Matt, I look up to you. You're an inspiration to bloggers everywhere. Sure, you may have the occasional error and I may question your style sometimes, but you've done a great service to aspiring writers and fans everywhere.
But your post today, "Phillies Fan is Unhinged" is just begging for the karma gods to come down and dismantle the Mets.
Last year, you were panned for throwing up the magic number too early, and as the Mets fell apart, the blame fell on you. Not from me, but other fans thought you jumped the gun.
And here we go again.
Sure, all you do is quote a Phillies blog (and an amazing one at that), but it has to be the most scathing quote ever.
Cerrone, you might as well go push Carlos Delgado down a flight of stairs. I actually cringed while reading it.
I know the Phillies players don't read your blog, but the baseball gods do, and you do not want to anger them.
All you wanted to do was point out that the Phillies are having a hard time, and their fans are getting sick of it. But did you have to do it today, with 17 to play (we all remember that number).
This isn't the same team from 2007, that's for sure, but there is no need to stack the deck against the Mets. Please, Matt, as the most influential Mets blog on the net, don't poke the sleeping bear, don't anger the baseball gods, and for the love of everything holy, keep the karma on the side of the team we support.
9/11/08
Well, that was ugly
I hope I never have to watch a baseball game like that again.
In a game the Mets should have easily won,Christian Guzman the Washington Nationals came roaring back and could have won it if it wasn't for some timely hitting.
Looks like the stellar pitching went into the tank, and fast.
A win is a win, and the Mets are now 3.5 games up with 17 to play. I feel much better about this season than last, especially because the Mets have seemed to find out how to beat the Nationals in September.
Last season, the Mets couldn't seem to figure out Washington, and it cost them the postseason. This year, though the Nats bats seem to know every pitch the Mets are going to throw, the Mets have been just a tad bit better, and that's all that matters.
Keep winning, and all the problems will be solved.
Another day off today, which is a little odd, but it's giving them a break for the home stretch.
In a game the Mets should have easily won,
Looks like the stellar pitching went into the tank, and fast.
A win is a win, and the Mets are now 3.5 games up with 17 to play. I feel much better about this season than last, especially because the Mets have seemed to find out how to beat the Nationals in September.
Last season, the Mets couldn't seem to figure out Washington, and it cost them the postseason. This year, though the Nats bats seem to know every pitch the Mets are going to throw, the Mets have been just a tad bit better, and that's all that matters.
Keep winning, and all the problems will be solved.
Another day off today, which is a little odd, but it's giving them a break for the home stretch.
9/10/08
Game Recap: Mets 13 -- Nationals 10
That was a doozy.
Pitching Performance
Well, this was ugly all around. This totally destroys my theory of starting pitching and bullpen performance.
Mike Pelfrey allowed five runs on eight hits, through five innings of work. He walked two and struck out none. Through those five, he had to throw 96 pitches, so it was like he threw more innings.
Yuck.
And it was all downhill from here. Pelfrey was getting hit hard tonight. He just didn't have it. Not the time for the pitching to go into a slide.
From there, the bullpen took over and tried to give the game away, but the bats wanted nothing of it.
Aaron Heilman came out of the depths of the bullpen, and allowed a two-run home run to Christian Guzman. Joe Smith went long tonight, working one 1-3 innings, and eventually earning the win. He walked only one, while striking out one.
Smith has turned it on lately. That's two wins in two days for him, and three innings of scoreless baseball. Well done.
The day after I praise Brian Stokes, he allowed a three-run home run, again to Guzman. Stokes allowed two hits and walked one in his inning of work. Luis Ayala pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the save for the Mets in a very, very sloppy game.
Whew. Well, Stokes wasn't pretty, but his fastball was bound to get hit. Hard. Nice stuff from Ayala though.
Offensive Output
Where to start? 13 hits and 13 runs. I'm going to try and keep this brief.
In the first, almost like clockwork, the Mets got on the board. Carlos Beltran singled in David Wright and the Mets went up 1-0.
The third inning saw the Mets bat around and push six runs across. A Wright single drove in one, a Beltran double drove in another. Fernando Tatis shot a bases loaded two-run double to left, and Damion Easley capped it off with a two-run single.
And from there, the Mets looked like they were in for some smooth sailing. Unfortunately, they needed more runs, and a lot of them. Thankfully, the bats responded to the call.
In the bottom of the seventh, Beltran drove in Wright again, this time with a sac-fly. With the bases loaded, Beltran was able to scamper home on a wild pitch. Brian Schneider helped the team, ripping a single to left, driving in Tatis and Daniel Murphy.
Beltran and Wright were the stars tonight, and no, Delgado didn't hit two home runs.
In the eighth, Wright added to the Mets tally with a two-run blast to left center, plating Church.
Wow.
The Rest of the Story
Jose Reyes broke Mookie Wilson's franchise steal record, picking up two in the same inning. Keep running, Jose.
Wright: 4-4, BB, 3 RBI, 4 runs. Someone is getting hot.
Beltran: 3-5, 2 RBI, 2 runs.
Game Ball: David Wright.
Pitching Performance
Well, this was ugly all around. This totally destroys my theory of starting pitching and bullpen performance.
Mike Pelfrey allowed five runs on eight hits, through five innings of work. He walked two and struck out none. Through those five, he had to throw 96 pitches, so it was like he threw more innings.
Yuck.
And it was all downhill from here. Pelfrey was getting hit hard tonight. He just didn't have it. Not the time for the pitching to go into a slide.
From there, the bullpen took over and tried to give the game away, but the bats wanted nothing of it.
Aaron Heilman came out of the depths of the bullpen, and allowed a two-run home run to Christian Guzman. Joe Smith went long tonight, working one 1-3 innings, and eventually earning the win. He walked only one, while striking out one.
Smith has turned it on lately. That's two wins in two days for him, and three innings of scoreless baseball. Well done.
The day after I praise Brian Stokes, he allowed a three-run home run, again to Guzman. Stokes allowed two hits and walked one in his inning of work. Luis Ayala pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the save for the Mets in a very, very sloppy game.
Whew. Well, Stokes wasn't pretty, but his fastball was bound to get hit. Hard. Nice stuff from Ayala though.
Offensive Output
Where to start? 13 hits and 13 runs. I'm going to try and keep this brief.
In the first, almost like clockwork, the Mets got on the board. Carlos Beltran singled in David Wright and the Mets went up 1-0.
The third inning saw the Mets bat around and push six runs across. A Wright single drove in one, a Beltran double drove in another. Fernando Tatis shot a bases loaded two-run double to left, and Damion Easley capped it off with a two-run single.
And from there, the Mets looked like they were in for some smooth sailing. Unfortunately, they needed more runs, and a lot of them. Thankfully, the bats responded to the call.
In the bottom of the seventh, Beltran drove in Wright again, this time with a sac-fly. With the bases loaded, Beltran was able to scamper home on a wild pitch. Brian Schneider helped the team, ripping a single to left, driving in Tatis and Daniel Murphy.
Beltran and Wright were the stars tonight, and no, Delgado didn't hit two home runs.
In the eighth, Wright added to the Mets tally with a two-run blast to left center, plating Church.
Wow.
The Rest of the Story
Jose Reyes broke Mookie Wilson's franchise steal record, picking up two in the same inning. Keep running, Jose.
Wright: 4-4, BB, 3 RBI, 4 runs. Someone is getting hot.
Beltran: 3-5, 2 RBI, 2 runs.
Game Ball: David Wright.
Jose Reyes sets new Mets franchise record
Jose Reyes just stole his 282nd base of his career, passing Mookie Wilson for the franchise lead. Not minutes later, he picked up #283.
To many, many more...Keep running, Reyes.
To many, many more...Keep running, Reyes.From the Forum: Bye Bye Billy Wagner
Billy Wagner may have thrown his last pitch as a member of the New York Mets, as he will undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss about a year of baseball.
Mets fans watched the emotional press conference yesterday, and some were moved by the emotions Wagner showed.
metsfan08 says:
SpeedKills126 shows his emotions and bids him good luck:
Join Mets Lounge today!
Mets fans watched the emotional press conference yesterday, and some were moved by the emotions Wagner showed.
metsfan08 says:
It's sad knowing that we'll never hear "Enter Sandman" again in Shea and that we'll probably never see Billy in a Met uniform again.To which Wrighteous responds:
Despite all the heart attacks he's given us over the years, I will miss him.
Watching him makes me wanna tear up. It's hard, I wish him well wherever he goes.Fitting.
Thank you Billy, for the saves.
..and the heart attacks.
Exit Sandman.
SpeedKills126 shows his emotions and bids him good luck:
During that press conference, I thought I was gonna cry when I saw him start to cry.Happy trails, Wagner. I hope he will come by the dugout, if it's not too emotional, and support the team down the stretch.
...
Good luck today, Billy!!!
Join Mets Lounge today!
Aaron Heilman is smart
According to Adam Rubin's notebook, Aaron Heilman is one of two MLB players to serve on the panel looking into broken bats in baseball.
Rubin:
I've posted about the maple bats before, and I came to a pretty simple conclusion: Ban them. Immediately.
Sadly, it's going to take someone to get seriously injured before a shift is made. If MLB can make it through this season without incident, I doubt we'll see those bats again next year.
Well go use that Notre Dame education, Mr. Heilman. Just make sure when the Mets call on you, your mind is on the batter you need to retire, not the trajectory of a possible flying bat spear.
Rubin:
Heilman said the issue is more complex than simply banning a certain type of wood. The group is studying how the bats are manufactured and such criteria as grain, dryness and shape. As an example, Heilman said it's possible that maple itself isn't a problem - just that inferior maple perhaps is being used because the prime material is steered to such things as table legs.The main offender in baseball has shown to be of the maple variety. Carlos Delgado should know, as he was speared with a shard of bat in spring training, when a Brady Clark bat exploded.
I've posted about the maple bats before, and I came to a pretty simple conclusion: Ban them. Immediately.
Sadly, it's going to take someone to get seriously injured before a shift is made. If MLB can make it through this season without incident, I doubt we'll see those bats again next year.
Well go use that Notre Dame education, Mr. Heilman. Just make sure when the Mets call on you, your mind is on the batter you need to retire, not the trajectory of a possible flying bat spear.
9/9/08
Game Recap: Mets 10 -- Nationals 8
Incompetent baseball at its finest, thankfully the Mets were just a tad bit better.
Pitching Performance
Well, that stunk. Oliver Perez was staked to a three-run lead, and quickly game it back and then some. Perez lasted only three 1-3 innings, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out three.
What to say...what to say. That was a miserable outing by Perez. That is all.
Nelson Figueroa came in to mop up for Perez, and allowed two runs to score. Luckily for Figueroa, those runs were charged elsewhere.
As I said in a previous game recap, on the days the starting pitching fails to show, the bullpen usually shines. That was the case tonight, as the pen combined to throw five 2-3 innings, allowing only one run charged to them. Brandon Knight was the man to surrender the run.
Joe Smith pitched one 2-3 innings, allowing only one hit, walking one, and striking out one. Thanks to Los Carloses, Smith ended up earning the win. Luis Ayala came in with a two-run lead in the ninth, and worked a perfect inning to close out the win.
Another one to sweat out, but another "eek-out" win by the Mets.
Offensive Output
The Mets needed all the runs they could get tonight, and thankfully the bats came to play.
Damion Easley got it started in the second inning, knocking a two-run double to left, bringing in Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis.
Just the beginning of a huge night for Delgado.
In the next inning, the Mets picked up more runs, with Ryan Church blasting a solo home run to deep right. A few batters later, Delgado crushed a two-run home run off the scoreboard in right.
Smell that? Something is on fire, and I think it's Delgado.
In the fourth, a Church ground ball drove in another run, followed by a single by Wright to drive in another.
Down one run, entering the sixth, Los Carloses teed off. Carlos Beltran blasted a two-run home run to left center, followed by another Delgado goner, this one of the solo variety.
Last September, these two were MIA. This time around, they're front and center.
The Rest of the Story
All Mets position players picked up a hit, and only the six, seven and eight hitters were held to one.
The teams combined for 18 runs and 26 hits.
Game Ball: Carlos Delgado
Pitching Performance
Well, that stunk. Oliver Perez was staked to a three-run lead, and quickly game it back and then some. Perez lasted only three 1-3 innings, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out three.
What to say...what to say. That was a miserable outing by Perez. That is all.
Nelson Figueroa came in to mop up for Perez, and allowed two runs to score. Luckily for Figueroa, those runs were charged elsewhere.
As I said in a previous game recap, on the days the starting pitching fails to show, the bullpen usually shines. That was the case tonight, as the pen combined to throw five 2-3 innings, allowing only one run charged to them. Brandon Knight was the man to surrender the run.
Joe Smith pitched one 2-3 innings, allowing only one hit, walking one, and striking out one. Thanks to Los Carloses, Smith ended up earning the win. Luis Ayala came in with a two-run lead in the ninth, and worked a perfect inning to close out the win.
Another one to sweat out, but another "eek-out" win by the Mets.
Offensive Output
The Mets needed all the runs they could get tonight, and thankfully the bats came to play.
Damion Easley got it started in the second inning, knocking a two-run double to left, bringing in Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis.
Just the beginning of a huge night for Delgado.
In the next inning, the Mets picked up more runs, with Ryan Church blasting a solo home run to deep right. A few batters later, Delgado crushed a two-run home run off the scoreboard in right.
Smell that? Something is on fire, and I think it's Delgado.
In the fourth, a Church ground ball drove in another run, followed by a single by Wright to drive in another.
Down one run, entering the sixth, Los Carloses teed off. Carlos Beltran blasted a two-run home run to left center, followed by another Delgado goner, this one of the solo variety.
Last September, these two were MIA. This time around, they're front and center.
The Rest of the Story
All Mets position players picked up a hit, and only the six, seven and eight hitters were held to one.
The teams combined for 18 runs and 26 hits.
Game Ball: Carlos Delgado
Wallace Matthews and I agree, again
I'm starting to get a little worried. This is the second article where I've agreed with what baseball curmudgeon Wallace Matthews has had to say.
In his latest article, Matthews believes that the Mets should "rally around Wagner."
Since Billy Wagner went down, the Mets have lost only 11 games. Roughly half of those can be blamed on the bullpen, so it's nothing extremely out of the ordinary. The team can win without him, and Matthews wants them to stop making excuses and win even if they don't have their closer.
The Mets have been able to patch together the bullpen since the few days following losing their closer. Luis Ayala, though hittable, has been able to convert five saves so far, and a handful of guys have also picked up some along the way.
My vote for closer, right now: Brian Stokes. This guy has really come out of nowhere and has been able to get guys out with consistency. His fastball is lively, and he has poise on the mound. Ayala is decent, but I'd like to see what this guy can do.
With or without him, the Mets have to win. Since there's no chance he's coming back anytime soon, the Mets need to buck up and prepare for life without their closer. Win or lose, it's because of the team on the field, not the guys on the DL.
In his latest article, Matthews believes that the Mets should "rally around Wagner."
Since Billy Wagner went down, the Mets have lost only 11 games. Roughly half of those can be blamed on the bullpen, so it's nothing extremely out of the ordinary. The team can win without him, and Matthews wants them to stop making excuses and win even if they don't have their closer.
Rather than take this as yet another excuse for failure, built-in reason No. 629 for why once again, the $140-million Mets just couldn't quite get it done, they ought to try something new this season.The Mets haven't done their best, at least as well as I think they could have done, since Wagner went on the DL on August 3. They've only lost 11 games. Think about that, would they have done the same if Wagner was there, or maybe even worse?
Such as winning in spite of Wagner's injury, rather than losing because of it.
The Mets have been able to patch together the bullpen since the few days following losing their closer. Luis Ayala, though hittable, has been able to convert five saves so far, and a handful of guys have also picked up some along the way.
My vote for closer, right now: Brian Stokes. This guy has really come out of nowhere and has been able to get guys out with consistency. His fastball is lively, and he has poise on the mound. Ayala is decent, but I'd like to see what this guy can do.
With or without him, the Mets have to win. Since there's no chance he's coming back anytime soon, the Mets need to buck up and prepare for life without their closer. Win or lose, it's because of the team on the field, not the guys on the DL.
A new home run apple will be used in Citi Field
That's right everybody, we can all sleep easier tonight as the "Great Apple Dilemma of 2008" has now been solved.The Daily News is reporting that a brand, spankin' new apple will be used to cap off home runs in Citi Field when it opens in 2009.
I don't think the people at SaveTheApple.com will be terribly pleased, but they have to be just a little bit happy that at least there is still an apple, even if it's not the same exact one.
The question now is, who is going to put up the cash to buy the old one??
Hopefully it can find a wonderful home in the dwelling of a die-hard fan, or place it somewhere in the parking lot for people to rub for good luck. Maybe even somewhere around New York City.
9/8/08
Commence the curse
"Registration for Mets playoff tix opens"
Oh, crap.
I hate when teams do this. I know it's a necessary evil, but it just stinks of "jinx."
But for those with the cash, get your name in now for the possibility of possible playoff tickets.
Oh, crap.
I hate when teams do this. I know it's a necessary evil, but it just stinks of "jinx."
But for those with the cash, get your name in now for the possibility of possible playoff tickets.
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