Loyal To a Fault

"Are you kidding?" said our industry source. "Not even Omar is that crazy. Vidro has no value, [Livan] just had surgery and last I looked Milledge is one of the top prospects in baseball.

"There is absolutely no basis for this rumor at all. That is, unless the Nats and Red Sox called the Mets, proposed it, and [Omar] hung up laughing so hard he hurt himself and was physically unable to say no."

Our source went on to reiterate that "Milledge is not going anywhere unless it's for Zito and only if they give the Mets a 72-hour window and if it's done before the season starts.

"Minaya will not deal Milledge in any deadline deals...he's been pretty adamant about that, so if he survives spring training, he'll be a Met."

Omar stands by his guys. He loves his old players and will try and give them the opportunity to succeed over and over again. Endy Chavez has not only been thrown into the mix, but given a Major League contract. The team already had four outfielders on the Major League roster and one guy in Tike Redman, who figured to compete as the backup centerfielder that could be a defensive replacement/platoon guy and as a left-handed bat off the bench. Endy Chavez represents the same type of player as Tike Redman, but will cost money if cut from the team and is needlessly taking up a spot on the 40 man roster. The redundancy is certainly perplexing, but would have been acceptable if the best man would be able to win the job.

Omar is sometimes almost loyal to a fault. Maybe he feels he knows his old players better and their abilities since he is so familiar with them, but for whatever reason he tends to lean towards them. It is not only not out of the realm of possibilities that Redman out performs Chavez this spring and does not make the team, but highly likely. Just like Heath Bell is set to be a causality solely because he has options while less talented players head north simply because they got Major League contracts.

As it relates to this rumor that has apparently been shot down, it is tough to feel safe whenever rumors include his old guys. Mark Healy did a good job shooting down the rumor that was posted on Metsgeek.com by Rich from a Red Sox website and then relayed by Ryan McConnell at Always Amazin'. Normally I would not pay any mind, but we know a few things about Omar so far. We know that Omar wants to strengthen the middle and we know that he loves his old guys. As crazy as the trade sounds, it still worries the shit out of me simply because after Milledge, the Mets have absolutely nothing to get a deal done. For the same reason they had to deal Kazmir due to lack of depth they would have to deal Milledge just to get a deal for a marginal package of players. Of course we all know it sounds silly, but who isn't sweating just a bit?

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When the entire ordeal with Cablevision and the Yes Network (I don't care what it stands for, it's the dumbest TV station name) was going down, I wrote "No to Yes!" on every check that I wrote to Cablevsion. Now, the Mets say no to Yes.

As it turns out, SNY is not likely to resemble YES much at all. "SNY has a very different goal," says Richard Sandomir, media critic for The New York Times. "It doesn't want to be known purely as the Mets channel, or a homer station."

You mean we will not get treated to Mets-ographies and Met propaganda? You mean we will not be made to believe that the Mets are the only organization in existence? We will be able to actually see scores and highlights from around the league and just not whatever team has anything to do with the Mets? Fucking swell.

Of course I hope to see some Minor League games and some Met related content outside of the actually pre-game and broadcasts, but there is a happy medium and hopefully they achieve that.

The Red Sox might use their surplus of starting pitching to make a deal to improve the team.

With the surplus of arms -- and mindful that Nixon is eligible for free agency after the season -- Epstein could conceivably package a pitcher and infielder for outfield prospects or use a pitcher plus Nixon in an even bigger deal.

Carlos Delgado is excited to play Cubs in the World Baseball Classic.

"I'm not anxious to see them play good," Delgado said. "It will be interesting. They are fundamentally sound and know how to play the game. Non-professionally, Cuba is one of the best teams in the world."

Cuba being exclude was problem for me. Yes, they have an oppressive regime, but Venezuela does not have any civil unrest? The US does not deal with any other countries that are oppressive and have been under scrutiny for human rights violations? Baseball should not have to do with politics. It should only worry about the game and excluding Cuba would be ridiculous. It is a shame that Cuba will not be utilizing their Major League players of Cuban descent, but I think that is understandable given the circumstances. Cuba being allowed to play was the right thing to do in the end.

What's the over/under on the numbers players that defect?

If you are interested, Baseball America scouted the Cuban team today. The team might even feature a sixteen year old player which is just nuts considering the level of talent on some of the other teams.

The most intriguing youngster is 16-year-old Dayan Viciedo, MVP of the World Junior Championships last fall. In Serie Nacional, the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder made the all-star team while playing for Villa Clara. While Viciedo is far from a lock to make the team, his appearance on the provisional roster stamps him as one of Cuba’s brightest young talents.