This just in

Bay apparently to sign 4 year, $66 M deal with Mets, pending physical.

Also just in: Omar and Manuel still chew.

Let's get productive!

OK, it's been the better part of a month since SHK graced us with the eternal optimism of his last post.

Let's kick this into gear here on the precipice of Christmas and the looming silhouette of the new year on the horizon.

What Christmas presents (and/or miracles) do we want to see from Omar under the tree?

My two cents (which was once worth $0.37, by the way):

Offer Ben Sheets a big contract that is incentive-laden. I've got no problem throwing him $12M but he's gotta earn it--let's say full value vests with 200 IP, 30 starts...if he can do that you can reasonably expect 17-18 wins and an ERA in the low 3's. We could also try the same with Eric Bedard but at much lower costs--after all, the guy is fresh off surgery and hasn't done any throwing yet (unlike Sheets, who has been rehabbing for the last 6-8 months).

Try to trade for Gil Meche. Rumor has it that this is in the works but I can't find anything confirming talks, much less progress. Carlos Zambrano is another option but the Cubs seem less likely to deal (especially now that they're unburdened by Bradley's contract--although they're now saddled with Carlos Silva's fat deal).

Give Matt Holliday a big offer. If Bay wants to sit on his hands and play the waiting game, screw him. Looks like the Cards are the only solid suitor for Holliday right now. If Omar can lure him, fine. If he drives up Holliday's price for the Cards, hooray. If it lights a fire under Bay's ass (and his agent's as well, who may have priced his prize client out of the best offer he was going to get), terrific. Seems like a no-lose to me.

And pull the same move on Molina--sucka thinks he's still worth 3 yrs at $6-7M a pop? Riiiight. Guy's OBP is lower than his weight and he is clearly the inferior of the 3 brothers behind the plate at this point. Give Rod Barajas a call (let's avoid the Torreabla drama again, please) and force someone's hand. This waiting crap is getting old. BE PROACTIVE, B-E PROACTIVE!!!

And the 1B problem can go down one of 2 ways--give Delgado a low-base, high-incentive deal to come back for one more year or go get LaRoche.

Finally, let's do anything with Luis Castillo other than ink him in as our starting 2B. Whatever must be done, go for it. Then get Orlando Hudson before he signs with the Nationals, too. BTW, where the hell are the Nats suddenly coming up with all this coin?

And in the Christmas miracle department, let's trade whatever we need to do get Carl Crawford. This solves a lot of the previously stated issues but I don't think we have anything to really tempt the Rays. Oh, well--the guy IS a FA next season...

With my plan, we could be looking at:

SS Reyes
2B Hudson
3B Wright
CF Beltran
LF Bay/Holliday
1B Delgado/LaRoche
RF Francoeur
C Barajas/Thole/Santos/Coste/Blanco/whatever

Santana
Meche
Sheets
Pelfrey
Maine (who might be needed to get Meche so then Perez--ouch)

Breaking News Update from Hot Stove Meetings

The Mets still chew.

Just to keep us current

Most recent Mets rumors at MLB Trade Rumors.com:

1) Mets view Marquis as backup plan at best.

2) Per the LA Times, Mets have inquired about LF/3B/1B option Mark DeRosa with all of his "34 year old replacement player" credentials.

3) Mets were in preliminary talks about a 3 way deal to get Kevin Millwood, but everything's on hold at least till the winter meetings in two weeks, or if the Rangers start taking stupid pills.

4) Mets want Bengie Molina to catch.

5) In the big picture, this article from a week ago hits most of the key points. Mets are going after Lackey. Mets are looking for speed and defense rather than power in left, with Chone Figgins the target of choice rather than Bay or Holliday. With so little power in the lineup, the Mets better be seriously investing in pitching, which apparently, they are planning to.

6) And finally, with the bang-my-head-against-the-wall quote of the day comes this one: SI's Jon Heyman apparently tweeted that "Mets GM Omar Minaya likes Luis Castillo more than any of the 29 other teams do."

Can't. Even. Comment.

I'm not going to find the link

but in reading yesterday's Newsday, I saw that Omar will be talking to Delgado this week down in PR.

TIFWIW.

Welcome BACK

Introducing your new Brooklyn Cyclones head coach, Wally Backman.

Quote of the Day

Comes to us courtesy of Mike Westhoff, the brilliant Jets special teams coach:

The Jets’ special teams unit, solid all year, allowed Ted Ginn Jr. to return two kickoffs for touchdowns — one for 100 yards and another for 101. Special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff said it was “the absolute worst” performance by any of his units in his 27 NFL seasons.

“It’s just a bitter taste,” Westhoff said. “It’ll go away ... when they’re lowering me in the grave.”

Congrats to the Fish

They picked up the gift "W" and managed to carry it back to their barrio in their baby blue unis, despite getting outplayed most of the game. It's pretty hard NOT to win a game when the opponent gives you 3 touchdowns in a five minute span on two kick returns and a gift wrapped fumble return for 6.

Jetties offense was obviously much more productive than the Fins O in the second half (even in the first), and ditto with the Jets D. Total yards for the game: Jets 378, Fish 104. So much for the wildcat.

Refs were obviously paying attention to D.C.'s plea and returned the favor for the game in Miami, with several huge calls--most especially the phantom illegal motion call that negated the Jets 2 point conversion. Obviously, if it was a 3 point game, the Jets would have kicked a 35 yard FG to tie it and send it to OT instead of going on 4th and 10 in the final drive. Also, the mysterious down by contact on the fumble by the Fins receiver didn't help much either; especially since the Fish went on to score their only offensive TD on the same drive that they actually turned it over.

Of course, then you have the Jets complicity in the game, which is what made it a total gift to the Fins. You can start and end with the vanishing act pulled by the special teams unit, when they pulled a matador D move, leading to 100 yd+ kick return TD's for Ginn on two consecutive kick offs in the 3rd quarter. That that has only been done once in NFL history tells you how absurdly poor the kick coverage was, and how lucky the Fins were to come away with victory.

There were also myriad mental errors for Jets players. Getting called for a false start the first time they wanted to run a two-point conversion, forcing them to settle for a kick. Keller pulling up on an out pattern when he would have had an easy catch if he had run his route, and that catch would have extended a crucial second half drive. Edwards running the wrong route on a 3rd and goal in the first half, forcing the Jets to settle for a FG. Shonn Greene handing the ball to Jason Taylor for 6 the other way.

And of course, some blame has to go to the coaches. After sticking to the game plan and running successfully most of the day, they lose their nerve down the stretch, when the Jets were in 4 down territory and could have sealed the game with 4 3 yard runs. It was 1st and 10 from the Fins 16 or thereabouts, the Jets have 2 timeouts, the Fins have note, and the the Jets have 1:50 or so to work with. It seems obvious that you could run 8 straight running plays at that point and still control the clock, leaving the Fins no time to comeback should the Jets take the lead. The Jets had run the ball effectively most of the day. Why they choose that moment in the game to run 4 straight passing plays is a mystery to me. Unless it was meant to be some psyche rescue for Sanchez, letting him lead the comeback win. If that was the plan, it obviously backfired horribly.

Prediction

Pedro gets rocked in game 2.

Decisions decisions

Yankees. Or Phillies.

Yankees. Or Phillies.

I'm going Phillies for 4 reasons.
1. Can't ever pull for the Yanks (unless they're playing BlowSox or Los Bravos)
2. I actually like the Phillies players and attitudes; the Mets could use that.
3. Got to go for NL so I can stop hearing about how much better the AL is.
4. It puts pressure on Wilpon to maybe man up and clean house so his organization doesn't look like the bunch of circus clowns it is in comparison.

Sorry DC

But you know it's coming, especially after the picture you posted below!

Tough choke loss for the fish today. I mean, big time choke.

Meanwhile the Jetties handed the Raiders their worst home shutout ever. Jones and Greene look solid, and nice to see that Ryan's emphasis on cleaning up penalties this week in practice really paid off.

Aw, It's OK...

From Rex Ryan's press conference last night:



"Greatest D in NFL history" takes it on the chin and the best offensive plays were fake punts and questionable penalty calls.

Nice...

Funny, funny stuff

From mlb.com:

The collapse of the 2009 Mets was comprehensive. It involved so many facets of the operation that the organization has been razed from the top down, starting with the dismissal of the GM, the manager, and most of the coaching staff two coaches already have been dismissed or reassigned, several players expressed doubt that they will return, and several people in the Minor League and player-development departments have been exiled.

Two coaches have been dismissed?

Wow.

We're Not the Worst

Well, with the Tigers' "historic" collapse, our meltdown in '07 is no longer the worst.

But they limped to an 11-16 finish that made them the first team since 1901 to miss out on the playoffs after holding a three-game lead with four to play.

So Omar's got that going for him.

I couldn't get out of the way of this one

anymore than Austin Powers could have dodged that steamroller.

You knew it was just inevitable.

Luckily, I got to see it, hear it, taste it, right from Jeff Wilpon's mouth:

“We demand better and we expect better. And to me, (Jerry) and Omar deserve a chance to come back and right the ship."

See you in Spring '11.

Sorry DC

Unfortunately looks like Valentine won't be our man in 2010... There's always next next season I guess.

Bunch of interesting Mets stuff from the Post

Jason Marquis wants to come to the Mets.

Murphy seems to be turning the corner and adjusting to the pitchers' adjustments.

Jay Greenberg says the Mets need to think pitching before hitting this offseason, and that any homerun hitter will likely be overpayed and underproduce at CitiField.

In the "day late and a dollar short" category, Omar says he's willing to trade his "core players."

Mean Green Machine

The Jet D has yielded no touchdowns through two games, and are playing with an aggressive posture I haven't seen since the sack exchange. Bart Scott seems to be the vocal leader of this emerging force:

"I know everyone was thinking, 'OK, two minutes, Brady time. March down the field, tie the game, go for two and win the game,' " linebacker Bart Scott said. "No, I'm not used to that. I've never been a part of that. Maybe people expected that time would run out [on the Patriots]. No, maybe we'll stop them four times and then it's time to warm up the [bleeping] bus."

Food For Thought

From MLB Trade Rumors:

Offseason Outlook: New York Mets
By Tim Dierkes [September 17 at 11:00pm CST]
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Mets. Their commitments for 2010:

C - Omir Santos - $400K
C - Josh Thole - $400K
1B - Daniel Murphy - $401K
2B - Luis Castillo - $6MM
SS - Jose Reyes - $9MM
3B - David Wright - $10MM
IF - Anderson Hernandez - $400K
LF - Angel Pagan - $575K+
CF - Carlos Beltran - $18.5MM
RF - Jeff Francoeur - $3.375MM+
OF - Cory Sullivan - $600K+
OF - Jeremy Reed - $925K+
1B/LF - Nick Evans - $403K or OF - Fernando Martinez - $400K

SP - Johan Santana - $21MM
SP - John Maine - $2.6MM+
SP - Mike Pelfrey - $1.3125MM
SP - Oliver Perez - $12MM
SP - Jon Niese - $400K

Other candidates: Fernando Nieve - $414K, Tim Redding - $2.25MM+

RP - Francisco Rodriguez - $11.5MM
RP - Pedro Feliciano - $1.6125MM+
RP - Sean Green - $471K+
RP - Pat Misch - $402K
RP - Bobby Parnell - $400K
RP - Brian Stokes - $410K
RP - Carlos Muniz - $402K

Other commitments: J.J. Putz - $1MM buyout

Non-tender candidates: Redding, Maine, Nelson Figueroa

That puts the Mets at about $105MM, plus arbitration raises to Pagan, Francoeur, Sullivan, Reed, Maine, Feliciano, Green, and Redding (some of whom will likely be non-tendered). The Mets are in the $110MM ballpark after entering the '09 season with a $149.4MM payroll. Omar Minaya should have $35-40MM to patch his team's many holes.

The Mets have a strong core of superstars, and their collective health almost has to improve in 2010. I don't see the logic behind trading Reyes, Wright, Beltran, or Santana.

The Mets need a catcher, first baseman, and corner outfielder. They may be competing with the Braves for certain first base and left field candidates. But the Mets also need at least one solid starting pitcher as well as bullpen help.

The catching market is weak, but pairing someone like Gregg Zaun with Thole makes sense. First base presents more options. Who's a bigger health risk - Carlos Delgado at 38 or Nick Johnson at 31? Johnson's .428 OBP is hard to ignore.

The market is flush with left fielders. With so many needs, I have a hard time seeing Minaya take a run at Manny Ramirez, Matt Holliday, or Jason Bay. Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, and Jermaine Dye are more reasonable targets. With Castillo, Johnson, Wright, Beltran, and Abreu, the Mets would potentially have five .400 OBP players. Zaun (assuming the Rays let him go), Johnson, and Abreu could be signed for less than $25MM in 2010 salaries.

With the remaining money I'd attempt to lure Randy Wolf from the West Coast while also pursuing Erik Bedard, Brad Penny, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, or Ben Sheets for a one-year deal. Admittedly there wouldn't be much left to spend on relievers, but decent arms can be found for a million or two.

Certainly the Mets could use top free agents like Holliday and John Lackey. However, the available money would be better used to acquire four or five sensible free agents. Let's hear your recommendations in the comments.

Catch the Latest Craze

It's MetsSloppily, courtesy of WSJ. Good stuff.

Scott Kazmir dealt

A few random thoughts:

1) The Rays made a deal here that could never have been done in New York. From MLBtraderumors:

Rob Neyer at ESPN says the Rays' rotation shuffle from Kazmir to Wade Davis cuts their playoff chances from 10 percent to 8 percent and opines, "Giving up two percent in exchange for three talented young players ... well, on paper that's a move you'd be thrilled to make, every day of the week."

Think New York fans would have accepted the logic of trading a front line starter, not getting a big-ready player in return, while you were still in the hunt for the postseason? The downside to a two-team city is the competition to win "now" prevents this kind of long-term thinnking.

2) It takes some of the sting out of giving Kazmir away that the Rays are willing to give up on him already. Of course, if we'd have had him in '06-08, who knows where that would have landed us.

3) In unrelated news, I've been trying to figure out what team to root for the rest of the way that still has meaningful baseball to be played. Truth be told, it could easily be the Jankees, b/c I have lots of respect for the core of their team: Jeter, Posada, Mo, Tex, CC-- all guys who are great and play the game the right way. And I always liked Girardi from his playing days to his Marlins days. However, they are the Jankees, have the biggest d-bag of them all (A-Rod) vaccuuming up cash, the Steinbrenners, and one of the most obnoxious fan bases of all time. That's enough, on it's face, to prevent me from actually pulling for them, despite the fact they have some good guys.

The BlowSox? Can't do it to SHK. He's got to live with their s.

Cardinals and Cubbies would always be good options. But nothing compelling there. Sweet Lou is great, but Soriano? The Cards are easy to root for, but there's just no juice there for me right now.

But then I came across this last issue of SI. It had an in-depth on Lincecum and Cain. And how a team with two great pitchers, both completely different characters, has a shot at the playoffs despite one of the worst lineups ever. An all-pitching team, right up my alley. Oh, and they just happen to also be my legacy team. The team I should've been rooting for my whole life. If only.

So I'll root for the long shot Giants the rest of the way. And try to forget that it would put a smile on Russo's face. My Grandmother would've approved, anyway.

Odds

What do you suppose Vegas would have put the odds at to start the season that ALL of the following Mets players would be on the DL at the same time for extended periods this season?

Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Johan Santana, J.J. Putz, John Maine, and Oliver Perez?

As you all know I'm not a fan of Omar's and I think he blew his shot to help us by not making big trades of our core in the offseason. That said, this injury list is completely incomprehensible to me. It just defies logic.

Mets for sale?

If only this theory turns out to be true...

Shocking

Have you heard the "good news?" The inept Mets ownership that is the Wilpons declared that Omar will be back next year, and therefore so will Jerry.

And therefore this fan will not.

Mr. Blutarski and the Mets

0.0

which is the Mets chance of making the playoffs, according to AccuScore.

Parnell gives me something to get excited about...

From MLB.com:

In his second Major League start, Parnell tossed six shutout innings, allowing just three hits while walking none and striking out seven in the Mets' 3-0 win over the Giants at Citi Field.

Parnell (3-4), who threw 68 pitches in 2 1/3 innings in his first start in San Diego last Saturday, was far more economical and effective this time. He scattered those three hits, not allowing a runner to reach scoring position. Although manager Jerry Manuel said before the game that he wanted to see more offspeed pitches from his starter, Parnell threw mostly fastballs. He mixed in his slider rarely but successfully, getting three of his seven strikeouts on the pitch.

Cora: David is the Wright kind of leader

From the Post:

"It's very easy for us as ballplayers to deviate from our plan, our preparation, and he doesn't do that. And he's showing everybody around here that, hey, for whatever is going on around us, we've still got to show up and do our thing because there's always a chance. And I think showing guys like that, he's showing a lot of leadership."

I can't say it's the strongest statement in the world, but I certainly agree with the sentiment. Wright is the kind of guy you build a club around.

Just one more week...

...until the NFL preseason starts and I can put yet another miserable Mutts season behind me.

And so the cycle continues.

The 80's Are Back, Baby!

How do you not love a pitcher that looks like this:



And it's even better when he gives up a slam to Pagan...

Did anyone else catch Omar's "apology" to Rubin?

It was a fiasco almost on par with the original press conference. It was like a bad Rickey Henderson imitation. "That's not Omar Minaya." "You guys know Omar Minaya."

This guy's personal credibility is completely blown up. Once the trading deadline passes, would it be that much of a surprise to see him canned in August or Sept.?

WTF?

If this rumor is true, and we passed on opportunity for Kazmir as well as possibly Crawford, then I just don't get how Wilpons' keep Omar.

The Rays have shopped Kazmir around a bit, even calling the Mets, who expressed initial interest but nothing more. Tampa is trying to see if they could trade Kazmir, Carlos Pena and in the right blockbuster even Carl Crawford to free up dollars to make a bigger trade. The Rays are most focused on seeing if they can add Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez in one trade, though they continue to call on Halladay, as well.

That's about right

This headline says it all.

Minaya Calls Out Daily News Reporter; Mets' Season Descends Further Into Farce

It's time for the Minaya era to come to an end. The guy is unable to assemble and maintain a winning management team. His handling of the Randolph firing was atrocious; his behavior at the Bernazard firing press conference was bizarre at best; and his lack of explanation as to the poor medical/strength conditioning staff is unacceptable.

The Mets continue to be nothing more than the punchline to a bad joke. It is time for a new direction.

Hey Fredo,

Looks like some fans agree with you that change in ownership is not impossible. A protest on Wilpon's lawn is apparently scheduled this week according to Post.

Stay classy, tony b

Beetz beat me to the post..

What a d-bag tony B is. So much for player development. Why doesn't tony b challenge himself to actually doing something useful for a change?

OK, I think I'm onto something big here

We all know the Mets farm system is pretty dry. Binghamton and Buffalo seem to get blitzed by the opposition every day. Blue chip prospects are few and far between.

And our major leaguers aren't exactly tearing it up either. If we want to be "sellers" at the trade deadline, there's not much talent to be moved, at least not talent that is likely to spend more time on the diamond than in the trainer's room.

But the Mets do have one asset that should be marketable:

Former players.

Why not trade the rights to our former greats' careers for the current players we're so dearly lacking?

Now I know what you're thinking: "why would the Rockies want to trade good young talent for Tom Seaver? The guy's a senior citizen and probably couldn't have maintained an ERA under 3.00 at Coors Field, even in his playing days. After all, there's no GRAVITY in that park."

But that's not the point.

Rockies fans have no history. They've been a franchise since the '90s. That's embarrasing. They should just be embarrased. People born around the same time as their franchise think that Miley Ray Cyrus is a vocal phenomenon. Most people born in the '90s are still tring to pretend they're drinking age (or else just realize no one would buy it). That's no baseball franchise. Maybe it could pass for respectable in the Arena Football League.

These people need to buy some baseball cred. They keep their baseballs in a humidor, for Pete's sake.

That's where we come in. Now, I don't suppose they'll send us Helton in this deal, but why not Jeff Francis? I mean, Colorado's in the hunt for the Wild Card, and Francis hasn't pitched all season. They don't NEED him.

But look behind curtain #2, Colorado. 311 wins. 3,640 Ks. 3 NL Cy Youngs. Yeah, like you'll EVER have a pitcher come close to any of those numbers in your lunar colisseum.

This is a win-win for everybody. The Mets get a good young pitcher to help us next year, when we might have a chance. All we have to do is peel that ole #41 jersey off the wall, box it and ship it. The Rox get a legitimate pitching star. Decades of baseball history. A piece of a World Series championship. And some really intimidating stats for their franchise records.

And maybe if the Rox front office is feeling generous, they'll let us keep his name in the back of the yearbook somewhere.

Think about it, Rockies, just think about it.

What an Ass-Clown!

Just when you think you've heard it all...

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9834420/Houshmandzadeh:-'I'm-not-playing-Madden-no-more'?GT1=39002

Hard to believe he actually makes Ocho Cinco look like a mature adult.

LIARS!!!

Apparently the rumored Halladay trade was a hoax.

And it is believed that Omar would have pulled the trigger if the deal was offered.

Jays' officials are saying that the Ments are not serious contenders for Halladay.

So, Plan B, then?

Shed payroll. Sign Bedard as FA. Trade for Crawford.

???

Would'ja?

http://twitter.com/SI_JonHeyman/status/2747001347

Personally, I'm kinda torn...

But leaning toward no. The slim pickings in this year's FA class is really making me ponder the possibility though.

A reply to SHK

So, the fork now comes out clean. But what do we do next? The postseason is totally out of the question for this year. But I personally think that the Mets have a small window of opportunity to turn this franchise around quickly, meaning we could get back in the hunt in 1-3 years. It requires several things to happen in short order:

1. Clean house in upper mgt. Yes, it's clearly come to this. Take advantage of the current situation to get rid of not only of Omar, but his deputies as well. Here's looking at you, Tony B.

2. Fire Jerry. Pretty much speaks for itself. I was amazed listening to FAN today. Almost every caller was like, "why is this guy such a clown?" "How can you start your press conference laughing and chuckling when you lose 11-0?" "What's with all the exaggerated pauses when he talks? Can he not think, or does he think it makes him look pensive?"

Couldn't have seen that one coming.

Anyway, getting rid of the manager who throws his players, particularly the vulnerable ones, into the line of fire to preserve his own rep, will be essential if we want to succeed at the next point:

3. Rebuild our key marketable players. Getting Beltran and Delgado on track would actually help our W/L ratio. Alas, that ship has sailed. Ain't gonna happen. So let's focus on the next most importnat thing: building up the value of the players who are most important to our future (and, as a corollary, have the most trade value b/c they are under organization control, relatively cheap, and potentially have several good years in front of them). So what does this mean?

-Get Pelfrey on track. Great stuff. Flashes of excellence. Clearly still gets rattled. Pelf is a guy who needs a manager that he knows is in his corner. A LaRussa/Duncan type of coaching combination would be so great for Pelf.

-Rebuild Murphy's value. This kid is clearly capable of so much more than he's doing. Part of it, of course, is the player's doing. He's got to adjust to the pitchers who have adjusted to him by busting him inside off the plate. But part of it is clearly the way the organization has misued him. Forced him out of position. Started sitting him when he was hitting nearly .300. When he gets hot and his a 3 hit day, bank on Jerry sitting him the next game. Expect the manager to talk the press, and not the player, about what his expectations are for the player. Well, at this point, Murphy needs to be playing every day until he makes his adjustments. He eventually will. This kid will put together a .330 month at some point this season, or at worst, the first half of next year, and his trade value as a cheap, young stick, who's finally found a position, will be largely restored. And hopefully we keep him, because I love the kid. But I'd rather be faced with the dilemma of keeping a rising young star or trading a valuable chip than where we are with Murph right now.

-Get Reyes healthy and productive. This is an obvious no-brainer. If Reyes comes back in early to mid August and hits over .300 the rest of the way, stealing bases, you'll have a guy that can bring back a good price in the offseason. If he doesn't get back till mid Sept., or is scuffling and running gingerly, we'll be going into 2010 with Reyes at SS and our collective breaths held.

-Get a good look at that AA catching prospect in Sept.

-Get Maine healthy and pitching.

-As a total bonus, I would hope we can get Beltran going. I personally think he's going to be a chronic injury problem for the rest of his career, whether that's one year or five. But if he were to come back and get healthy, maybe we could unload him in the offseason for something of value. It hurts me to say it, b/c Beltran is truly a unique player in MLB. Not saying he's a top 5 player like he's paid, but he's a unique combination of abilities that will be difficult to replicate

4. Clear the deck of dead payroll

-Unload Perez at the deadline to some sucker who will eat his $12M thinking it will get them across the finish line this year. After all, as Omar can remind other GMs, Perez defied his previous performance with a solid posteason in '06. He rises to the occasion, right?

-Unload Castillo is anyone will take him. Two more years of this? No thank you. But he is hitting decently this year, so maybe someone in the hunt with an injury 'll take a flyer on him.

-Let Delgado walk at the end of the year.

If we can get all these things done, we might be in a position to sign some FAs in the offseason, and make some trades to change the character of the team, as well as address some needs.

Put a fork in 'em

Looks like F-mart and b-tran are going to be useless for most of this season if not all of it. F-mart requires surgery and will be out for minimum 6 weeks, and beltran has shown no signs of progress in his knee and might also require surgery.

Omar, this season is over. Unfortunately, our chances to get any useful value for Beltran, Delgado and Reyes are quite possibly also over. I really don't know what moves you make now. By not breaking up the core during the offseason, when their trade value was high (especially red-hot Delgado), you have really painted this team into a corner. Our trade options are now limited at best, unless some team is willing to roll the dice on the upside of Beltran, Reyes or Delgado after they return. This team is now not only in a very bad position for '09, but also 2010 IMO.

Any deals we make are now going to be from a position of weakness, and we will almost certainly give up too much. Our best case is to dump salary and pick up FAs.

Wagner on his Mets return

Here's the article Beetz was referring to (I think), from Mark Hale at the Post.

Many curious quotes in this article. He's basically saying that he's willing to do anything the Mets ask b/c Wilpon's writing his checks, but that he (1) doesn't think the Mets will ask him to do much, b/c he won't be that durable; and (2) he doesn't really want to play for this team other than the fact that he feels he owes it to the owner.

Point 2 is what really interests me. It begs the question. Did he not care for his teammates? His manager? His GM? The fans?

Do the Wright Thing

D. Wright continues to show his commitment to the Mets by claiming he'd love to be a Met for life. For F's sake Omar, get the man some on-field help that won't be riding the injured list all the time.

F-Mart

Apparently F-Mart's trip to the DL is unfortunately anything but rare:

One thing Martinez has to prove, however, is that he can stay healthy. He has been on the disabled list in each of his four pro seasons, hurting his development and the chance to evaluate his skills.

Let the Trading Begin!

Ryan Church for Jeff Francour.

I'd say we got the better end of the deal here but by no means is this a landslide. Frenchie has an amazing arm, excellent glove and is considered to have plus power. The guy never walks though but at this point I would like to see someone swing a bat.

I was a Church fan from the day we got him and I wish him the best in Atlanta (except when they play us). The guy got a raw deal here and was never allowed to get comfortable.

Hey Omar,

Let's ride this baby into the ground. All the way to last place. Yes we can!

Halladay on the Block?

Possibly, according to Jays' GM.

Which begs the question, what would you consider to be a fair trade for him from the Mets? He's 32, and is enjoying yet another dominant year. Would you give up Beltran for him, straight up? How about Beltran + Parnell?

Alternatively, if we were to trade Beltran (or Reyes or Delgado), would you rather get 2 good players in return instead of 1 great player? Part of me thinks the smarter play might be to pull a Belichick and use our trading chips to round out our team with a lot of good players, instead of continuing to just focus on individual superstars.

I would obviously do Delgado + a weaker player for Halladay (jays wouldn't, of course), and I would do Reyes for Halladay straight up. I don't think I'd do Beltran for Halladay, I'd rather use him to get 2 very good players instead of one great one.

C prospect: Josh Thole

This 22 year old kid has been promoted each year after his second, and the numbers have improved at each new level. He's currently ripping up AA pitching, hitting .346 with a scad of doubles but not much HR power. His K's are nice and low, too. Looks like the cupboard's not totally bare.

Go Pack!

Now I don't know if this is a recipe for championships or not, but I just love the structure of the Packers franchise:

The Packers, however, represent working-class America like no other NFL team. They are a citizen-owned small business and a true civic property, one that requires not only accountability but substantive interaction with fans. Founded as a non-profit corporation by a newspaper publisher, the Packers are now owned by 112,120 shareholders who possess about 4.75 million shares of stock. A seven-member executive committee, elected by the board of directors and comprised mostly of local residents, operates the team.

Every summer, team officials make a full report to shareholders at Lambeau Field. Unlike any other team, the Packers' football executives must explain their approach and answer questions. Shareholders do not have voting rights, so fans can't influence football decisions. But no fan base can claim a more significant connection to its team.

The quote, BTW, comes from an ESPN article where four authors argue over which franchise deserves the title, "America's Team". The Steelers, Patriots, and Cowboys are the other three options.

Hey Omar

Good luck with that plan to simply hold out until our "star" players return. By then we should only be 8 games back, in sole possession of 4th place.

Well, it's July 4th weekend, and this is a baseball blog,

so this video is clearly in order. It's a tradition that never gets old.

Lucky Us

Ollie's coming back.

"Well, you know Ollie," Manuel said. "Ollie is not a command guy, so to speak. He's a guy that has control, but not necessarily command. I think what I'm hoping for is knowing Ollie -- being somewhat of a performer -- likes the stage, likes the big games, so to speak.

Hmmm, so what you're saying, Jerry, is the Mets are screwed, so to speak.

Our Pleasure

From Post: Moyer only had one strikeout and several outs were hit hard. He lowered his ERA to 5.72.

You're welcome Jamie. You always know you and your 46 year old body and 5.5+ ERA can count on the Metties to make you look like a young Greg Maddux.

Omar on Fan Pressure to Make a Trade

But Minaya said the Mets' expectation that Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado will return by early August is limiting their interest in a big trade.

"It's fair to say that, if we're looking for reinforcements right now, some of our DL guys are probably going to be the reinforcements," Minaya said. "If we can get all our guys back healthy, our healthy guys, its going to be hard to make trades that are going to be better than Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado."

Two comments. First, I highly doubt you are getting Delgado back in early August, and certainly not a useful Delgado.

Second, if Reyes, Beltran and Delgado (i.e., Sep. meltdown in '08, Sep. meltdown in '07 of historic proportions, and Oct. meltdown in '06) are the best we can do, I feel bad for the future of this team.

On the positive side, Minaya said he has been given permission by management to add to the club's NL-high $143 million budget. That said, we've been allowed to have the highest payroll in NL for years now and clearly that money has not been well spent.

Re: Should the Mets be Sellers?

Presuming the Mets don't look completely shut off and get swept by Philthies, I'm going to answer the question with a "no." If Beltran and Reyes were healthy and the team was playing as poorly as it has, I'd think differently. But with the two of them presumably coming back in July (I'll believe it when I see it), the Mets very much in the NL East due to the mediocrity of the division, and most importantly, the fact that neither is going to be very tradeable until they show GMs around the league that they are healthy, I don't think you're really getting anywhere by adding prospects.

Unfortunately, since the cupboard is almost completely bare (with F Mart, Evans, Murphy, and Parnell all on the parent club, Niese is the only near-major-league-ready talent I can think of with any trade value in the whole Mets farm system), I can't see Omar having the chips to improve the team much, either. And by the way, in my mind, Omar takes a bigger hit for what's going on in the minors this year than anything he's done with the big league club. Go straight down the line, and all you see are once highly regarded prospects that have been rushed through the system. Guys like Ruben Tejada and Brad Holt have been rushed from level to level. Tejada was promoted after an abysmal run at A+, and yet has been OK at AA so far. Holt looked like the best Mets pitching prospect at the system at A ball and high A, and yet was up at AA after just over one season in the system. Through his first two starts there he's getting rocked. When you realize these promotions are being made out of necessity more than a plan, Omar's failure to care for the system comes more fully into view. Often times, when you're comparing two similar major leaguers, it's crap shoot which will perform better (which is why I don't get too crazy about things like the Milledge for Church/Schneider trade--I'd have preferred keeping Lastings depsite his d-baggery, but it's a 50/50 question which side is getting the better deal). But when you're dealing with prospects, it's usually pretty well known which your blue chippers are, and the failure to staff the minors appropriately so that these guys don't have to be rushed, it is simply a failure of planning.

Speaking of chips, anyone have an update on how Humber, Mulvey, Gomez, Carp, and Milledge are doing these days?

A Glorious Mets Moment

Watching the 4th inning of tonight's game was like watching countless Mets games this year: just inexplicable. What leads to such little league type performances? Is it a lack of discipline? A lack of concentration? A lack of effort? Plain bad luck?

I'm not sure of the answer, but here's what happened. You had Santana inexplicably walk the opposing pitcher (who had never had a ML hit) on 4 pitches. You had F Mart spaz out, chunk a piece of turf out of the ground, and literally face plant as a harmless fly ball landed next to him for 2nd and 3rd. And then, after the pitching coach, goofy Dan Warthen got tossed (!) and jawed angrily with the plate umpire, you had (1) a double that cleared the bases, (2) Santos failing to catch Wright's replay to the plate (which was there in plenty of time to nail the 3rd runner), (3) Braun overrunning 3rd base leaving him a dead duck when Santana backed up Wright's throw to the plate, but Santana air-mailing the throw to third, and (4) Cora failing to stop the overthrow despite seemingly being well positioned to back up in short left, allowing the hitter (and 4th run) to come all the way around to score on the same play. If it wasn't tragic, it would have been hysterical. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Anywho, the next inning, that queer guy who is the on-field reporter for SNY starts giving some line about "the Mets are scraping to battle back here in Milwaukee." All of a sudden, I was transported to another time and place. It was 1982 again. Or maybe 1993. Anyway, it was like so many Met broadcasts I have heard before. Where a seemingly genuine announcer, apparently disconnected from the players smoking in the dugout or playing cards in the clubhouse, intones about the Mets "battling back" from a deficit.

All the while, every viewer knows a few things: (1) no, they're not; (2) they couldn't even if they were trying; (3) they've lost so many games in a row that it really wouldn't matter if they managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat and come back.

There's a profound sense of peace and comfort when you've come to that point. It's like--what's the right word--acceptance? Kind of like taking a few hits on the oxygen mask with Tyler Durden on the way down from 30,000 feet.

Beltran done?

Post article speculates Beltran's season and/or career may be over based on the procedure that the 2nd doctor he visited typically performs.

Regardless, until Omar is no longer with this team I will curse not picking up a free agent Torii Hunter as one of the worst moves of all time. I will also curse not trading our core players at the end of last season like I wanted, when they had high trade value. Now, you will probably get shafted in return for Beltran, Delgado and Reyes. Good luck rebuilding this team when all your valuable trading chips just got severely downgraded.

As the song goes, you've got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them. And unfortunately Omar held them too long, IMHO.

Jerry: Blame Omar

The Mets need a bat, says Jerry. Translation: we're losing b/c Omar's given me an undermanned team. Say what you will about the job that Omar's done, but it's just not the manager's place to be announcing that to the press.

Is there anyone the gangsta won't throw under the bus to prop up his job security? His former boss, his current boss, his players?

Turns out Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports noticed just the same thing:

Manuel, in baseball parlance, "throws guys under the bus." His candor appeals to fans who are tired of hearing excuses for overpaid, underperforming players. But such an approach rarely works long-term.

Rosenthal gives several examples of it:

Mid-February. Manuel informs the media of his plan to bat leadoff man Jose Reyes third without first informing Reyes. The experiment, predictably, never gains traction.

Late March. Manuel announces that Daniel Murphy will be his everyday left fielder, saying he is a better hitter than Ryan Church, a more established player.

"I don't want him to get strictly into a platoon situation," Manuel says of Murphy. "I think he's a little better player than that."

Murphy, whom some in the organization view as the Mets' answer to Paul O'Neill, is now platooning with Fernando Tatis at first base.

April 29. Manuel removes backup catcher Ramon Castro by summoning Omir Santos from the bullpen to pinch-hit with the bases loaded, two outs in the ninth inning and the Mets trailing the Marlins, 4-3.

Castro already has two hits in the game, but Manuel says afterward that he preferred Santos' shorter swing against Marlins closer Matt Lindstrom, disregarding that Castro also hits fastballs well.

Santos pops up for the final out. A month later, the Mets trade Castro to the White Sox.

May 18. Church again. Manuel refuses to address him by name after the outfielder misses third base and the Dodgers successfully appeal in the 11th inning of a game the Mets lose, 3-2.

"A guy missed third base," Manuel says. "That's unbelievable. I can't explain, why, how or anything."

The next day, Manuel denies a rift with Church.

May 29. Manuel uses the "A" word — anxiety — to explain why he is resting one of the Mets' best players, third baseman David Wright, for a home game.

"I think anxiety has something to do with it, wanting to do so well in front of the home crowd, those type of things," Manuel says, citing Wright's better road statistics. "I believe he'll eventually turn that around, get comfortable here in these surroundings."

Wright disagrees, saying, "I just think it's two months of a game that is already tough to be consistent at. I don't feel any different playing here than I do on the road."

June 4. Manuel criticizes right-hander Mike Pelfrey for getting rocked by the Pirates while pitching on an extra day's rest.

"I was a little discouraged at Mike being where he was today after getting a day off, and kind of knowing what we needed and just not having it," Manuel says. "That was kind of disheartening, because we really needed this game today."

And there's more.

Manuel has upset some veterans by declining to give them advance notice of days off. He even sounded as if he was sending a subtle message to Mets general manager Omar Minaya when, referring to his injury-depleted roster, he said, "I have to deal with what I have."

Gotta love watching a game on ESPN's Gameday

Flip over to Mets-Yanks, bottom of 8th, tying run on third base. Omir Santos up against Mariano. Omir sees 6 pitches, fouling off 4 of them. Then the 7th pitch comes:


The red dot I circled was the final pitch for a called strike three. When they clearly show it off the inside part of the plate, my B.P. goes up higher than it already is. What the heck?

Should the Mets be Sellers?

It's hard to admit it when you're 1.5 gb in the division, but it's looking more and more like this team simply doesn't have the pieces to compete for a championship. If Reyes, Delgado, and Beltran were all back at 100%, you might have a case. But what is the likelihood all three guys will be: (1) healthy; (2) at the same time; and (3) when it counts, meaning September and October? If the answer is, "not that likely," than this team is clearly a middling squad at best in terms of offense and slightly above average in terms of pitching (now that Ollie has completely broken down; Maine appears nowhere near healthy; and Putz' elbow is blown out).

Now, Omar was quoted as saying that this is a seller's market. With all the parity around the league right now, there are a lot of buyers willing to move meaningful pieces for anything that will help. Perhaps the Mets should be thinking about adding prospects instead of adding players like Nick Johnson or Aubrey Huff? If Adam Dunn is going to bring back top tier prospects, what might we get for Beltran, if his knee problems are not structural? What could we get for Reyes? Church is certainly young enough that someone might want to take a flyer on him, despite the fact it's hard to imagine him getting better than the average player he is. And if you could move Castillo's contract for a bag of balls it would be addition by subtraction.

I haven't been focused on the sellers side of the market: the young prospects that might be available if the Mets were willing to move their Major League talent, but I'm going to start.

I Don't Think it's a Coincidence..

..that this Mets team is showing its most character and drive while Reyes, Delgado and Beltran are on the bench.

Well Put

Today's Post Hardball:

Obviously, the Mets have a physical problem. But I think they also have to be aware of two potential mental problems: 1) That players lose faith in the medical staff. It seems like every Met injury follows this path: There is nothing wrong with him, he will miss a few days, he is going on the DL, he will be out longer than first reported.

Omar goes DFA happy

Wilson Valdez
Willy Mo Pena
Bobby Kielty
Javier Valentin
Connor Robertson

Gone.

Not sure what the point is here, but if we're trying to free up salary, Omar does realize that it takes a lot Bobby Kieltys to make one Adam Dunn or Nick Johnson, right?

Why don't we just DFA Buffalo. Maybe Binghamton too, while we're at it.

Beltran to the DL

Just try it. Everyone's doing it.

Interesting discussion on what the Mets should do next is here.

I am now confident..

..that the Mets either have the worst medical staff, or management purposely lies and misdirects. I have never seen a team that so consistently has "player setbacks" during rehab, such that it is a 100% guarantee that no one gets off the DL early, but instead always has an extended stay beyond the original estimated return date. The latest of course is Maine, but it could just as well be Reyes, Delgado, Putz, etc.

Either Omar or the Wilpons apparently want to take a "head in the sand" approach, and believe that they can will away bad news. Omar's latest is saying that rather than trade he wants to wait for reinforcements to return. You mean the same reinforcements who are likely to get injured again? That's not a long-term strategy.

Santana

I'd say it's better than even odds that Santana is hiding an injury. His per-game performance pre-May 11 and post-May 11 are remarkably bifurcated. There was no gradual drop in performance: he went from being consistently out-of-his-mind dominant to consistently about average.

Knowing that he pitched the final game on 3 days rest while injured last year tells me a lot about his mental drive. Incredibly his pitching ability while injured is still better than any of our other starters healthy. But I'd bet he's injured now; I'm not buying his "it's my mechanics" story. Hopefully it's nothing major, because this team with anything less than a dominant Johan is a non-starter to compete.

Possible Free Agents this coming offseason

An interesting list.

The ones that stick out for me, at first blush:

Victor Martinez C*
Matt Holliday LF
Jason Bay LF
Orlando Hudson 2B
Rich Harden P
Cliff Lee P*

Landing any one of these guys would massively upgrade the team.

*There is a 2010 option, but the site doesn't say if it's a player option or team option.

Luis Castillo fornicates with goats

That is all.

Valentine reunion with Mets isn't far-fetched

Oh, dear God, let this be true...

Valentine reunion with Mets isn't far-fetched

Shared via AddThis

State of the (Dis)union

Regardless of who wins the NL East this year, I guarantee they don't win by more than 2 games. You can bet this will be another tight finish among at least 2 teams with high-80s to 90 wins. Could it be the Mets? Sure, no question.

But I really don't care. For me, there's more than just making the playoffs. I want a team I can root for. A team I can believe in. A team that plays hard, plays smart, and you want to pull for.

That is not this team. Quite frankly, I'm sick of all the injuries. I'm sick of all the stupid, boneheaded baserunning and fielding plays that no other major league team seem to make so frequently. I'm sick of stupid tactical decisions by Manuel. I'm sick of ruining our minor league players by bringing them up way too early, and putting way too much pressure on them.

This team sucked the life out of me when they somehow failed to pull it out after "The Catch" in '06. The massive choke jobs of '07 and '08 are literally unfathomable. To go through it all again in '09 is just stupidity on my part.

Will the Mets make the playoffs? Maybe. But it surely will take a massive change of attitude and effort on this team to make me care.

It's a good thing..

...the Mets game was not televised here Fri night. I saw online that K-rod was pitching the 9th with a 1-run lead, then saw Mets lost 9-8. I simply assumed it was K-rod's first blown save. A tough pill to swallow given that K-rod has been perfect all season, and even though of course he can't be perfect all season it would be fitting with this Mets team that his first blown save would come in such a visible game.

However, that scenario PALES in comparison to what actually happened. Given my disgust with Omar, including the absurd 4-year resigning of Castillo, it's really good I couldn't watch last night's game.

Because if I had, I wouldn't have a working TV today.

"CITY SUPERIORITY ON LINE IN SUBWAY SERIES"

So says the Post today. Talk about false advertising. I think they mean city "inferiority" on line. After the series the Mets and Yankees just had I don't think anyone should be using their names and "superiority" in the same sentence.

Scary Thought of the Day

The Dodgers have by far the best record in baseball, and are tied for most runs in NL.

All without Manny Ramirez. Imagine how sick this team is going to be when Manny is back.

Also scary is how good the BloSox's numbers are with absolutely no production from Ortiz.

Meanwhile the Mutts strand 16 last night.

Went to Citi last night

And what a doozy.

I hate to blame the ump, but it seemed, with the naked eye from about 300 feet away, that they blew the call on the key play of the game. Let me set the scene:

Bottom of the 4th: we've already put up a three spot in the inning, and have gotten consecutive hits from Pelfrey, Castillo and Cora. It seems like Hamels is coming unglued. And now, with one out and the bases loaded, we have Beltran, Sheff and Wright due up.

These are the key circumstances where you have your opponent down and you need to step on their neck. Put the game out of reach.

Well, Beltran does the one thing you don't want to do, and hits the ball on the ground creating a double-play opportunity. The Phils try to turn the 5-4-3, and looks to me that Beltran beat the relay throw. The ump calls him out. 1st base coach argues. Beltran shows up the ump, staring at him quietly and not moving, but not yapping. The Gangsta is nowhere to be seen. I'm dying to see a replay, but since it wasn't an RBI, the CitiField big screen is on to showing kissing couples.

I start texting D.C. and Beetz to find out if they were watching TV and got a clear look at it. Didn't get them.

The Post seemed to indicate that the ump blew the call, and it looked that way to me. And let's be honest: that play kept the door open for the Phils. If Beltran is safe, a run scores on the play, and you've still got runners on the corner with 2 outs, Sheff up, and a 4 run lead. As it turned out, that extra run would've kept the game from going to extras, if everything else happened the same way.

As bad as the top of the 7th was, with two blown plays in the field by Wright and Beltran (only Wright was given an error), it wouldn't even have mattered if the Mets would have tacked on one or two (or 3 more) in the 4th.

By the way, I haven't seen as many away fans in Shea or Citi, ever. I'd say about 20% of the fans were Phillies fans. They actually had a "let's go Phillies" chant going on several occasions. Other than subway series games, I can't recall ever hearing that at a Mets game before.

Props to Pelf, by the way. A really nice outing against the best lineup in the NL.

"I'm a man."

So said Johan to Manuel last night when Jerry took him out of the game. In fact, Johan, you're THE man.

"I'm a man. I'm a man," Manuel remembered his ace telling him. "What he means by that, I don't know."

Of course you don't Jerry, of course you don't.

Why I've come around on Kobe

First of all, the guy said that if he played in college he would have wanted to play for Duke and Coach K. Then, when asked if he ever thought about whether he would have liked to play college hoops, he offered this response: "every March."

Then he comes out with this one, after he finally was ready to play for Team USA on the last national team:

"It always seemed like an injury would come up or something like that. My practice jersey, I hung it up in my room and just stared at it last night."

Kobe Bryant, excited about being able to play for the national team.

Gotta love it.

For a guy I hated as a rookie, I've got to admit it: Kobe has won me over.

The evidence continues to mount

"That was the most glaring baserunning error of the season, and there've been too many to count."

-Bob Ojeda on the 4th inning doubleplay resulting from one baserunner passing another

"Players coaches always get a great reception up front. One, two, or three years out, when the team underperforms and the players tell the manager to F off cause they can get away with it, there's going to be a lot less praise headed his way."

-Fredo, 9/11/08

Unfortunately for all of us, it seems to have taken less than one year to get to the "F-off" stage. One day after supposedly calling his star players Wright and Beltran out for bad baserunning decisions, the team comes back with an impossibly stupid, unfathomable, and "once in a generation" (per the FAN broadcast) baserunning error the very next night. You really seem to have your team's attention, Jer.

After a year of bizarre, non-performance based favoritism exhibited towards certain players, publicly undercutting other players in the press without addressing them in private, and generally making a circus ass-clown of yourself, I can't say it's all that surprising that the team could care less what you have to say.

Putz isThe Mets Are Broken

Well, we've hit it a bit earlier than in recent years, but the meltdown is upon us. Every time the Mutts have a winning streak to take first, they choke it right back with ridiculous injuries, poor playing, and meltdowns by their best players at the worst times. Wright's slump is of course perfectly timed with the injuries to Beltran, Delgado and Reyes. Santana has lost a bit of his dominance at the same time.

And the injuries and sickness keep on coming.

Silly me, I thought having the #1 payroll in NL for several years running would buy more than a 90 win team. This year, it might not even buy that.

Putz is broken

I'm not big on ripping guys right after a terrible performance. It's tough to make an even handed analysis right after someone's just defecated all over the cot, cost the Mets the game, and ruined your evening.

That said, the analysis is pretty easy in this case. Putz didn't just have a rough night. He's had several of them. His velocity and control have been erratic most of the year. There's no question he's not "right," as compared to how he was throwing the ball two seasons ago.

So what are the practical implications of this? Well, for one, I think it makes Parnell untouchable, unless you're bringing an 8th inning guy back for him.

For two, it makes you wonder what is going on with the Mets medical staff. These guys have to pass a medical before being signed and/or traded for, right? The list of injuries right now is off the chart: Beltran (knees), Church (hammy), Reyes (calf), and Pagan (groin) are all out with the type of lingering flexibility/strength issues that you would think could be addressed through conditioning.

For three, it makes you wonder about the manager. When you play a 162 game season, you're going to have to fight through injuries. No one on this team seems to have the desire to do so. They ask for days off, and say they can't go at the first sign of trouble. Could this be tied in to the same laissez-faire attitude that is evidenced by players--whether established stars, rookies in the first week of their big league career, or journeyman shortstop who presumably are a bad game away from needing to get a real job--NOT running out fair balls in the infield?

Possibly so.

Words to live by

"I'm not just trying to hit home runs. I'm just trying to get the guys in," said Sheffield, whose renown-batting eye also got him two walks.

If only the rest of the Mets had the same attitude.

Laziness begets laziness

Well, if your team has a leadership style and clubhouse personality that does not emphasize focus, discipline and running out every play, it will rub off.

Top prospect Fernando Martinez, playing his second big league game, failed to run out an infield popup that was dropped. The 20-year-old was booed his next time up.

I'm sorry, but if you're a 20-year-old with a chance to showcase your stuff in the bigs, how are you not playing your ass off? Unless you're already so cocky that you're a sure thing to make the roster someday. If I'm Manuel, you better believe I'm in F-Mart's face about this, and benching him. But I'm sure they'll take the opposite approach and coddle him, since they basically let the players run the team there.

Mets call up F Mart; Church and Reyes DL'd; trade for scrub SS

F Mart is 20 years old. His career so far:

2006: Rookie league/low A/hi A
2007: AA
2008: AA
2009: 41 games @ AAA
Called up, ~ 20 yrs, 7 months.

Not all that disimilar to:

1980: Rookie league
1981: High A
1982: AA
1983: 16 games @ AAA
Called up, ~ 21 yrs, 3 months.

Of course, the major difference being that, in their final full years of minor league ball at the AA level, F Mart had an OPS of .772 (.287/8/43), compared to a 1.021 (.283/34/97) for Darryl.

Also, F Mart hit a wall his first year at AA. Darryl was (substantially) better each year in the minors, even though the competition was getting tougher.

BTW, here's the scrub we got from the Tribe for cash.

From the NYPost Mets Blog

Link

1. Omar Minaya needs to go find a shortstop, and that has as much to do with Alex Cora as Jose ReyesJose Reyes . Cora is going to be disabled until about the All-Star break. That means even if Reyes came back healthy from his now recurring calf problems than Ramon Martinez would be the backup shortstop. That is not adequate, especially when you consider that Reyes' injury has been, well, recurring. And especially now that the chances of Reyes winding up on the DL have increased. Martinez has not started more than 27 games at short since 2004. The chances he will hold up physically or defensively - at age 36 - if he is asked to play regularly in Reyes' absence are not good.

Suddenly, signing two closers

doesn't seem so retarded:

According to his Twitter feed, Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports, Francisco Rodriguez collapsed outside the visitors clubhouse at Fenway Park due to back spasms and EMTs have been called to assist.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Jerry Manuel said Rodriguez was unavailable for tonight’s game after experiencing back spasms during batting practice.

Of course, I sure do hope Putz figures himself out, b/c right now he looks shakier than a 2006 investment in subprime loans.

So SHK,

how was that video review on Santos' HR for marital harmony?

The NY Post nails Jerry on all talk, no action

"That has been the theme of Jerry Manuel's mantra from day one of spring training: We are not gonna leave anything to chance. We are gonna pay attention to every detail." -- MetsNew York Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen

Well, somebody's not paying attention.

The Mets -- who can't stop talking about how every, single game is important; haven't you seen the past two years? -- arguably have given away eight possible victories already this season because they don't pay attention to details.

"I think we have lacked some things in the area of focus and the intangibles in baserunning and defense," Manuel admitted to Mike Francesa on WFAN this week.

THEN WHY ISN'T ANYTHING BEING DONE ABOUT IT?!?!

Not much I can add. Read the whole column here.

Bottom Line

Barring a major trade, to pick up: (1) a solid #2 pitcher, and (2) a contact hitter who actually understands how to drive runs in instead of meekly continuing to strand them, this team will not make the playoffs this year. Period.

This team is exactly the same as those of the last 3 seasons, and past performance is a perfect indicator of future results.

This team has the absolute wrong mentality and wrong skills, and it starts at the top with the Wilpons and Omar, down through Manuel and into the players.

Winning streaks like those last week don't excite me, because I know the harsh truth that this team will simply revert to mediocrity the following week, without fail.

And so far Putz has looked exactly like that. I will never understand going after two closers when the team had so many other gaping holes to fill, although I guess in Omar's mind those gaps do not exist.

Leave it to the Gangsta

To take a sensible move that should've been made a week ago--namely, end the Murphy experiment in LF and move him to 1B--and muck it up by making it all about Jerry. He could have tried to manage expectations, and insulated Murph from some of the pressure: e.g., "we're not asking Daniel to take over a new position and be an All Star. We need his stick in the lineup, and now we need someone to fill in part-time at first for a few weeks, and he came up as an infielder. It'll be a challenge for him but I know he'll give us the best he can in a pinch."

Instead, what do we get from the Gangsta? "I don't know about this kid. If he can't get the job done at first, I'll cut him. I'm a gangsta, ya know. Go ask Willie."

From Marty Noble's blog:

Indecisive Jerry struck again Wednesday in Los Angeles, when the Mets manager revealed that he is planning on starting Murphy for at least four straight games at first base -- beginning tonight. That comes after Manuel planned on using Murphy at first base in San Francisco, ultimately opting against it, then saying that it might be some time before Murphy plays there. But at least now we know.

Here's Your Answer, Fredo

Apparently Murphy gets pulled because Manuel has no confidence in him. Or many of the other players, for that matter. Call me crazy, but this doesn't seem like the type of public undermining that the players will respond to. Way to build up the confidence of your team, Jerry.

"I need to find (out) if he [Murphy] can be a first baseman," Manuel told host Mike Francesa. "I really don't know, I'll be honest with you."...

Manuel admitted the Mets may have to make a trade for a first baseman.

"I do know (Tatis) is an older player (34), he is not at the stage of his career where you can project (his performance)," Manuel said. "He's kind of in the evening of his career. Can people in the evening of their career play everyday? Some can, some can't."

Here

Errors, errors and more errors

This team's lack of discipline and focus is mind-numbing. We're #2 in errors and 2nd to last in field pct. If they had a stat to track baserunning stupidity I'm sure it would look even worse.

In almost every way the '09 season is shaping up to be the same as '06, '07 and '08. Other than K-rod I don't see any difference, and unfortunately K-rod can only help if we even make it to the 9th inning.

Da Gangsta' Might be a D-Bag, but...

...apparently he's the best.

The Mets are 76-55 since Manuel became manager, the best 131-game start by any of the 15 managers who lasted that long with the 48-year-old franchise.

On another note, I think I've finally pinpointed what I find most exasperating about the Mets. The stupid, lack-of-focus errors. They consistently make more mental errors than any team with as many supposed all-stars and high payroll. Between the stupid baserunning decisions and the dropped fly balls due to poor outfield communication they shoot themselves in the foot more than any other top team.

Food for thought

Since it's looking like Delgado may miss significant time (if not the season) and we still have a need for a stud pitcher, I would like to suggest a trade:

Jake Peavy and Adrian Gonzalez (who could be the permanent replacement instead of getting another fill-in type)

What would you be willing to give up?

I'd surrender Reyes, F-Mart, Parnell, Niese, and Maine. It looks like the Pods are weakest at 3B so it might take Wright to get it done (as opposed to Reyes).
Peavy is 28 and Gonzo is 27. They'd both be around a long time so I have no problem gutting the farm to lock up two premium positions with All-Stars.

On the other side, we could go after Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez (both turn 31 this year). Martinez can still catch but plays a lot of 1B (he could even be listed primarily as a 1B).

I think Lee and Martinez would come at a lesser cost but by how much?

The Gangsta is a big D Bag

Are you s-ing me? WTF?

Down two, with the bases loaded and one out in the 8th inning, and you pinch hit for Murphy with Angel Pagan?

Angel effing Pagan?

6-4-3.

Worstest News Yet

Mets have won 10 of 12.

Worser news from the bigs

Delgado could be gone for season, and Putz is apparently damaged goods. So says the Post.

Bad News from the Farm

According to the NY Post, Evans has taken a serious step back in his development.

Well played

Go ahead Mets, give yourselves a pat on the back. Good job all around. Way to stink it up for the best pitcher in baseball yet again.

A very special shout out to Jose. Your offense is atrocious, so the least you could do is not boot a slow roller up the middle that results in a 4 run inning instead of ending the inning.

Good thing we re-signed Ollie in the offseason instead of gambling on Lowe. Really dodged that bullet!

MLB '09

I hate everything that is Red Sox, but I have to say this is one funny commercial.

Get your new gear.

Murphy playing 1B

According to David Lennon at Newsday, who saw him fielding ground balls at the position the other day, "Murph looks much more comfortable at first base than leftfield."

Niese put in the rotation

According to Newsday, Ollie's on the DL, after an MRI revealed a more significant injury than previously thought.

Niese getting the start so that the 40-year old Japanese virgin rookie can stay in the pen and give us a second left-handed arm there.

Niese has been bad so far this year (ERA>6) at Buffalo, but is coming off one good start.

Can anyone say, TRADE VALUE? Showcasing Niese, excusing Perez.

Niese, Perez, and Reyes for Perralta and Lee?

I'm still waiting.

Enjoy it while you can

"That's what I do for a living," Santana said. "I enjoy pitching, regardless of who we're facing or when you're pitching. I think that's what I love. I'm always trying to do my best every time out there. Tonight was a great game, a great atmosphere."

Watching a master work. You don't get the chance too often. And the master has passion for his art. You can see it.

From Newsday:

Santana surrendered only two hits and trimmed his ERA from 1.10 to 0.91, the third lowest in Mets history through the first six starts of the season. David Cone had a 0.76 ERA in 1988 and Nolan Ryan a 0.77 in 1971.

I'm going to make a prediction

If we find someplace to stick Murph in the field, and therefore don't trade him, he's gonna win a batting title. Has a Met ever done so? If not, he's gonna be the first.

Oliver Perez

When being that bad means you must really have to work at it.

Oliver Perez

Best. Signing. Ever.

Return of the groundhog

OK, this Cards series has been horrible. Obviously, Maine needs to pick it up big time. And Pelf needs to pitch.

Ollie's been up and down, I can live with that. Livan Hernandez? I mean, what can you really expect.

Murphy's fielding has been bad. No other way to say it. You know there are going to be growing pains. But you can't look so bad as to completely undermine the confidence of the guys around you. On the flip, his hitting has lived up to billing, and he's been one of the few getting clutch hits.

And speaking of which, it seems we once again are capable of massive offensive explosion, but churning out that key run remains very difficult.

Pouring salt into the wound

As if the Nationals season wasn't going bad enough... Apparently their jersey company couldn't even spell their team name correctly.

The Geek

Funny recap of yesterday's game over at The Geek. Sadly, the Mets are looking like a broken record, and you can basically just use a fill-in-the-blank approach to summarize each game.

One thing that's disappointing to me is that this is the first season in many years where I really have almost no interest in the team. Usually I'm psyched to see the season start, but given the crushing endings to '06, '07 and '08, along with no changes to starting rotation or break-up of "the core", I'm just not pumped for '09. Even Citi Field, which I'd love to check out this year, is disappointing in that they dramatically reduced seat capacity by about 13,000, and jacked prices way up.

Hopefully my enthusiasm goes up as the season progresses, because I surely need something to wash away the filthy aftertaste of the Jets doing their best Mets impersonation.

Johan Santana

Man, is that guy freakin' amazing or what? What else can you say, the guy is simply the best.

Countering the groundhog

Lots of news to like at this point.

1/2 game up on the Philthies. At this juncture, till the Fish show me their lineup has staying power, Philly's the only team in the division I'm looking at in the standings.

Bullpen ranks 1st in NL ERA. Parnell, Putz, and K-Rod look outstanding. Feliciano, when used properly against left handers situationally, has been effective.

The heart of the lineup is on fire. Wright, Delgado and Beltran are off to scorching hot starts (.314, .343, .333 BAs going into tonight).

Church looks recovered from scrambled egg brain syndrome, off to a .400 start. Meanwhile, Lastings Milledge has been demoted to the minors.

Wouldja look at that? Luis Castillo is hitting .385.

The Gangsta hasn't done or said anything completely stupid thus far.

CitiField is awesome. Everytime I see Delgado hit one to the wall (or over it), my heart is gladdened by the sight of green seats and black and orange on the wall. Mel Ott, Christy Matthewson, Bobby Thompson, and our namesake Say Hey Kid is smiling somewhere.

You can put lipstick on a pig...

...but it's still a pig.

And that pig is our starting rotation. This team will go as our 2-3-4 pitchers go, especially 2-3, and right now that's going nowhere.

NL East is going to be very tight this year. If we're within 5-10 games of first place by All-Star break, i'd predict a trade to get some serious pitching upgrade.

2 games

and 2 corner outfield plays that cost us "W"s. We could easily be 5-2 instead of 3-4 right now, but for Murphy's error in LF against the Marlins and Church's misplay in RF tonight.

Reyes stranding the bases loaded with 2 outs and the Mets trailing by 1 in the 6th was a big blow tonight, and turned out to be our last scoring chance.

On the flip side, Murphy's 2 out RBI single to right with 2 outs in the 5th, followed by D Wright's 2 out, 3 run, game tying jack were definitely clutch. Too bad the fielding let us down.

Luckily, I'm going to Wednesday's game. As we all know, the season doesn't really start till I get to a game. So it's a new season come Wed.

I love CitiField

Really happy with the new ballpark (don't call it a "stadium").

However, one thing I'm not happy about are the Byzantine pricing arrangements and naming conventions.

I'm gonna throw a few terms out at you, and you tell me where in the stadium park you think it's located.

Promenade Club
Baseline Box
Caesars Club
Excelsior Level
Ebbetts Club
Metropolitan Box
Delta Club
Left Field Landing
Promenade Box

Talk about your tough luck outing for Johan

12 K vs 1 BB, and 7 IP with no ERs, and you take the loss. Ouch.

Some Met obversations

Jose Jose Jose has had a great week to start the year. He's focusing in the field and at the plate.

Church looks to have regained his early '08 form. He's killing the ball and playing a solid RF.

Murphy is off to a good start, and he's still looking like he might be on a track to unseat D Wright as my favorite Met.

The rotation has looked good, other than Ollie's meltdown. Pelf and Ollie sort of had Bizzaro outings. Pelf was shaky in the first, but then battled through. Ollie looked untouchable early, and then fell apart. Livan gave us 6 scoreless before the fish plated a couple in the 7th. Apparently Maine (shoulder) and Hernandez (knee) are pitching pain free for the time in multiple seasons, and Johan's spring "injury" seems pretty overblown after his first start. Guess we'll find out more tomorrow.

The revamped pen is obviously a huge improvement.

That's not to say they're going to be dominant top to bottom. Parnell, Green and O'Day have combined for some Maalox Masher moments early on, but I'll still gladly take where we are now over 12 months ago.

Delgado looks like he wants to make a contract year push.

Our offense has been tacking on late runs, something that was sorely missing last year.

Finally, the gangsta: he's growing on me. His weird, overly friendly, chuckling interview style doesn't exactly give me the impression he's a taskmaster, or all that knowledgeable. But for a team with a shattered psyche in need of a shrink, having a class clown for a manager, and a loose clubhouse, might not be the worst thing in the world. It's not a subscription for multi-year success (IMHO), but it may be a path to forgetting yesterday's epic fail.

Overall, after our first 5 games (all on the road), with a 3-2 record and our ace taking the hill tomorrow, I give us a B+. Now let's see how things develop as the season settles in.

Saw a highlight of Griffey going yard.

Boy does he ever look right in an M's uniform. Should never have left.

Baby Blue Champs

It's nauseating to watch. Really.

On the flip, I've got to hand it to Ol' "Gaddumit" Roy. His team peaked at the right time and obliterated the opposition. They didn't face any real game pressure in the entire tourney.

I should point out that between Duke and UNC, there have now been 6 titles (3 each) in the last 18 years, a full 1/3 of the years.

That should pretty much lay to rest "best rivalry in college sports". Michigan-Ohio State football (1.5 national championships in the same period), Alabama-Auburn football (1 N.C.), or any other rivalries don't even come close to that.

I will hand it UF though. 2 football N.C.s and 2 basketball N.C.s since 2006 makes for it's own great rivalry between the two programs.

P.S. Big East teams in the final game: 0. In "the greatest year for any conference. Ever."

Opening Day

First blog!

My how the "mighty" have fallen

From today's Post:

Manuel said left fielder Daniel Murphy is very likely to bat full-time in the No. 2 spot in the order, bumping second baseman Luis Castillo all the way to the eighth hole in the process.

That's quite a fall all the way from possible leadoff to #8. I wonder why it had to happen... Oh yeah, it's because Castillo bites.

ACC vs Big East

So the McHump has been McFlapper, yapping in my ear about the "Biiiggg Easssttt Biiattch!!", given what a great year the B.E. is having this year.

Which got me thinking, "why does it seem like the Big Least has been the bitch of the ACC since I started watching college basketball two decades ago?"

So I thought reason #1 might just be that I'm homer, as a Duke Alum with a huge mancrush on K.

Then I decided to look up the tourney results and settled on reason #2: the fact that the ACC has actually dominated the Big East in terms of NCAA results in the past twenty years. To wit,

1990-2009 Final Four appearances:

Big East: 7
ACC: 20

1990-2009 National Championships:

Big East: 3
ACC: 6

So then I got to thinking, but maybe the "resurgent" Big East outpaced the ACC if we only look at the most recent decade, 2000-2009. Wrong again. National Championships, 3-2 for the ACC; Final Four appearances, 9-5 for the ACC.

Yup, the Big East is having a better year in 2009. The irony is, the ACC might still grab the Nat'l Championship, although I'd actually be hoping we don't. I'd even rather Connecticut, my second most hated team, wins over UNC.

And if history is a guide, we'll look back on '09 as the exception, not the rule.


UPDATE:

I decided to all the way back into ancient history and did the same analysis in the 1980's: "The heyday of the Big East." Suffice it to say that the strucutral advantages that the Big East had in those years, specifically the stranglehold over the D.C. and NYC recruiting pipelines that G'Town and St. John's provided, have evaporated. And those were the vaunted years of Hoya Paranoia, Chris Mullins, and Rick Pitino at Providence. And yet the results? Dead even:

1980-1989: Final Fours entries, 8-8; National Champions, 2-2.

That was the high water mark for the Big East. And even then it was a draw. And the ACC has pummeled the Big East since. And now, with Calhoun's program in trouble with the NCAA and potentially looking at sanctions, Pitino flirting with Arizona and thinking of leaving L'Ville (and let's face it, they're not really a Big East team anyway), and Boeheim nearing the end of his career, how big will the fall off be?

Two more decades of ACC domination, IMHO.

Nova-Pitt was Epic

Great effort by both teams. Congrats to Nova and to Pitt for a great season.

Well, it's definitely been a big year for the Big East

And, let's be honest, they're pretty much due. What's it been, 15 years since the conference was supposedly "back" and Felipe Lopez graced the cover of SI?

Of course, it can't be a great feeling to have the success come on the back of a bunch of questionably ethical decisions for the conference's flagship programs; like Boeheim getting Syracuse to wipe the slate clean for his star 2-guard after the university had suspended him for the year. Or Calhoun's program potentially crumbling under his feet due to substantial recruiting violations.

Still, there's no way to knock Wright and 'Nova, or Dixon and Pitt. I'll be rooting for those two schools the rest of the way. I'm also a big Izzo fan, and would love to see the Spartans make a run.

Tickets anyone?

So I went to mets.com today and clicked through for tix to Opening Day + 4 game pak. I opted for "best seats available" and picked 4 games, 2 tickets each. Lo and behold a pair of tickets were available in Metropolitan Box seats for each game, with a package total of ....... (Drum roll please) ...... $1650.

What?

That works out to $165 per seat per game. Now, call me crazy or old fashioned, but since when should tickets cost $165 per game, even for great seats and a great team (the latter of which the Mets have yet to provide). Of course, I realize that seats are worth "whatever someone will pay for them," and by having shaved 10,000 seats out of Citi compared to Shea certainly that will drive prices up. But I still have a hard time believing that people will find it worth $180 to attend an early season game against the Marlins.

Apparently so do the rest of the fans, which is why seats are still available this close to Opening Day.

The Next Big Thing

How 'bout a kid who throws 101 in college? He's already assumed to be the first overall pick in the next MLB draft, and his name ain't Sidd Finch. It's Stephen Strasburg, and it looks like the Nats have the inside track. Though Boras wants to try and end around the draft, which has "Yankees" written all over it.

A quote from the Wizard

"I like the game now, but I don't like the game as much. I have never cared for the showmanship, and I think there is too much showmanship in the game today. While I think the players today are just unbelievable - their athleticism - I don't think team play is as good as it used to be."

-John Wooden

ht: DBR

So after Black Friday for the ACC,

and the absolute demolition of Wake Forest by the juggernaut known as Cleveland State, I felt compelled to go check out the fan boards over at WakeInsider.com.

Some real gems from a thread entitled, "Well.....im going to get ******* drunk":

I hate my father for accepting a job at Wake during my mailable years. he is a jerk for allowing me to fall in love with this University. i want to cry. i want to break ****. i want to punch baby animals. and i want to do worse. instead. i will sit here at home...mope...and drink. **** My Life.

Wow. Then there's the poor preparer:

I am out of beer like a dumbass. My only option is my girlfriend's premixed cosmos or long island iced teas in the fridge. I am drinking them as fast as I can pour.

FML

The same poster later came back with an update:

This stuff is disgusting. I want to pass out from drunkenness but am wide awake from sugar overload. Plus I want to kill someone.

Ah yes, that homicidal feeling that awakens when you realize your team that you were imagining getting to the final four just crapped the bed in the first 2 rounds for the seemingly 10th time in a row.


This last quote is great too. It starts with a list of alcohol consumed. Pretty standard, really. It moves on to take the defeat with stoic optimism, and is then compeletly overwhelmed with dread:

12 pack dead.
1/2 bottle stoli dead
1 sparks dead

we move on. we strong Deac fans must move on. but for tonight...we drink our ******* faces off.

God hates us all.

I offer these little glimpses as foreshadowing of my mood tomorrow night, should Texas eliminate Duke.

My man Herb

You may remember me saying a couple of years ago that I'd be rooting for ASU after they went and picked us Herb Sendek from NC State. He's always been a class act. A slightly goofy, bookish, uber nice guy, who seems like he should be teaching history, not coaching a basketball team. Yet his players seem to genuinely love him, and they always play hard for him.

So I had to laugh when the DBR highlighted this batch of Sendek quotes, I guess b/c they were trying to make fun of him. But they're exactly the kind of goofy quotes I like the guy for:

“If you only evaluate somebody’s impact on their numbers, you can really miss the totality of what they’re influencing in the game.”
“You could probably drive yourself wacky trying to read into every possible psychological variable that could go into play in [today’s] game. I think on the one hand, we all recognize the value that experience brings. … On the other hand, I think our guys have other kinds of experiences. … That can help mitigate the fact that no one on our team has been in the NCAA Tournament yet.”
“There is work to be done. We stay in the moment and focus on the next game. We don’t think much about the past or the future.”
“What I did at State is open to discussion based on how you define success. I felt that we accomplished a lot.”
“I thought we played some of our best basketball of the season, notwithstanding the last 20 minutes against USC.”
“James’ presence on the court creates opportunities for other guys to score. Sometimes he doesn’t get the credit he deserves because of all the attention he draws that allows other people to eat.”
“As much as you can, you try to have the discipline to stay in the moment.”
“More than anything else I think it’s important for us to stay in the moment. Enjoy what just happened and then get our rest and try to recover the best we can for tomorrow. I think it’s important that we really just try to frame this in the now.”
“I have to hazard a guess that different coaches define it different ways, so we’re not all voting on the same things. There’s a difference between most valuable player and most outstanding player.”

And Herb’s first public swear word:

“I just don’t want our guys responding to a referee’s call, because the next play is getting ready to start. We ask our guys at the beginning of the year, ‘You have a choice. You can pick one. You can either coach, officiate or play. Just pick one, because it’s hard as hell to do any one of the three, let alone two of the three.”

If you've ever suffered through a decade of poor play,

(and I know you have), you have to appreciate Bill Simmons griping about the Clippers and Coach Dunleavy. This article, in which he chronicles his Clips forfeiting an 18 point lead to LeBron and the Cavs, needs to be read to be appreciated.

Here's the climactic sequence near the end of the column. The action picks up with the Clips down 1, with the ball:

0:06: My section is arguing about which terrible play the Clips will run here to save the game... These are the moments when I wouldn't trade my Clips tickets for anything. I'm not even kidding.

Well, Dunleavy just upped the ante -- he just put in ice-cold 3-point specialist Steve Novak, who hasn't played all half. This is a Dunleavy crunch-time staple: How can I get the coldest guy on my bench involved in the biggest play of the game? So far, so good. It's like watching the Bizarro Auerbach in action.

So, Gordon is inbounding the ball from the left hashmark near midcourt. Thornton, Novak and Randolph are stacked at the top of the key. Baron is under the basket. Thornton cuts through to the left corner. One Mississippi. Obviously, he's not getting the ball. Baron starts moving up toward the top of the key, only the Cavs know he's getting the ball -- (two Mississippi) -- so they block his way. Everything is congested. The fans start panicking. Three Mississippi. Baron accelerates past the 3-point line, only LeBron sees him and jumps in the way so he can't get the ball. This is an awesome play. Four Mississippi. Gordon finally passes to Randolph, who takes two dribbles and …

(Oh no.)

Picks up his dribble and …

(Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!)

Launches a 28-foot 3-pointer with a hand in his face. His third air-balled 3 of the night. Actually, it was more than an air ball -- it almost killed the ball boy.

Cavs ball, 1.8 seconds left.

The fans are in disbelief. Randolph's teammates are in disbelief. Dunleavy is making a face that my friend Sal later describes as "A face I have never seen a human being make before." What ensued in the next 20 seconds could best be described like this: Imagine being trapped in one of those big hospital elevators with eight other people. One of them pulls his pants down and just starts going to the bathroom -- not No. 1 but No. 2. At that specific moment, the doors open for the next floor. How fast would everyone else in the elevator flee for the door? Lightning-fast, right? Like, Usain Bolt-level fast, right? That was the entire stadium after Z-Bo's air ball. He basically took a dump on the 3-point line.

And so we fled for the exits.