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A-Rod and Joe Torre

The New York Yankees, as is typical of their history, again act without class in firing Joe Torre. A move that I am really happy about, because I think it opens the door for the Yankees to not make the playoffs next year. If Mariano, Pettite, Posada or/and A-Rod decide to use the manager change as an excuse to leave for another team, the Yankees will take a blow. Hopefully at least one of them leaves.

As for A-Rod, I expect it won’t be all about the money this time. He was willing to take some sort of pay cut to go to Boston. Only the greed of the players association kept him from going there. Maybe he’ll overlook getting 900million dollars this time and take merely 800million to go somewhere that he’ll be happy and have a chance to win. How much Joe Torre effects that, it’s hard to say. Likely Mariano and Posada could have made a decision by the time A-Rod does.

In my last article at totk.com, I talk about A-Rod’s impending pay day and how he’s probably worth it. Hopefully someone else realizes this and takes him away from the Yankees. The former ‘Bronx Bombers’ used to have both the single season, and all-time home run records, but now they have neither. Babe Ruth was still probably the best slugger ever, but now his curse is focused on them. A-Rod leaving would pretty much prevent the Yankees from making an attempt at either record for a long time. Losing the best player in baseball could only hurt a team.

A team that payed Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano for pretty much nothing worthwhile this season, were supposedly upset about giving Torre an extra couple of million dollars, and now they’re stuck looking for an option that has a prayer at living up to what Torre has done for the team. Likewise by not extending Rivera’s contract before the season started like he wanted, they’re risking letting him get away. There shouldn’t have been any doubt that Rivera would be wanted on the team beyond this year, but someone that makes the decisions decided it wasn’t worth paying the guy who may very well be the most valuable Yankee over the last 12 years.

Things look like they could be bleak in the future for the Yankees, just how I like them.

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King of Sports

I have a couple of posts planned here and there about this and that. Including my thoughts on what the Mets need to do this offseason.

For now, here is a link to my last article on TOTK.com about why as we all turn to other sports to watch, I still view baseball as the best of them all. King of Sports

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So Long

Oh Look, the Phillies aren’t in the Playoffs. Did anyone not see this coming? Honestly I thought they may win a game just because they can occasionally hit the ball and no one pitches that well all the time, but apparently not. Good job further proving that the division title in the East was lost and not won.

Most people out there are saying the Mets would’ve lost too, and while that may be true, I don’t think they would’ve made as poor a showing as the Phillies. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter. Congratulations to the Rockies, and It’s hard to not feel good about a team winning it’s first postseason series, even if it wasn’t against top-quality opposition.

The Mets won just as many playoff games as the Phillies this year. Here’s to another 14 years of playoff drought for Philadelphia.

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Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Billy Wagner. These are my first tier of players, the ones that I feel should go under no circumstances.

Luis Castillo, Pedro Feliciano, Lastings Milledge, Mike Pelfrey, Joe Smith, Philip Humber, Endy Chavez, Marlon Anderson, Ramon Castro, Ruben Gotay. These guys are the next tier. I really don’t want these guys to go anywhere, but they’re not as completely vital. Some of them I’d miss, but would be glad to see value come from them in a big trade.

Carlos Gomez, Moises Alou, Paul Lo Duca, Carlos Delgado, Scott Schoeneweis, Orlando Hernandez are the guys that I think could succeed in certain roles with the Mets, or I think are due for a decent year and should be held while focus is placed on other areas. I think we can get good years out of Delgado and Lo Duca, leaving Omar(or whoever) free to search for a more long term solution in these positions while focusing on more immediate pitching concerns. I think Schoeneweis might be a tolerable addition, and his contract probably brings him back anyway. I’m not sure if guys like El Duque, Gomez or Alou can contribute reliably, and while I wouldn’t mind keeping them, I also wouldn’t mind exchanging them for value. One concern of mine is power, something I felt the Mets were missing when Delgado was slumping and Alou was missing. I found the Mets stringing together hits but failing to have big innings that a home run can bring.

Tom Glavine, Guillermo Mota, and Aaron Sele are the only three players that I’m ready to toss completely.

Everyone else is either too minor to make a decision on(Muniz, who looked real good. Ben Johnson, who barely factors in), or really doesn’t seem to have a place in the future(Shawn Green, Aaron Heilman, David Newhan, Jeff Conine, who I believe was going to retire, Dave Williams, Mike Difelice). Guys like Jose Valentin or Duaner Sanchez or Damien Easley may or may not be done with the team, and certainly have to prove themselves again.

I’m never one to get too caught up in coaches. I think Peterson may have worn out his welcome, but I really don’t know how much impact he has, or how much guys like Maine and Perez might rely on him. I like Howard Johnson, I could care less about Rickey’s card playing habits and think he some valuable assets. I like Willie, Omar seems to be pretty competent, I don’t know that I have much to say about Sandy Alomar at third base, and the other guys barely register.

I generally don’t like to speculate and chase rumors about getting this guy, or getting that guy. Obviously trying to get a guy like Johan Santana would be awesome, but would it be worth Humber and Pelfrey? Probably, but it’s a tough thing to judge. I’ve said this before, and I think Omar should just invite 18 middle relief guys to spring training, and hope to catch the guys that are going to have good years, or match well with Peterson’s(or replacement’s) style of pitching.

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Mets Extra

At the end of 162, it’s the Philadelphia Phillies 89, the New York Mets 88.

Wow. That sucked. So much for my optimism. I’m not going to be one of those fans that throws blame and anger all over the place, calling for heads and trades and all of that. I will break down the team and next year and what I want to see happen sometime in the near future. I expect I’ll update a bit through the playoffs (I’m rooting for the Cubs) talk about awards and all of that. After October I’ll still post, maybe once a week, or when other things happen. I’m proud of myself for getting through the entire season with this blog, and look forward to making new bloggie friends in the off-season and next year. Here is my postseason prediction, and my in-season stats for the year.

I think the Rockies win tomorrow.

AL Divisional Round
RED SOX defeat
ANGELS (3-1)
INDIANS defeat YANKEES (3-0)

AL
Championship
RED SOX defeat INDIANS (4-1)

NL Divisional
Round
ROCKIES defeat PHILLIES (3-1)
CUBS defeat
DIAMONDBACKS (3-1)

NL Championship
CUBS defeat ROCKIES (4-2)

World Series
RED SOX defeat CUBS
(4-2)

Personally I went to 33 baseball games this year.

My record at Shea Stadium was 15-12.

My record at Mets games was 17-12.

My record for the hometeam was 18-15.

My record for the Nationals was 3-2. (This included three stadiums, RFK, Shea, and Dolphin Stadium)

This year I attended games in 4 stadiums(Shea, RFK, Yankee, and Dolphin)

I’ve now been to 13 Stadiums(Shea, Yankee, Fenway, Wrigley, Citizens Bank, Dolphin, RFK, Petco, ½ old Busch, ½ new Busch, Dodger, Angel, San Fran, McAfee)

Next year the goal is to check out Camden Yards, Nationals park, and Tropicana field.

The Optimistic Mets Blog player of the year is: David Wright.

Is there any doubt? David Wright is looking so good. He was the most solid, consistant player on this team. He struggled in April when the team didn’t, and since then there have been very few games he hasn’t gotten a hit in. He’s now in the top two or three in career Mets avg, slugging, obp and ops. He’s got a .311 career Mets batting average. He expanded his game, learned from his peers, and took on more of a leadership role. He’s a great fielder who needs to figure out his throws a bit, but I’m so glad he’s on our team.

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It’s all about being there…

I’ll be there. I was there for game 7 last year, hopefully this isn’t similar. I still believe the Mets can win this. I don’t think the Phillies will win both these games, they just aren’t that good, and I know the Nationals suck, but…All the Mets need to do is remember what it’s like to win..and do it.

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I’ll be there

I can’t fathom going to Shea tonight, but I am. I was debating it, and then someone told me they had tickets for me. I decided to take it as a sign, and I’m going. I’ll be there tomorrow too.

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Nothing to Say

I wish I had something to say, but there is nothing. The only reason to peruse Mets blogs and media today is the faint hope that someone, somewhere has some insight that promotes confidence. The problem is everytime you find that glimmer, the Mets blow it to shreds at night.

This season started with the most promise and expectation in at least seven years, World Series or bust. The last team the Mets faced in 2006 was to become the first team they’d face in 2007. Now they are seriously in danger of that being the case again, only this time it’s not a World Series champion that foils their quest, but the lowly Marlins. In that first season of the year, they did something they have struggled to do of late, and that’s get revenge and complete a sweep. Maybe seeing Albert and Yadier sparks that fire that they need. Destiny, however slim, is still in the Mets hands. Are the Mets complacent, acting entitled, almost snobbish? Well here is the true wake up call. The one team that can remind them that despite the glory of last year, they are essentially losers. They are owed nothing and have everything to prove.

Hopefully the Mets beat up on the Cardinals, and then because a one game series is just not enough for the Mets to work out their aggression, they’ve got a series against bored fish on the weekend to continue with. Something needs to wake up this team, and if it’s not the Cardinals, I may be using my Playoff money to buy an HDTV.

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Book Review: The New York Mets: Ethnography, Myth, and Subtext

Review: The New York Mets: Ethnography, Myth, and Subtext by Richard Grossinger


The book isn’t so much a story as a diary and tribute to one person’s journey as a fan of the New York Mets. Throughout that journey he, like most of us, is constantly reevaluating his commitment to his team, and answering the question, “Why do we watch?” He was a born Yankee fan drawn to the Mets in their infancy, knowing there is more to life, and to baseball, then championships. He embraced the Mets from the beginning, from their minor league players to their major league players who probably should have been in the minor leagues.

As a younger fan, It was interesting to read a fan’s perspective on my team that’s been there from the beginning. I’ve never truly experienced a championship, but I’ve also had some fun and exciting moments. Grossinger explains that it’s not always the championships that resonate and are remembered for years to come, but the truly spectacular moments. It’s the journey that is what truly makes us fans, not just the final game of the World Series. Grossinger journey as a fan is a unique one, just like all of our adventures as fans are, and it’s interesting to read as he goes to his first games at Shea, roots for his favorite players, and eventually gets his first press pass.

One part of the book that I found particularly interesting was about the author’s time in San Francisco as a Mets fan. This was long before the time of DirecTV with Extra Innings, or mlb.tv. He was able to embrace the team through box scores, newspapers and magazines. Then he formed a club, and a bunch of baseball fans joined together to buy a satellite dish that could pick up the feeds of all the games across the country. They were able to get Mets games clear across the country and sometimes even picking up the feeds before they were edited for TV.

A big chapter of the book is his relationship with a Mets player, Terry Leach. Leach was one of those guys that perpetually was being send between AAA and the Major Leagues, despite how well he would pitch. In an era that people are constantly talking about “rooting for the laundry”, rooting for whoever the players are as long as they wear the uniform of your favorite team, It’s a refreshing look at how sometimes we form an attachment to a favorite player, and how it’s not always the best guy on the team. Grossinger, and his son’s, attachment to Terry Leach was formed in the minor leagues off a statsheet. They followed his progress through the minors, and like many of us still do, formed a bond with a player that comes up through the Mets minor league system.

As you read through the book, reading accounts from different years and eras of Mets history, you start embracing what it is to be a Mets fan, and reaffirm your connection with the team. Throughout the book I felt myself relating to his stories of watching and following the Mets, even though my experiences often happened decades later. I learned new things about the history of my team, and got further insight into what it was like for the fans of the past. The culture of being a Mets fan is a unique one, but it’s one that Richard Grossinger, me, and hopefully you, are all excited to be a part of.

All in all this book is a book most Mets fans will enjoy reading about. It has discussions of moments and events in all 45 years of Mets history. It explores what it’s like to be a Mets fan, and helps get a perspective on how and why we watch baseball.