A blog dedicated to the New York Mets with some other baseball thrown in.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Que?

Can anyone explain to me why the Mets hottest hitter would be removed from the second spot and moved down to the bottom of the order in favor of a backup? That only makes sense in one person's mind and to have him behind someone that has become somewhat of a double play machine just compounds my confusion. Not that it is really haunting the Mets in today's game or anything, but just bizarre to say the least and quite nonsensical.

Jon Adkins looked decent. Hard to really get a read off of one inning, but my first impression was a good one. With Smith gone and Heilman seemingly better with a bit of rest between outings, there should be opportunities for him to show that he is a big league reliever.

* * *

  • Just let this sink in. A pizza that is 646 calories per slice and has crust that consists of bacon wrapped sausage. It also has mini burger patties, garlic chips, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, parmigiana cheese, and pepperoni. Not enough? I didn't think so either...for an more kick, it comes with ketchup and maple syrup for 'extra flavor'.

    I have my ticket ready and I'm moving to Japan.

  • This isn't funny at all, but if you have free time go for it.

  • I'm really not sure why this is a big issue. He made a throwing error. If he walked eight and looked like the 2005 Oliver Perez, that is one thing. He has easily been the Mets most consistent starter and still managed to lower his ERA to 2.84 during a game in which he game up five runs. I am not concerned about him in the least bit.

  • It looks like Pedro might be pitching on a mound in an actual game situation.

  • Talk about her glass being half empty. I don't buy trading talent for anyone marginally better than what we have and certainly not for Vazquez (though he has the most upside) or Livan. That is just a ridiculous suggestion as the Mets already have a solid four man rotation set for the playoffs baring injury. Stand pat on the rotation unless Roy Oswalt gets put on the market, which he won't.

  • Demoting Joe smith for some rest and relaxation might end up being a very, very good thing. If he is taxed mentally and physically, a bit of time off will do him good. Hopefully, he can come back because he is sorely needed in the bullpen...or at least the March/April/May version of Joe Smith.

  • Who knew?

    This date in Mets history -- July 26: An error by shortstop Julian Gotay, the uncle of Mets second baseman Ruben, and a sacrifice bunt by Al Jackson were ingredients in the rally that allowed Jackson to prevail over Bob Gibson in the Mets' 1-0 victory against the Cardinals in the first game of a split doubleheader at the first Busch Stadium on this date in 1962.
    Jackson, who pitched a complete game, threw the only four shutouts for the team that lost 120 games.


  • This is certainly encouraging:

    "We don't necessarily go out to work on stuff," Milledge said. "We go out to chat, just talk about the game. I feel relaxed when I talk to Rickey. It kind of focuses me a little bit more. Gets me ready to play."

  • This sucks and I actually mean it. Utley is one of my most favorite non-Met players and even if I was concerned about the Phillies (not concerned one iota about them or anyone else unless a certain team reels in Mark T.) I would not want to see this happen.

  • Here is another thing that I just do not get. Why they did not trade Belliard and Young is beyond me. Even if you get a B prospect back, it is better than two useless years of these two with no upside. They really need to gear for three or four years down the line when their better prospects might make an impact. Newsflash, Bowden is a bad GM.

  • Mark Herrmann thinks the Mets need a bit of motivation.

    They need something that puts them on the right track and keeps them there. The 2006 Mets were self-starters who never lost stride and finished with a kick. These Mets need a little nudge.

    Nothing major, mind you. Just enough to avoid lapses like the one that ruined their sleepy noontime game against the Pirates at Shea Stadium yesterday. As embarrassing as it was to waste Oliver Perez's gem-in-the-making and fall to a lowly team, 8-4, it was only one loss, not Greek tragedy.


    Part of me thinks they already had their wake up call, but it is hard to argue with the man's logic.

  • I personally do not like 'buy now and pay later' deals for any players. However, sometimes you have to make concessions for some players for the betterment of the team. The only question is, is Torii that guy?

  • Did anyone actually think they were drinking spring water? They are reporting this like some big dirty secret was found out. Dasani and Auquafina were well known as being tap water. Brilliant strategy if you ask me. I don't have new info on this, but back in '03 things looked like this:

    1. Aquafina (PepsiCo) $936 million 11.3 %
    2. Dasani (Coca-Cola) $834 million 10 %
    3. Poland Spring (Nestle Waters) $649 million 7.8%


    That's a whole lotta scratch for tap water.
  • Labels:

    15 Comments:

    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I assume Willie is batting LM lower in the lineup to teach him humility and force him to work his way up through the lineup.

    Dasani is purified tap water with minerals added for “spring” water taste. It probably is healthier than Poland Spring. However, Poland Spring tastes better.

    The Mets are a team with a heart. They magnanimously gave 2 wins to 2 of the worst teams in baseball that needed the victories for their self worth. Mike Bacsik must have felt like he was Johann Santana. The Mets must of have thought he was too.

    Jorge Sosa is starting to look like the Sosa we all know and love. His brief flirtation with quality pitching will be a source of inspiration for him later in life. It’s amazing how he can either be so good or so pathetically bad.

    Most sports writers and media types have little regard for and knowledge of the minor leagues and believe in the Steve Phillips way of doing business. There are a lot of fans who believe that the Mets can replace the kids with FA acquisitions. They fail to realize that the Mets are holding steady on their spending and I question how often you can find extreme value on the cheap as the Mets tried to do this past off-season. It annoys me to think of them giving up a significant prospect for someone they could have had for money in the off-season.

    11:19 PM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    If the Mets blow money on FA acquisitions, they wouldn't have any payroll flexibility to make deals. I'm not in favor of trading significant prospects for 2 month rentals, that's for sure.

    Poland spring tastes better, plus it doesn't sound like an outsourcing company like Dasani does.

    7:01 PM

     
    Blogger Coop said...

    Mike, you could have been a sooth sayer. Willie pulls a typical Willie move and has no idea how to manage his line up, bench or the team for that matter. Sending Tom Glavine to pinch hit in the 9th????? WTF? Send Heilman up for that. What a loser. You know, not like we needed to win this game or anything.

    8:19 AM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I didn't understand why he went through the trouble of pinch running El Duque then use Marlon Anderson as a pinch hitter. He could have used Castro (he was going in the game anyway), and just switched the batting order around, couldn't he?

    Oh well, at least Pelfrey didn't lose again, he looked pretty good. What is that in his mouth that he keeps playing with, a bridge or a mouthpiece? Very distracting.

    8:44 AM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I am pissed that the best we will do against the Nats is split the series... overall offensively its a testament to the pitching staff that we are still in 1st place or the Least Division is that bad... we do not need to trade for 2nd baseman or bullpen help... what we need to do is have Beltran when healthy and Delgado hit in the clutch.

    11:47 AM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Delgado not letting his mind wander while in the field would also help.

    The Mets really miss Duaner Sanchez.

    Hopefully the Mets won't do anything stupid over the next couple of days.

    8:04 AM

     
    Blogger michael o. said...

    Unfortunately I missed that crazy second game of the double header so I am not 100% clear about what happened.

    It seems there was a lot of people who felt Castro should have come in an pinch hit, but again, I have no idea what happened.

    RE: Milledge batting 7th...I just think you bat your best players higher in the lineup to you know...get them more at-bats. Seems simple enough logic to me.

    The kid has been on the radar for years since he was in high school so the fact he is hitting and playing well should not a surprise. With Gotay, I get the hesitation, but not with Milledge. He needs to be in the sixth spot or the second spot at this point while Beltran is out and I'm not totally against moving Beltran into the two hole and going with Reyes, Beltran, Wright, Delgado, Alou, Milledge, Gotay, and LoDuca once Beltran returns.

    You ask me, that is a loaded lineup that is also balanced for the most part. You have power and speed grouped closely together and a team that looks, really, really tough.

    Also....I love Gotay's swing from the left side. Consistent line drives and he just always gets good contact in his at-bats. He doesn't look horrible in the field, but he has some things to work on.

    9:25 AM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Mike-

    You are the prospect expert. However it seems to me, the Mets are lacking those mid level prospects that it would take to fill the Mets hole in middle relief.

    It seems like they have the legit top level prospects with high ceilings (Milledge, Gomez, Martinez, Pelfrey, Humber) after that its manily minor league filler or guys like Guerra who are too young to trade without fear of them exploding in two years. I feel like Carp and Mulvey are the only two who fit the bill like that.

    Anyone I am missing?

    Adam

    12:49 PM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Looks like Texiera is going to the Braves. Crap.

    1:58 PM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    mets officially have the worst first base situation in the nl east right now.

    but we've paid the most!

    real down on delgado

    3:24 PM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Delgado has been solid for about a month now. No need to fear.
    Delgado will be good for the rest of the season...

    Mets getting Luis Castillo. They're about 4 years too late but fuck it, he's good, I'll take him.

    3:33 PM

     
    Blogger Professor Chaos said...

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    3:36 PM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Saturday's second game was a real head scratcher. I think Castro was in the on deck circle, and Lo Duca got hurt. So they pinch run a pitcher for PLD, and put up Marlon Anderson instead of Castro. Anderson was 3 for 5 against the pitcher, but Willie burned a bench player when Anderson Hernandez was sent down to make room for Pelfrey. If Castro had batted, they could have done the old double-switch, couldn't they?

    Delgado is hitting now, maybe he can carry the team, but his defense is horrible.

    Looks like the Braves won't be bringing Andruw back, replacing him with Texiera in terms of payroll.

    5:15 PM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    this has been a quiet deadline compared to the last few years...

    im not impressed with delgado last month. he has raised his avg but i dont like what ive seen.

    linda cohn is such a mets fan. she wont stop talking about the castillo trade.

    we have 4 second basemen and 4 outfielders. can we put beltran on the DL?

    11:46 PM

     
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I wanted Gagné but the Red Sox got him. Fuck that is one silly willy bullpen.

    Once I heard the Mets got "aggresive" in regards to Chad Cordero, I started watching video of him on MLB.TV and ehhh, I don't like what I see, he's not explosive, he's just MEH
    I want top notch quality relivers and Cordero isn't looking like one with his 1.30 WHIP.

    2:40 PM

     

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