Through 2 innings so far Pelf definitely has some filthy stuff. This is what is frustrating about him: he clearly has good pitches with solid movement, and should be further along than he is so far. He just needs more confidence in himself.
Nice to see wright pick up reyes for the RBI.. That's been sorely lacking from this team all year.
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Right on schedule we have beltran grounding meekly into a DP like the toolbag he is; castillo blowing a routine grounder by taking way too long to get there; and pelf giving up the huge 2B to mccann..
sutcliffe is really laying into mets mgmt for bringing pelfrey up from minors too soon, and not giving him enough time in AA and then AAA.
This is not a team that is even close to playing like they mean it. The lack of hustle and all-out effort is just atrocious. You would think that by now castillo and others would have learned that EVERY PLAY COUNTS, and taking even one play off like castillo just did can cost you big time. In this case it cost us 3 runs in 3rd inning.
I'm sorry, but this team needs a major attitude adjustment. You watch the sox play, you can SEE that they want to win. Every pitch, every at-bat, every play in the field. They lay out for everything, and it is clear that they understand that a game can be won or lost on any play at any time. The mets have not understood this lesson since the 1980s.
The bottom line is that this team simply has not recovered from their monumental collapse last year. I think nothing short of a massive change of personnel can accomplish that - it was simply too big a collapse to move beyond without a wholesale change of people. It is the type of thing that can destroy a team's psyche for years (for example, look no further than marino fake spike on jets).
They look shell-shocked, like mindless zombies out there. I think Beltran needs to go, delgado needs to go, and probably willie needs to go.
I had a really random thought. I wonder if the Mets and Tigers could trade managers. Both Leland and Randolph are solid guys with teams that are underperforming. Both guys would represent a change of style for players that clearly need it. Leland has the better track record, of course, but Willie's still got a long future ahead of him and I think he's well suited for the AL and a town like Detroit.
Not a bad idea. Here's the thing, even in the case where Willie bore no responsibility for the way this team plays, in situations like these sometimes you just have no choice but to change leadership. Sometimes that's the only way to start fresh, although I think in this case it will also require dropping deadwood like delgado and duque and maybe even beltran.
Speaking of deadwood, does the good news ever stop rolling in about this team?
Moises Alou is scheduled to return to New York this morning for an MRI exam after straining his left calf...
The 41-year-old slugger, a disabled-list regular throughout his career, said he is steeling himself for another potentially long absence. Alou already has missed two months this season because of hernia surgery in early March.
"To tell the truth, and being realistic because I've had this before, I'm not very optimistic about it," Alou said of his latest ailment.
Shocking, who would've expected Alou to spend a significant amount of time on DL this year? I don't know, maybe.... everyone???
On Willie's recent statements:
A team spokesman said neither Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon nor GM Omar Minaya would comment on the controversy.
Sorry, but this is poor management. To me, when you have a floundering team coupled with enormously controversial comments, it is IMPERATIVE for senior management to issue a follow-up statement. That they refuse to say anything is just poor business at its worst. It is on them to come out and offer some closure to this story: for the team, for the fans, and for the media. If they are truly not putting Willie on the hot seat and are supporting him for now, then they need to come out and say so. They need to indicate that they accept his explanation and apology that his statements do not represent his true feelings, but rather were just the product of stress and being weary.
One way or the other, Wilpon can only stick his head in the sand for so long. This team stinks and it's not getting any better. It is his responsibility as the owner to make the necessary changes, and for once in his career I'd like to see him do that. It is ridiculous to me that this team has only been to the world series once in the past 20 years. A big market team with a big market budget like the Mets ought to be way more competitive than they have been.
If Los Bravos sweep the Mets today, I think there is the first real chance that Willie could get fired. I'd only put the likelihood at 10%, but it's not inconceivable.
The possibility that Willie is that close to being fired would certainly explain Omar and Wilpon's unwillingness to comment on the situation, as well as Randolph's apparent inability to contact them the other day.
Of course, Wilpon still needs to make it clear that it is on Omar to assemble a non-geriatric team with some actual leaders in the clubhouse.
First order of business: acquire a long reliever.
Second order of business: replace Delgado with someone who can get on base, and is also willing to be a vocal leader. The Mets need some more fire in their dugout, to remind them at all times to keep their heads in the game. A player like Kevin Youkilis is exactly who they need.
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