Once Again Everybody, Meet the Mess...

True story: When I was a kid, I had this friend who used to slide in to any base on concrete. Concrete! And this was wiffle ball.

Tonight, we witnessed direct proof that this team just does not give 100% all of the time. We've been hearing for 2+ seasons now about how this team is missing something, how they don't have fire...very lackluster play. In the 8th inning, Carlos Beltran decided to run home on a ball that bounced away on the infield...I swear he had it easily. Yet, inexplicably, he chose not to slide into home and he was tagged out by Molina as he blogged the plate. Seriously, all Beltran had to do was slide and he was safe. Period...End of discussion! Instead, he was out and it was just another example of this team's lack of hustle, lack of drive and determination to win the game.

Another case in point was Delgado's laziness with keeping his foot on th ebag which should have been a double play. Now he had his tippy toe on it and the ump missed, but still, he had the chance to quickly smack his foot back on the bag but he didn't.

From now on, I'm going to do my best to point out every lazy play I see.

Jerry Manuel needs to go off on this team tonight. No close door meeting tomorrow...just absolutely tee off on them in the clubhouse. He needs to be direct and tell them how much they suck, how soft they are and how lazy they look. They are a pathetic-looking baseball team and I am tired of it. It's not just 13 games in to the season. It's been the same boring, uninspired brand of baseball with the same lame players for the last 2 seasons. Enough is enough already. Either they have to change, or guys need to go.

If the Mets want to learn from someone who plays hard every single night, Jerry Manuel should show them a video of the game to watch Albert Pujols. Not only is he a masher, but every pitch he's ready to make a play. Diving for balls, picking throws out of the dirt. On the last play of the game he was flat on his stomach, strethcing for a ball thrown to him to save it. That's how you play the game.

I wonder how Bobby Valentine would handle this bunch. If Manuel doesn't address this meek club immediately, we just might find out sooner than later on what Bobby V would do.

By the way, hell of a signing that Ollie Perez. What a joke, just like this team.

Some Thoughts on Tonight's Loss

Had these thoughts tonight while watching tonight's loss to the lowly Astros:

Endy Chavez is terrible with men on base. Can't believe he has only 11 RBI in 247 ABs. ELEVEN! Carlos Zambrano has 9 RBI in 60 ABs. 

I knew David Wright would not come through with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 7th. Wright has nice stats, but he's been brutal with runners in scoring position. Difficult to win when your best hitter fails to hit in big spots...he knows it more than anyone too. I actually wished Tatis was up in that spot. 

Mr. Beltran...Tonight, for the first time, I feel completely fed up with this guy's pain-staking inconsistency. I've been patient with him too long - 'he's streaky, he'll get hot again...' Enough! Can he just play better day in day out? How did he not catch that ball tonight? Changed the whole complexion of that inning...

Was wondering if Jerry Manuel had been watching the Mets for the last 4 years? Everyone knows not to pitch Heilman for two straight innings. This bull pen is just terrible and will ultimately be our downfall, much like last year. They're the same guys...does anyone really think they'll turn it around? They are what they are - awful! 

Good thing Philly is an average team.

The most popular thought I had tonight - would have been nice to have Manny in there.

Disappointing End to a Dissapointing First Half

Baseball cliché: Momentum is only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher. Today, the Mets exemplified this old adage perfectly.

Fresh – or evidently not so fresh - off their thrilling 17 inning victory, the Mets went out and quite frankly, laid an egg. Dave Williams, in his first start since last season, was atrocious, giving up 8 runs in 3.1 innings. He threw 41 pitches alone in the 1st, handing the Astros an early 3-0 lead.

As usual, the Mets failed to hit with men on base. In the first inning, with Reyes on third and Newhan on first, an no outs, Beltran struck out, Wright popped out, and Valentin struck out to end the inning after a walk to Delgado had loaded the bases. Just like that, the rally was over (a familiar trend) and the Mets were on their way to another disappointing loss in what has been a largely disappointing first half of baseball.

Mets 9 A's 1

The Mets had the total package on display tonight. Glavine was flawless. Beltran and Green hit bombs. Reyes was Reyes. And behind some stellar defensive play, the Mets cruised to a 9-1 victory over the Oakland A’s to take the first of three games.

It was nice to see Tom Glavine get back to form as he pitched a beautiful game for his 296th win. He also had two hits including a double and 2 RBI. It was great to see Jose Reyes having some fun shadow boxing in the dugout while Beltran, Gotay and Sosa looked on. It’s been a while since we’ve seen this kind of banter and it was a welcomed sight.

I guess the only negative of the night was Randolph pulling Glavine in the 9th after allowing a hit on his first pitch. I guess he wanted to get him a standing ovation as he walked off the mound, but the crowd wasn’t too pleased. They wanted a complete game.

Be that as it may, it was a nice all-around victory. Let’s get another one tomorrow to make it two in a row for the first time in three eeks.

"Bring Bobby V Back"

The throes of a losing streak almost inevitably conjure up some of the best recommendations on how to improve the team. And Mets fans haven’t disappointed. I’ve heard someone say, ‘Sit Beltran, put Gomez in Center, play Ben Johnson in left’ (absolutely); And another, ‘trade Milledge for Roy Oswalt’ (simple enough). Some have even called for the return of Bobby Valentine. My favorite came from a caller on WFAN the other night. “I know what the Mets need to do…they need to bring Bobby Valentine back, this team needs a spark and Bobby Valentine can do that.” (brilliant!).

Bring Bobby V. back. Sure, I miss going to those Saturday afternoon games in July when Alfonzo, Olerud and Piazza were all getting the day off, and Jay Payton batted third, Benny Agbayani hit cleanup. This decision was so absurd you wonder if Valentine was just doing it so the beat reporters would write about his quirky style of managing. I also miss the days when Bobby V, sitting in the dugout, would disguise himself in sunglasses and a fake mustache. Those were good times.

Look, Bobby Valentine was a decent manager, a good strategist and did bring us to a World Series, but let’s be honest, he’s not better than Willie Randolph. If he was, then why isn’t he managing in the Major Leagues now, rather than being idolized (true story) in Japan?

Say what you want about Randolph, the guy is a leader. He commands respect from his players and they love him. Take a look at Pedro Martinez. A perennial club house cancer in Boston, Martinez comes to NY and is one of the best guys around. Can you question some of his in-game decision making? Of course, but you can do that with every manager. Heck, one move I was really annoyed with and to this day still makes no sense to me, was when he removed Mike Piazza in his last game as a Met, in between innings when he was due to bat in the bottom half of the inning. Fans at the game didn’t even realize there was a new catcher behind the plate.

Still, the Mets are much better with him than without him. I truly believe this organization, with Omar’s guidance, is building a tradition here. The foundation is in place and Randolph is the quintessential building block.

That Milledege for Oswalt deal sounds pretty good.

Blowout or Heartbreaker?

That is the question. After losing 2 of the last 3 games by scores of 9-0 and 8-2, something strange happened. I actually slept better than I have in the last than 2 weeks. Why? Because these games were over quickly and the Mets never really had a shot. Which begs the question: Would you rather the Mets lose a close game, or get hammered?

For me, I’d have to choose the latter. And here’s why: If the Mets get beat up early and suffer a big defeat, I don’t have to torture myself thinking about every single play that went wrong, or that they failed to execute. ‘If only Beltran didn’t swing at the first pitch to end the game with the bases loaded’...‘If only Wagner threw a slider down and in to an undisciplined Burrell, not a fastball in his wheelhouse’ or ‘If only Delgado had gotten one hit out of the hundred chances with men on they would have won’

You get the point. Heartbreaking losses are called heartbreaking for a reason; because they crush you. You think about them over and over, replaying parts of the game in your head, saying things like, ‘If only Timo Perez ran, the series would have been much different.’ But when they get blown out, micro-analysis (aka mental torture) is irrelevant. There’s nothing to obsess about, no single play would have made a difference anyway. You accept defeat and move on. Sleep well.

I was lucky enough (or not, depending on how you look at it) to have been at Game 7 last year. Many will remember it as a baseball classic. People will say, ‘You got to see one of the best Game 7’s’ ‘You saw Endy’s catch!’ Hogwash! Truth of the matter is that game still haunts me. We had so many chances to win and we flat out blew it. To this day, I have only seen one highlight of that called strike three and that was by accident (he should have swung). Had the Mets gotten thumped in that final game, I would have been ticked, but it certainly would have been less painful. Just give credit to the Cardinals and be done with it. Instead, it becomes one of the biggest wounds MetsLifers carry with them.

A “W” is a “W” and a loss is a loss. And no matter how you lose, it still counts as an “L” in the loss column. For die-hards, it’s just easier to deal with. Accept defeat and move on. Sleep well.

(Endy’s catch is the single greatest post-season catch in baseball history)

Quote of the Day

Comes from a caller (Lisa) on WFAN's, Mike & the Mad Dog Show: Someone needs to give Beltran some cheeze for that 'whine'