Posted on

Why The Mets Have the Subway Series Advantage

The Yankees have righted the ship a little with a three game winning streak, but I still like the way the Mets are playing lately over the Yankees.  With the exception of the battering the Yankees gave the Orioles last night, they really haven’t been hitting the ball very well.  It took them 15 innings on Wednesday to score a second run and they’ve got a lot of aging players that aren’t quite hitting like they did in their prime.

 

The Mets are without three of their starting lineup, Angel Pagan, Ike Davis and David Wright.  So far Justin Turner has really provided the Mets with some good production, and Ruben Tejada and Jason Pridie have filled in pretty well.   They’ll be bolstered by playing in the hitter friendly Yankee Stadium, and if Jason Bay can have a nice hot streak, the Mets lineup can still score plenty of runs.

 

So what about the pitching?  If I had to pick the three pitchers in the Yankees rotation I’d want to face, I got them.   The Mets miss C.C. Sabathia and Bartolo Colon.  Friday night is the briefly a Met Freddy Garcia versus R.A. Dickey.  Garcia pitched well to start, but he’s got a 4.63 ERA over his last four starts and a very high WHIP.  Dickey is due to have a good game, having recently reduced his walk total.  However, he has struggled with a high home run to fly ball ratio, and if he doesn’t get the break he needs on the knuckleball, Yankee Stadium might be cruel.  If you’re not going to the game and would rather be close to Citi Field, check out the Apple’s half priced drink special at McFaddens.

 

Saturday the Mets have Chris Capuano going, who has been pretty solid and consistent for them.   The Yankees have their own personal version of Oliver Perez in A.J. Burnett who has his own definition of effectively wild.   He’s due for a high walk game and the Mets have been a pretty patient team.  This is definitely a winnable game, even if we have to suffer through Fox announcers for it.

 

The finale features Mike Pelfrey against Ivan Nova.  Looks like a mismatch on paper, although Nova has had the occasional gem.  Pelfrey has looked great lately, although he has given up a bunch of solo home runs.  If he can work the sinker more effectively and keep the ball out of the air, he should have no problem dominating the fly ball happy Yankees.

It’s time to have some fun.  The Mets are capable of having a better record than the Yankees after the weekend is over, and depending on the results of the other games, they could be closer to first place as well.  The Mets have been playing good baseball, and there is no reason for them to be dismissed as a chore for the Yankees.  Don’t believe people when they say it’s a lose-lose for the Yankees because they’re “supposed” to beat the Mets.  They’re just being curmudgeons.  Both teams are supposed to beat the teams on their schedule, regardless of the proximity of the other teams fans.  If the Yankees fall to 24-21 or 23-22, and more importantly fall further behind Tampa and let the Red Sox and/or the Blue Jays past them in the division the criticism and panic will be all over the place, regardless of the opponent.

 

Likewise the winning team will gain some legitimacy.  The Yankees would be keeping pace in a tough division, the Mets would have shaken off a rough start and injuries to get back above .500.

 

The people that say the Yankees are “supposed” to beat the Mets are under the illusion that the Yankees somehow deserve to make the playoffs, deserve to be the best team in the city and the other teams exist only as farm teams for their pennant run.   If the Mets were to beat them, which is certainly possibly and perhaps even likely,  they’ll remind everyone that they deserve equal footing and discussion in this city and that cuts into the divine right the Yankees have to dominate the back pages with their petty arguments about which steroid-addled aging star bats in which position in the batting order.

 

So here’s to a fun Subway Series weekend where everything in the city is about baseball and every player anyone wants to see is on the same field together.  I like the Mets chances, and can think of no better way to get back above .500 on the season than to beat on the crosstown rivals.

Posted on

The Mets: Good Lately

The Mets got off to a poor start in 2011: The bullpen looked pretty bad and the starting pitching was struggling.  The weather was cold and rainy and they couldn’t buy a clutch hit.  Over the last month the Mets have made some roster tweaks and been faced with some injuries, but they’ve also played pretty well.

They are 9-6 in May.  They are 16-11 since the seven game losing streak that was over a month ago.   If they were to continue at that 16-11 pace they’d actually end up winning 91 games.  It’s not a torrid pace in any way, but they win more than they lose.  They keep themselves in games, and by extension, in playoff races. 

It is probably unrealistic to expect the Mets to continue this pace without David Wright and Ike Davis, but there are a lot of other things not going the Mets way either.  Will Jason Bay ever start hitting?  Will Justin Turner, Daniel Murphy, or a year older Ruben Tejada provide adequate production for a stretch while the other Mets are on the mend?  Will Dickey pitch better, get a better grip on the knuckleball as the weather warms up, and at least keep the Mets in the games?  Did Mike Pelfrey get his “one bad month” out of the way in April this year? 

There are also many unknowns.  I don’t buy into speculation about what the Mets are going to do, rosterwise, with this team.  Personally I’d be more shocked of Reyes was traded than if he wasn’t.  Alderson has to recognize how good Reyes is, how hard it is to find a good shortstop, and how much the fans love him.   Alderson has also claimed that he’ll be able to do what needs to be done around the trading deadline to add players, and the potential for the Mets to get better there exists.  Then there is Johan Santana recovering from his capsule tear.  It’s unrealistic to rely on him coming back, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hope and wonder.  He’s on track for recovery now to return in July or August.  Whatever the chances are that he doesn’t experience any setbacks, the possibility that you could add a pitcher of his talent and intelligence to a rotation in September is enough to make me smile. 

The Mets look and feel like a team. They’re probably not the best team or most talented team in the league, but lately they’ve been winning games, playing good defense, getting some hits when they need them and capitalizing on mistakes made by the other clubs.  No team looks all-powerful in the league and if the Mets can continue playing good baseball, get guys healthy, and make some good roster moves there is no reason why they can’t remain competitive all season. 

Maybe they’ll even hit a grand slam.

Posted on

Eating With Bloggers: A Citi Field Food Tour

Monday night I, and many of your other favorite bloggers, was invited out to Citi Field for a Mets game, and a pre-game tour of Mets concessions and clubs with Scott Kleckner, Resident District Manager, Sports & Entertainment for Aramark.  It did not disappoint.  We ate.  A lot.

 

Obviously the Keith’s Burger that I wrote about earlier in the season was included.  We learned that it’s doing very well, and will likely become a permanent fixture in the future much like the Pastrami sandwich (which we also sampled) was tested last year.   I love that the Mets and Aramark are trying out new things and never satisfied with the status quo.  At Shea the most exciting change you could look forward to was if they changed burger suppliers.

 

Here’s a shot of the bloggers enjoying a slice of Margherita style pizza at Cascarino’s.

Cascarino’s was chosen in part because it’s local.  It’s right there on College Point Blvd and so local that if you could get pizza delivered to Citi Field, Cascarino’s is close enough to do so.

 

Speaking of local fare, I brought up the departed Brooklyn Brewery beers.  Without getting anything explicitly confirmed, it was made pretty clear that Budweiser can exert a ton of pressure financially over what beers are available.  It was also suggested that Brooklyn Brewery may not be gone forever. (besides the cans of lager that remain) Right now the only true local beer available to the masses is Blue Point Toasted Lager at Catch of the Day.  There’s also a tap of Sixpoint Sweet Action (and some Ommegang. Honestly, given it’s Cooperstown affiliation, EVERY ballpark should have some of it) in the Delta Sky Club, but that’s obviously a limited access area.

 

Perhaps the best thing we ate all night: An eggplant parmigiana sandwich.  It was delicious: perfectly breaded with tasty sauce and excellent bread.  I highly recommend it if you have a chance to be in the Delta Sky Club, or if they end up offering it elsewhere.

 

We also sampled the new fried chicken sandwich from Blue Smoke, which was my second favorite taste of the day.  I’m not a big seafood eater, so I passed on the Po’Boy and Flounder at Catch of the Day, but everyone else liked it.  I did have a handful of popcorn shrimp, which were definitely tasty but I’ll second Rob Castellano of Amazin’ Avenue in wishing there was some dipping sauces with them.  The final thing we tasted was a new appetizer in the Delta Sky Club.  It was some hot dog bites, basically a small hot dog dipped in panko breading.  It was good, but nothing to really write home about.

 

Check out some of these other write ups while you’re at it, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.

http://www.ontheblack.com/2011/05/17/video-diary-citi-field-food-beverage-operations/

http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/5/17/2174894/citi-field-food-mets-eat

http://www.kranepoolsociety.com/2011/05/17/a-great-night-of-food-tasting-at-citi-field-and-a-seat-in-the-press-box-for-desert/

Posted on

The7Line, Stem Cells, One-Out Wins and Above Their Heads

A quick link dump here.  I don’t spend enough time promoting the other fans and bloggers out there that deserve mentioning.  First up we’ve got an article in the Daily News about Darren Meenan, the creator of The7line  who’s making all the cool Mets gear MLB is afraid to print.  I met him at the Apple tailgate on Opening Day when he was sporting his “Even Lesbians Love Dickey” shirt.
Joe Janish, working off an interview on Sirius, decides to analyze which Mets are playing over their head this year, if any. 

 

JD at section 518 shares more than we need to know about one-out wins, but it’s still a good read.  Ryota Igarashi almost got two consecutive one-out wins last week, but the Mets squandered the opportunity in the bottom of the inning.

This isn’t a blogger, it’s actually about Bartolo Colon, but it’s interesting.  He got a stem cell treatment this offseason in his shoulder, and so far it’s been working wonders.

Posted on

2006 NLDS Mets Magazine Kids Pages

Here’s a scanned page from the NLDS version of the 2006 Mets Magazine.  I already did the faux crossword at the bottom, though it’s fairly light.  I also completed the scorecard inside, from game 2.   I did not draw the facial hair onto the appropriate Mets.  I leave that to you.

 

Posted on

Josh Thole’s Mental Toughness

Josh Thole deleted his Twitter account yesterday.  Big deal.   He tried it out, starting just before Spring Training, and a couple of months in he identified it as having little to no value for him.  He received a lot of negative and hateful messages from classless ‘fans’, and ultimately decided any benefit of interfacing with fans and answering questions and sharing was offset by the raging avalanche of hate directed his way. 

The truth is Thole’s presense on Twitter was minimal at best, and there wasn’t a lot there.  More beneficial is interacting and following other Mets fans and bloggers and discussion the team as fans.  Two such people, Kelly Lake and Ted Berg, both wrote nice posts about Thole and Twitter, and they’re worth a read and a follow..as long as you’re not going to spew hate at them.  Can’t we all get along?

Btw, you can follow me on Twitter too.

Posted on

League Leaders: Jose Reyes Watch

He’s second in hits in the league with 50. On pace for over 200.

Second in total bases behind Lance Berkman.

He leads the league in doubles. (Tied with Carlos Beltran at 12)

Has the most triples in the league with 6. (4th among active players)

Is 9th in batting average.

One off the league league for stolen bases.

Leads the league in extra base hits. 

He’s got an .855 OPS.

He’s only made two errors and is playing a great shortstop. (4th in Fielding Percentage)

Is only 27.  What team in their right mind would let someone like that get away?

Posted on

The Mets Sisyphean Task

My mother’s always sending me odd Mets/baseball cartoons she sees.  This one, and I’m not sure where it’s originally from, came in the mail the other day.  If you don’t know who Sisyphus was, here’s his Wikipedia page.  Basically it’s a Greek myth about a king who tried to outsmart Zeus and was punished by being forced to push a boulder up a hill for all eternity.  Just when the ball reaches the top, it would fall back to the bottom.

Presumably this is a statement on the Mets quest for a championship.  Everytime things start to get good, the boulder roles back to the beginning.  Perhaps it’s Sisyphus in the back of peoples’ minds when they call for a fire sale.  After all, Sisyphus doesn’t start pushing the boulder again when it’s only rolled halfway back down.  I have no idea why the Mets player is wearing #1. 

 

Perhaps the cartoon is only referring to the Mets of recent times, since they have successfully pushed the boulder to the top twice in their history.  Although perhaps the last time it was about to fall it got stuck on Bob Stanley and Bill Buckner. 

 

The cartoon might be better attributed to baseball as a whole.  To win a championship a team has to accomplish so many tasks, from signing and promoting the right players, maintaining health and effectiveness, successfully navigating a tricky 162 game season and finally three quick-shot short playoff series before the end and it can certainly seem daunting.

Posted on

Mets Fans at Last Night’s Giants Game

At least, it felt like that didn’t it?  The truth is there weren’t that many Giants fans at Citi Field, but the Mets fans had very little to cheer about.  There were a lot of isolated groupings of Giants fans, and pretty much all of 302 in the Pepsi Porch was loud and cheering, as well as a group behind the visitor’s dugout.  The few times the Mets fans did get some chants going when the game was still tied, the Giants fans were drowned out.

 

Initially we boo’d, or Lets Go Mets’d, over the Giants cheering, but by the end of the game a lot of people had left and we were cold and there just wasn’t anything to cheer for.  Cowbell Man seemed awfully pitiful with very few people joining in.

 

The game was cold, it felt like April, or San Francisco.  Even with the Giants and Tim Lincecum on the mound, it felt like a poor showing of fans.  Mets Police did a little digging and found that a local bar sponsored a Giants Fan trip to Citi Field.   If the Mets continue to flounder I imagine you can expect more of these types of events becoming affordable for groups.

 

I’m tired of Willie Harris.  He hit two double play balls and failed to even get a sacrifice in a key spot.  He’s quickly approaching Gary Matthews Jr levels and I hope he’s quickly off this team.   I know some have soured on Jason  Bay, but this game would’ve been a lot different if he’d been in the lineup.  I don’t begrudge him the paternity leave, but the Mets missed him.

 

In all three games against the Cy Young award winners lately I felt like the Mets have done a good job, but really they failed to get the big hit when it matter.  Key walks, singles and long AB to drive up pitch counts are nice and all, but if you don’t capitalize, it’s all for naught.  I really miss Johan Santana.  Get well soon Johan.

 

Still, Tim Lincecum is quite good.  

 

I do feel like the Mets will win the finale.  I sense a seven inning Pelfrey performance in which he gives up merely two runs on a double after a walk and a hit.  Izzy, K-Rod, game over.  5-2 Mets.

Posted on

Breeding Confidence

Terry Collins called last night’s win “No doubt the biggest win they’ve had this year.” It’d be hard to disagree, and they extend their winning streak to six games after they got shut down early by Gorzelanny.  He talked about turning the anger the team has about the last couple of years on the opponent and using it to their advantage.  One things for sure; this team is an extremely likable team that plays with energy and is fun to watch.

 

Winning games when you struggle to hit early and have to overcome bad calls and comeback in the 8th and the 9th can be huge morale boosters.   I know all teams have huge comeback wins and look great and energetic doing it.  All teams look better when they’re winning.  For _this_ team, the comeback and practicing winning, as uncrowned captain David Wright would put it, may be a bigger deal.  We watched the Met struggle early this season, and press and try too hard and make mistakes.  Terry Collins tried to keep them upbeat, but nothing does that better than winning.  Games like this reinforce the attitude on the team that they are winners, and that no obstacle is too large to overcome.  It’ a complete 180 from where they were earlier in the season.  The baseball season is a long one, and there is a huge mental preparation aspect to it.  When teams believe they can pull out a win, when they don’t doubt themselves, it can be a huge weapon to get through a season.  The other side: When a pitcher is out there, maybe a closer that hasn’t handled the role well, (Why, hello there Ryan Madson) knowing that the other team is sure they’re going to beat you, it can eat at you.  The Phillies of recent years may be an example of this. You heard from everyone, including opposing players, that the Phillies are never out of a game.    It creates a mental edge.  It may not be a large one, or one that’s measurable, but it does exist.

 

I don’t know if a “winning attitude” or some sort of mental edge is enough.  I don’t know if the Mets are talented enough, or will stay healthy enough, to win a division.  I believe they can, but me believing it, or even the players believing it, doesn’t mean it will happen.  For now, it doesn’t matter.  They’re a fun bunch that believe they can win any game, and I’m going to have fun watching until the end believing they can pull it out.  I’m not worrying about how many wins they have to have if they’re going to compete, or what their record needs to be against this opponent or that. Play the game, try to win the game, and I’ll sit on my couch and root for you.  It’ll be a nice change from having to root against teams the last couple of years.