Mets, second-round pick Matz yet to agree to contract

Steven Matz, the 18-year-old out of East Setauket, NY, was the Mets 72nd pick in this year’s amateur draft.  The deadline to sign draft picks is rapidly approaching, midnight tonight, and the Mets and Matz have not come to terms on a deal. 

At least not yet.

On Wednesday, Adam Rubin reported that the Mets and Matz were closing in on a deal.  But yesterday, Jim Callis of Baseball America reported that the “deal isn’t close to done and isn’t going as smoothly as you might think.”

So we’ve got conflicting reports on where the Mets are with Matz.  He could be close to a deal, or it could be a bumpy ride.

Either or, the clock is ticking on the Mets highest pick.

Matz is a 6-3 lefthander who struck out 74 in 54 innings with Ward Melville in his senior year.  He is committed to Costal Carolina University.

My view from ‘The Piazza’

On Saturday, I mentioned that I got to sit in the table seats in center field, or where I like to call “The Piazza.”

They’re located right in front of the “Gil Hodges Bridge” and offer your a spectacular view of the game.  Friday night, I finagled my way into a pair of those seats, thanks to my friend’s ticket purchase.

I arrived at the game about 20 minutes before my friend Jamie did, and I asked to buy the cheapest possible ticket.  I got a $48 seat in Sec. 301.  When Jamie arrived, he got a $54 seat in Sec. 143.

Using Jamie’s one ticket, we got to sit in seats 1 and 2 in Sec. 143, which are primarily held for those fans that use wheelchairs.

These were easily some of the best seats I’ve sat in, as we had a completely unobstructed view of the field, not to mention padded chairs.

If you ever get the opportunity to sit in these seats, jump at the chance.  They were great.

Mets learning how to deal with injuries, design new uniform [Photo]

In light of the events of this season, the Mets have debuted a new uniform that they will wear the rest of the season, for every game.

Here is a photo of Johan Santana modeling the new uniform…The new uniforms can be purchased for $15 per foot in the Mets team store or on MLB.com.

Manuel’s Musing

“I do believe we have to be cautious with this, and we will be.”

-Jerry Manuel on David Wright’s injury

Wright to DL, Green called up

The Mets erred on the side of caution with David Wright, placing him on the 15-day disabled list.  The Mets called up infielder Andy Green to take his place on the roster.

Green, 32, has seen time in three different seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, from 2004 to 2006.  In 260 major league plate appearances, he’s batting .199 / .280 / .265 with two home runs and 12 RBI.

He signed with the Mets in July of 2008, only to be released on Nov. 3.  Fifteen days later, he re-signed with the Mets.

This season with Triple-A Buffalo, Green has hit .269 / .333 / .412 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 35 games.  He’s split his time between third base and second base this season, but is a second baseman by trade.

Green missed 2 1/2 months with a fractured thumb, reports Peter Botte.

He’s a perfect fit.

Wright diagnosed with post-concussion symptoms

David Wright was admitted to the Hospital of Special Surgery after getting drilled in the head by a fastball from Matt Cain.  He has been diagnosed with post-concussion (which means he had a concussion in the first place), but has not been put on the disabled list.

I know the Mets trainers and medical staff have been through a lot in the past few months, but in case they don’t know what they should do with Wright, here’s a little reminder of recent concussions…Just sayin’…

Wright gets drilled in head by fastball

Scary stuff.

David Wright was just hit in the helmet by a 93 mph fastball from Matt Cain in the 4th inning.

Wright was down 0-2 as Bengie Molina called for the fourth straight fastball from Cain.  It obviously got away and nailed Wright on the left side of his helmet, near the temple, roughly where the brim of the helmet connects to the main body.

He went down in a heap as soon as it happened and only rolled over once the trainers got out to him.

The television cameras showed Wright saying, “I’m all right,” to trainer Ray Ramirez before they got him to his feet.  He walked off the field under his own power, held on the arm by Ramirez.

He obviously left the game, replaced by Fernando Tatis.

A look at Citi Field’s new additions [Photos]

I was at Friday night’s Mets game at Citi Field and snapped a few grainy photos of the new additions around Citi Field.  Take a look…

The new video board in the RF corner…

The new banners on the LF wall…

The new photos viewed from the Field Level…That was all I saw as I walked around.  I didn’t get a chance to look at the improved sightlines, but I’m going back Monday, so I will see if I can spot any changes.

Parnell Power

Bobby Parnell was fantastic.  Six innings of three-hit ball, throwing 86 pitches.  Sixty-one of those went for strikes as Parnell struck out seven while on the bump.

The Mets got runs from an Angel Pagan solo home run in the first inning, a Jeff Francoeur double in the fourth and a Gary Sheffield sac-fly in the sixth to compile their three runs.

Still, the star of the game was Parnell, who looked absolutely dominant out there.  He pumped mostly fastballs by the slightly anemic Giants bats.

From my seats out in right-centerfield, I had an awesome view of the game as I was perched out in “The Piazza.” It was a beautiful night for baseball and a fairly stress-free one for the Mets.  There were a few tiny bumps in the road, like pebbles to a Jeep Wrangler, that the Mets rolled over and did what they needed to do to win.

Too bad they’re still 9.5 games out of the Wild Card.

Manuel’s Musing

“It's a big, big boost for us in going forward.”

-Jerry Manuel on Bobby Parnell