I Hate Roberto Alomar

I hate Roberto Alomar. I used to like him a lot as a player and was ecstatic to say the least when Steve Phillips brought in over here in a move that plenty lauded as genius, but he erased any positive feelings I had for him with his horrendously disappointing stint with the Mets. Kazuo is struggling right now and struggling big time. However, Matsui is better than this and not by just a little bit. Matsui should be the some of the cream of the crop when you are talking about offensive production from middle infielders in the National League. Offensively, I envision Kaz's offensive game to be very similar to Roberto's game. Maybe not his 1999 and 2001 seasons that were MVP like, but certainly every other season.

Kaz has exhibited at times this year what Roberto has done so well in terms of battling at the plate. Working a two strike count and fouling pitch, after pitch off. Those are the at bats that I see that keep making think Kaz is not far from turning it around, but time after time Matsui just slumps further and those at-bats have been few and far between. Like Roberto had some power and would hit a load of doubles, Kaz has that ability and can steal bases like Roberto. Kaz has the ability to be what Mets fans expected out of second base while Alomar was here and he has the ability to be a big part of this team.

Met fans so far have taken quite a dislike for him this year and a lot of that is Miguel Cairo sitting on the bench. If not for him, Kaz would just meld right in with the other under producing ball players on the offensive side for the Mets and taking the brunt of the boos that used to be reserved for Roger Cedeno. Last night he had a strong game in which he went 2 for 3 and hit a bases clearing triple the other day. Hopefully he will be able to build on this and work his way back up the lineup because he is much better than an eighth place hitter. His game is off right now and with two steals and only two doubles, he is probably not used to being in this territory. As of now, his SLG is .313 and he is on pace for eight doubles and eight steals in 150 games. In 2004, he had thirty two doubles and fourteen stolen bases in 114 games and he really seems like he is getting a bit more comfortable in the last few games. When he turns it on, they will come in bunches and hopefully he is on the verge of turning it on.

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Why does Buster Olney look for negative things to write about the Mets?

7:10 p.m. ET: Cincinnati's Paul Wilson goes back to Shea Stadium, where he was supposed to be a star, to work against the Mets' Kris Benson. The Guy Most Likely To Go Deep will be Ken Griffey Jr., who has a .500 career average against Benson -- seven hits in 14 at-bats, with two doubles and no homers.

Why even bring up Griffey? Why not mention Cliffy is the most likely player to smash one against Paul Wilson with a .409/.435/.591 line with one homer and a double in twenty-two at-bats? Why not mention the Mets were out for revenge against the slumping Reds who came in the game with the highest starting rotation ERA, the 4th highest bullpen ERA, and an 11 - 23 record since the opening series? It's just ridiculous that I've never read anything he's written slanted or saying something positive towards the Mets. Did he apply for a job with the Mets and not get it?

Some people were calling for DiFelice over Castro, and now they have DiFelice over Castro.

DiFelice, 35, is a career .239 hitter in 501 major league games with the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Why people were clamoring for DiFelice as the backup over Castro is beyond me, but he's an adequate backup.

SI throws the Mets under the bus.

New York Mets: Braden Looper responded to pressure and has been getting the job done. When the Mets wake up and realize they can't compete this year, expect them to experiment with the closer job.

I am still one of those disillusioned people who think the Mets can make some noise and could make the playoffs. But just out of curiosity, who are they going to experiment with? Heath Bell is the only guy with a future on this team that comes close to profiling as a closer.

Benson looked sharp topping out at 94 on the gun and going 7 2/3 innings.

It's nice to have a Gold Glover in right.

Just let this sink in. Ted Robinson said it during last night's broadcast, and though you know it, it just sounds good to hear it. 21-year old David Wright leads the team in walks. Coming into last nights game he had twenty walks.

The bad part? Wright is on track for 83 walks and NO Met is on track for 100.

The Orioles are still interesting in Mike Cameron.

Wilson remains the most likely to be moved, given the Rockies' organizational depth in center field. The Nationals expressed interest before landing the Phillies' Marlon Byrd, and the Orioles discussed Wilson but now are focused on the Mets' Mike Cameron.

Diaz has been demoted to make room for Kaz Ishii, who will start tonight against the Reds. Big deal? Not really. Now Willie will not be able to sit his hottest hitter in Cliff Floyd to get Victor some work. Zambrano will be in the bullpen for tonight if Kaz needs help, but will start either Saturday or Sunday against the Yankees, who he has had pretty good success against. Even if he gets shelled, he should have plunked two or three Yankees in the process, which is just like a win.

They still have not figured it out. From the about link:

Randolph acknowledged that Aaron Heilman, who started Sunday against the Cardinals, was considered to be farmed out to Triple-A Norfolk to accommodate Ishii's activation.

I know I should not get worked up, but why is this still even an option?

A unnamed scout:

"They're much better than they were a year ago, no question about that," the scout said, "and against the Yankees you'd have to give them the edge in left field and center field. But Reyes is a very important player for them and somebody's got to get to him and make him understand he's got to get more selective. I can't believe some of the pitches I've seen him swing at. It's too bad Willie can't just give him a video of how he used to play. I know a lot of people are down on (Kaz) Matsui, but I like him. He's gotten some really big hits and at least he'll take a walk.

"In the end, the Mets are going to have to win with pitching and with (Tom) Glavine really a No. 4 guy in the rotation now, the two guys they got last summer have to pitch like 'twos' and 'threes.' I just don't know if they are."

For anyone that did not see the Mets game last night, Koo's at bat was pretty funny. He was standing so far off the plate that an inside fastball would have been tough for him to reach. Needless to say, he struck out and did not lift the bat off his shoulder. He had no intention of taking his hacks.

From BA:

Georgia prep lefthander Miers Quigley has been shut down with tendinitis in his arm. Quigley started strong in the spring, hitting 94 mph in his first start, but has seen his velocity dip into the upper 80s throughout the spring while battling arm tenderness. Quigley’s poor senior season, coupled with makeup questions, has dropped him out of first-round consideration.

Maybe he'll drop to the mid-rounds and the Mets may be able to take a stab at him.

In the minors:

• Hagerstown lost 8-1 to Greensboro and nothing interesting happened. Only two Suns got hits.
  
• St. Lucie lost to Sarasota 6-8, but who cares? Lastings Milledge continues to be on a tear with a 3 for 5 nights with one run scored. He is now up to .244.
  
• Indianapolis beat Norfolk 7-3 capping off a trifecta of losses for the Mets minor league affiliates that played yesterday.