Actually, Scott, I Had Forgotten
Where They Are Now: Scott Schoeneweis
This is a new category of posts, not to be confused with “Where Are They Now”. In this section, we’ll cover the news of former Mets who are still playing baseball, but not in Queens.
To kick off the new feature, we spotlight Scott Schoeneweis, who is now hurling in Arizona. And from the below quotes from MLB.com (hat tip to Walnutz), he’s hurling more than baseballs.
Despite what appear to be solid numbers last year — Schoeneweis put up a 3.32 ERA in 73 games and gave up 55 hits in 56 2/3 innings — he knows he’ll be most remembered for one thing.
“I gave up a homer to [Florida Marlins utilityman] Wes Helms in a 2-2 tie on the last game of the season, and we went on to lose the game,” Schoeneweis says. “It was a solo homer. It wasn’t like I had a four-run lead and gave up a grand slam.
“And I had pitched pretty well in four or five outings earlier that week. But that’s not what gets remembered. What gets remembered is that I blew it and the bullpen blew it, but the fact of the matter is that the team lost.
“Guys didn’t get hits in key situations. Other mistakes were made. I mean, did we as a bullpen contribute to what happened? Of course. But was it all our fault? No.”
Funny, Scott, but I actually HADN’T remembered that you were the one who gave up the homer to Wes Helms in that fateful final game. It must’ve gotten lost in my memory with all the other big hits you gave up in your two years with the Mets.
No, the thing I remember you for most is the idiocy of Omar Minaya to let Chad Bradford leave for Baltimore because three years was too long a deal for an effective middle reliever, yet it wasn’t too long to wrap up a rundown LOOGY. I also remember:
– the Mets “physical” that you passed to gain that ridiculous contract, despite suffering from a bad leg
– your innate ability to clear the bases / allow inherited runners to score
– the fastball that fell to 88 MPH from 94 MPH
– the irony of your fastball’s demise coinciding with MLB’s toughened PEDs testing
– the 15 homeruns you allowed in 115 innings in 2007-2008
– your perfectly tailored uniform, and nicely manicured hands
No worries, Scott, we’ve forgotten that one homer from game 162 of 2008. You are and will be most remembered for the fleecing you pulled on Minaya, and the consistent disappointment you delivered to Mets fans.
This has always been looked at as the “Jumping the Shark” moment, as we transitioned from the 2006 team — to our more recent “troubled bullpen” past: the moment the Mets let Chad Bradford walk, offering even more money to an injured, one-trick-pony turned old gray mare.
Schoeneweis certainly wasn’t worth the $3.6MM or so/per that the Mets just threw at him. No lefty-specialist was ever worth that — let alone damaged goods.
Seeing past that, reading this past MLB.com article made my blood boil…typical wussbag…
On top of being overpaid, he didn’t want the pressure — as we see here, trying to blames everyone else for what went on last year; and who knows when else? Surely he realizes that the bullpen (and himself) were HUGE parts of the problem — but it totally sounds like he is deflecting blame……and that’s just plain BUSH.
As stated, I can’t wait ’til this guy gets into a game at Citi…I’ll be there, on the bridge over the bullpen….spewing venom and choice words…….but in actuality, the Mets set themselves up for this, in trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. Schoeneweis was overpaid and overrated from even before the ink on his contract dried.
SO glad this overpaid bum isn’t a member of the organization this year.
Good riddance, Scotty.
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Schoeneweis (BS, 1) 0.2 2 1 1 0 0 1 13.50
Its interesting that Schoenweis is making derogatory comments about the team (the Mets) that’s paying him $1.6 million for the 2009 season. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend that much money than to pay Schoenweis to pitch somewhere else.