Because it’s Sunday and absolutely nothing is going on, why not repost this video of awesome?
Enjoy and feel free to discuss anything Mets-related in the comments.
1/31/10
1/30/10
Mets sign Catalanotto to minor-league deal
As I was tweeting last night, the Mets have signed Frank Catalanotto to a minor-league deal.
Catalanotto will be invited to spring training with the team.
Last season, Catalanotto hit .278 / .346 / .382 with one home run in 144 ABs with the Milwaukee Brewers.
A lot of people seem to respect Catalanotto as more than just a player. He seems to fit the same mold of Alex Cora, in playing ability and in his future at a possible managerial position.
The Mets could do worse than having Catalanotto coming up from Buffalo if/when the injuries begin. (That is not a challenge, Omar.)
Twitter Poll: What are your thoughts on Omar’s off-season?
It’s Saturday, I’m still laying in bed and I’m tired.
That, of course, has me thinking about the Mets. So far, Omar Minaya has added one big bat and a few fringe players / pitchers. So how do you think he’s done this off-season?
I asked my Twitter followers and here are some responses…
SheckyXero: Omar sucks, he could’ve done more, instead we lack a good catcher, a good first baseman and loads of pitching.
beerman59452000: BAD Jason bay was good, we got no pitching he signed washed up catchers and the mets got holes in there line up.
MetsGuide: ok. It can be salvaged if he acquires a #2 and a catcher.
bosco86: 2 many "ifs". Has not done enough support the core. No #2 starter no catcher bad move at 1st and pen full of "ifs".
willDavidian: Hudson/Lopez and Smoltz or an unlikely trade are his only opportunities to salvage it. Otherwise, it's been awful.
metsfan6986: I feel mixed. He didn't do as good as he couldve but I think Jeff has his hands tied. He's been more aggressive in the past.
MVPGotham: After his comments in October along with Jeff Wilpon, the team has not done enough.
darknova306: This offseason will be a failure until our rotation is fixed. I see only a very slim chance of that happening.
What are your thoughts on Minaya’s off-season so far? Has he done enough? Or is there a lot more work to do?
1/29/10
Mets sign Josh Fogg
The Mets have signed Josh Fogg to a minor-league deal, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
Fogg, Renck writes, is “one of the coolest guys I have ever covered — think of Vince Vaughn in “Dodgeball.” Renck believes Fogg has a shot to make the Mets out of spring training, and might even compete for the fifth starter spot.
Unfortunately, that might be the best thing to be said about Fogg.
Last season with Colorado, Fogg pitched in 24 games, starting only one. In 45 2-3 innings, Fogg struck out 27 and walked 20. He posted a 3.74 ERA and 1.139 WHIP (surprised me).
He’s a career 5.03 ERA and 1.458 WHIP pitcher.
‘I have full autonomy’ [Quote]
“I understand there is going to be a lot of articles written about how the situation with the Mets is, but when I tell you that I have full autonomy, I have full autonomy.”
-Omar Minaya on who controls the Mets
1/28/10
Tatis returns
Mike Puma, who last night reported the Mets were “close” with Fernando Tatis, is now reporting that the Mets and Tatis have agreed to a contract.
Puma reports that the deal is worth less than the $1.7 million he made last season. Matt Cerrone believes the deal to be worth $800,000 with a chance to make up to $1.5 million in performance bonuses.
My “SHOW YOUR TATIS” shirts, which were shelved last year, will be available next week.
What would you ask Omar?
So with Omar Minaya in studio tonight for Mets Hot Stove, I was wondering what you would ask him if you had the chance?
A few of mine:
- Are you still in control? (Echoing Mr. Burkhardt)
- Why Gary Matthews Jr.?
- What’s next this off-season?
- How is it working under the Wilpons?
What would you ask Omar Minaya if you had the chance?
1/27/10
POST: Mets close with Tatis
The Mets and utility-man Fernando Tatis are closing in on a contract, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Tatis, who made $1.7 million last year with the Mets, would serve as a likely backup/platoon partner with Daniel Murphy at first base. He could also spell either corner outfield position, as well as David Wright at third.
I’m for this. I think Tatis can contribute to the team, especially they way it is designed right now.
Parnell back to the pen
Bobby Parnell is back in the bullpen for 2010, according to some notes filed by Adam Rubin from Port St. Lucie.
Rubin also noted that “Parnell in no way pulled an Aaron Heilman, but he does envision himself one day as a starting pitcher.”
I was at Parnell’s best start: Aug. 14 at home against San Francisco. He went six innings, allowing only three hits and striking out seven.
I watched from the bridge in center field, some of the best seats in Citi Field.
The Wilpons, Omar and the Mets and my opinion on it all
Little will change for the Mets until they change the way they operate — from ownership on down.
The Mets, multiple industry sources say, do not function like most clubs. Their unique style would be fine if they were building championship teams. Instead, they’re coming off a 70-win season and losing out on free agent after free agent -- except for one, left fielder Jason Bay, who seemingly lacked a better option.
I agree with Rosenthal to a point (you should probably read the article, then come back here).
Yes, the Mets look hapless right now. Three bad years in a row. “Bad,” though, is relative.
A win or two more in ‘07, and the Mets are in the playoffs. Same goes for ‘08. Last season, thanks to injuries, they needed about 30 more wins.
Is Omar the problem? Maybe. Is it the Wilpons? Again, maybe.
We’ll see the change in the GM position before the keys to the franchise switch hands, but to me, Omar gets a lot of unnecessary flack.
I’m sure you all have had (or still have) bosses that you hate. They just don’t do things the way you’d like, but you have to deal with them anyway. It makes your life at work a lot harder because you have to wait around for them to approve this or them to check that.
To me, from the complete outside looking in, this what Omar has to deal with. I’m not saying Omar is a saint and the best GM ever, far from it. But it seems to be a perfect storm of ineptitude.
Bad ownership makes a mediocre GM look even worse. A new stadium and TV station magnify the holes. And the fans, three seasons removed from a playoff run and Game 7 of the NLCS, are ready to jump ship.
All this combined, has brewed the perfect storm of cynicism, sarcasm and dislike, all pointed toward Flushing.
Is the state of the Mets bad? Without a doubt. But it has become too easy, and the norm around these parts, to pile on this team.
The fans, if they’ve been here from the start, have seen worse. A lot worse. But the media is feeding into it and it’s blowing holes in an already sinking ship. It’s easy for the media to blast the Wilpons and Omar & Co. for anything and everything, and they have.
So who is the problem with the Mets? How will it ever get turned around? Where will 2010 take them?
Honestly, no one can know.
There is a chance, a small, miniscule one at that, the team jumps out of the gate, things clicking and running smoothly and they surprise everyone in ‘10.
Say they win 80 games. Will that please the fans? Maybe.
Say they make the playoffs. Even as a Wild Card team, I’d be thrilled.
Imagine if they get through the first round? To the NLCS? Maybe even the World Series?
Am I dreaming? Am I too hopeful? Do I actually think this will happen? Yes, yes and no.
But in this off-season, which was weak to start, the Mets have become an easy target and everyone has their Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle out and ready to fire.
There is no quick fix. Ownership changing hands won’t do much. Cleaning house will just set the franchise back by 10 years.
Fred, Jeff and Omar don’t want to lose. They don’t want people canceling ticket plans. They don’t want all this criticism.
But due to their flaws, the flaws in the people they’ve hired, the flaws in the people they’ve dealt with and all of them falling into some mystical alignment to create the super-flaws, this team is where it is now.
No one wants this. But here we are.
Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Baseball, and especially the Mets, is about entertainment. And heck, if this team isn’t entertaining, I don’t know what is.
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