Can the Mets Walk the Walk?

Talking is easy. Just look at Ochocinco & TO. They run their mouths like there's no tomorrow, but when it comes to backing up that talk on the field...well that's a different story.

The Mets are saying all the right things and frankly we should expect them to. Terry Collins is fired up. David Wright is showing frustration and a resolve to win. Any player who is interviewed is talking about how the Mets are better than people give them credit for.

The problem is talk is cheap. It's not until April rolls around and the games are played that we find out whether it's hot air or some substance behind these words. The Mets have to know that they need a huge April in order to keep the fan base interested and the seats at Citi Field occupied past May.

I don't mind the confidence talk, but what I would rather hear about is how has Murphy improved at second base? What are the chances that Lucas Duda can hit consistently? What on earth is happening in center field this season? Is Johan Santana going to be Johan Santana? Has Pelfrey seen a shrink?

Those are the conversations I want to hear and I'm sure by the time St. Patrick's Day rolls around I'll have a new set of questions I need answers to.

Honestly, I think the Mets will be better offensively than the critics think. With the fences adjusted, there's the potential that Wright, Bay, Davis, Duda and Murphy can all hit in the 15-20 home run range which would be a home run total not seen in Queens since the days of Strawberry and McReynolds.

The big question will be pitching. And we all know pitching has been the Mets doom for the better part of a decade. BLOWpen, fragmented starting rotation, neurotic pitchers and injuries have plagued the Mets and there's little hope for improvement this year.

But for now the talk of hope and "we shall overcome" rules the airwaves. Reality won't settle in until the end of March. For now we live in the dream that the talk coming from the New York Mets can be backed up by their play on the field. Sweet dreams.

Gary Carter: Growing Up with The Kid

My first jersey, my first autograph and my first memory of a clutch baseball moment all belong to Gary Carter. "The Kid" was a monumental baseball figure for me growing up. In 1985 I saw him come to the Mets and turn a really good team into champions. He didn't do it alone but he was the last piece that allowed the amazing puzzle that was the '86 Mets to be put together.

I remember Carter always being in the top 10 in the National League in the long lost stat "game winning hits" that was popular in the '80s. I can still see his home run over the Green Monster in the '86 series. Somewhere in my parent's basement there's probably the banner that I made when we went to see a Mets game hoping it would be the one where Gary Carter hit his 300th home run.

While the baseball memories and winning seasons that Carter played a role in for me as a young Mets fan, it was the type of man that he was that will make a longer lasting impact. As most kids who grew up in the '80s playing baseball I had my list of favorite players. Gooden and Strawberry were right at the top. But what I couldn't understand as an 8 year old is why Gooden and Strawberry were missing games? Why were they being talked about potentially being put in jail? Why would great ballplayers do such stupid things? Why did the players I had hanging up in posters all over my room have to be such disappointments in real life?

Looking back those questions are juvenile now, but baffling for someone in elementary school. But there was one player who would not disappoint. I still have a copy of Sports Illustrated from 1987 where they dedicated an issue just to baseball and taking a look into the lives of some of the top players. Gary Carter was featured with his family making pancakes on a Saturday morning.

In today's era we love to laud the anti-hero. The bad guys have somehow become more likable or more interesting than the good guys. However, this is just a fad and the one thing that can remain constant is the good guys come out on top in the long run. Gary Carter wasn't just one of the good guys. He was one of the greats, both on the field and off.

Sure the likes of Barry Bonds, Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth will be remembered for their baseball talents, but Gary Carter will have greater rewards beyond just baseball royalty. He's a hall of famer. He's a legendary Mets player. And he was a man who never wavered, never crumbled under the spotlight and never had his faith questioned.

The picture you see in this post has been in my possession for 26 years. I never got to meet Gary Carter, but I went to elementary school with a girl, Leanna Roche, who's father did. When Mr. Roche was golfing with Gary Carter at an outing, he mentioned to him that there was this young boy that rode to school with his daughter that was a huge Mets fan. In fact, this little boy wore #8 on his tee ball uniform. Instead of just signing his name, Gary Carter wrote mine first and then added a short note before leaving his autograph.

I have a few dozen autographs in my possession of baseball players I've looked up to. But Gary Carter is the first one I ever received and the only one who gave more than just his name.

The world lost a great catcher but a better man. May he be remembered more for the latter.

Link: New York Mets get hands-off treatment from Selig

...good post from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

...it's time that someone call out Selig for letting things slide while other teams in lesser cities would have been dealt with already. I don't think any Mets fan worth their salt would be sad to see the Wilpons go.

...it's a shame that it has to come to this.

New York Mets get hands-off treatment from MLB commissioner Bud Selig - MLB News | FOX Sports on MSN:

What David Wright Can Learn from Eli Manning

Eli Manning is on top of the sports world right now. 2 time Super Bowl Champ. 2 time Super Bowl MVP. And now is considered a lock for the Hall of Fame by most critics.

But if you look back at Manning's career, he and David Wright were on the same path. Here are the similarities:

• Both came to their organization with a lot of hype and expected great things from them
• Both have had periods where they struggled and were ripped by fans and the media
• Both have a demeanor about them that would you question their "leadership" in the clubhouse
• Both have baby faces
• Both have seen teammates they relied on turn around and leave them
• Both have played on teams that lacked what would be considered all star talent

There are more similarities than just this short list, but it's the difference in Manning that make comparing them such a stark contrast. The struggles that Wright & Manning both faced have been overcome by Manning. That's not to say Eli did it all himself, but it's hard to argue that he is not the driving force behind the Giants.

When times became tough, when players left for greener pastures, when he was surrounded with less than superior talent, Eli Manning was able to rise to the occasion. When the game is on the line, Eli doesn't crumble under the pressure. He treats a 2-minute drive in the 4th quarter with the same attitude as he does the opening kickoff. When it comes right down to it, Eli Manning does not allow circumstances to impact his performance.

David Wright does.

Wright has struggled the past few seasons as he's been left exposed in the lineup. Trying to take on the leadership role in the clubhouse has put a significant burden on him that appears he is unable to handle on his own. When is the last time you remember David Wright coming through in the clutch? 

Eli Manning has been called the "baby face assassin" and Wright needs to earn that moniker as well. It's time for Wright to grow into a ballplayer who isn't swayed by his surroundings. I'm not asking him to become something he's not. I'm asking him to develop a killer instinct that is needed to be a superior player in any sport and survive the New York sports media onslaught.

For David Wright, this is the season to prove it. There are zero expectations for the 2012 Mets just as there were for the Giants this past season. That's not to say I expect an improbably championship run from the Metropolitans, but I do expect some growth from Wright.

If there is none, than we are well within our rights to question the relevance of Wright.

Link: Building a Foundation

Brad Bortone over at Bugs & Cranks shares how one of his Christmas gifts, a piece of Shea Stadium, has made him reflect on the foundation of the Mets.

It's a post that includes references to Knight, Sisk and even Frank Tavares. If you know these names, you're a true Mets Lifer.

Check out the post at the link below:

Bugs & Cranks » Building a Foundation

The Winter of our Mets Discontent

John Steinbeck may have penned the phrase "winter of our discontent" but it's Mets fans who are living it. What is going on with this team? Is the goal to get 5th place in the NL East? Are the Mets hoping not to sell a lot of tickets this year?

What is the master plan?

We were sold on Sandy Alderson because of his involvement in Moneyball and the strategic mind that can see 5 moves ahead and plan for the future. I'm not seeing any such plan or strategery taking place here. It looks to me like Sandy Alderson is trying to get fired, which in all honestly might not be a bad move for him. Maybe he didn't realize just what kind of mess he was getting into and now wants out.

So far the biggest move of the off season is not doing anything to sign Reyes and trading Angel Pagan for an older version of himself. Now we're talking about trading Jon Niese? Really? A guy who's under contract for the next few years for a reasonable price and has proven to be pretty much the only consistent starter that we have is going to be traded? For what? Prospects? Isn't that what Niese is? He's a guy with 2 full years pitching under his belt and we don't know his ceiling yet. We know he can pitch pretty well though. So let's trade him for two guys who MIGHT be better? This is crazy.

Show me some signs of foresight. I get that there are a number of high ceiling pitching prospects in the farm system, but the chances of ALL of them panning out to be big league contributors is slim. Look at Fernando Martinez! The untouchable prospect and apple of Omar Minaya's eye is now the talk of Queens as the Mets may actually dump him. Not trade him. Dump him.

What was supposed to a major change in the front office that would lead to future success is looking more like a continuing legacy of ineptitude by the Mets. I don't expect blockbuster moves. I just want some hope for the future.

As John Malkovich so eloquently said on his Christmas episode hosting of Saturday Night Live: "Hope is what we cling to when reality has left us nothing else."

No truer words were spoken of the 2012 New York Mets. Welcome to the winter of our discontent. The current forecast is calling for it to last well into May.

Mets Make Many Mini Moves

So all it took was Jose Reyes leaving to get the Mets jump started on their off season acquisitions. Probably you've only heard of one of these guys the Mets signed yesterday which includes pitchers Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch (formerly known as Chewbacca), Ramon Ramirez and trading Angel Pagan to the Giants for Andres Torres.

Yawn.

Honestly, this is good. Mets biggest issue the last century and a half has been the bullpen. More blown games than a man can count have happened because of the BLOWpen. The question remains if these guys are truly the solution. It's not like Rauch, Francisco or Ramirez are known and feared. This is where you hope the Moneyball crew with offices in Flushing knows what they're doing.

The Angel Pagan trade to me is bizarre. We basically traded Pagan for an older version of himself. Torres played horribly last season although he had a decent year in 2010 which is the same story as Pagan. Some say Torres is better defensively, but in my opinion Pagan was no slouch in the field.

Right now the Mets starting outfield looks like Bay, Torres and Duda? Fearsome trio, I know.

Let's hope there's better news on the horizon or that us armchair GM's will be put in our place once the season rolls around.