I'm bleary-eyed and a little annoyed after last night's game. Check that. I'm a lot annoyed.
The Mets aren't worthy of a post after that debacle so instead I'm bringing back a post I did last year when the Mets hit the West Coast. Even though it's a year old, it still works.
Also notice the remark about the Dodger bullpen. Some things never change.
Click here to see for yourself.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Oliver Perez is Like that Crazy Girl You Dated
We are watching the demise of Oliver Perez and it's in blazing HD. Perez was a 15 game winner last year folks. That's right, the guy you saw last night won 15 games last year.
Hard to believe.
Oliver Perez is like that girl you dated in college. You know the one I'm talking about. It's the girl who you thought was attractive. She seemed fun. You had a good time when you went out a couple of times. And then WHAM! She turned into psycho chick. You might have seen this coming but you chose to ignore it.
That's Oliver Perez.
We knew this was coming, but like many a Mets Lifer, I chose to believe that the 15 game winner of last year was the real Oliver Perez. Blinded? Sure. Naive? Possibly. Optimistic? Unfortunately.
The kid has something wrong in his head. Ron Darling put it perfectly the other night when he said that Perez can look like the best left handed pitcher in the NL in one inning, and then the worst in the next.
Rick Peterson needs to try some zen voodoo, hypnosis, acupuncture or whatever. Because if Perez becomes unreliable then we really only have 2 starting pitchers you can count on: Santana & Maine.
That's no good in a power packed NL East.
Hard to believe.
Oliver Perez is like that girl you dated in college. You know the one I'm talking about. It's the girl who you thought was attractive. She seemed fun. You had a good time when you went out a couple of times. And then WHAM! She turned into psycho chick. You might have seen this coming but you chose to ignore it.
That's Oliver Perez.
We knew this was coming, but like many a Mets Lifer, I chose to believe that the 15 game winner of last year was the real Oliver Perez. Blinded? Sure. Naive? Possibly. Optimistic? Unfortunately.
The kid has something wrong in his head. Ron Darling put it perfectly the other night when he said that Perez can look like the best left handed pitcher in the NL in one inning, and then the worst in the next.
Rick Peterson needs to try some zen voodoo, hypnosis, acupuncture or whatever. Because if Perez becomes unreliable then we really only have 2 starting pitchers you can count on: Santana & Maine.
That's no good in a power packed NL East.
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Mets are Good at Ruining Young Talent
The Mets are really good at ruining young talent. We can take the best prospects and dash their hopes and dreams with the best of them. Besides Jose Reyes and David Wright can you name the last young prospects or home grown talent that the Mets have developed into stars?
Let's think, there was Generation K. Nope that didn't work out. There was Timo Perez, Benny Agbayani & Jay Payton. Yeah, that didn't work out either. Gotay? Check. David Segui. Nada.
You pretty much have to go back to Doc & Darryl. But the crazy thing is look at the young talent we've had that has gone wasted. Perfect example is Jeff Keppinger. Keppinger came up in the middle of the 2004 season and was hitting the cover off the ball for a mid-season call-up. He played a great defensive second base and was one of those spray hitters. I thought the Mets had found their second baseman for the next 5 or 6 years.
Then we traded him to the Royals. Where is he now? He's hitting .298 with a .403 slugging percentage for the Reds (P.S. he had a .477 slugging pct last year).
Keppinger is not the only one. Timo Perez came up with a spark in his bat and then faded quickly. Every young pitcher we've had has turned into a bust (you've been warned Mike Pelfrey). There's Ruben Gotay who we ran out of town after he was the most clutch Mets hitter for a period of time last season. Now we got Gimpy Castillo for the next couple of seasons.
Milledge? Wasn't he suppose to be the next big thing but the Mets couldn't quite get the reins in on him.
And now I'm seeing the same thing happen to Angel Pagan. Pagan started the season with a bang and now has been delegated to pinch hitting duties. No one in their right mind can expect Pagan to hit like he did in April without the chance to play on a regular basis.
Don't get me wrong. I love that Alou is back, but Pagan is going to hurt because of it. Sure next year might be his shot to play every day. But who knows how he'll play next season. If history tell us anything it's that his chances aren't great because the Mets can't mold young talent.
That has to change if we're going to be a competitive team in years to come.
Let's think, there was Generation K. Nope that didn't work out. There was Timo Perez, Benny Agbayani & Jay Payton. Yeah, that didn't work out either. Gotay? Check. David Segui. Nada.
You pretty much have to go back to Doc & Darryl. But the crazy thing is look at the young talent we've had that has gone wasted. Perfect example is Jeff Keppinger. Keppinger came up in the middle of the 2004 season and was hitting the cover off the ball for a mid-season call-up. He played a great defensive second base and was one of those spray hitters. I thought the Mets had found their second baseman for the next 5 or 6 years.
Then we traded him to the Royals. Where is he now? He's hitting .298 with a .403 slugging percentage for the Reds (P.S. he had a .477 slugging pct last year).
Keppinger is not the only one. Timo Perez came up with a spark in his bat and then faded quickly. Every young pitcher we've had has turned into a bust (you've been warned Mike Pelfrey). There's Ruben Gotay who we ran out of town after he was the most clutch Mets hitter for a period of time last season. Now we got Gimpy Castillo for the next couple of seasons.
Milledge? Wasn't he suppose to be the next big thing but the Mets couldn't quite get the reins in on him.
And now I'm seeing the same thing happen to Angel Pagan. Pagan started the season with a bang and now has been delegated to pinch hitting duties. No one in their right mind can expect Pagan to hit like he did in April without the chance to play on a regular basis.
Don't get me wrong. I love that Alou is back, but Pagan is going to hurt because of it. Sure next year might be his shot to play every day. But who knows how he'll play next season. If history tell us anything it's that his chances aren't great because the Mets can't mold young talent.
That has to change if we're going to be a competitive team in years to come.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Surprise! More Timely Hitting
The Mets couldn't get a timely hit for 8 innings, but they got them in the top of the 9th. Yet again Johan Santana pitched a great game only to get a no decision. Welcome to the Mets, Johan. Get used to it.
It seemed like everyone was hitting really, really, really long fly ball outs, but it was a series of singles and miscues that won the Mets the game. I've got to hand it to Reyes who's been playing much better of late. I like seeing how frustrated he was when he struck out earlier in the game and threw his bat and helmet down. Wright did the same thing later. They know it's unacceptable in key spots. Maybe Willie Randolph will catch some of their fire. What? Miracles happen.
That seems to be the key to all the close wins the Mets have had this year. They require the other team to screw up in some way in order to pull it out. Sometimes that's all you need.
But to waltz into the dessert and pull out two wins against the team with the best record in baseball is very satisfying. Two more wins in L.A. would be huge.
By the way was that Pat Burrelly playing 2B & SS for the Dbacks? Ojeda who?
It seemed like everyone was hitting really, really, really long fly ball outs, but it was a series of singles and miscues that won the Mets the game. I've got to hand it to Reyes who's been playing much better of late. I like seeing how frustrated he was when he struck out earlier in the game and threw his bat and helmet down. Wright did the same thing later. They know it's unacceptable in key spots. Maybe Willie Randolph will catch some of their fire. What? Miracles happen.
That seems to be the key to all the close wins the Mets have had this year. They require the other team to screw up in some way in order to pull it out. Sometimes that's all you need.
But to waltz into the dessert and pull out two wins against the team with the best record in baseball is very satisfying. Two more wins in L.A. would be huge.
By the way was that Pat Burrelly playing 2B & SS for the Dbacks? Ojeda who?
Saturday, May 3, 2008
The Difference Between Maine and Perez
Last night was a perfect example of the difference between John Maine and Oliver Perez. Neither pitcher has had great stuff the last few outings, but John Maine proved that good pitchers don't need great stuff every outing to get wins.
Of course getting 7 runs of offense doesn't hurt, but Maine found himself getting behind in counts, walking batters, giving up hits and other jams for most of his 6 innings of work. He gave up 2 runs in those 6 innings, but had plenty of opportunity to give up more.
The key is he didn't.
Oliver Perez on the other hand seems to spiral downward when he gets beat early. Perfect example was Wednesday against the Pirates when he completely lost control. I honestly believe that Oliver Perez has better "stuff" than John Maine, but Maine has got a little something extra upstairs that makes him a better major league pitcher.
I'm still waiting for Maine to have a repeat performance of his last September outing against the Marlins. He had magical pitches that day and I know he can repeat that. Hopefully we don't have to wait til September to see it.
By the way, how awesome is Ryan Church right now?
Of course getting 7 runs of offense doesn't hurt, but Maine found himself getting behind in counts, walking batters, giving up hits and other jams for most of his 6 innings of work. He gave up 2 runs in those 6 innings, but had plenty of opportunity to give up more.
The key is he didn't.
Oliver Perez on the other hand seems to spiral downward when he gets beat early. Perfect example was Wednesday against the Pirates when he completely lost control. I honestly believe that Oliver Perez has better "stuff" than John Maine, but Maine has got a little something extra upstairs that makes him a better major league pitcher.
I'm still waiting for Maine to have a repeat performance of his last September outing against the Marlins. He had magical pitches that day and I know he can repeat that. Hopefully we don't have to wait til September to see it.
By the way, how awesome is Ryan Church right now?
Friday, May 2, 2008
Sweet Home Arizona
The Mets will stumble into Arizona on Friday night for a 3 game series against the best team in baseball. That's right the Diamondbacks are the best team in baseball.
John Maine will start tonight and face the undefeated, and unknown, Micah Owings.
This is not a high point in the Mets young season. But there is hope. Arizona has been the Mets' home away from home the last few seasons, and it was a series against the D-backs back on 2006 that sparked the Mets domination the rest of the season.
It's a place where a lot of home runs are hit and where we were introduced to Mike Jacobs and learned that Damion Easley has some pop in his bat.
We've dominated Randy Johnson over the years. In fact I'd go find Joe McEwing right now and stick him in the lineup against Johnson if I could.
But this is a very different D-back team then we're used to. Their pitching is much improved and they've got some young, strong hitters in their lineup who will pound Mets pitching if we make mistakes.
It's a 6 game West Coast swing, and I think we need at least a 3-3 split. A 4-2 road trip would be miraculous.
So put on a pot of coffee and get ready to stay up late.
John Maine will start tonight and face the undefeated, and unknown, Micah Owings.
This is not a high point in the Mets young season. But there is hope. Arizona has been the Mets' home away from home the last few seasons, and it was a series against the D-backs back on 2006 that sparked the Mets domination the rest of the season.
It's a place where a lot of home runs are hit and where we were introduced to Mike Jacobs and learned that Damion Easley has some pop in his bat.
We've dominated Randy Johnson over the years. In fact I'd go find Joe McEwing right now and stick him in the lineup against Johnson if I could.
But this is a very different D-back team then we're used to. Their pitching is much improved and they've got some young, strong hitters in their lineup who will pound Mets pitching if we make mistakes.
It's a 6 game West Coast swing, and I think we need at least a 3-3 split. A 4-2 road trip would be miraculous.
So put on a pot of coffee and get ready to stay up late.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The Next Mets Radio Guy
I've got to admit I'm not crazy about the new Mets radio announcer, Wayne Hagin. He just doesn't sound right especially after all the years of Gary Cohen and his sound-alike Tom McCarthy.
Maybe our next broadcaster will be a grad of this great camp I came across and have actually had the privilege of witnessing. Bruce Beck, of WNBC, and Ian Eagle, who does the Nets & CBSSports, are in their 7th year running a broadcasting camp for teens.
The kids do mock interviews, prepare scripts and even do play-by-play of the Sussex Skyhawks. The highlight of the week is a press conference with Yogi Berra since the camp is hosted at the Yogi Berra Museum.
The Mets old sideline guy Matt Loughlin even coaches the kids. If you know of anyone who might be interested, check it out at www.sportsbroadcastingcamp.com.
Maybe our next broadcaster will be a grad of this great camp I came across and have actually had the privilege of witnessing. Bruce Beck, of WNBC, and Ian Eagle, who does the Nets & CBSSports, are in their 7th year running a broadcasting camp for teens.
The kids do mock interviews, prepare scripts and even do play-by-play of the Sussex Skyhawks. The highlight of the week is a press conference with Yogi Berra since the camp is hosted at the Yogi Berra Museum.
The Mets old sideline guy Matt Loughlin even coaches the kids. If you know of anyone who might be interested, check it out at www.sportsbroadcastingcamp.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)