A Post Full of Putz

Q: What do you call a guy who can't get a Pittsburgh Pirate out?
A: Putz

Q: What's the name of someone who can't perform in the 8th inning?
A: Putz

Q: What has Mets Lifers talking trade faster than Oliver Perez's decline?
A: Putz

Q: Who gave you nightmares last night of Aaron Heilman?
A: Putz

Q: Who's bigger than Goliath, but is pitching as well as Doug Sisk?
A: Putz

Q: Who should have gotten their name legally changed before coming to New York?
A: Putz

Q: Who better get his head straightened before he gets his wish to be a closer and finds himself on the Kansas City Royals?
A: Putz

Bullpen Cleansing

The Mets traded Scott Schoeneweis to the D’Backs for RHP Conor Robertson. Robertson was 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA in nine games with Arizona this past season.

Scott Schoeneweis is gone. So is Heilman. So is Mota. So is Joe Smith. Call it a cleansing. Call it a purging. Call it a Christmas blessing.

The Mets bullpen will look nothing like the bullpen we had last year or the year before. It's about time.

I'm sure Conor Robertson isn't exactly Dennis Eckersley, but still I can't believe the Mets got someone to take Blowenweis.

Blowenweis for Marquis? Am I Dreaming?

Jon Heyman of SI.com is reporting that there are talks going on between the Cubs and Mets for starting pitcher Jason Marquis.

Heyman feels the Mets should send reliever Scott Schoeneweis to the Cubs, who are offering to pay a portion of Marquis’s $9–million salary in 2009, after which he will be a free agent.

Sure that's what Heyman feels, but how do the Cubs feel about it? If they're willing to take Blowenweis straight up for Marquis, you gotta pull the trigger on that one.

I'll even drive Blowenweis all the way out to Chicago to seal the deal. Keep it up Omar. Bring us some more arms.

Blow Up this BLOWpen!

Stop the insanity! Enough is enough already! I cannot take this BLOW pen anymore. I have never, in all my years watching the Mets, seen such a collection of pitiful pitchers as I have seen this team roll out the last two seasons. And that’s the thing that is really flipping me out; that this current regime is now in its second tour of futility. When does it end?

Dave and I have written 780 posts on this site in little more than a year. I would venture to say that 35% of those posts were cries for help to change the pen. Did Omar Minaya not learn from last year’s colossal demise? That pen, not Jose Reyes, like some idiots in the media think, were the biggest culprits (and Tom Glavine) of that infamous choke job.

Since then, Omar did well by replacing the goat Glavine with Uber-Ace Johan Santana, but he has failed miserably in correcting this team’s most critical need. Rather than take the opportunity to overhaul these proven losers, Minaya did nothing. Zero. Zilcho! And not only did he do nothing to change it, he actually passed up trade opportunities for the two worst scrubs in there, Blowenweis and Heilman. Imagine that! Other teams actually wanted these guys and Omar chose to keep them. That alone should get Omar fired. I would have taken a case of Billy Wagner bobble heads for those two, let alone Marcus Thames, as was rumored. Arthur Rhodes? Taken. Chad Bradford? Too late. How did Minaya not pick up Bradford, who was lights out for us in 2006. I mean, what does he have to lose? Go get David Weathers already. If nothing else, at least I'll be looking at a different face on the mound, and Weathers definitely has a different face.

With 44 games left and 3 games out, there is still a chance to turn it around. But, only if we see different guys out there. Omar Minaya has to do something and he has just about 3 weeks to get it done. I don’t care what he does, who he brings in, but it is time – oh, man is it time – to blow up this BLOW pen. Dave’s post earlier is spot on. Get rid of them all! Whether it gets done via the trade, or from within the system, Omar has to tear it apart. The carnage is still fresh from last year. Mets Lifers everywhere are crying out for a change. If Minaya doesn’t deliver, we will be doomed yet again and there will be no one to blame but Minaya himself.

Mets Bullpen Roulette

Mets Bullpen Roulette. It's kind of like Russian roulette without the blood splatter. Go ahead, take a spin, and take your chances. Heilman? Schoenweiss? Joe Smith? Duaner? Pick your poison.

Name me one trustworthy arm in the bullpen. Your best bet is probably Billy Wagner. But guess who's tied for the major league lead in blown saves this year? That's right, our man Billy Wagner.

There's no one you can turn to on any given day and feel confident that they will get someone out. Yet nothing has been done to improve the bullpen over the last 3 seasons. Go ahead and look at the roster. Nothing has really changed in the bullpen. It's possibly the most glaring issue for the Mets in the past 24 months, but no adjustments have been made.

It's lunacy.

I should correct myself on one point. Minaya did go out and get Matt Wise in the offseason. He's worked out really well for us.

I think Mets fans would feel comfortable if they knew the organization was making an effort to do something about this. They promoted Eddie Kunz which is a good start, but there has been very little chatter about a move to improve the bullpen. Give me a rumor, hearsay, something, anything!

If not for me, than for Johan Santana. If anyone is dying to see some more reliable arms in the bullpen it's got to be Santana with all the games they've blown for him.

Is anybody listening?

This Blog is a Broken Record

I'm almost tired of saying it, but it needs to be said again, especially today.

The Mets need to get bullpen help. The Mets need to get bullpen help. The Mets need to get bullpen help.

The drama surrounding Manny Ramirez, the Yankees pickup of Pudge Rodriguez, and the thoughts of Matt Holliday need to be ignored. Focus Omar. This team needs bullpen help.

Mike Pelfrey got rocked last night by the Marlins. I haven't seen batters crush the ball off him like that in quite some time. But guess what? The Mets showed some fight and thanks to Damion "I Only Hit Late Game Crucial Home Runs" Easley, they were able to cut the lead to 5-4.

The only problem was Carlos Muniz and Joe Smith were untrusted with keeping the game close. Did I mention the Mets need bullpen help? Two runs later the Mets are down three heading into the ninth where they were able to scratch out another run, but the comeback fell short.

The Mets need bullpen help. If the Mets go get another starting pitcher I won't complain, but it would be idiotic of them at this point to leave the bullpen as is. August and September will be very, very long months if Carlos Muniz, Joe Smith, and Scott Blowenweiss are relied upon to get outs in the 6th and 7th innings of a pennant race.

Healthy Dose of Friday Night Lights

What a relief to see the Mets win. Well I sort of saw it. Down 3-0 I felt myself getting agitated. Much like Bryan just posted, I needed something to help take the edge off.

So I went out and got a copy of Friday Night Lights first season on DVD. Popped it in the DVD player and threw the Mets game on picture in picture from time to time while having ESPN's Gamecast on the laptop in front of me.

Thankfully the entire night was an enjoyable experience. Pedro pitched well. The Mets won even though they scared the living daylights out of me in the 8th inning when the Marlins cut it to 9-6 and I saw Scott Blowenweiss come in the 9th. And I got to watch what is probably the best TV show ever involving sports (still annoyed with Lila Garrity).

I'm planning on continuing this process through the weekend series with the Marlins. It seems to work, as long as the Mets win.

Who Would You Choose?

It's the bottom of the ninth and the bases are loaded with 2 outs. Vladimir Guerrero is up next. It's game 7 of the World Series. Billy Wagner has just pulled a hamstring and you have to replace him with someone from your bullpen. You look at your roster card and here's the pitchers that are available:

-Scott Schoenweis
-Aaron Selee
-Aaron Heilman
-Guillermo Mota

Who do you choose? By the way death is not an option.

This is my nightmare. Heaven help us if the Mets are put in a situation like that, never mind the World Series, even against the Braves or Phillies this is horrible.

But really, which guy do you go with? Heilman and Mota will give up a home run. Schoenweis is good for at least a base hit. Selee is walk prone. Go ahead pick your poison.

At this point, I'd have to go with Heilman and pray that he's having a good day. He's gotten out of jams like 1st and 3rd with no one out so I guess I'd have to choose Heilman.

But in the back of my mind, Yadier Molina is lurking. So leave a comment, let me know who you'd choose.

Is Jorge Sosa Turning Into Aaron Heilman?

It was the summer of 2005 and I was stuck putting together some baby furniture on a muggy July evening. The Mets were playing the Marlins and this young pitcher was pitching for the Mets. For 6 innings, he had a no hitter going and I couldn't believe what I was watching. The game ended up being a one hit shutout, and I was impressed that the Mets were able to find a young pitcher like this who could be a future starter for years to come.

That was the last time I remember Aaron Heilman starting a game for the Mets. He may have started one or two more, but he quickly began his bullpen career. Flash forward to 2007 and I think the Mets are trying to do the same thing with Jorge Sosa.

Sosa started off with a stellar first 6 or 7 starts before hitting a wall. Sosa has never been a dominant pitcher, even when he was with the Braves. So what do you do with a starting pitcher who doesn't have dominant stuff but can pitch well? Throw him in the bullpen.

Sosa has performed well coming out of the bullpen. He seems to give up hits or walks early in the inning, but when he settles in he is able to get command of his slider and get batters out. I was extremely impressed with him in Milwaukee when he had the bases loaded and one out and was able to get out of the inning.

Is Sosa the bullpen help the Mets were looking for at the trading deadline. No, but he is a better option that Guillermo Mota or Scott Schoeneweiss, at least in my opinion.

Two Scary Moments in One Play

It was a scary moment yesterday when Jorge Sosa went down with a strained hamstring running to first base in the 6^th inning. But even scarier for Mets fans was the sight of Scott Schoeneweis coming out the pen to protect a 5-3 lead in a ballpark that can see games change in the blink of a…300 ft pop up. I really thought he was going to blow it again, but to his credit he came out of it unscathed. I’m not sure what was more surprising; that he delivered a scoreless inning or that he hasn’t allowed a run all season on the road. I couldn’t believe that stat when they showed it on FOX. Immediately, I thought of his trade value. Maybe Omar really can get rid of him since he doesn’t let up runs outside of Shea.

Schoenweis Has Value

In an attempt to increase the number of home runs hit at the annual Home Run Derby contest, Major League Baseball has asked Scott Schoenweis to serve up his entire repertoire of meaty pitches to the contestants. Citing his uncanny ability to give up runs every time he’s in the game, MLB feels Schoenweis is the perfect choice to throw the gopher ball. “We’ve just been really impressed by Schoenweis’ knack for giving up runs” said a league official, “and since this is an exhibition where fans want to see home runs, he is the best candidate for the job.”

Tom Glavine Needs Pedro Martinez

Bob Klapisch has written an interesting piece on Tom Glavine's march to 300 wins and how Pedro Martinez's return to the Mets will help Glavine's efforts.

It's an interesting take and Klapisch is one of those writers I always enjoy reading. The only issue he doesn't hit on is the fact that the Mets in general need Pedro more than Glavine does. Rumor has it Schoeneweis will move to the starting rotation if Pedro Martinez does not come back.

I'm sorry that was a disgusting joke, and I apologize.

Click here for the article.

Someone Please Designate Scott Schoeneweis for Assignment

Q. What do tongue depressors, cold pasta and Scott Schoeneweis have in common?

A. They all make me gag.

Do you just cringe during a close game when you hear Gary Cohen say that Willie Randolph is going to the bullpen to bring in Scott Schoeneweis? Does he not see what everyone else sees?

Look at his stats this year:
IP = 27.2
Hits = 30
K = 13
BB = 20
ERA = 5.86

This is a guy with a career ERA of over 5. I know we're desperate for bullpen help and we don't have a long reliever, but right now anybody is better than Schoeneweis. Where's Chad Bradford and Darren Oliver when you need them?