A conversation with a reader about Thole and Murphy

A reader emailed me yesterday to discuss Josh Thole and Daniel Murphy - he of the amazing mustache - and their low OBP.

The conversation follows below...

Reader:

Can you please address the abysmal OBP's of Daniel Murphy and Josh Thole? It is the only reason they are on the team.

Do you also find Mike Nickeas' presence to be insulting to the other ball club?

Me:

I'm not sure I understand the question about Thole and Murphy's OBP? How is that the only reason they're on the team?

And yes, Mike Nickeas is awful.

Reader:

Well thanks for getting back to me.

I mean they serve no other purpose, actually this probably could be a good blog post but what do i know, you are the blogger.

They are Mets major leaguers because of their ability to get on base, more evidence to that fact are:
1) They have no power
2) They are both lousy at defense (one could argue significant improvement from Thole but one cannot argue that is how he got to this point)
3) They have no speed
4) What am I missing? (High OBP got them to the majors, which they are not doing right now)

What do you think of it? 

Me:

Well, who are you going to replace them with? Sure, they're only OBPing in the low .300s, but as you said... Mike Nickeas can't take over for Thole. Rob Johnson? Nope. Lucas May? Nope.  

And for Murphy... you want Valdespin out there every game? Sure, he's hitting lately, but he's not proven and his glove may be worst than Murphy's. You have to remember Murphy is in a deeeeeeeeeeep slump right now, too. 

And Thole/Nickeas are faced with Dickey's knuckleball every five days. You've seen how fooled hitters are with the pitch - catchers are just as confused too!

Reader:

Yeah but now we see that they can't be a part of our future and must be terminated quickly. 

Me:

Thole is the catcher for the foreseeable future. Murphy is being moved around yearly to find him a spot. Neither positions are being threatened by players in the minors. These are the guys for right now and probably for a few years to come.

Reader:

Impossible situation to win carrying the both of them getting on base at a 300 clip.  

Me:

Who would you put in their places?

I'm still waiting on a response.

Mets no-hitter T-shirt is awful

I understand getting this shirt out quickly, but this is just horrendous. Almost as bad as those "Wild Card Winner" shirts that I'm pretty sure no one buys.

Johan Santana's no-hitter, by the numbers

27,069 paid attendees.

155 minutes, length of game.

134 pitches.

99th start as a Met.

90 Game Score.

77 strikes.

38 strikes by contact.

21 strikes looking.

18 swinging strikes.

16 fly balls.

8 strike outs.

5 walks.

3 ground balls.

0 hits.

Now go watch my reaction video.

Today's covers

Because you know you want to see them before you go buy them to store in the deep recesses of your closet.

Enjoy.

Here's a video of me watching Johan Santana throw the Mets first no-hitter

I really have no words right now other then what I said in the moments after Johan Santana struck out the final batter to seal the first no-hitter in Mets history and in his career.

So, just watch this and enjoy. It's long and weird and crazy. Like me. Like all Mets fans tonight. So, so happy. (I start talking around 1:45)

With Thole back, who goes?

Update: Rob Johnson has been sent down to Triple-A Buffalo. And there's your move.

Mets 2012 Stars & Stripes hat is camouflage

Gone are the red, white and blues of the past. This year, it's camouflage.

Looks like these hats are going from bad to worse.

I was on TV last night!

My girlfriend and I went to last night's Mets/Reds game, and ended up on TV a few times. I also caught a T-shirt. It was a banner day for me.

(I'm in the white button down with the blue hat. The girlfriend is next to me in the grey Mets shirt.)

Hat tip to @MetsKevin11 for the screencaps!

And here's some video:

Even Facebook says TRAID DAVID WRONG!

No.

Just, no.

8,000

Eight thousand games. 8K games. 100 + 900 x 8 = 8,000 games.

And still, no no-hitters.

Well, still 7,999. Johan Santana takes the mound on Friday for the Mets 8,000th ever game and their 8,000th attempt at pitching a no-no.

Just the Mets and the San Diego Padres have never pitched a no-hitter (and the Washington Nationals, but everyone but the Nationals knows they used to be the Montreal Expos). The Pads, though, have only played about 6,900 games in their lifetime.

Look, in the end, no-hitters don't really matter. They're not worth more wins, or runs, or games in the standings. But they're cool. And the Mets, at nearly 8,000 games don't have one. Roughly two no-nos are tossed a year, with 274 thrown since 1875.

And yet, the Mets don't have one.

Of course, pitchers who pitched for the Mets went on to throw no-hitters (and a perfect game) and pitchers that had completed the feat eventually came to the Mets, but couldn't spin the same yarn while in orange and blue.

So, on Friday when (not if) Santana gives up a hit to a member of the Miami Marlins, all the numbers on the odometer will turn, and the Mets will hit the dubious mark of 8K games without a no-hitter. Nothing will change and the Mets will go for it again in game eight thousand and one.