Johan Santana: His Colors Are Orange and Blue

Saw this on SNY last night. Who's ready for the 2008 season? I know I am.

The Johan Santana Song

This is just priceless.

Johan Santana Can Swing the Bat Too

The Mets got Johan Santana for his pitching, but he likes to swing the bat almost as much as he loves to pitch. Ex-teammate, Torii Hunter, was even quoted as saying one of the reasons Santana wanted to come to the National League was to be able to get some cuts at the plate every 5th day.

Santana has had limited at bats since he's pitched in the American League for all these years but in his career he's a lifetime .258 hitter, which is very good for a pitcher.

Last year in only 7 at bats Santana had a slugging percentage over .700, and I distinctly remember him crushing a double down the line at Shea.

Most of the time we'll need Santana to learn how to bunt, but it's always nice to have a pitcher who can get you a hit every once in a while too.

Maybe Santana can give Mike Pelfrey some lessons.

Tom Glavine on Johan Santana & the Mets

I hate Tom Glavine, and I want you to hate him too. Here's what he had to say about the Mets getting Johan Santana today per MLB.com:

"I don’t think this makes [the Mets] the class of the division. I think it puts them in a position where there rotation is much better and that was their biggest need. Within the division, I think you have three teams that can now not only win the division, but also the World Series.”

Actually what he should of said is "My leaving New York and their adding Johan Santana now makes their rotation much, much, much, much better."

Can anyone else wait for Tom Glavine to pitch at Shea and have Santana as the opposing pitcher?

Priceless.

Phillies Nation Reacts to Johan Santana trade to Mets

Thanks to Gus for passing along this info. Check out this excerpt from philliesnation.com as they react the Mets recent deal for Johan Santana.

"Well, crap.

USA Today is reporting a four-for-one swap, as the Mets will send Phillip Humber, Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey and Deoils Guerra to the Mets for the All-World left-hander.

More on this to come, but a few knee-jerk quick thoughts:

1. The Mets stole this one. They didn’t have to give up their No. 1 prospect.
2. The Mets are suddenly the favorite to win both the East and the NL.
3. We’re in trouble."

The post goes on to hope that the Mets can't come to agreement on terms with Santana, but it's obvious that the rest of the NL East is taking notice.

I didn't think this Santana deal could get any better but after reading this, it really does get better.

The Waiting Game

This is it folks. The Waiting Game is officially in full swing.

It's Santana of bust for Omar Minaya this offseason. The Mets could potentially have the worst offseason adjustments in Major League Baseball or the best depending on what the Minnesota Twins do.

Omar has called off talks with Livan Hernandez and Kyle Lohse until Santana-gate is settled. The Twin have come out and said they want to make a decision in the next ten days. Ten days. That's an eternity for me. In 10 days the Twin can come back and say, "Sorry Omar, we want to sell out on opening day with Santana on the mound."

Or they can come back and accept the Mets offer while Mets nation finally exhales. The worst part about this is that if we don't get Johan Santana we will be getting Livan Hernandez. Omar has been coveting Livan for years and wants unite the Hernandez brothers.

Sounds like a great story except for the fact that Livan Hernandez is not very good anymore. Sure he'll give you a ton of innings, but it's not the type of arm the Mets need at this juncture.

So the fate of the '08 season potentially rests in the hands of the Minnesota Twins. It's a sad state but one that could work out for the best. But just might work out for the worst.

There's always the trading deadline.

Johan Santana the Movie

Johan Santana: The Movie
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Starring:
Daniel Sunjaya as Johan Santana
Billy Dee Williams as Willie Randolph
Tony Shalhoub as Omar Minaya
Sean Bean as the Evil Twins GM
and Tara Reid as Anna Benson
with Frank Caliendo as Hank Steinbrenner

Synopsis:
ACT I: Major League Baseball's top pitcher, Johan Santana, decides he's through with pitching for a middle market team that is bent on driving the team back to mediocrity. Santana cries for salvation in the cold dark winter of Minnesota, while back in New York Mets GM, Omar Minaya, is awoken by the sound of a distant cry. He runs to his window thinking it's another angry mob of Mets fans wanting to lynch him for his lack of offseason moves following a collapse in September that sent Mets fans to asylums and nursing homes across the country, but instead he realizes it's a cry of hope and that Johan Santana might actually pitch in Queens.

ACT II: Minaya quickly calls Mets manager, Willie Randolph, to let him know that he will be completely depleting the minor leagues and his best young outfielder for the game's most dominant pitcher. Randolph replies, "These are my guys." Minaya tries to explain that if the Mets get Johan Santana, that Santana will become one of "his guys." Randolph reaches for the phone to try and bring in Guillermo Mota, but before he's able to make a call, Minaya pulls out his secret weapon, Anna Benson. Quickly Anna Benson threatens to ruin every Mets pitcher's career unless Randolph complies to Minaya's demands and swears off Guillermo Mota forever. Randolph submits.

ACT III: Minaya starts to make some offers to the evil Twins GM who demands Jose Reyes as a sacrifice on the trade wire altar. Minaya refuses. The evil Twins GM swears off Minaya and speed dials Hank Steinbrenner who refuses to answer his phone in the middle of his KFC wings. Minaya tries to hypnotize the Twins GM into taking Johnny Estrada, Rickey Henderson and Mike Pelfrey but to no avail. Omar desperately offers Gomez, FMart, Guerra, Mulvey & Humber, but as the offer hits the Twins GM's desk, Hank Steinbrenner enters the room with a final offer.

But before Steinbrenner can sign his agreement, Anna Benson surprises everyone with a manila envelope full of revealing pictures. No one knows what to think as they are just pictures of Ms. Benson as Mrs. Claus, when she pulls out another envelope full of pictures of Steinbrenner & Benson eating those tasty new crunchy KFC hot wings.

Steinbrenner leaves in a huff and the Mets give away the farm (literally) to sign the most dominant pitcher in baseball.

THE BEGINNING (it can't possibly be the end!)

Santana of Another Kind

With Johan Santana pitching at Shea tonight, Met fans will no doubt be reminded (wink) of another Santana who once roamed the same territory Jose Reyes currently occupies; the enigmatic, Rafael Santana.

Wearing #3 for the Mets, Rafael was a key player on the 1986 World Series Championship team. Known mainly for his slick fielding, Rafael was a mainstay in the #8 spot. Night after night, when Davey Johnson filled out that lineup card, you knew Rafael would be penciled in just ahead of the pitcher. Hitting .218, with one HR (no doubt a torrid blast) and 28 RBI, Santana was intentionally walked 12 times, tying him for 10^th that season.

While I don’t have any dramatic memories of Santana doing anything spectacular, ala Lenny, Mookie, Keith or Strawberry, I do recall a shocking excerpt from Jeff Pearlman’s hilariously entertaining book, “The Bad Guys Won!”

In it, Ed Hearn, backup catcher for the ’86 Mets, tells a ‘warm, fuzzy’ story about how a passed out Santana, fully exposed, urinated all over himself and on the back of Hearn’s seat. “Eight out of ten guys would have drilled him,” Hearn said, “I was nice enough to straighten him up in his seat.”

What’s your favorite memory of Rafael Santana? Share them here in the “comments” section.