We Battled

I'm not sure if Art Howe said that about last nights game, but I'm sure he was thinking it.

One thing is becoming apparent, Steve Trachsel's nagging shoulder may be pretty serious. He has given up 23 runs in his last 41 innings which is good for a 5.05 era. That spans his last seven starts. Since the All-Star break, hitters are batting .316 off of him and he has a 4.82 era with a 1-4 record. On the season, his WHIP is an unimpressive 1.42. Hopefully he can turn it around, but at this point it appears as if his ERA is headed north of 4.00.

I was at a bar last night and I was waiting to get a drink. Next to me I hear some guy talking to his friend and he says "You know Kazmir is pitching on Monday?". Then that got me going and his friend who is also a Met fan says, "I do not care what happens, as long as the Yankees do not win the World Series, it was a succesful season". The fact that a succesful season for some Met fans is predicated on whether or not the Yankees win the World Series speaks volumes about the state of the organization over the last few years. It is actually depressing. The Mets front office truly knows little about how to build long sustained success for an organization. 1999 and 2000 are looking like and abberation. Click on the links below and take a look at the rosters of both teams.

2000 Mets
1999 Mets

As you can see, the Mets did not make the playoffs due to the Mets assemblage of top talent, but rather timely hitting, good pitching, excellent fielding, and yes...even some good managing. I used to point to the fact that the Mets made the playoffs very recently to illustrate some recent successes, and they were successful those years. Just not because of owners and the GM.

Franco has his recent inactivity
"I don't have a problem with anybody. What frustrates me is I'd like to know. If I'm not going to pitch, I'd like to know. It's all I ask. I'm not demanding to pitch."

From the Daily News:
He now wears removable teeth, and will consider pitching without them in the nationally televised game because they aren't entirely comfortable. "That would be a good picture with me on the mound," he quipped.

Glavine threw off a mound at a high school near his Alpharetta, Ga., home Tuesday, but worries about his control given a two-week layoff between starts. His bottom lip remains numb, causing him to drool on himself, and his left knee is sore when he runs, though not during his delivery.

"Going around without two teeth in your mouth, it's a blow to your self-esteem," he said. "But if it feels weird [when he starts against the Giants on Saturday], I wouldn't hesitate to take them out."

Great, he will be toothless and drooling on the mound for the Mets. Unreal, this is like a comedy show. It will be good to see him get back on the mound though. The Mets need him to be big.

MLB to start it's own channel. If you are thinking there will actually be ML baseball action think again. During the first year, there may only be spring training games, minor league games, and some international competetion.

In his best James Baldwin impression, Neal Musser gave up 10 runs in three innings of work. It does not really matter when the end score was, Norfolk lost.

The 20 year old Ambiorix Concepcion is becoming one of my favorite players in the Mets minor league system. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2001 and he is currently batting .319 with seven homeruns and forty RBIs. He also has a nice arm too.

"Da Da Da Dum, Da Da Dum," chanted Cyclones right fielder Ambiorix Concepcion yesterday, one day after his play throwing out Matt Shepherd of the New Jersey Cardinals reached Top 10 Plays on ESPN's SportsCenter.

It was listed as No. 3 on the show and it came as a surprise to Concepcion, who found out moments after it aired from Cyclones trainer Ruben Barrera.

Hopefully he continues to develop as a rare outfield prospect for the New York Mets.