Off-Topic: A Matchup Not To Be Missed

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Joe Janish

On Saturday night at 7:30 PM the Phillies will face the Giants in Philadelphia to begin the NLCS.

While it’s true I’m a Mets fan, I’m a BASEBALL fan first, and therefore excited to watch this game. Why? Because it pits two of the best pitchers of our generation in a playoff contest — and those two pitchers are coming off two of the greatest postseason pitching performances in baseball history. All signs are pointing to extreme entertainment value for hard-core baseball enthusiasts.

Which team will I root for? Hard to say … probably neither. Likely, I’ll be watching rather than rooting — though what happens during the course of the contest may change that. Sure, as a Mets fan I can’t stand either club, but I’m going to approach this game the same as I would a movie: for entertainment value; to enjoy the story. I will sit and enjoy the plot of the game develop, and “root” for a hero when and if one emerges.

Of course, it’s very possible that one or both of the starting pitchers craps the bed and the game becomes something less dramatic than what we are expecting. And if that’s the case, well, maybe there will be something interesting to watch on Spike! or HGTV … and Saturday Night Live will be on at 11:30.

While we’re on the subject of pitching freaks, be sure to check out Greg Prince’s article about Lincecum and Christy Mathewson at The New York Times. It is a good read by a great guy; Greg and Jason Fry were among the first Mets bloggers on the interwebs (see Faith and Fear, if you haven’t already), and both are truly fine gentlemen. Congrats to Greg for contributing to such a venerable and highly respected publication as The Times — it’s nice to see good things happen to good people!

Posted in Off Topic | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Jeff Wilpon To Be Interviewed By Sandy Alderson

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Joe Janish

According to multiple reports, Sandy Alderson will be meeting with Jeff Wilpon at some point this week in regard to the Mets’ opening in their front office.

Hopefully, Jeff gets a haircut, wears his best suit, arrives on time, and speaks both eloquently and intelligently, so as to impress Mr. Alderson (you WILL address him as “Mr. Alderson”, won’t you, Jeff?). These may seem like trivial details, but considering that Jeff Wilpon has never had to experience a job interview before (remember, he’s had the luck of working in a family business), there is an off-chance that he blows the meeting.

And it would be a catastrophe if Jeff comes off poorly, pushing Mr. Alderson to go back to his job of confirming birth certificates and fettering buscones in the Dominican Republic.

Because if you hadn’t noticed, Richard Lynn “Sandy” Alderson is the Dixie Walker of Mets GM candidates — “the People’s Cherce” (Fred Wilpon should appreciate that moniker). MetsBlog has been singing Alderson’s praises since he became a candidate less than a week ago; Amazin’ Avenue seems to not hate him; all the Mets beat writers agree he’s the most qualified person; even BeelzeBud Selig recommends Alderson as the one man who can clean up the mess in Flushing.

Miraculously, the Mets have found an individual who is universally accepted by the rabid fans, the blogosphere, the statheads, and the professional media. Alderson manages to be all things to all people because he:

– has tons of experience building championship clubs
– is older than John Ricco, but not older than John McCain
– has built successful farm systems
– has worked frugally and efficiently with budgets of all sizes
– has an eye for talent, both in terms of players and scouting personnel
– has the reputation as a strong, no-nonsense leader
– is respected by other GMs throughout baseball
– was mentioned in Moneyball as Billy Beane’s mentor
– is an ex-Marine, and therefore gritty

Those last two may be the strongest qualifications; who else appeals to both the old-school and Beane-head crowds, AND is accepted as competent by my dad (because of the ex-Marine part; Alderson could be a 98-year-old mongoloid with Alzheimer’s but as long as he spent time in the USMC, he’s the best man for the job)? In short, Alderson is a gritty, take-charge leader who understands the “new math” of baseball — and he’s a pretty good public speaker.

Could there be a better candidate that appeals to all parties? If there is, let us know in the comments.

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Mets Forget Part of Announcement

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Joe Janish

It’s been a few days since the Mets announced that Omar Minaya had been “relieved of his duties” and that the option for 2011 on Jerry Manuel’s contract would not be exercised.

During that same day I waited to see the public introduction of the person who would be the new General Manager.

However, no press conference was held to introduce the new hire on Monday. I figured, well, maybe the new person hasn’t made it to NYC just yet — perhaps he/she missed a flight or something.

But then, there was no press conference on Tuesday, either. Nor on Wednesday.

It’s now Thursday, and there is no press conference scheduled to introduce the new GM. And there likely won’t be any public announcement until mid-November, as MLB doesn’t like it when teams take attention away from the postseason — and we all know that the Wilpons always adhere to the rules laid down by BeelzeBud Selig.

I would like to believe that the Mets knew who Minaya’s replacement would be before Minaya was let go. I’m holding fast to this idea, but the piles of rumors and lists of “candidates” and interviews mentioned throughout the media and blogosphere is making me think that the Mets do NOT know who their new GM will be.

Is that possible?

Truly and sincerely: did the Mets start their search for a new GM on Monday afternoon? If so, that means they believed Minaya would be manning the ship in 2011 as recently as late September. At the very least, they were considering the idea that Minaya would stick around. Which in turn means that the Wilpons believed Minaya was doing a fine job throughout the summer — despite the fact that the team has gone backward since 2006 and that people were staying away from their brand-new stadium in droves.

You really have to wonder what the Wilpons were thinking in late July, when the team was floundering and had next to nothing in terms of support from the farm system. Or did they think that the made-for-Disney story of R.A. Dickey was somehow reflective of their minor league development?

You also have to wonder what course of action the Mets would have taken if Carlos Beltran returned from the DL with a hot bat and Jason Bay didn’t suffer a concussion. Those two extra bats in the lineup likely would have been the difference between finishing in fourth and finishing in third. In fact, I will go on a limb and say that Bay and Beltran hitting near to what we all expected down the stretch might have helped the Mets to 85 wins — which still leaves them in third place and out of the postseason. And what then? Does Manuel stay on as manager in 2011, and does Minaya get another extension? Or would the Wilpons have been smart enough to realize they were damn lucky that Dickey’s wagon never turned into a pumpkin and that the likes of Elmer Dessens, Raul Valdes, and Manny Acosta were retiring Major League hitters (perhaps via witchcraft)?

Because without the minor miracle of Dickey and the black magic of the journeymen relievers, the Mets might have struggled to stay out of the NL East basement. The team has annually put together a flawed roster with no depth and relying more on past resumes, hopes and wishes than actual talent — this despite having one of the top 5 payrolls in all of baseball. Additionally, the farm system has developed very little in the five years Minaya has been in charge. The best “homegrown” players since 2005, in fact (Mike Pelfrey and Ike Davis), spent very little time in the minors — it could be argued that both “developed” in college and were very close to MLB-ready the day they were drafted.

Maybe the upper management of the Mets believed their own hype. Maybe they really thought that their Opening Day roster was good enough to play postseason baseball in 2010 and 2009. And if so, then we can only hope that the next person they hire to be GM has very different thoughts.

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | 16 Comments

Will the Sun Come Up On Monday?

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Joe Janish

According to various sources (first reported by Matt Pignataro on 7 Train to Shea), the Mets will announce that both manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya will be fired on Monday.

This in direct opposition to what Fred Wilpon insisted in early August. For those who forgot (or weren’t paying attention), from the NY Post:

… as Wilpon walked away, a Post reporter asked if Minaya would remain the team’s GM beyond this year.

“Is the sun going to come up tomorrow?” Wilpon answered.

Now I’m thinking, maybe it won’t. Perhaps the end of Daylight Savings Time has something to do with the sun not rising, and Wilpon firing Minaya.

If indeed Minaya is fired, and Wilpon believed what he said to that Post reporter, then the Mets are more inept at management evaluation than we ever imagined. Did something change between August 5th and October 5th? In other words, what happened in August and September that would change the Mets’ perception of Omar Minaya’s performance as a General Manager? Did they think that their mediocre MLB roster was good enough to compete with the Phillies and Braves, and simply underperforming? Or, did they think that Minaya would somehow, some way, find a half-dozen gems from the rubble of the waiver wire to rescue the season?

One might consider the fact that Wilpon was lying — that he had considered the possibility of relieving Minaya of his position, and was simply giving Omar a public vote of confidence to prevent a media nightmare of questions and rumors that might affect the final two months of the season.

You know what? That’s an even WORSE consideration — because it means that the Mets have been thinking about fixing their management issues for two months, and have done absolutely nothing. In the meantime, other teams in similarly terrible condition have made steps toward righting the ship. While the Mets sat on their hands wondering what they should do next, strong leadership candidates have found employment elsewhere. More importantly, the team floundered without direction nor meaning under a lame-duck manager and a lame-duck GM — both of whom had motivations other than the Mets’ future in mind.

While it’s true that Jerry Manuel played a number of youngsters in September, what good does that do for the next Mets manager and GM? Those men might have preferred to see Justin Turner at second base instead of Ruben Tejada. Maybe the new management doesn’t see Dillon Gee, Pat Misch, or Raul Valdes as candidates for next year’s pitching staff, and would’ve preferred to see other arms used in September starts.

Who knows, maybe the sun WILL come up today and Omar Minaya will still be the General Manager in 2011. Or maybe Fred Wilpon was lying — again.

Posted in 10-11 Offseason | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Off-Topic: Mets Rejects

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Joe Janish

So I’m looking at the rosters of the teams whose seasons are continuing — i.e., playing in the postseason — and I notice there are a number of players who were dumped by the Mets since Opening Day 2009.

Here is the list of recent Mets rejects going to the playoffs:

Brian Schneider (Phillies)
Wilson Valdez (Phillies)
Jeff Francoeur (Rangers)
Darren O’Day (Rangers)
Billy Wagner (Braves)

Other former Mets in the postseason include Darren Oliver, Nelson Cruz, Dan Wheeler, A.J. Burnett, Royce Ring, Drew Butera, and Guillermo Mota. I’m not sure if you can count Yorvit Torrealba. Did I miss anyone?

Also of note, Bengie Molina and Orlando Hudson — two free agents highly coveted by the Mets last winter — are both in the playoffs.

Not sure what this means, if anything. It’s probably useless information. But we will see familiar faces for the next few weeks, and it will be annoying if Brian Schneider hits a game-winning homer in the NLDS, for example.

Which former Met would you be most annoyed — or most happy — to see do something great in the 2010 postseason? Comment below.

Posted in Off Topic | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Mets Game 162: Loss to Nationals

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Joe Janish

Nationals 2 Mets 1

Finally, it’s over.

Meaning, the game — which lasted 14 wretched frames — the season, and the Omar Minaya / Jerry Manuel regime.

Fittingly, Oliver Perez was the losing pitcher, coming into the game in the top of the fourteenth. He struck out the first batter he faced with a sizzling 87-MPH fastball, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd small gathering of fans still at the ballpark. He proceeded to hit the next batter, then walked the next three to force in what was ultimately the winning run.

Game Notes

Mike Pelfrey pitched OK, not awesomely. His stat line was very good: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 ER. However, the Nationals were very bad, killing potential rallies with a combination of poor pitch selection, baserunning mistakes, and lack of hustle. Pelfrey’s command was off and his slider was flat, as he once again fell into the habit of hunching over at the leg lift, which in turn caused his body to fall a little too much toward first base at the release point, which in turn causes the hand / arm to go a just a bit horizontal and not enough vertical. But perhaps the otherwise strong outing will give big Pelf a boost of confidence going into the offseason.

In fairness to Ollie — if that’s even plausible — Perez had not pitched in a game since a two-inning stint against the St. Louis Browns in 1911. To expect him to do better than he did would have been wishful thinking. And again, I ask: why the heck did the Mets have only 33 players on their roster in September? Where was Chad Cordero, Michael O’Connor, Roy Merritt, Josh Stinson, or ANYONE from the minors — particularly after K-Rod was arrested, and Johan Santana, Jenrry Mejia, and Bobby Parnell were shut down. Perhaps the issue was this: the Mets do not have any pitching prospects that were worthy of a September call-up, other than Dillon Gee — which is pretty scary for the future.

David Wright and Jose Reyes were taken out as part of a double-switch during the top of the ninth — the intention was to give the fans an ovation to them both. However, much of the sparse crowd had no idea what was happening, and in the end, their absence might have prevented the Mets from winning 80 games.

During the postgame, Jerry Manuel mentioned a number of players as “foundation pieces” that were not named Reyes nor Wright. Stunning, but a glaring reason why this regime (Manuel AND Minaya) is clueless — they truly believe that the complementary pieces that were assembled around the “core” in 2010 (including the youngsters) are better than average MLBers. This team needs a full overhaul and at least 3-4 more players that are at, near, or above Reyes and Wright in terms of performance if they are to see the postseason again.

Next Mets Game

The Mets open the 2011 season on April 1st in Florida — no fooling.

Posted in Mets 2010 Games | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Mets Game 161: Win Over Nationals

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Joe Janish

Mets 7 Nationals 2

The Mets took one step closer toward fulfilling Ken Davidoff’s preseason prediction of an 80-82 season. I’m texting Ken now for lottery numbers.

Game Notes

Reliever Raul Valdes started the game and went 5 innings despite pitching on three days’ rest — and pitching twice in one day four days ago. Additionally, starter R.A. Dickey pitched an inning of relief on two days’ rest. How does this happen in a meaningless September, when rosters can be expanded to 40 players? Oh, because the Mets have only 33 players on their roster currently.

Interesting that in addition to the front office mismanaging September callups, Jerry Manuel still runs out of arms when he has 8 extra bodies and 16 total pitchers. Maybe there is something to the idea that poor management starts from the top and trickles down.

Note: if the Valdes start and Dickey relief appearance was not a hard, clear message to Oliver Perez, I don’t know what is.

Ah, but why should I be so negative after a victory? Let’s talk about the great, awesome stuff that gave the Mets the opportunity to possibly finish the year with 80 wins!

David Wright blasted his 29th homer of the game to break a 2-2 tie and give the Mets a 5-2 lead. He has followed in the footsteps of team leader Carlos Beltran and really stepped it up once the season no longer mattered. He has a chance to finish the year with 30 HR and 100 RBI — really nice individual stats that look great on paper and make him a good choice for your Strat-O-Matic team this winter.

Chris Carter followed with a 2-run homer in the eighth, scoring Lucas Duda. Duda hit a prodigious blast of his own in the fourth to put the Mets ahead 2-zip.

There were 7 Mets rookies in the starting lineup. My wife was able to identify one. Though, if Mike Nickeas started behind home plate, I’m not sure she’d have identified that many.

Last Mets Game

The Mets and Nationals play the final regular-season game of 2010 on Sunday afternoon at 1:10 PM. There is no tomorrow after tomorrow, so Jerry Manuel has the option to manage like there is no tomorrow. In other words, not much differently than what you’ve seen for the past two and a half years. Mike Pelfrey takes the ball against Livan Hernandez.

Posted in Mets 2010 Games | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mets Game 160: Win Over Nationals

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Joe Janish

Mets 2 Nationals 1

These up-and-coming Mets are quite entertaining!

Pat Misch (I seem to remember him around this time last year) spun 8 brilliant frames and young Josh Thole hit a solo homer in the bottom of the tenth to give the Mets a dramatic walkoff win to beat the last-place Nats.

Game Notes

Misch allowed just one run on 3 hits and one walk, striking out 10 in 8 innings and expending only 109 pitches. For all that, though, Misch remains winless in 2010 — Hisanori Takahashi was awarded with the win after two innings of stellar relief.

Interestingly, that was Takahashi’s 10th win of the season, giving the Mets 4 pitchers with double-digit wins. Now, if I told you in March that the Mets would boast four pitchers with 10 wins apiece, would you have believed that they would have finished with a losing record? Remarkable.

Thole had half of the Mets hits, with two. One of the other hits was Ike Davis’ 19th homer of the season; the other was a single by Angel Pagan.

Game Notes

The second-to-last game of the year occurs on Saturday afternoon at 1:10 PM. Legendary lefty Raul Valdes will face Yunesky Maya in a once-in-a-lifetime matchup not to be missed.

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