Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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Help Ed Kranepool

If you haven’t heard already, “original Met” and longtime fan favorite Ed Kranepool needs a kidney transplant, and is planning to auction off his 1969 World Series ring to help pay for his medical expenses. (Today’s MLB players have fantastic post-career medical benefits, but that’s not necessarily the case for those who retired prior to the 1990s; Ed’s last season was 1979.)

To help out, a good friend of mine started a GoFundMe campaign for Ed — all proceeds will go to Ed Kranepool’s medical expenses. If you’d like to donate, you can do so by going to the Ed Kranepool Needs Kidney GoFundMe page. Please pass along this link to fans of “Steady Eddie.”

Ed Kranepool of New York Mets in 1979

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Matz Shoulder and Elbow Issues Directly Related

New York Mets starting pitcher Steven Matz (32) follows through on a pitch against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium on Aug 3, 2016.

Steven Matz has been pitching nearly the entire season with an elbow issue — going back to the forearm tightness he experienced way back in early May. The forearm tightness evolved into a bone spur in his elbow, and, most recently, shoulder discomfort developed. Mets management and team doctors would like you to believe the shoulder and elbow problems are not related, but that is absolutely, positively, not the case.

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What’s NOT Wrong with Matt Harvey and How To Fix What Is

Mets pitcher Matt Harvey pitching motion at max external rotation

Tonight Matt Harvey faces Stephen Strasburg. Normally that would be an exciting sentence for Mets fans, Nationals fans — heck, baseball fans in general. Instead, it’s a sentence that makes Mets fans cringe.

Why? Because Matt Harvey is a mess (at least, that’s how The New York Post describes it). And the headline is apt — Harvey admits

“I’m just not feeling comfortable throwing a baseball right now, so it’s frustrating.”

So what’s his problem? How can it be fixed?

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