Out with the Old

Ya think?

Excellence

If you were paying attention last night then you remember the precise moment when anguish, as a potential conclusion, was introduced into the proceedings. It came in the sixth inning when the $12-million dollar man Oliver Perez, using three straight breaking balls, struck out the most feared hitter in baseball, Albert Pujols.

Perez had been in command all evening, mixing speeds on his breaking ball and demonstrating qualities – poise, determination, and focus – that are not usually attached to the volatile left-hander.

Pujols, stymied, walked back to the dugout, wearing a resigned look. Considering the impressive performance turned in by Mike Pelfrey in Colorado 24-hours earlier, I think it safe to say a good feeling was building on the Mets side.

The Mets hadn’t really figured out Chris Carpenter all evening – in fact it took a base-running blunder by Jeff Francouer to upset the scoreless tie – but, supported by spectacular defense, the Mets were in front 1-0 and, with Perez cruising along, looking like he had found something, all indications were this would end up being either the most hopeful of victories or a very frustrating defeat.

Then, the seventh inning happened. Jerry Manuel yanked Oliver Perez with a runner on second base and one out, the bullpen imploded, ultimately resulting in a grand slam by Felipe Lopez, and the Mets’ night-inning comeback predictably fell one run short.

So, what does it all mean?

Well, hopefully Pelfrey and Perez’ performances on this road trip portend similar outings in 2010.

But this is for sure:

In the Omar Minaya Era the New York Mets have cornered the market on gut-wrenching loses. I dare you to find a sports franchise that loses as spectacularly as the Minaya Mets.

There are teams that pitch well.

There are teams that hit well.

Some teams grit well.

The 2007-10 Mets lose, well, better than the rest.

The Rotation

So Mike Pelfrey’s dominating performance against the Rockies got me thinking. Where would the Mets be (or where might they be able to get) without John Maine and Oliver Perez?

In other words, how much better would your favorite team be if instead of Maine and Perez we had two other starting pitchers? Hypothetically speaking, if Maine was replaced by Joel Pineiro and Perez with Ben Sheets in the Mets rotation, what would the Mets have (besides a slightly larger payroll)?

Schmoozer Sanity

Listening to Steve Somers post-game has officially become the best thing -- sorry, the only good thing -- about being a frustrated, die-hard, pain-stricken Mets fan.

Winning Formula

Maybe Johan Santana should ease up just a little bit on his pre-game ritual of sharing a personalized handshake with all of his teammates - bat boys, training staff, and bullpen catchers included. Don’t laugh. He might be wearing his hitters out before they even take the field, as evidenced by the grand total of four runs the Mets have managed in his three starts.

Of course, the reality is Santana doesn’t need all that much run support. He was brilliant again, as the Mets beat the Brew Crew 1-0 on a gorgeous sun-drenched Saturday, the first official day game in Citi Field history.

Santana should thank Ricky Weeks, who dropped a routine toss from Prince Fielder on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Alex Cora in the 7th inning. Weeks’ error helped the Mets push across a run off reliever Carlos Villanueva. A line drive off the bat of Jose Reyes, the next batter, literally knocked Villanueva’s glove off his hand and produced the game’s only run.

A scoreless inning each from Putz and K-Rod, the winning formula drawn up in the winter, sealed the deal.

I wonder if Mike Francesa still thinks it’s the Mets who have problems. Right now the Indians are up by 18, and they haven’t even attempted a three-point field goal.

Situational swinging

I guess Luis Castillo was the only Metropolitan who graduated from Jerry Manual’s 80-pitch, situational-hitting, come out of the cage feeling three pounds lighter spring-training bonanza.

In case you missed it, Castillo contributed a pair of two-out, run-scoring infield hits – one in the first and a walk-off version of eerily similar variety in the ninth – in last night’s 5-4 Mets win over the Brew Crew.

Now he needs to sprinkle some of that magical situational hitting dust on his teammates.

Citi Field

My two cents on the Mets new $800 million ballpark.

There are some sight line issues. Tracking the ball in the right-field corner ain’t easy and, depending on where you’re sitting, it can be a nightmare. Deep right field is completely hidden if you’re sitting in most of the seats that aren't the first row in the Pepsi Porch, but I anticipate most people are gonna like the freedom of being able to stroll atop the Porch, and elsewhere in the park, on warm summer days.

The bottom line is there are a lot of great seats at Citi Field. Don’t let all the hand wringing about poor site lines you may have heard on certain radio stations affect your opinion of the ball park without checking it out for yourself. I guess I would feel differently if I’d plopped down a couple of G’s for season tickets and had to peer over and around people making their way to and from concessions all game. That’s the other issue. Somehow the architects built a stadium in which (on the Promenade level) the first rows offer worse vantage points, or more opportunities for human or object impediments, than the rows behind them.

The lack of “Mets” signage and regalia is noticeable inside the park, but the exterior of Citi Field is decorated with banners of past heroes, like Doc and Lenny and Gary Carter and Seaver, and current Mets, like Wright, Reyes, and Santana. Not sure why people are down on the rotunda, which is pretty freakin’ awesome in my opinion. Definitely check out the park for yourself before passing judgment.

Obviously the food is an improvement. But I'm one of these old-school people who cares only about the product on the field, not so much about what I'm being overcharged for to eat. I probably won't ever go to Citi Field to eat or to be entertained in between innings with mindless scoreboard shenanigans. I'm there instead to do baseball things, like debate who has a better overhand curveball Darling or Gooden, who should be hitting 3rd Beltran or Wright (clearly it's Beltran), and, most of all, to watch the Mets, who suck (so far) in case you haven't noticed.

A lot of the negativity about the ballpark I attribute to the overall uneasiness a lot Mets fans have about this team. Deep down, I think we think of these guys (and the organization generally) as un-clutch losers, or maybe that’s just how I see them today. But the park is gorgeous and at some point this summer I'm sure we'll be very grateful the Wilpons built Citi Field. I just wish that day would get here…soon.

Fine Change of Pace

Remember when your grammar school teacher gave out gold stars to the students who did all of their homework or did exceptionally well on a test. Then at the end of the year, or the term, the kid with the most stars was given a prize, like a He-Man lunch box -- something that didn’t have any real monetary value, but that seemed like a big deal when you were six or seven.

Well, maybe Jerry Manuel should implement a similar system to motivate the Mets' bullpen to pitch better.

If that were that case, he’d be giving two gold stars to Aaron Heilman, who threw two gorgeous innings in Miami tonight. Yes, Carlos Delgado’s ridiculous July continued, but Heilman, who entered the game in the seventh, delivered two scoreless innings -- with a lead to boot -- which has proven to be so elusive for the Mets’ bullpen since the All-Star break.

Interesting, isn’t it, with all the talk about whether or not the Mets have a good enough bullpen to close out games down the stretch, that the game should come down to precisely that?

Heilman’s outing, which helped to secure a 4-1 Mets win, doesn’t annul Omar from his duty to pursue a possible upgrade in the Mets’ bridge to their closer, Billy Wagner. But it does change the all-too-often discouraging bullpen story, at least for a day.

Nice job by Wagner, too, who was been nearly flawless since blowing the All-Star Game. Wags is on an 11-inning scoreless streak since July 10. Over the course of those 11-innings he has surrendered only one hit and one walk.

The Mets continue to bounce back after losses. They have now won four games in a row immediately following a loss, which is a very good thing.

Race Tightened

Just when you thought it was safe to party like it's the summer of '06 all over again, the Mets' bullpen, asked to get more outs than fallen starter John Maine, blows one, reminding you of the very forgettable summer of '07.

Hey Omar, the bullpen sure does look like it could use reinforcements. What's your move?

Meanwhile, the pesky Fish, with their pesky brand of baseball and pesky players, keep winning.

8-4

I’m sure Jerry Manuel would prefer if Jose Reyes didn’t swing for the fences, but where’s the fun in that?

Big hit, Jose! Very big hit.

Flabbergasted

Johan proves to us that he’s worth the millions. The Secret Weapon stays hot, hitting a huge two-out bomb. Ramon Castro, who drives in a run every time he's up, hits a homer. And the Mets’ bullpen, minus Wags, with first-place three outs away, blows it.

Disgusting.

I hate the Phillies.

Cool Your Jets

So here we are just a few hours away from the biggest series the Mets have played since a few forgettable ones that occurred last September. Meaningful baseball has come to Shea, in July.

The date is important because it means baseball hasn’t reached the crucial dog days. Which means, even though tonight the Mets will play their 100th game, it’s still early.

I don’t see why this series is being played up as such a crucial, do-or-die moment. Barring an injury to a major player, this series doesn’t make or break either the Phillies or the Mets. I’m sure this will be an unpopular position to take, but I’m taking anyway.

Do I want the Mets to kick the crap out of the Phillies, pay them back for how they dismantled the Mets down the stretch last year? Of course I do. But I realize that after this series both teams will have 60 games remaining, both teams will face plenty more crucial series and games, and that win or lose this series, both teams’ fates will be determined by how they finish the season, not charge out of the gates.

In spite of all that foresight, I still say tonight would be an ideal night for Johan to prove to us that he’s worth all those millions.

Learning to Fly

Four days in Cincinnati taught us a number of things.

First, we learned that the Reds ain’t so bad—especially at home. It looks like they have a solid nucleus of young players and pitchers to build around. With this in mind, you’d have to admit that, despite the two losses, the series was far from a step backward for the Mets.

We learned that Endy Chavez isn’t an everyday player, even though it pains me to say so. He’s a terrific defensive outfielder, obviously, but too often this series, and throughout his career, he proved unable to drive in a run in a critical situation. To consider themselves series contenders for the World Series, the Mets will need to upgrade their outfield. Omar knows this, so it’ll be interesting to see what moves he makes. I’m not sure what he’ll do, but Fernando Martinez shouldn’t be dealt, unless an All-Star, who is signed beyond 2009, is gotten in return.

We also learned the Mets pre-All-Star break winning streak wasn’t a fluke. Not throwing in the towel Thursday night, and again today after falling behind, those were very good signs.

Oh, one other thing. Anybody notice that guy wearing the number 21 jersey for the Mets? You know, the guy playing first base who, it seemed to me at least, the Reds didn't get out the entire series. That was Carlos Delgado, back from the dead. He might be the Mets’ secret weapon down the stretch.

Ohio Thud

Okay, so this one was ugly. I mean it hurt. Beltran and David Wright staring at strike three with the Mets trailing by a run and the bases loaded in the sixth—that was a killer.

But, with the Phillies losing 9-5 to the Fish, which keeps the Mets just a game out of first, things aren't all that bad.

Everything is going to be alright, because these are the new 2008 Mets. I don’t care if the Mets are facing the right-hander some are calling the greatest rookie pitcher to hit the bigs since Dwight Gooden.

We got Big Pelf on the mound, and, last time I checked, he was looking real good, especially of late.

The Mets and Me

I love baseball, and I have lived in the glorious New York City borough of the Bronx my entire life. Both of these particulars of my existence, I’m told, make my love for the New York Mets baseball team slightly outrageous.

The truth is the Mets have had a hold on me since October 15, 1986, the day they beat the Houston Astros in a heart-stopping affair for the ages: Game Six of the National League Championship Series. I can recall realizing as an extremely young fan that this taut, see-saw affair was special. The game – with all of its late-inning twists and turns – signified to me that the experience of watching baseball, of never knowing when it’s safe to celebrate a victory or torment yourself because of a loss, was truly unlike anything else in sports.

I was only six years old, but even as a child I knew that Kevin Bass, Glenn Davis, Mike Scott, Nolan Ryan, and Bob Knepper were the enemy. Similarly, Mookie, Daryl, Keith, Lenny, Gary, Doc, Sid, and the other players in the Mets jerseys, they were my heroes.

If the 86 NLCS was the appetizer then I don’t have to tell you how delicious the main course was. I became a lifetime Mets junkie when, later in that same month, the fellas wearing blue and orange overcame a two-run deficit in Game Six of the World Series, rallying with two outs and nobody on base to tie the score and eventually "win it!" on Mookie Wilson's trickling roller up the first base line. I was barely old enough to fathom the Infield Fly Rule, but even at such a young age, watching from my living room in feety pajamas, I knew what all baseball fans, even Sox fans, knew: that the Red Sox had no chance in Game Seven—that the Mets would find a way to win the World Series no matter the circumstances.

We’ve been waiting for a championship ever since, I don’t have to remind you of this.

In this space I hope to share with you my opinions about the current state of the New York Mets. Frustration will come – of this I am supremely aware. But we have an obligation as Mets fans, as trite as it may sound, to Believe. When that championship does arrive, be it this year, or someday in the future, it will be as life affirming and magnificent as the last one.

Now, on to the games, let's go out there and beat Josh Fogg tonight!