ANOTHER REASON I WASN'T CUT OUT FOR THE MAJORS

I'm a couple of days late with this, but have you seen this prank pulled on Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick?



If you're like me, and don't always watch videos connected to blogs, I'll recap. Brett Myers got everyone on the Phillies to go along with this prank, including management, players, and the media, in which he convinces Kendrick that Kendrick has been traded to a baseball team in Japan. My initial anger over this has cooled somewhat, and I'm starting to find it more amusing than anything else, but I have some issues with it.

I'll start with the most serious issue (the rest are all petty), which is that this has to be the worst thing to pull on someone in baseball. I don't know Kyle Kendrick's family situation, where he's from, or anything about his personality, but I bet he doesn't want to be traded. I bet hardly anyone, unless there's an extenuating circumstance, wants to uproot themselves from a place where they are pretty comfortable, and relocate to somewhere else. It has to be a fear in the back of everyone's mind that this might happen to them, and to have that fear drawn out and paraded in front of everyone is a crappy move, in my opinion. (Some might say that's what makes an excellent prank.)

Not that I'm a stick in the mud - but I've never been a real fan of pranks, or hazing. Anything that puts someone else in a position where they are made to be an unsuspecting fool (or worse, where they are put in a dangerous situation, like some of the hazing incidents gone bad that you hear about) turns me off....maybe I have some unresolved issues from grade school. OK, not maybe - definitely. New York City public schools are tough, what can I say. But one of the few consolations I take from not having made it to the major leagues was that I never had to go through any sort of hazing ritual.

Maybe it's because my dislike of the Phillies has been ramped up in recent years, or maybe it's because I don't really like Brett Myers....but I thought this was all-around tasteless.

Other than that, here are some thoughts on this video:

-Didn't Kyle Kendrick suspect something was up when the cameras were all over the place documenting this trade announcement? Since when do cameras follow players into the manager's office for bad news?

-I got a kick out of Charlie Manuel pronouncing "Yomiuri". I'm not sure how it's pronounced, but I'm pretty sure when you have a drawl such as his, you're pretty much screwed when you attempt to say it.

-I don't doubt that Brett Myers is probably a jerk. But Kyle Kendrick acts like it's also the most natural thing (in addition to the constant camera) that Myers is in everyone's business. I'd have decked Myers by the time he starts telling Ryan Howard and everyone that I was traded.

-By the time the media is gathered around for the announcement, doesn't it look like Kendrick knows this whole thing was a joke? Case in point - "Do they have good food in Japan?" Who would ask that if they were really worried about having their life uprooted?

-The Philadelphia press, meanwhile, isn't getting any good samaritan recognition here. They're like the dorky kid who is just so glad they're not getting picked on that they laugh extra hard when someone else draws the negative attention. Seriously, some of those guys act like this is the most fun thing they've ever been a part of. Then again, it probably is.

-All told, the sigh of relief when Kendrick finds out it was a joke is probably the best part. He comes off pretty likeable, having handled the prank with class.

-Myers comes off even more unlikeable than he was before. The 'player' Kendrick was allegedly traded for was the competitive hot dog eater Kobayashi. Myers was probably most proud of that fact, as after revealing the prank, you see him saying, "That's the hot dog eater!!!" It's like that's all he knows about Japanese culture - man, that hot dog eater's name is totally Japanese. We should use that in a prank involving Japanese baseball!!

Back to the Mets player previews tomorrow - the pitchers are next.

NO SWEEP

Phillies 5, Mets 3 (NYM: 28-18, PHI: 24-22)

The Phillies averted disaster by beating the Mets during an afternoon game at Shea. The Phillies jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first against Jeremi Gonzalez, the Mets tied it at 3 in the second on a 3-run homer by the suddenly powerful Jose Reyes, and then Pedro Feliciano gave up two runs in the seventh to let the Phillies win it. Gonzalez pitched OK, but he'll be sent down, as El Duque will take his rotation spot on Sunday. Heath Bell pitched well - and he's been pitching very well at Norfolk - I wouldn't be surprised if Bell takes Jorge Julio's bullpen spot.

Brett Myers pitched very well. The Mets are allowed to lose one out of every three to the Phillies - I'm OK with that. Now a three-game series at Florida - the Mets need to sweep. Simple as that. And Pedro* needs to get a win against the Marlins - finally breaking his string of no-decisions.

I didn't get to see much of Thursday afternoon's game - but I made it home in time to see the bottom of the ninth. And it should be noted that the Mets again managed to get the tying run to the plate against Tom Gordon. Even in a game where it didn't seem likely that the Mets would win, they had a faint threat of tying the game. Good signs, when that happens.

MEDIA CORRECTION: Since I was out all day, I was going to TiVo this game, and I said yesterday Mike & The Mad Dog were going to broadcast it on SNY. Turns out I forgot to TiVo the game, but as I was driving home, faintly I got WFAN on the car radio - and Mike and the Mad Dog were broadcasting the game on WFAN (which makes sense, since that's where their radio show is, and since YES carries it on TV, not SNY). So I ended up hearing a little of their play-by-play. It was OK. They did it for charity, so I guess I can handle that. But since it's always been my dream to do play-by-play, I still get a bit jealous when guys get these chances that would never in a million years fall my way.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DEAL: Omar Minaya said Wednesday after he traded for Orlando Hernandez that he had other deals cooking. He proved himself Thursday, when he traded minor leaguer Robert Manuel to the Reds for pitcher Dave Williams. Astute readers will remember I've mentioned Dave Williams before. (In case you're too lazy to click the link, here's what I wrote:

"BEAT THE STREAK: Back to taking it seriously, after vacation. I'm on a modest 3-gamer, after a Jimmy Rollins hit tonight (actually, 2 hits, I think). I took Alfonso Soriano for Tuesday, against Dave Williams of the Reds (formerly with the Pirates). He is bad.")

He is bad - he's been sent to Triple-A, probably to learn how to pitch. The Mets didn't give up much - Manuel was in Single-A...with decent numbers, but who knows what he'll turn into. Minaya says you can never have too much pitching. We'll see what else he's got going on.

WRIGHT IN SI: David Wright is the subject of a story in this week's 'Sports Illustrated'. Everything you hear about Wright is positive. He and Derek Jeter are two of the best people ever produced by a New York city farm system (actually, you could probably throw Bernie Williams in that category too....maybe even Mariano Rivera - although I don't know much about him as a person). Wright is just such a good person - everyone raves about how humble he is, and has stayed, even with his success. I just hope it lasts - and based on the type of person he is, and was raised to be, I think it will.

THE KID'S KIDS/LAST-PLACE LASTINGS: Both St. Lucie and Norfolk entered Thursday's action with just a game difference between themselves and their next-closest competitor. The Tides were just a game away from tying for last place, and the St. Lucie Mets were just a game up on Brevard County for first place.

St. Lucie was playing too late for this writing...I'll update them over the weekend.

Norfolk is really close to leaving last place - they beat Syracuse again on Thursday, 7-2. Milledge followed up his 3-for-6 in last night's game with a 1-for-5 on Thursday - and it was a solo homer. He's hitting .291.

FANTASY UPDATE: The Southern Bureau, owner of the What If Nationals/Expos, e-mailed me to say, "What's going on with this what if league? I win 12 in a row, lose 8 in a row, it's the same team! Nothing has changed...why are they so streaky?" I agree. Wholeheartedly. A day after winning all three of my games, I've lost all three of my games. I just had a feeling it might happen. What a pain. I go back and forth between liking this game and HATING it. Right now, I hate it. But I'm still 5 games out of first, tied for second.

BEAT THE STREAK: Ichiro didn't get a hit - Rodrigo Lopez picks today to throw a gem. Wonderful. Back to 0 again. This is the most frustrating part of 'Beat the Streak' - trying to get a streak past 9 or 10 games, so that you can actually care about it. Maybe this will be the streak that gets me going. I'll take Jose Reyes against the Marlins, since he's swinging a hot bat these days.

LOW POINT FOR HEILMAN

Phillies 5, Mets 4 (NYM: 21-11, PHI: 18-14)

The Mets have lost their first big game of the year. The Phillies came into Tuesday night's game with an 8-game winning streak, just 4 games behind the Mets in the division. They left with a 9-game winning streak, and are now 3 games back of the Mets.

The game came down to two bad half-innings. Pedro Martinez*, the starter, had one - giving up 3 runs in the second. He came back nicely from that early struggle, striking out 10 over 7 innings, giving up only those 3 runs. He was spared a blemish on his record (staying 5-0...maybe he'll go 27-0 now) by the bats of Xavier Nady and Carlos Delgado.

Nady made it 3-2 with a 2-run homer in the top of the 8th inning off Brett Myers, who pitched very well starting for the Phillies. In the bottom half, Duaner Sanchez gave up his first run of the year, and the Phillies handed Tom Gordon a 4-2 lead. Paul LoDuca led off the ninth against Gordon with a single, though, and Delgado faced Gordon having just 2 hits against him in 30 career at-bats. He proceeded to homer, making it 3-for-31, and tying the game at 4, getting Pedro* and Sanchez off the hook.

Aaron Heilman was the man behind the second bad half-inning. He got two quick outs in the bottom of the ninth, but then gave up a triple to David Dellucci, hit Jimmy Rollins, and walked Chase Utley. (Doug Eddings, the home plate umpire, started calling pitches that were strikes all night balls against Heilman. He also called out Kaz Matsui on a very, very high third strike to end the top of the ninth with runners on second and third, and in between innings, tossed Julio Franco, who was letting him hear it from the on-deck circle. I wonder if that had anything to do with his shrinking strike zone in the last of the ninth....in fairness to Heilman.) Anyway, bases were loaded for Bobby Abreu, and he hit a nubber in front of the plate. Heilman tried to play it instead of letting LoDuca get it, and Heilman threw it away. An awful play. And the Mets lost, 5-4.

This was not a great start to a 9-game road trip...the ace on the mound, problems in the pitching rotation - the Mets needed a win. But they can still get 2 out of 3 in Philadelphia - it's not time to hit the panic button yet. Tom Glavine goes Wednesday, and Steve Trachsel on Thursday. It's time for Trachsel to step up and be a good starter for the Mets. They need him to come through.

The good news - the end of the week, when the back end of the rotation is scheduled to pitch, the Mets will be in Milwaukee. And there's something about that park - the Mets' bats really seem to come alive there.

SNY: Everyone's favorite network had a 3-man booth Tuesday night, with Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Keith Hernandez together. They did very nice together. I'm not sure whether or not this is the first time they did that, because I missed a lot of SNY games at the beginning of the year - but the three worked very, very well together.

Also...'Simply Amazing' is coming soon on SNY - not sure if it's a one-time show about the '86 Mets, or a series about them...but it's definitely about the 1986 Mets, so that'll make it worth watching.

PEDRO* OFF THE FIELD: For those of you who ignored the link left in the comments section by Dave from Brighton....Pedro* likes to garden. And there's nothing wrong with that. I don't have anything close to a green thumb. Matter of fact, I am a plant murderer. So I have no problem with Pedro*'s ability to keep such a beautiful garden. (You might say I'm green with envy.) It's true what Jeff Wilpon says - the abstract thinking Pedro* shows in his garden is what helps make him such a good baseball player. I might have a small problem with Pedro* talking to his flowers though - he's quoted in that article as asking one of his flowers, "What about you, beauty? Aren't you going to grow up to be so pretty?" That's going to get back to him on the baseball field.

MAIL TIME: Steve from Queens is back, talking about the Victor Zambrano injury:

"Johnnymets -

I have heard rumors of a possible Zito for Lastings Milledge trade. I have also heard that the Mets brass have said they are not trading their prospects for anyone. Now, given the Zambrano fiasco (I think his injury is a blessing in disguise), I understand why the Mets would never want to trade a prospect for anyone out of fear of another flop. But, wouldn't it make sense to make a trade for a guaranteed #2 starter for the next few years for someone unproven in the Bigs? how about Willis for Milledge? The Mets are a team that is trying to win the Series this season. Milledge will not be in a Mets uniform this season unless catastrophe strikes the outfield. What do you think?

Steve from Queens"

Steve - I heard someone call into the pre-game show on Sunday asking if the Mets would get Zito now. I think as the trading deadline approaches, rumors like this are really going to pick up (look for the rumor regarding Washington's Zach Day to pick up steam, as well as all kinds of Dontrelle Willis scenarios), especially if the Mets are struggling because of their lack of pitching depth. For now, I think we're going to see Jose Lima and Jeremi Gonzalez get some long looks. (Gonzalez is at Norfolk right now - he's pitched for the Cubs, Devil Rays, and Red Sox. His numbers at Norfolk - 35.2 innings, 31 hits, 9 walks, 30 K's, 3.03 ERA.) The problem is, neither one is going to be the solution for the rest of the year.

I think by mid-to-late June the Mets will make some sort of deal to get a pitcher. Nothing major, but an upgrade over what they have now in the back end of the rotation. (This might happen sooner if Brian Bannister doesn't come back as scheduled.) I don't think the Mets are going to raid the farm to try to get a number 5 starter for this year, because I think they'll be able to survive with what they have this year. I'd expect in the off-season that there will be another push for Zito. But I don't think Lastings Milledge is going anywhere....and I don't think Dontrelle Willis will end up with the Mets.

A SMALL REMARK ABOUT DEATH: I don't know what I'll be remembered for when I go (although awesome baseball writer will probably figure prominently in the obituary somewhere), but when I die, I hope nowhere in my obituary does it say "Pinch-runner for midget". That's what it says on ESPN.com about Jim Delsing, who passed away at age 80. Delsing played for the St. Louis Browns when Bill Veeck sent Eddie Gaedel up to the plate. Gaedel, a midget, walked on 4 straight pitches. I guess Delsing was the guy sent in to run for Gaedel when he reached first base. Now Delsing has died, and that's what he's remembered for. That's too bad. I'm sure Mr. Delsing did much more in his life than pinch-run for a midget. I'll send him off with a baseball tribute, anyway.




Jim Delsing, a major league outfielder for 10 seasons with 6 different teams, died of cancer last Thursday. Mr. Delsing was a career .255 hitter, playing for the White Sox, Yankees, Browns, Tigers, Senators, and Athletics. He hit a career-best .288 with Detroit in 1953, striking out just 39 times in 479 at-bats. Once, he pinch-ran for a midget. Mr. Delsing is also the grandfather of soccer player Taylor Twellman. James Henry Delsing was 80 years old.



THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets are still playing as I write this - but I'm going to pencil them in for a win. They broke a 6-6 tie with a 7-run 8th inning, and lead, 13-6. More tomorrow.

FANTASY UPDATE: The Mets are 10-8, having won 4 out of 5, and 7 out of 10. They also took 2 straight against the division rival Braves. The most exciting game of the day was the first of the series against the Braves, when the Mets scored 4 times in the ninth off none other than John Rocker to notch a come-from-behind victory. Robin Ventura again had two home runs. We're 3 games behind the Nationals, tied with the Phillies, a game ahead of the Braves (only 4 teams per division).

BEAT THE STREAK: Edgar Renteria extended his own hitting streak, and mine, with a first-inning double. Then the game survived an early rain delay, so my hitting streak is up to 5. On Wednesday, I'm taking a flyer on Conor Jackson of the Diamondbacks - he's 2-for-2 in his career against Paul Maholm of the Pirates...he's actually the only player on Arizona who's had a hit off Maholm. All it takes for me is one.