"Being a Mets fan really sucks"

Those words did not come from my mouth, but came to me from my friend's fingers via a text message during the 9th inning of last night's game. For three consecutive innings, the Mets had a prime scoring opportunity only to come away with one run during those three innings. Keep in mind, it was a known fact the Phillies were opening the door for the Mets to close the gap during those chances and that this game was a golden opportunity to even up the loss column.

Of course, we are plagued Met fans damned to never to derive any sort of enjoyment from our favorite professional baseball team. Not us, we are doomed for a lifetime of let downs and not just any old let down. Let downs of enormous proportions. What will it take to reverse these misfortunes? If had those answers, I would certainly present them. However, there is nothing else we can do but grin and bear it.

Missed opportunities were abundant and now the Mets are in a Wild Card tie with the Brewers and in second place. They came into the game with a 72%+ chance of making the playoffs and had a 5-1 lead only to lose by three runs and end up with a 54%+ chance of making the playoffs.

Ticklish? Yeah, I think it would be safe to say things are ticklish and I think it is safe to say I watching the Mets last night was another poor allocation of my time. With Pedro up tonight and the Mets holding an open audition for Saturday's 2nd game, it is not exactly a a rosy outlook with a team that no one really wants to play coming to town this weekend and the team that knocked the Mets out of the playoffs last season.

* * *

The Mets will stay on WFAN and I guess that is good. There are no other stations with any sort of Met fan broadcasters in prominent roles.

Why must the Met fans not be allowed to boo? I am not a big boo person and have only booed for Roger Cedeno, but seriously. Last night I can forgive anyone with a temptation to boo.

"As everyone knows, this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately town and lately we haven't gotten the job done," David Wright said. "There's a lot of frustration. There's frustration with the fans, there's frustration in the stands, there's frustration in the dugout.

I am mostly frustrated because this is the second year in a row I might be giving the Mets a micro-loan for the payment of my playoff tickets that may never get used. If they refunded the money automatically, which they should do, it wouldn't be an issue, but they make it a process to get any money back. Typically that would not be an issue as I just put it towards my next season tickets, but we know that there will probably not be any partial season packages and frankly if they fail to make the playoffs again after a terrible collapse, I probably would not want to get them again.

Short rest for Johan? They don't need it. Some clutch hitting would have be fine and Johan cannot do that. This is on the offense to help this team make the playoffs and not Johan.

Evan Weiner is wrong. The Mets downsized and should have no problems filling their stadium and the Yankees will not have any issues whatsoever.

Ironic that the Twins might actually make the playoffs and the Mets might get left out, no?

Prognosis Negative

.477 winning % and a negative run differential with a 3-7 record in their last ten games. Hey, at least there is the Wild Card, right? Not so much. 7.5 games out of the Wild Card and six teams to leap frog versus three to leapfrog over for the division. The Phillies have an OPS+ of 107 and an ERA+ of 113 versus the Mets OPS+ of 97 and ERA+ of 96.

Last year, the Mets had an OPS+ of 107 and an ERA+ of 100 versus the Phillies OPS+ of 111 and an ERA+ of 97. Ten teams have been more proficient at hitting this season with only the Dodgers, Rockies, Giants, Padres, and Nationals being worse. Nine teams have been more proficient in regards to pitching this year with only the Padres, Marlins, Astros, Nationals, Pirates, and Rockies being worse.

Basically, things are not looking good and there really is no indication that things will be getting better and there is no reason to think the Mets are any better than the Phillies at this point in time and not in the near future. To think everyone will have an awakening and become the team everyone thinks they should have been, seems a bit naive at this point and I apolgize for being optimistic in the face of such mounting evidence. It is ugly. Very ugly.

* * *

Pelfrey looked tremendous in his last start and almost become league average with it. A jump to league average may seem like something marginal, but it is not and would be very encouraging. We all forget how he has pitched so few pro innings to date and still has plenty of room for growth.

You cannot make this stuff up.

"I'm feeling like it's very sore to walk," Alou said.

The 41-year-old left fielder would like to be active when the Mets begin a three-game series in Anaheim next week - Alou could be the DH in an AL park - but also knows his team needs healthy bodies for the weekend.

"I can't hold Omar [Minaya] and Willie [Randolph] to be a player short to see if I'd be able to [DH]," Alou said.

Who cares...let him hang around to DH. His bat then will be more valuable at that point than whatever they replace him with in the short term.

Instead of winning 20, Johan will fall short. He has been getting better and better and owns a 141 ERA+, 1.18 WHIP, and 2.85 ERA. He is definitely heating up.

Sure HoJo could take the fall, but then rip out the entire staff then. The hitting is not there so the hitting coach is a natural target, but hitting is far from their only problem. Hitting, culture, pitching, etc...You name it, it is wrong.

If not Randolph, then who? People want to give him a pass and go after Omar, but why? I think Omar deserves more of a second chance than Randolph does. I mean, what has Randolph done? Won? Not so much. Turned the team around? Not so much.

I am not ready to lambast Omar just yet and everyone cannot have it both ways. Didn't everyone WANT Johan? Gomez, Guerra, Humber, and Mulvey make things look better in terms of the farm system that people have been ripping him for, but then no Johan. As for the draft, it seems he is being capped by management to stay within slotting. Sure it is his job to convince them to do otherwise and he has failed at that, but he is still being restricted.

Also, he screwed up with some of his drafting by picking college relievers too early, but signing Beltran, Pedro, Wagner, and Alou hurt them bad as well. However, three of the four were necessary and you could easily say the Alou business was a colossal waste and a pick would have been better, but not the others. Has he REALLY killed the system? Looks to me like he had little choice. You can fault him for not persuading management to say fuck slot, but I simply cannot kill him for that.

As for some trades, the Bell deal was bad as was the Lindstrom deal. The Bannister deal was a league average pitcher jettisoned off, but he would be welcome these days. If you are going to hang the season on those deals, then you are missing some greater issues. His better moves (Duaner, Maine, and Perez) far outweigh the bad ones.

Delgado was a stud and had a 161 OPS+ before they got him and had a 131 OPS+ in year #1 and now Omar is an idiot for getting him? As bad as he was in '07, he had an OPS+ of 103 which is not terrible. Not many predicted this precipitous of a fall. He depended too much on El Duque? He picked him up for peanuts. The Castillo deal was a joke for sure, but he can be an expensive back up if they want to bite the bullet.

Overall, who would have done something differently? Adding Bannister and Bell help, but I do not remember people crying too much at the time of the deals. Fact is, Omar's moves did not work out in all cases, but he has done more good than bad and many of these deals are defensible. He should be on notice, but I think he should get another chance and the easiest and best thing to do is get rid of Willie. He doesn't get it and doesn't get how to manage and effectively use his players.

What goodwill has he built up? He has proved to be an inept manager from day one and has not built up any goodwill in my eyes. I have no real solution as to who to bring him, but anyone would be better by simply being different.

I Talk Prospects to Ignore the Pain

Jim Callis talks top 10 and I talk prospects so I can ignore the bigs.

1. Fernando Martinez, of
Still young and talented, but his lack of production may mean he's overhyped.
2. Ike Davis, 1b
Hulking lefthanded slugger can handle the outfield and pitch, too.
3. Reese Havens, ss
More likely a third baseman or possibly a catcher, stands out with approach and pop.
4. Jon Niese, lhp
Quietly having success in Double-A at age 21, he owns three solid pitches.
5. Dan Murphy, 3b
Having a breakout year with a .325 average and eight homers in Double-A.
6. Mike Carp, 1b
Back on track in Double-A after slumping in 2007, he's hitting .351 with nine homers.
7. Eddie Kunz, rhp
New York's top 2007 pick has held his own in Double-A in his first full season.
8. Brad Holt, rhp
2008 supplemental first-rounder can touch 96 mph, needs a reliable second pitch.
9. Javier Rodriguez, of
2008 second-rounder is a lean athlete with speed and projectable power.
10. Nick Evans, 1b
Another Double-A masher (.295, nine homers), he destroys lefthanded pitching.

First thing you may notice is the #2 and #3 prospects were the 2008 first rounders and #8 and #9 were drafted in the sandwich round and the second round respectively. Now, that might seem disconcerting to some, but I would a bit shocked and disappointed if a team's first rounders were not immediately in the top ten.

I mean, you would have to have a system better than Tampa to not have that happen and I would venture to guess Davis and Havens would have cracked a lot of top tens and plenty of top fives. Yes, the Met systems is weaker than many others, but Davis and Havens are solid ballplayers for sure.

As far as Holt and Rodriguez go, Holt can throw really, really hard which will always garner some attention. I am tepid on him to say the least and I think the Mets should give him a go as a starter and let him work on his secondary stuff and not make some Brandon Morrow debacle out of him and rush him through as a reliever with the lack of anything but a fastball or a Mike Pelfrey debacle and just plain 'ole rush him and change him too much.

Rodriguez has a sweet swing. You do not need to be a scout to see that and he looks like a solid player and if Mr. Callis says he has projectable power to go along with that sweet swing, I am a fan. He has a little bit of a uppercut, but nothing tremendous, and should be able to generate some lift. Some guys are too flat to really hit for a ton of power like Milledge, but this guy looks solid fundamentally.

Also, the Mets finally have some guys at higher levels that are performing. Five of the top ten are in AA and Murphy, Carp, and Evans are all in the top 15 in OPS in the league. Niese has put together a solid year and is still walking a bit too many, but had put up some solid numbers.

As for the Mets #1 prospect, I wholeheartedly agree with Callis. Yes, he is talented, but his best trait these days is being 19 in AA. Yes, he has been held back because of injuries, but why in the name of Kim Kardashian's ass do they continue to rush him? The only year you could call a good one is the first half of '06 when he had an OPS of .880 at 17 years old. Since them, he has put up .641, .713, and .722. I want him to be a stud just as much as anyone, but I cannot see one justifiable reason to rush him and not allow him to let his talent and production dictate when he is moved rather than some absurd timetable like a new stadium.

Overall, every year I am perhaps overly optimistic about the Mets system. Right now, it is painfully clear they need more pitching and especially so because Pelfrey is going through so many ups and downs. However, there are some bats and a few potential impact players that will be ready as early as 2009 which is in stark contrast to some previous season where the Mets have been pitching heavy and laden with prospects in the lower ranks.


* * *

Also from the above link:

Waggoner is a hot name on college baseball's coaching hot stove. He truly believes he can get quality players to come to Marshall, and he has expressed affection for the school and administration. He says he's not thinking of going anywhere. However, Marshall must step up and deliver a home ballpark to have any shot at keeping such an up-and-coming talent in town for long. Right now, that looks like a longshot, because the school claims to be short on funds.

The other hot name on college coaching wish lists is New Orleans' Tom Walter. The Privateers have reached regionals in consecutive years for the first time in nearly two decades despite unimaginable adversity resulting from Hurricane Katrina. The local Times-Picayune ran a terrific story about Walter that outlines all the obstacles New Orleans has had to overcome and what the future might hold for the coach and the program. It's well worth a read.

Basketball and Football both scout the college ranks for coaches. More often than not, it does not work out because the coaches go from being a big fish in a little pond to being quite the opposite and scrutinized more than they are used to. Less job security, less input, less everything...

However, with such a lack of coaching talent (seemingly anyway), it is surprising no MLB teams have even tried this approach for looking for coaches. MLB seems to be a tightly knit frat that respects ex-MLB ballplayers more whereas in the past, non-MLB players were used more liberally.

I have no idea if it is a respect thing, but it is something that probably hurts the coaching pool. Football and basketball have plenty of non-ex pros as coaches, but in baseball? Not so much. Maybe it is time to broaden the horizon a bit and expand the search for coaches.

Rob Neyer speaks my language.

Dan (NJ) : Do you think the Mets have what it takes to make a run at the wild card, let alone the division? They look pretty messed up right now.

Rob Neyer: I haven't looked it up lately, but over their last 162 games the Mets are essentially a .500 team. Are they more talented than that? I believe they are, but I think they need a shock to their system. Like a new manager.

It seems that Mr. Neyer cannot get enough of the Mets and some national baseball writers are taking notice of our crusade.

Speaking of consistency, over their last 162 games the Mets are 82-80. Yes, it's cherry-picking. While 162 is not an arbitrary numbers, it's little more indicative than 142 (72-70) or 182 (90-92). But you know, 182 games is a fair number of games. The Mets are two games under .500 in their last 182 games. That means something, doesn't it?

Bad luck? Maybe. But over those same 182 games the Mets have scored 868 runs and they've allowed 869 runs. Exactly the profile of a .500 team. Over 182 games. That means something doesn't it.

And yet the organization just rolls merrily along with the same manager and the same general manager. If I were a Mets fan I would be leading a revolt in the streets. (Actually, I would be hoping that someone else would lead a revolt that I could follow, at a safe distance.)

Blissfully ignorant they continue to trudge down the path of mediocrity.

“Until they prove differently, they’ve been playing this way for almost a year now, so it’s hard to believe they’re going to turn back to 2006 all at once before the All-Star break,” Darling said.

Why anyone thinks things will magically turn around is beyond me.

But Darling says it’s time to re-think the metrics of the Mets’ presumed superiority. The reason, he says, is linked to the changing industry itself: more and more teams are drifting away from older, higher-priced players, particularly free agents, and are instead filling their rosters with younger, less expensive talent. In many respects, having too much money is a curse – the Yankees and Tigers are prime examples — which is why Darling says the Mets’ $140 million payroll is a guarantee of nothing.

That will never happen as the Mets have committed themselves to winning. Rebuilding is not an option at this point and that typically leads to a vicious circle.

“We’re back to the days where 35 is old again,” Darling said. “Except for the last 10 years, when a player reached his mid-30s, he was done, he was old. And old players play like horse-[bleep]. That’s the tradition of the game for the last 50 years.”

Does this mean the Mets are cooked for 2008? Darling won’t – can’t – say that. The wild card is their beacon of light, and it’s probably what’s keeping Willie Randolph employed. Still, the manager seems more out of touch every day, insisting he saw “positives” in the blowout against the Diamondbacks, trying to convince reporters that Arizona’s hitters “found a few holes and we didn’t.”

And there we have it...even keeled Willie.

I find it ridiculous that the Willie watch is on and off and on and off. It is a flat out yes he should be gone, but how does a few wins change that? As Rob Neyer said, it is not just this season. This mediocrity goes back a looooong ways.

It seems the Mets had a closed door meeting which is nice that something is going on outside of the eye of the media, but we also have not heard about many of these and one has to wonder if they have not been happening, why not?

We know where we are.

Is it just me, or is this a bit of an issue?

“We’ve got to play better baseball,” Randolph said. “It starts on Tuesday. It could have started three or four days ago. We had an urgency three or four days ago. There’s no certain point you get to where you’ve got to make any speeches. We know where we are. We know where we are.”

I know they are all adults and are aware of the fact that they are playing poorly. However, isn't every team full of adults that are supposed to be self aware? I mean for the most part I think they are somewhat at the very least. That being said, that does not mean things should go unsaid and Willie should assume that everything is known and nothing needs to be said.

I do believe this season has been one big colossal team effort of complete ineptitude. Pinpointing this on one person certainly is not right as I have stated many times, but some people are just better motivators than others and some people are better fits for some teams than others.

As for the Mets, whatever Willie's method of motivation is, it is not working. From the worst regular season collapse to being one of the biggest shocks (in a bad way of course) of the 2008 season, it is getting clearer and clearer that something is just not clicking. Getting swept in two four games series in a matter of two weeks is simply improbable, incomprehensible, and unforgivable.

I have been fooled many, many, many times this season in regards to thinking the Mets have turned a corner. I am a beaten man who now has no idea who the real Mets are. I am in denial at this point that the Mets are a crappy .500 team and I am holding out hope this team shakes out of their funk. However, combine 7.5 games out of first with a Philly run differential closing in on 100 and that spells out a bad things for the Mets. It is no longer early anymore, but I remain slightly hopeful. Perhaps misguidedly, but I still think changes need to be made.

* * *

The Royals were not impressed by Joba.

"Nothing like we haven't faced before," leadoff man David DeJesus said after Chamberlain threw 41/3 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) in the Yankees' 6-3 win.

DeJesus called Chamberlain "all right," saying, "Just a guy throwing hard." DeJesus, who went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk off Chamberlain, said that when he faced the flamethrowing righty, he was missing his location with his off-speed pitches.

Kansas City right fielder Mark Teahen praised Chamberlain's pitches but said that he was "more or less the same as he was as a reliever," adding, "Nothing special."

Of course, the media wanted them to fawn all over him and bow down to his greatness....I mean, these guys are competitors? What were they expected to say?

And it continues...

"I was ready to come here at 1 because I thought the game started at 4," Castro said. "I'm a little embarrassed. It's my fault. It won't happen again."

Randolph, already reeling from the team's fourth consecutive loss, was not amused afterward.

"The explanation is not acceptable, and he'll be fined for it," he said.

The Mets have been an absolute circus this year yet again for all the wrong reasons.

Church is headed to the DL and I know the Mets have been maligned as it relates to the way they handled Church, but concussions are difficult to deal with. I guess they could have played it more safely, but I really cannot say they did anything egregious.

Sugar Pants speaks on the Mets failures.

“There’s a few options,” David Wright said. “We can just continue to go out there and have these ups and down and just play out the rest of the season or we can figure it out and get things turned around, take this to heart, figure it out and rattle off a good month or so. But this is where we need to make a stand. We’re already too far behind the Phillies as far as where we’d like to be.”

BP talks Mike Carp.

Mike Carp, 1B/LF Double-A Binghamton (Mets)
In a system running quite low on prospects, at least Carp continues to enjoy the best rebound in the system. Last year, he was one of the organization’s biggest disappointments, batting just .251/.337/.387 at Binghamton, but in his defense, he was just 20 years old at the start of the season. This year he returned to the B-Mets, smacked a home run on Opening Night, and has never looked back since. On Friday night he had a strange game, going 4-for-4 with a double yet somehow not scoring or driving in a run. He made up for those counting stats on Sunday by slugging two home runs (driving in six), which helped raise his season averages to .351/.404/.553 on the season. The Mets have tried to increase his value even more this year by trying him some in left field, but scouts have characterized that as something of a disaster. Offensively, though, he’s a smash hit who could get a shot at being a cheap replacement for Carlos Delgado in 2009.

He has been great this year and has dropped 24 XBHs in 55 games. Walking some more would be nice, but it is really hard to complain about what he has been doing in 2008.

Most mailbags are bad, but this one was chock full o' good questions and comments.

These guys have it in their noggins that they're really a top-notch team, while they have nothing to prove it except a near-appearance in the Fall Classic a couple of years ago. Hey, the Rockies were there last year, and look at them now.

A little sense of urgency would be nice.

“The Phillies are a good team, they’re on a hot streak and we have be careful about letting them get too far ahead of us,” Minaya said. “Let’s face it, we’re not getting it done the way we should. I know there’s still 100 games left, but you have to be careful with this how-many-games-we’ve-got-left business.”

That 'how-many-games-we've-got-left business was pervasive in the Met clubhouse at the end of last season and everyone tried to play all calm and cool like there was nothing to get worried about. Well, there was and there is now.

Adam Rubin is taking things a bit too far.

Minaya used to espouse the idea of having a young and athletic roster, which proved lip service in reality. Like a college student with a credit card, he just spent and spent and spent without considering any consequences. He offered too many years - to Luis Castillo, Orlando Hernandez, Guillermo Mota and Julio Franco, to name a few - perhaps even more frequently than too many dollars.

The Mets also have Beltran, Church, Reyes, and Wright who are extremely athletic as well as Schneider who is an extremely proficient fielder and Santana who is extremely athletic.

I am not saying that he does not have a few brittle players, but for the most part, they are have some athletes there. The Castillo signing was a bizarre one, but I do not fault him for Alou and Delgado. Delgado was a beast the year prior and pretty damn good in his first year with the Mets. Who knew he would fall off of a cliff.

He also made some stellar pick ups like Oliver Perez and John Maine for nothing. The worst thing he has done is let the farm system go to shit with terrible picks and the misguided notion he needs to fall in line with the commish while other teams blow through that notion.

Griffey Jr. blasted # 600 yesterday and he is in an elite club of 600 or more homers. Only Sosa, Mays, Ruth, Aaron, and Bonds have more and considering how many games he has missed since 2001, it is truly an impressive feat.

It is rare when a #1 overall pick actually succeeds and becomes the player everyone expected them to be, but Griffey did it.

Carlos Delgado... Humanitarian, scholar, and all around good guy.

Peter Gammons is a bit overdramatic at times.

Some like to blame Carlos Delgado for not being Thurman Munson. Delgado will never be a baseball evangelist, just a fair, socially responsible man who never self-promotes. Recently, he apologized to Billy Wagner for Wagner's being left in a media storm (even though a family emergency forced Delgado to leave the park), he helped Randolph and Rick Peterson guide Ramon Castro through an experience with a new pitcher, and he pulled Reyes aside on the field during a pitching change to exact his focus. But somehow Delgado's bat speed and character have become blurred lines in the case of a very decent man.

Really? People blame him for not being Thurman Munson? He never did anything redeeming for this team? No one thinks he is a decent man? Strange stuff. What I really hate is when baseball writers blur some line between humanity and baseball skills. If I had a kid, I would let Carlos Delgado babysit it and I wouldn't even call in to check.

However, what does that have to do with baseball? What does him being an all around swell guy do for him being a run product at first base and not contributing negative value? He has a .215/.298/.387 line and though May has been better, it is still pretty damn bad. An 81 OPS+ and a .3 WARP is terrible. Just terrible.

The Mets are struggling and something needs to happen. This is not about charity and respecting that Carlos Delgado was a borderline Hall of Famer for his service in Toronto and being a man who stands by his convictions. This is about keeping a $140 million team from becoming a complete disaster.

Let us not confuse why Met fans are over Carlos Delgado. When things are going bad, you look at ways to fix your team and using Delgado in different manner is a place to start or getting someone to share a significant amount of playing time would be another. Cutting him out of the picture might help, but there are a few guys who could be kicked off before he does so for now, I will not call for him to be cut. From Buster:

Scott Hatteberg was cut loose to make room for Bruce on the roster, and first baseman Joey Votto was sorry to see Hatteberg go. Heard this: The Mets would like Hatteberg, but they'll try to go after him if and when he clears waivers, so they don't have to pay him his full salary.

Scott has been bad in limited time this year, but was fairly productive in '06 and '07. Though older than Delagdo, he seems to have aged better and would be a bigger contributer to this team in 2008.

* * *

It is early, but you have to think that Jesus Flores stands a good chance to be one of the top five catchers in the league when you factor in offense and defense in a few years. I do not blame Omar because he was an A-ball catcher, but that hardly lessens my disappointment.

Chase Utley has 1,000,000 homers this year. His home road splits are nuts, but overall, the homers numbers overall for the Phillies are basically the same home and away. 

What is that sound? Brian Bannister and his 6.00+ ERA in May coming back down to planet Earth.

Pedro Martinez looked decent again A-ballers, but he was beaten by uber prospect David Price.

Wallace Matthews trying to write something positive?

But what the Mets did Wednesday night happens about as often as Jay Horwitz wears an orange blazer to work or Luis Castillo hits a baseball out of the park. Both happened Wednesday night, and consequently, for only the second time in 25 attempts, the Mets won a game they were trailing after seven innings. For the first time all season, they won a game they were trailing after eight. And for the one of the few times all season, they actually left the field looking like a team that cares about winning and cares about each other.

He also ties in some comedic relief into his article...

The end almost, but not quite, erased the memory of what had happened so many hours before. First, the Mets announced that Ryan Church would not play again until he regains his mental focus, a casualty of his second concussion of the young season.

Unfortunately, they could not make the same announcement about Perez, the cause of whose loss of focus is as yet undiagnosed. All the Mets know is that it is a persistent, even chronic condition, immune to all known forms of treatment and liable to recur at any time.

Baseball was better off letting Cuban buy the Pirates since the Cubbies do not need a shot in the arm, but I will take it.

I agree with the Mets course of action here...

With Pedro Martinez expected to start next week in San Francisco, the Mets are considering a plan that would keep Mike Pelfrey in the rotation, shift Claudio Vargas to the bullpen and demote reliever Carlos Muniz. The front office is worried about losing Vargas if they expose him to waivers, but also reluctant to demote Pelfrey, believing it would be best if he continues to develop at the major-league level.

While on the topic of Carlos Delgado, it seems Willie is on board. Hopefully Willie can make these little tweaks to maximize this team and start turning this thing around.

The surprise teams this year are young and exciting while the disappointing Mets still look like the old recycled product sent out in the past.

If the Mets do not step it up and pay out the nose for the best prospects left on the board during this upcoming draft, I will be angry. Not that me being angry matters or will help anything, but I will be angry.

Down, Down, Down....

Ted Berg tried to lay some perspective on us the other day and I said it was really hard to keep perspective with this team and they did not take too long to prove me right. Really right. I have tried to be optimistic for the most part, but right now, that is hard to do.

"It's not acceptable," Randolph said. "This is not the way we want to play baseball. We need to get on a streak and play more consistently. We're better than this. No one's happy with where we are and how we're playing."

It is hard to point fingers at one person or one cause, but this team just does not have it. They have talent, but they do not have it. What is it? Good question. However, it is clear that this team lacks focus and losing to Glavine and three overall to the Braves is utterly ridiculous. The inability for this team to step up is extremely frustrating.

Keeping things in perspective is just not possible because it looks like this team is just losing control. They are almost as close to last place as they are first place and truly a .500 team in every way. You do not need to be a genius to look at their roster and recognize they have talent and you do not need to be a genius to see that this team is simply not playing up to their potential.

With less than 30% of the season played, there is time to turn things around, but time is running out quickly.

* * *

If this goes down, I will be piiiiiiissssed.

18. METS. New York has the financial wherewithal to spend as much as any team does on the draft, but it apparently will stick to slotting once again in 2008, even if Hosmer is still on the table. The Mets need a catcher for the near future, and Castro has convinced scouts he can handle the defensive responsibilities and produce at the plate. New York has checked out Friedrich, but it's unlikely he'd get this far.

I mean really. Who cares about the Commish? He cannot do anything and your farm is pretty barren. After Omar made overtures this past off-season about abandoning slot, I would be very disappointed if they passed up a better player so they do not piss anyone off.

If they pass up Hosmer? Utterly ridiculous and why this team will never get over that next hump. You simply cannot pass up a gift like that and they better step it up on all fronts.

Would Pedro retire to be with his parents? Would Omar give him a Clemens-esque deal to keep him going another year or two?

Just in time for the summer to keep the boys cool.

This sweat-absorbing, friction-fighting wonder powder will keep you gloriously dry and comfortable during everyday manly activities...like chainsaw juggling.

Tim Marchman does a great job making a case for Jose Reyes to not be the scapegoat.

It is true that Reyes's game went into notable decline about a year ago. From last July 1 up to the beginning of last night's game against Atlanta, Reyes hit .268 AVG/.334 OBA/.414 SLG with 61 steals in 81 tries; over the preceding year, he'd hit .322/.383/.510 with 73 steals in 90 tries. Many explanations have been offered for this: that Reyes has been sulking over his contract, that he was ruined by Rickey Henderson's brief stint as the Mets hitting coach, that he lost his mojo after ceding to demands that he stop acting so exuberant on the field, etc.

Pedro's dad is not doing well.

Pablo Jaime, 78, is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor, and Martinez said recently that his father does not have long to live.

"His dad's not doing well and had a seizure," Willie Randolph said before the game. "We'll just see what happens when [Pedro] gets back [from the Dominican]. All the other stuff in terms of pitching is on hold."

Pedro should really put baseball on hold and tend to his family. The Mets success does not hinge on him so he needs to do what he feels is right.

Joel Sherman pens a good piece about Willie.

I am not foolish enough to believe race still does not motivate repugnant feelings. But I do think sports have more of a meritocracy than most environments, and that the great divide between love and hate is winning and losing. Again, Willie, look to your Knicks past: The city did not love DeBusschere and Bradley more than Reed and Frazier. The whole team won, and the whole team is remembered fondly. Just like Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill will be from those champion Yankees for which Randolph was a coach.

There is racism out there, but sports to me was always kind of different. If you are winning, no fan gives a shit who is from where or is what color.

Randolph lived these New York moments, and constantly brags he is a New Yorker and understands how things work. But most days it seems he just showed up from Ames, Iowa. His self-awareness is poor, and that is hurting him way more than the color of his skin or what angle SNY cameras are shooting him. He thinks of himself as a tough, been-there, seen-that kind of guy. But his sensitivity and lack of savvy reveal the opposite.

He tried, for example, to backtrack off the critical statements he made about race and SNY by saying he thought he was off the record with the reporter. Even if I believed Randolph (which I don't), he should know reporters grant off-the-record requests to gain the truth, so being off the record would only make you believe Randolph's harshest assessments (not his current spin) most.

Willie just does not get it and should not be managing this team. Especially so after grasping for straws and attacking the fans. Really? The fans?

"If you look at my body of work since I've been here," Randolph said, "I'm proud of that, because prior to that Mets fans were hiding. You couldn't even find them ... The season's just starting and you're booing my guys already? You're booing your team?'"

Mets fans were hiding? Interesting statement. Mets fans are not hiding anymore because of Willie's body of work. Sound logic, right? I am really glad he spouted his mouth off with such madness because it only makes everything I have been saying stronger and he just validated a lot of things that I thought.

I think at times he can be immature and stubborn and these articles truly outline that. If the Mets want Willie to be their leader, so be it. However, it is a mistake.

Torre feels bad for Willie and no one is arguing that this job is not extremely difficult, but not everyone can do it.

Losing Church would be very, very bad. The Mets need him to be healthy and performing.

Wake Me Up When The Mets Start Playing Baseball

Ossy: braun is paid
Ossy: http://www.money.co.uk/article/1000390-13-year-old-steals-dads-credit-card-to-buy-hookers.
Me: Awesome
Me: Braun is awesome too
Ossy: pelfrey no hitter into the 7th
Me: Huh?
Me: They are on now?
Me: What the fuck?
Me: I've been in my own little shell
Ossy: yea
Ossy: sny is broadcasting from the RF bleachers too
Ossy: cohen and kieth
Ossy: we're down 1-0
Ossy: bot 9
Ossy: this is bad if we lose this one
Me: So the no hitter is gone.
Me: Damn
Ossy: beltran on 3rd
Ossy: 1 out
Ossy: with delgado
Ossy: i have no confidence in him bringing him in
Ossy: of course
Ossy: he lines out to 2b
Ossy: and beltran gets doubled off
Me: Delgado blows.

I have been feeling very weird about this team lately. I have been incredibly busy these days and no matter how busy I have been in the past, I typically made time to write a little something about the Mets. Now? Blah. There is shockingly just nothing compelling about this team and they have become completely boring. Almost 40 games into the season, the Mets are one game over .500 and playing the sub .500 Yankees this weekend.

There is a little less juice for me these days in regards to this series because instead of having two teams at the top of the pack, you have two teams just trying to hold on. The Yankees at least have an excuse being they have serious pitching problems, but the Mets have been largely healthy and their off-season vision of how this team would be comprised has been largely intact.

The team they wanted to run out there has been run out for the most part and a team that is universally believed to have talent. They had pitching, they had hitting, they had defense, and they had some good relievers. Where is the disconnect? What is the problem? If Omar and the Wilpons want to take a Randolph-like approach to this team for the rest of the season, great. However, they will miss the playoffs again.

Something needs to give here and the team is not looking like a cohesive group. Maybe I am completely wrong, but Wagner does not seem to care what Willie thinks and Wagner is amped up enough and thinks enough is going on that he feels the need to speak out. I have been optimistic all season, but at this point, I think it is hard to be. Yes, the Mets are 2.5 games out of first, but it is a painful 2.5 games.

"Somebody tell me why the -- the closer is getting interviewed and I didn't even play," Wagner said, "and they're over there not being interviewed."

Let the record state he pointed in the direction of the row of lockers where Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran dress.

There was no one there.

"Oh, I got it," Wagner said. "They're gone. -- shocker."

(Beltran already had spoken. Delgado never did.)

A little less than a year ago, Paul Lo Duca angered the Mets' front office by uttering a similar sentiment. "Nobody else wants to talk," he said. "Some of these guys have to start talking. They speak English, believe me."

And there you have it. Willie is the captain on this ship and it seems to have firmly run aground. If I had my way, he would have been axed after missing the World Series by one game, but the Mets lied to themselves despite glaring holes in his baseball reasoning. Fast forward to 2008 and not much has changed except the clubhouse has seemingly moved backwards. Something about this team just feels all wrong right now and this season is quickly turning into a disaster.

* * *

Ha!

David Sloan? Bat shit crazy.

"That a joke too? You're a funny guy."

And then, at 12:46 pm, in apparent celebration of Mother's Day, David Sloane, the agent for Carlos Delgado, wrote back the following e-mail, which I present to you in its entirety:

"So's your Mom."

Nice. I am officially sick of Delgado and his agent.

Klap thinks the Mets are out of control.

At some point, winning players have to become emotionally invested in the wins and losses. That's a formal way of putting it. Here's a simpler expression of the truth: the Mets need an edge. Wagner says, "There needs to be other guys that are accountable" and not leave the explaining to the same teammates every day. That creates "tension" in the clubhouse, because it creates the impression that certain cliques don't care about winning or losing.

Preach on brother.

Adding insult to incompetence. Losing that game hurts.

Tim Marchman gives the Mets a slight edge for the Subway Series.

The Incredible Shrinking Run Differential

So the Mets have now scored 119 runs and given up 118. Basically, they are a .500 team. To the naked eye, they have looked like a .500 team to this point so that is not really all that surprising. I know they are better than this and Mr. Billy Wagner knows they are better than this.

"It's very easy to say, 'Hey, yeah, you're going to have these games,' and you will have these games," Wagner said. "But when there's not a lot of effort and a lot of desire, that's when you worry.

"I just think that today we just didn't show up. I'm not saying that Pittsburgh can't beat the New York Mets. I'm just saying there's no way we should have this lopsided of a score. ... We weren't good at defense. We weren't good at pitching. There was no get up and go. That can't happen."

And about the starting pitcher ...

"Perez has honestly got to step up and know that we've just used every guy in our bullpen the night before," Wagner said. "He can't come out there and decide that, gee, he hasn't got it today and so be it."

When Wagner's words were relayed to Perez, the hot-and-cold, 2-2 lefty said, "I don't have a problem with that. I didn't do my job."

Randolph said it was a combo of faulty focus and mechanical failure: "Choose the one you like."

Many people dislike him, but I happen to think Wagner is a good guy who is not afraid to shake things up a bit. At this point, the Mets need to shake things up a bit.

"That's my job," Reyes said, "to be at the left-field line there."

Randolph saw it another way.

"Those are mental mistakes," he said. "That's just a lack of focus on that particular play."

And now you have the player thinking he knows more than the manager. Which he probably does, but it certainly speaks volumes to me about what is going on here. This team is very talented and seemingly very listless. The good news is their first month of baseball was a month in which they played better than .500 ball and no one else really grabbed the division.

However, this team needs to wake up and start playing a lot better if they plan to excise some demons.

Is Being A Met Fan More Fun?

I have to tell you, this is making a lot of sense to me.

"Back then, you never knew whether the Yanks would make the World Series or finish third," he says. "Sure, I wanted them to win every game. But the truth is, I love not knowing what's going to happen in baseball. There's something fun about entering a season and not being sure how your team will do."

Would it be better for the Mets to be in the playoffs for the next ten years or to have years like '07 only to come back in '08 and '09 and be treated to trips to the playoffs and even the World Series perhaps. If the Mets made it in this year and continued to do so over the next five years, it would be nice for sure, but would it be as exciting as true pennant races and the unknown?

One of the early economic principles I learned in college was the theory of marginal utility.

UTILITY: Economist-speak for a good thing; a measure of satisfaction. Underlying most economic theory is the assumption that people do things because doing so gives them utility. People want as much utility as they can get. However, the more they have, the less difference an additional unit of utility will make – there is diminishing MARGINAL utility. Utility is not the same as utilitarianism, a political philosophy based on achieving the greatest happiness of the greatest number.

One triple cheesebuger is great, but two? If one was good, two should be twice as good, right? Not so much. Your stomach, your significant other, and possibly your ass would have something to say about that. Could this be applicable to baseball? It sure seems like Braves fans had become indifferent after not even selling out playoff games. Of course, there has to be some reward at some point. Us Met fans endure a lot, but if the Mets can win something in the next few years, the disaster that was 2007 will be distant memory and it will taste that much sweeter.

When did a baseball season in New York become solely about the finish line, and not about the journey? How can a team that clawed its way out of a 14½-game hole be deemed a failure for falling to a team -- the Cleveland Indians -- that features two of the league's top five starting pitchers? Do the memories of Alex Rodriguez's 54 home runs and Chien-Ming Wang's 19 wins and Derek Jeter's steely determination and Joba Chamberlain's meteoric rise fade to ashes without a diamond-studded ring?

So buck up...if the Mets were the Yankees, you wouldn't even care right now. At least the Mets have something to look forward to while the Yankees are destined for another season of 'failure' in 2008.

* * *

Schuerholz is stepping down as the GM and moving up to second in command of the Braves with Frank Wren sliding into his spot. Will it matter? Who cares. This next decade is all about the Mets and they are their own worst enemy.

Prediction....Frank Wren's big first move? Tom Glavine back to Atlanta and what a joyful occasion that will be. Also, how does Tom feel about Atlanta even though his child and wife were unable to attend his first games as a Met in Atlanta?

Is A-Rod bluffing? I hope not. He is the lynchpin for me in regards to the Yankees having a shot at the playoffs next season. If he returns, they are in. If he skips town, they are out.

The Phillies are willing to spend more money on next year's club. That is all well and fine if there was something to spend it on. Also, with a team that has so many holes in the bullpen and the rotation, they would not have enough to band-aid those ouchies. I know I'm probably jinxing the Mets, but they should run away with the division with a few smart moves. In reality, the '06 season covered up some of their blemishes and the '07 season put them to the forefront. The '08 season should be the reality.

The Rockies kick ass. Everyone should be fearful of the machine that is the Rockies.

Message From the Mets

New York Mets Dear Mets Fan:

All of us at the Mets are bitterly disappointed in failing to achieve our collective goal of building upon last year's success. We did not meet our organization's expectations -- or yours. Everyone at Shea feels the same range of emotions as you -- our loyal fans -- and we know we have let you down. We wanted to thank you for your record-breaking support of our team this year.

Equally important, Ownership will continue its commitment in providing the resources necessary to field a championship team. Omar will be meeting with Ownership shortly to present his plan on addressing our shortcomings so that we can achieve our goal of winning championships in 2008 and beyond.

You deserve better results.

Many thanks again for your record-breaking support.

What a nice little gift from the Mets. I certainly hope this team entertains getting a new manager in here. Please do not get me wrong. Everyone is on notice and it truly took an organizational effort to do something this colossally bad, but this Met team does not need to overhaul things. They do need to tweak things though. Really, they have a guy at the helm is not respected enough to make one decision in regards to his coaching staff. Is there any other team who has a manager with so little control? To me, that speaks volumes to how much they actually trust and respect the guy.

Also, the players lackadaisical play down the stretch is a direct reflection of Willie and the way he runs his team. His calming demeanor that everyone loved backfired if you ask me. This team needed someone with fire to get them motivated because they clearly needed help in that department. They needed someone to light a fire under their asses because all we have been hearing about is how lately is this team had taken everything for granted. They need someone like Valentine who knows the X's and O's of the game and had some fire, but someone not quite as grating. Too many people were rubbed the wrong way by him which was his problem.

On top of that, this team needs someone that is more trusting of young guys like Valentine did who seemingly got the best from young players. The Mets need to get younger and simply cannot get younger with people in this organization that shuns youth. Willie likes his vets that 'know how to play the game'. That is all well and fine, but he can go somewhere else and do that. I would also bet that if he gets fired, we will not see him managing for a long time. If you want to look at wins alone, you can certainly say he was successful. However, if you watch the games, the only thing you can do is speak well about his demeanor because it certainly will not be because of his strategy and I think we can all agree that strategy is a major part of managing.

I received a lot of complaints for getting on Willie about seemingly innocuous moves. However, the old axiom that every game counts could not be ringing truer. Whether it is wasted starts on Brian Lawrence, too many times going to Mota, inexplicably leaving Burgos in to face Howard earlier in the year, not using Gotay enough off the bench, calling Franco's number one too many times, leaving Green in the starting lineup for way too long, not having a handle on when you starting pitchers are done, putting in Paulie Ballgame to pinch hit with the bases loaded when the Mets direly needed an extra base hit, not using important September games more to explore your organization for pieces that might be able to chip in, etc.....

He is a good guy, but he is not right for this club. I have been saying that from day one and I am still saying it now. Not everyone can manage a big league ballclub and simply playing for twenty years does not qualify you to do so. The Mets took a flyer on a guy who has never managed before and it honestly has not worked out. You look at this team and the talent and you have to have an overall sense of disappointment. He lost control of this team and does not have a good handle on how to navigate through a game strategy wise. Add that up and the answer is obvious. By no means am I suggesting he is the only problem here, but he is a large part of the equation and one that is rather easily fixed. Yes, they have to eat some salary, but they can more than make up for it with a strong rebound in 2008.

Limp

Asked if his team smells that finish line now, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel replied: "Yeah. Of course we smell it. And we want it. Matter of fact, we might want it bad enough where we've got to take it easy, just relax and just play."

And there you have it. The tail of two teams. You have a team that needed to do spectacular things to make it happen in the Phillies and a team that just need to be a notch below mediocre to solidify things up.

The fans have been criticized about their non-participation in the games, but last night they showed up and guess what? The Mets fell flat again. Can we please dispel any notion the fans are somehow tied to this slide or are not doing their part? They want to cheer, but have been given little reason to lately.

This rest squarely on the Mets shoulders and now instead of controlling their own destiny, they are relying (ironically enough) on the Nationals. The Wild Card is seemingly unlikely being the Padres magic number is now one. This utterly collapse by the Mets is mind boggling and though it is not over, these Met games are starting to feel strikingly similar to a funeral.

With the Mets playing before the Phillies today, let us see if they can step up and put some pressure on Philadelphia to win tonight.

Owned

Omar: Willie, the Phillies are passing you.
Willie: Do you think the Phillies are passing me in my subconscious?
Omar: No, they are actually passing you. That's happening right now.

My how quickly things have changed. The Yankees have charged back from three games down in the Wildcard to tie the Mariners and the Mets were beat up by the Phillies and are in danger of seeing a six game lead evaporate into a two game lead in four days.

Just when this team looked like they were on the verge of breaking things open, they fall back down to earth. Marlon's ridiculous slide was just the topper as he tried to break up a double play, which was apparently completely unnecessary. That slide wreaked of desperation.

There are plenty of things you can point to for the Mets struggles. Delgado's perpetual ineptitude, some bizarre calls by Willie, Reyes just looking flat out gassed, the bullpen's struggles, bad bounces, Wright's strikeout problem this series, etc. There are just too many things to point to specifically because the Mets have just been flat out ugly despite close scores.

Many of us were ready to declare the division the Mets' as they extended their lead further than they had all season, but one devastating week could change all of that. The bright side is the Mets can make it a three game lead with a win tomorrow leaving them in a solid position, but they need to wake up. The last thing you want to do is embolden one of you rivals with a month to go. With just about a month left, one hot streak could seal it for anyone and the Mets are off to a very inauspicious start as they sprint to the finish line.

* * *

The B-Mets released their 2008 schedule! Is that really news?

Pedro will throw a side session Friday in Atlanta so Rick Peterson and Guy Conti can get a good look at him.

Also from the above link:

His major league experience, though not the results, should give him the edge over his Zephyrs teammate Philip Humber. In discussing Pelfrey, who is 0-7 with a 5.92 earned run average in 10 appearances (9 starts) for the Mets, Omar Minaya mentioned how Pelfrey’s lack of success should be viewed within the context of run support.

Talk about trying to spin the impossible.

But Pelfrey has not helped himself much, with batters hitting .298 off him and .344 with runners in scoring position.

I do not really care about Pelfrey getting the start over Humber, but it would be nice if the Mets opened their minds a bit.

Even if Humber does not start Saturday, the Mets have apparently changed their minds on whether to promote him as part of their September call-ups.

Last week, Willie Randolph said he could not foresee Humber joining the team because he did not want to use Humber out of the bullpen and there would not be space for a spot start. What changed?

Well, I should have said it would be nice if Willie opens his mind a bit. Even if Omar calls Humber up, what are the chances Willie actually uses him when he has all of those grisly vets to use? I mean, why use Gotay as a pinch hitter when you have Green to tap a dribbler back up the middle?

Yes, I know Green's hit should have scored a run, but I'm sure Willie did not envision the run scoring on a weakly hit to short. You never lose with a better hitter on the bench in a case where two hitters bat from the same side of the plate.

It looks like bad news for another Met reliever.

Ambiorix Burgos underwent Tommy John surgery, which will likely sideline him for the entire 2008 season. ... Jose Valentin will be examined in the next week to see if he can return this season. ... Damion Easley is likely done for the year.

There should be a moratorium on the Mets trading for relievers.

Would the Red Sox really try and sign A-Rod? I still think they would be well advised to bring back Lowell and upgrade the team in other areas, but it is hard to argue with pursuing him.

The Only Thing I Can Do....Is Drink My Own Pee

If you watched Man vs. Wild last night, you would have seen Bear Grylls drink his own pee as he was showing us how to survive in the Australian Outback. Basically, he did not have any water and needed to drink pee for hydration. Sometimes you have to do drastic things to survive., which leads me to the Mets.

As Gary stated during the game last night, the Mets have played 84 games this season and have not won a game in which a starter gave up more than three runs since May 17th when Jason Vargas gave up five runs and the Mets were still able to pull out a victory. That was the 40th game of the season and since then, they have played 45 games. With this team and this offense, that should be unthinkable. What that means is that the offense is just not consistent and bullpen has been lettering things get away and possibly that this team has been giving up when they are behind.

If the Mets are unable to beat teams if their starters give up more than three runs, they simply are not going to win many games. If you take the games played from the beginning of the season to that point that have a .650 winning percentage in forty games and they have a .467 winning percentage since then. At this point, you would have to side with the discouraging second half of the games played to identify what type of team the 2007 Mets more closely resembles. I did have another post about John Maine being left off the All-Star team, but I had to eschew that for some complaining and more precisely, Emad's rant.

My clamoring for Milledge speaks to my extreme frustration with the composition and performance of this team.

I'm sick of watching one ancient mediocrity after another play day after day. Stache is only playing to pick up his option for 2008. Willie refuses to play Gotay, despite the fact that a healthy Gotay is better than a comprimised Stache. Maddening. It would take Green hitting under .200 before they ever made him the platoon player he deserves to be at this point.

Milledge needs time in the minors. He's had very few AB's this year. We shouldn't expect him to light the house on fire immediately. I doubt Willie will give him enough rope if he struggles out of the box.

Oh, one last thing...

CAN WE DRAW A FUCKING WALK... BELTRAN SWINGING AT PITCHES IN THE DIRT... ITS DRIVING ME BATTY...

Reyes getting pulled for watching Mike Lamb walk to first on a groundball he hit pretty much
sums up the frustration everyone is feeling. You hate to use the word desperation for a first place team, but they are barely hanging on. The Mets truly need to shake something up before this season slips away. They are in first, but we all know that is more of a function of bad competition than solid play on the Mets end. They now own the worst winning percentage of any first place team in the big leagues.

Some fresh faces would not hurt in the form of Pedro Martinez or Moises Alou. I'm not suggesting they will turn things around and carry the team, but this team needs a spark and it is hard to see it coming from the current group.

* * *

Carlos Gomez? Under the bus courtesy of Rob Neyer.

Trouble in Firstplaceland, as Carlos Gomez and Bill Hall both are out for a long stretch, Gomez with a fractured hamate and Hall with a severe ankle injury. Funny thing about Gomez: The reviewers have been raving, but the guy's got a .636 OPS. The Mets would almost have to try to find a replacement who hits as poorly as Gomez. As for Hall, he'll be missed, but the Brewers can survive with Tony Gwynn Jr. and Gabe Gross in center field.

Of course that is not exactly fair as we are talking about ability when it comes to Gomez (aren't we always?) and we are seeing him flash that tremendous ability. I think we all agree it is a bit early for him to be getting that much playing time and let's be honest, he would still be in AAA if it weren't for injuries to Lastings and Moises. Besides, were many people saying how hard it would be replace Alex Gordon's .612 OPS after his dismal April and when it only got worse May? No. You let young guys play through it as everyone is not going to be Hunter Pence or Ryan Braun when they come up.

As for people wondering how Gomez’s hand injury will affect him, Troy Tulowitzki broke his hamate during his final season in college. He missed twenty games and returned and did all right. No need to worry about residual effects of this injury and Carlos should be fine. Maybe not 100% in ’07, but he should be fine when it counts next year.

Neyer also linked to this gem in his blog and if you have seen it, it is always good to watch again and if you have not seen it, revel in its goodness.

I missed this one so it's new to me!

Q: steve from scotia asks:
jim what do you think of the mets draft i love the idea of young cheap relievers being in the mets bullpen the next few years

A: John Manuel: Kunz is a great pick, he can move quickly and gets LH hitters out with his changeup and slider. I don't think they took all relievers, Vinyard and Moviel have a chance to start, but I'm not a Rustich fan, the guy doesn't throw strikes and still hasn't gotten over that finger issue that bothered him last year. He has 3 plus pitches at times, but he lacks pitchability. The rest of their slate hasn't excited me frankly.

Beating might be an understatement.

Outscored by 34-12 during a sweep by the Colorado Rockies — the most runs allowed in a three-game series in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau — the Mets were still dealing with the aftereffects when they arrived at Minute Maid Park.

Wow. I thought it was ugly, but monumentally ugly?

Kenny Williams says there is going to be a shakeup and many believe that could signal the departure of starting pitcher and Jermaine Dye.

Octavio Dotel is back.

“I’m back,” he says, his eyes beaming, his words a little louder just to be sure you hear him. “I’ve got my velocity. I can throw my fastball against guys. Even when they’re looking for it, I can throw it by them. I feel really, really strong like I did before.”

Jason Kendall? Under the bus.

....and even Jason Kendall hit a homer while even saving enough energy for another extra-base hit in the same week.

Nice.

BP speaks about Pedro.

When a success is followed by ten days off, people get confused. Pedro Martinez threw a great simulated game and now moves into a new phase of rehab, one where he goes from strengthening for function to conditioning for action. Pitching is a very specific activity and while Martinez has certainly been preparing for that during his shoulder rehab, it's a different process to actually get ready to pitch—saying that he's "doing spring training" is a vast oversimplification. It's a different process altogether, so while it is counterintuitive for him to take off time to "recharge" (as the Mets are calling it), it's the accepted move. More than anything else, the Mets are making sure that they do this right.

Swellicious.