observation:

"Wow... that must have hurt. No way he plays again for awhile."

Instead, not only did he continue to play the LA series, but then the team (in Ryan Church fashion) flew him back to New York and THEN diagnosed his condition.

According to the Mets, they may have put Bay on a "48-to-72 hour clock" that could land him on the disabled list. Can you believe a medical staff can continue to be so inept and somehow keep their jobs? (same ugly comment for the GM, manager, owner, PR department, scouting staff... just keep going down the list with this team)

12 Hours That You'll Never Get Back

The Recap: Beltran/Castillo/Perez Activated... Season: Deactivated.

If you were stupid enough to watch all 12 hours of the 4 games the Mets played in Los Angeles over the weekend, you witnessed 2 shutout losses, bad managerial decisions, untimely hitting by overpaid players, and the most lackluster downward spiraling baseball ever witnessed on the West Coast (short of the Mets recent series in SF.) Folks, we have a problem...

THE GOOD: No need to worry about the mental aspect of this team. Each and every player is sleeping well these days knowing they have nothing to worry about regarding the economy, unemployment, inflation, etc. It's good to be a Major League Baseball player and travel around to different cities, staying at the fanciest places, eating gourmet dinners, living in lavish mansions, driving luxury cars, all guaranteed regardless of what happens on the field. So next time you're upset about missing the latest Met game on TV because you have to work your second job just to keep the creditors from repossessing your car, remember: it's all good for the players!

THE BAD: Think of what you could have done in 12 hours. 12 episodes of "24"... Read a good book on the beach... Flew to a vacation destination and back... The point is, watching the Mets play as constructed these days is tantamount to wasting time. We can't even get into the details about how bad the Mets played in Los Angeles, against a team that's been equally poor since the All-Star game, yet toying with the Mets like they were playing a AAA squad. (and maybe the Dodgers were!). Fire Jerry? Fire Omar? Fire HoJo? Fire SNY and cable for bringing the games to us? Bench Bay? Trade Beltran? Dump Perez? DFA Castillo? Sell the team? K KRod? We're so close to the point that we don't even care it's not funny anymore.

Bring on the resurgent Cardinals at home? Who cares?... Sitting in third place with the Marlins a half game behind as the season slowly slips away? Who cares?... Not making any waves in any trades that may help this team in the second half of the season like every other "contender" is doing? Who cares?...

Our advice to Mets fans is to use the next 12 hours of Mets games to do something constructive, so after the games are over (with the same pathetic results you see so far), you can at least sit back and say to someone, check out my newly remodeled kitchen.

THE UGLY: Here's the scenario: Game 3 of the series (maybe a "must win"?), top of the ninth, game tied 2-2, a runner at third, 2 outs, Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton on the mound. Who do you want batting in that situation? Certainly not David Wright. Was there any knowledgeable Met fan who didn't know he was going to strike out in that situation? Was there anyone who didn't know it would happen on just 3 pitches? And was there anyone who didn't know Wright wouldn't even foul one off? And here's the ugly part: I made the following offer to the 20+ Mets fans I was watching the game with - you give me $5 if Wright strikes out here, and I'll give you $2 if ANYTHING else happens. You know what? - not a single taker! Knowledgeable Mets fans sure know their team.

Mets Fans Speak... And They Want to be the Manager!

Well, we asked for it, and we sure got it. We asked Mets fans to submit their original content to us and sound off on what they thought of the Mets, to basically give the average Mets fans a vehicle where they could become "published authors".

The articles keep coming in, and here's one from loyal Met fan Shawna Shea who says... well... you just have to read it for yourself.

Personal Plea to Jeff Wilpon from Shawna:

How in the world does Jerry Manuel still have a job after the debacles of games that have happened especially since the All Star break? He doesn't know this team. We have a great base of players (for the most part and we have a few that need to take the short bus home!) and yet they lose game after game after game.

I propose that you hire me as your manager and for half the salary of Jerry Manuel. With the guarantee that we will win games and make a great play for the pennant. Can't guarantee the Series at this late stage. My only stipulation is that I have my own 3 consultants and I get to pick the bench coach of MY choice. And that choice will, of course, be Bobby Valentine.

It's a great plan, you save money on his (Jerry's) salary and you get fannies in the seats. Those fannies in the seats will buy food,drinks/beer, and souvenirs. You MAKE money on the deal.

In all honesty, you couldn't get a better deal. You need a fan to run the show since you are obviously NOT a baseball fan, no offense intended, you are a business owner. If you look at the great and most memorable owners of teams you will notice one thing: They are fans of the sport, have a great head for business and will do anything to win. Owners like George Steinbrenner, Mark Cuban, Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress and Jerry Jones. I love their enthusiasm for the sports they own and love. That's why they are successful. You need somebody in there who loves and cares about the sport and wants to do the silly little thing called WIN!!! I am available immediately.

- Shawna Shea

Well, there you have it. Think you can be more controversial than Shawna? Send us an article and let us know.

Dessert is Spelled With Two "S" Because You Always Go Back for Seconds... Or Thirds

The Recap: After watching the Mets get hammered in the first game of the series, many Mets fans actually came back to watch game two... then even watched a 14-inning night game on the West Coast to the bitter end.

After getting embarrassed in San Fran, the Mets traveled to the Arizona desert for their second dose of humiliation, watching Arizona sweep them while the Met players laughed and joked around in the clubhouse, completely oblivious to the 3-game pounding they received at the hands of the last place D'Backs. Nice...

THE GOOD: Arizona's a great State, and if you've never been there, I totally recommend a visit. And Phoenix in general is a great town and a lot of fun. And I know - I've been there. So whether you agree with the state's official stance on political issues or not, a visit to Arizona's a must on the bucket list - just don't go to a Mets game when you're there. And I know - I've done that.

So other than another solid outing by R.A. Dickey, the continuing emergence of Angel Pagan as the best hitter on the team, (yes, you read that correctly) and solo homeruns from a variety of players, there's not much good to report after Monday's 13-2 shellacking, Tuesday's 3-2 monstrosity, and last night's 4-3 14-inning losses. I guess if you have to take some positives from this 3-game sweep, it's that Arizona was is such control, Mets fans didn't have to watch KRocked blow any save opportunities.

THE BAD: Where do you start here? The light-hitting Jason Bay? The clueless Mets manager? A non-hitting catching trio? The horrendous coaching staff? A lackadaisical team attitude that coincides with the return of Carlos Beltran and Luis Castillo? The fact it takes a no-name scrub like Alex Cora to show emotion in the clubhouse after a loss?

Let's just concentrate on the most perplexing: Mike Pelfrey. Who is this guy? Is he "The Sheriff" that took control of the game and imposed his will on opposing hitters, or is he "Oprah", as in "Win-Free" over the past several weeks? Oprah allowed another 6 runs in just 1.1 innings and it could have been worse! His stat-line over his past eight starts isn't bad... it's absolutely atrocious as in worst since 1900. Yes, 1900!

Let's put it this way, losing to a good contending team like San Francisco isn't good, but at least it's foreseeable. Expectations of winning when you face a 34-58 Arizona team are much higher. Losing like this is a disgrace for a team with a starting lineup of legitimate 7 All-Star caliber players. Case closed. I shutter to think what the Dodgers will do to this team next in LA.

THE UGLY: One of my pet peeves is TV announcers who don't do their homework before going on the air. That's why I'm totally shocked that Jon Miller of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball actually was inducted into the broadcaster hall of fame, proving once and for all that the Broadcaster HOF has completely jumped the shark. But D'Back's announcer Daron Sutton really took it to another ugly level the other night when he was "amazed" when he saw Met fans in attendance at Chase Field wearing "Carter" jerseys. Said DSut:

"Wow, this Chris Carter's only been a Met for a short period of time and they've already selling and wearing his jersey!"

Eh... Daron... There was a guy who played for the Mets awhile back named Gary Carter. You know, All-Star Gary Carter... World Series Champion Gary Carter... Hall of Famer Gary Carter!!!! You would think that even if this announcer never even heard of Gary Carter, the "8" on the fan's Carter jersey vs. the "23" being worn by Chris Carter would've tipped him off that something was wrong. And folks, his comment wasn't a joke. He was serious. The other guys in the booth were too embarrassed for him to correct him on the air. He then apologized for his lack of Met baseball knowledge when game came back after the in-between inning commercial break. And I know - I was actually watching the game (and that's pretty ugly in itself!).

WHAT NOW? ...

It is very difficult being a New York Mets fan. It always has been.

This is not a statement of a derogatory nature. It is a statement of meaning. As a Mets fan I have learned to deal with life. The highs and lows. The exhilarations and disappointments. Being a Mets fan helps you focus on what is real and meaningful in life. Yes, I gladly wish for 27 Championships, but not having them is not the end-all-of-be-all in life, at least my life, and those of other Mets fans that I have spoken to over the years.

Since I was around 6 years old, I have been following this team during many of their roller coaster seasons. And although they have had more down seasons than up, I have never wavered. OK, maybe there have been a few seasons where I did not spend as much time as another fan in watching, going to, or even listening to games. Football season was always just around the corner. When I did spend time following the Mets, it was listening because Bob Murphy always made it fun, interesting, and enjoyable, even when the team lost, somehow it never seemed to be as bad as it does now.

Fast forward to the last few years, to today. The one thing that I get from this organization and ownership is that winning is not really a priority. Yes, I believe that they want to win, who doesn't? Yet, the Wilpons just do not seem to want to get baseball people, let me correct that, people who know baseball to run and direct the franchise. Those who need and are willing to make those tough decisions, like holding Carlos Beltran back a few more games after the All-Star break (at minimum, the series against San Francisco) to see if the team was able to recover and bounce back from the thrashing they received from their division rivals, The Atlanta Braves.

We have been receiving eMails from fellow MetsFanClub.com members, but it is again Taylor Tears and our own RC who have been hitting the nail on the head. (To those who send us eMails .. let us know if it is ok to print and use your eMails for referencing in our articles, or just send us an article with your own byline. Put "Article" in the subject heading.)

from Taylor Tears:

What else can you say about this team. I can't take it anymore. They have been shutout two times on this roadtrip. I can see them going 1-10 and into last place when they come back to an empty CitiField next week. I want a complete housekeeping. They can get rid of everyone on this Little League expect for:

David, IKE, Johan, Jon N. Angel, Thole and R.A. Dickey. The rest of this team is complete garbage. This team hasn't been the same since Beltran took that 3rd strike in the NLCS. They wont win unless they clean house and start all over again.

I just knew when Beltran came back from the All-Star break, this team would lose its edge and return to last year's team with no heart, no urgency to win. Now, add Castillo and Ollie Perez' appearance today. What a Joke...

Sweet Lou announced his retirement yesterday, another managerial job opening for BV. Although, the sports talk in town is that Joe Girardi would possibly consider going back home to manage his beloved Cubbies. After not getting a contract extension with the Yankees after winning the WS, I can see Joey boy going to Chicago and BV ending up a Yankee manager. Stick a fork in me, I'm done ... TT

Now we know that Taylor Tears is not done with this team for we ourselves have said it many at time over the years. Sooner or later we return, why?, because we are fans, and that is just what we do. It is not because we don't care, it is because we do care.

Even RC got into the fray:

True Story: I heard many Mets players were laughing and joking around in the clubhouse last night AFTER the loss, and Alex Cora of all people went ballistic and said something to the effect of "we got our asses kicked... what's so funny?" The clubhouse "leaders" then pretty much told Cora to shut up. Amazing... no heart, no intensity, and like Taylor Tears said, just when Beltran, Castillo, and Perez all return. Coincidence? ... RC

I think not, to the coincidence factor. I do not believe in coincidences.

That has been the problem with this team for a very long time. No leaders in the clubhouse, no leaders on the field, no leaders in the dugout. One thing you could say about the '86 team. Hernandez, Carter, even Darling, would NOT accepted any attitude such as that which has been displayed, or put up with anyone who acted as such, or had the guts to tell a player to "shut up". I believe, not only figuratively, but literally, any one who acted like that they are would have got their @$$' kicked.

From the Manager, to the General Manager, to Ownership, there is no one in the organization that is wiling to step up, and if what RC has commented on is true, maybe they are all afraid to.

Whatever it is, something has to be done. How do you expect to fill a stadium, get the ratings desired, when you put an inferior product out for the fans. And yes, most of us fans in any sport understand now that it is a business, and as such we have become smart in how we are to spend our desirable dollar$. In this economy, one that is only going to get worse before it gets better, we now seek to spend our money, on things that are going to add to our fun and entertainment, not only drain out pockets, but our energy.

The most distressing thing is that we, the fans, can see all of this, and those who are getting paid the big bucks don't. And if they do, then this had become a sad state of affairs.

Most fans don't expect to win all the time, what we do expect, for our buck, is a chance at winning and this team is now starting to look like past teams who once the game gets to a certain point there is no coming back from the brink as there had been in the first half of the season.

How many acceptable starting performances are we going to have to watch end up in the tubes before Management gets it in gear and wakes up? If we are feeling this, how pissed of must the starters be?

Rushing to judgment, maybe, but as long time fans, we're allowed. It seems that game in and game out history repeats itself. Like a scene from Groundhog Day. One that keeps repeating itself, over and over and over again.

Never counting them out, but as the weeks pass, not holding my breath. Like I mentioned, Football season is just around the corner.

Mets Have Almost Nothing to Show for Giant Weekend

The Recap: Mets avoid four-game sweep, no thanks to KRocked.

After being shut out the first two games of the series (2-0 and 1-0), the Mets finally broke through on the scoreboard for meaningless runs in an 8-4 loss, then almost blew Johan Santana's gutsy performance in the 4-3 series finale win in an all-too-familiar reoccurrence of Amando Benitez-ville from Met closer KRuin.

THE GOOD: When you go 24 consecutive innings without putting a run on the board in one of the most offensive-friendly ballparks in baseball, there's not much good to speak of. But Ike Davis looks to have broken out of his mini-slump, hitting 2 homeruns (albeit of the meaningless variety) on Saturday and going 3-for-5 with 2 rbis today. Plus, Carlos Beltran is back and although he wasn't earth-shattering at the plate, he didn't look bad either. How about that, you're out for the entire season and the first pitcher you face when you get back is Tim Lincecum, arguably the best pitcher in baseball (who went 9 innings in a complete game shutout win). Hmmm... Giants manager Bruce Bochy allowed his ace to finish the game and he has a top-notch closer on his staff - I wonder why the Mets don't do that...

And while Johan Santana didn't seem to really "have it" in the first few innings, he settled down nicely after that and actually got stronger as the game went on. Which makes the decision to automatically bring in your choker closer into a game when you have one of the top pitchers in baseball on the mound in the first place all the more difficult to understand. Look - we've said this over and over again at MetsFanClub.com: there's no reason a pitcher like Johan Santana can't go nine innings, REGARDLESS OF THE PITCHCOUNT. Bringing KRun into the game just because it's a "save situation" makes no sense at all when you have a dominating Santana in the game. How many times do we have to see managers make this mistake? Johan has to DEMAND the ball (like he did in his last outing) and tell Jerry Manuel he's sick of being treated like Oliver Perez or John Maine.

Johan's 16-inning scoreless streak was snapped in the first inning of the game, but after that he was Johanesque, and has allowed just 2 runs over his last 31 innings for a 0.56 ERA. That's not just good - that's dominating, and the Mets are going to need that if they want to play meaningful games in September for KRunt to blow.

And although the first two games of the series resulted in shutout losses, R.A. Dickey's performance was nothing to sneeze at and Jon Niese's outing was even better. Could R.A. Dickey be the best knuckleball pitcher of our generation? The guy's been amazing! And Jon Niese straight up for Roy Oswalt? I don't make that trade!

Finally, although David Wright isn't leading the league in RBI anymore (there's no one on base to drive in!), he continues to hit well, belting his 15th homerun in today's game and is hitting a solid .309 on the season.

THE BAD: It's a good thing for Mike Pelfrey (hasn't had a good outing since his All-Star snub), Takman (couldn't even make it past the third inning... again), and Jason Bay (Boston should be ashamed for taking advantage of the Mets stupid GM - why didn't they do anything to keep him if he's so good?) that San Francisco Rodrisbad is on the team.

PayRod blew another save and another one of Santana's sure victories, only to vulture the win for himself in yet another inning in which he struggled (would he have been credited with 2 blown saves had the Giants scored in the 10th?). As mentioned in a previous post, my west coast baseball experts keep telling me how the Mets were fleeced with this guy by the Angels (why didn't they do anything to keep him if he's so good?) and is proving these scouts more and more correct by the day. We're in July and he's blowing games in ridiculous ways - can you imagine what's in store for this team when September rolls around? Save for a really ugly call by the homeplate umpire, this game easily could've been a Met loss and a 4 game series sweep.

And by the way, when KRacked entered the game in yesterday's 8-4 loss for mopup duty with absolutely no pressure on him, what do you think happened? That's right: a 1-2-3 inning with 2 strikeouts. My (and every fan's) obvious advice to manager Jerry Manuel: Stop automatically going to this guy in the ninth! It's becoming increasingly clear that unfortunately come September, even if the Mets are contending for a wild-card spot, much less the division, Met fans will be longing for the days of Amando Benitez and John Franco who at least saved the games they were supposed to save and only lost only to the Braves and Cardinals.

What's amazing is after all these chokes, and all these scary bad outings and blown saves, Frankie Arrrrgggh's ERA is still just 2.68! Are the statisticians not counting his bad outings? Oh, it must be great to be a relief pitcher and have misleading stats so people actually think you're good.

Did anyone notice Jose Reyes missed the entire series and the Mets offense was basically stagnant? Of course you did. That's why it's so important that he comes back healthy for the next series in Arizona, where the Mets play a 3 game set before heading out to LA LA land to play the Dodgers. Why can't this team play as well on the road as they do at home?

THE UGLY: There's so many things you can point to that are ugly about this SF series, but let's concentrate just on the ninth inning of today's game where homeplate umpire Phil Cuzzi blew not 1, not 2, but 3 major calls in that inning alone. First, KRod could have blown away the Giant's Juan Uribe with a called strike three that looked like it caught the plate. Cuzzi called it a ball, inspiring Met catcher Henry Blanco to have a "friendly discussion" with the umpire and getting Jerry Manuel out of the dugout. Somehow, no one was tossed from the game, but talk about an ugly call that didn't go in the Mets favor!

Then a squibbler right in front of the plate which would have resulted in a certain out and perhaps gotten KRude off the hook, was called foul by the thirdbase umpire! The thirdbase umpire doesn't make that call - the homeplate umpire does. Cuzzi's has to take charge there and call the play for what it was. Give Manuel credit for leaving the dugout and arguing that point as well. Somehow, he wasn't tossed for the game for that either (probably because he was right) - another ugly call that did not go in the Mets favor.

But the biggest blown call was calling Giants Travis Ishikawa out at the plate on a very high and ugly sidearm throw from David Wright to Henry Blanco. Replays conclusively showed he was safe, which would have won the game for the Giants, resulting in a big break for the Mets and a much deserved loss for FatRod. That call obvioiusly did go in the Mets favor, but set the stage for extra innings and the vulture win. No good deed goes unpunished.

Twitter Tweets: Mets Get Homefield Advantage in World Series

Had the American League won the All Star Game last night by a score of 1-0 (and for awhile it looked like that would have been the result), the sports media would've all jumped on the story:

"On the day George Steinbrenner passed away, a Yankee drives in winning run in the All Star Game. Yada, yada, yada... "

Of course in reality, the National League shocked the world by winning the All Star Game for the first time since 1996 by a 3-1 final score. However, no one in the sports media world will be writing this headline:

"On the day George Steinbrenner passed away, bad managing by a Yankee causes American League to lose the All Star Game. Yankee pitcher takes loss."

Which is exactly what happened. With Yankee Phil Hughes taking the loss, Yankee manager Joe Girardi actually managed the game to the point where the best player in the game, Alex Rodriguez, didn't even get into the game. And why didn't ARod pinch hit for the incredibly over-matched Blue Jay's catcher John Buck in the bottom of the ninth against LA fireballer Jonathan Broxton with the tying run on base? Because Girardi ran out of catchers.

Okay, okay, I get it - it's only an All Star Game. And who really cares, right? In fact, I normally never even watch the game, but when friends invite you over for an ASG party, what can you do? I know - tweet the game! Which is exactly what we did at MetsFanClub.com. Here's a sampling of our Twitter updates during the game for your enjoyment just in case you didn't catch them live during the game:

• New York Mets get homefield advantage in the World Series thanks to NL's 3-1 victory thanks to bad AL managing
• Valverde: all I can say is "wow". ... How does Detroit ever lose?
• memo to MLB: if this game goes extra innings, you lose the whole EAst Coast viewers. Start the game earlier!
• What ends first? The All-Star game or my iPhone battery?
• Torii Hunter, usually as clutch as u can get, K's out to end the 7th. I smell an NL victory folks. Homefield 4 Mets?
• Matt Holliday: in an All-Star game, you have to make that catch
• as a Mets fan, I'll go back to hating McCann on Thursday. NL up 3-1 thanks to his clutch hitting
• OMG: I just said something Tim McCarver just said... Brian McCann with the biggest NL hit in 13 years!
• Thornton? Marlin Byrd? This is an All Star game?
• See that hustle by Scott Rolen taking 3rd on that play? That's why the Reds are in first place at the break.
• David Ortiz pinch hitting for Vlad of all people?!? Vladimir Guerrero? AL deserves to lose the game for that move alone
• Say what you will about Homerun Derby, but winner David Ortiz's swing looked pretty bad there. Win derby, start slump?
• Nice deek by Phillips to nab stolen base attempt. Play went totally over annoncer Tim McCarvers head
• If I were the NL, I'd be concerned about getting shut out. We all know who's in the AL bullpen in 8th and 9th innings
• Lester's tough. Hardest hit ball against him didn't even leave the infield. Martin Prado's an All-Star?
• Kuo had all the time in the world to make his throw to first and blew it. All-Star game jitters perhaps?
• David Wright's 2-for-2 and he's out of the game for Scott Rolen?!?! I thought the NL wanted to win this game
• Didnt realize how good McCann's stats are compared to all-time catcher greats. And he almost hit it out of the park
• Corey Hart looks way over-matched against Verlander, Not surprised of embarrassing strikeout
• Fox's "Sounds of the Game" completely useless. Doesn't enhance viewing experience at all
• It's the year of the pitcher. So why am I not surprised the game's scoreless thru 4 innings?
• was that the worst at bat of Ichiro's career? Josh Johnson totally blew him away
• I'm using the text message marketing at www.G2GText.com to broadcast my prediction for today's #MLB All-Star Game. text CONTACT to 69302

Johan Just What the Doctor Ordered

The Happy Recap: Mets 3, Braves 0

Met fans, no need to thank us, but ever since we at MetsFanClub.com called out Johan Santana for being the Number 3 option on the Mets starting rotation, he's pitched lights-out baseball such as yesterday's much needed victory to help the reeling Mets avoid getting swept by the still-hated Braves. Losing this game would have hurt - the doctor is in!

THE GOOD: How do you know when you have an "ace" pitcher on your staff? An ace stops losing streaks, especially against strong teams. And that's exactly what Johan Santana did by pitching 7 innings of 5-hit ball against a first place team, avoiding a sweep at the hands of a hated team, stopping the Mets 4-game losing streak, and lowering his ERA to under 3 in the process. And remember Met fans: Johan's historically a SECOND HALF pitcher! With his velocity and movement on his pitches back, fans have good things to look forward to.

KRod picked up the save in the game too, although we have to bring up the point that a 3 run "save" really doesn't mean much. But Frankie could have blown it and he didn't, so once again, good news abounds.

We got another good look at Bobby Parnell who picked up his 4th "hold" (it's hard to mention the "hold" statistic without laughing). Since Parnell's callup, he's been absolutely outstanding (he's allowed just 2 earned runs and has K'ed 14 in just 11 innings of work). The fact he wasn't packaged into some desperate trade-deadline deal for an over-rated fading stopgap type of player is even more good news at the break.

During the past couple of games, everyones bat (except for Angel Pagan, who's batting a team-leading .315 and seems to get 3 hits per game these days - Beltran who?) has been in a bit of a funk, but perhaps yesterday Ike Davis emerged from his mini-slump with 2 hits, inclulding a monster shot off Derek Lowe which accounted for the only run Johan would need. Every position player in the lineup got at least one hit, except for Rod Barajas (but that's okay, he contributed to calling a great game for Santana) with Alex Cora and Josh Thole delivering key 2-out rbi hits.

How about these Met kids? Chris Carter, 2-for-3. Ruben Tejada, outstanding defense to preserve shutout. Jesus Feliciano, hitting close to .300 but optioned anyway yesterday to make room for Carlos Beltran's return), Josh Thole, Ike Davis, Bobby Parnell, Angel Pagan as mentioned above. Folks, pending an Omar meltdown, the future looks bright indeed!

THE BAD: Despite all the positives, it still seems like old times, only with a different stadium doesn't it? Consider: Atlanta rolls into New York in first place with Met fans hopes held high, only to see the Braves win at will while padding their first place lead to 4 games at the break.

Although the final score was 4-2, you just got the feeling on Friday's series opener that it wasn't even that close, with R.A. Dickey's magic holding out until allowing 2 seventh inning Brave homeruns to seal the victory. Saturday's 4-0 loss was even worse, as the entire team got only 4 hits (3 of them were from Pagan alone!). Plus Jose Reyes reinjured himself, so it's a good thing he won't play in the All-Star game and get some much needed rest instead. If there's one thing that can't be clearer: as Jose goes, the Mets go. Simple (and as scary) as that.

You know it's bad for a player when he has to sit on his own bobble-head day, but that's what happened to 0-for-15 Jason Bay yesterday. Talk about a player that's happy to see the first half of the season go. Hopefully he'll get on track after the All-Star game so the Boston Red Sox can stop laughing at us.

And unfortunately Mike Pelfrey has gone from "The Sheriff" to his new nickname of "Oprah", since "Pel-FREY" has gone "WIN-FREE" since being snubbed (correctly it seems) from the All-Star game, giving up 15 runs over his last 13 1/3 innings - which still is better than the Mets would get from John Maine or Oliver Perez (who by the way is rehabbing and may be back with the team before we know it - THAT, is not good news folks).

THE UGLY: We're not going to go into a rant here about how ridiculous and ugly the All Star game is. Everyone knows that. But look at this Atlanta team and the lineup they put up: Prado, Infante, an old and hurt Chipper Jones, a non-steroid juiced Troy Glaus, McCann, Diaz, Escobar, and a Cabrera NOT named Miguel. How are they in first place?!?! How can this team come to New York and beat a team with one of the best home records in all of baseball? How can this happen?!? Is it just their pitching staff? Or could it be they have a better manager than we do?

Sometimes You Just Have To Take Matters Into Your Own Hands

The Happy Recap: Mets 3, Reds 0

Like Adam Sandler said in one of the most classic movies of all time, The Waterboy, sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands, which was what Johan Santana did tonight with a dominant complete game shutout, a homerun, and manning up to Manuel in the ninth, when the manager entertained the crazy notion of pulling him for KRod.

THE GOOD: Seeing how the Mets never score when Santana's on the mound, Johan played as if to say "Enough, I'll go yard myself" and lined one over the fence in the third inning for the only run he needed to thoroughly dominate a Reds team that not only leads the majors in runs, homers, and hitting, but also embarrassed the Mets the night before with non-All Star Mike Pelfrey on the mound. Johan only allowed 3 hits, K'ed 5 and threw 113 pitches en route to only his 6th win. But what happened in the ninth inning is enough to give fans real hope that Santana may be back as the team's dominate force for the second half of the season.

Mets fans - nay, baseball fans - have been waiting years to see what transpired in the ninth inning of this game, when Jerry Manuel walked out to the mound to potentially remove his starter only to see the scowl on Johan's face that said "I got it. Get back in the dugout and keep KRod as far away from this pitching mound as possible". (Well, I'm sure he didn't say that, but that's what his face indicated). Finally! A starting pitcher with the guts to say "I'm finishing this game" and DEMAND to stay in the game over the manager's by-the-book safe play of going to his closer. Granted, the decision to leave Santana in the game was made much easier BECAUSE of his closer, but the fact remained: Johan manned up tonight and came up huge.

From a hitting perspective, other than Johan's homerun, Jason Bay drove in 2 big insurance runs in the sixth, but then....

THE BAD: We could mention the ridiculous overturned strikeout-to-hit-by-pitch call last night that put Mike Pelfrey into a tailspin (although the call was correct - you just don't want your second base umpire making it!), but instead we point to Jason Bay's ninth inning misplay of perhaps the simplest of outfield popups you'll ever see. The play was bad enough in itself, but the fact that it happened in the ninth inning of a shutout game Johan Santana really wanted to complete made it even worse. Good thing Ike Davis' diving stab of a hard hit liner made up for it. The ying and the yang folks... the ying and the yang.

THE UGLY: Nothing like heading out to the park for a fun evening of Major League baseball... except when it's 103 degrees and humid outside! When the Mets food concession staff reports record sales of bottled water over beer, you know it's hot. And when 27,473 people sweat profusely in those small Citi Field seats? Well, it's not pretty.

Shawna's Back with a Vengeance - And an Idea

Remember crazy Met fan Shawna? We'll she's back and with a vengeance (against Bud Selig). Read this and join her crusade:

How, in all good conscience, can Selig let the Yankees monopolize the game of baseball, yet again? They came way too close to getting Cliff Lee. The Mets were supposed to get Lee. But with the Wilpon’s being the cheap sons-of-you-know-what, they apparently didn’t make a proper offer! Now what? Are they going to make a move for somebody worthwhile? And, please, not Vazquez, again!!!!

What ever happened to competitive balance in baseball??? Remember way back when in the 90’s when they were supposed to disband 2 teams to distribute among the rest of the teams for “competitive balance”? The only team that should be disbanded is the Yankees. They have enough solid players on that team to divide amongst the rest of the American League (and some even into the National League). They are called the Evil Empire for a reason.

Now, I have an idea. We should send word out to every single team (American and National) and their fans (in particular) to see what they really think about the Yankees being able to monopolize the baseball market. Maybe if we get the teams and fans behind us we can force Selig to do the right thing.

When I first heard that Cliff Lee was going to be a Yankee, the first instinct was rage. Then I thought about the Royals, Blue Jays, Pirates and every other team that would have gotten royally screwed by the Yuchies getting Lee. I thought of all those loyal fans who stay by their team losing season after losing season (much like Mets fans!) and felt so sorry for them. I can relate!

Maybe we can all unite in the war against the Evil Empire. Who’s with me?

HEY METS FANS ... SOME OF YOU NEED TO RELAX

When I got up this morning, last night's loss was still fresh on my mind. I had not seen the game, but started listening to it on the radio when the Mets rally began in the bottom of the 5th Inning. Up until last season I would not have been captivated by what I believed to be the appearance of a comeback, but with this team, with this mix of players, at this moment, I have come to believe, yes believe, that there is almost always a chance of a come back, that is until Jerry "By The" Manuel feels the need to fiddle with what is working during a game.

I was only able to listen until the start of the 9th Inning for something more pressing had to be taken care of, then sitting in my car with the windows down during a warm Summer's evening on The Island listening to a ball game ... yeah I know ... not much out there these days that could be better than that .. it made me miss the voice of Bob Murphy.

But I digress ...

So I start my day this morning running around town taking care of errands, while scanning through the few Sports Talk Radio Stations that exist here in New York when I stop at one when I hear the focus is about the Mets. As the personality is talking about last nights game he puts on a caller.

Don't remember the callers name, but he begins to talk about Mike Pelfry and his worries that The Pelf is just the same old Pelf, and that aside, the caller continues on about how he could not understand why he, Pelfry, reacted to the bad call and seemed to allow it to affect his performance for the rest of his start. "I mean, these guys have been in the sport most of their lives, can't they get beyond that, the bad calls and move on." Just paraphrasing here.

Well, Mr. Caller, let me ask you something. Most of us have been at our job for years, (that is unless you have been affected by the present economic climate, if so, my prayers are with you), we are adults, and we get paid to do a job. Yet, every once in a while someone, or some situation, at work gets our goat, and we go on a tear, a rant. We complain about our inept boss, (as we fans have been complaining about our inept Manager and GM), or that co-worker who never gets anything right and makes our job even that much more difficult. I mean hey, we have been in the job force for a long time, why haven't you learned to adapt, adjust, just get over it, etc.?

Simple - we are all human and have our bad days. It was expected for The Pelf was to have his one or two bad games. It just took him longer than expected to have this one. I have confidence in him that his next outing will turn out differently. So, you fans out there that just jump on a player at the first sign of a bad game ... you all need to just chill and look at the bigger picture. It's not like he's playing like Jason Bay.

Hey Pelf ... looking forward to your next start ... it should be a good one.

Oh, and why the Alyssa Milano pic ... seemed less depressing than the ones I was scanning through from what seemed to be a near brawl at home plate to a uncharacteristic shot of The Pelf with his head down. Hey, she's also much easier on the eyes don't you think? Besides, she's a fan, and during my recent trip to Shea ... sorry ... CitiField, I noticed that there is a Touch Boutique of hers in the stadium. The Boutique has some really cool item made specifically for the female Mets fan. At the same game Taylor Tears and Shawna were both wearing these really cool looking NY Mets logo necklaces.

One more thing I do not get, while researching for the links there was no direct website for Milano's Touch line. It is spread throughout different sources. It is not difficult to show all items available in one place, then have a zip code search to find a retailer near you that sells the product. Also, the site could list the different online only sources as well. Not a rant ... Just a thought.

Mets Fought the Law and the Nats Won

The Happy Recap: The Mets split 4 games over the holiday with the Washington Nationals. So why does it feel like a lost weekend?

It had to happen sooner than later. With Frankie Rodriguez constantly pitching behind hitters, walking leadoff men, allowing hits at an alarming rate, yet somehow escaping disaster time after time again, the law of averages finally caught up with him as he blew a sure victory and was on pace to blow Friday night's game as well before being bailed out by Ruben Tejada's alert pickoff play to end the game. The problem with fighting the law of averages is that it leads to stubbornness, which means Met fans will continue to see Jerry Manuel automatically go to Benitez (ahem... I mean Rodriguez), meaning no ninth inning lead is safe, even when you use 5 infielders and 2 outfielders before the winning run scores.

THE GOOD: Something amazing happened yesterday that not a single Met fan expected: the Mets bullpen didn't blow an 8-run lead. Oh, they tried, but KRod came into the game for a 1-2-3 ninth (equally unbelieveable!) to hold onto the win. That Frankie Rod sure is clutch in a 9-5 game. But most of all, this was a game the old Mets would have tanked after such a devasting loss the night before. Instead, Jason Bay came up big with a 4-rbi day and soon-to-be-replaced (or traded) Angel Pagan went 3-for-5 with 2 rbi from the leadoff spot in place of the injured Jose Reyes. Even Fernando Tatis got a hit in the game, as the Mets offense churned out 9 runs and 14 hits in the game to pick up the pitching staff for a change.

Then came the Mets 5-3 victory, otherwise known as light-hitting infielder day, with Alex Cora of all people having a 3-rbi game and Ruben Tejada finishing the game up with a nifty pick=off play. In a perfect world, Tejada, not KRod would have been credited with the save, as Jon Niese continued his amazing transformation going 7 strong innings (it should have been more - please Jerry - can we see a complete game?!?!) while raising his record to 6-2. Once again, we see Manuel fighting the law of averages by needlessly going to the bullpen, constantly trying to turn a sure-fire win into a loss.

And even though K-Fraud gave the game away on Saturday, let's not discount another huge outing by R.A. Dickey who pitched another great game over 7 innings without allowing an earned run and out-pitched Washington rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg. Can someone tell me why a knuckleball pitcher who's pitching great can't go nine innings? Is it too much stress on the arm? Why was this a huge game for RADical? (his new MetsFanClub.com nickname) Because he was pounded his last outing and many baseball "experts" predicted that debacle would be the start of his downfall. Instead, not for a crucial error by Ruben Tejada, KRod would have had to give up 5 runs instead of 3 to lose the game for him, and judging from the way the ninth inning unfolded, he would have!

What also goes unnoticed due to the loss is this Josh Thole kid, who's now hitting .556 on the season! 556!!! (which as coincidence would have it, is the exact number of steroid-tainted homeruns attributed to ARod).

The good news is that in general, everyone in the Mets lineup is hitting, from top to bottom. The bench players are performing well, the defense is solid, and every time the Mets play a game, they have a legit chance of victory due to a very impressive starting rotation. You would think with that being said, the Mets would have had their way with the Nats - but the KRod game made the entire split series seem like a loss. However, with all the positives in play, you have to feel good about the upcoming series with Cincinnati and Atlanta before the All-Star break, when even the Mets crack medical staff can't stop Carlos Beltran from coming back.

THE BAD: The Mets offensive explosions have eluded Johan Santana, and as usual, the Mets wasted a much-needed good outing from the Mets #3 pitcher in the Mets 2-1 loss in the series opener. It's amazing how this team just doesn't hit for this guy, although with Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan both a significant portion of the offense out due to injury, it probably wasn't a good idea for Jerry Manuel to have sat Jason Bay in the game. You need offense... Santana's pitching... let's sit Bay! Another head-scratcher from our fearless manager.

Met fans have to be a little concerned over the recent outings from Takman, who although not being horrendous, seems not to be the pitcher he was last month when he was blanking teams on a regular basis. "Why I Oughta" Igarashi has not been much better. And with just about everyone in the bullpen being a question mark each day, going from dominating to clueless, it's hard to figure out why Jerry Manuel continues to manage toward the weakest part of the team (or any team by definition for that matter).

Here's the number one law of winning baseball: you go with the hot hand. When your pitcher's pitching well, you stay with him. When you continue to fight that law, you'll eventually have to pay the price, as the Mets did with K-Rude. Is KFraud worth the money? Consider the Mets lead the league in walkoff losses by a huge margin. And who's generally on the mound on a walkoff?... your closer.

And speaking of Frankie... did you ever notice how "easy" it was for the Mets to acquire this guy in the first place? Why didn't the Angels put up more of a fight to keep him? Perhaps they "know something", as my west-coast Major League insiders constantly remind me of... Art Howe, JJ Putz, Jason Bay, Bobby Bonilla, Mo Vaughn... the list goes on and on with players and managers basically "given" to the Mets because no one else would touch them.

I mean, what general manager would be stupid enough to sign a player to a multi-year contract without even giving him a physical?

THE UGLY: The 4th of July is always a great holiday. And what's a holiday without a BBQ with hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, right? But please, ESPN, hot-dog eating is NOT a sport. I don't want you cutting into my baseball broadcast for the latest updates on the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating "sporting event". Eating is not a sport - and judging from the family of four sitting next to us at the last Met game we attended, it's not very pretty either...

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AMERICA!

Everyone here at MetsFanClub.com realizes that although it is just a game, like you, we can get a bit hot under the collar about our lifelong devotion for our New York Mets. (See prior post)

Even so, like many of us after each series, getting irate about how ownership just lets its GM, Manager, and organization roll along in a direction that most of us just do not understand. If you listen to New York Sports Talk Radio often enough of late, even the average fan can see it, so why can't ownership? And that dear fans is the trillion dollar question.

Yet, most of us also understand that there are more important things in life like those that gave
The Last Full Measure of Devotion and that there is a sacrifice that many are willing to take, even until The Last Shots Fired. In considering this weekend, remember those who have gone before and sacrificed their lives for not only what they believed in, but also for US!

We wish you all the best in health and be safe this 4th of July in celebrating the birth of America.

REMEMBER:

"This will be the Land of the Free, only as long as it is the Home of the Brave." - Elmer Davis

"All it takes for EVIL to succeed if for good men to do nothing." - Sir Edmund Burke

"If a nation expects to be ignorant -- and free -- in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." - Thomas Jefferson

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." - The U.S. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

JERRY .. JERRY .. JERRY

The eMails keep coming in from many of you, and again it is Taylor Tears that succinctly keeps summing it up for all of us ... without further adieu here she is:

JERRY, JERRY, JERRY, and I don't mean SEINFELD!!!! I can't believe the line up this manager put out last night. I understand that Reyes and Pagan are hurt, but you CANNOT sit out Bay as well. Even Bobby O was perplexed as to why Jerry Jerry Jerry did not play Bay. Santana deserves a better line up from his Manager. It’s embarrassing already to lose yet again to 90 year old Cy Young Livan Hernandez.

That Jerry Jerry Jerry continues to throw away games to teams in their own division is unbelievable and he should be held accountable for these losses. After watching the Mets unable to hit against Hernandez, I foresee a perfect game being thrown by Strassburg on Saturday. Conclusion, the Mets will be swept by this last place team. Bottom line - it is mind-boggling that JERRY JERRY JERRY continues to manage this team. Wilpons - please rehire Bobby V.

- Taylor Tears

Los Marlins... Loss Mets

The Recap: At least the Mets leave Puerto Rico with a win under their belts

Facing an underperforming, clubhouse riddled, infighting, and chaotic Florida Marlin team and playing "away" games in San Juan, the Mets avoided a sweep by edging out a 6-5 victory last night in a game no one wanted to play.

THE GOOD: After a tropical storm delayed the start time for the game, David Wright and the Mets came out swinging, putting up 3 runs in the first to seemingly make it easy for Mike Pelfrey. Instead, the Sheriff struggled mightily himself and like Jon Niese last week, couldn't make it to the required 5 innings to gain a victory, which Elmer Dessens vultured with his 1-out 5-pitch outing instead. But a win's a win, and avoiding a sweep is always a good thing.

But getting back to David Wright (and we know we've been on him for not always hitting in the clutch). If he doesn't start the All-Star game something's wrong. Actually, there's a lot of things wrong with the All-Star game, but we'll have to leave that to another post. Over the series, Wright went 8-for-13 with 2 doubles, 2 runs and 2 rbi, while playing a superb defense too! Everyone points to the call-up of Ike Davis as the renaissance part of this season, but the return of David Wright as a hitter (with his 14 homeruns and league leading 63 rbi) is really the catalyst of the Mets winning season so far.

And the fact that the Mets played tough in a game facing a sweep in hot, humid weather, with everyone playing tired in a ballpark located off American soil, and with a possibly injured Jose Reyes on the bench is big.

THE BAD: Met pitching allowed 17 hits in yesterday's game alone. Florida also was atrocious in the field, committing 4 errors (there were more but scored otherwise to a lenient hometown official scorer). KRod's ninth inning was scary to say the least ... And the Mets STILL won the game 6-5!

The real bad part of the series was the first game Monday night when Florida pounded RA Dickey for five runs, giving the knuckleballer his first loss of the season. This is the same RA Dickey who pitched 3-hit, shutout ball for eight innings in his last outing, when manager Jerry Manuel wouldn't allow him to finish the game out. At that very moment, MetsFanClub.com predicted the visibly upset Dickey would get hammered in his next start, and unfortunately, we were right. The Mets lost that game 10-3 with Dickey's bullpen replacements (Fernando Nieves and "Why I Oughta!" Igarashi) both getting hit hard as well.

Then we still have to mention Jason Bay, who in a meaningless game that the Mets lost 10-3, smoked 2 homeruns to account for all the Mets runs in the opener. Thanks Jason, but I'd prefer the 2-run shot when the Mets are down by one in the late innings, something we have yet to see this year for the multi-millions you're getting paid. Jason Bay now has 6 home runs on the year, with two 2-homerun games, which means he's hit exactly 2 dingers in all his other games combined.

And speaking of bad, how about Takman's third inning of the Mets 7-6 loss on Tuesday? He gave up 6 runs that inning, but luckily for him, the Mets actually came back in that game to take him off the hook by somehow tying the game in the ninth. By that time, KRod was spent, having pitched in the eighth inning (the Mets were losing at the time 6-5) because Manuel wanted to "get him some work" and didn't believe the Mets had it in them to actually rally to tie the game. Read between the lines on this one folks and it's pretty bad: Jerry wanted to get KRod some work, the Mets were losing at the time, and Jerry didn't think the Mets would see a bottom of the ninth inning. It's always nice when the manager displays the confidence needed for his team to win.

THE UGLY: And perhaps the ugliest story of them all: One year from today, the Mets will add to their payroll a 47-year-old, past-his-prime power hitter who has a reputation as a malcontent--a player who has been retired from professional baseball for nine years and won't play another game again. Starting on July 1, 2011, Bobby Bonilla will remain on the franchise's payroll for 25 years, collecting an annual salary of $1,193,248.20. Those are the terms the Mets agreed to Jan. 3, 2000, when they bought out the final year of his contract. Don't believe it? Read it from the horse's mouth from the Wall Street Journal