Close Call

This story says one of two things to me.

1) People within the game really truly were ignorant about the PED use in the clubhouses.
2) People within the game really truly did not care about the PED use in the clubhouses.

If Willie had any sort of pull, the Mets would probably be unjustly in the middle of this shit storm whether or not one player got anything from MacNamee. I have no idea if MacNamee would have been slinging the stuff last season, but it is clearly something that would have been chewed on by the media and spit out time and time again.

Luckily for us and the Mets, Willie has no clout in the organization and has no say in personnel. I do not think MacNamee is an evil guy for supplying some players with the juice and HGH. For me, that is a victimless crime. I think Rick Down might have been trying to help some guy out in an innocent way, but that would have been a flat out disaster.

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It is way to premature to talk about Pedro and a long term contract. I know we all will speak to the intangibles about Pedro's contract, but that just makes us sounds like the people who support David Eckstein.

From a financial standpoint, it really has been a disaster. He was useless for two years. I would be OK with giving him another two years if he gives six healthy months, but I would be very wary and the dollar amount would have to be reasonable. I am not sure $24 million over two years would make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but I guess we will have to see what level he performs at.

Kevin Kernan hits the nail on the head.

Don't do it. Don't change a thing. Be yourself, don't be a robot. Don't tame the tiger, don't try to be like Jeremy Shockey who toned down his act and then fell off the face of the football earth. This isn't the No Fun League, this is baseball.

If you want to change something, lay off the high fastballs and don't joke too much with opponents on second base.

As for all the handshakes, the pure joy of playing, the first-to-third smiles, don't change a thing. Be yourself. Be the player God made you to be with that Hall of Fame personality. If teams like the Marlins think you are showing them up, too bad, you're not, you're just being yourself.

I want to see more choreographed handshakes, I want to see more joy, and I want you to make the game fun for everyone who watches you play. If opponents get upset, that's life.

The crazy part is that it does not seem to be coming from the Mets.

David Wright doesn't want to see you change, especially at Shea. "When the fans get going, it's tough as a visitor to come in there when that place is rocking and Jose is part of that reason because the fans feed off of his energy," Wright said.

Omar Minaya agrees. "I don't want him to change, " he said.

Hopefully Reyes revert back to old Jose when the season changes. The only thing he needs to work on is taking another leap forward in plate discipline and work on getting his GB/FB ratio back up to the 1.38 area.

Kunz is no Joba. Actually, I'm not sure he is half of Joba.

I usually like Billy Wagner, but this is ridiculous.

"If he got that bunt down, I would have drilled the next guy," Wagner said. "Play to win against Villanova."

Frankly, Michigan wanted to win. The Mets did not care. The kids wanted to beat a big league team and played like that.

"He couldn't bring himself to drill the kid," Randolph said. " Nolan Ryan might have. Nolan or Roger [Clemens] may have done it, kid or not."

While the Mets viewed the game as their preseason tuneup, Michigan was fired up, and Randolph mentioned that all the Wolverines' chatter "-- me off a little bit."

They were pumped. Why can't the millionaires let the kids have some fun? Ridiculous.

Also from the above link:

Extra bases

Orlando Hernandez finally threw a batting practice session and looked sharp. El Duque has been delayed by foot problems.

Bill Madden? Wrong.

Just when it seemed baseball was finally rid of Barry Bonds and the terrible blight he has brought upon the game, comes the report in the St. Petersburg Times Monday of internal discussions the Tampa Bay Rays have had recently about the counterfeit all-time home run king.

Why does baseball want to rid themselves of any talent? Would Bill Madden be saying this if the Astros were going to bring back Clemens for half of a season? Did he care when Pettitte came back? Again, Bonds is treated differently. Baseball would be 100% better off having him back because he is one of the top ten baseball players of all time and still performs at a high level. He is a legend and should be playing someone. Yes, he cheated. But if you ask me, it would be a travesty for him to never play again.

Barry Lamar

Rob Neyer wrote about Barry yesterday as did Joel Sheehan.

Last year, Bonds batted .276/.480/.565. Had he qualified—he was 25 plate appearances short—he would have the led the NL in OBP by a wide margin and finished in the top ten in slugging. In fact, using the rule that you can add an 0-for-25 to his stats, he actually did lead the NL in OBP. That’s called dominating the category.

Of course, a chunk of Bonds’ OBP comes from the intentional walks he receives: 43 last season. You can argue that this disproportionately inflates his OBP, a function less of Bonds’ abilities and more of Brian Sabean’s inability to find hitters better than Ray Durham and Bengie Molina to hit behind his Hall of Famer. So lop 35 intentional walks off of Bonds’ total, and give him the average performance in his other at-bats in those 35 times up. That makes him a .276/.439/.565 hitter, assuming he drew no walks in that time and saw the same distribution of lefties and righties, both ungenerous assumptions. He’d pick up a couple of homers, and almost certainly a lot of RBI, both of which would inflate his value to the people who seem to think “66 RBI” is an indication of value.

Sports is not exactly a place that truly values ethics. You cheated? Who cares if you can help the team win. There are plenty of other steroid users in the league and sure Barry comes with a bit more of a media circus, but that would mean he should be kept out of New York and Boston.

Of course Rob Neyer thinks it is a matter of people not wanting to pay all that handsomely for the privilege to have a crazy distraction and believes if he came with a cheap price tag he would find a home. His 170 OPS+ tells me he can pretty much add a shit ton of value to a team on the cusp. Say the Seattle Mariners or someone along those lines.

I cannot see baseball blackballing him because he has not done anything different than many, many, many other players who had no problems finding contracts or roster spots. This entire situation is perplexing to say the least and the longer he stays out there the more bizarre it is. It is not as if he adds marginal production or is looking for a long term deal that I know of. I could see why people would stay away from him in that case, but he still can do things that very few players can do.

He has cranky knees and cannot run all that fast, but there are far worse fielders out there and far slower runners. Any team that has him might have a 24+1 situation. They might not. I say who cares. They will get an extremely productive ballplayer that can maybe push a team into the playoffs.

* * *

It looks like Sandy Koufax was imparting some knowledge on some Met pitchers.

It turns out it wasn't just Pedro Martinez and Billy Wagner meeting with Sandy Koufax on Saturday morning. The Mets also had Jon Niese, the top left-handed pitching prospect in the organization, get together with Koufax.

I always like to read and hear these things, but I have no idea if any of that actually helps. I mean, that's what pitching coaches are for, right? In the end I guess another perspective does not hurt and especially the perspective of a guy like Koufax to other lefties.

El Duque is what he is. He is not dependable and the Mets also need to understand that he should not be cemented into the rotation. If Pelfrey rises to the occasion and pitches well, he has to get a look. I would rather Pelfrey get a large body of work in the bigs than just have him step in for injured guys. If The Duque goes down for the third year in a row at the end of the season, it could be detrimental yet again.

Nothing wrong with a little optimism in regards to John Maine. If he starts off the year right, the Mets should come forward with a long term deal around the All-Star break. He is going to get very expensive at the rate he is going. You think the Orioles would like to call take backs on that deal?

You always hear about players with good character and the Twins seemingly have picked up a handful of guys from the Mets that have great character. They have a great take on their situation and they have a great work ethic. Hopefully they impress the Twins with their talent and prove to the baseball universe they were a good pick up.

I have no idea if there actually was a problem with Willie and Jose, but Randolph going to his home turf would certainly smooth things over a bit. It is never a bad idea to make your players feel like they are actually part of a family and it certainly goes a long way to making the mental aspect of the game easier. The more comfortable you are the more relaxed you are. The more relaxed you are, the more you can concentrate on just playing the game.

I want a nice ten spot put up on Glavine when the Mets face him.

John Heyman has an article on Willie.

Willie Randolph possesses the qualities and credentials a manager in New York most needs: he's battle-tested, he's a winner, he's smart, he communicates well, and if you get to know him, he has a great sense of humor, which is a necessity at a time like this.

A winner? He was on winning teams, but I don't think that has any thing to do with him being able to win here. As for being smart in the baseball sense, that remains to be seen.

Mets people have spent a lot of the winter discussing and dissecting ways to improve. But if they think Randolph is going to become a different person, that's unlikely; after all, he rose from his roots being the way he is.

That would be reason enough for me to get rid of him. He actually needs to change a lot. Let us hope he is actually capable of change.

So pretty....eyes tearing......until I remember that they Mets are trying to screw me out of my partial season ticket package.

Pitches were throw by Padilla and Sanchez and their arms remained attached to their bodies. Good stuff.

The Mets are not letting Jose be Jose. I would not make a big deal out of every hard hit ball to the fence. It seems quite silly.

Things are looking bleak for Joe Smith in the bullpen. He posted a 123 ERA+ in 2007 and thought he did have a rough second half, it looked like he was out of gas. He also had a .516 BABIP which is just silly and something that won't continue. He is a pretty good guy to have stashed in the bullpen and things are looking really, really, really deep in at least one area of this Met ball club.

Common Sense Prevails!

The LoDuca lovers (just speculation that he is the apple of their eye) are out in full force. Look, I do not love Yorvit. However, what else was out there? The trade possibilities were uninspiring and the Mets need to hang onto whatever little prospects they have if no one was appreciably better. Besides, you cannot overlook the fact that Ramon Castro, who might be better than anyone they have been looking at or rumored to be looking at, is still around and will get a large chunk of playing time.

Jonathan (Dallas, TX): The Mets have officially signed Yorvit Torrealba. The downfall of Omar Minaya has begun.

SportsNation Keith Law: Torrealba's not a good player - didn't make my top 50 free agents - but what were the alternatives on the market? He's not blocking anyone. They didn't pass on a significantly better free agent catcher, unless you want to roll the dice on Barrett bouncing back (which he will, but there's risk there). In the abstract, it's a bad signing. In context, it's understandable.

If you can name some type of scenario where the Mets make out better, I would love to know. Ramon Hernandez would have been nice, but he was not going to share time with Castro and he would have cost a top prospect and would not have been a complete salary dump. Laird? Is he all that much better of a choice? Shoppach? I'm a big fan of him, but there is still some uncertainty there and he would have cost more talent than Laird even though Castro could be better.

jLuft: So Shoppach can't hit outside breaking pitches. Yorvit can't hit...at all. Aren't there minor leaguers, salary dumps (Ramon Hernandez?), or younger and cheaper players (Shoppach) that would easily be able to equal or beat Yorvit's production and not require a multi-year deal? I don't see how this is a defensible signing. What do you project Yorvit to hit next year with Shea as his home park?

SportsNation Keith Law: You have to give something up in players to get those other guys. And I don't think the Mets wanted to deal any of their better prospects to fill the catching hole when they might want to have them available to go after a big SP.

I think the main thing people are glazing over with this signing is that Yorvit will not be the everyday starter and there will be two guys getting significant amounts of time. I will guarantee that the two headed monster of Torrealba and Castro will put up better numbers than anyone the Mets were looking at. This is not a bad thing at all. Is it a great thing? Shit no, but it is more of an innocuous move that does not deserve as much ire and attention as it is getting. Remember, the key word to this off-season should be prudent. The Mets simply cannot panic as a result of their meltdown and this move was a prudent move when you factor in the other options and Ramon Castro.

* * *

Now to second base....

Andre (GA): Hey Keith, I have a 2 part question: I kinda feel Luis Castillo is too old, almost no power and too expensive to man 2B for the mets. How ready is Ruben Gotay to play there as a regular and is he worth it?? and two with Minaya expressing his desire to trade young talent for an ace pitcher, who do see becoming a trading partner with the Mets and what player might be involved??

SportsNation Keith Law: The Mets don't feel Gotay is good enough defensively to handle 2b. I think his range is fine, and he needs work turning the double play, but that can improve with work. His bat is ready - I'd take his bat over Castillo's, especially since Castillo is old, slowing down, and getting a little thick. The Mets will kick the tires on any #1/#2 starters made available, but right now only Erik Bedard really fits that bill, and Baltimore would like to make sure they can't sign him long-term before they shop him.

As Danny stated yesterday and as we have discussed before, a Gotay and Easley platoon would be just fine. No need to go crazy at second if you do not have to and it certainly gives the Mets some leverage. They are not desperate, but it would be nice to upgrade.

Castillo for longer than two years would be a disaster and Omar should know that. The fact that Houston is looking at Castillo for a long time and are looking to add Cordero as well is mind boggling. When they should be looking at rebuilding, they are looking at bringing in more pieces that will not be around when they are winning. Fucking ponderous.

It looks like Jake Peavy and the Padres are going to be talking contract extension and that is upsetting. However, not as upsetting as I thought it would be since I thought he was going to be a free agent after the '08 season, but it turns out he had an option for '09 anyway. The Padres are not poor and Barry Axelrod is not Scott Boras. I fully expect something to be in place prior to the beginning of the season.

Wallace Matthews is being a negative nelly again and he did not have to wait long to eat his words.

If anyone is being used here, it's the Yankees, but they must know this, mustn't they? Because if they believe they're getting Rodriguez in a room by himself, they must also believe somebody can do a better job of managing this team than Joe Torre. (Oh, wait a minute ... )

Ziiiiing! Ha ha...he's so funny with that subtle knock at the Yankees. First, Joe Girardi is probably going to be a better manager than Torre in many, many, many respects. Second, A-Rod has signed already.

The sides still are working on putting together a provision that would allow Rodriguez to share revenue created by his pursuit of the career home record held by Barry Bonds, who was indicted Thursday on perjury and obstruction charges. A-Rod has 518 homers, 244 shy of the mark.

Well, Matthews is part right I guess because A-Rod's deal has Boras written all over it. It is a bizarre and hard to determine provision. Or at least I would presume it to be hard to determine for a team that already sells out all of it's games and maximizes their revenue.

"Because he's generating such enormous revenue potential, both to the player and the club, there should be some way for the player and the club to capitalize on that achievement in some fashion," said Gene Orza, the union's chief operating officer. "The devil will be in the details. The minds of men and women in the sport should be able to figure this out."

Shocking statement from the player's union. Really, take more money out of the owner's pocket and put it into the pocket of a player?

"There are a few cynics who say, 'Well, he really couldn't get this there,' " Steinbrenner said. "Trust me, he would have gotten probably more. He is making a sacrifice to be a Yankee, there's no question. ... He showed what was really in his heart and what he really wanted."

Everyone is in save face mode. The Yankees are saying he came crawling back to them. A-Rod is saying he finally had an epiphany. Who gives a shit. Everyone made out and no one is going to give two shits about this come the start of the season much less three years from now. I am just very excited the A-Rod watch is over.

I think Neyer said it best though...

We've been reading that A-Rod came back to the Yankees because he's been so disturbed by all the nasty things people have been saying about him. Sorry. I'm not buying that. I think he's come back for the same reason the Yankees have reneged on their sworn promise to spurn all negotiations if he opted out of his old deal: business.

Rodriguez simply wasn't going to get that $35 million per season that Scott Boras was talking about. Not from the Yankees or anyone else. And it seems he wasn't going to get even $30 million from anyone else. Teams really have wised up. Crawling back to the Steinbrothers is simply good business for A-Rod and his agent.

The Yankees need a third baseman. They literally have more money than they can spend this winter, considering the thin crop of free agents who might be slotted into the roster. Yes, they look a little silly, negotiating with A-Rod so soon after swearing they absolutely, positively would not. You know what? Nobody's going to care. People say things they don't really mean all the time, and the grown-ups all knew it (even if I didn't). Locking up A-Rod forever is simply good business for the Yankees.

None of this is about pride, or redemption, or egos. It's about business.

Just an aside, A-Rod is still a big douche.

Jeter is a criminal. So is Bonds.


Wait. Barry did steroids? Get out of here. I'm shocked. Can we all stop this? Barry did roids and lied about it, but a lot of other people did as well. Sure, not in front of a Federal Grand Jury, but we are talking about baseball and steroids. He impeded a legal proceeding, which is a bad thing, but so did the former President of the United States.

Now this is all supposed to tarnish his legacy? It should be just as tarnished as it was two days ago, which is marginally and I'm not buying "but now we reeeaaalllllyy know" argument. To act like this is all Bonds' fault it nuts. This steroid debacle was everyone's fault and is similar to the mortgage mess. The mortgage mess is the brokers fault for originating the loans, the investors fault for having an appetite for riskier loans with high interest rates which had driven the entire market, the rating agencies faults for putting those risky securities on par with government bonds, the borrowers faults for not being a more educated consumer (I mean it is only the biggest investment you will make in your life), etc.

How has Bonds become the fall guy for this steroid era? When the Mitchell report comes out, many, many, many big names will be named and yet everyone wants to vilify Bonds for taking steroids as if he was the only one. Again, cheating in the game of baseball has been around since the first pitch in many forms. For me, I do not seperate forms of cheating. In sports, everyone tries to get a leg up on the competition. That does not make it ok, but cheating is certainly not isolated and certainly not new.

If this impacts his Hall of Fame bid, it will be a shame. It is widely believed he was a Hall of Famer anyway and I could see how steroids would take a borderline guy out, but he is not a borderline guy. What if it comes out that Roger Clemens took them? Nothing. He will not be vilified and he will be in the Hall of Fame and I wonder why Bonds is getting treated differently.