Mets

Fredo suggests the mets season isn't in the toilet yet.

Mike Francesca thinks otherwise. Epic rant.

Rasheed Sulaimon 2012 Summer EliteMixtape; Duke Incoming Freshman!

This kid looks like he's gonna be special:

Continuing with SHK's thoughts

Well, SHK, you missed out on the conversation that Caribou, ManBeast and myself had at the cigar lounge the other night.  You also missed out on the cigars and Knob Creek, but not much I can do about that...

We covered most of your points and some others as well.

Let's start on points of agreement:

1) "The debacle that lies ahead."  Check.

I referred to it as the "4-12 trainwreck in the windshield."

2) "Wayne Hunter. Disaster".

Not much to add, except the fact that the whole premise of our offense is that our O line can dominate game in game out.  And our starting RT sucks.

Points of modified disagreement:

1) Sparano -- I'm not fawning over the guy, but lets face it, he did a decent job with just about ZERO talent on that team's offense (but I'd prefer to get D.C.'s commentary on Sparano, having watched him more closely).  Come to think of it, coaching the Fins, who haven't had a QB in years, was pretty good prep for this job.  But more importantly, I'm glad Sparano's there because it's like holding a lotto ticket.  If the right #s come up, maybe Ryan will be fired and a new HC is already waiting in the wings.  Dollar and a dream.

2) Which brings me to Ryan-- Ever since he came in puffing up his player's egos, and convincing Mr. T that he could turn around the bad apples of the NFL (where the average apple is pretty bad to begin with), you were kind of waiting for the implosion.  You got it down the stretch last season.

The complete meltdown against Big Blue, and then star players quitting mid-game with the season on the line.  But once Ryan admitted he didn't know Holmes had been benched, the gig was up.  This guy not only doesn't have control of his players, he doesn't even know what's happening on the field.  The team's core players not only lacked chemistry, they demonstrated they outright don't like each other, and won't play for each other.  The writing was on the wall that Ryan had lost this team completely-- both from a "vision" standpoint (where we're headed as a unit) and from a day-to-day managerial standpoint.  I argued at the end of last season he needed to go, and you guys know I'm not quick to pin failure on managers/coaches.

Predictably, this preseason is off to a circus start, with fights, and loudmouths saying loudmouth things.  So Rex holds his big presser, "we've got that out our system, I'm not going to have anymore of that." " Next day, more brawls.  Lollers.  HE. HAS. LOST. THIS. TEAM.

Completely.

I like how happy Rex is we're returning to "ground and pound" offense-- let's play smashmouth football in a league where the winningest teams always throw 60% of the time.

I'll throw this out there as an upfront challenge-- I don't want to hear people slamming the OC bcause we run 2/3 of the time, including on 2nd and 12 and 3rd & 7.  Sparano was brought in EXACTLY BECAUSE Rex (with T's consent) wants that kind of offense.   They hired him and told him to ground & pound.  And he will.  Give him credit for being a good employee.

3) Mr. T

He bought a lot of goodwill in my book when he came in with Mangini and built this team up via the draft, and especially his mid round picks where he focused on character guys.  Shonne Green, Matt Slauson, Eric Smith, Brad Smith were all character guys that he grabbed in the middle rounds--worker bees who not only produced (to greater or lesser degrees) on the field, but set a tone in terms of work ethic.

Of course, he also had many good early round cornerstone picks: Mangold, Brick, Revis, David Harris, Keller, etc.

But the goodwill is fading fast.  He's clearly altered his approach with Rex.  I'm fine with flexing to meet the coach's system, but when you're drafting or signing guys like Plaxico, Coples, Kenrick Ellis, Santonio and Cromartie, you're sending a message to your team that a "me-first" attitude is OK--maybe even rewarded.  That's a cancer that's very hard to cut out once it starts spreading.  And the Jets are like Stage 4 right now.

By the end of last season, it was clear Rex had to go, and T was either too blind to see it, or Woody just likes having the circus in town.  T must get some of the blame for the impending disaster.  Even if it doesn't cost him his job, I hope he learns from the error of his ways and returns to his earlier draft approach.

4) Santonio - There was a choice to pick Holmes over Braylon, but he wasn't chosen OVER Brad Smith or Cotchery.  The decision to let those two go were independent bad choices, so let's not muddy the water.

It's tough to say T was wrong in resigning Holmes, b/c Braylon's played about 3 downs of football since he left the Jets, and Holmes had multiple game winning catches the previous season.  Santonio has proven he's a gamer in big spots, but has now also proven he'll sulk and quit if he's not getting enough touches.

Note that he never quit when playing on the Steelers.  That's the difference when you're on a team with a good culture and a bad culture, and why a coach's impact has much more to do with building a culture of excellence than with the on-field choices we fans (read, arm chair offensive coordinators for 3 hrs a week) care about.

It's about setting expectations and getting guys to have their sights set on winning 365 days a year, working in the weight room, getting into camp, focusing, etc.   It's always the little things that aggregate up to winning squads.

So while I currently despise Santonio, the decision to keep him wasn't horrible, given the limited options and tight timeframe they were making those decisions.  With this group, the guy clearly doesn't work, and needs to go.  But then again--that's true of most of this team.  If Parcells came back, he'd turn over 80% of the roster and start over, because that's the only way to remove the "me first" tumor.

BOTTOM LINE: I'm not giving up on the Mets.  Riding them right until mathematical elimination in late September.  It's far more enjoyable than the s show, on the field and off, that the Rusty Propellers will be putting up over the next 5 weeks.

Moving on

With the mets season now all but in the toilet, and the jets having nothing but Super Bowl opportunity ahead of them (just on account of the season not having started yet), it's time for that time honored tradition of switching over to NFL talk.

With that in mind, the jets 26-3 visit to the woodshed is quite timely.

It allows me full opportunity to complain about: (a) the debacle that lies ahead this season with two sub-par QBs 'battling,' (b) keeping Holmes, but not Braylon, cotchery or brad smith, (c) tony sparano, and (d) anything else that comes to mind.

(d) just came to mind - Wayne hunter. Disaster.

I'll reserve judgment until we have a few games under our belts, but I will go on the record now saying I never thought the sparano pickup made any sense. Dolphins - offensive juggernauts?

The EPL in a nutshell

How did I end up in this shell?  How do I get out?

Just kidding...

Was reading on espn.com and this description of the EPL gave me lulz.

Part sporting competition, part outlandish soap opera, the EPL is the most watched league in the world. It's a kaleidoscopic collision of heroes, heels, haircuts and hard cash. Yet, bereft of the salary caps, revenue shares and drafts that bring parity to American sport, the league remains an anarchical entity in which results are guaranteed as much by the balance sheet as the team sheet.

The financial imbalance means that in reality, the league is not one competition but three loosely connected leagues within a league. There is "The Battle of the Champions League" waged among an elite band of sheiks, oligarchs and the beneficiaries of a recent New York Stock Exchange IPO; a "Race for Respectability" for the middling teams that lollop toward the consoling placebo of a Europa League place; and the "Race of Death" between the cellar dwellers who are forced to scrap it out to avoid the trapdoor of relegation like slaves at the Roman Colosseum.

I guess the good news for me is that the EPL is back. I can go back to rooting for the Gunners without really having any clue what's happening on the pitch.

Just a crazy idea

Everyone knows that the Mets are in desperate need of some quality late inning relievers.

So.... What makes a good late inning reliever?

In my mind, the first qualifications are mental.  Someone with tons of guts, unafraid to challenge hitters, and who can pound the strike zone.  While most fans think "flamethrower" when they think of late-inning guys, there are plenty of guys who were successful because they had the right mindset, even without throwing in the mid- to high-90s.  [Take this description from Wiki of a guy in the top 5 all time in saves:  "XXX was a traditional relief pitcher with a '90-mph fastball and a change-up that breaks away from a righthanded batter like a screwball.']

Mets have a starting pitcher who is practically the embodiment of the above traits.  Unfortunately, his arm appears shot and it would seem he can no longer throw 80, no less 100 pitches in a game.  It looks like his contract might be dead weight at this point, unless the Mets can find a way to use him effectively.

So what do you think... Johan to the pen?  The Mets' Eckersley project?

Did Gary Carter invent the term????

F_Bomb

Ike is OK

Raekwon asked me if I was concerned Ike was a bust in May or June.  I told him the guy had missed a year, and was still developing--he needed to get his timing and eye back.  I said he'd probably pick it up in the second half.  Looks like the kid 'll be alright.

Davis has had a bizarre season, one that seems almost unfathomable. Consider in his first 56 games through June 8, the Mets first baseman was hitting .158 with five homers, 21 RBIs and a .507 OPS — a full-season pace of 15 homers and 61 RBIs. About as bad as it gets.

But in 50 games since, he’s hitting .267 with 15 homers, 40 RBIs (a full-season pace of 49 homers and 130 RBIs) and a .907 OPS — production that would rank him among the NL’s best hitters.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/mets_hope_they_re_seeing_real_davis_XoZlCHYxAt0oQoWbUrn0AJ#ixzz23RBQy6N3

Matt Harvey: The debut

Getting his first MLB start against the DBacks tonight at 9:40 EDT.

Let's End the Second Half!

I liked the first half better. Never thought I'd be pining for the return of Frank Frank.

The End of Linsanity

Jay Kaspian Kang at Grantland envisions how Dolan would play cards, and pretty much hits the nail on the head:

The failure to re-sign Jeremy Lin, despite months of guarantees, seems to be the latest in a line of silly, PR-inspired bumblings by a man who has continually thought, out-thought, rethought, and then un-thought himself.

Here's how Jim Dolan would play pocket aces in a game of Texas hold 'em:

Sweet! Pocket aces! Come on, JD, don't mess this up. … Why is this asshole dealer looking at me like that and why is that dude in the cowboy hat smiling? Oh man, I think he knows. … Nah, he doesn't know, he's so stupid with his stupid hat and his stupid accent. Shit. He does know. Maybe I should call Isiah? Nah, cause if they see me calling Isiah, they'll all laugh. Play it cool, Jimmy. What would be the only thing they'd never expect from you? What would Isiah do? WWID? Fold, Jimmy, fold!

DOLAN: I fold.
DEALER: Sir, it's not your turn to act.
DOLAN: Don't tell me what to do.
MAN IN HAT: Folded aces again, huh?
DOLAN: It was the right move, dickface.

Again, I ask: Why does anyone care how Jim Dolan spends his money? Unless Dolan releases MSG's annual earnings report with a manual and a DVD that explain exactly how much more expensive tickets will be if the Knicks sign Jeremy Lin, none of us should speculate ourselves into agreeing with Jim Dolan.

Dolan is the premium douchebag out there. Brimming with arrogance because he owns the "greatest arena in the world," he consistently values seeing his name in print, and chumming around with Big Manhattan Money, than he does with putting together a winning product. When his GMs tell him to step off, that he's valuing the wrong things (trading for Carmelo, for example, when he could have signed him in a year), he overrides them. He's like Bad George with less charm.

I bailed on the Rangers b/c I was sick of NYC, sick of the NYC attitude, and sick of Dolan's arrogance. Jeremy Lin was the first thing that made me pay attention to the NBA in years, and now Dolan folded his aces. He thinks it was the right move, but he just keeps proving himself to be a dickhead.

Well done, Mr. Kang, and eff you, Jim Dolan.

Wilmer Flores update

Kid has been promoted to AA after teeing off in St Lucie.  Through his first 16 games, he's hitting .390 with a 1.008 OPS and only 2 Ks.

This one is getting very, very interesting.

Lets start the second half!

The Mets are out-performing my expectations significantly this year, but will have some issues in the second half.  It will be nearly impossible for Dickey to continue to perform the way he did in the first half.  Santana needs to get better.   They will need a replacement for Gee, and they are highly unlikely to get anyone who can perform as well as Dillon did in the first half.

The bullpen is a steaming pile, and it's hard to see any quick fixes there, unless Mejia can reclaim form.

Of course, the offense could actually get better--Ike and Duda can both hit at a higher level than they did in the first half.   Lets go Mets!

Eric Chavez is an Escort Catering to a Downscale Male Clientele

That is all.

R.A. Dickey

That is all.

Sweep!

Just what the Dr. ordered for the Metsies, coming off the disappointing series in Washington and the Bronx. 

Added bonus: Ike has gotten hot.

 Double added bonus: R.A. Dickey.

David Stern b-slaps Jim Rome

I've never paid much attention to Rome.  Listened to his radio shtick a handful of times.  It's tiresome, boorish, and (IMHO) second-rate.

So I can't say it didn't make me smile to read this transcript, where David Stern basically turns the tables on him and walks away unscathed, while Rome fumes.

Pitchers down on the farm

Here are our top prospects, all 3 of whom could be with the big league club by the end of the year:

Zack Wheeler
Matt Harvey
Jeurys Familia

Also, Jenrry Mejia is apparently healthy, and has been moved back to the pen at AAA to get him ready for a bullpen assignment with the Mets.  The story linked above has a good synopsis of Mejia's career to date, which may well be the poster child for mismanaged young talent (and apparently we can thank the Gangsta for that one).

Wilmer Flores

Our 3B of the future--or perhaps just trade bait--is having a breakout year in St. Lucie this year.  If you'd like to hear a bit more about him, try this link.

Another commit for the Johnnies

Chris Obekpa from the Island, a top-75ish player, will be playing for SJU next year.  Here's the story.

Kudos to the Yanks

After blitzing an obviously affected Santana, they eked out a couple of good wins by getting the key hits and key outs they needed late in games.  That's what makes 'em the Yankees.

Looking forward to round 2 in Citi.

Olney: Lots of good OF Free Agents this Fall

From ESPN:

Josh Hamilton: He'll be the most prominent name on the market, and nobody doubts his talent -- least of all the Rangers, who look at him as a game-changer. But what's the proper level of investment, given the risks suggested by his personal history? If Hamilton is going to be in line for a deal over $100 million, which teams, exactly, are going to compete with the Rangers?
The Yankees are now bumping up against their budget and already have other pressing needs -- most notably Robinson Cano's impending free agency in the fall of 2013 -- so it's highly unlikely they'd get involved. The Red Sox already are overstocked with big contracts. The Angels are loaded with outfielders. The Cubs are rebuilding from the ground up, so it might make little sense for them to throw out a huge deal to an over-30 outfielder when they're burdened by Alfonso Soriano's deal. The Mets have to deal with David Wright's situation first.
Baltimore could an interesting option, one GM mused. "But I don't think he's got a lot of places to go," in light of what his salary will be.
The big question about the Rangers' offer to him is going to be how many years will they guarantee. Two? Three? Four, with a lot of vesting options attached? We'll see.
Hamilton intends to use his free-agent dollars for philanthropic purposes, writes Randy Galloway.

Michael Bourn: He is having an excellent season, hitting .305 with a .357 on-base percentage, and he's on pace for a season of 210 hits, 117 runs and 43 stolen bases. And he's a center fielder.

Andre Ethier: Other Dodgers felt like he came to camp with a renewed sense of purpose, and it's showing: He's been mashing, hitting .305 with 48 RBIs, and is in line for a lot of top-10 MVP votes.

Melky Cabrera: He's a wild card, because of his explosive emergence as an elite outfielder the last two seasons. He had 201 hits for the Royals in 2011, and Kansas City, looking to free up center field for Lorenzo Cain, swapped him to San Francisco -- and Cabrera has generated more of the same, with a .403 on-base percentage and 25 extra-base hits among 87 hits. He left Thursday's game with a hamstring issue.

Shane Victorino: The Phillies' Gold Glove center fielder was offered a three-year deal in the offseason, and he's looking for five years. So far this year, he's hitting .249 with seven homers.

B.J. Upton: There has always been a sense among evaluators that Upton was capable of doing more than he's done. Still, he has hit 20-plus homers and stolen 30-plus bases and played an outstanding center field, and he's just 27 years old.

Carlos Quentin: Rival officials believe he could be the first prominent hitter dealt this summer, and he's been crushing the ball since being activated off the disabled list. But with the Padres' ownership in a state of flux, the team could look to slow-play this situation, and give the incoming owners -- whoever they turn out to be -- a chance to bid on him before he hits the market place. There are no ongoing talks, but some officials guesstimate that Quentin could be in line for a deal in the range of four years, $48 million; that could climb to
Jason Bay territory (4/60) if Quentin stays on the field and keeps hitting.

Nick Swisher: He's hitting .250, with eight homers and 35 RBIs, but typically, he has been an on-base percentage machine. Swisher is 31 years old.

Torii Hunter: He's reached the age at which he's not going to get a huge deal, but he's in great shape and is a nice alternative on a short-term deal.

Angel Pagan: He's hitting .321 this season.

Game over

Just when I thought Mets management couldn't get any worse... Maher joins the d-baggery and raises it to an entirely unprecedented level.

Put It In The Books!!!

I am almost without words. Thank you, Johan--you have lifted a terrible burden off of us all. As far as I'm concerned, you earned every single cent of your contract tonight.

RaeKwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... top 500 album of all time...

Top 500 yo, f' real

French Vanilla Butter Pecan Chocolate Deluxe

You rollin like Trump, you get your meat lumped

AK's black bust back like seventy Macs

NSFW- language.
Unless you work in the Shaolin son.

The metties....

Have a better record than the jankees. Suck it janks fans.

D. Right

Just logged onto espn.com and checked out baseball stats. Wow is wright killing it. Number one in BA and OBP by a mile. On a related note, not killing it: Jose Jose Jose.

Jets' Cromartie, wife expecting twins

Spreading his seeds...

Re: Previous Post--No Douchebags Here

As one of the biggest David Wright fans on the planet, I have to say I was utterly amazed (and thrilled) to see his reaction to being pulled from the game against the Brew Crew on Tuesday night. No one has ever questioned Wright's love for the game or willingness to play as hard as diamond--he's been borderline reckless with his health and well-being on numerous occasions that have put him on the DL in the past. But he has never displayed the fire that raged when Collins benched him to avoid David being the target of beanball retribution. Granted, I totally understan why Collins did it--Wright is the central cog and an early MVP candidate who has a penchant for getting his damn fool self busted up a few times a season on his own. So why risk him being sidelined due to some potential douchbaggery? However, this is exactly the kind of stuff Wright seems to live for--it's almost like he wanted to go out and get plunked... He was PISSED. And justifiably so. The team looks to him as a leader, on the field and off, and I give him a lot of the credit for the team's early success. He did everything right in the situation, saying he would not stand by and let someone else take a bullet meant for him, if they want to hit someone it should be him since Braun was the Brewers' victim. Not blinking when he knew what was coming and standing up for his guys. And even better, once the inital dust settled and he made his point in the dugout, Wright once again was classy. He supported Collins and did not try to subvert his authority by saying that he was pissed and did not agree with the decision but understood what his manager was doing to try to protect the team. Extend this guy's contract immediately--why are we even screwing around with it?

Where have all the douchebags gone?

With apologies to Paula Cole, they've up and left.

No Delgado, no Beltran, no Reyes, no Luis Castillo, no K-Rod, no Oliver Perez, no Sheffield.  Guys who couldn't be bothered to act like they cared, or else acted like fools or a-holes.  

Instead, we've now got a team of guys with a lot less talent and a lot more guts.  Not surprisingly, I heard on the SNY broadcast yesterday that Nickeas was saying that the guys on this team feel like have an unusually close team for the MLB level.  Everyone genuinely cares and roots for each other.  I don't find that surprising, not with young players like Murphy, Ike, Duda, Tejada, Nieuwehuis, Thole, Gee, and Niese who are not phenoms, but dedicated, hard workers.  And coachable.

Talk about addition by subtraction.  No one doubts Reyes was an irreplaceable talent, but he was a very replaceable teammate.  Without him around gathering all the attention and de facto leader status, and with Delgado and Beltran out the door, Wright is now the clear veteran leader on the club.  It suits him well.  He's off to a huge start.  And his younger teammates have a great example of a veteran who always plays to win and gives 110%.

Alderson deserves a lot of credit for putting together a bunch of pieces that are more in sum than individually, and Terry Collins has been superb.  He's got to be in the running for manager of the year at this point.  He gets his guys to bring it every day, and get over a tough loss, which isn't easy for a young team.

What happens when the guys believe in each other, and never say die?  They value every out.  Guess what that leads to?  A team that leads the NL in comeback wins, BA with 2 outs, BA with 2 outs and RISP, and 2 out runs.

Everything SHK has always loved about the Mets.

Let's be honest, based on the starting pitching and general talent level, this team can't really be counted on to challenge for a playoff spot.  But even if they were 4-under and not 4-over .500 as they are right now, I'd still say "Thank you" to Collins and Alderson for giving me baseball I can enjoy watching again.