Mets Make Offer To Shylock

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Joe Janish

According to various sources, Rodrigo Lopez will make a decision this weekend to accept a minor-league contract and invitation to spring training from one of several teams making such an offer — including the Mets, Braves, and Rockies.

The Portugal native and purported Marrano was formerly a physician to Queen Elizabeth, before being hanged, drawn, and quartered in June 1594 when he was found guilty of conspiring to poison Her Majesty. William Shakespeare’s “Shylock” character in Merchant of Venice is said to be based on Lopez’s life.

Why the Mets would want to sign a guy who has been dead for over four centuries is beyond me. Maybe he can lend the Wilpons some money?

Unless their offer was made to the other Rodrigo Lopez — the one who has lost 15 or more games in a season as many times as he’s won 15 or more. In that case, I understand, sort of.

Rodrigo Lopez the MLB pitcher spent most of his career with the Orioles, but his last three seasons in the NL with the Rockies, Phillies, and Diamondbacks. He missed all of 2008 after Tommy John surgery, and came back to make 33 starts for Arizona last year, posting a 7-16 record with 5.00 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 116 Ks in 200 innings. The last figure is the most valuable: Lopez will take the ball and eat up innings, which is what the Mets need. Consider him a poor man’s Livan Hernandez, as he throws pus, gives up tons of hits, but somehow gets enough outs to keep a job.

If Lopez signs with the Mets, I’m sure much will be made about his fly ball ratio, and in turn how pitching in Citi Field will benefit his performance (he allowed a league-leading 37 HRs last year). Perhaps; but if so, it will merely change him from a pretty mediocre MLB pitcher to a fairly mediocre MLB pitcher.

Personally, for an innings-eating, fly-ball veteran pitcher on the wrong side of 35, I’d prefer Kevin Millwood. Millwood doesn’t give up quite as many homers — despite pitching in the AL East — and tends to strike out more batters. Beyond that, the two pitchers’ stat lines are eerily similar over the past few years. My guess is that Millwood would require more money and/or a guaranteed MLB contract, as opposed to a minor-league deal with ST invite.

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged , | 6 Comments

17 DUPACR: Guess Who?

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Joe Janish

There are 17 Days Until Pitchers and Catchers Report to spring training at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, Florida. So today I honor a former player who wore New York Mets uniform number 17.

But which #17 do I bestow this honor?

I’ll give you a few hints:

– he was an infielder
– he was known for his outstanding defense on the right side of the infield
– he wore a distinctive, memorable mustache
– he was a great contact hitter who rarely struck out
– he was more of a line-drive / singles hitter than a homerun threat
– he led the Mets in hits in multiple seasons
– he played with plenty of passion, and had a fiery temper
– he was of Latin descent

Can you guess what #17 I’m honoring today? Continue reading →

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18 DUPACR: Darryl Strawberry

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Joe Janish

You were expecting Jeff McKnight, weren’t you?

I will admit, though, there was a nanosecond where I considered honoring Joel Youngblood for the 18th Day Until Pitchers And Catchers Report. But really, there was never a question, for so many reasons.

It goes back to being a Mets fan in the late 1970s to early 1980s — a dark, ugly time for the franchise (particularly after they traded The Franchise). The team was bad. The future looked bleak. The original owners sold the club to a book publisher and a real estate magnate, but it was hard to see how that was going to help. Despite the incessant commercials produced by the high-priced, well-intentioned ad agency, the “magic” most certainly was NOT back. The situation seemed hopeless — until June 1980, when Continue reading →

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Darryl Strawberry Says Mets Should Have Hired Backman

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Joe Janish

As reported on The New York Times:

Darryl Strawberry said the Mets should have hired Wally Backman as manager instead of Terry Collins. Mr. Strawberry played with Mr. Backman on the Mets’ 1986 championship team. “Wally will be the next manager of the Mets,” Mr. Strawberry said Tuesday. “I thought he would have been the right choice for them at this point.”

Oh boy … spring training hasn’t even started and already Terry Collins’ job is being debated.

If the Mets perform as poorly as expected — i.e., not be in the running for a playoff spot — how many more times are we going to see news like this? In other words, will Terry Collins be constantly looking over his shoulder, and/or have his job publicly debated?

Loyal readers of MetsToday know that I supported Backman for manager. However, in a way I’m glad he didn’t get the job now, considering the uphill (and downhill) battle that appears ahead. With the tight budget of this year, the expected turnover / overhaul of the roster next year, and lack of young talent to count on going forward, the next 2 years are going to be difficult. And when things don’t go well, someone has to take the blame — deserved or not. What Terry Collins has ahead of him in regard to the court of public opinion is no cakewalk.

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

19 DUPACR: Anthony Young

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Joe Janish

Before we go any further, I need to make something clear: the player I pick to commemorate each day in this countdown is not necessarily someone who is the “best” Met to ever wear that number. In many cases (if not most), in fact, it’s quite the opposite. My apologies for not setting the ground rules ahead of time; this countdown idea came about as a whim during one snowy afternoon while reading the Mets By The Numbers book (there’s also the MBTN website, which is equally entertaining), and I didn’t put much thought into how I’d pick the players. As it is turning out, it is a very personal — and maybe selfish — series, focused on players who stick in my head for one crazy reason or another. (For example, Jackson Todd because of his fight with cancer; Pete Harnisch because of his loose tie to my alma mater.)

That said, I strongly encourage you to use the comments section to post your memories of the players who stick in your head for personal reasons. And/or, suggest your choice for the Met most worthy of representing the number of the day. This blog is supposed to be a conversation WITH YOU, not a one-way communication AT YOU.

So, without further adieu, I bid you Anthony Young as the player to represent the 19th Day Until Pitchers And Catchers Report.

Bobby Ojeda was without question a better pitcher than Young, and he was nearly the man I chose for his savvy, gritty pitching and leadership in 1986. Tim Foli was on the short list as well, partially because anyone with the nickname “Crazy Horse” has to be in the conversation (where did all the nicknames go?). Heath Bell almost made the cut for his constant shuttling between Flushing and Norfolk. And, Lino Urdaneta was considered because of his ERA of infinity.

But in the end, it’s Anthony Young, mainly because I will never, ever forget his 27-game losing streak, and feel it is something that (I hope) will never, ever be broken nor duplicated.

Think about it: how bad do you have to be to lose 27 games in a row? Or: how good do you have to be to lose 27 games in a row and still be in the big leagues?

What’s also rather interesting is that Young broke a record of 19 straight losses previously held by a pitcher named Craig Anderson. When I say “record”, I mean it was both a Mets record and an MLB record — Anderson appeared in 57 games for the Mets from 1962 to 1964. What are the chances that such a significant record of futility would be held by two pitchers for the same franchise in two vastly different eras? Only the Mets.

Again, there are many other #19s more worthy of the honor — please post your nominations, and supporting reasoning (even if it’s personal) — below.

The countdown thus far:

#19 Anthony Young
#20 Howard Johnson
#21 Gary Rajsich
#22 Ray Knight
#23 Doug Flynn
#24 Kelvin Torve
#25 Willie Montanez (no link … sadly, didn’t have time to write a post)
#26 Dave Kingman
#27 Pete Harnisch
#28 John Milner
#29 Alex Trevino
#30 Jackson Todd

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20 DUPACR: Howard Johnson

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Joe Janish

Like yesterday’s choice for #21, I might have gone for someone from further in the past here, such as Tommie Agee — had I seen him play. For those who did have the good fortune of watching Agee “in the flesh”, please post your memories in the comments.

Howard Johnson gets the nod primarily because he was the best power-hitting switch-hitter in Mets history, and one of the best all-time. OK, I don’t really have any specific numbers to back up the “all-time” proclamation; but I also can’t think of anyone other than Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray who was as serious a slugger — even if HoJo’s run was much shorter than those HOFers.

HoJo was the Mets’ first 30-30 guy — and remains one of only four players in MLB history to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in the same season three times. His switch-hitting prowess was unprecedented in the NL — he was the first switcher to lead the NL in RBI (as well as the first Met to do so), the first to lead in RBI and HR in the same season, and hit more HR in the NL than any other switch-hitter in history — until a steroid-enhanced Ken Caminiti passed him.

As it turned out, the trade of Walt Terrell to Detroit for Johnson worked out OK for the Mets. Of course, the Tigers could afford to give away HoJo — they had the great Tom Brookens entrenched at 3B and had two future “superstars” (per Tigers manager Sparky Anderson) named Chris Pittaro and Torey Lovullo ready to take over.

There’s one negative thing about Howard Johnson, though, that sticks with me: even though he was part of the ’86 team, his career as a Met was marked by under-achievement. Not because of HoJo, of course — if anything, HoJo was an OVER-achiever. But the third baseman on the 1986 Mets, to me, was Ray Knight, with Johnson as an understudy. And after Knight left, leaving the hot corner to Johnson, the Mets perpetually underachieved, until they reached the beginning of a very dark period in their history. Again, this was no fault of HoJo’s — if anything, he was their saving grace. But looking back at those teams from 1987 – 1993, I see first grave disappointment, followed by an out-of-control downward spiral. Through it all, HoJo was the one shiny, exciting piece of an otherwise drab product, and deserved better for his effort, selflessness, and performance. Had things gone as they should have, Howard Johnson would be remembered as the greatest third baseman in Mets history, but instead, the memory is littered with visions of his awkwardness attempting to play shortstop and centerfield — the Kelly Leak of a Bad News Bears club falling apart around him.

In addition to HoJo and Agee, other #20s that were considered for various, unfathomable reasons included Choo-Choo Coleman (for his nickname, of course), John Pacella (for his hat falling off his head), Shawn Green (see John Pacella), Victor Diaz (remember “Mini-Manny”?), Ryan Thompson (still waiting for him to become a 5-tool superstar), and Jeromy Burnitz.

The countdown thus far:

#20 Howard Johnson
#21 Gary Rajsich
#22 Ray Knight
#23 Doug Flynn
#24 Kelvin Torve
#25 Willie Montanez (no link … sadly, didn’t have time to write a post)
#26 Dave Kingman
#27 Pete Harnisch
#28 John Milner
#29 Alex Trevino
#30 Jackson Todd

Posted in Spring Training Countdown | Tagged , | 2 Comments

21 DUPACR: Gary Rajsich

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Joe Janish

This one is bound to raise some eyebrows, I’m sure.

Why in the world would I commemorate the 21st Day Until Pitchers And Catchers Report with someone who appeared in merely 91 ballgames as a Met, and most of it as a pinch-hitter?

All I can say in my defense is, you had to be there.

Without question, Cleon Jones and Carlos Delgado are better choices for #21 honors. But my memories of Jones are fuzzy, since I was only four years old in his last full season as a Met. And my memories of Delgado are much too clear. Kevin Elster was a candidate, but there was something creepy about him that made me uncomfortable (beyond his admission to sleeping with his bat). Elliott Maddox very nearly made the headline, but how could I honor someone who sued my beloved / behated Shea Stadium? Gerald “Ice” Williams also nearly made it, but it turned out that he was, in fact, Gerald “Ice” Williams.

So the choice was Rajsich — not for what he was, but for what he was supposed to be. Continue reading →

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22 DUPACR: Ray Knight

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Joe Janish

There are 22 Days Until Pitchers And Catchers Report. Thus we honor former #22 Ray Knight.

Choosing Knight was fairly easy, since he is one of my favorite all-time Mets, for his grit, hustle, fire, and hard-nosed play. He got dirty, he was a gamer, he played with fierce passion, he hated to lose, he was unselfish, a team player, and he beat the crap out of Eric Davis. Oh, and he was a pretty decent player, too, able to play multiple positions more than adequately and providing some pop at the plate. His career numbers don’t look spectacular compared to the hitters of today, and he didn’t hit for enough power to justify being a corner infielder, but he had a few strong seasons where his average was around .300 and his OPS in the .750-.800 range. In short, he was “a ballplayer”, and enjoyable to watch — especially in 1986, when he came through with clutch hits time after time.

And the clutch thing isn’t just my romantic side remembering things the way I want to remember them. Sure, I vividly remember him scoring the winning run in Game 6 while Vin Scully screamed “gets by Buckner!”, and hitting the game-winning HR in Game 7. But that’s the way it went with Ray Knight all year. If you check the stats, you’ll see Knight hit .357 with a .827 OPS with runners in scoring position. With two outs and RISP, he hit .396 with a .899 OPS. Two outs and a man on third, he hit .381 with a .519 OBP and .899 OPS. With the bases loaded, he hit .400. With a man on second, he hit .375 with a .964 OPS. In “late and close” situations, he hit .325 with a .839 OPS. In tie ballgames, he hit .342 with .872 OPS. My eyes saw a clutch player, my memories echo what I saw, and the stats bear the proof: 1986 was a magical year for Ray Knight, as it was for all Mets fans.

Other #22s who were considered include Kevin McReynolds, Donn Clendenon, Michael “Mother” Tucker, Hank Webb, Al Leiter, Mike Jorgensen, Xavier Nady, and Dale Murray.

And by the way, the boys at AmazinAvenue have anointed Al Leiter as their #22 — not a bad choice, either.

The countdown thus far:

#22 Ray Knight
#23 Doug Flynn
#24 Kelvin Torve
#25 Willie Montanez (no link … sadly, didn’t have time to write a post)
#26 Dave Kingman
#27 Pete Harnisch
#28 John Milner
#29 Alex Trevino
#30 Jackson Todd

Posted in Spring Training Countdown | Tagged , | 2 Comments