My First Mets Game

The following commentary is straight from the mouth of a future Mets Lifer who attended his first Mets game ever on Thursday afternoon. This is such a great narrative of baseball games through the eyes of children. He saw a fantastic game, but the best part is to him it didn't matter if the Mets won or lost. He enjoyed the game because of the atmosphere, the snacks, and the fact that he was there with his dad and grandpa.

My name is Matthew Siroty and today (Thursday, 8/7/08) I went to my first Mets game. I went with my dad and grandpa. I wore my David Wright Mets t-shirt with number 5 on the back. I was excited to go and even missed a day of gymnastics camp to go. We took two trains to get to Shea Stadium and the Long Island railroad was very nice.

When we got there I saw two stadiums, Citi Field and Shea Stadium. There were a lot of people and a lot of kids, probably because it was Sesame Street Day and camps came. I gave my Sesame Street coloring book that they gave me to my little brother Michael. I love him and he does whatever I do. He is my only brother but was too little to get to go the game. He wouldn't totally like it because he is only 3.

We got our tickets and they were right behind home plate and I could see the players really close. I thought Shea Stadium was smaller than it really was. I saw Ernie and David Cook. He was the winner of American Idol.

The best part of the game was all of the food I had. I started with pretzels that my mom packed, then a hot pretzel, then Sierra Mist, a hot dog, french fries and then a water. I also had my first peanuts and tried to throw them in my dad's mouth. My favorite part was throwing the shells on the ground. I waited until the bottom of the fourth inning to have my ice cream. When we went to get my ice cream, I got to take my picture with Mr. Met. That was cool.

I watched a little of the game, but most of the time I played brickbreaker on my dad's phone. It was also pretty hot outside. The Mets were winning 3-2 in the ninth inning and we thought they were going to win. I was getting a little bored because the Mets kept changing pitchers. And when the Padres tied the score I thought we were going to have extra inings and we wouldn't be able to go home.

But then in the bottom of the ninth, my favorite player David Wright hit a walk-off homer and the Mets won the game. I didn't see the home run because I was playing brickbreaker and the crowd scared me because they were cheering so loudly.

My dad picked me up so I could see David Wright run the bases and then the Mets were so excited they jumped on David Wright when he got to home plate. I will always remember my favorite player hitting the winning home run. When we were leaving, a man told me I was wearing the right shirt. That was fun. I'm glad I got to see Shea Stadium before they tear it down. I loved my first baseball game!

Welcome Back David Wright

David Wright just brushed off his shoulder all the criticisms thrown his way over the past week by letting his bat do the talking.

On a day when everyone within 100 miles of Shea Stadium was saying that he needed to take the day off (myself included), he tells Jerry Manuel that he wants to play and then goes 3 for 5 with 2 RBI including a walk off homer to clinch it.

It never fails that the day I totally rip into a Mets player they come out and just prove that I know nothing. Everyone except for the Mets bullpen that is.

The sad story of the day is the fact that Johan Santana didn't get the win, yet again. Santana went 7 innings, striking out 7, while giving up 2 earned runs. But Blowenweiss, like the bad cliche that he is, came in to blow out.

It was almost perfectly written for David Wright to be the hero. 2 outs. Bottom of the 9th. The struggling hero tries to overcome adversity. It's poetic.

And it's a win. Let's hope this gets Wright back on track. Bring on the Marlins.

Wrong With Wright

What's wrong with David Wright? Is he burned out? Is he tired? Are the bullpen shennanigans getting to him? They're killing me, but this isn't about me. This is about my beloved third baseman. The face of the franchise.

First of all I think David Wright needs to go ask Fernando Tatis what kind of drugs he's on, what he's eating for lunch and then go get some of his own.

Ok, seriously, why is David Wright in such a funk? He does have a habit of going through these patches in the second half of the season. Do you remember in 2006 when David Wright was pretty much a lock for MVP? Yup, that was until August came and Wright hit a skid that dropped him out of the running.

Honestly, I do think it has something to do with his swing. I'll caveat this by saying I am in no ways a hitting instructor, but it does appear that David Wright is swinging with a slight upper cut. It's like he's trying to hit a home run for the first two strikes.

Wright's approach at the plate now is very different than just a year ago. He doesn't go the opposite way at all which use to be his big strength. How many opposite field homers have we seen from Wright this year compared to the last few seasons? Not nearly as many.

It might be as simple as Wright's trying to do too much. He's frustrated. He hates the losing. He hates being surrounded by losers, I mean, the Mets bullpen. I think a day off would do him so good, but I really think he needs to get back to going the opposite way with the ball.

Two nights ago Gary Cohen remarked that David Wright leads the majors in "productive outs." We don't need productive outs from David Wright. We need hits.

I have a feeling he'll come around in the upcoming series against the Marlins. If he doesn't, this team is in a world of hurt.

Things That Make Me Want To Chuck My Remote Through My Really Nice TV

1. Losing to the worst offensive team in the NL
2. Carlos Beltran
3. Walking the worst hitter in the majors (Edgar Gonzalez) since July 23 who is batting .052 during that stretch, not just once, but twice with runners on base
4. Errors
5. The consistent inability of the Mets to hit with runners in scoring position.
6. The consisten inability of the Mets to hit runners in scoring position and 2 outs
7. The disease that is the Mets bullpen
8. Being down 1 run after 1 pitch
9. Being down 2 runs after 3 pitches
10. David Wright's slump
11. Being teased inning after inning with the potential of scoring runs only to fall short
12. The absence of confidence that this team can win a meaningful game
13. The disease that is the Mets bullpen

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?

The Return of Clutch and Anti-Clutch

Clutch returned tonight although Tatis was the name on the back of his jersey. Fernando Tatis is possibly the only Mets player you would like to see up at the plate with the game on the line. Think about it. Beltran? You're on crack. Wright? Not lately. Delgado? If it were July, then maybe.

Fernando Tatis yet again won a game for the Mets this season. Actually a hat tip needs to go to Nick Evans for getting that hit in the eighth that ultimately drove in the winning run. But it should have never come to that.

Enter the Anti-Clutch. Some may call him Aaron Heilman.

I will confess that I was touting the resurgence of Heilman based on his pitching performances in late June and early July. But I have never seen a guy crumble so fast in a tight spot. It's like the guy lives to give up home runs to lose games. This wasn't a pressure situation by any stretch. He came into the 9th inning with a 6-2 lead against the worst offensive club in the majors.

But somehow Heilman finds a way to be anti-clutch. The Mets can't trust him as far as they can throw him. At this point I'll give Heilman away for some prospects and take my chances. The crazy part is he had been throwing 95+ fastballs and that killer changeup just a few short weeks ago. It's not his arm that's the problem. It's his head that needs examining.

But a win is a win and at this point we'll take as many as we can get. Congrats to Fernando "Clutch" Tatis for hitting his 100th and 101st homers. Long time coming, Clutch.

Youth Movement

Brad over at Bugs & Cranks has just put together a very intriguing post about the current Mets situation, and is asking Omar Minaya to Roll the Dice with the young stars the Mets have protected over the recent trading deadline.

It's something a lot of Mets fans will argue is dumb to do in the heat of a pennant race, but I think it's because we're fooling ourselves into thinking this team is better than it is.

With injuries galore and lackluster clutch hitting, what makes you think this team will magically put it all together for a run deep into October? On the other hand how rejuvenating would it be to see these young players come up and be given a shot to play for a team in contention?

What's that? You'd rather see Marlon Anderson and Robinson Cancel get more playing time? Or would you rather Omar go out and get some great waiver wire pickups like Freddy Garcia or Rich Aurillia because they would really turn the tide for this team?

I find myself falling into the same trap. I just hope that this team will find their groove and take off. I'm starting to think that's not going to happen. Why not take a shot at Dan Murphy, Jon Niese and Eddie Kunz getting some regular roles? Why not see what FMart has in store for us in the future?

What's the worst that could happen? We lose the pennant? We're already in position to do that now.