Links: Mets roundtable discussion, parts I and II

Brian Costa, the Mets beat reporter for NJ.com, asked Greg and Jason from Faith and Fear in Flushing, Eric from Amazin’ Avenue and myself to participate in a roundtable discussion about the Mets offseason.

Here’s Part I, where we answer “What would it take for you to go into next season feeling optimistic about the overall direction of the Mets?”

And Part II, where we answer “Are you convinced that both Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel need to go, or could one or both of them still earn your confidence between now and the end of the 2010 season?”

Thoughts?

Painting the stairwells at Citi Field

The Mets Police has a tip from a fan that the stairwells at Citi Field are being painted orange.

When I was walking out of Citi Field for the last time in mid-August, I remember remarking to my mother and two friends, “Man, these stairwells are ugly!  Couldn’t they have painted the cement or something?”

Well, they did.  And now they’re uglier.

Mets spring training schedule [Updated]

Update – 4:59 p.m.: Here is the Mets official spring training  schedule.

Original Post: According to Spring Training Online, here is the Mets tentative spring training schedule for the 2010 season. 

This is not official, as the Mets haven’t released the schedule and I would wait for that before making any hotel reservations or flights.

(H/T to Jessica DeMattia for this)

One reason why trading Castillo & signing Hudson is a bad idea

If the Mets manage to trade Luis Castillo and bring in Orlando Hudson to play second base, it will happen one of two ways.  In both ways, it looks like the Mets get screwed.

Way 1: The Mets trade Castillo first, then attempt to sign Hudson.

Why it’s bad:  Tons of reports say that Hudson “wants to be a Met,” but it all comes down to money.  If the Mets dump Castillo somewhere, this gives Hudson the upper hand.  He, and his agent, can sit back and wait for the Mets to name a price they like. 

And they can wait as long as possible.  The Mets would be without a player at second and Hudson, being the player they want, can name his demands.  The team will have to hope no one swoops in and pays him what he wants, leaving the Mets out in the cold without a second baseman.

Way 2: The Mets sign Hudson first, then attempt to trade Castillo.

Why it’s bad: Instead of one player holding all the cards, every other MLB team would have it all stacked in their favor in this scenario.  If the Mets bring on Hudson without moving Castillo, they then have two second basemen, both of which are being paid quite handsomely.

If Hudson signs first, the Mets would then have to eat a huge part of Castillo’s contract to move him (if they didn’t have to already).  The other teams in the league would obviously see this logjam and will wait and wait and wait until they’re getting Castillo at a major bargain.

Either way, it looks like the Mets will be stuck between a rock and a hard place if they try and get this done.

Backman officially named Brooklyn manager

The Brooklyn Cyclones have officially named Wally Backman manager of the Single-A affiliate.

From the press release…

"I am thrilled and grateful to be coming back to the Mets' organization," said Backman. "The greatest days of my professional career were spent here in New York, and I have always felt a special connection to the city. I am especially excited to be joining the Cyclones. Brooklyn is a major minor-league team, and I know the borough's fans are - like me - intensely passionate about baseball and about winning."

Backman's appointment as the Cyclones' manager also marks a return to the New York-Penn League for the fifty-year-old Oregon native. Originally selected by the Mets in the first round (16th overall) of the 1977 draft out of Aloha High School (OR), an 18-year-old Backman made his professional debut with the then-affiliate Little Falls club in the NYPL, and hit .325 in 69 games.

"We couldn't be happier to welcome Wally to Brooklyn, "said Cyclones General Manager Steve Cohen. "He has always been a fan favorite in New York, symbolizing the blue-collar work ethic and unbridled dedication to winning that this city - and particularly this borough - values above all else in its sports stars. Brooklyn and Backman were made for each other."

He will be introduced on Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Buffalo Bisons featured in national AT&T ad [Video]

Last night as I was lying in bed, I caught the last end of a commercial for a cell phone.  The baseball team featured looked a lot like the Buffalo Bisons uniforms.

Well, a little Googling and here we are.  AT&T has sponsored the Bisons for 10 years, according to Buffalo Business First.

Here’s the video…

Unfortunately, and in typical Mets fashion, Carl Shouse tore his hamstring in the third inning and missed the rest of the season.

Links: Blogging the off-season and an awesomely sad chart

SimonOnSports sent me a few questions regarding the Mets off-season.  Click here to read my answers.

And head over to Baseball Prospectus to see a chart of the days lost to injury and the salary of the players lost compared to the team payroll.  Guess who has the biggest bars in both?

The ‘Ropolitans Radio Recap: Team chemistry [Audio]

Yesterday on The ‘Ropolitans Radio (T‘RR), I tried to defend the idea that “team chemistry” overrated and that a winning team creates good “team chemistry.”

Here’s how it went down…

Joining me on T‘RR yesterday: Andrew Fletcher, Alex Birsh, Lenny Neslin and Jeremy Schilling.

What are your thoughts on “team chemistry”?  Do you look for a player that has “it” over a player with better stats?

Is Thole in trouble in Venezuela?

Prospect Josh Thole is playing winter ball in Venezuela.  But due to the recent rash of kidnappings, among other things, the Mets may call their young catcher back early.

From the NY Times…

The Mets are consulting with Major League Baseball’s security department and intend to provide Thole, who plays for Leones de Caracas, with all the information to ensure his safety, whether he comes back or remains.

“We’re doing our due diligence regarding the entire situation,” Mets General Manager Omar Minaya said. “We’re looking into it to make sure Josh knows what’s going on and we know that he is safe.”

Though the Mets probably have a good relationship with Venezuela (Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez), the team would be right to play it better-safe-than-sorry.  Bring him back to the states early.  There’d be no harm in it.

Pissed about season ticket prices?

Remember this press release:

The New York Mets today announced across the board decreases in the price of Season Tickets for the 2010 season at Citi Field with no increase in the price of any ticket next year.

The average ticket price on a full-season basis will drop by more than 10 percent with reductions in select locations in excess of 20 percent.  Every Season Ticket Holder will see a decrease in their invoice for next season.

Well, when some fans received their ticket invoices for the 2010 season, some were quite angry to see that their tickets were only $1 cheaper every game, far from a 10 percent reduction.

While I understand the outrage, they must look closely at the release.

“The average ticket price on a full-season basis will drop by more than 10 percent.” 

That means some will drop more and some will drop less.  Unfortunately, they have to drop less for certain people.

Are you a season-ticket holder?  How do you feel about the reduction in prices?