REVIEW: THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED

THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED

I'm three weeks late to the party on this, but I finally sat down and watched my TiVo'ed version of ESPN Films' "The Greatest Game Ever Played" - it originally aired following the Heisman Trophy Presentation in mid-December.

The big selling points were the fact that the game was being presented on television in color for the first time, and that current and former Colts and Giants were sitting down together to talk about the game.

When you look past the typical ESPN fluff (hosted by Chris Berman, yuck), it was a very enjoyable couple of hours.

In terms of significance, it was the greatest game ever played - but when you actually watch the game, which this show finally presented me (with a chopped up and edited version) the opportunity to do - it was not a great game. It was tremendously sloppy - something all of the current and former personnel noted.

The field was sloppiest of all - the Yankee Stadium field looked terrible that day. But Yankee Stadium itself looked great. I love watching the old (I'm talking OLD, pre-renovation) videos of Yankee Stadium - color or black and white - and this video seemed to have an inordinate amount of stadium shots - maybe the way football was shot showed more of the stadium. Majestic. I would have loved to see a game there.

Besides the Stadium, some of the current players paired up with the old-timers were really impressive. I've always liked Dwight Freeney, but I was blown away by his conversations with Alex Sandusky (a Colts offensive lineman). I was also impressed by Steve Smith, and I thought Adam Vinatieri and Pat Summerall were interesting. ESPN paired Michael Strahan with Art Donovan. I've seen Donovan years ago doing all sorts of TV appearances, though I can't put my finger on what right now, and he's always been entertaining. It seemed like Strahan was trying to yuk it up with him too much, and that was not fun to watch. When the two of them played it straight, it was very good. Mike Tirico talked with Bob Wolff, who did the TV broadcast in 1958. I can't figure out exactly what bothers me about Tirico, but there's something. I enjoy listening to him do play-by-play...but I didn't like him in this situation.

The most interesting technological aspect of the show was an analysis of what was one of the more controversial plays in the game - Frank Gifford ruled short of a first down (which he insists he had) on a late drive that would have helped the Giants run out the clock with the lead. They did two separate analyses on the screen showing with graphs how Gifford was about 9 inches short. That was cool.

And then two revelations came out that I never knew:

1) Late in the game, a fan ran onto the field. It was a pivotal moment - the Colts were driving late, and for viewers at home, they lost the picture. Turns out, NBC had a plug knocked loose, and one of their workers ran out on the field to delay the game, until the plug was replaced. I thought that was funny.


and

2) Alan Ameche, the famous fullback who scored the championship-winning touchdown in overtime, was not liked by his teammates. A couple of different Colts mentioned it in the interviews. One related the story that when Ameche decided to retire in 1960, he went to coach Weeb Eubank and said, "I think I'm going to retire." Eubank reportedly told him, "That's probably a good idea."

The game footage in a show like this is great - but it's stories like these that set the shows apart. I don't know if ESPN will replay the show at any point in the near future - but it's worth a watch if you see it.

A COUPLE OF CLICKS YOU MIGHT ENJOY

So maybe you're snowbound today, looking for something to do. Here are two things I've enjoyed lately that I'll plug:

1) I got an e-mail from a guy saying he enjoyed the site, and asking would I throw some info out there about an NFL campaign going on. Warning him that I probably don't have as many readers as he might think, I said sure. And it looks like it's for a good cause and everything is on the up and up, so here it is:

Chunky Soup is sending soup to the hungry through a campaign on their website. And all you have to do is click over to their site, and vote for your favorite team to win their weekly matchup. The top 8 teams then make the 'playoffs', and winners have food donated to their local food banks. Food being lots of cans of Chunky Soup.

I only wish I had known about this sooner, because the Jets look like they're going to comfortably beat the Seahawks this week (you can only vote once a day), but they're in sixth place in the AFC. I could have made a difference earlier in the season...maybe they'd be undefeated like the Bills currently are. So there's one option for you.

2) My second option is more dependent on your knowledge of sports. For a couple of months now I've been addicted to ESPN's Streak for the Cash game. You may have heard of this recently, because this month someone finally built a 25-game winning streak and won $1 million. I didn't find out about the game until October-ish, and didn't play regularly until November.

They give you a number of options for games each day - hockey, NBA, college sports, prop bets - and all you have to do is pick correctly. Your two options are to play for the longest streak or to play for the highest monthly total. Some people go nuts picking multiple games a day (you can pick your next game right after the previous one ends), going with every European soccer game, in hopes of getting an overwhelming amount of wins in a month. There's a bunch of different strategies you can employ.

Anyway, for me it's like mlb.com's 'Beat the Streak' all year long. If you play your picks right you can have some sort of rooting interest every night of the year. I bring this all up because they're starting new, with a new $1 million prize, on January 1st. I recommend you play.

You can find the game at espn.com, usually in the upper right-hand corner of the front page.

WOO! FRESNO STATE! *YAWN*

I want to care about this great story, about Fresno State winning their first ever men's championship, about the Bulldogs being the lowest-seeded team to ever win a college championship.

But I can't quite wrap my head around the College World Series, and therefore I can't quite wrap my head around this accomplishment, and I have a feeling I'm not the only sports fan who feels that way.

I'm not out to disparage college baseball. I just never understood it. It gets very little press, and I didn't seek out information. I still don't really understand the College World Series tournament. (And I'm skeptical enough to believe that had ESPN not had the TV rights to the College World Series, this upset of historic proportions would not have gotten the press it did.)

So I need some comparisons. The 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs winning the College World Series is like __________ winning the NCAA Tournament. From what I gather, it's not like a #16 seed winning in basketball. And Fresno State won its conference tournament...so would it be like a #11-to-#14 seed winning? (A conference champ that barely made the tourney - like Georgia this year?)

What is the pro comparison? Is there one, since this is so historic?

What does it mean that Fresno State has the most losses of any college baseball championship team in history? What does a college baseball team usually lose?

I guess my problem is that you can't not give attention to a sport like college baseball for so long, and then expect everyone to drop everything and give a care about the sport when something like this happens. (And I am aware that in certain parts of the country, this blog entry seems absurd, because everyone follows college baseball there. I've just never experienced that, and I think...I think....I'm in the majority.)

So I want to care about this huge sports upset/story. I just don't know how.

A DELICATE BALANCE

The Mets need more of the Jose Reyes on the left, and less of the one on the right. And not just because the one on the left has just scored a big run against the Phillies (and perhaps is about to dance...more on that in a minute) and the one on the right has just committed a costly error that directly led to a 5-run inning.

No, it's because the one on the left defines the Mets in good times, while the one on the right defines them in bad times. I'm realizing more and more that as Jose Reyes goes, so go the Mets.

The Mets had three straight national broadcasts over the weekend - Saturday on Fox against the Phillies, Sunday night in Philadelphia on ESPN, and then on Monday in Chicago back on ESPN. I didn't hear much about this on Monday night, but it certainly was talked about plenty on Saturday and Sunday. Apparently, Carlos Beltran had a conversation with Reyes about being his joyful self, dancing in the dugout, instead of trying to be a serious ballplayer (to sum it up). Basically, Reyes needs to loosen up a bit.

And I think I agree. The Mets are fun to watch when Reyes is yukking it up in the dugout. Other teams don't like it? Fine. Just go out and beat them and shut them up.

A few years ago, I never thought I'd be so torn on Jose Reyes. I would have thought I'd always be 100% in his corner. But we're coming off an off-season where I wouldn't have minded seeing him traded (for the right price - Johan Santana, specifically). And now I'm turned around again, thinking Omar Minaya showed great patience and loyalty by holding on to Reyes (and still getting Santana...what a deal that was!). And I have a lot of opinions here.

I don't think Jose Reyes will end his career as a Met. I think David Wright will. Something tells me that down the road, Wright will be given an opportunity to finish out his career in New York, while Reyes will either explore free agency and move somewhere else or be used in a trade down the line. And the Mets will be fine with Wright - you can't ask for a better ballplayer to wear your uniform. That said - David Wright doesn't set up the Mets for success the way Jose Reyes does.

For some reason, the Mets feed off Reyes in a way they don't with Wright. Perhaps it's because for Wright to hit a 2-run homer, for example, he needs Reyes on base ahead of him. Perhaps it's because Reyes can keep the team light in a way that Wright can't. Whatever it is, Jose Reyes' attitude is more important to the team than anyone else's, and September bore that out a little.

And I think that's why Rickey Henderson's influence was so negative. Because Reyes' dancing and celebrating in the dugout (by the way - it's not like he's showing up the other team - he's celebrating with teammates in the dugout with dances and special handshakes - I don't take that as a slight to another team) was not at the expense of his performance in the game. It was part of his game. When he stopped hustling on the field (for whatever reason, this happened when Henderson was coaching), and his performance suffered, he looked less like a joy-filled player and more like a guy who was celebrating individual accomplishments, and less like a team player. In other words, like someone who didn't care about team performance...because, fans like me thought, how could he possibly be happy at a time when the team is doing so poorly (a la last September)?

Which brings us to this year. Reyes took last September pretty personally. And I think he looked himself in the mirror and decided the celebrating had to go. But I think it's a big part of his game, and other parts of his game suffered because he was thinking about that, plus last year too much. Now Reyes needs to find a balance between his celebrating and taking the game seriously - because both are important to him and the team. So thank you, Carlos Beltran, for having that conversation with Reyes. It just might make this season very enjoyable to watch. Have fun out there, Jose Reyes!

WRIGHT WATCH: Monday night was significant because for the first time since Thursday, David Wright didn't double. Time to check in on his chase for the all-time lead:

ALL-TIME LEAD: 792

THIS SEASON: 10

WRIGHT'S CAREER TOTAL: 151

P.S.: Good thing the Mets only played two games in Chicago (and don't face the Cubs again until the end of September). That was an ugly series. And it was not a very flattering two games for the bullpen. Or, to put it more bluntly, the bullpen was downright awful.

THE MAILBAG

For the first time in a very long time, we'll dig into the e-mail-bag.

I've been sitting on this one from Steve from Queens for a while, and it's sort of newsy right now, so there's really no better time to address it.

This was a forward, and the subject line had to do with the fact that the Mets are having a....less than manly, I guess....vote for some songs to play in the 8th inning of their games. (I've written before how embarrassing it is that the Mets ripped off the Red Sox with "Sweet Caroline" - see the fifth bullet here.)

Here's the content of the e-mail:

"[Following a derogatory subject line] But we have to do it.

The Mets are having the fans vote on the 8th inning song.

We need to ensure that ******* song from Friends is not the winner.

Send to every Met fan you know."

The choices were (I might be missing some here): "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" by Bruce Springsteen, "Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison, the aforementioned Neil Diamond song, "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi, "I'll Be There For You", by the people who sang the 'Friends' theme song - Rembrandts, I believe, "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees, and my choice, had I voted, "Movin' Out" by Billy Joel. (I had my own Billy Joel list, you may remember, but that was obviously a waste of time.) Although I would choose Billy Joel, obviously, the Monkees are also a strong candidate, based on the "Ya Gotta Believe" theme through Mets history.

Anyway, apparently some Phillies fans stormed the voting site, and voted in Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up", which actually played during the home opener...and which is actually kind of funny and intelligent, for Phillies fans. So now this song vote isn't over - the Mets will apparently play a bunch of the songs, and pick a winner based on fan reaction. So help me if they end up keeping "Sweet Caroline".

A RESPONSE FROM JUSTIN IN NYC: Justin in NYC, always helpful in all things music-or-media-related (and a great idea guy), weighed in on yesterday's ESPNEWS crawl saga:

"in defense of espnews.. The reason the crawl gets dropped during certain commercials and not other is that different commercial time is sold by different companies. They keep the crawl up during their ad time, but have no control of the signal during ad time sold by your local cable company, or in your case, directv."

I guess that makes sense...but in that case, people advertising on ESPN on any cable system should not have any sort of phone number at the bottom of their ads. They should all be crawl-friendly.

ESPNEWS - EMPHASIS ON THE 'NEW'

I watch an inordinate amount of ESPNEWS. Not so much now, but usually over the summer, with nothing else to do, I'll leave it on for background noise. I like the fact that when there is something happening immediately, like a press conference or whatever, usually I can turn it on and I'll know they won't cut away from it. I also depend on their crawl for all of the scores for my baseball pool.

With the baseball season well underway, I've been watching ESPNEWS more lately. I don't usually watch for highlights, though I catch a lot of what I miss flipping from game to game while they show the highlights while I'm looking for my scores. It gives me what I need without ever having to watch SportsCenter, which I haven't enjoyed since I was 15. So I knew this change was coming - it didn't blindside me - but I didn't think it was necessary - a big format change that falls under the "If it wasn't broke, why did you fix it?" category.
I didn't think there was anything wrong with ESPNEWS when it was the orangey screen (on the left). They showed the scores I needed, and they had the appropriate content on the air. I don't have an HDTV, so the fact that it wasn't available in high definition didn't bother me. Now, the screen is heavy on the blue (on the right), there are more crowded graphics, but it still gives me the scores I need, so I don't mind that much.

What bothers me is that in doing this drastic change, ESPN took something that didn't have many flaws, and made it worse (the graphics they put on there - the face of the person who the news on the crawl is about, or the logo of the team, for example - make it a very busy screen), and didn't fix the flaws that did exist. Here's what I mean:

1) I hate it that ESPNEWS has this great crawl, but airs commercials that require the crawl to be dropped (Looking your way, Bowflex). Everytime a score I need is nearing, I go into my chant: 'Don't drop the crawl, don't drop the crawl'. I shouldn't have to do that. The information should stay on my screen...and they should either show commercials that don't require the crawl to be dropped, or keep the crawl up, commercials be darned. (And, yes, I'm aware that they probably think I'll stay around to watch my score the next time around - I do - therefore, watching more of their content. And furthermore, the commercials are the ones paying the money. But I don't care.)

2) There's no rhyme or reason to the scores right now. They'll show NCAAM, then NBA, then NHL, then NCAAM, then NASCAR, then GOLF, then NCAAM, NBA, and NHL again all before the MLB comes up. I don't get it. Don't use me as a pawn to see all this other stuff - give me my friggin' scores. I don't need to see men's basketball three times before I find out how the Padres-Giants game turned out.

3) This is one of the most frustrating things. ESPNEWS was notorious enough for calling something "Breaking News" if it happened at 10am, keeping the news on the bottom right-hand side of the screen for hours, and at 10pm still having it labeled "Breaking News". Now, it's even worse - it takes up the bottom part of the screen as "Breaking News". Another case of breaking something that wasn't broken in the first place...no pun intended.

I'm still watching, but it's tough - I have a feeling I'm going to have to solely rely on the SportCast Wireless Scoreboard soon enough for my baseball scores.

ONE MORE ESPN RANT WHILE I'M AT IT: Versus isn't completely innocent in this one, either, just to get that out there first. I was eagerly anticipating the NHL Playoffs beginning tonight, until I found out that the Ottawa-Pittsburgh game was on Versus. That means I needed to rely on DirecTV not blacking out MSG, where I was hoping to watch the Rangers-Devils series. Unfortunately, it was blacked out once 7pm hit. Now I have to figure out who to call and complain to - DirecTV, the NHL, or Versus. Because this is an instance that deserves a phone call or a letter. What other friggin' league blacks viewers out of their post-season? The most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. I need to rely on Versus!?! to show me the Rangers?!?! And now I have to make a phone call....I don't even like ordering a pizza on the phone. Stupid NHL. And I blame ESPN for not renewing its NHL contract - where I'd have more options - there's no such thing as Versus2. Not that I hold grudges or anything.

HURTIN'

With all of the possible trouble spots for the Mets in 2008 - 1B, the bench, RF, the bullpen....it looks like the DL might be the most troublesome of them all. Here's what I mean:

Brian Schneider has barely played this spring because of a hamstring problem.

Luis Castillo has yet to do anything as he recovers from off-season surgery on his knee.

Same with Carlos Beltran.

Carlos Delgado was playing, but had a recurrence of the hip problems that pained him in September. His backup, Michel Abreu, was hurt earlier this week.

Ryan Church, pictured at left, is recovering from a concussion suffered in a collision last week.

Orlando Hernandez still hasn't pitched and might not be ready for Opening Day, but this might work in the Mets' favor, because if Mike Pelfrey stays healthy he might be the better option.

And now the latest starter to go down is Moises Alou, who needs a hernia operation, and is out until May.

The backups are not in better shape - Endy Chavez, Damion Easley, Marlon Anderson (who collided with Church), Jose Valentin, Ruben Gotay, and Ben Johnson are all suffering various ailments, too.

The good news is that it's still early in the spring - the time when you hate to see guys doing well, because you want them to save the good stuff for the regular season. The bad news is that these aren't little piddly things - they're the types of injuries that have the potential to haunt the Mets through the season.

We'll need to re-evaluate the situation in a couple of weeks - if David Wright and Jose Reyes are still the only regulars in the lineup at that point, it'll be time to start turning up the worry dial.

By the way - you can get a good look at the Mets' backup minor leaguers Friday afternoon - their game against the Indians will be on ESPN. ESPN must be thrilled - they miss Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez, and the entire Mets team is injured.

SOUTHERN BUREAU CONTINUES TO IMPRESS: Fresh off his guest-blog here yesterday, the Southern Bureau has a new look on his blog. The link on the right to his "Orange Couch" has been updated. It's impressive.

ROLLINS KEYS METS WIN

Mets 11, Phillies 5 (NYM: 5-2, PHI: 1-6; Mets 0.5 GB)


Jimmy Rollins is right - the Phillies are the team to beat in the National League East - and the Braves, Marlins, and now the Mets have taken them up on the offer. The Phillies are now tied with Washington as the "team to beat" up on.

It's big talk now that the game is over, but the Phillies led this game into the 8th. The Mets had cut it to 5-4 before rallying against Geoff Geary. Moises Alou led off the bottom of the eighth with a single, followed by a Shawn Green single. Jose Valentin's bunt attempt resulted in an out at third, and then pinch hitter Julio Franco walked.

It was then, with the bases loaded and one out, that Jose Reyes grounded to shortstop. Jimmy Rollins drifted to his right, and couldn't field the grounder, allowing a run to score, and the bases to stay loaded. It was 5-5, and then there was a wild pitch, and the Mets led, 6-5. Paul Lo Duca walked. Carlos Beltran hit a sacrifice fly, 7-5 Mets. Carlos Delgado walked. David Wright extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a long double to left, making it 9-5, Mets. (Wright's third double, en route to a record, on a 1-for-5 day.) Alou singled home the final two runs, and the Mets went on to the 11-5 win.

I didn't see any of this game, in fact, I just saw the highlights on ESPN. I tuned into ESPN GameCast for the first time this year after dismissal at school, when the Mets were down 5-3, so it was exciting to see the rally. I like to think the Mets broke the Phillies for the year, but I doubt it. I will say, however, that after one game, the Phillies still don't scare me.

John Maine wasn't great in this game. He pitched 4-and-2-thirds innings, giving up just 2 earned runs, but walked six, and gave up 5 hits. He threw 104 pitches in that short amount of time. I'd say he struggled. Ambiorix Burgos also struggled, giving up a homer to Ryan Howard, and three runs in an inning and a third. Joe Smith, Pedro Feliciano (who got the win), and Billy Wagner combined for three scoreless innings.

On the Phillies' side, Cole Hamels was good - striking out 7 in six innings, giving up 3 runs, only 2 of which were earned. He's a good young pitcher.

The Mets and Phillies have Tuesday off before resuming on Wednesday at Shea. Oliver Perez tries to replicate his first start against Adam Eaton.


naturalbl0g.blogspot.com JOHNNYMETS.BLOGSPOT.COM PLAYER OF THE GAME: Carlos Delgado was 3-for-3, with a walk, and 2 runs and 2 RBI. I wasn't watching the whole game, so I don't know for sure, but it seemed to me he was in the middle of all of the Mets' action. He scored the Mets' second run in the 4th inning, with a headfirst slide around the tag of Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz. He hit a sacrifice fly to put the Mets ahead 3-2, and then had an RBI single to bring the Mets to within 5-4 in the 7th. And he scored after a walk in the 8th. Seems like a good day to me.

WEATHER-RELATED STUFF: Forgot to mention this Sunday - I know it was cold in Atlanta, but every wide shot I saw of the stands when the Mets were down there this past weekend showed empty seats. I'm pretty sure this was even the case at Friday's home opener. The Atlanta fans are horrid.

Also, the Cleveland-Seattle series never got off the ground because of snow. The Indians moved their homestand now to Milwaukee, where they'll play the Angels.

ASTROS: Brad Lidge's nightmare continues. He was officially taken out of the closer's role on Monday, replaced by Dan Wheeler (Former Met).

BEAT THE STREAK: After saying I was going to pick Ichiro, I actually forgot to log on and do it. Good thing they were snowed out. So I'm still at 0...I'm going with Andruw Jones to try to get me started against a Washington Nationals pitcher named Matt Chico.

BOUND TO HAPPEN....

Braves 5, Mets 3 (NYM: 4-1, ATL: 4-1)

I knew the Mets weren't going to go 162-0, but I still wanted to see just how long they could stretch the season-opening win streak. I guess it was just four games. But the Mets were done in by one of the things that keyed them to their 4 straight wins - their defense.

The Mets looked all set after the top of the first, after jumping out to another 1-0 lead - this one from an unlikely source: a homer by Paul Lo Duca. Tom Glavine gave it right back, though, and you could tell by the way he was working that career win number 292 was not going to come easy - of course, it didn't come at all.

The Braves' first started with an innocent grounder to second, which turned into their first baserunner when Carlos Delgado dropped the throw from Jose Valentin. Kelly Johnson then came around to score on a grounder to short. Matt Diaz homered in the second to give the Braves the 2-1 lead, and the Mets their first deficit of the season.

In the fifth, the Mets did their manufacturing run thing, after a leadoff walk by Jose Reyes. He stole second, went to third on a grounder to second by Lo Duca, and then scored on a single by Carlos Beltran. The Mets knocked around John Smoltz, but he seemed to get the outs when he needed to.

Unfortunately for Glavine, the outs couldn't come because of his defense. After no errors in 4 games, the Mets committed two on Saturday. In the bottom of the sixth, with the bases loaded, Shawn Green dropped a Matt Diaz fly ball that allowed one run to score. The next batter, Woodward, flew out to right off Pedro Feliciano, and Green made a nice running catch, but the ball was deep enough to score a run to make it 4-2. Then Joe Smith came on and got a groundball, but it was too slow for Reyes to make a play, so the Braves took a 5-2 lead. All 5 runs were charged to Glavine, but only two were earned.

The much-improved Braves bullpen held the Mets to one run the rest of the way, though the Mets did threaten Bob Wickman in the ninth. Trailing 5-3, Carlos Delgado walked, and David Wright singled (extending his hitting streak on an otherwise horrid day - 3 strikeouts against Smoltz). With two outs and runners on second and third, Green lined one towards right field, but the ball was snared by Craig Wilson at first. A tough way to end the game, but it showed the Mets still have that ability to come back late in games, and you still get the sense that they're never out of a game.

CHICK-FIL-A JOHNNYMETS.BLOGSPOT.COM PLAYER OF THE GAME: No one really stood out in this one, so we'll go with Matt Diaz, who had a homer and lifted the fly ball that Shawn Green dropped. At least he put it in play, and you have to give him some credit for that - chances are the then-go-ahead run would have scored anyway. Diaz finished 1-for-2 with 2 RBI and a run scored.

NOTES ON THE GAME: The Braves have no true leadoff hitter, now that Rafael Furcal is gone. They also have no true second baseman. Kelly Johnson is playing second and leading off, but I also noticed this on Friday night, when Chris Woodward was the starting second baseman and leadoff hitter. That's a step back from Furcal, and Marcus Giles at second.

ALSO THE WAY I FEEL: Tim Kurkjian was guest host on Mike & Mike In The Morning the other day (I think it was Thursday), and the subject of the DirecTV/other cable providers Extra Innings packages came up. (An aside: I find the Mike & Mike show to be much more tolerable when someone like Kurkjian or Buster Olney is on for the entire show rather than the regular Mikes...but that's another story for another day.) Kurkjian said he has DirecTV, and the day he got it, he says, "was, other than the days my kids were born, the greatest day of my life." So, he said, it wouldn't be right for other people to not have the opportunity to get the package. I agree.

SNY 2007: Friday night was my first chance to see a Mets game on SNY. Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Keith Hernandez were in the booth, and were very good (for the amount I saw before I fell asleep). A couple of notables:
-Slightly newer, snazzier graphics.
-Good ads - one, a tribute to Ron Darling for being named best New York sports analyst (I think, I was a little fuzzy on the award). The other was hilarious - it was a cartoon of Cohen, Darling, and Hernandez sitting on the couch watching the game, and Hernandez keeps saying, "I sound great. Wow, I'm doing a great job." And Darling and Cohen end up taking off Hernandez's mustache, and the announcer says, "Watch the Mets with Gary, Ron, Keith, and Keith's mustache." Good stuff. I hope there are different commercials like that each week. Hilarious.
-Also, forgot to mention this, so might as well here - Lee Mazzilli is the new studio analyst this year. I haven't seen enough of his work to comment yet.

1986 ROUNDUP: I don't remember seeing him all last year on camera, but Roger McDowell is still the Atlanta Braves' pitching coach. They showed him on Friday night, and either Keith or Ron said, "Roger smiled a lot more as a player." I thought that was funny.

MORE BROADCASTING: Caught the Reds' games over the weekend, and Grande was doing the games. Wonder what kind of a rotation they have going there. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

A WORD ON THE WEATHER: This year is more extreme than most, but I feel like every year there's a hubbub about the season-opening weather, and moving all of the openers to warm weather cities. Now, I don't know that that's a foolproof option - I hear there's a chance of snow in Arlington, Texas, for the Red Sox game Saturday night, which is surprising to me, but I feel like this is always a controversy in April every year, and then it dies down and is forgotten. I do feel, however, that this year has been extreme, as I mentioned above, extreme not only in weather, but also in outcry over the weather. And I think there will be some fallout - especially since Cleveland and Seattle are losing a game because of the weather, and because Victor Martinez got hurt in the bad weather, AND because of the controversy on Friday surrounding the weather and the way the game was called off. I don't know how much fallout, but I feel like the situation won't die away so easily, and maybe there will be some change next year.

BEAT THE STREAK: After no hits Friday by Xavier Nady and on Saturday with Derek Jeter, I'm going with as sure a thing as I can on Sunday, with the Cleveland doubleheader. I'll take Grady Sizemore - all he needs is one hit in two games to get me started.

WHAT A DAY!

I love Opening Day...even if it falls on the in-between day for the Mets, when they don't have a game. I love watching all of the different games....even if I am at school for most of them, and don't get to watch the afternoon games. I love looking at the scoreboard pages of the website, and seeing full boxscores of games that count.

One day does not a season make, but these were things that stood out to me on Opening Day:

-The Royals beat the Red Sox - pretty convincingly. A lot of people in the national media are pretty down on the Sox. And I've mentioned I think the Royals will surprise some people...maybe they're even better than I thought?

-Brad Lidge - slowly but surely, he's becoming less effective. He just blew a save for the Astros against the Pirates by giving up a homer to Xavier Nady with 2 out in the ninth.

-Dominant Pitching Performances - The headliner here is Felix Hernandez of Seattle - 8 innings of 3-hit, 12-strikeout ball. Ben Sheets went 9 innings for the Brewers, giving up just 2 hits and one run. And Gil Meche of the aforementioned Royals went 6-and-a-third, giving up just one run on six hits, and striking out 6.

-The Yankees Lineup - Sure, you can say they were just playing the Devil Rays, but they can hit. They took a lead, then fell behind, and then outscored Tampa the rest of the way. Scott Kazmir, incidentally, was touched up for 5 runs in 5 innings.

I'm just sitting here trying to think of other notables, and I'm realizing that I don't think anyone in baseball is opening a new stadium this year. That's worth noting these days.

RUBBING IT IN?: Tuesday night before the Mets-Cardinals game, the Cardinals will hand out their championship rings. This, in front of the Mets, who had to sit through the banner-raising ceremony Sunday night. The Cardinals say it's not to rub it in - they just didn't want to overload Sunday night with ceremonies. I don't care, to be honest. I'd rather the Cardinals tick the Mets off, show them what they could have had...give them more fire in their bellies for this year. Orlando Hernandez pitches for the Mets against Kip Wells on Tuesday.

ESPN PICKS: Forgot to mention this on Sunday night, but I caught the end of 'Baseball Tonight' before the Mets-Cardinals game, and the crew made their picks. Peter Gammons picked the Mets over the Red Sox in 7 games in the World Series (with Pedro* going against the Sox), Tim Kurkjian took the Yankees over the Mets, and Karl Ravech took the Red Sox over the Mets. Just FYI.

A THOUGHT ON THE NUMBER 2 SPOT: So Paul Lo Duca showed that he's fine hitting second. I had mentioned that I'd love to see David Wright hitting there, to get some more at-bats in games. The difference between Lo Duca and Wright, though, is that Wright strikes out a lot. Lo Duca does not, so he's probably better suited for the 2 spot for now because he puts the ball in play, giving him a chance to move Jose Reyes around the bases, if not drive him in.

MEDIA GUIDE: I think I mentioned that my dad got a mini ticket plan, where he gets the home Tuesday and Friday games. Along with the purchase of those tickets, the Mets sent him a media guide...which was forwarded to me today. Fantastic. I'll never want for stats again (until 2008, I guess). I'll put it to good use.

BEAT THE STREAK: Chase Utley gave me a 2-gamer on this early season. I will go with Mike Piazza of the Oakland A's against Jarrod Washburn on Tuesday.

ANOTHER SEASON UNDERWAY....

Mets 6, Cardinals 1 (NYM: 1-0, STL: 0-1)

When you consider that the Mets played a great game on Sunday night, you also need to keep in mind that the Cardinals (defending world champions or not) are not very good. So just keep that in mind.

But that said, Sunday night's game was a great way for the Mets to kick off their season. The funny thing about the Mets productivity was where it came from. The top of the lineup was a bit late to the run-scoring party, and it was Shawn Green, Moises Alou, and Jose Valentin who played very good games for the Mets.

Carlos Delgado, RBI machine, actually did get the scoring started. He had a 2-run double off the left field wall in the third inning off Chris Carpenter. (The ball was badly misplayed by So Taguchi.) In the fourth, the Mets added a few more on a 2-run single by Paul LoDuca and another RBI single by Carlos Beltran. Lo Duca hit second, by the way, and David Wright hit fifth. It seemed to work pretty well.

Jose Reyes looked a little anxious at the plate - he finally got a hit in the ninth inning (and then was picked off of first base) - so maybe a little opening night jitters for him. At the plate, I think the Mets showed only a little of what they're capable of all year - they were definitely not all clicking at the same time - and they still put up 6 runs!

It was in the field that the Mets surprised - pleasantly. They turned four double plays, Tom Glavine fielded his position very well, and Jose Valentin capped a solid defensive night both personally and for the team with a diving stab on a grounder up the middle, turning a 4-6-3 double play with the bases loaded and 1 out in the eighth inning, where the Cardinals were mounting a comeback.

Other defensive highlights:
-It wasn't much, but Paul LoDuca played a squeeze bunt in the third inning perfectly, throwing back to David Wright to get the runner coming from third base.
-Carlos Beltran gunned David Eckstein at the plate on a Preston Wilson single in the sixth inning. The grounder up the middle went right to Beltran, he came up throwing, and threw a strike to LoDuca.
-To begin the sixth, Moises Alou stretched out headfirst and robbed Adam Kennedy of a base hit.

The only disappointment was that this game got a little too close for comfort at a couple of points - Glavine clearly got tired toward the end of his outing, and the bullpen wasn't outstanding - they were helped by the great defense. Joe Smith debuted, and wasn't great. Billy Wagner was his old self in non-save situations, taking forever to retire the side in the ninth.

But a win is a win - and the Mets are 1-0. Too early to start with the magic number?

DIRECTV JOHNNYMETS.BLOGSPOT.COM PLAYER OF THE GAME: A new feature here on johnnymets.blogspot.com. I'll pick a player of the game, Met or not, and post their numbers here every night. Sponsorships are subject to change. For Game one, though, the winner is Tom Glavine, who went 6 innings, giving up 6 hits, one run, and striking out 2. He definitely tired at the end, but benefitted from the run support, working with a cushion, and able to pitch out of his jam. He picked up career win 291, and is 1-0 on the season. I like unblemished records. Also, this was a gem that the ESPN broadcast showed - Glavine is now 136-0 when he has a 5-run lead (which he did when this one was 5-0). I like that number a lot.

THIS IS SPORTSCENTER: David Wright is clearly a star. He is in a new "This is SportsCenter" ad on ESPN. I saw it on Saturday night, not during the game on Sunday night. Wright is good in the commercial - he has some acting in his future. I bet he hosts Saturday Night Live within a year.

THE KID'S KIDS: Sadly, there will be no Kid's Kids this year - because there are no Kid's Kids. Gary Carter will not be managing in the Mets' organization this year - he is reportedly upset - or in the words of the Florida newspaper article I read - "Disagrees" with the Mets this offseason regarding their preferred assignment for him. (I think that means he's mad he didn't get the first base coaching job that Howard Johnson got instead.) Carter was on hand about a week ago for a Mets spring training game where his St. Lucie Mets were honored with rings for their Florida State League championship. I'll keep my ear to the ground and see what other news pops up about Carter this year, but again, there will be no regular feature.

BEAT THE STREAK: The 9th inning single by Reyes got me a 1-game streak. I'm going to try Chase Utley on Monday against John Smoltz.

VINTAGE GLAVINE

Mets 2, Cardinals 0 (Mets lead NLCS, 1-0)

That was awesome. Tom Glavine was outstanding. He was just dominant out there. I can't believe how well Jeff Weaver pitched - he really has been pitching well lately, but Tom Glavine was near unhittable.

Glavine ran into one trouble spot - in the third inning, he got hit pretty hard, but David Wright snagged two line drives to help him out. The first was the first out of the inning, the second ended the inning - after singles put runners on first and second, David Eckstein hit one headed toward left field, but Wright cut it off, and doubled Yadier Molina off second.

Glavine benefitted from another double play in the fourth, when Albert Pujols walked, but with one out, took off on Juan Encarnacion's fly to center. It was shallow, it looked like it might drop, but Carlos Beltran made a great play on the ball, and then threw a bullet to first to double off Pujols. (Everyone is making a big deal out of how good a baserunner Pujols usually is - and it's not a load of hooey - I've seen it in games during the regular season - everyone says, "He's not just a great hitter, he's a really smart ballplayer and a great baserunner." That baserunning mistake could turn out to be one of this series' turning points. I love it.)

Glavine's line - 7 innings, 4 hits, 0 ER, 2 walks, 2 K's. Plus, he's thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings to start his Mets post-season career. Can't do any better than that.

As for the Mets' offense, I can't believe how good they made Weaver look. They hit some balls hard, but mostly he was great for his 5-and-2-thirds. His one mistake came in the sixth inning, when with two out and one on, Carlos Beltran hit a Strawberry-esque bomb to right field, off the scoreboard (!) to give the Mets the 2-0 lead which turned out to be the final score. My only problem with Beltran these days is that I think he still holds a grudge against the fans who booed him last year. He was seemingly reluctant to take a curtain call after arguably the biggest homer at Shea Stadium by a Met in 6 years. Remember, early this season, Julio Franco had to convince Beltran to go out and take a bow after a big homer, when the fans finally started cheering Beltran? Well, guess what, Carlos? You deserved to be booed last year. Remember, the fans gave you a chance, they didn't boo you from the outset - you flat-out stunk. So enjoy the fact that the fans appreciate your outstanding season now. Or play with a chip on your shoulder, if it makes you better, actually. I just want you to help the Mets win.

Again, the bullpen was great. Guillermo Mota got the huge out in the 8th, popping up Preston Wilson with 2 outs, working back from a 3-0 count, forcing Pujols to lead off the ninth with no chance to tie the game. That at-bat came against Billy Wagner, who notched his third save of this post-season (4 appearances in 4 games) with a solid ninth. He walked Scott Rolen with 2 outs, but then got Scott Speizio to pop out. When Wagner walks a guy I only get a tiny bit nervous, as opposed to past Mets relievers/closers, who would walk a guy and you just knew that was coming back to kill them.

Speaking of past Mets closers, Braden Looper pitched the 8th for the Cards, and got a nice, hearty welcome from the New York crowd.

These two teams get right back to it on Friday night. After 5 nights of no (National League/Mets) baseball, they'll make up for it with 5 straight nights of NLCS action. John Maine goes for the Mets against Chris Carpenter. I still have a hard time believing Carpenter is one of the best pitchers (if not the best) in the National League. Perhaps because I haven't seen enough of him. He actually has not faced the Mets yet this year. Hopefully they can get out of New York up 2 games to none.

UNDEFEATED: Just an update to say that the Mets are undefeated in the 10 days my daughter has been in this world (4-0). I had to explain to her at the end of Thursday night's game that I couldn't come straight to bed right after the game because "Daddy is an important sportswriter, and people depend on him to write about this game."

GLAVINE AND MAINE: There was a clever sign in the stands at Shea: "Glavine and Maine and pray for rain", a play on the old Braves saying, "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain". I really am confident the Mets will get by on decent starting pitching, their bullpen, and their bats. But, like that fan, I am most confident in Glavine and Maine. John Maine has been a great addition - I got a little ticked during the Division Series when people - Steve Phillips, Joe Morgan, and Gary Thorne, I think - said he was a throw-in in the Kris Benson trade. He really was one of the Orioles' top pitching prospects. He didn't have great Major League numbers, but the sample size was so small. I remember writing something about him after the trade because I read one of those prospect books in a bookstore one day and there were some promising things written about Maine. I feel good about him starting in these important games - and I consider him much more than a throw-in accompaniment to Jorge Julio.

One more note on pitching matchups - the only reason I will root for Kenny Rogers the rest of the way is so that the Tigers reach the World Series, and the Mets get the chance to bash his brains in. I hope the Mets beat up on Rogers good in the World Series, and there's at least one instance where the bases are loaded, and someone hits a grand slam, and as they're rounding the bases, says to Rogers, "Should have walked me like you did Andruw Jones in 1999, jerkface!" That's what I hope.

INJURIES: Cliff Floyd left Game 1 after his first at-bat. He has maintained since Tuesday, when the Mets first practiced after the Division Series, that he doesn't hurt at all swinging the bat, but hurts at other times. Watching Floyd in the field during the first inning - he's a liability, and the ball certainly was finding him (although he made each play his way). After Floyd hobbled out of the box during his at-bat, he was lifted, and Endy Chavez replaced him. The Mets still say Floyd is day-to-day. It's a shame that Floyd isn't well enough to play, but seeing the way he was out in left field - he shouldn't even be on the NLCS roster. I could see Floyd having some value in the World Series as a DH, but not in the NLCS. The best we can hope for now are some productive pinch-hit appearances, I think.

Also on the injury front, Pedro Martinez* was back in the dugout, after his rotator cuff surgery last week. He was back and joking around with the team, which at this point is more valuable to the team than his pitching contributions from June through September. Also, before the game, Pedro* told reporters that he expects to recover from this injury more quickly than he originally thought. I don't know how he knows this, but he thinks he can contribute for the Mets in the second half of 2007.

MEDIA COMMENTS: We have the Joe Buck-Tim McCarver duo on the NLCS this year. That's fine with me. I'm not a huge Buck fan, but I don't mind McCarver. I know people hate McCarver, but he's comfortable for me - I did grow up watching him as a Mets broadcaster through my childhood. But the reason I bring this up is because they are joined in the booth by Luis Gonzalez....and he is fantastic. It's rare for a player to step into the broadcasting role so naturally and be good at it - but Gonzalez knows just when to speak, and how long to speak. He always has something worthwhile to contribute. A+ job. I was listening in the car to the Padres-Cardinals series, and heard the announcers, and thought, this guy is good. When they said it was Luis Gonzalez, I couldn't believe it. Good for him...I'm glad he's on the NLCS - although I do enjoy Lou Piniella (on ALCS duty - with Thom Brennaman and Steve Lyons. I'm glad I don't have to hear Brennaman.)

COMMERCIALS: Finally, I need to weigh in on the Tommy Lasorda ads. I think they're funny, I really do. I don't hate Lasorda as much as I probably should, since he was Dodgers manager when I hated the Dodgers, but I also don't love him. I love these ads. I especially like the Cubs one, when Tommy asks the woman what the guy (in the tree)'s favorite team is, and she says the Cubbies, and he looks, and says, "Oh." That's just great.

Correction: Unlike ESPNEWS, I'm going to offer a correction. I don't see anything about Linebrink anywhere, so I'm guessing this guy was reporting a rumor on ESPNEWS. That's just unacceptable. This is right after 4pm on Monday, when I heard him say it, during an interview with baseball reporter Keith Law. I understand things are crazy right after the deadline, but at the very least, apologize or correct yourself that this trade never happened (O. Perez for Linebrink). I'm really mad. Sorry for putting something on here that didn't actually happen.

BEAT THE STREAK: While I'm updating, I might as well say that Brian Roberts homered in his first at-bat, bringing my hitting streak to 11, one short of the season record. Ichiro's my pick Tuesday.

TRADE DEADLINE

Couldn't let the deadline pass without a quick comment. I'm still not sure if the Mets have Scott Linebrink - ESPNEWS is a little vague on this. One guy kept mentioning that the Mets swung Oliver Perez to the Padres for Linebrink....the rest of the station keeps saying only that the Mets traded Xavier Nady to the Pirates for Perez and Roberto Hernandez.

If the Met have Hernandez and Linebrink, that's a good deal. I'd say it makes their bullpen a lot better, but then there's this Duaner Sanchez situation...which sets the Mets way back. The only thing that makes me hesitate is that if the Mets think they're getting last year's Roberto Hernandez, I don't think they are. There's the chance he wasn't as good in Pittsburgh because they aren't competing, and he'll be in good shape back in a pennant race. But I watched him pitch a little this year, and he didn't look as good. I admit I don't know much about Linebrink, but a lot of teams wanted him, so I guess it's good the Mets got him.

This Sanchez story makes my mouth hurt (although, that could be the oral sugery). Apparently he was in a cab in Miami, there was a car accident, he suffered a separated shoulder, and is out for the rest of the season. That's awful. He was THE number one surprise for the Mets this year, not knowing what the Mets were getting from LA for Jae Seo - and he's been nothing short of awesome. The Mets can only hope Linebrink and/or Hernandez come close to filling the hole he'll be leaving.

Also, I am shocked the Mets traded Nady. Really. I though for at least the next five years the Mets outfield would be Lastings Milledge in left, Carlos Beltran in center, and Nady in right. Either the Mets are liking what they're seeing from Victor Diaz, and want him there, or they have long-term plans for Endy Chavez (he's 28). I'm really surprised - I didn't think Nady was going anywhere. I had read recently he was a little miffed about Chavez getting so much playing time, but that he was going to get some at-bats coming up against a bunch of lefties. I wonder what else there is to this story.



MAGIC NUMBER: It's 45 now, thanks to the Marlins win over the Phillies on Monday afternoon.

Also Monday afternoon:

CHASE'S CHASE: The hit streak is at 32 games. That's exciting.

I'll definitely be OK to write Tuesday night. I need some rest though.

P.S. Oral surgery sucks.

MIDSUMMER BUMMER

American League 3, National League 2

I've tried looking up Trevor Hoffman's career numbers against the Mets, but I can't find them right now. I'm pretty sure, though, that he is a Met-killer - his numbers against the Mets have always been very good, if I remember correctly. And Hoffman killed the Mets in the All Star Game tonight, giving up 2 2-out runs in the 9th inning, handing home field advantage to the American League, and costing one Met an MVP award.

I was really hoping this game would be no contest - with my nemesis Kenny Rogers the starting pitcher for the American League, I was hoping the NL would rock him and jump out to a big, early lead. No such luck. The AL took a 1-0 lead on a Vladimir Guerrero homer in the second off Brad Penny (who knew Penny could throw such heat - he was consistently in the upper 90's...and threw almost nothing but fastballs). The NL tied it in the bottom half when David Wright hit his first (of many?) All Star Game homer - a solo shot into left field.

The NL then took the lead they would hold into the 9th when Carlos Beltran singled up the middle with Alfonso Soriano on second base....Soriano was nailed at the plate, but Beltran took second on the throw home. Then he stole third. And came home on a wild pitch, to give the NL a 2-1 lead. So there you have it - both Mets responsible for both NL runs - take your pick for the MVP, Wright for his homer, Beltran for his manufacturing a run. Paul LoDuca was ineffective at the plate, but he handled the pitchers well (and he's the first Mets catcher to not be involved in tipping off the AL hitters as to what's coming since Gary Carter). Also, Carlos Beltran's performance tonight resulted in my decision to take the asterisk away from his name forever. He played like an All Star (not to mention his regular season stats - 25 homers), and looks like the Carlos Beltran that has played for other teams. So he merits no more asterisk. I'm still superstitious though - I think the All Star break is the perfect time to do this because he has two days off still to not notice it, and still play like he thinks he has an asterisk still on his name. (That's my crazy logic....I had to write it.)

Phil Garner left a lot of bats on the bench for the NL - and decided to use Trevor Hoffman as his closer. I can't fault him for any of those decisions...but I'll fault Hoffman. He got two easy groundouts to the pitcher, then with two outs gave up a single to Paul Konerko, a double to Troy Glaus, and then a 2-run triple to MVP Michael Young (who I really like and am quite happy for...but man is that going to be costly), blowing the lead.

Beltran had another at-bat in the bottom of the ninth, with one out and the bases empty against Mariano Rivera. He did the best he could, hitting a hard grounder to third, then beating the throw after a bobble, and ending up at second after another ground out. But he was stranded there (as he was stranded at second in the first after a double), and the NL lost.

So if the Mets make the World Series, they will have to settle for games 3, 4, and 5 at Shea. Hopefully it doesn't make a difference - but home field is important....and the National League came sooo close to earning it.

WRIGHT: David Wright has come a very long way since the "Wright Watch". He was featured in a silly little "What Does David Wright Like" feature on FOX (apparently he really likes '24'), and Jeanne Zelasko even interviewed his father (I thought The Wife was rewinding the interview so I could see it - because I was in the other room....turned out she wanted to see if Wright's brothers were as cute as he is.). Throw in the All Star Game homer, and the runner-up in the Home Run Derby, things are never going to be the same. I hope he stays as grounded as he has so far.

OTHER PLAYERS: I like watching David Ortiz play 1st base - but every time he makes a nice play, people go out of their minds over it. You know what? Based on interleague play, the World Series, and this All Star Game, watching him play, I've decided he's a good first baseman. Maybe better than good - above average? He makes good plays there - it's not just coincidence. So get over it, people. Give him credit, don't go overboard every time he does it like you could have never expected such a thing.

Freddy Sanchez is a good ballplayer. I saw flashes of it when he was in Boston - but it's really starting to show as he gets a chance everyday. Plus, he can play anywhere.

PITTSBURGH: Pittsburgh did a really nice job with the All Star Game (I guess - I wasn't there). Their fans were outstanding. Good ovations for the hometown players, the Clemente celebration, and recognizing their old-timers (Mazeroski, Tanner). It shows that it's a good baseball city, and doesn't deserve the poor baseball it's forced to watch these days. Pittsburgh needs a good team again. Plus, have I ever mentioned I love their ballpark?

ESPNEWS: I keep forgetting to mention this, and it's strange to mention it when there are no scores worth looking for on the crawl, but consider this an advisory for the second half of the season. ESPNEWS is driving me nuts. Usually, they put the baseball scores on the crawl, divided into AL and NL, in order of the time of game. So if there was a day game, that would be first in the order, then the 7pm's, then the 10pm's. But for most of the season (the first time I noticed this was in mid-April, when I was on the West Coast), they have been putting the San Francisco Giants as the first game on the NL ticker, even if it was a 10:30 game, the latest of the day. It's probably (definitely) because of Barry Bonds' homers, but does anyone really care that much?!! I think more people are like me - it probably bothers people more than anything. I don't want to pay Bonds any mind, so I don't want his results taking precedence over the rest of the league. When I first saw this out west, I thought it was because I was out west, and ESPN had customized their west coast ticker to show the Giants first...but then I came home and realized that wasn't the case. I didn't care before Bonds passed Ruth, and I don't care now. I bet lots of others feel that way too - put the Giants back where they belong - at the end of the crawl.

THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets were off on Tuesday night, but they've been struggling lately. First of all, they've had to deal with some weather issues, and have had lots of doubleheaders. But when their manager, Hall of Famer Gary Carter, was in Pittsburgh to manage the Futures Game, they hit the skids. Right now, the Mets are on a 4-game losing streak, and will play two on Wednesday against Brevard County. They're two games back of Daytona in the second half of the season (after winning the first half), with a 10-6 record.

COMING UP: Wednesday night, aka the most boring night of the year, I'll post my review of American League broadcasters. Thursday night I'll do the NL, and write about anything notable from the night in baseball. Friday night the Mets are back, and I'll get back to regular postings.

We're having serious computer problems here, so I just wanted to get a paragraph written before the computer craps out again.

I was watching 'Around the Horn' today (truth be told, I don't like that show, but I like keeping ESPNEWS on as background noise when I get home, and that's what they air at 5:30...or maybe 6). Anyway, one of their "Buy Or Sell" topics was the Mets - do you buy or sell them? And all of the "panelists" (read: glorified newspaper writers) agreed that the Mets are the best team (only good team) in the National League. Not all of them were sold on the Mets being the best team in the majors - one said the White Sox' pitching depth put them over the top, another believes the A's have a big run in them. But it's nice to see the national attention the Mets are getting.

The Mets are really putting on quite a road show right now - 6 straight, and it's being done in dominating fashion. Unfortunately, they just rolled out the tarp in Philadelphia, in the bottom of the 4th, with the Mets up, 7-2...so it's not an official game yet. David Wright has a homer, and the Mets were just destroying the Phillies - so they'd better resume this game and not call it.

Thursday is a day game before the Mets come back home for interleague play.

(The computer is behaving OK right now, but I'm not going to push my luck. With a day game tomorrow I'll do a full road-trip wrap, and hopefully not have the threat of a computer failure looming.)

WORKING OVERTIME

Giants 7, Mets 6 12 innings (NYM: 33-22, SF: 29-27)

For the second straight game, and third time in four games, the Mets went to extra innings. It was the tenth time this year the Mets have played an extra-innings game (by my count), and I think now the Mets are 6-4 in extra innings games (again, just my count). This is going to cause some wear and tear on the bullpen - and I think the Mets are going to start paying for it this week. Back-to-back extra innings games, and now a trip out west to play Los Angeles, Arizona, and then back east at Philadelphia. I'm not expecting the best road trip....but maybe the Mets will show how good they are and come away with a winning record. (This is the last tough road trip the Mets have this year - at least as far as mileage goes.)

As for the game, this was an exciting one (which I didn't get to see - more on that later). David Wright hit two homers - he's now up to 10 on the year, and 51 career, and continues to swing a hot bat. (He's now hitting .330..and getting much national recognition. Apparently this week 'The Sporting News' is comparing him to A-Rod.)

The Mets blew a lead in this game, but also came back a couple of times. The most dramatic was after the Giants took a 2-run lead in the 10th inning, then brought Armando Benitez in to close it out. Jose Valentin homered with one out, to make it 6-5, then with two outs, Lastings Milledge hit his first career homer, tying the game. (Milledge was 3-for-4, with 3 RBI, raising his major league average to .267.) Pedro Feliciano got tagged with the loss by giving up the final go-ahead run in the 12th (althoug Heath Bell gave up the hit that scored the run - Bell has been pitching very well since his call-up to replace Jorge Julio out of the bullpen. Not too many of the bullpen guys pitched well on Sunday.)

A rough series for the Mets against the Giants. They lost the series-opener (the first game of the doubleheader), which should have been a warning - the Mets hadn't lost the first game of a home series all season. (They had won 10 straight this year, 13 straight overall. I hate seeing streaks like that end.) Now it's off to the West Coast - let's hope for good things.

MEDIA-RELATED NEWS: First of all, I was wondering why Howie Rose was doing the Mets' game on SNY Saturday (the second game of the doubleheader) - I thought Gary Cohen just had some scheduled time off. But apparently Cohen was taken away from the stadium before the game with appendicitis. I'm not sure how long he'll be out for...but I heard a bit of the Mets' game on the radio on Sunday and Ed Coleman was filling in for Howie Rose...so I guess my services won't be needed. How about two Mets figures with appendicitis at the same time, though? (Xavier Nady and now Gary Cohen.)

Secondly, I couldn't watch the Mets on Sunday, and I can't figure out why. The programming guide on DirecTV had the Mets-Giants game on channel 735, and supposedly it was on Fox Sports Bay Area. But the game wasn't coming on that channel. I was mad...but sadly, being the way that I am, I'll never complain to DirecTV, and I'll never figure out why the game wasn't on. Oh well. I did get a look at ESPN.com's much-improved GameCast.

MONTH OF MAY: I forgot to post this Friday - but since the month of May is over, it's time for the monthly record. The Mets were 16-12 in May - following up their 16-8 April. If the Mets win 16 games a month, they'll do OK this season. (That would be about 112 wins, to put that in perspective...so 15 more to go in June!)

THE KID'S KIDS: The Mets are headed in the right direction again. They beat Tampa 5-1 on Sunday (for the third straight time), and are back to a game-and-a-half lead over Brevard County. That's some good managing by Hall of Famer Gary Carter.

FANTASY UPDATE: I'm back on the outs with this game. The What If Mets dropped all three games Sunday, and are back to .500. I have three coming up on Monday now with the Giants. I'm telling you - I don't know what to do. I'm still just two games back of the wild card, so there's some hope...but I'm 11 behind the division-leading phillies. Also, I filled out a mid-season survey that the game asks you to fill out, and I was pretty critical. I hope that's not why I'm suddenly on a losing streak.

BEAT THE STREAK: David Wright was my pick on Sunday, and he got me up to a five-game streak. I'm taking Carl Crawford on Monday, hopefully we can get this one up into double digits and beyond.

TESTING THEIR MET-TLE

It's only mid-May, but in many ways this is a make-or-break week for the Mets. They're coming off their roughest stretch of the young season against two good teams (the Phillies and the Brewers - it's also the first time all year the Mets have lost back-to-back series). Now it's 6 straight against two very good teams - among the Major League's elite (the Cardinals and Yankees). At the same time, the Mets have seen their lead in the division slip to one game over the Phillies...and once the Yankees series is over, the Mets will be hosting Philadelphia. The rotation is in a bit of disarray, and the Mets are not getting what they really need from their ace, Pedro Martinez*.

The good news is that after losing two out of three to the Brewers - including a very tough 6-5, 10 inning loss on Sunday - the Mets aren't down. That's a difference from previous years, where a drop like this would end the Mets' season. The Mets are realizing a few things right now:

• They're still the team in first place.
• It's early in the season - they're not going to win the division title in May.
• The season has ups and downs, and right now's a down - they're going to get back up.

It's very encouraging to hear the Mets talk like that, because that shows there's a winning mindset around the club, which hasn't always been the case.

But to keep that positive vibe going, the Mets need to take at least 2 out of three from the Cardinals...and then have a good weekend against the Yankees. One of the knocks on the Mets is that they built their early division lead against some poor teams (the Marlins and Nationals, primarily). The Mets managed to have a good West Coast trip, and have done well against Atlanta, but didn't take care of Philadelphia and Milwaukee like they should have. They need to show they can beat the good teams - starting Tuesday.

As for this weekend - it was not a good one. And I guess this is where I should answer my critics/friends (if you didn't see the comments, here's what was written - the first by Dave in Brighton, the second by the Southern Bureau):

"Yeah yeah yeah. We've seen it all before. JohnnyMets going strong, so long as the Mets are winning. Give them a 2-5 stretch and the posts dry up.We'll see you again when they host Pittsburgh in July."

"EXACTLY. JohnnyMets....WEAK!!"

First of all, there's no guarantee the Mets will beat Pittsburgh in July...in Pittsburgh or at Shea. I've logged a lot of miles to both places the past few years, and have seen nothing but L's when those teams meet. Secondly, I didn't post Thursday night because the game was called after I already turned off the computer, expecting a long rain delay and a late-night finish to the game. The joke was I was only going to write a half an entry, because it was half a game...but I didn't think the 4-and-a-half innings merited a posting. And now I'm recapping the weekend. So there.

Jose Lima is done. I don't want to see him pitch another game for the Mets. Jeremi Gonzalez can take that spot - he pitched well Saturday night, but I missed that game. Duaner Sanchez has suddenly imploded - he gave up 4 runs on Saturday night to cause Gonzalez to not get a win. And on Sunday, when the Mets needed Pedro* to go out and get them a win, he fell victim to the long ball again, giving up 4 runs on 2 homers, and the Mets went on to lose in 10 innings on a homer given up by Chad Bradford.

I forget if I addressed this before, but I don't know if I'm crazy with Willie Randolph's bullpen rotation. He always sets it up so that if there's an extra innings game, Bradford is getting multiple innings...and I don't think that's where he's most effective. He throws 60 miles an hour. The other teams are going to figure him out after an inning or so, and he's going to lose the game. I think they need a stronger arm that late in the game. That said, Willie has pushed the right buttons most of the year - most recently seen by getting Endy Chavez and Jose Valentin's hot bats into the lineup.

The Mets have been struggling getting runs home with runners in scoring position. This might be turning around, though, because the Mets managed to tie the game on Sunday in the ninth inning, with two outs, and a runner in scoring position. That's big. Especially with the game-tying run being driven in by Xavier Nady, who had been 0-for-17 with two outs and runners in scoring position before that hit. That might be the hit that keeps things going for the Mets in that regard.

And finally, during Pedro*'s outing on Sunday, I got to thinking. I wonder if he's the pitcher with the most scoreless innings of all time (or at least the highest percentage of scoreless innings of all innings pitched, since he hasn't pitched as many innings as many others). Here's what I mean - it always seems Pedro* has one bad inning (or two, like Sunday), and then is dominant the rest of the game...having stretches of retiring something like 9-15 straight, but losing in the game, 3-0. He must be up there - because that's been the story of his career - 7 innings pitched, 3 runs, with all the runs coming in the 2nd. Know what I mean? I wish someone would look that up. Also, so much for 27-0....another no-decision for Pedro* - I guess he'll have to settle for 26-0 this year.

COMMENT ON OTHER MEDIA: You know, I used to really enjoy reading Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy on ESPN. Then I turned...I don't know if I was jealous and figured I could do better, or if it just hit too close to home, or if he was getting too full of himself (I think that might have been it)...but I'm starting to enjoy reading his stuff again. I stumbled on a couple recently - one about a fantasy league he wanted to create using entertainment magazines, and another logging the Mike & The Mad Dog YES simulcast. Both were awesome, and very much in tune to my life. I might go back to reading him regularly...I just don't know if I have the time.

Funny thing about the fantasy league thing, though. It made me think of starting up my baseball pool this year (which I definitely should copyright), and how he'd probably enjoy it. But then I thought about how there have been years in my life where I'd think up an idea like that and not follow through on it, and let the idea whither away and die. Makes me wonder...maybe I have a book in me, yet. Also, it makes me feel like I'm really growing up, following through on creating a new baseball pool. That, plus the fact that I'm going to be a dad. Wow.

THE KID'S KIDS: The first update is that I am in possession of tickets to the Norfolk Tides-Pawtucket Red Sox game on Memorial Day afternoon. So I'll get an up-close look at Lastings Milledge (his numbers will start appearing here semi-regularly soon), and let you know about the other Triple-A Mets. As for The Kid's Kids, after an off-day on Mother's Day, the Mets got crushed by Dunedin, 14-5, on Monday night. The Mets are 22-15, still good enough for first place by a couple of games in their division.

As for Boof Bonser, his last start was Friday - he got a win, 2 runs in 6 innings, 8 strikeouts. I'm noticing some trouble in Minnesota.....Francisco Liriano is replacing Carlos Silva in the rotation while Silva works out some troubles....There's help in the minors, Twins!!!

FANTASY UPDATE: It's been a while since I updated the What if Mets, and not much has changed. Still hovering around .500, at 19-17, 3 GB. Time to gain some ground, though, because I have some weak competition coming up - the Cubs are giving up about 20 runs a game. The biggest news comes from the fact that Jose Reyes wasn't doing anything leading off, so I picked 1995's Brett Butler off waivers, and he's been on fire...hitting .343 in about 5 games. I'll keep you posted - I really need a winning streak there.

BEAT THE STREAK: I went with David Wright times 3 in Milwaukee, because he always hits well there. He only had a hit per game...but it's got me a 3-game hitting streak. Monday night was Mike Lowell against the Orioles. He tripled and homered, so the streak's at 4. I had a tough time picking a player for Tuesday night, but finally settled on Craig Biggio versus Jamey Wright of the Giants.

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.

Mets 10, Nationals 5 (NYM: 2-1, WAS: 1-2)

It's really late, but so much happened in the Mets game Thursday night that I have to spend some time going through it. First of all, Pedro Martinez* made his season debut...and he's already 1-0 after one start, which wasn't the case a year ago. Pedro* pitched OK. He was a bit wild, and he hit 3 batters (he hit 4 all of last year). Tonight's game (and actually the entire 3-game series against Washington) built a lot of bad blood between the Mets and Nationals. After Pedro* hit hothead Jose Guillen for the second time, in the fifth inning, Guillen started to charge the mound. The umpire held Guillen back, and after the benches and bullpens cleared, Guillen jawed at and threatened Pedro* the entire way to first base. Pedro stared Guillen down the whole way. Neither side's going to forget that. The Nationals retaliated by throwing inside on David Wright, and later plunking Paul LoDuca.

The Mets' offense really came alive in this one. Like in the previous two games, the Mets manufactured their first run - after a Jose Reyes single, a Paul LoDuca hit-and-run single, and a Carlos Beltran* fielder's choice RBI, David Wright had a (another) two-strike single to the opposite field for an RBI. The Mets led 2-0 after one. Pedro* himself broke a 2-2 tie in the 4th with a bases-loaded single, starting a 3-run rally. Reyes followed with a 2-run single. Pedro* allowed the Nationals to tie it, then Carlos Delgado blasted a homer to make it 6-5, and in the 7th, Carlos Beltran* hit a 2-run homer to make it 8-5.

Pedro* went six innings and Duaner Sanchez and Chad Bradford pitched well in relief to shut down the Nats. It was an emotional win for the Mets, and could be just the kind of kick they needed to string together a few wins in a row.

Beltran* made me mad, though. He finally got his first hit of the season, after an 0-for-9 start - the homer, batting right-handed. (Don't forget - he only homers in games Pedro* pitches.) So the crowd, which had been booing him each time he made an out (deservedly so - he's getting paid a LOT of money, and he's swinging at 55-foot curveballs - he looked awful the past few days), cheered Beltran* like crazy, and kept cheering, wanting a curtain call. Beltran* stayed in the dugout. Intentionally. The cameras kept showing Beltran* shaking his head at teammates who were trying to get him out of his dugout. Finally, after a few uncomfortable minutes, Beltran* went out after Julio Franco convinced him he didn't want to piss the fans off further. It's going to be a long contract for Beltran* if he doesn't toughen up a bit and start playing good baseball. The fans will cheer, Carlos, if you start earning your money.

This was my first game on SNY - and Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez are the best in the business right now. I don't know who could compare - and I watch pretty much every telecast (a list of the best duos will be coming sometime this summer). Hernandez made a great point, saying that Franco is just what the Mets had been missing - a veteran leader who is there to set the younger guys straight. (They're all younger - he's 47.) Franco was also responsible for helping cool down Guillen after he nearly charged the mound.

Speaking of broadcasts...This game was also on ESPN with Chris Berman and Joe Morgan. I watched that for all of about 7 seconds. And I had the Washington telecast, which I didn't even switch on. Credit ESPN, though, for being the first to have the reason for a long delay in the 7th inning - the umpire caught a foul ball off the throat, and SNY wasn't on with that replay until after ESPN had showed it a couple of times.

NEW STADIUM: The Mets unveiled their plans for their new stadium, due to open in 2009. Pretty exciting that the Mets could have one of these facilities soon. It looks great - I'll put up some pictures over the weekend. It has a vestibule area like Ebbets Field used to, and COO Jeff Wilpon said it will have a right field overhang a la Tiger Stadium.

MAIL CALL: Thanks to Justin in New York for the first e-mail of the young season. He has his own "Where Were You" story for Brian Bannister's Major League debut.

"your not alone in jinxing young mister bannister. after he completed the fifth, i decided to send my reporter to shea. needless to say, vidro doubled before 1010 wins newsman al jones got into his car."

BEAT THE STREAK: THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, singled twice and tripled, giving me a 3-gamer. I picked through the weekend, since I'll be away Saturday: Friday night is CoCo Crisp, then Jason Bay Saturday in Cincy, and Carlos Beltran* when I'm at Shea Sunday (an all-but guaranteed streak-ender).

I've gotta go to bed...the Marlins are in New York over the weekend. Dontrelle Willis versus Tom Glavine will happen on Saturday - Steve Trachsel makes his season debut on Friday...and I will be there for Victor Zambrano on Sunday. Enjoy the weekend.