TSTDIA: Reds 5 -- Mets 2

All good things must come to an end. I'm not going to lose any sleep over this one.

Fernando Tatis is hot

No, not like that.

Tatis is owned by four percent of Yahoo! fantasy baseball players?? Those are some enterprising people, if I do say so myself.

A little sad they don't have a photo of Fernando Tatis, at least in his Cardinals gear.

Keep it up, Tatis!

Yankee writers must always find a way to beat down the Mets

Usually, I love stuff Peter Abraham writes. It's usually well thought out and supported by facts. Usually. Here's his latest, entitled "Cashman made the right move with Santana":

There is no question, none whatsoever, that Johan Santana would have helped the Yankees this season. There is little question that Melky Cabrera and Ian Kennedy were probably overvalued during the winter. Maybe Phil Hughes, too.

But does anybody still think it would have been smart for the Yankees to trade the farm for Santana then give him the six-year, $137.5 million deal the Mets did?

The Mets are 11-9 in the games Santana has started and he has allowed 16 home runs in 130.2 innings. That’s 49 dingers in the last 349.2 innings if you’re keeping track at home. The guy still has brilliant moments, but he’s getting to a point where you can see a slide coming.

Much like Pedro Martinez, you have to wonder what this deal will look like in a few years. Brian Cashman, it would seem, made a smart play last winter.

Notice how he leaves out Santana's 3.10 ERA (up nearly .30 after last night's start). That's good enough for 8th in the league.

Surprised he leaves out his 116 strikeouts (only 21 off the league lead)? He's in sixth in that catergory for the NL.

What about his 1.22 WHIP, which ranks below the league average? He's statistically 11th in the league in that catergory.

How about that in his last four losses, he's surrendered only one, four, one, and three runs in the respective games, lasting six innings or longer in each?

Nope, won't find that in his article. The facts a writer provides tells the story for you, but it's really the facts that he leaves out that show the true argument.

Suggestions

Lame post, I know.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions or changes to this site that they would be willing to share. Design, articles, whatever.

Either leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail.

Thanks!

Maybe there is hope for sports radio in New York and his name is Craig Carton

Joe Beningno, stinks. Mike Francessa, hack. Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, fool. Craig Carton...

While a case probably could be made that Carton belongs on the above list, I rather like him. He's a lifelong New York Mets fan, so I know he's a smart man. Some of the things he's said have been pretty dumb, like when he "divorced" the Mets in early June.

After the sweep at the hands of the Padres, Carton began proceedings and took out paperwork to divorce himself from the team. Obviously, he looks like a fool now, but something he said today proved that some people in mainstream media are starting to get with the program.

During a segment this morning Carton started talking about Jason Giambi and his All Star weekend festivities. Carton referenced a photo of Giambi drinking straight from a bottle of Jack Daniels at a club in Las Vegas. Carton then told listeners where to find the photo, and to my shock, it was a blog.

Sure, Deadspin is probably the most popular sports blog, but it's a start. It gives hope to all those lowly bloggers out there that yes, you too might have a chance at greatness. And that greatness is being mentioned by a host on an AM sports radio station.

Early Morning Madness: Tied for first place edition

Absolutely no one saw this coming. If you told me the Mets would rattle of 10 straight wins, and the tenth would see Johan Santana only last four innings, I would have told you to get away from me, you crazy human being.

Amazin'.

I've been wondering what the reaction is going to be once the Mets lose that fateful game. I'm sure, even though they will have won 10 or more in a row, fans will whine and complain about something and start demanding trades, cuts, and firings.

Just wait.

** * **

Yesterday, the Phillies traded for Joe Blanton from the A's.

I think Blanton will help them a bit, but it seems like a small patch to a much bigger hole. He is 5-12 on the year, with an ERA just below five (4.96). He is a good innings eater, going for 230 last season, but I think the Phillies are going to need more than that to hang tough.

** * **

It's time to put Luis Castillo, Orlando Hernandez, and Moises Alou in an air conditioned bus, send them down the coast, and have them placed into Del Boca Vista Retirement Facility.

Maybe the Mets could even buy them a Cadillac, a tip calculator, and one of those fancy pens that can write upside down.

And when they get there, each would have a card on the kitchen table of his new condo, signed "Love, Jerry...Manuel."

Welcome to first place, Mets fans; Mets win 10-8

This game deserves more that just a sentence...

Johna Santana has his worst start in blue and orange, lasting a mere four innings and allowing five runs to score before getting chased. The Mets didn't seem to care. The bullpen faltered, for the first time in 22 innings. The Mets didn't seem to care. Billy Wagner blew the save in the All Star game. The Mets didn't seem to care.

After handing away a lead, twice, the Mets faced watching their nine game win streak go up in smoke. The Mets wanted none of that. The team stormed back, tying the game at 8-8 with a two run home run to right field off the bat of David Wright, scoring Argenis Reyes.

After two more singles, Carlos Delgado served the game breaker into left field, plating the go ahead run. Fernando Tatis didn't feel comfortable with just the one run lead, so he singled and drove in one more, bringing the score to it's final of 10-8.

Oh, and Wagner shut down the Reds 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning. No heart attacks tonight.

The winning streak has reached double digits. Possibly the best win of the year for the Mets, as they keep on rolling after the break.

With the Phillies taking a night off, the Mets move into a tie for first place with a record of 52-44.

Shocker! El Duque's hurt again

Why do we even bother?

El Duque left his rehab start after one inning, giving up two runs and two hits.

Put a fork in him, he's d-o-n-e.

Surprise! Let the second "half" injuries begin

The Mets kick off their second "half" of their season tonight at Great American Ballpark out in Cincinatti.

Pedro Martinez, who was scheduled to pitch Sunday in the series finale against All Star Edison Volquez won't be able to make his start. Pedro received a cortisone shot to try help with some pain he had been feeling in his groin and hip. He will be moved back to a start on Tuesday against the Phillies.

And let the games begin!

Carlos Beltran is human

From Steve Popper:

I was sitting at the gate this morning, a coffee already trying to wear through the effects of the early wakeup call at home (and the lingering effects of that 15-inning All-Star Game that got me home at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday). [Carlos] Beltran rolled up with a smile, explaining how he had decided to bypass the team flight Wednesday night to spend a little extra time with his wife and his eight-month old daughter.
---
While I hide from the crowds (not for autographs obviously) behind my iPod and a book or newspaper, he came empty-handed and seemed to enjoy himself. He even helped guide an elderly man onto the plane as the man tried to speak to him and nearly stumbled as they boarded the plane.

He may be worth $119 million, but he's still a human being. I love reading stories like this, where they really put playing in perspective. They may be gawked at on the field and off, but deep down, there just guys like us, with a whole bundle of talent.