Kaz #2?

"No one said a thing to me," said Phillips. "But if it's true, I have mixed emotions. I don't know anything except the New York Mets. It will be like the first day of college. 'Where do I stand?' ... At least someone wants me."

Omar is going to corner the market on disenfranchised backup catchers. Jason Phillips for Kaz Ishii? Giving up Jason Phillips is really no big deal, but how much does Kaz Ishii help? I’ve posted about Matt Ginter a few days ago and Kaz Ishii does not help in any way but with depth. He has never topped 172 innings, so if you are looking for the gift of innings, do not look here. With him and Zambrano at #4 and #5, it will seem like a walk parade for two games in a row. Kaz's BB/9 have been 6.19, 6.18, and 5.13 the last three years. His IP/S is 5.5 for his career. I'm not seeing how he helps above and beyond Matt Ginter, but he does add some more depth. With him and Victor on back to back days, a seven man bullpen becomes utterly necessary and Ginter should be in it. The move, while not a bad one, only gives depth, but not an upgrade over the current options besides being more of a known quantity. However, the trigger needs to get pulled. Having Ginter as the long man allows him to spot start so the Mets keep Pedro fresh and the Mets keep all their prospects.

Perfect situation? No, but he's a decent #5 guy.

* * *

Kris Benson had a solid start going five innings, posting a 0.60 WHIP, and four strikeouts. The 10 inning tie did not feature many other special things besides Victor Diaz going 2 for 4.

The NY Daily News says the Mets returned RHP Francisco Campos to Campeche of the Mexican League. So much for my bullpen prediction. I suck.

According to the NY Times, the Mets are talking with Billy Koch.

A person familiar with the situation said the Mets had had some discussions with Koch, but that they were very preliminary and that the Mets needed to do some more work researching Koch before signing him. Reports out of Blue Jay camp had Koch's fastball clocked at a weak 88-89 mph this spring.

Under 90? Jeez. He's still worth a flyer though. Billy has fallen far, very far. He used to pump in into the high 90's.

Roberto Alomar is set to retire from baseball. Is he a Hall of Famer? Roberto is a career .300 hitter, with a .371 career OBP, 2724 hits, 1134 RBIs, 210 homers, and 474 stolen bases. I think he should be in and it is shame how much he has tarnished his imaged since his MVP type season in 2001.

The Nats looking to add some more punch?

Right field? Austin Kearns is winning over Wily Mo Pena by about the same distance as Secretariat won the Belmont. He has not only grabbed it with both hands, he has stuffed it into his back pockets.

Kearns hit safely in the first 10 games he played this spring — 14-for-38, .438, four doubles, a homer and five RBIs. Pena is hitting .114 with one double in 35 at-bats and 15 strikeouts.

The article mentions the Reds will be interested in taking some of their surplus pitching in the form of Zach Day or Livan Hernandez.

Phil Sheridan thinks it is time for Fehr and Selig to go.

t is good that Bud Selig and Donald Fehr were in the room when Mark McGwire damned himself and his records with silence on Thursday. It is good that Selig, the commissioner of baseball, and Fehr, the union's leader, saw the scene with their own eyes.

That is where their stewardship led baseball, to a hearing on Capitol Hill that will leave a permanent stain on the sport. And that is why any future for Major League Baseball shouldn't include Bud Selig or Donald Fehr.

If they have any concern for baseball, they will resign. Both of them. As soon as possible.

How can anyone trust these two again? Eleven years ago, their inability to reach agreement on a labor contract resulted in the cancellation of the World Series. Since then, their tacit approval of steroid use by players led the game into its current quagmire.

I do not blame Selig. He did a lot of good for the game and this falls squarely on the MLBPA's shoulders as they fought for the lax testing and were against invading the player's privacy.

Mike DeJean is a militant nut.

DeJean named the corner, though not every resident is as obsessed with camouflage as Ginter.

"We're the worst, or the best," DeJean says, referring to himself and Ginter. He keeps a photo of his $40,000 camo truck in his locker. Looper and Strickland are merely pledges in the fraternity Kappa Delta Mossy Oak.